A PRIZE ESSAY FOR SUNDAY KEEPING
By G. B. T.
A Learned Writer Makes Fatal Admissions — His Own Arguments Disclose the Weakness of His Position
THE Lord's Day Observance Committee of the Wesleyan Methodist Conference in England some years ago offered three prizes for the three best essays on "The Church's and the Ministers' Duty in Relation to the Sabbath." The first prize was awarded to the Rev. William Spiers, M. A., F. G. S., F. R. M. S., and is published in a book, entitled "The Sabbath for Man." The writer of this prize essay is, of course, an observer of Sunday, and is supposed to be setting forth reasons why the first day of the week should be observed. He refers to Sunday as the "Lord's day," which shows he regards it as sacred, and he puts forth the usual arguments for its sanctity. He claims that "the apostles, after the example of the Lord, honored the day of the resurrection." It is interesting to note, however, in this prize essay, the admissions that are made, which upset entirely his claim for the sanctity of Sunday, and establish beyond doubt the binding obligation of the seventh-day Sabbath, which our Lord blessed in Eden, and gave to man as a memorial of His creative power. And surely if a scholarly writer, who has "examined most of the literature, ancient and modern, bearing upon the many questions involved," while endeavoring to uphold Sunday, instead of proving the sanctity of the first day of the week, puts forth arguments and makes admissions that establish the sanctity and binding obligations of another day, it must be evident that there is no Scriptural warrant for Sunday keeping, but that another day is the Sabbath. Among the statements in this prize essay, which was written to urge the better observance of the first day of the week, we read: "It is not categorically asserted in the New Testament that the Lord's day was specially set apart by Christ and ordained by10Him to be the memorial of creation and redemption." (Page 52.) By the "Lord's day" the author of this essay means Sunday. He therefore admits that the Bible does not give any command for Sunday keeping. In this he is correct. The most diligent and critical search of the Scriptures fails to reveal any authority, by either the precept or the example of Christ or of any of the apostles, for the observance of the first day of the week. Then why should we keep it, or how does anybody know it should be kept? The Bible is the only rule of faith for Protestants. If it is silent on this question, there can be no warrant for keeping the day. DATES FROM THE DAWN OF EXISTENCE
Further words from the prize essay declare: "It will be our endeavor to show, in the following pages, that the Sabbath dates from the very dawn of man's existence on the earth, and was an important feature in the Edenic dispensation." (Page 4.) The author of this prize essay then proceeds to put up quite a clear argument to show that the Sabbath was in Eden. But the Sabbath that was established in the "Edenic dispensation" was the seventh day. Sunday therefore can not be the day of rest set apart by the Lord. And in proving that the Sabbath ante-dates sin, the author of this prize essay overturns completely the claim that the first day of the week is the Sabbath. God's Sabbath is the day given to man in Eden. He nowhere commands us to keep any other. Our prize essayist also says: "Now, if the Sabbath is necessary at all, it is essential that the specific day of its observance should be authoritatively fixed." (Page 11.) This is indeed true; and because the Lord has "authoritatively fixed" the seventh day as His Sabbath, man has only to recognize this fact, and observe the day God has made holy. And the fact that the Lord has "authoritatively fixed" the seventh day, completely excludes the claims of Sunday as a holy day of rest. God has but one Sabbath; and the author of this prize essay, while endeavoring to show how Sunday should be kept, puts forth an argument which completely destroys its sanctity. AMONG THINGS UNCHANGEABLE
He says, "The Sabbath takes rank amongst the immutable rectitudes which no local or changing circumstances can effect." (Page 65.) Quite true; and the Sabbath being among the "immutable" things of God, the seventh-day Sabbath must therefore remain unchanged. And the essay makes this point still stronger, as follows: "The universality and permanency of the Sabbath law, as contained in the Decalogue, are evidenced by the terms in which the fourth commandment is expressed, and also by the reasons for its promulgation, which are inferred from the language in which it is framed." (Page 68.) There is indeed a "permanency" to the "Sabbath law." The author of this prize essay admits that there is no command for Sunday keeping in the Bible. The only divine law in existence states that "the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God." Ex. 20: 10. This law being universal and permanent, the seventh-day Sabbath is therefore, according to the author of this essay, universal and permanent, and binding on all men for all time. There is no escape from this conclusion. But how could he say the following and still contend for Sunday? "The Sabbath law of the Decalogue has never been repealed. All through the later developments of Jewish history it retained its vitality; notwithstanding the abrogation of the ceremonial law, the Decalogue in general, and the Sabbath in particular, were adopted and sanctioned by Jesus Christ." (Page 85.) It should be remembered that the above is written in an essay intended to show why we should keep the first day of the week holy. But we know of no stronger argument that could be put forth to establish the binding obligation of the seventh day as the Sabbath of Jehovah. The Sabbath law which the author of this essay claims has "never been repealed," says the seventh day is the Sabbath. Once this law enjoined the observance of the seventh day; and if not repealed, it must make obligatory the claims of the same day as when handed down from the top of smoking, trembling Sinai. Thus candor compels one, though writing to set forth the claims of another day, to make admissions which not only destroy the claims of Sunday as a day of rest, but establish in its stead the Sabbath which the Lord blessed at the close of creation's week — the seventh day. G. B. T.