A LAST DAY BOASTER by Editor

International Tract and Missionary Society · Oakland, California · Sep 23, 1889

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 15, No. 37.

A LAST DAY BOASTER.

By Editor

WE have received from time to time copies of a would-be author's “Catechism for Seventh-day-ites.” The writer has sent us another sheet which claims to be a corrected copy; we have not time to revise and will take it for granted that the last is the writer's ideal, though we pity the writer. The last copy has the heading, “The Colchester Sun Extra,” printed on one side and full of typographical errors, to say nothing of its theology. It consists of somewhere about seventy-five questions, more or less, which could be reduced to twenty-five and exhibit much more sense. Upon these the changes are rung till one thinks of the change of diet enjoyed by the poor man who had “bread and tea and stuff” for breakfast, “tea and, bread and stuff” for dinner, and “stuff and bread and tea” for supper. Well, this sheet 12x16 inches consists mostly of stuff. There is but little food, but little stimulant, and much stuff; enough we presume, if further attenuation is possible, to make another sheet. It probably is possible on the same principle of the song which had four hundred and ninety-nine verses, the first verse being repeated for the chorus, and duplicated for each of the four hundred and ninety-eight succeeding ones.

But aside from all this, this “Catechism” misrepresents seventh-day people. For instance, two questions are as follows:—

“Did not God merely promise (in Ex. 19) to make a covenant with Israel if they would elect him their civil ruler?”

“Did not he fulfill this promise in making with them a covenant—the “first covenant”—(in Ex. 24)?”

No seventh-day keeper that we ever heard of ever held that Exodus 19 was any more than preliminary to the making of the first covenant. The covenant was completed by its ratification as recorded in chapter 24.

The repetition of ideas is shown by the two following questions:—

“Did not the people stay at home, in their tents or houses, and do nothing on the seventh day, unless an annual rest fell on that day?”

“On all other occasions was not the seventh day observed by the people in staying at home and doing nothing?”

And these are a sample of most of these questions concerning which this would-be notorious author asks, “Have you the courage to print this in your paper, and attempt to answer it?” To this we simply say: 1. That there is not a year's volume of the SIGNS OF THE TIMES, we presume, since it was first published, but what has answered every sensible question in this Catechism; 2. Our space is taken up with matters of much more importance; and 3. While we are not at all dismayed at this voluminous list of queries, we have no time nor space to give to such folly. We have the physical courage to do many foolish things, but we have no time to undertake such silly and degrading warfare as this. We hope this will suffice. This is too much notice already. The “Catechism” will soon die of itself.