THE Faith Once Delivered to The Saints
A Letter from James White to Enoch Jacobs
[originally published in The Day-Star, January 24, 1846]
Letter from Bro. White.
Portland, Me., Jan. 8th, 1845
DEAR BRO. JACOBS: —
Permit me to speak this once freely, and as unfettered to the readers of the Day Star as I would to your band in Cincinnati were I present at one of your meetings. I do not write for controversy — I need not say I am not capable, much more, I have no disposition: Jerusalem’s conquest is accomplished. Our work is not now to combat with opponents, but in meekness and love give each one of the househould his portion of meat in due season. My poor heart burns with heavenborn affection for all God’s suffering saints, while, Isaiah, 40:1, “Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God,” is applied to my spirit with unusual power.
“Beloved when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for THE faith which was once delivered unto the saints. For there are certain men crept in unawares who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness and denying the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ;” Jude, 3—4. I conclude no intelligent believer in the shut door doubts the direct application of Jude to us since the midnight cry was finished. So the exhortation to contend for the faith delivered to the saints, is to us alone. And it is very important for us to know what the apostle meant, that we may know what for, and how to contend. In the 4th verse he gives us the reason why we should contend for THE faith, a particular faith; “for there are certain men,” or a certain class who deny the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ. This class can be no other than those who spiritualize away the existence of the Father and Son, as two distinct literal tangible persons, also a literal Holy city and throne of David. The plain teaching of Jude 3-4, is, that the faith once delivered to the saints is just what those who deny the only Lord God & our Saviour Jesus Christ are trying to overthrow. This faith father Abraham cherished, so have his children ever since; for he looked for a city which hath foundation, whose builder and maker is God, Heb. 11:10. Abraham has not reached the end of his faith yet, neither has J. D. Pickand’s in the Holy City, which has twelve gates and twelve foundations, while creation groans and on it rests the curse of its Maker; and we have to wallow through snow two or three feet deep, and face the bleak wintry winds of Maine, it will be hard to make us believe we are in the city and have a right to the tree of life, and have no need of the light of the sun and moon. “And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes, and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain, for the former things are passed away,” Rev. 21:4. The way spiritualizers this way have disposed of or denied the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ is first using the unscriptural trinitarian creed, viz, that Jesus Christ is the eternal God, though they have no one passage to support it, while we have plain scripture testimony in abundance that he is the Son of the eternal God. Then they dispose of Jesus; secondly, by quoting John 4:24. God is a spirit, and as they assert, nothing but a spirit, the Holy Ghost, which dwells in a christian,— Thus they dispose of the Almighty God; while I can and will show from two texts of the bible, that they both exist with body and parts, Dan. 7:9. I beheld till the thrones were cast down (set up) and the ancient of days did sit whose garment was white as snow and the hair of his head like the pure wool. The ancient of days, or God, has a head, and hair on his head, and a body, as David saw him clad with a snow white garment; Paul, speaking of Christ, in Heb. 1, says, “who being the brightness of his (God’s) glory, and the express IMAGE of his (God’s) PERSON.” God is a person, for he made man in his own image; so is his only begotten son, Jesus; and this same Jesus is to set on David’s throne in the literal city on the new earth, under the whole heavens.— This is THE faith once delivered to the saints and will live in spite of modern spiritualism, and for this we are to earnestly contend.
JAMES WHITE
