Obedience by McK. Geere

Pacific Press Publishing Association · Mountain View, Cal. · Apr 25, 1911

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 38, No. 17.

Obedience

By McK. Geere

CHARLES JOHNSON was a good citizen. He was honest, kind to all, free from bad habits. He injured none. He went to church very regularly. But that was where he became subject to much comment, and even criticism; for he went to church on Saturday, and kept that day sacred from all work. Also, out of respect for civil law on the subject, he did very little work on Sunday, and that in a very quiet way. He was not rich, and it was not likely he would ever be so; for he was honest and benevolent, and such do not seem to get rich.

One evening he was at the house of Joseph Jones on some small business errand. After it was transacted, as he sat talking to Jones, and the boys were sitting on the steps, Jones said to him: "Excuse me, Johnson; but for such a sensible man as you, I think you are foolish about one thing. You don't do anything Saturday but go to your church, and on Sunday you don't work either. Now as hard as times are, none of us can afford to lose two days out of each week."

"But you know, Brother Jones," answered Johnson, "the Scripture says, 'Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy;' and Saturday is the Sabbath. The people who have always kept the Sabbath day since they were a people, are the Jews; and you know Saturday is their Sabbath. I don't, of course, go to their church, for they have never accepted Christ, and I am a Christian."

"Yes, I know you are an Adventist, and I believe that the Jews are keeping the same day of the week for a Sabbath that they used to; but I think it was changed to Sunday after Christ came."

"Yes, it was; quite a long time after Christ came, it was changed. But it was by man, and not by God; and we must obey God rather than men."

"Well," said Jones, "I don't think it makes much difference anyway. God says to keep the Sabbath. If I keep one day in the week, I don't think it makes any difference what day. We obey if we keep a Sabbath."

Johnson still held to his position; but seeing that it was useless to try to convince a man against his will, he did not contend further. The Jones boys were listening carefully; and after Johnson left, one boy said to his father, "Johnson thinks Saturday is the only Sabbath, don't he?"

"Yes," said his father; "he is crazy about that. But he is a good man. His religion is all right for making good people. But one day is as good as another."

Soon after, on a Saturday, there was a high wind, and a tree in Jones's swamp pasture field was blown down, and fell across the fence, making a gap that cattle could get through to the road from that field. Jones noticed it in the evening, and said to Carl, his oldest son, "On Monday you take an ax and go and fix the gap where that tree fell across the fence in the swamp pasture."

"All right," said Carl.

On Monday Jones was very busy in various ways, and on Tuesday he took a horse and light carriage, and started on a business trip that would take two days. A few miles from home he stopped at the farm of Mr. Smith, who used to live near Jones's home. Of Smith he bought three young steers, on condition that Smith deliver them at Jones's home. "If you don't see the folks, you can just put them through the red gate, into the swamp pasture field."

"All right," said Smith; and he started right away with the cattle.

After Jones was half a mile one way, and the cattle half a mile the other way, Jones thought of that gap where the tree fell, and stopped.

"O, well, I told Carl to fix it, and he is a good boy to mind, so of course it is done," and he went on, tho he knew he had been so busy he had not asked Carl if he had fixed the fence, or even noticed what Carl was doing Monday.

Late Wednesday evening, Jones returned home. "Did you notice how the new cattle were getting along in the swamp pasture?" he asked Carl.

"Didn't know there were any, didn't see them," said Carl.

"Then Smith must have put the bunch in when you were all away," said Jones. "Of course you fixed that gap in the fence?"

"Yes, I fixed it the last thing yesterday evening."

"But I said to fix it Monday."

"Well, Silverthornes offered me two dollars to help make hay Monday, and I knew there were no cattle in that field, and so I thought it was no difference which day it was fixed. You know you said one day was as good as another, the evening Johnson was here and you were talking about the Sabbath."

"Well, go and look if they are there."

They were not. Late as it was, two horses were brought out, and Jones and Carl started in search of those cattle. Late that night they found they had gone back to Smith's. As strays they had been chased by dogs. One had a badly bitten tail. Another had scratched a shoulder on a barbed wire fence. All three looked bad. Their chase had set them back a month on the time it would require to get them ready for the general market. And all because the order to fix the fence had been executed Tuesday instead of Monday. But Jones could not scold Carl much, for he thought: "The boy only did with my commands what I taught him we might just as well all do with God's commands. Am I better than God, that my commands must be obeyed literally, and His according to our convenience only? I will never criticize Johnson again for keeping the Sabbath on the exact day that the Lord appointed."