SABBATH OBSERVANCE

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2119, 9 April 1914, Page 9

SABBATH OBSERVANCE

(To the Editor.) Sir,—There is no "technicality,'! as suggested by "J.E.5.,". about tho transgression of God's laws. A .man falls into the water and is drowned, ho falls in the fire and is burned; he falls out of a balloon and has no titno to about technicalities. The Titanic strikes an iceberg and the fact that Bho has three or four thousand souls pa board does not prevent them going to tho bottom. Even if they are all unprepared. If tho. statement of tho fact that "there is not a singlo instance in the Now Testament where we are enjoined to keep tho Seventh Day" (Sabbath) proves anything at all, it proves that thero is now no Sabbath to keep t «x----cepting any that mau may choose to make. ■■.-._' In dealing with the Commandments of God, Christ insisted on a more strict observance than ever before, but owing to the fact that the' .lews , kept tho Sabbath, that' being the piin- . cipal part of their religion, just as "going to church" is the religion of Christendom to-day, Jesus had no occasion to bring them to book. Wo aro therefore told by "J.E.5.," that ilia significance of the Sabbath is ended; The fact that 1 God commanded that Sabbathbreakera should suffer the'death pen- " alty, thus placing tho transgressor on tho same plans as tho murderer, proves . the heinousness 'of the sin in l God's sight. ' The fact that "Christ hoaled on " the Sabbath" simply teaches that it is lawful for us to do likewise. (James V, 14-15.) Christ is (not "was") Lord of tho Sabbath. Tho Sabbath Day, therefore, must bo tho Lord's Day. It ia tho day "God blessed and pronounced holy," and Ho will pour out His fury on those who pollute it (Ezekiel XX). The' Psalmist says: "It is tho day the Lord hath made," tho "Sabbath was made for man" to keep holy, and observe as a day of rest. With, the exception of John V yet.r correspondent does not give any New Testament Scripture, although he is satisfied that anyone reading it with" an open mind will "be convinced that Sunday is the Christian Sabbath." I' studied the Old and New Testaments with a strong bias in favour of Sunday, and am satisfied that the Seventh Dav is tho Sabbath, and that it has never been repealed. Paul worked at his trade til tho week and as his custom was (Acts XVII, 72 and 18a) as was the custom of Jesus (Luko IV, 16), went into tho Synagogue and taught the people on the Sabbath Day. Mary waited "until the Sabbath was ended," and when she, arrived at the Sepulchre Jesus was risen, but whether He. rose on the Sabbath or Sunday is not stated, so we don't, know. Tho disciples met on the first day of the week with locked doors, ior fear of the Jews, and then again, after'eight.days, viz-.,' Monday, they met, which explodes the Sunday theory, l but supposing they did meet on tho first day of the week, is that sufficient authority for man to change tho Sabbath' of the Lord to that day. If my ; friend looks 'down the religious notices in to-night's paper ho will find :-to-jnorrow referred to as Sunday; thero is no apparent intention on the part of, ministers of calling it the Sabbath..- >'.••.. . ' .. , ~ His reference to the worship of Saturn does not apply in'my case, for I designate tho Seventh Day as- the Sabbath of the Lord, not Saturday. Neither did I make any reference to.the "Jewish Sabbath." • God gave His Commandments'to Israel, not Judah only, and as it has been discovered-that Britain is Israel, this fact'is most important to us. - ■ i,ii'v .liWi.i;.;!:' ■ Jesus ,told His all that' Moses,taught (Matt. XXIII," 'l. % 3), and to ,teach other disciples-also' to obey'(Matt. XXVIII,'I9, 20). ■"• ' . -Jesus Himself kept His Father's Commands (John'XV, 10): 'After' His resurrection Jesus walked fifteen miles ,on the first day of the week, that day, therefore, could not be the Sabbath. The disciples rested tho Seventh Day according to tho Commandments'(Luke XXIII, 66). Jesus referred, in Matt. XXIV, 20, to. a Sabbath forty vears in the future. The day was altered by man about 170 yea!rs after Christ, so He must have referred to the Sabbath of the, Lord. Christ called those His bre- ' thron who heard, and did, the Word of God (Luke VIII, 21). If wo break the Fourth Commandment we are guilty of'all, (James 11, mandment's. (I John 2, 3.) Sin is the hear the' Word of God and' keep it." (Luke XI, '28.) It is not those who hear the Word, but thoso who. do it are'justified. (Eoni. 11, 13.). We know that we know Him if wo keep His Commandments. (John 11, 2.) Sin is tho transgression of the law. (I John,. 3, 4), and Jesus came in to the world to save His people, from their sins, (Matt. I, Thoso who reject God's Word reiiict Christ (John I, 1, 14), and the Word of God is'the Word of Jesus (John XIV, 23, 24). God spoke the words of the Fourth Commandment and wo have no "thus saith the Lord" that this law has been reoealed. regard to Mrs. White, whoever, she may be. If I were interrogated in the samp way I should reply that the Holy Spirit can only teach those who are willing to learn of Him, and moreover, thero is no necessity for an/one to teach' us the Ten Commandments, we can learn them from the Scriptures. There are • scores of thousands of people who call themselves Christians to-day, indulging themselves in everything God prohibited,' eating unclean foods, indulging in unclean practices, ami suffering all the pains and penalties which the enjoyment of such illicit pleasure brings upon us. The woes and unrest of our race today, which threaten to shake our nation to its very .foundations in the near future, aro directly attributable to tho ignorance of ministers and peoplo alike of the statutes and judements of God. Wo .read in Nehmia IX, 13, 14, that God has given us right judgments, time laws, good statutes and commandments, and the Sabbath, but the people refused to obey and suffered accordingly. .Although God has. commanded us to read theso His statutes and judgments to all tho people they are a soaled book., and looked upon.as indecent in this highly moral and culture dgeneration, and in their place we have all sorts of social organisations,' men[s socioties, Y.M.C.A.'s, etc. Happy ■is that people whose God is- the Lord, and the time is fast approaching when, the great mass of' tho people will realise that serving the devil does not bring happiness. Christendom ten day. seems to occiwy tho position depicted in Hosea IV, "My people are destroyed for. lack of knowledge."—! am, etc., KEEP THE SABBATH. P.S.—We aro to "obscrvo tho Sabbath throughout our generations, for a perpetual covenant. It is a sign- between ; God'and us for ever, for in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, and on the Seventh, Day Ho rested, and was refreshed." l .The : keoping of tho Sabbath thus proclaims weekly the creation, and not the evolution, of the world. ' Tho denial of tho Seventh Day Sabbath makes tho path of tho evolutionist much easier,' but God has declared that tho' Sabbath shall ho a "sign-forever," and heaven and. earth must pass away before His Word can pass away. ' ;.',, '"''.;'.' '■'/ . I .forgot'to mention thaV "Christ our Passover 'is sacrificed for'.its,'' the type is thernfo'ro no longer perpetuated arid, its anti-type, the Lord's Supper, takes' its olace. No doubt the teaching that in these "days of grace" tho Tcii Commandments are nil dono away is largely responsible for the lawlessness that is rampant throughout Britain and her "'Jommions to-day.