Untempered Mortar by Eld. J. D. Rice

Seventh-day Adventist Missionary Society · Oakland, California · Mar 16, 1882

Untempered Mortar.

By Eld. J. D. Rice

By Eld. J. D. Rice.

The prophet Ezekiel in speaking of the efforts which would be made by ministers to sustain the slight "wall" which "one" (the papacy) should "build up" in the breach which it made in the law of God, by removing the Lord's Sabbath, says, they shall "daub it with untempered mortar." What this "untempered mortar" is, may be readily seen from the context. It consists in "saying, Thus saith the Lord God, when the Lord hath not spoken." Eze. 22 : 26-30. See also chap. 13 : 1-15. The various reasons which are urged to sustain for doctrine that which lacks that essential element, the thus saith the Lord, constitute therefore, this untempered mortar. In the above case it is their efforts to sustain Sunday keeping.

The following may illustrate how this daubing is done: "We should keep Sunday in honor of the resurrection of Christ on that day;" "because redemption was completed on that day;" "because the Lord only requires a seventh part of time, and not the seventh day." "We should and do keep the seventh day, for any day in the week is the seventh; it depends upon where you begin to count." "The world is round and you can't keep the seventh day." "The seventh day is the old Jewish Sabbath, and those who keep it are 'under the law,' and 'in bondage.'" "Time has been lost, and we can't tell when the seventh day does come." "We should follow apostolic example, who, though they always call the seventh day the Sabbath, and give a record of having kept at least eighty-four, and declare that it was their 'manner,' to meet and worship upon that day, yet left us their example of having held one religious meeting, at night, on the first day." "There is no Sabbath, for the commandments were all abolished, and we are not under the law." Others say, "It has all been re-enacted, excepting the Sabbath." "We should be subject to the powers that be," whether they do that for which they were "ordained of God" or not. See 1 Pet. 2 : 14.

These are samples of the various contradictory reasons which are urged by its friends to uphold one and the same institution. Were there really a "Thus saith the Lord," for all of them, then well might the infidel, with a contemptuous sneer, pronounce such a mass of contradictions the mean and silly productions of man. And just in proportion as these friends of the Sunday strengthen their finely-wrought and contradictory theories to uphold it, they strengthen the hands of the infidel.

But we ask, Where has the Lord ever said to keep the Sunday, and for any of the above or other reasons, even if they were all true? Echo answers, where? The "Thus saith the Lord" is lacking. They are therefore but hods of untempered mortar, which may sustain the wall in this, the summer time of the world's history, but when the "overflowing shower in God's anger" shall fall, and "the hail shall sweep away the refuge of lies," then will the untempered mortar fail to sustain the wall, and its foundation of sand will prove its ruin, and the ruin of those who have sheltered themselves by it, for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it. Eze. 13 : 4-15; 22 : 26-31; Isa. 28 : 15, 17; Rev. 16 : 17-21.

Williams, Cal., February 24, 1882.