May We See It ? by Editor

Seventh-day Adventist Missionary Society · Oakland, California · Nov 2, 1882

May We See It ?

By Editor

THE report of the committee on Sabbath observance at the late M. E. Conference in Oakland, contained these words:—

“On such foundations as these the State may build a civil Sabbath, but the Christian Sabbath must rest on the authority of God, on the express revelation and positive declaration of the One Lawgiver.”

Sabbath is purely an ecclesiastical term, and “the civil Sabbath” is as great a misnomer as would be “civil baptism.” There is no such thing. Such reckless use of terms by ministers serves to confuse the minds of the people, and they are thereby led to accept as truth that for which there is no warrant in Scripture.

If there is such an institution as the “Christian Sabbath,” we agree with the committee that it must rest on the authority of God, on the express revelation and positive declaration of the One Lawgiver. But that is just what does not exist. For years we have called upon and urged the ministry of the country to point out to us in the Bible, “the express revelation and positive declaration” of God for the institution or the obligation of a Christian Sabbath. But they are d. d.’s after the manner of Isa. 56 : 10, when they are called upon to produce the precept.

There is only one Sabbath Law in the Bible, and that is found in Ex. 20 : 8-10; repeated in other places but it is the same law, referring always to one and the same thing, namely, the Creator’s rest-day, but in it there is no reference to a Christian Sabbath.