Why Can They Not See?

Pacific Press Publishing Company · Oakland, California · May 29, 1901

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 27, No. 22.

Why Can They Not See?

—Before us lies a letter in which the writer (in an excellent spirit) starts out to present “the reasons of my belief that the first day of the week should be regarded as the Christian Sabbath;” but in the very same paragraph he says: “I think it a very difficult matter to establish a set time for its [the worship day’s] observance by the whole human race in all the world where this Gospel is preached. When shall we begin to count the days of the week?” Now why can not this man see the utter inconsistency of these statements? If impossible to keep any set time, why set forth reasons for keeping a set day? If we can not tell when the seventh day of the cycle comes, can we tell when the first day comes? He says further that “God established the Sabbath at the end of His work in the creation. This is the proper starting place; for He blessed and sanctified the seventh day as the right and proper day to keep. But will any one pretend to trace up the correct day to be set apart for the world of mankind thru all the generations which have followed? . . . But that it is a sacred institution is evident; for it was one of the commandments of the Decalog.” Think of this; God gave the Sabbath, marked the particular day with His rest, blessing, and sanctification, made it a “sacred institution,” commanded it to be kept, showed us how it ought to be kept in the person of His Son, and holds men responsible for disobedience, and yet men can not know what God has commanded, and, therefore, can not obey! No one would attribute such unreasonableness to any earthly ruler; why to God? There are as many more inconsistencies in this short letter; we need not mention them. We mention the above to illustrate the way of error, never consistent with truth, and rarely with itself. Truth is ever consistent; never conflicting with itself. Why can not all Christians see it?