An Appeal to those Who Disregard the Sabbath of the Lord.
By Louisa M. Morton
It is with feelings of deep emotion of heart that I attempt to address those upon whom I once looked as the salt of the earth. Such were indeed the Advent people, before they began to fight the law of God, and call it a "curse to man," "miserable," "rickety," &c. Most assuredly the salt has lost its savor, when those who profess to be looking for the Saviour, can give such appellations to God's immutable law, that Paul says is "holy, just, and good." O listen ye who say, that God's law is abrogated; that his commandments are not binding; listen to the Saviour: Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets; I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill; for verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled. Whosoever, therefore, shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. Matt. v, 17-21. Why is it that the world are disregarding one of the greatest commandments in God's holy law, and are presumptuous enough to teach others to break it, when our blessed Saviour has said, that one jot or tittle should not pass till all be fulfilled: and he that broke one of the least, should be of no esteem in the reign of heaven, (as one of the translators renders it.) Why is it that mortal man does not fear the disapprobation of a just God? Methinks could they realize his holiness, and be permitted to stand near mount Sinai, and see the smoke as of a furnace, and the quaking of the mount as did the Israelites, we should not hear them speaking in such terms concerning the Lord's Sabbath, calling it the old Jewish Sabbath, a yoke of bondage, &c. But some may say, that Christ fulfilled or abolished the law, when he hung upon the cross and cried, It is finished, and gave up the ghost, therefore we are not required to keep the law. But let us hear him again. When Jesus came to John to be baptized by him, John forbade him saying, I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me? And Jesus answering said unto him: Suffer it to be so now, for thus it becometh us to fulfill all righteousness. Matt. iii, 14, 15. Now if Christ's fulfilling the law did it away, and left us at liberty to trample upon his Father's commandments which he delighted to keep; I say if Christ's fulfilling the law did it away, then when he was baptized, he did that ordinance away, and we have no right to go down into Jordan's waters, and be buried beneath its waves, in the likeness of his death and burial, and come up again in the likeness of his resurrection: for he said, Thus it becometh us to fulfill all righteousness. But no, bless his holy name! this precious ordinance is not done away, a sinner that obtains the evidence that his sins are pardoned through the merits of the Saviour's sacrifice, can follow his example by going down into the water, and die to the world, but live to God. But those who do not love God enough to keep his holy Sabbath, will turn away with contempt when this comparison is presented to them, and call it a weak flimsy argument. Alas, they have closed their eyes that they may not see the truth! But we can say with the Psalmist, It is time for thee, Lord, to work; for they have made void thy law. How true it is that the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God neither indeed can be. Rom. viii, 7. But let us see if the ten commandments are not as important now as they were before our Saviour suffered on the cross. Turn with me to 1 Cor. vii, 19. Circumcision is nothing, and uncircumcision is nothing, but the keeping of the commandments of God is something. [Whiting's Trans.] Here we see that Paul spoke of the commandments as something worthy of our attention: and that too, a long time after our Saviour's death. There are those however, who are ready to say that Paul did not mean the commandments of the Decalogue, but merely the requirements enjoined in the New Testament, and if the ten commandments are binding, then we must be circumcised, burn sacrifices, &c. But these confound the ceremonial law that ceased at the cross, with God's immutable law, that was written on two tables of stone with the finger of God. God's Word is plain. Praise his holy name! He has hid it from the wise and prudent, and revealed it unto babes. Even so, Father; for so it seemed good in thy sight. By the assisting grace of our Heavenly Father, we will cherish his Word, and take it as our guiding star, whose friendly rays will ever shine upon our pathway, till our pilgrimage is completed. Bless God that we are not left in darkness now, when the last lingering notes of time are sounding. Probation's hours, O how precious! There is yet space for repentance. Come while it is called to-day: soon it will be too late. Jesus told the young man, if he would enter into life, he must keep the commandments; and quoted a part of them, so that we are not at a loss to know the commandments he referred to. Matt. xix, 17. The humble seeker after truth can say with the Psalmist, Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path. That the commandments of God are as binding now, as when our blessed Saviour instructed the young man in the way of life, we have not the least reason to doubt. And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ. Rev. xii, 17. No wonder that the dragon is wroth when he sees a little remnant in these last days striving to obey God by keeping all his commandments, together with the faith of Jesus. Ah! well does he know that his time is short: this Arch-deciever has almost run the length of his chain, and what he does to deceive and blind the eyes of the professed church of Christ, and seal the doom of careless and indifferent souls, must be done soon. Oh unhappy church and world! Do you not know that the last page of inspiration is now being fulfilled? Satan is carrying on his last great deception, before the Son of man shall be revealed in the clouds of heaven. The last solemn message is now being proclaimed, and will increase until it sounds with trumpet voice. See Rev. xiv, 9-15. And the third angel followed them saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, the same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation: and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb: and the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name. Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus. Reader, will you take heed to this last message of mercy? Will you cease to worship the beast and his image, and refuse the mark in your forehead, or in your hand; (Isa. iii, 7, margin;) will you cling with unyielding grasp to their loved institutions? Pause, and ponder the subject well before you go farther. The last lingering sands of time are falling; soon we shall behold the white cloud, and seated thereon our long absent Saviour. The four winds are being held in check until the servants of God are sealed in their foreheads. The seven angels are waiting to pour out the seven vials of the wrath of God. Reader, what is your decision? Will you join the band who are striving to get the victory over the beast, and over his image, and over the number of his name? If you will, then you will be called the Repairer of the Breach, the Restorer of paths to dwell in. If thou turn away thy foot from the Sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on my holy day: and call the Sabbath a delight, the holy of the Lord, honorable: and shalt honor him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words: then shalt thou delight thyself in the Lord: and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth, and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father; for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it. Isa. lviii, 12, 14. This is the eleventh hour, but still there is a little space. Will you cherish the truth, and forsake the pleasures of this vain world which must so soon fade away? O give up self, and all that keeps you from obeying God; and manifest your love to him by keeping all his commandments. For this is the love of God that we keep his commandments, and his commandments are not grievous. 1 John v, 3. Dear Reader, Parent, Child, or whoever you may be, we feel anxious that you should see the importance of keeping all the commandments of God, and realize the soul-cheering evidence that you are receiving the approving smile of your Heavenly Father whilst you have respect to all his precepts. For soon it will be said, He that is unjust let him be unjust still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and behold I come quickly, and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be. Blessed are they that do his (the Father's) commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city. LOUISA M. MORTON.
Friendship, Allegany Co., N. Y., 1854.