No Day in Particular by H. A. St. John

Pacific Press Publishing Association · Mountain View, California · Sep 15, 1909

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 36, No. 36.

No Day in Particular

By H. A. St. John

A REVEREND gentleman has just finished a sermon on the Sabbath question, in which he has told the people “that the seventh day, mentioned in the fourth commandment of God’s law, which the Lord hallowed and sanctified, is one day of the week, but no particular day. It is just owing to where we begin to count. If we begin with Sunday, then Saturday becomes the seventh day; but if we begin with Monday, then Sunday is the seventh day. We begin to count with Monday, hence Sunday becomes our seventh, or Sabbath day, and we hallow it.”

Now this man’s conclusion is not far from the truth after all.

He says, “We begin to count with Monday, and hence Sunday is our seventh, or Sabbath day, and we hallow it.” Observe that it is “we,” the people, not God, that call Monday the first day of the week, and hence Sunday does become man’s sabbath, not God’s; and man hallows the Sunday sabbath, not the Lord. How much better to begin to count with Sunday, God’s first day of the week, and then Saturday becomes the Lord’s seventh day, or Sabbath, the day which the Lord has hallowed, or made holy. We are not told to hallow the day but to keep it holy. God has hallowed it, and He only can make anything holy. How much better to remember and keep holy the day of God’s appointment, the day He has sanctified and made holy. To do so would be obedience to God, while to do otherwise would be obedience to man, or

To further illustrate the one-day-in-seven-and-no-day-in-particular theory, suppose there are seven married women sitting together in one pew, before the reverend gentleman above referred to; one of them, the first one, counting from the aisle is the minister’s own wife. The others are the wives of other men in the congregation. At the close, the minister announces his next appointment as follows: “I will preach from this pulpit next time at 11 A.M. on, ‘One day in seven, but no particular day.’ Be sure to all come.” Instantly after the benediction is pronounced, six men rush to the front pew where the seven women are sitting. Mr. A steps up to the woman next the aisle, the

minister’s wife, saying to her with much feeling, “Come, my dear wife, let us now go home.” Instantly the minister exclaims, “Stop, Brother A, that is my wife, how dare you call her yours? Your wife is the seventh in the pew.” Brother A replies, “Surely, my dear pastor, you have forgotten the important lesson you taught us to-day. I am so glad I was here to learn that the seventh is no particular thing, all owing to where you begin to count. Before I heard your beautiful sermon I thought my wife was indeed the seventh in this pew. But after the sermon, I see that the seventh was determined by just where we begin to count. And I was glad, and I said, I will begin to

practise your teaching at once. I saw your wife sitting next the aisle as number one, but by beginning to count with number two, I found this dear sister was number seven, and I was so glad, for the number seven whom I had always called my wife is rather old-fashioned and not at all popular, but I always admired this seventh one, for she is popular, and generally esteemed.”

The other five men were in like trouble in the attempt to make a practical application of the pastor’s theory. Only confusion would be the result of a practical carrying out of such a theory in all the affairs of life. In like manner the practical application of the one-day-in-seven-and-no-day-in-particular theory of Sabbath observance would result in endless confusion in the service of God. Is God the Author of confusion?—He surely is if that theory is applicable to the fourth commandment.

Now it must be apparent to every sound mind, that if one of the seven women in that pew is the minister’s wife, that person is a particular woman as surely as he is a particular man. His wife would be the particular woman that the Lord gave him to be his wife, ever to be loved and cherished as the gift of God. In like manner if one day of the seven days of the week is the Lord’s holy Sabbath made for man, by him to be loved and cherished as the gift of God, it must be a particular day, or it is no day at all.

How could the Lord hallow one day in seven and no particular day? Could we make a present to one of seven persons but to no one in particular? Could one of seven children die, unless it was a particular child? If no particular child died, would it not be a fact that no child died? Most assuredly. Hence it follows irresistibly, that if ever the Lord hallowed or sanctified a day at all, it was a particular day. And as it is a fact that God did bless and sanctify the seventh day, it must be a particular day.

Furthermore, it would seem obvious that the sermon above mentioned would prove the minister’s farewell, if the people remembered the appointment afore mentioned, for how could they ever know when to go to hear his next sermon at 11 A.M. on one day in seven, and no day in particular?

We can not learn too soon that when God speaks He means what He says, and that His word is not to be trifled with or lightly regarded. Implicit obedience to His word will never cause confusion, but the most beautiful harmony. All friction and confusion are the results of transgression. When Elijah was accused by King Ahab of troubling Israel, Elijah instantly replied, “I have not troubled Israel, but thou and thy father’s house, in that ye have forsaken the commandments of God.” Thus it always is, and always will be, that transgression, sin, is the root of all trouble in the world, of whatever name or nature. And the Gospel of Jesus is the only remedy.

H. A. St. John.