In last week’s article, texts were quoted to show that the expression, “till the seed should come to whom the promise was made” (verse 19), has reference to the second coming of Christ. This is an important point, and we wish to have it well fixed in the mind of the reader. We therefore present a few more thoughts in the same line of argument. Let us first read the eighteenth and nineteenth verses in connection:-SITI August 5, 1886, page 470.1

“For if the inheritance be of the law, it is no more of promise; but God gave it to Abraham by promise. Wherefore then serveth the law? It was added [spoken] because of transgressions, till the seed should come to whom the promise was made.”SITI August 5, 1886, page 470.2

There can be no question but that the “promise” referred to in verse 19 is the same as that mentioned in verse 18. And what is that promise? It is the promise of “the inheritance.” What inheritance was promised to Abraham? In Romans 4:13 Paul tells us that the promise to Abraham was “that he should be the heir of the world.” This promise must be the same as that discussed in the third chapter of Galatians, because, (1) only one inheritance was promised to Abraham, and (2) the same means of securing the inheritance is given, both in Romans and in Galatians. Compare the two texts: “For the promise, that he should be the heir of the world, was not to Abraham, or to his seed, through the law, but through the righteousness of faith. For if they which are of the law be heirs, faith is made void, and the promise made of none effect.” Romans 4:13, 14. “Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made.... And this I say, that the covenant, that was confirmed before of God in Christ, the law, which was four hundred and thirty years after, cannot disannul, that it should make the promise of none effect. For if the inheritance be of the law, it is no more of promise; but God gave it to Abraham by promise.” Galatians 3:16-18. That the thought in these two texts is identical, there can be no shadow of doubt. It therefore needs no further argument to show that the “promise” is the promise of “the inheritance,” and that “the inheritance” is the whole earth, which God gives to Christ, the seed (Psalm 2:7, 8), and to all who, by faith in Christ, become children of faithful Abraham (Galatians 3:7, 29). And this is at the second coming of Christ.SITI August 5, 1886, page 470.3

The next point to be emphasized is that in speaking of the seed, “the inheritance” is in the mind of the apostle. His argument, in outline, is this: The inheritance is given solely on account of faith. To the objection that this makes void the law, he replies that the law was spoken (made more plain) to serve an important purpose in connection with faith, and that it will continue to fill this office until the seed shall come to whom the promise was made, and through whom alone the inheritance can be obtained. The coming of the seed brings the fulfillment of the promise, and, of course, the end of faith. 1 Peter 1:9.SITI August 5, 1886, page 470.4

And when will this take place? For answer, note two texts that have been previously quoted. Through the prophet, Ezekiel the Lord says of the dominion of this earth: “I will overturn, overturn, overturn it; and it shall be no more, until he come whose right it is; and I will give it him.” Ezekiel 21:27. And that this refers to the second coming of Christ, he himself showed when he said: “When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory; and before him shall be gathered all nations.... Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.” Matthew 23:31-34.SITI August 5, 1886, page 470.5

From the foregoing we think that there can be no doubt in any mind that the apostle has reference in verse 19 to the second coming of Christ. This will appear even more plainly as we develop the argument which he bases on this point. The next thing for consideration will be the relation which the law sustains to the promise and its fulfillment. This is the objective point of the whole argument; but since the limits of this article will not allow the matter to be presented in such shape that it could well be left for a week, we shall defer a discussion of that question until the next number. W.SITI August 5, 1886, page 470.6

“Ex-parte Evidence” The Signs of the Times, 12, 30.

E. J. Waggoner

In its issue of June 26, 1886, the Golden Gate contains the following:-SITI August 5, 1886, page 471.1

“Truth is generally determined by the weight of evidence in its favor. Our Adventist friends declare with Job, that there is ‘no knowledge nor device in the grave’-that the soul sleeps after death till the literal resurrection of the body. Now we can bring a great ‘cloud of witnesses’ who were once mortals like us, and who will all declare most positively that they were never more alive nor wide-awake than they are now. Shall we not believe our spirit friends in preference to Job, who evidently did not know what he was talking about, never having had any experience as a spirit separate from the body? It is hardly fair to insist that a man is dead, when he himself declares to the contrary.”SITI August 5, 1886, page 471.2

Again, in its issue of July 17, we find the following in an editorial note:-SITI August 5, 1886, page 471.3

“Job said that ‘the dead know not anything;’ while the so-called dead come back to us by thousands, and declare that Job was mistaken. Who shall we believe?”SITI August 5, 1886, page 471.4

It is not at all surprising that a paper which has no special use for the Bible should persist in giving Job credit for what Solomon wrote; we never knew an opponent of the Bible to be acquainted with its contents. The mistake is not so bad a one, however, for although Job did not use the language attributed to him, he did speak thus of the dead: “His sons come to honor, and he knoweth it not; and they are brought low, but he perceiveth it not of them.” Job’s testimony is directly opposed to Spiritualism, and so the editor of the Golden Gate did not go so very far astray. But it is surprising indeed to see a man of his intelligence bring in behalf of Spiritualism a class of evidence that would not be accepted by a Police Judge in a petty larceny case, and then call it “weight of evidence.” Here the spirits are on trial. The Bible charges them with being spirits of devils. We call them up and put the question, “Guilty, or not guilty?” They reply, “Not guilty,” and straightway the editor of the Golden Gate claps his hands, and says, “I told you so.”SITI August 5, 1886, page 471.5

The story is told that in a remote country village, a man of limited capacity was elected Justice of the Peace. The first case that came before him was that of a man charged with stealing chickens. To the usual question, the accused replied, “Not guilty.” Immediately the Justice prepared to leave the court room. The prosecuting attorney asked in surprise if he were not going on with the trial. The Justice replied, “What’s the use? The prisoner admits that he isn’t guilty.” We always thought that this story was the creation of somebody’s imagination; but now we are prepared to believe it. Surely a country justice should not be laughed at for doing that which is done not only by the learned editor of the Golden Gate, but by Spiritualists all over the world.SITI August 5, 1886, page 471.6

We don’t accept the evidence; and we would warn all unsuspecting persons against being imposed upon by such one-sided testimony. When you are asked to believe that there is no death, on the ground that some wonderful spiritual phenomena have been exhibited, remember that the Bible says, “They are the spirits of devils working miracles;” and remember also that the only defense made is on the testimony of the accused themselves.SITI August 5, 1886, page 471.7

But this is not all. Not only is there no evidence in behalf of the accused, except their own testimony, but their own testimony is admitted to be worthless. The Golden Gate of May 8, 1886, gave an account of a slate-writing séance, together with a fac-simile of the messages that were received. In the course of the account, the editor said:-SITI August 5, 1886, page 471.8

“It is not claimed that this writing was done, in all instances, or even in any instance, by the spirit giving the name. Much of it, no doubt, is done by the medium’s control, or by spirits skilled in the manipulation of the pencil tips; and such spirits act as mediums for those less proficient in the matter. This explains the poor grammar and orthography sometimes witnessed in communications from spirits who, in earth life, we know would never have committed such mistakes.”SITI August 5, 1886, page 471.9

In the face of this admission, we are asked if we shall not believe our “spirit friends” when they testify in their own behalf! No; for the most “advanced” Spiritualists admit just what the editor of the Golden Gate does, that there is no means of identifying the spirits. We could give abundance of testimony on this point, but prefer to use the recent matter all from the same source.SITI August 5, 1886, page 471.10

The case stands thus: Certain spirits do communicate with men. This we all admit. We claim, on the testimony of the Bible, that they are the spirits of devils. Spiritualists claim that they are our “spirit friends,” and offer the testimony of the spirits themselves as proof, at the same time telling us, what we would know without being told, that their statements are not to be relied on. And for the sole testimony of the accused, who are known only as liars, we are asked to throw away the Bible, which, by the exact fulfillment of prophecy is covering the whole of the earth’s history, as well as by its general testimony concerning human nature, has been demonstrated to be the embodiment of truth. We shall stick “to the law and to the testimony;” and urge all people who are asked by Spiritualists to “try the spirits,” to challenge the testimony that is offered.SITI August 5, 1886, page 471.11

Christ said that lying is the characteristic of the devil. “He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in them. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own; for he is a liar, and the father of it.” It has been shown that the only thing known about these communicating spirits is that they are liars. Do they not in the themselves afford proof of the Bible charge that they are the spirits of devils?SITI August 5, 1886, page 471.12

Next week, if we have space, and if not, the week following, we shall answer the question that is so often asked, namely, “If the spirits are the spirits of devils, how is it that they sometimes heal the sick, and in other ways render aid to men?” It is not a difficult question to answer, yet thousands have stumbled over it. W.SITI August 5, 1886, page 471.13

“Back Page” The Signs of the Times, 12, 30.

E. J. Waggoner

Wednesday, July 28, Elder J. N. Loughborough, Elder E. J. Waggoner, and Professor S. Brownsberger, left San Francisco for Eureka, Cal., to attend the Humboldt camp-meeting. To meet the wants of the cause, the California conference is obliged to hold five camp-meetings the present season. This not only shows what a large scope of territory is embraced within the bounds of the Conference, but is a gratifying evidence of the growth of the cause in this State. For all of which we are thankful to God.SITI August 5, 1886, page 480.1

July 29, 1886

August 12, 1886