THE ROYAL PURPLE OF GOD'S LAW.
By Edison Driver
A certain king once sent to a weaver, and said to him, “Make me a curtain for my palace, and let it be according to this design that I send.” The weaver was happy in receiving such a commission, and set about his task at once. But when he looked over the pattern and saw that the groundwork was purple, he was troubled. “The established custom,” he said, “is to use red for groundwork, but this calls for purple. Now, of a truth, I don’t think the king will ever notice the difference at all, and if he does, will acknowledge the red looks just as well; besides it’s cheaper and more convenient for me. So the red goes in for groundwork; the rest will all go in just as the pattern indicates.” Imagine the poor fellow’s consternation, when the king utterly refused the tapestry at any price. “The stamp of royalty is lacking,” was the explanation. “There is not a hint of the royal purple in it; your red doesn’t mean anything, except, perhaps, that you have obeyed your own convenience instead of me. I hope your convenience will reward you well for your loyalty, fellow!” Likewise imagine the surprise and consternation of those who have woven a substitute Sabbath into the great law of Jehovah, saying, It looks as well as the one He ordered, and is according to the custom. The two cases are parallel. The Sabbath commandment is the seal of God’s law. It marks Him as creator, and consequently King of all created things. It is the royal color He has chosen, and given as a sign between Him and His own. The king who ordered the purple in the curtain had reasons for so doing. The King who ordered the Sabbath in His law also had reasons for His order, and its change will be like changing the purple of the curtain. The stamp of royalty again is lacking, and disobedience is conspicuous. EDISON DRIVER.