A LETTER TO A SUNDAY-KEEPER.
By Robert Kyle
East Smethport, McKean Co., Pa., H. M. Riggle, Cambridge Springs, Pa.—Dear Sir: Beginning on page 19, “The Sabbath,” we find these words:— “In the name of Jesus our Saviour, the Mediator of the new covenant, we defy Saturday-keepers to cite one text where the seventh day is commanded in the ‘truth which came by Jesus Christ.’ “One Advent minister in our presence, who was goaded and nettled by this positive demand, referred to Matt. 24:20, where Jesus said, ‘Pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the Sabbath day,’ and said this was the command. Men who resort to such wrestling of the Scripture to support a decayed system are hard pressed for argument. “This text does not add a feather’s weight of evidence in favor of Saturday-keeping. [Sabbath-keeping, I presume you mean.] “It is no command to keep the Sabbath.” The Advent minister was not, as you think, hard pressed for argument. He referred you to a text, which is in the “truth which came by Jesus Christ.” This text embodies within itself arguments that will refute all the alleged arguments that the opponents of the Sabbath have advanced, or can advance, against the Sabbath as an institution. The claims that they make are, as far as I know, as follows:— - That the Sabbath was abolished at the crucifixion of Christ. Consequently not included in the new covenant.
- That every day is the Sabbath.
- That Sunday was substituted for the Sabbath, in honor of the day of Christ’s resurrection.
It is more convenient to consider the third claim first. Jesus spoke of the Sabbath unreservedly. His hearers could not understand Him to mean any other day than the Sabbath that they then knew. It follows that we must so understand Him. As He did not speak of any change in the Sabbath, we must believe it to be the same institution. As this is the last time that He spoke of the Sabbath before His crucifixion that we have any record of, it is, to us, the last. As He spoke of the Sabbath in connection with an event that is clearly shown to have happened after the crucifixion, it is forever settled that the Sabbath is included in the new covenant. The second claim is absurd when we consider the prayer. If every day were the Sabbath, then they would be praying for a favor which they could not expect to receive. The first claim is set aside by the existence of the Sabbath after the crucifixion. Hoping that by a careful study of God’s Word you will arrive at the truth, I am