Astonishing Stolidity by R. F. Cottrell

The Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Mar 26, 1872

Astonishing Stolidity.

By R. F. Cottrell

It must be a matter of astonishment to any one of medium moral susceptibility, to hear the claim that it makes no difference whether we obey God, or choose a way of our own instead of what he has expressly appointed. Still, wherever we go we hear men say that they cannot see why any day religiously observed will not perfectly answer the demands of the fourth commandment. My answer to this is, that if God has only required one day in seven, doubtless they are right, any one day being as good in all respects as any other. But if God has himself appointed the day, no substitution of our own can answer the demand.

It is hard for me to see how so large a license can be perfectly acceptable in regard to the divine law—a license that could not be tolerated for a moment in respect to human laws and requirements. Should a person be cited to appear before a court upon a certain day, no one would think that the particular day was of no consequence, or that any other day would answer the requisition just as well. A person claiming this would be thought insane or decidedly lawless. Yet the first official of a Canadian township recently told me that he could not see for the life of him why any one day kept as a Sabbath would not equally answer the requirement of the Sabbath law. To inform him that God had appointed the day, sanctified it, set it apart as a sacred memorial of his rest on that day from the work of creation, seemed not to break the crust or make any impression.

In speaking of memorial days I claim that an event is memorialized by the observance of the very day on which the event happened. If we are to commemorate the resurrection of Christ by the observance of a day, it should be the day on which the resurrection took place. If we would commemorate the Sabbath day, i. e., the rest day of God, we should observe the very day on which he rested. No other day of the seven can be his rest day, for he rested on no other than the seventh. To my Canadian friend who thought differently, I propose that he should celebrate the Queen’s birthday on the fourth of July, instead of the twenty-fourth of May. Her Majesty would not think herself very highly honored by the change. Neither is God honored by attempting to change the day of his Sabbath. R. F. COTTRELL.