656
Testimonies for the Church Volume 1
the same Spirit explains that the Scriptures speak of it as the case
appeared. See
Testimony No. 33, vol. 5, 696-698
.
Page 355, “The Rebellion”—At the time that this testimony was
written, early in 1863, Seventh-day Adventists were faced with a seri-
ous problem. The nation was at war. Although at heart noncombatants,
the sympathies of the church members were, almost without exception,
entirely with the government in its opposition to slavery. As the con-
flict progressed, more and more men were called to the army. At each
call every district was under obligation to furnish a certain number of
recruits, and when the voluntary enlistments fell below that number,
names were drawn to make up the lack. For a time it was possible by
the payment of money to buy a substitute and thus release one whose
name had been drawn. As there was no provision made for assigning
Seventh-day Adventists to noncombatant service, and no allowance
for Sabbath observance, Sabbathkeepers, when drafted, usually in this
way purchased their exemption. If the individual was unable to raise
the money himself, he was helped by a fund raised for that purpose
.
Now, as more men were needed, and a national conscription law
without such exemption privileges was impending, our brethren were
in perplexity regarding their response to such a draft, where they might
be compelled to take up arms or to work on the Sabbath
.
A few months prior to the appearance of this testimony, Elder
White had published an editorial in the Review and Herald entitled
“The Nation,” to which reference is made on page 356. He believed
the government to be the best on earth and fighting for a righteous
cause. His best counsel at that time was that in the event of drafting
“it would be madness to resist,” and added:
“He who would resist until, in the administration of military law,
he was shot down, goes too far, we think, in taking the responsibility
of suicide.”—
The Review and Herald, August 12, 1862
.
The nature of some of the correspondence that followed this article,
as pointed out by Mrs. White, had been such as to lead Elder White
to protest against a virtual charge of “Sabbathbreaking and murder”
[717]
which had been brought against him. Such extremists were reproved
by Mrs. White on the one hand, and on the other hand a note of
warning was sounded to those who were inclined to enlist
.
In July, 1864, the national conscription law was so amended as to
revoke the $300 exemption clause. Steps were immediately taken to