Answer to a Correspondent.
By J. H. Waggoner
For an exposition of Heb. 10 : 9, see articles now being published in the SIGNS entitled, The Law of God. Of 2 Cor. 3: 7–11, see pamphlet, entitled, Both Sides, and tract, Ten Commandments not Abolished. In Rom. 14 : 1–6 the apostle is speaking of feasts, and feast-days ; therefore, when he says, "One man esteemeth one day above another ; another esteemeth every day alike," it must be that he refers to that class of days of which he has been speaking, and not to the Sabbath. The Sabbath is not mentioned in the chapter, nor is the subject of the Sabbath anywhere introduced in it. But, says one, every day means of course, every day, and therefore includes the Sabbath. To prove the fallacy of this, we refer to the promise of the manna, "I will rain bread from heaven for you ; and the people shall go out and gather a certain rate every day." "And it came to pass, that there went out some of the people on the seventh day for to gather, and they found none. And the Lord said unto Moses, How long refuse ye to keep my commandments and my laws?" Ex. 16: 4, 27, 28. "Here we have the expression 'every day' and still the Sabbath is excepted, that express357ion referring only to the working days. Just so in Rom. 14; for the apostle is there speaking of a class of days with which the Sabbath is in no wise connected. The chapter opens thus: 'Him that is weak in the faith receive ye.' What faith? The faith of the gospel which Paul was laboring to establish; the change from the meats, drinks, carnal ordinances, and feast-days of the Jewish ritual to the spiritual worship of the Lord Jesus. "That system had its distinctions of meats and drinks and its yearly sabbaths. It was connected together as a whole; and when the apostle, in remarking upon that system, speaks of days, he means the days connected therewith, and those only. So he says in verse 2, 'For one believeth that he may eat all things; another who is weak eateth herbs.' And so also in reference to the same system, 'one man esteemeth one day above another; another esteemeth every day alike.' And the observance of these things was a matter of indifference so long as they did not seek justification through them, and thus be led to reject the sacrifice of the Saviour. "But did God ever utter anything with his own voice concerning meats and drinks, in like manner as he spoke the Sabbath? Never. Did he write anything about them on the tables of stone where he engraved the commandment for the observance of his rest-day? Not a word. The Sabbath belongs to entirely another system to which the 14th chapter of Romans makes no sort of reference whatever." —Both Sides of the Sabbath Question. J. H. Waggoner.