The Sin of Sabbath-Breaking.
By W. H. Ball
One of the greatest sins of ancient Israel, and one for which they received terrible rebukes and chastisements at the hand of God, was the sin of Sabbath-breaking. Notwithstanding the signal blessings God promised to that nation, if they would obey his voice, walk in his statutes, and hallow his Sabbaths, yet they were a rebellious people; and his Sabbaths were greatly polluted among them, which called forth upon one occasion the following rebuke: “How long refuse ye to keep my commandments and my laws?” Ex. 16:28. One of the sins for which they were excluded from the promised land was the sin of Sabbath-breaking. This and other sins was the cause of their dispersion among the heathen. For the sin of Sabbath-breaking and idolatry, God purposed to pour out his fury upon Israel in the wilderness, to consume them; but at the intercession of Moses, his wrath was staid, and they were not destroyed. But does the sin of Sabbath-breaking rest wholly upon ancient Israel? How is it with Seventh-day Adventists? Are they clear in this matter? Do we as a people place that sacredness upon God’s holy, sanctified rest-day that is enjoined in the commandment? It is to be feared that many of us are guilty, with ancient Israel, of the terrible sin of Sabbath-breaking. We, as a people, so far as my observation goes, have become much too slack and careless in the observance of the Lord’s day. We are not as conscientious and strict in the observance of the day as formerly; and instead of being Sabbath-keepers in deed and in truth, many of us have become Sabbath-breakers. God is jealous of his law, and will not hold us guiltless unless we show a proper respect for every precept of his moral government. Many have become so loose in their habits that the Sabbath is observed by them about the same as is Sunday by professed Christendom. We wish to be plain in this matter, and speak freely of some of the evils that exist among us as a professedly Sabbath-keeping people. Perhaps there is no part of the Sabbath, that we are more liable to violate, and so often infringe upon, as its very commencement, the first hour of holy time. The devil has a great dislike and hatred to Sabbath-keepers, and takes great advantage of our worldly, covetous dispositions, especially on sixth day, “causing us to lay out a large amount of labor to be performed on that day, which he is sure to make us believe we have ample time to accomplish before the Sabbath will overtake us. The result is, in nine cases out of ten, that when the Sabbath arrives we find that we have been thwarted in our purposes, and if not guilty of Sabbath-breaking, we are ill-prepared to enter upon its observance and obligations. Many professed Sabbath-keepers, especially among farmers, are so very conscientious that they would not be seen laboring in their fields during the Sabbath hours for the world; hence are careful to refrain from all out-door labor, by the time the Sabbath arrives; yet will spend from ten to sixty minutes of holy time, doing their own work within doors, such as chores at the barn, etc., which is as much a violation of the Sabbath law, and just as bad, as to spend the same length of time in their fields, following the plough, mowing grass, or chopping wood (unless from custom the influence of the latter against the truth would exceed the former). Such persons not only break the fourth commandment, but also the eighth, which says, “Thou shalt not steal.” They rob God by taking a part of the day which he sanctified and set apart for himself, in which to do their own work. We say, then, in plain English, that such persons are not only Sabbath-breakers, but thieves and robbers. The merchant who closes his store and refuses to receive customers on sixth-day at the going down of the sun, and then spends from five to thirty minutes of holy time, arranging his goods which have been thrown into disorder during the day, is equally guilty, with the farmer, of the same sins. The same is true of the mechanic. Some have so little respect for the Sabbath that they would as soon set out on a journey, or go out of town on business, on sixth day as upon any other day of the week. Satan tells them they have plenty of time to transact their business and return before the Sabbath. The result is, they often fail in their expectations; and when the Sabbath hour arrives, it finds them several miles from home. Hence, they are obliged to use a part of the day set apart by the great Law-giver, in doing their own work. Such make a sad mistake, and are needlessly guilty of violating the Sabbath of the Lord. Another class equally guilty may be found among those who work out by the day. Some are very particular to close up their work on sixth day with the going down of the sun, and perhaps pride themselves upon being strict Sabbath-keepers, and at the same time travel from one to five miles on holy time in order to reach home. Such, instead of being Sabbath-keepers, are Sabbath-breakers. The fact is, God’s holy Sabbath has been terribly marred by its professed friends; and it is no marvel that there is such a lack of the spirit and power of godliness among us as a people. I seriously question if one half of the professed Sabbath-keepers are not guilty, each week, of the sin of Sabbath-breaking. Said a brother where we were stopping not long since, as he took down his apparatus upon a Sabbath morning to make ready for a shave: “The time was when I did not shave upon the Sabbath, but I am not quite so particular as I used to be.” This we considered equivalent to saying that he had wonderfully departed from God. What! not as particular about breaking God’s law as formerly? Not quite as particular about sinning against God, as we once were? Strange, indeed! Who has given us greater license to break God’s commandments, and to sin with impunity? This brother’s statement is but the experience of hundreds of professed Sabbath-keepers, not so particular as they once were, more ready and willing to mar the Sabbath by doing their own work! A sad change, truly. Yet God has not changed. The sin of Sabbath-breaking is just as heinous in his sight; and he will be none the less particular to punish every transgression of his holy law. We have a particular God to deal with; who cannot look upon sin with any degree of allowance or approbation; and will not fail to call us to a strict account for every violation of his law. Sabbath-breaking is a great sin, and will not go unpunished. To show the exceeding wickedness of marring the Sabbath of the Lord our God, I will suppose a case; and those who are farmers cannot fail to see the force of the illustration, or realize the magnitude of the sin of Sabbath-breaking. We will suppose that during the scarcity of hay, the past summer, throughout the New England and Middle States, A. wishes to hire a piece of grass to cut. B. has a field of eighty rods in length by fifteen in width. We will suppose the field to contain just seven acres. B. says to A., Here are just seven acres in this field; the grass upon six acres you may have to appropriate to your own use. But here is one acre, on this end of the field, I reserve to myself. B. distinctly gives the bounds by such a stump, stone, etc., and says to A., This acre is mine. The six acres you can have, but don’t you cut a clip upon this. Well, we will suppose B. goes away for a time, and A. goes to work to cut his grass. He begins at one end and mows the whole length of the field until he comes to the grass A. has reserved to himself. On seeing the bounds, he stops. He goes back and mows up again in the same manner. But this time, although there is no mistaking the bounds, B. is so fearful he shall not get every spear which belongs to him, he clips over a little upon A.’s. The third time his selfish, covetous disposition will not allow him to stop on reaching the bounds, and so he notches over again into A.’s grass. And so with each succeeding swath, until his grass is cut. Now as B. returns and goes out to examine the grass which he reserved to himself, and of which he charged A. not to cut a clip, what a sight does he behold! He finds that his instructions have been disregarded, and his grass has been notched into the whole width of the field, from one to ten feet. All can judge of the feelings of B. at seeing his grass so horribly mangled; and none can fail to comprehend the wickedness of A. in stealing B.’s grass. How much better not to have mown quite up to the line, than to have cut one clip over. Better have left a whole swath. Be careful friends, on sixth day, and not get over the line. But it may be asked, Is there not danger of marring the end of the Sabbath, as well as the beginning? Most certainly there is. The Sabbath is seemingly not a delight to all. And feeling somewhat restless such persons are very liable to mistake, and think the Sabbath ended (especially if it is a little cloudy) when it is not. You will often find this class engaged in doing their own work, or speaking their own words, long before the Sabbath is past. Many feel a sense of relief, as the sun goes down, and the restraint of the Sabbath is thrown off. Were this class composed alone of small children, it would not appear so strange. But men and women often manifest the same; which is a clear indication that their hearts are bound up in the things of the world. They feel anxious for the Sabbath to pass that they may resume their labors, and prosecute their plans for obtaining the perishing things of this life. The following language used by the prophet Amos concerning Israel, should be an open rebuke to all such: “Hear this, O ye that swallow up the needy, even to make the poor of the land to fail, saying, When will the new moon be gone, that we may sell corn? and the Sabbath, that we may set forth wheat, making the ephah small, and the shekel great, and falsifying the balances by deceit?” Amos 8:4, 5. God is not well pleased with such Sabbath-keeping as is here set forth by the prophet. Such cannot say with the psalmist, “Oh! how love I thy law! it is my meditation all the day.” The Sabbath-keeping which is acceptable to God is clearly brought to view by the prophet Isaiah in the following language: “If thou turn away thy foot from the Sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on my holy day; and call the Sabbath a delight, the holy of the Lord, honorable; and shalt honor him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words: then shalt thou delight thyself in the Lord; and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth, and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father; for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.” Isa. 58:13, 14. It is no small thing to keep the Sabbath in as strict a manner as is here set forth in the above language. Many who refrain from doing their own work, often violate the Sabbath by speaking their own words; conversing upon worldly matters during the Sabbath hours. We have for a long time felt that a reform was needed among us, respecting a more strict and proper observance of the Lord’s day. We would not pass the sisters by, and have them feel slighted because we have not been as personal in our remarks to them as to the brethren. The sin of Sabbath-breaking is often found at their door also, from unnecessary cooking, washing of dishes, making of beds, etc., etc. Some seem to think they must wash their break-fast dishes, upon the Sabbath, if no more; and think perhaps this is so small and trivial a matter that there can be no harm in the act. But does not the commandment say, “Thou shalt not do any work”? by which we are to understand, of course, any unnecessary work. Is the washing of dishes upon the Sabbath a work of necessity? There may be families so extremely poor as not to have dishes sufficient to set a table but once, who may be somewhat excusable for washing a few dishes upon the Sabbath. These are extreme cases. But there can be no excuse for those who have dishes enough in the house to set a table two or more times without washing. There is no necessity for such to violate the Sabbath by doing their own work as a matter of convenience. Let us be careful, dear brethren and sisters, that we do not mar the Sabbath at either end; or any part of holy time by doing our own work, or speaking our own words. While reading the remarks of Eld. Geo. I. Butler in No. 12, present volume of the REVIEW, entitled, “A true picture” (which, by the way, is the most perfect likeness I ever saw), it occurred to me that a reform among us on the proper observance of the Sabbath, would very materially improve the present state of things among us as a people. Let us put away this loose, slack, manner of keeping God’s commandments, of which many of us are guilty, and which has been so grieving to his Spirit, and “remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy.” W. H. BALL.
Washington, N. H.