Christ, the Son of God, and his Disciples, kept the same Sabbath—(it is
folly to speak of any other, the scriptures forbid it.) He was the Lord of
the Sabbath, and he said it “was made for _man_.”—Mark ii: 27, 28. For
what man?—[See article, 2d Pillar.] He says he kept his Father’s
commandments. Paul says they are holy, just and good. John says, they are
from the _beginning_, and points a company who are now keeping them. James
tells us we are to keep the whole—surely the Sabbath is here; God himself,
says it is.—Exo. xvi: 27, 28, and xx: 8-11.
Jesus, then, is our example. Surely we shall not err if we follow him.
Respecting working, cooking, making fires, &c. &c., please see my reply to
Barnabas. Jesus always preached on the Sabbath, and healed, and wrought
miracles, and blessed his honest followers. And I know for one that he
blesses them still, who worship on that day; see Mark vi: 2, “And when the
Sabbath day was come, he began to teach in their synagogues,” “as his
custom was.” Luke iv: 16, 31, he asked “if it was lawful to do well on the
Sabbath days?” If we can do good in like manner, we shall be perfectly
safe; if better, try it. Just read in the following passages, how and what
he did. His being judged by primitive and modern professors, is no rule
for us, “What is that to thee, follow thou me.”—Matt. xii: 1-15. He shows
that his disciples were “guiltless for eating,” 7th v. They were soon into
their meeting; see, he’s at work immediately, 13th v.; see Luke xiii:
11-17, healing the woman; how withering his reply to his enemies, 14th v.
I would that his adversaries were as much ashamed now; 17th v. See xiv.
chapter, 1-6, and 7-14; here he went in to eat bread on the Sabbath day;
1st v., here he cures the dropsy and teaches them how to treat the poor,
&c. See also John v: 1-20, and vii: 21-24, he shows that all of this is
not (servile work) but works of mercy and necessity. He even instructed
his disciples, Jew and Gentile, respecting the sanctity of THE Sabbath,
thirty-six years after his death, Matt. xxiv: 20. In chapter v, he shows
that the keeping of the _law_, &c., will make us great in the kingdom of
heaven, 17-19. Then in 38-48 verses, shows us that under the Gospel, we
are to follow his teachings and that we are now about to make the change
from the ministration of Moses to that of his own, in the Gospel. Do see
how _John_ puts it together, Rev. xii: 17; xiv: 12, explained to be the
spirit of prophecy, in xix: 10. Now every law with respect to the keeping
the commandments and of course the Sabbath, is embraced in the testimony
of Jesus. The special messenger of the Lord to the Gentiles, to teach them
the abolition of Moses’s ministration in the law, observed the Sabbath in
obedience to his master; see Acts xvii: 2: xiii: 42-44, preaching to the
Gentiles, 42 v.; xvi: 13, by the water side; xviii: 4, every Sabbath; 11
v. seventy-eight in succession. Luke records these, many years after the
law of Moses was abolished. John had his vision on the Lord’s day. Jesus
never claimed any day for his, but the seventh-day Sabbath, Mark ii: 28;
neither did his Father, Exo. xx: 10. Therefore, in following the authority
and example of God, Jesus Christ, and the holy Apostles, we shall meet our
glorious king with clear consciences. We never need to fear of keeping the
holy and sanctified Sabbath day too strict. We cannot keep it holy, nor
acceptable, if we employ _men_ or _beasts_ to labor for us on that day,
neither printers, postmasters, nor carriers. The day is not ours, it is
the Lord’s: follow the Scripture rule, and the Sabbath will be a delight
to us, and God will sanctify and save.