A DISCUSSION ON THE SABBATH by C. H. Chappee; H. Woodruff

Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Sep 20, 1877

A DISCUSSION ON THE SABBATH.

By C. H. Chappee; H. Woodruff

In connection with our meetings at Half Rock, Mo., we recently held a two days' discussion with a Campbellite elder from Fairfield, Iowa. We affirmed the perpetuity of the Sabbath and the law; he denied. The following positions were taken:—

1. The Sabbath was made for man. Mark 2:27. The word man is unlimited, embracing all mankind. Job 14:1: “Man that is born of woman is of few days, and full of trouble.” Verse 10: “Man dieth, and wasteth away.” Who dies? All mankind.

2. The Sabbath was made at the close of creation week. Gen. 2:2, 3. The patriarchs reckoned time by weeks. Hence they had the Sabbath. Gen. 8:10; 29:27. It was observed by God's people before the law was given. Ex. 16:22–26.

3. The Sabbath commandment was spoken by the voice of God, and, with the rest of the law, was written with the finger of God on tables of stone. Christ had it, with the other commandments, in his heart, and preached it in the great congregation. Ps. 40:6–10; Matt. 5; Luke 4:16; 6:6, 9. The elder admitted that Christ kept the law and the Sabbath and taught the same; but said his teaching was all before his death, and belonged to the old dispensation, hence it is no guide for us on the Sabbath, as it (the Sabbath) was abolished with the law at the cross. We then showed that if Christ's teaching was not good on the Sabbath question it was not good on any other point.

He claimed that the New Testament proper begins with the Acts of the Apostles, and unwittingly cited Heb. 9:15, 17, and said that if Christ gave no law after his death he never gave any. We showed that Christ was the testator; that what he taught was his testament, and of course came in force immediately after his death.

The elder claimed that the old covenant was made with Abraham. We showed that it was made with the house of Israel, over three hundred years after the death of Abraham. Jer. 31:31, 33; Heb. 8:8, 9.

He claimed that Moses wrote the ten commandments on the tables of stone. We showed that God wrote them. Ex. 24:12; 31:18; 32:16; Deut. 5:22. We showed him against the Bible, in all, ten times.

The elder also claimed that Christ met with the disciples on the resurrection day, the first day of the week; and again the next first-day; and the third time on the first day of the week, and on the fourth first-day ascended to Heaven, and that the next first-day was Pentecost. After we had shown that the second meeting could not have been on the first-day; that the third time that Christ met with the disciples they were fishing; that his statement brought Pentecost on the fifth first-day after the resurrection, which makes the time too short by several days; and that the ascension could not possibly have been on the first day of the week, he admitted to the audience that his mouth went off too fast. We then showed that the law was taught by the apostles from twenty-nine to fifty-nine years this side of the cross, Rom. 7:7, 12; James 2:8–12; 1 John 3:4; 5:2, 3; also that the apostles observed the Sabbath, Acts 13:14, 15; 16:12, 13; 17:1, 2; 18:1, 4; and that Luke said by inspiration that it was the Sabbath when they had those meetings, to all of which he made no reply.

His last ditch was Rev. 1:10. He claimed that the original was Messiah's day. We answered: Admitting the criticism to be correct, it did not prove what the elder wished. It only proved that there is a day in this dispensation called the Lord's day, or Messiah's day, without proving which day of the week it was. We then showed that the Lord's day was the seventh day of the week. Ex. 20:8–11; Isa. 58:13; Mark 2:28. The discussion closed apparently with good feeling among the people, and glorious results have followed.

C. H. CHAPPEE.

H. WOODRUFF.