OCR Text |
Show THE SABBATH. VS. SUNDAY. Quiet Observer In the Pittsburg Commercial Gazette. There is no denying the fact that the Jewish Sabbath occurred on the seventh sev-enth day of the week, and it was therefore, there-fore, the day that was made holy. The Sabbath was one of the many .sacred institutions peculiar to the old dispensation. Was it introduced into the new or Christian dispensation? if so, by whose authority, and by what command it must have been greatly modified, boeanse we do not even hear of Christ or his apostles observing it in the manner laid down by law. They were called Subbath breakers by the .Jews because they did things unlawful for that day. Besides, no Christian people has ever professed or attempted to keep the Sabbath day according to the law of tho Sabbath. - It is useless to attempt tojkecp intelligent, intel-ligent, reading, traveling peoplo from hearing this question discussed in all its phases; therefore, it is better to submit sub-mit the facts and give them all the light possible. The boy or girl who has been kept from sin by boing kept in ignorance ignor-ance of it and of its eonsetjtienees, is but poorly prepared to meet it. There is nothing to bo lost by a full and fair discussion of tho Sabbath question; not from a sentimental point of view, but from tho law and the facts in the case, If we are under the .Jewish Sabbath law everyone of us is truilty of such. 11a- grant violations of it that wo can scarsely hope for divine favor. In fact we have all merited the death penalty. Get your iiibles and read the law of the Habbath. You call then judgo about how you stand. --- "Head your Bible through a hundred times with roferanee to this subject, and will each time become more and mora convinced of tho truthfulness of the following fol-lowing notable facts: "'There is no divine command for Sunday observance. "There is not the least hint of a Sunday Sun-day institution. '"Christ never changed God's Sabbath Sab-bath to Sunday. "He never observed Sunday as the Sabbath. "The Apostles never kept Sunday as tho Sabbath. "There is no prophesy that Sunday would ever take the place of Sabbath. "The word Sunday never occurs in the liiblo. 'Neither God, Christ, angels, nor inspired in-spired men have ever said one word in favor of Sunday as a holy day, "These are the facts in tho case in regard to the Sabbath and Sunday. " -i- An express command for the change is called for. but this is asking for something wholly unwarranted. We have no express command to substitute baptism for circumcision, the Lord's Supper for the Passover, the church for the synagogue, or in a word, Christianity Christian-ity for Judaism. No direct command can be found for women at the Lord's tablo. Indeed, all the insinuation and customes of the New Testament giving birth to the Christian church were fjradually formed came, not. by revo-ution, revo-ution, but by evolution. So the change of the day for the Sabbath. The New Testament authority for the change in the way of use ami approval is absolutely abso-lutely overwhelming. Our risen Lord changed the day by example and use. He kept seventh day before, but in po known instance after His ressurrejbtion. All His recorded re-corded post-ressiirection meetings with disciples, oli ascertainable date, were on first d avsi -notorie ongnvi'nth days. Ten are reLW " V " them onFridays, five 'firr, o sr la itself, and one on 'jffLs, cJ ay. At His asconsion He im lisciples to remain at Jeriisa, A101' oc" cured on penticost, rf'ona w-dmitted by all scholars to bo t ;' With first day after His ressurreciTj ' It was then He came to tho disciples in a wonderful won-derful spirit baptism. A rniraculas gift of tongues, and tho greatest one-day one-day religious revival known to history. -f- -i- -4- Tbese are remarkublo first day events. Adverse criticism cannot belittle them. Tho birth of this Christian Church, as well as the rcssurrection of Christ, crowns and honors the iirst day of the week. Then, too, Christ's last recorded record-ed visible revelation of Himself that to John on Patmos was made on the Lord's day, a phrase that has passed passed into history as a name on first day. Now, his doings are interpreters of His mind and will, and a fair interpretation inter-pretation is that seventh day is divinely vacated and first day selected for Christian meetings and worship. He dismissed the old day and inaugurated the new day. His attitude towards seventh day is that of non-use. He dissappoint.s all expectation of seventh day Sabbatarians. His attitude towards to-wards Iirst day is use and approval. He rose from the grave on first day. All His recorded relevations of himself to disciples, of ascetainable date, was on First day. Pentecost, which began the formal planting of Christianity, was on F irst day. And the last recorded record-ed relcvalion of himself were on i'irst day. This exclusive use of First day by the risen Sabbath Maker is its sufficient and authorized institution. The F'irst day Sabbatarian is following in the steps of our risen Lord. -I- -;- -- The apostles, after Christ had directed direct-ed by His example, evidently recast the the Sabbath in the mold of a new day. Five sacred texts report Paul and associated as-sociated workers as using Seventh day; but only for preaching; never for anv distinctive Christian ordinances, such as baptism or the Lord's supper. These were celebrated on first and never on Sevenths days. Tho day as ased by them, is nowhere Christianized. Their use did not, therefore, reinstituto and continue Seventh day anymore than it out trie synagogue. nix sacred texts report them as using First day, and for distinctively Christian ends; for baptism as well as preaching, at Pentecost; for tho Lord's Supper as well as for preaching at Troas, and for sacred collections col-lections in tho churches of Corinth and throughout Galalia. Paul additionally classes seventh day with mere forms, and reports it as vacated of Sabbatism. Thus apostolic precept and example respect and sanction the change of day. F'irst day stands dedicated as holy time in Apostolic customs and practice-. |