Untitled article by Mrs. L. D. Avery-Stuttle

Pacific Press Publishing Company · Mountain View, California · Jul 19, 1905

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 31, No. 29.

EDUCATION IN THE HOME. No. 10.

By Mrs. L. D. Avery-Stuttle

BY MRS. L. D. AVERY-STUTTLE.

'I DO,' interrupted Mrs. Jones, 'I see that in order to be at all consistent, we must begin the day at evening, or give up this text; truly I can see no consistency in claiming the sacredness of any day merely because of the Lord's Supper being eaten on that day. But there is one text yet,—I think you say there are eight in which the first day is mentioned; let us hear that one, Mr. Hartman.'

'We have just one more prop, mama,' interrupted Josie, glancing archly at Mrs. Wilber, 'what will you do if that breaks?'

Mrs. Wilber did not reply, but listened intently while Mattie read:

'Upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store as God hath prospered him, that there be no gatherings when I come.'

'Well now, I thought I'd find the text I was looking for; doesn't this prove that they held meetings every Sunday, and took up their collections just exactly as we do,—doesn't it, Mr. Hartman?' questioned Mrs. Wilber with a gratified nod in the direction of Mrs. Jones.

'Well, what is your opinion, Mr. Wilber? you have n't had much to say, so far; what do you find in this text to prove that the Sabbath has been changed from the seventh day, which God originally sanctified at Creation, to the first day of the week?'

'Let me read this text myself; I think I can get a better understanding of it that way;' and Mr. Wilber read from the Book which his wife was holding, carefully and slowly:

'Well, to be honest, neighbor, I don't see anything much in it,—only I had always thought that very likely this language referred to the Sunday collection plate,—but somehow it doesn't seem quite so clear as I thought it did. In fact, I never noticed those little words 'lay by him' before. It would indicate quite plainly, I think, that they were to put aside at their own homes as much as they could spare for the relief of the poor brethren, and then—'

'Then they would all give their offerings to him, of course,' interrupted Josie. 'I believe, mama, that our last prop seems to be gone.'

'But,' smiled grandma, 'even in case there were some meetings held on the first day, I think it has been conclusively proven that this would not make it a holy Sabbath.'

'Well, this all seems very strange to me indeed, I admit, I can't understand it,' sighed Mrs. Wilber. 'But this I know: my good old father was one of the most godly men who ever lived,—and he always kept Sunday very strictly, and brought me up to do the same. If it was wrong, it's strange he didn't see it.'

'I don't consider it strange one bit, Mrs. Wilber,' said Mrs. Hartman. 'You know Martin Luther's father was a good man, and yet he brought his son up to be a strict papist. But Luther did not see all the light there is in God's Book. Not one of the reformers could God entrust with all of His truth. Some of that which was hidden from Luther was revealed by the Spirit to subsequent reformers,—like Knox and Calvin and Whitefield and the Wesleys,—and we need not plume ourselves even yet as having 'attained,' but simply following on to know the Lord.'

While her mother was speaking, Elsie was rapidly turning the leaves of her well-thumbed Bible. 'I think I have a passage here, father, if I may read it, which is right to the point. It is Acts 17: 30.'

'To be sure, Elsie. I am more than glad to see the interest shown by our dear children in these readings, and not only this, but that our neighbors, here, have been so kind as to come in to study God's Book with us. But read the verse, if you please.'

'It is simply proof that God does not give all the light to any one people—but that when the light does come, they will be held responsible for it. It is a part of Paul's discourse on Mars Hill. They objected that Paul seemed to be a setter forth of strange gods, because he preached Jesus unto them—a god whom neither they nor their learned fathers had worshiped or even known. But Paul says: the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men everywhere to repent.'

'I dare say,' said John, 'that these fellows thought it very strange that their fathers had never heard of these things.'

'You see, wife,' said Mr. Wilber, 'these folks have a verse of Scripture to read on every occasion.'

'Well, I can't say anything against that, I'm sure,—it's a very good habit. But there is one verse I remember of reading somewhere,—I think St. John said something about being in the Spirit on the Lord's day,—what day was that if not Sunday,—the day of our Lord's resurrection?'

'I think Beth can tell us, can't you, dear, which day the Lord's day is?' said grandma; to which Beth, glad of an occasional chance to join in the conversation, replied promptly:

'For the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God.'

'Good, Beth; then which day does the Lord Himself call His day?'

'The seventh, or Saturday, grandma.'

'O, father,' said Mattie, 'to-day at school our teacher spoke something about our being so particular about keeping Saturday; and said she wondered how you would explain the verse that says everybody may keep the day for sabbath that he is persuaded in his own mind is right. I told her I didn't know there was such a verse; is there, father?'

'Yes,' interrupted Mrs. Jones, with a sidewise glance at Mrs. Wilber, 'yes, yes; there is such a verse somewhere. I've often heard my mother quote it.'

'Well, it is to be hoped that she quoted it more correctly than our Mattie has,' said Bro. Hartman. 'Let us turn to the fifth and sixth verses of Romans 14, and see what Paul really does say. Elsie, you may read.'

'One man esteemeth one day above another; another man esteemeth every day alike. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind.'

'Not a word is said here about the Sabbath of the Lord. The apostle could not have referred to it, because in another place he declares that the law is holy and the commandment holy and just and good. But by studying the context, we see that evidently some members of the early church who had been brought up by strict Jewish parents could scarcely understand that the ceremonial law, with its new moons and feast days, its passovers, its rites, and its ceremonies, had been nailed to the cross of the great Antitype, Christ our Saviour; and it was this truth that the apostle was trying to make plain.'

'Well,' said Mr. Jones, 'I for one am very deeply interested in these subjects, and we shall certainly continue to attend these meetings—my wife and I.'

'Yes,' said Mrs. Wilber, as they rose to go after a brief but earnest prayer by Bro. Hartman, 'yes, we will come, but I tell you, Mr. Hartman, I am going to do as I said I should, and find that text commanding the observance of the first day,—it must be there!' and with a hearty good night, the family of Brother and Sister Hartman were once more left alone to talk over the events of the evening by themselves.