Letter to the Editor of the Harbinger.
By Emily Day
THE writer of the following letter says: "This communication I sent to the Editor of the Harbinger; but as he is unwilling to publish evidence on both sides of the question, I send it to you."—Ed. BRO. MARSH:—I wish to say a few words through the Harbinger, to those who profess to be looking for the coming of our blessed Saviour, to give to every man according as his work shall be. My heart has been pained to see the spirit that has been manifested by some of those who have written for the Harbinger of late, especially by those who have written any thing on the subject of the Sabbath, or of those who keep the Sabbath. Paul tells us that "If any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his."—Rom. viii, 9. And how far from that sweet Spirit of Christ, whose fruit is love, joy, peace, &c., does some of the correspondents of the Harbinger seem to be. These things ought not so to be. I wish now to examine the texts of scripture brought to view in the Harbinger for Dec. 11, under the heading, "A palpable falsehood." Ex. xxii, 16. "And the tables were the work of God, and the writing was the writing of God, graven upon the tables." This text refers to the first tables of stone which the Lord gave unto Moses, and when he came down from the mount, and saw the people dancing and the calf which they had made, he cast the tables out of his hands and break them beneath the Mount. Verse 19. In Chap. xxxiv, 1, we read: "The Lord said unto Moses, Hew thee two tables of stone like unto the first, and I will write upon the tables the words that were in the first tables which thou breakest." As we read along in the chapter, we find that Moses obeyed the Lord, prepared the tables, and took them up unto the Mount, where the Lord appeared to him, talked with him and gave him instruction for the people. After giving him numerous precepts, he tells Moses in the 27th verse, "Write thou these words, for after the tenor of these words I have made a covenant with thee, and with Israel." Verse 28, "And he was there with the Lord forty days and forty nights; he did neither eat bread nor drink water. And He wrote upon the tables the words of the covenant, the ten commandments." "The palpable falsehood," seems to be in understanding the pronoun "he" as referring to the Lord, whereas C. understands it to refer to Moses. Now to the law, and to the testimony. "The Lord said, Hew thee two tables of stone like unto the first; and I WILL WRITE upon these tables the words that were in the first tables which thou breakest.—Ex. xxxiv, 1. At that time, the Lord said unto me, Hew thee two tables of stone like unto the first, and come up unto me into the Mount, and make thee an ark of wood, AND I WILL WRITE on the tables the words that were in the first tables which thou breakest, and thou shalt put them in the ark. And I made an ark of shittem wood, and hewed two tables of stone like unto the first, and went up into the Mount, having the two tables in mine hand. And He wrote on the tables, according to the first writing, the ten commandments, which the Lord spake unto you in the Mount, out of the midst of the fire, in the day of assembly; and the Lord gave them unto me." Deut. x, 1-4.8 It seems to me, that here is sufficient proof, that the Lord wrote the commandments on the second tables, as well as on the first. I think we ought to have better grounds for sustaining a charge, before charging others with falsehood, and be justified in the sight of the Lord in doing it. There has been many false accusations in the Harbinger of late, and the bitter, unholy spirit that has been manifested in its columns, goes far to show, that they are fighting against the truth. Says David, "It is time for thee, Lord, to work; for they have made void thy law."—Ps. cxix, 126. May the Lord help all his dear children, to do and teach his commandments, and wait for his Son from heaven.