p. 16 | The Sabbath

Pacific Press Publishing Company · Oakland, California · Aug 20, 1902

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 28, No. 34.

The Sabbath

The Sabbath, like Jerusalem in her apostasy, is a “burdensome stone” to the various denominations which through ministerial representatives endeavor to explain it, and harmonize it with their contrary practices. In a mild endeavor to support Sunday, the editor of the Sunday School Times tells us:—

The “Sabbath” is not the name or designation of a day of the week, but of an institution. It was kept as a weekly institution, and it was kept also at other times. Long before the days of Moses, among other peoples than the Jews, one day in seven was kept holy. Such an observance is a duty as needed by man, and as commanded of God. It is not kept on the same day by all. Clergymen and city missionaries and others often work hardest on Sunday, and have to take another day of each week for sacred rest. Yet, in order that all can have a day of rest, the same day must be the one generally observed. It is on this idea that the civil law acts to protect the laborer in his God-given rest.

Now, (1) God has so connected the “institution” with the day as to make them inseparable. The Sabbath of the Decalogue takes in only the weekly Sabbath. The whole Holy Record, from Genesis to Revelation, fixes the Sabbath to one day only, the seventh day of the seven. To endeavor to make it cover the yearly sabbath days is specious and confusing. For forty years, during the fall of the manna, God emphatically showed His people that only one day was and could be His Sabbath. See Exodus 16. Further He rested upon one day only, blessed but one day, sanctified but one day. (2) The matter of work for God on that day is not forbidden by the Sabbath law. Jesus said, “It is lawful to do good on the Sabbath days.” The priest’s work was greater on that day. (3) The paper above contends for what overthrows its own argument, when it says, “The same day must be generally observed.” Did not God know that? Did He not see the need of uniformity and order? Did the great need of the spiritual world have to wait so many centuries to find this out? Not at all. God knew it in the beginning, and fixed the day. Now, the question is, Shall we take God’s day or man’s substitute?