The Sabbath a Part of the Law of God Before Sinai by Dudley Marvin Canright

The Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Dec 29, 1868

The Sabbath a Part of the Law of God Before Sinai.

By Dudley Marvin Canright

THERE is sufficient evidence to show that the Sabbath existed before the time of Moses. Its origin and first institution are mentioned in Gen. ii, 1–3. The fact that time was divided into weeks of seven days each, Gen. viii, 10, 12; xxix, 27, 28, shows that the Sabbath was known and kept during the patriarchal age. What else could have divided time into such periods? But there is one fact to which I wish to call especial attention, viz., That the Sabbath was recognized as a part of the law of God before that law was proclaimed from Sinai. This is shown by the following in Ex. xvi, 27–29: “And it came to pass, that there went out some of the people on the seventh day for to gather, [manna], and they found none. And the Lord said unto Moses, How long refuse ye to keep my commandments and my laws? See, for that the Lord hath given you the Sabbath,” &c.

Here the Lord rebuked them for not keeping his commandments and his laws. But what had they been doing? They had gone out to labor on the seventh day. This was breaking God’s law, or refusing to keep it. Hence the Sabbath was a part of God’s law at that time, which was thirty days before the law was proclaimed from Sinai. This point is worthy of note.

D. M. CANRIGHT.

Boston, Mass., Dec. 14, 1868.