Put This and That Together.
By R. F. Cottrell
THE following quotations are found in a book entitled, “An Exposition of the Church Catechism,” by Henry J. Camman, published at Boston in 1867. Under the title of “The Christian Law,” he says:— “Q. You said that your sponsors did promise for you that you should keep God’s commandments; tell me how many there are?
“A. Ten.
“Q. Which are they?
“A. The same which God spake in the twentieth chapter of Exodus,” &c. This testimony affirms that the Christian law is the same as given in Ex. 20. On the third page from this we have the following:— “Q. What is the fourth commandment?
“A. Remember that thou keep holy, etc.
“Q. How can you keep holy the Sabbath day?
“A. By abstaining from worldly occupations and attending to religious duties.
“Q. Can you do any work?
“A. Yes, I may do works of necessity, piety, and charity.
“Q. What do we call Sunday, and why?
“A. The first day of the seven. It is the Lord’s day, because Christ rose from the dead on that day.” Thus the law to keep holy the seventh day, the day on which God rested from the labor of creation, is to be obeyed by keeping holy “the first day of the seven;” for the reason, not that it is the Sabbath, or rest-day of God, but that “Christ rose from the dead on that day.” In the same chapter we are treated with the following:— “The Jews kept holy the seventh day of the week; because on that day God rested from his work of creation, Gen. 2: 2, 3, but we keep the first day of the week, because on that day Christ rose from the dead, having finished his work of redemption. Luke 24: 1–16. This change was made by the apostles. John 20: 1–19; 1 Cor. 16: 2. Although we repeat this commandment, the church, like the Scriptures, never applies the name ‘Sabbath’ to the first day of the week, but calls it Sunday, or the LORD’S DAY.” Now, ye of sane minds, put these things all together, and discern the sound sense and beautiful harmony of the whole! In the first place, the church promises to keep the Christian law, and that law is “the same which God spake in the twentieth chapter of Exodus.” 2. The fourth commandment of that law requires us to “keep holy the Sabbath day,” which is “the seventh day of the week, because on that day God rested from his work of creation.” This commandment the church proposes to obey by keeping holy “the first day of the seven,” “because Christ rose from the dead on that day.” 3. But “the church, like the Scriptures, never applies the name ‘Sabbath’ to the first day of the week.” The seventh day is the only Sabbath of the Scriptures. So the church does not propose to keep the “Sabbath” at all, while promising to keep the same law which says, “Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy, . . . the seventh day is the Sabbath;” but she proposes to keep another day, not the Sabbath, but a day called by her “Sunday, or the Lord’s day.” The commandment, according to this exposition, is as follows: Remember the Sunday, or the Lord’s day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labor and do all thy work, but “the first day of the seven” is Sunday, or the Lord’s day; in it thou shalt not do any work; “because on that day Christ rose from the dead.” And thus, for another reason, keeping another day, a day which neither the Scriptures nor the church ever calls the Sabbath, the church promises to keep the “same” law which God spake as recorded in Ex. 20! Our author says, “This change was made by the apostles,” and for proof refers to John 20: 1–19, and 1 Cor. 16: 2. Those who will read the testimony will find that at the close of that first day on which Christ arose, he appeared to the assembled disciples, the doors being shut for fear of the Jews, and “showed them his hands and his side” to convince them of his resurrection, a fact that till then they had not believed! See Mark 16: 9–14. So, if the apostles had that day changed the Sabbath, they had done it in unbelief. R. F. COTTRELL.