Transcriber's Note:
Quotations from Scripture and other sources, which are in smaller type
in the original, have been indented one space.
Small capitals have been replaced by full capitals. Italics are
indicated by _underscores_.
The use of hyphens has been rationalized. Apparent typographical errors
have been corrected.
TRACTS ON THE SABBATH.
"THE SEVENTH DAY IS THE SABBATH OF THE LORD THY GOD."
NEW YORK:
PUBLISHED BY THE AMERICAN SABBATH TRACT SOCIETY.
No. 9 Spruce Street.
1853.
TABLE OF CONTENTS.
1.--Reasons for introducing the Sabbath of the Fourth Commandment to
the consideration of the Christian Public. 24 pp.
2.--The Sabbath: its Moral Nature and Scriptural Observance. 48 pp.
3.--The Sabbath: Authority for the Change of the Day. 24 pp.
4.--The Sabbath and Lord's Day: A History of their Observance in the
Christian Church. 48 pp.
5.--A Christian Caveat. 4 pp.
6.--Twenty Reasons for keeping holy, in each week, the Seventh Day
instead of the First Day. 4 pp.
7.--Thirty-six Plain Questions, presenting the main points in the
Sabbath Controversy: A Dialogue between a Minister of the Gospel
and a Sabbatarian; Counterfeit Coin. 8 pp.
8.--The Sabbath Controversy: The True Issue. 4 pp.
9.--The Fourth Commandment: False Exposition. 4 pp.
10.--The True Sabbath Embraced and Observed. 16 pp.
11.--Religious Liberty Endangered by Legislative Enactments. 16 pp.
12.--Misuse of the term "Sabbath." 8 pp.
13.--The Bible Sabbath. 24 pp.
14.--Delaying Obedience. 4 pp.
15.--An Appeal for the Restoration of the Bible Sabbath, in an
Address to the Baptists, from the Seventh-day Baptist General
Conference. 36 pp.
16.--The Royal Law contended for. By Edward Stennett. 60 pp.
17.--Vindication of the True Sabbath. By J. W. Morton, late Missionary
of the Reformed Presbyterian Church. 60 pp.
[No. 1.]
REASONS FOR INTRODUCING THE SABBATH OF THE FOURTH COMMANDMENT
TO THE CONSIDERATION OF THE CHRISTIAN PUBLIC.
NEW YORK:
PUBLISHED BY THE AMERICAN SABBATH TRACT SOCIETY,
No. 9 Spruce-Street.
To search for the knowledge of our duty, as subjects of the Divine
Government, is of the highest importance to Christians and to all men.
"None of us liveth to himself, and no man dieth to himself," but
"whether we live or die, we are the Lord's." It behooves us,
therefore, to inquire, diligently and prayerfully, what God would have
us to do, and how we may best glorify Him and save our generation? We
should "seek wisdom as silver, and search for it as for hid treasure;"
and we should labor after the knowledge, not only of _some_ duties,
but of _every_ duty. "Obey my voice," is the reiterated mandate of
Jehovah. To give full proof of our friendship for Christ, we must "do
whatsoever he hath commanded us." Hence the importance of "searching
the Scriptures," and of carefully pondering the testimonies of God.
All should pursue this course, and feel this responsibility; for
"every one of us shall give account of himself unto God." Hence the
propriety and necessity, in many cases, of _individuals_ dissenting
from the views and decisions of _collective bodies_, and of
_minorities_ dissenting from _majorities_, and protesting against what
they discover to be erroneous, unequal, and oppressive, in their
resolves and measures--accompanying the same with a particular
statement of their reasons. Such a course expresses a determination
"not to be partakers of other men's sins," and is often the means of
leading to investigation and reform.
This duty is acknowledged, and this privilege is claimed, by the
observers of the _seventh day_, in relation to the subject of the
Sabbath. Compared with the many who assume the Christian name, we are
a _minority_--a _mere remnant_--and our reasons and motives for
dissent from the great mass of believers, have been by most but
partially, if at all, examined and weighed. Believing, as we do, that
we have a full and explicit Divine warrant for our practice, we regard
it as our duty to make renewed efforts to sustain the claims of the
original Sabbath of God's appointment, enlighten the public mind,
disarm our neighbors and fellow Christians of their prejudices, and
promote a more thorough and impartial attention to this item of
religious practice. The object of this Tract is not to enter fully
upon the proofs of our doctrine and practice, but to invite attention
to the subject, and impress the reader with the importance of correct
views and of being sustained in Sabbath principles and efforts by an
explicit warrant from God himself, in order the more effectually to
secure the sanctification of this precious institution. Accordingly,
we proceed to state some of our Reasons for introducing the Sabbath of
the Fourth Commandment to the consideration of the Christian Public.
I. The general concession that the weekly Sabbath is a needful, wise,
and valuable institution. Being a weekly rest from secular business
and labor, it contributes to the health and vigor both of man and
beast, encourages habits of cleanliness and decency, gives opportunity
to cultivate the social virtues, makes man acquainted with man, and
inspires a mutual regard for the interests of society; and, what is
much more, it furnishes a proper and necessary season for mental
improvement, public worship and instruction, private meditation and
self-examination, the training up of children in the knowledge of God
and of Heaven, and the deepening of our impressions of the value of
time, and of the importance of preparing for eternity. These and
similar considerations sensibly arrest the attention of sober and
enlightened Christians, and secure a conscientious regard to the
institution. This fact evinces the importance of being able to bring a
_divine sanction_ for a day so evidently desirable, and so generally
esteemed--of being assured that it rests upon no doubtful authority,
that it is not a mere human provision or a matter of expediency and
accommodation, but that in observing it we are conforming to the
clearly-manifested will of God. It is evident, that this consideration
will give a value to the institution which can be supplied by no
other, and secure a love and respect for it, and a delight in it,
which nothing else can so effectually produce. Hence the question is
presented, with a high and impressive claim to a true and definite
answer, Is any other than the _seventh_ day of the week sustained by
the important and indisputable sanction of _divine authority_? If
this, and this only, be the Sabbath of God's appointment, for general
and permanent use, then, by the substitution of another day, the
institution is shorn of its chief excellence and force--yea, it is
virtually annulled. It no longer exists as God ordained it, for the
express reason that he gave for it. This is a point which it becomes
Christians seriously to look at.
II. It is not the province of Rulers, Bishops, or Councils, to
legislate for the Church, and to bind the consciences of men in this
or any other matter. Man's appointment of another day than the one
contained in the Divine Enactment, does not make it _the Sabbath of
the Lord_. It is only a _human law_, resting on _human authority_.
Therefore, all attempts to enforce the observance of such an
institution as being of divine authority, are calculated to mislead
and ensnare souls. It is "teaching for doctrine the commandments of
men." Our faith in this matter "should not stand in the wisdom of men,
but in the power of God." The question is not, What day have men
judged most proper? and, What reasons for the institution have they
deemed the most appropriate? and, What day have civil rulers
sanctioned by their decrees and penalties?--but it is, What day has
God sanctified and blessed as a day of rest? It is manifest that no
man should stop his inquiries until he is able to produce a clear
divine warrant for his practice.
III. The fact that there is a lamentable division among professors of
religion in regard to the true design of the weekly Sabbath, and the
proper day to be observed, evinces the great importance of
investigation, and of arriving at a correct knowledge of the Divine
Will. This division is not likely to cease till a more general and
thorough knowledge of the subject is obtained, and a deeper interest
therein is felt. Can it reasonably be supposed that the whole church
will become united in the observance of the _first_ day of the week,
if it is not the Sabbath of the Bible? Will it ever be the case, that
God will have no witnesses for his own unrepealed and unadulterated
institution?--none that shall call the Sabbath of his own appointment
"a delight, the holy of the Lord, honorable, and shall honor him
therein?" No--this will never be! Admitting that the Sabbath of the
fourth commandment is still binding, there is no doubt that there will
ever be a remnant, at least, who will conscientiously observe it. For
his great name's sake, God will not suffer this prominent part of his
law to be universally corrupted and profaned. And hence, if a
preference continues to be given, as it is now, to a day which He has
not designated and made holy, there will, of necessity, be a
protracted division in the ranks of Zion, and the cause of the
Redeemer will, on this account, continue to suffer. The faithful
witnesses will unquestionably continue to prophecy, though clothed in
sackcloth, and to bear testimony against the innovation. And no
earthly power can prevent them. Resolves, and proscriptions, and
gibbets, will not wholly suppress their testimony in favor of the
Sabbath of the fourth commandment. Therefore, the occasion of the
present division must be put away by a general return to the
uncorrupted appointment of God, or the same cause for regret and
mourning which now exists will continue to afflict the church. Let
those who regard the unity and peace of Zion, seriously lay to heart
this consequence.
IV. It must be admitted, that in so important a matter as a weekly
Sabbath, our great moral Legislator has sufficiently declared his will
to enable honest and impartial inquirers to arrive at a true result.
If it would be reasonable to expect explicit information of his will
concerning any point, it would certainly be reasonable to expect it
concerning this, seeing the claims of this law would come in direct
contact with the cupidity of men, and sensibly influence the
arrangements of business and pleasure--yea, deeply affect the general
interests of society. Were the data furnished, from which
contemplative and well-disposed minds might _infer_ a weekly Sabbath,
its observance and its ends could not be extensively secured without
an _explicit_ warrant. Therefore, if God intended there should be a
Sabbath--yea, we might with propriety say, that if he intended his
religion and worship should be preserved in the world--he would have
given an explicit law upon this subject--one, of course, which could
be easily discovered, and the permanent obligation of which could be
readily traced.
V. It is an obvious _fact_, that God _has legislated_ upon this
subject--that he has once made a law for the observance of the
_seventh day_ as a _weekly Sabbath_. He did this at the close of his
creative operations. Excepting marriage, the seventh-day Sabbath is
the oldest institution in the world. Moreover, God gave a new edition
of this law at the promulgation of the Decalogue upon Mount Sinai,
under circumstances of peculiar and awful solemnity and majesty; first
pronouncing it, in connection with the other nine commandments, with
an audible voice from the Mount, in the hearing of all Israel, amidst
thunders, and flames, and tempests; and afterwards writing the _entire
ten_ on two tables of stone, for a perpetual rule of action. It is
obvious, also, that _obedience_ to this institution, so solemnly
stated and defined, and enforced by so plain and adequate a reason,
was regarded as a prominent item of duty, and received his _marked
approbation_, whereas _disobedience_ received his _marked
disapprobation_. It is also clear, that good men throughout the times
of the Old Testament were peculiarly zealous for this institution, and
sought diligently to prevent its neglect or desecration, and to secure
its legitimate advantages. Thus far all is plain, and is generally
conceded.
VI. It is a principle which no proficient in the science of
Government, _divine_ or _human_, will deny, that a law, once enacted
and in force, remains in force, unless repealed or amended by the same
authority which first enacted it. Hence, if the law respecting the
seventh-day weekly Sabbath has not been repealed or amended by the
same authority which first enacted it, it still remains in full force
and obligation, as originally given. This conclusion is _legitimate_,
_necessary_, and _undeniable_. It is obvious to persons of every
capacity. And we here declare our deliberate and settled conviction,
from a careful and thorough examination of the matter, that there has
never been any such repeal or amendment; hence, that our obligation,
and that of all men, to keep the Sabbath of the fourth commandment,
remains without the least abatement. "Till heaven and earth pass," we
believe, according to the declaration of the Saviour, "one jot or one
tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled." We
alledge, then, fearless of successful contradiction, that it _never
has been so repealed or amended_, and hence _is now binding_ upon the
entire family of man.
VII. From the nature of the case, and from God's declared will, and
procedure in other cases on scriptural record, it is evident that the
same divine authority is attached to _the day_ of the week to be
observed, as belongs to the _institution itself_, so that there is no
room to say, that if a _seventh pert_ of time is observed as a holy
rest, it is not essential which day of the week is selected. When God
appointed the Passover to be kept on the fourteenth day of the first
month at even, the time of keeping it could not be changed to the
thirteenth or fifteenth of the month, without disregarding his
authority. There was, indeed, a specified case in which those who were
not in the prescribed circumstances to keep the fast at the time
appointed, might celebrate it on the fourteenth day of the second
month at even. But without this express divine provision, no departure
from the first arrangement would have been allowable. And when God
commanded Saul to slay the Amalekites, without exception, together
with the sheep and the cattle, it did not answer for him to spare
their king, and "the best of the sheep and the oxen for sacrifice."
For this deviation from the course prescribed, God pronounced him a
transgressor, and visited him in judgment, declaring that "to obey is
better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams." So when
God instituted a weekly Sabbath, and specified the seventh day for
that purpose, assigning a special and appropriate reason, it was
manifestly his will that that particular day should be observed; and
the substitution of another day, without subsequent instruction to
that effect, cannot be reconciled with a due regard for his supreme
authority. It is "changing the ordinance, and breaking the everlasting
covenant."
VIII. It is evident that the substitution of the _first_ day of the
week for the _seventh_, as a weekly Sabbath, which has been adopted by
the major part of the professors of Christianity, has presented, and
continues to present, a formidable obstacle to the conversion of the
Jews, and the introduction of the millennium. It is well known, that
the Jews as a body are exceedingly tenacious of the Sabbath of the
fourth commandment; that, with few exceptions, they have persevered
from ancient times in its observance; and that they consider it a
prominent article in the religion of their forefathers. This practice
has been unbroken in the nation from the time of the giving of the law
upon Mount Sinai till the present day. There have been, indeed, many
instances of Sabbath-breaking among them, and at present there is
reason to believe that the motives which govern them in its observance
are sadly deficient. But the _practice itself_ is tenaciously adhered
to, as required by the unrepealed law of the God of Israel. And, if
our views are correct, they have the right of the case, and the
majority of Christians have corrupted the law. This, therefore, is a
formidable obstacle to their embracing Christianity. To become
_first-day_ Christians (and such compose a vast majority of
professors) they must relinquish or change one of the precepts of the
Decalogue, and dissent from a custom held sacred by their ancestors,
and deeply venerated by themselves; and that, too, without seeing any
_divine warrant_ produced for such a departure. This unauthorized
practice of keeping the first instead of the seventh day of the week,
cannot fail to prove a powerful objection in their view to embracing
the gospel of Jesus Christ. It is true that they are tenacious also of
other practices enjoined in the Old Testament, which Christians justly
regard as obsolete. But as to _these_, we can show authority for their
_abrogation_. We can appeal to the New Testament records, and show
that the Mosaic _ritual_, "the law of commandments contained in
ordinances," which constituted the enmity or separation between Jews
and Gentiles, was abolished by the death of Christ--that "he took it
out of the way, nailing it to his cross." But the same course cannot
be successfully pursued with respect to the seventh-day Sabbath. The
Decalogue in which this is found was not included in the abrogated
ritual. It is altogether a distinct thing, wherefore the Jews cannot
be met in the same way with regard to the weekly Sabbath as they can
with regard to the typical observances which had their accomplishment
in Christ. Hence the stumbling-block remains. And yet those who
observe the first day are generally praying for and expecting the
conversion of the Jews, and, in connection therewith, the millennial
glory of the church. What an inconsistency is this! While they are
praying for their national conversion and return to the land of their
forefathers, and are beginning to use some other means for that end,
they, by their palpable violation of the law of the fourth
commandment, place a most formidable obstacle in their way, and pursue
a course calculated to augment their prejudices, confirm their
unbelief, and retard the approach of millennial glory. To bring Jews
and Gentiles together in the observance of the Sabbath, the one party
or the other must materially change their practice. And which is it
most reasonable to expect will ultimately be compelled to make the
change--the _Jews_, who have the authority of God's example and
express precept to sustain them, or the _Gentiles_, who can claim no
such authority for a first-day Sabbath? Surely, we need not be at a
loss for an answer. It is confidently believed, that this subject has
no inconsiderable bearing upon the condition and prospects of the
Jews. If a few conversions are now effected among them, what might be
expected if Christians would remove the stumbling-blocks which their
own errors have placed in their way? Would we enter an effectual plea
in behalf of this wonderful and long-neglected people, we know not how
we could do it better than to plead for the observance of the Sabbath
of the fourth commandment. Let those whose "heart's desire and prayer
to God for Israel is," like Paul's, "that they might be saved," give
this subject a thorough and impartial consideration, and return to the
path of strict obedience.
IX. It is not to be expected, that an effectual check can be put to
the sin of Sabbath-breaking, till the duty of keeping the Sabbath is
so taught, understood, and practiced, that the sanction of express
divine authority can be brought to bear upon it. Though a weekly rest
be profitable, both as it respects "the life that now is, and that
which is to come," there is much in the carnal views and inclinations
of men to oppose it, to resist its restrictions, and to thwart its
purposes. Hence powerful considerations and inducements are necessary
to suppress its desecration, and insure its proper observance. Not
only the _unbelieving world_, but _Christians_, in their present
imperfect state, need to have this institution thoroughly guarded to
prevent its abuse. If it be considered as resting upon _doubtful
authority_; if it be viewed as sustained merely by _inference_, and
the _premises_ from which the inference is drawn be at best
questionable, and do not _necessarily_ authorize it; if the principal
argument for it be founded on a supposed apostolic example of meeting
for public worship on the first day of the week, which is sustained
only by _two_ passages, while those _very passages_ fail to mark it as
_a Sabbath_, or to give the least intimation of its having been
introduced as _a substitute_ for the former Sabbath, and even fail to
imply, necessarily, that meetings of this description were _stated_
and _general_ in the churches in the apostolic age; and if it be
found, from subsequent ecclesiastical history, that the first day,
called Sunday and Lord's day, was not regarded by Christians in the
first centuries after the apostles as _a Sabbath_, nor as _substituted
therefore_, but only as a _festival_ in commemoration of the
resurrection--a _festival_ observed in connection with the Sabbath,
but not accompanied with a _resting from worldly labor_, till the time
of Constantine the Great; yea, if but a part of those who are
considered experimental Christians, look upon it _now_ as properly _a
Sabbath_, or day of _holy rest_, while others regard it merely as a
day for _public worship_, and even such as call it a Sabbath conceive,
in many instances, that the _strict_ observance formerly required is
somewhat _modified_; we can easily perceive, that it wants that
_explicit sanction_--that _high_ and _overpowering authority_--which
will be likely to awe the public into obedience--which is necessary,
indeed, to give Christians themselves a proper sense of its sanctity,
and of the evil of its desecration--to induce them "not to do their
own ways, nor to find their own pleasure, nor to speak their own
words," in it. In vain do its friends procure for it the resolutions
of churches and synods, the essays of the learned, and the decrees of
the State; if it fails of being expressly supported by the supreme
authority of God, to whom all must render a final and strict account,
it will lack the main motive to obedience--it will be unattended with
that power which, above all others, acts upon the conscience, and
makes men feel their obligation. And as such authority does not
pertain to a first-day Sabbath, but is limited to the seventh day, it
is manifest that no thorough check to Sabbath desecration can be
imposed, till men change their views and practice, and place the
institution on its original and proper basis.
X. The power of custom, though sustained by ecclesiastical and civil
enactments, and with corresponding forfeitures and penalties, ought
not to prevent investigation and discourage reform in this important
matter. When the claims of the original Sabbath are plainly presented,
many seem to be convinced of their justness; but, at the same time,
think that a general return to the observance of the seventh day is
impracticable. They alledge that the custom of keeping the first day
has been so long and so generally maintained--that it is so intimately
wrought into the habits, calculations, and business of life--that it
has received such explicit sanction from the civil powers, obedience
thereto being required by the authority of the State, and the
disobedient being subjected to civil pains and penalties--and that it
is so often, ably, and pointedly vindicated by the first ministers,
professors, and commentators in the popular churches, that it is in
vain to expect a change, and that the cause of Sabbath-keeping is
rather retarded than promoted by efforts to change the present custom.
And it is highly probable that some, in view of these difficulties,
forbear to give the subject a close investigation. But if the same
views and modes of reasoning had been adopted in other cases, what
would have become of the various reformations which are now
established, and even triumphant? What would have become of the whole
subject of _Protestantism_? There is nothing more impracticable in a
Sabbath reform than in any other reform. In other cases, difficulties
which at first seemed insurmountable, have given way to laborious,
prayerful, and united efforts. And there is the same reason to believe
that they will give way in this, if a proper zeal is once awakened,
and the friends of the Sabbath are resolved to examine the subject,
build on the foundation of truth, and persevere in their labors, with
union and vigor, relying upon the protecting power and blessing of
Israel's God. It is manifest that no earthly consideration should
impede our investigation of this matter, that no array of opposition
and discouragement should daunt us, and that no motives to sit still
or pass along with the current of public opinion, if that be not
founded in truth, should be suffered to influence us, and detain us in
the wilderness of error. The cause of obedience is the cause of God,
and we should steadfastly labor to promote it, and trust in him for
ultimate victory.
XI. As a consequence of the foregoing principles and facts, we are
constrained to regard those who observe the first day of the week, to
the neglect of the seventh day, as having sadly deviated from the path
of obedience, and we feel ourselves bound to admonish them, and labor
respectfully and kindly to reclaim them. We cannot think it
_immaterial_ what day of the week is observed as a day of rest, when
God has specified the seventh, and _no other_, as a weekly Sabbath. We
cannot think it a small matter to substitute the first day in the room
of the seventh, although it be done in honor of the resurrection of
our Lord, and because that event appears to demand equal and even
greater commemoration than the work of creation, so long as there is
no divine warrant therefor. This appears to us to be making the wisdom
of man the foundation of duty, and not the wisdom of God. We discover
_two_ evils here; first, changing _the day_ without order or
permission from God; and, secondly, changing _the reason_ for the
institution, when the Lord hath not spoken. And is not this a
departure from the rule of duty? And has not the Lord a controversy
with Zion for this? If God had seen fit to substitute the first day
for the seventh day, on account of the resurrection, (supposing it to
have occurred on the first day, which, however, is not certain,) and
to assign another reason than the original one for keeping the
Sabbath, he would doubtless have given order to that effect. His not
having done so, makes it manifest that he did not see fit to do this,
and that he considered the former Sabbath as well adapted to celebrate
the work of redemption as it was the work of creation--adapted
perfectly to subserve _all the purposes_ of a weekly Sabbath. And we
find this to be the case by experience. Here, therefore, we rest
satisfied with the divine arrangement, and feel deeply the importance
of universal conformity thereto. Consequently, our regard for the
honor of God, and for the sabbatic institution, induces us to bring
this subject in the present form before the Christian public. We do
not think that we are justly chargeable with opposing or retarding the
practice of Sabbath-keeping, because we protest against keeping the
first day of the week as a divine institution, and faithfully present
the claims of the original Sabbath. What better course can we take to
secure a proper observance of the Sabbath, than to labor to restore it
as God originally made it? It is not just to charge us with
_Judaizing_--with virtually denying that Christ has come in the flesh
and introduced the New Testament dispensation. We might as well be
charged with this for maintaining that men should not "have any other
God before the Lord," or that they should "not kill," nor "steal."
These precepts are in close connection with that requiring the
observance of the seventh-day Sabbath, and _stand or fall with it_.
The truth of the case is, that the law containing the weekly Sabbath
is the law both of the Old Testament and of the New. There is no
Christian Sabbath distinct from the Sabbath of the fourth commandment.
If this be a correct view--and we see not how it can be gainsayed--we
in this respect perform our duty as subjects of God's moral government
only when we exhort men to "remember the Sabbath day, to keep it
holy," and when we labor to impress them with the annexed fact, that
"the seventh day is the Sabbath."
These are some of our Reasons for introducing the subject of the
Sabbath, as originally given, to your consideration. And we seriously
ask you, whether they are not _sufficient_--whether they are not
_adequate_ for earnestly and perseveringly inviting investigation and
reformation. If there be any blame attached to us in the matter, it is
for not having labored more diligently and efficiently in this cause.
Are we not dearly bound, by way of promoting inquiry and reform, to
bear a more pointed testimony against the evil in question, and to
vindicate the claims of the seventh-day Sabbath with more zeal and
firmness than ever before? Are we not peculiarly obligated to labor to
remove, if possible, the veil which is upon the minds of the great
majority of professors of Christianity, correct the false notions
received by tradition from 'the Fathers,' and effectually dispel the
delusion so extensively prevailing. We do not claim the right of
dictating to the consciences of others. "To their own Master they
stand or fall." The only ground which we would assume is that which
was occupied by the Apostle Paul when he said, "It is written, I have
believed, and therefore have I spoken; we also believe, and therefore
speak." And also by the Saviour, "Let your light so shine before men,
that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in
Heaven." And again, "Whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do
ye even so to them; for this is the law and the prophets." Surely,
"the Lord hath spoken, and who can but prophesy?" How can we bear to
see one of his commandments made void by human tradition?--to see the
flock of Jesus divided concerning this question, where union is so
necessary and desirable?--to witness the unavoidable interruptions
occasioned by the different parties, and the triumph of the
adversaries of religion?--to observe those for whom Christ died
grossly misled by mistaken teachers, provoking the Most High by
neglecting to keep a day which he has made sacred, and transferring
the sacredness of his own appointment to an ordinance of men, or, what
is still worse, regarding the original institution as annulled, and
placing in its stead a day merely of memorial of the resurrection and
of worship, divested of the main characteristics of the Sabbath, and
resting upon no solid basis--its foundation, at best, being _mere
probability_ and _conjecture_? Must it not, of necessity, be very
painful to us, to see those who are our neighbors, and by profession
our fellow Christians, in a case so clear and important, and involving
such high and permanent interests, contented with such evidence as
they would blush to introduce in relation to almost any other point?
How can we bear to see _Protestants_, whose avowed maxim is, that
"scriptural authority alone is sufficient to determine matters of
faith and duty," dispensing with their own rule, in not requiring
expressly a "thus saith the Lord" for their practice, and relying upon
far-fetched and inconclusive reasonings, and mere probabilities--yea,
in some instances, by their own concession, going out of the Bible to
ecclesiastical history, to find a warrant for observing the first day
of the week, which warrant itself, even if proof from that source were
allowable, is by no means adequate?
Do we talk of reforming the church, while the guilt of disobedience in
this matter rests upon the great majority of her members?--while
ministers, doctors, and professors of divinity, break one of the
commandments of the Decalogue, and teach men so, and the multitude are
willingly obedient to their instructions? It is _preposterous_! A
thorough reformation cannot be effected under such circumstances, or
while things remain thus. It is time that it were more deeply laid to
heart, that one of the leading objects of Christ's mission was to
"save his people from their sins"--that "he gave himself for us, that
he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a
peculiar people, zealous of good works"--and that "he that saith, I
know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth
is not in him?" In view of such passages, although it be admitted that
occasional mistakes and sins, being repented of, do not absolutely
divest men of the Christian character and hopes, it will appear, that
obedience to the will of God is an indispensable requisite and
all-absorbing consideration; and that, if any man be in Christ, he is
verily "a new creature"--that he will be "zealous of good works." One
in ancient times, who was eminent for his religious knowledge,
observed, "Then shall I not be ashamed, when I have respect unto _all_
thy commandments." And this respect, or obedience, which constitutes
the moral purity and glory of Christians, and is the test of their
discipleship, must be regulated and governed by the precepts of that
very law which contains the seventh-day Sabbath. There are, indeed,
some precepts peculiar to the gospel, such as "repentance towards God,
and faith towards our Lord Jesus Christ," "Baptism," and "the Lord's
Supper." Nevertheless, "the commandments of God," so often and so
particularly alluded to as the rule of Christian duty, are eminently
the precepts of the Decalogue--the "_ten words_" or "_testimonies_"
which God spake with his own mouth, and wrote with his own finger, and
no one of which has ever been erased from the sacred code, or
undergone the least alteration; for "the law of the Lord is _perfect_,
converting the soul." The keeping of the weekly Sabbath, therefore, as
God appointed it, and has continued it, enters vitally into the matter
of holy obedience--the true test of Christianity. If the prescriptions
of the fourth commandment are not faithfully adhered to, our obedience
is imperfect. We are the proper subjects of reprehension, and may
reasonably expect corresponding tokens of Divine displeasure.
Sabbath-keeping is peculiarly adapted to serve as a test of loyalty to
God, on account of its frequent occurrence, the weekly remission which
it requires of secular business, the peremptory call which it makes on
us to leave all our own works and ways for the special service of God,
and the opportunity which it affords, amidst the common hurry and
bustle of this world, to pause and examine our state and prospects for
eternity. It is well calculated for this, because it so clearly and so
often teaches us that the will of God should govern all our actions.
All these and similar considerations, therefore, should combine to fix
our attention to the very day of God's appointment, so that we may
sensibly feel that we are governed by a divine warrant, and have the
sublime pleasure of knowing that we are conforming to the will of God.
Taking this course, we not only preserve a good conscience, but tread
in the footsteps of God's redeemed flock. We imitate those who, in the
times of the Old Testament, "took pleasure in his holy day." We follow
the example of the Redeemer himself, who was a strict observer of the
Sabbath of the fourth commandment. His vindication of the disciples in
the case of "plucking the ears of corn" to satisfy their hunger, which
some have thought was a deviation from the strictness originally
required, was in perfect accordance with the true intent and meaning
of the law, else his obedience would have been imperfect, and thereby
the entire prospects of the Christian would have been blasted. Under
the circumstances, it was a work of absolute necessity, and therefore
not prohibited. As our Lord Jesus Christ was unquestionably a strict
observer of the seventh-day Sabbath, it is a commanding motive for a
continued observance of it by his followers, there being no substitute
appointed.
The Apostles, also, and primitive Christians, were conscientious
observers of this institution as originally delivered. The Sabbath so
often mentioned in the apostolic records is unquestionably the
seventh-day Sabbath. Who will dare deny this? And from ecclesiastical
history it appears that the whole Christian church, with very few
exceptions at most, kept the seventh-day Sabbath, in obedience to the
law contained in the Decalogue, down to the time of Constantine, in
the fourth century, and even afterward. So true it is, that we imitate
the church in her primitive and purest times, in keeping the Sabbath
of the fourth commandment. Under such circumstances, therefore, is it
strange that we should strenuously advocate the practice?--that we
should adhere to it amidst reproaches, privations, and suffering?--and
that we should feel the most ardent desire for the reformation of our
brethren who differ from us? The cause is sufficient to demand this
deep feeling, this unwearied effort, these prayers and tears, with a
vast increase of holy sensibility, tenderness of conscience, and
active labor, to promote this branch of obedience. We therefore
earnestly, and with all due respect, commend the subject to your
notice. Do not pass it by as a matter of little or no consequence. It
surely involves much that should be dear to the friends of Jesus, and
the advocates of pure morality--to such as would see the church appear
"fair as the moon, clear as the sun, and terrible as an army with
banners." We entreat you, therefore, for the glory of God, the honor
of his law and government, the unity and perfection of the church,
your own spiritual attainments and acceptance with God, the conversion
and salvation of sinners, the triumph of truth over infidelity, the
redemption of the long-neglected house of Israel, the hastening of
millennial prosperity, and the recompenses of eternity, to give this
subject a most serious consideration, to examine and weigh our proofs
and arguments, and, if you find yourselves in error, as we confidently
believe you will, to reform. With the high consideration in view, that
"wisdom's ways are pleasantness, and all her paths are peace," and
that to pursue them "is for your life," we invite and seek your
recovery to sound views and practice in this matter. We "long after
you in the bowels of Jesus Christ," regarding him as "the Lord of the
Sabbath," not to repeal or change the sacred institution, but to
protect it, and enforce obedience thereto. Firmly believing that "we
are not without law to God, but under the law to Christ," we cannot by
any means discharge our own convictions at this eventful period, this
remarkable age of attempted reform, without using all the persuasion
in our power to promote an investigation of this matter.
We behold with sincere gratification the efforts which have been made,
and are being made, in regard to other subjects of special importance
to the church and the world. We would cordially coöperate with their
respective advocates in securing, as far as practicable, a strict
obedience to other moral precepts, and in emancipating the human mind
from sin and error. But we cannot forget that God has given a
_fourth_, as well as a _first_, a _sixth_, a _seventh_, and a _tenth_
commandment, and that it rests upon equal authority with those, and
with either of the precepts of the Decalogue; and hence we plead in
its behalf. We do this as moral and accountable beings, as
Protestants, as Christians, as reformers, and as cotemporaries of our
brethren in the nineteenth century, a period so distinguished for its
moral and political enterprises, and for its proximity to the time
when it shall be said, "The kingdoms of this world are become the
kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ." We approach you in the belief
that "open rebuke is better than secret love"--that "faithful are the
wounds of a friend"--and that we "should admonish one another daily,
and so much the more as we see the day approaching." We feel bound to
exert ourselves in this cause, in the belief that "our labor will not
be in vain in the Lord," that the church is "coming up out of the
wilderness," and that we live in the dawn of a brighter day, in a
period of the world when the scriptures and the providences of God
concur in affording the highest encouragement to the faithful
advocates of truth and duty. And we do not hesitate to express our
expectation, that by the blessing of God upon the well-directed and
persevering labors of his people, and the continued and augmenting
spirit of inquiry, there will soon be achieved a glorious reformation
in respect to the subject of this Tract. God will "overturn, and
overturn, and overturn, till He shall come, whose right it is," and
"the sanctuary shall be cleansed."
Finally--we enter our testimony in what we deem an important case, in
the hope, through grace, of meeting all "the faithful in Christ Jesus
in the everlasting rest," of which the rest of the seventh day is a
lively and touching type and foretaste.
Published by the American Sabbath Tract Society,
No. 9 Spruce Street, New York.
THE SABBATH:
ITS MORAL NATURE AND OBSERVANCE
SECTION I.
THE SABBATH NOT CEREMONIAL.
It is disputed whether the weekly Sabbath is an essential part of what
is generally called the Moral Law, which the Holy Ghost declares to be
"spiritual--holy, and just, and good;" or whether it is to be classed
among the ceremonial institutions, which were "a shadow of things to
come." If the latter position can be established, it can be of no use
whatever to perpetuate the Institution under the New Dispensation. It
can neither be promotive of the spirituality and growth of the body of
Christ, nor even conservative of the morals of the community. To
suppose that the church cannot enjoy all necessary prosperity, and
attain its millennial glory by the use of New Covenant ordinances
alone, but must borrow a little help from the abrogated rites of the
Old Economy, is most anti-evangelical. Gal. iii. 3. The church needs
nothing for the nourishment of its piety, except such means as have
the entire sanction of the "better covenant." Moses is dead, and the
Lord has buried him. He cannot load us into the promised inheritance.
We have only to follow our Joshua, even Jesus, "the Son who is
consecrated forevermore."
Nor can "the weak and beggarly elements" be of service to promote the
morals of the community. Where do we find the most elevated and pure
morality, that which is refined from all selfishness? We find it only
in real Christians. The source, and life, and power of it is the
Atonement of their Great High-Priest, and the grace which is by Him.
Their obedience to all moral precepts is the obedience of _faith_,
even faith in his sacrifice. In proportion as their faith is strong,
and their dependence on Him entire, to the exclusion of all reliance
upon their own merit, so is their moral conduct irreproachable. It is
not by any resort to the "weak and unprofitable commandment," that
their morality acquires such excellence. As for that inferior kind of
morality, which obtains among unbelievers, however profitable it may
be to human society, it is but the mimic representation of that which
is practiced by the godly. For its very existence it is dependent on
Christianity, from whose influence if it recede, it becomes withered
and perishes. Transplanted to a heathen soil, it cannot live. As,
therefore, the general morals of the community are traceable to the
gospel as their first cause, and are kept in credit only by its
nurturing influence, it would be at war with sound reason to suppose,
that they could be promoted by such things as are destructive of the
purity of the gospel itself. They will be much safer, if left wholly
to the nurturing influence of that system, which is declared to be
'complete and faultless,--the power and the wisdom of God.' Wherefore,
if the weekly Sabbath was a ceremonial Institution, we have no use for
it, either as it respects the church, or the world. It is an injury
rather than a benefit.
But if, on the other hand, the Sabbath is a part of God's holy, and
just, and good law, to which nothing but the carnal mind refuses
subjection, Rom. viii. 7, it must be an institution of lasting value,
to dispense with which is dangerous in the extreme. For the
transgression of this law is sin, 1 John iii. 4, and the wages of sin
is death, Rom. vi. 23.
That the Sabbath was not a ceremonial institution, is proved from the
fact that it was given to man before his Apostacy, Gen. ii. 1-3. There
he had no need of a Redeemer, for he bore the image of his Maker in
righteousness and true holiness. If man in his original state of
uprightness had no need of a Redeemer, he certainly had no need of a
type of the Redeemer. Types, in such a case, were unmeaning things, or
else a source of vexation and horrible forebodings. If he understood
their meaning, he could never look upon them, without thinking of the
awful ruin into which he must soon be plunged by the fall. But this
would both operate as a discouragement to all endeavors at
steadfastness, and at the same time would exhibit the All-Benevolent
God as marring the happiness of an innocent creature;--an idea never
to be admitted. We conclude, therefore, that the Sabbath, as
originally instituted, possessed nothing of a ceremonial character.
Typical institutions were introduced _after_ the fall, to explain to
ruined man the nature of that redemption of which he stood in need,
and which in the fulness of the time would be provided for him. They
were for his encouragement and consolation:--not to mar his happiness,
but to promote it.
To evade the force of this argument, some contend that the Sabbath was
not actually instituted and given to man in Paradise; that the
sanctification of it mentioned by Moses, signifies only that
appointment then made of the seventh day, to be afterwards solemnized
and sanctified by the Jews. But the utter futility of this objection
appears from our Savior's declaration that "the Sabbath was made for
man." Mark ii. 27. If it was made for man, it was made for him _as_
man; the very word denoting mankind at large, or rather, referring to
the first man as the representative of the whole human race. It was
made for him as a human, rational, intelligent creature; for his
benefit _as such_, without reference to the particular nation or
country to which he might belong. If it was made for his benefit, is
it reasonable to suppose that it was, nevertheless, kept in abeyance
for twenty-five hundred years? Made for man, and yet not given to him!
The world teeming with human beings, and yet the very institution that
was designed for their temporal and spiritual welfare, kept from them
for more than two thousand years, and then given only to an isolated
people forming but a fraction of the human race! The idea is monstrous
absurdity. An institution so important to the interests of humanity,
of civilization, and of religion, was wanted immediately, as well as
at the distance of two thousand years afterwards.
The objection is farther confuted by a consideration of the reason
which enforces the institution. The reason is, "that God rested on the
seventh day from all his work which he had made." The natural
inference is, that the institution existed from the time the reason of
it did. Human legislators, it is true, may not enact a law, until long
after a good reason exists for doing so; because they may be blind to
the existence of such a reason, and slow to discover it. But not so
with God. If the work of creation, and his resting from it on the
seventh day, is at any period of the world a good reason that man
should rest on that day, it was a good reason from the beginning. It
was good as soon as there were men to do it. So that what was then
their reasonable service, could not have been deferred for twenty-five
hundred years. Nay, it may be safely affirmed, that the reason for
keeping the Sabbath possessed more cogency at the beginning than it
did afterwards. For in after ages sin had marred and defaced the
Almighty's work. Nevertheless, if when sin had marred it, there was
still good reason for keeping the memorial of it, much more was there
good reason for doing so, when it was in all its original glory. In
what respect does or did this reason concern the Jews more than any
other part of mankind? Do not Gentiles stand on the same level with
them in respect of their being a part of God's creation? Have they not
as much interest in creation as the Jews? "Is He the God of the Jews
only? Is He not of the Gentiles also?"
The reasons for such institutions as were enjoined on the Jews
particularly, were derived from considerations in which they as a
people had a special and peculiar interest. Now the Sabbath, it is
true, is in one place enforced upon them by a consideration of this
kind, viz. their redemption from bondage in Egypt, Deut. v. 15. But
while this laid the Jews under a special and peculiar obligation to
regard the institution, it does not forbid the idea that they were
also under obligations of a general nature, which concern all mankind
alike. So too, the Christian church is under a special obligation too
keep this sacred day, because of its interest in the blood of
redemption. But to infer from this, that the common obligation under
which all others are held is canceled, and that none are bound to keep
it except the blood-bought church of God, would be in the last degree
illogical, as well as unscriptural.
Let it be observed, that the language of the sacred historian: "God
blessed the seventh day and sanctified it"--is no more qualified, than
that which speaks of his resting. With reference to this, his language
is explicit,--"He rested on the seventh day from all his work which he
had made." In face of such a declaration, nothing but folly would say,
that God did not actually rest on the seventh day of creation, but
waited until the Jews were called out of Egypt. God certainly did rest
on the seventh day of creation. If the ordinary construction of
language is to be employed in reference to this, it must be employed
in reference to his blessing and sanctifying it also. Wherefore, as
God rested on the seventh day of creation, he blessed and sanctified
that day, even that very day on which he rested. "God blessed the
seventh day, and sanctified it, because that in _it_, (the very day
which he so blessed and sanctified,) he had rested from all his work
which God created and made." Gen. ii. 3.
The act of blessing and sanctifying the day can import nothing else
than constituting it a Sabbath. For to sanctify, undoubtedly, is to
set apart for a holy use. It refers to some line of conduct to be
observed by men towards that day. The expression, "God blessed it,"
must mean that he rendered it a day peculiarly happy and beneficial
for man. For whenever God blesses an object, whether it be a person or
an inanimate thing--a rational creature or the brute creation--he
connects with his blessing certain favors which would otherwise not be
bestowed, and renders the object serviceable for the promotion of
certain purposes which would not result without his blessing. A few
examples will render this perfectly clear. Thus, when he blessed the
first human pair, and the brute creation, he bestowed on them the
power to be "fruitful and multiply." When the ground receiveth
blessing from God, it bringeth forth herbs, meet for them by whom it
is dressed. When it is cursed, it bears thorns and briars, Heb. vi. 7,
8. Gen. xxvii. 27. Lev. xxv. 21. Mal. iii. 10. When God blessed
Abraham, he bestowed on him a numerous posterity, with Canaan for an
inheritance, and counted his faith for righteousness. In blessing
Samson, Judges xiii. 24, he endowed him with an heroic spirit,
singular valor, miraculous strength of body, and all other gifts and
graces necessary to his calling. When he blesses the church, he
bestows spiritual blessings in Christ, Eph. i. 3. Numerous other
examples might be adduced: but these are sufficient to show, that in
connection with the Divine blessing, special favors are always
bestowed. We therefore argue, that when it is said, "God blessed the
seventh day," it can mean nothing less than that he connected with it
favors and benefits above what are connected with any other day, and
that he bestows them abundantly upon those who keep it, and delight in
it, Isa. lviii. 13. He renders the day serviceable for the promotion
of the spiritual and temporal welfare of man. For it can by no means
be supposed, that God proposed to render homage to himself, or to
bless himself. It must be man, for whom the Sabbath was made, Mark
ii. 27, that stands in need of the blessing, and who is bound to make
a holy use of the day.
The foregoing remarks are judged sufficient to destroy the notion of
the Sabbath being a ceremonial institution. But we will not yet
dismiss the subject. If it was a ceremony, why was its importance
magnified above all the other ceremonies? Why that pre-eminence and
sanctity, which it had above all other types? It rears its head high
above all the ritual institutions, and holds this superiority
throughout the whole Mosaic Economy. Not only is it counted worthy of
being graven by the finger of God upon the stone tablets, thus having
the same honor as all the other precepts of the Decalogue, which are
confessedly moral; but even where it appears in combination with the
ceremonial usages, its great importance as a moral institute directed
to the highest ends, is clearly exhibited.
"For first, after the record of the promulgation of the Decalogue,
three chapters of judicial statutes follow; but in the midst of these,
the people are reminded of the essential importance of the Sabbath, in
a manner quite distinct and peculiar. It is associated with the
primary duty of worshiping the one true God, as of equal obligation,
and indeed as necessary to it. 'Six days shalt thou do thy work, and
on the seventh thou shalt rest, * * in all things that I have said
unto thee, be circumspect, and make no mention of the name of other
gods, neither let it be heard out of thy mouth,' Exod. xxiii. 12, 13.
This is sufficiently remarkable.
"Again, after six chapters more concerning the tabernacle and its
various sacrifices, the whole communication of the forty days' abode
on the mount is concluded with a re-inculcation of the Sabbath-rest,
in a manner the most solemn and affecting. 'And the Lord spake unto
Moses saying, verily my Sabbath ye shall keep; for it is a sign
between me and you throughout your generations, THAT YE MAY KNOW THAT
I AM THE LORD THAT DOTH SANCTIFY YOU. Ye shall keep the Sabbath,
therefore, for it is holy unto you; every one that defileth it shall
surely be put to death; for whosoever doeth any work therein, that
soul shall be cut off from among his people. Six days may work be
done; but in the seventh is the Sabbath of rest, holy to the Lord;
whosoever doeth any work in the Sabbath-day, he shall surely be put to
death. Wherefore the children of Israel shall keep the Sabbath, to
observe the Sabbath throughout their generations, for a perpetual
covenant. It is a sign between me and the children of Israel forever,
for in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day
he rested and was refreshed.' Exod. xxxi. 12-17. Can anything give
dignity to the sacred day, as founded in the essential relation of man
to his Maker and Redeemer, if this sublime language does not? Every
idea of sanctification, every sense of importance from a sign of a
covenant between God and man, every sanction derived from the awful
punishment of death, unite to impress upon us the duty; whilst the
proportion noted between the working days and the day of rest, and the
reason drawn from the order of creation, extend the obligation to
every human being."[1]
This great prominence which the Sabbath had amidst all the ceremonial
laws, was equivalent to an intimation that the ritual service must
never take the precedence of moral duties; that in the multitude of
their offerings and shadowy service, the worshipers must still
remember that true holiness does not consist in them, but in something
higher; and that all their conformity to the ritual service must
proceed upon moral footing, otherwise it is abomination in the sight
of God.
But come with me, reader, a little farther, and see how the scriptures
magnify the Sabbath at the very time they comparatively underrate the
importance of ceremonial observances. Compare carefully Isa. i. 11-14,
with chapters lvi. 1-8, and lviii. 13, 14, of the same prophecy. See
how in the one case the ritual service is degraded, and in the other
the Sabbath is exalted, and the holy keeping of it made the condition
on which depends the acceptance of their burnt-offerings and
sacrifices. Consider the language of Jeremiah. chap. xvii. 19-27. Read
the passage with care, and see how all the prosperity of the nation,
all the favor of God, is suspended on this one branch of moral
obedience; with which compare his language concerning ceremonial
observances. "For I spake not unto your fathers, nor commanded them in
the day that I brought them out of the land of Egypt, concerning
burnt-offerings or sacrifices: But this thing commanded I them,
saying, Obey my voice, and I will be your God, and ye shall be my
people; and walk ye in all the ways that I have commanded you, that it
may be well unto you," Jer. vii. 22, 23. A comparison of these
passages shows that Sabbath-breaking stood upon the same level with
the breach of all moral precepts, and characterized them as a
disobedient and rebellious people; while the neglect of ceremonial
observances is classed in a different category. Ezekiel follows in the
same strain, chap. xx. 12, 13, 16. In the book of Psalms too, we have
the Sabbath and its holy duties and pleasures extolled, Ps. xcii,
while ceremonies are depreciated, Ps. 1. 8, 14, li. 16, 17. And what
was the great reformation which the prophets after the captivity
sought to accomplish? Was not Sabbath-breaking the crying sin upon
which they dwelt? Look at the holy zeal of Nehemiah. His faithful and
searching rebukes proceed not upon their omission of ceremonial
duties, but upon their neglect of the great and paramount duty of
keeping the Sabbath, Neh. xiii. 15, 21, 23. In view of these scripture
references, does the Sabbath look like a ceremony--a shadow--a mere
element of the world, weak and beggarly!
Again, if the Sabbath was a part of the ceremonial law, why was Christ
at such pains to regulate the manner of observing it? Matt. xii. 1,
13. Why so careful to modify the false usages that obtained? Why did
he lay down distinctions between what is lawful to be done, and what
is unlawful? Was this his manner when any thing ceremonial was the
subject of dispute? Do we not find him, in such cases, waiving the
subject at issue, in order to inculcate matters of lasting importance?
How was it in his interview with the Samaritan woman? John iv. Her
question in regard to the proper place of worship was merely of a
ceremonial nature, yet it had been hotly disputed between her nation
and the Jews. Does Jesus become an umpire in the case? No. The
ceremonial institutions were about to vanish away; He himself came to
end them. Therefore he occupies himself, not in settling the litigated
questions that grew out of them, but in preaching great and
everlasting truths. In regard to the Moral Law, however, he is at
especial pains to vindicate if from all Pharisaic austerities, to
remove all false glosses, and to assert its everlasting equity and
glory. Witness his admirable exposition of it in his sermon on the
mount. Witness too, his exposure of the hypocritical tradition
concerning the fifth commandment. Matt. xv. 1-9. With this, his
vindication of the Sabbath, his care to purge it from traditional
corruptions, is perfectly parallel. But what sane mind ever thought
that he proclaimed the fifth commandment to be of a ceremonial nature?
Yet, strange to say, the precisely similar course which he took in
regard to the Sabbath, has, by some, been made an argument that he
abolished it as nothing but a Jewish ceremony.
'But drowning men catch at straws.' In spite of the overwhelming proof
that the Sabbath had its origin before ceremonial observances could,
with any reason, have been introduced, it is contended that it must
have been merely a Mosaic institution, because no mention is made of
its observance from the creation down to the time of the exodus of the
Israelites from Egypt. It is asked, 'whether men during all that time,
though otherwise so wicked, sanctified the Sabbath so universally and
perfectly, that not one among them ever needed an excitement to duty,
or a reproof for the neglect of it.' But to this question, however
triumphantly proposed, we are as ready to answer, No, as the objector
himself. That the great mass of men, during all this time, were wicked
and sinners before the Lord exceedingly, is admitted. But because they
were not particularly reproved for Sabbath-breaking, no more proves
that it was not a sin cognizable by the moral law, than the fact of
God's winking at the times of the Gentiles' ignorance and idolatry,
Acts xvii. 30, proves that their conduct was not cognizable as a sin
against his law. If God passed over the Sabbath-breaking of those who
lived in the first ages of the world without particularly taking
notice of it, the same may be said of his carriage towards the Gentile
world, in reference to _all_ their wickedness for four thousand years.
Besides, is not the drunkeness of Noah passed over without reproof? Is
not Lot's incest with his daughters?--and Jacob's cheating Esau of the
patrimony?--and the plurality of the patriarchs' wives? Were these
things not contrary to the Divine Law, because they were "winked at?"
Or, to come to cases still more in point, we observe that the silence
of scripture respecting the observance of the Sabbath during the
ante-Mosaic age, is no more than what occurs in regard to the period
between Moses and the time of David, near four hundred years. Yet who
ever doubted that it was observed during all this time? So also the
rite of circumcision is not so much as alluded to from a little after
the death of Moses, till the days of Jeremiah, a period of eight
hundred years or more. Nor is the ordinance of the red heifer once
mentioned from the Pentateuch till the close of the Old Testament. But
who doubts the constant observance of these ceremonies? The objection,
therefore, which is raised from the silence of Scripture, has no force
whatever.
But whoever considers the very concise manner in which events are
narrated in scripture, and that the history of two thousand years is
all compressed within the compass of fifty short chapters, occupying
about as many pages, will cease to wonder that no notice is taken of
the observance of the Sabbath by the pious patriarchs. This very
conciseness is a sufficient solution to a candid mind, without
resorting to the supposition that there was no observance of the
institution. Moreover, any one that peruses with attention the
accounts of pious characters contained in the word of God, will see
that no express mention is made of their acts of religion, unless
something remarkable attaches to them.[2] Abraham's faith is
mentioned, because it was remarkable. So of Abel, of Noah, and of
Enoch. But in regard to their observance of the Sabbath in particular,
it is not probable that anything remarkable or extraordinary was
connected with it, rendering it of sufficient importance to the world
at large to be recorded.
The position that we have taken is, that the Sabbath was instituted in
Paradise, when man was innocent; that it was binding before Judaism
had any existence. We have seen that the silence of scripture as to
any reproof given to the transgressor of it, does not shake this
position; that its silence as to any commendation bestowed upon the
pious for keeping it, does not shake it; and that its entire silence
is no more than what obtains with regard to the Sabbath from Moses to
David, or with regard to circumcision from Joshua to Jeremiah, or with
regard to the red heifer from Moses to the end of the Old Testament.
Is there any thing yet remaining to weaken the force of our arguments?
In the opinion of our opponents there is one thing more. It is argued,
from Ex. xvi., that the Sabbath was first made known to the Israelites
in the wilderness, by the falling of the manna. But we can discover
nothing in the whole history of the matter, as given by Moses, which
intimates that the Sabbath was then made known for the first. On the
contrary, the abruptness of the reference implies very strongly the
previous knowledge of it. This idea receives strong confirmation from
the fact, that when the people were reminded of the institution,
nothing was said to them concerning the reason of its being their duty
to keep it; which would hardly have been the case, had the subject
been then presented to them for the first time. For it is worthy of
note, that God condescends to give the reason of this command; a thing
which he does not for moral precepts in general. He gives the reason,
because man cannot discover it for himself, it being purely a matter
of revelation that God made the world in six days, and rested on the
seventh. Whereas, other moral precepts are more readily discoverable
from the light of nature. Now, if God condescends in any place, and at
any time, to give the reason for a command, we might expect it would
be at the time of its first promulgation. In Gen. ii., where we
suppose the law to be first given, the reason accompanies it; but in
the passage now under consideration it does not.
Again, it is nowhere in the context intimated that the object of
giving the manna was to make known the Sabbath. On the contrary, the
declared object of supplying their wants in this miraculous manner,
was to make the Israelites know that it was the Lord Jehovah who
brought them out of Egypt, v. 6, and not Moses and Aaron, as they
intimated, v. 3, to make them know that the Lord was their God, v. 12,
and to prove them, whether they would manifest their gratitude for his
merciful interposition in their favor, by walking in his law, or no,
v. 4. This was the express and primary object. To make known the
Sabbath is not even hinted as having been the _subordinate_, much less
the _principal_ object.