p. 123 | The Sabbath Question

Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Oct 13, 1874

The Sabbath Question.

By D. T. Bourdeau; R. F. Andrews

ITS AGITATION THROUGH THE PRESS, IN CONNECTION WITH THE TENT EFFORT IN KANKAKEE CITY, ILL.

When we had reached the height of the interest on the Sabbath question in our tent effort, we had the following published in two of the leading papers of the city:—

$3,500 REWARD.

EDITOR TIMES: We are in the midst of the investigation of the subject of the Bible Sabbath. Taking “the Bible and the Bible alone” as our rule of faith, we are shut up to the conclusion that the seventh-day Sabbath made by God in Eden, and observed by Christ and his apostles, Gen. 2:1–3; Luke 4:16; Matt. 24:30; Luke 23:26; Acts 13:42, 44; 16:13; 17:1, 2; 18:1–4, is still binding. We are highly gratified with the candor and respect with which we have been treated, and firmly believing we have the truth on the Sabbath, and can afford to be fair, we would call attention to the following points:—

1. We offer $500 for one text of scripture which states that God has changed the Sabbath of the fourth commandment from the seventh to the first day of the week. 2. $500 for one text of scripture that commands the first day to be kept in memory of the resurrection. 3. $500 for one text of scripture in which the first day is called the Sabbath or Lord’s day in this dispensation. 4. $500 for one text which says that God or Christ ever blessed or sanctified the first day. 5. $500 for a blessing pronounced by the Almighty in his word for keeping the first day as a Sabbath. 6. $500 for one curse or threatening from the Lord in his word against working on the first day. 7. $500 for one text of scripture which states that Christ or his apostles kept or rested the first day in memory of the resurrection.

What say you, Bible students, can such texts be found? If not, is it not clear that Sunday-keeping is a human tradition which makes void a commandment of God?

TENT PREACHERS.

Kankakee, Aug. 4, 1874.

As yet no reply to this article has appeared in the organs in which it was published. But an attempt at a reply appeared in the Danville Times, the fallacy of which will be seen by reading the following, which we clip from the Kankakee Times:—

THE SABBATH QUESTION.

Editor Kankakee Times: It appears that the editor of the Danville Times has presented to his readers the offer that we made through your paper, of $3,500, for seven texts of scripture bearing on the Sabbath question, which has called forth a reply from one of his readers. On this reply we wish to make a few strictures. He does not pretend to find any of the texts called for (another proof that they cannot be found), but condemns our “mode of reasoning,” saying he “will give $1,000 for texts authorizing the abrogation of many things that God demanded.” Paul says, Rom. 4:15, “Where no law is there is no transgression.” Now if the law for Sunday-keeping cannot be found, it is no sin to do common labor upon that day, or to regard it as secular. For the abolition of the feast days, new moons, yearly sabbaths and sabbaths of the land peculiar to the Jews, we cite our friend to Eph. 2:14–16 and Col. 2:14–17, and invite him to hand over his $1,000. The sabbaths spoken of in Col. 2:14–17, “were against us” and were “a shadow or type of things to come;” but the seventh-day Sabbath is “for man,” Mark 2:27, points back to God’s rest, and was made before the fall and before shadows and types were necessary. He says he “will give $1,000 for any evidence to show that the term Sabbath was applied to the seventh day of the week.” Well, Luke declares that the followers of Christ, the day after his crucifixion, “rested the Sabbath day according to the commandment,” Luke 23:56, and he calls the day following, “the first day of the week.” Luke 24:1. Now as there are but seven days in a week, and the day after the Sabbath is declared to be the “first day of the week,” the day before the first must be the seventh day of the week. Here is decisive proof; so we claim his $1,000 here again. He says, “The command is, ‘Remember the Sabbath day.’” Truth. “Sabbath means rest.” Agreed again. “Remember the rest-day to keep it holy.” This is also correct. But which day is the rest-day of the commandment? Is it any day of the seven we may have a mind to choose? Ans. “The seventh day is the Sabbath or rest of the Lord thy God,” the day which he blessed and sanctified because that in it he had rested, Ex. 20:8–11; Gen. 2:2, 3; “in it thou shalt not do any work.” Thus we see it is the very day that God rested upon that we are commanded to keep holy. According to the view of our friend, seven men might each keep a different day of the week for the Sabbath; for he says, “A people who choose Sunday, Monday, or Tuesday, as the day of rest—either would be the Sabbath.” Query: Did God rest on every day of the week? He refers to our offer of $500 dollars for the text which says Christ blessed or sanctified the first day, and says he “will give $1,000 for one text that says he did not.” This is a convenient and easy way to prove (?) Sunday-keeping. He might have offered $1,000 apiece for texts saying that Christ did not bless and sanctify the crucifixion day, Ash Wednesday, St. Patrick’s day, and a host of other days, and they could not be found either. As the Scriptures nowhere state that Christ blessed or sanctified the first day, or made it the Sabbath instead of the ancient Sabbath, every text that speaks of the immutability of the law of God and that warns us against adding to the words of the Lord, Prov. 30:6, is positive proof that Christ did not bless and sanctify the first day. So you will please hand over that other $1,000. He says we “have not a grain of evidence to show that Sunday was not set apart as the rest-day.” We have, for it is not once stated in Holy Writ that it was. Fortunately for our friend that he did not offer $1,000 here, for he would certainly have lost it. The first day of the week is mentioned but eight times in the New Testament, and it is never called the Sabbath or rest-day. But the seventh day is designated the Sabbath or rest-day fifty-nine times in the New Testament. Luke wrote under the direct influence of the Spirit of God, and speaking of events that happened between the years A. D. 45 and 56, he says the day the Jews met in their synagogues was the Sabbath day or rest-day. See Acts 13:14, 42, 44; 17:1–3; 18:4, 11. We hope our friend will not add to the word of the Lord here, and say this was the day that used to be the Sabbath. It was not simply to accommodate the Jews that the apostles made the Sabbath their regular day of religious worship, for they delighted to keep the law of God, and preached to the Gentiles as well as to the Jews on that day. Rom. 7:22; Acts 13:42, 44; 16:13. Read also Matt. 24:20. He says, “The disciples of the apostles of Jesus set apart Sunday.” Then neither Christ nor his apostles did. And if they did not do it, had any one since that time any right to do it? We conclude they had not, and think it far safer and better to observe the same Sabbath that Christ and the apostles kept. But he informs us that he did not write “to convince or instruct” us, “but because there are so many who keep Sunday and do not know why.” If he has accomplished his purpose, those for whom he wrote must be easily convinced. Christ says, “If thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments.” Matt. 19:17. “In vain do ye worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.” Matt. 15:9. “Full well ye reject the commandment of God that ye may keep your own tradition.” Mark 7:9. These burning words of Christ apply to the violation of the fourth commandment as directly as they did to that of the fifth commandment. Of course we speak of deliberate and willful transgression. “What is the chaff to the wheat, saith the Lord?”—Tent Preachers.

D. T. BOURDEAU, R. F. ANDREWS.

Kankakee, Ill., Sept. 25, 1874.