THE SEVENTH-DAY SABBATH NOT ABOLISHED.
By James B. Frisbie
All that part of the book of the law, which was written concerning Christ was abolished. But this will not include any moral precept, even in the law of Moses. All Sabbath days (the seventh not excepted) as feast-day sabbaths were abolished as such at the cross, but not as the Lord's rest-day; for the seventh day was a rest day before it was a feast day; so after it was abolished as a feast day it still would remain the Sabbath of the Lord our God as before. We have endeavored to show that the Sabbath of the Lord, is the greatest moral precept of the ten, for by this we are to know and remember God, that we may love and serve him in faith, spirit and truth. That the Sabbath was kept the same by the apostles and christians after the crucifixion of Christ as it was before, by the order of Moses, by the Jews and Christ with his disciples. That is to rest from servile daily labor, and assemble for worship in their meeting-houses both among the Jews and Gentiles. Jesus fulfilled all law. But to fulfill a moral law is to keep it. Rom. xiii, 10; Gal. v, 14. By this means he magnified the law and made it honorable. Isa. xlii, 21. If Christ's fulfilling the commandments, Thou shalt not kill, steal &c., did them away, then we may break them likewise with impunity. But who cannot see the inconsistency of this? Because Jesus kept the moral law it would not abolish it, but make it honorable. The law of commandments contained in ordinances written concerning Christ as typical of him, that when he fulfilled these, then they ended by limitation, after they had answered their design in their antitypes. We will show this. Lev. xxiii, 37. These are the feasts of the Lord. Verse 38 Besides the Sabbaths of the Lord &c. There are four sabbaths in this chapter besides the Sabbath of the Lord, connected with the feasts and ceremonies of the typical law of Moses. It was a matter of prophecy that these feast-day sabbaths connected with the new moons &c. should cease. But the Sabbath of the Lord our God associated with, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal &c., is not done away, but perpetual forever. Ex. xxxi, 16-17. Throughout their generations. We can raise no objection to this; for whether it be literal or spiritual Israel they still continue in their generations to our time. PROPHECY OF THE FEAST-DAY SABBATHS.
Hosea ii, 11. I will cause all her mirth to cease, her feast days, her new moons, and her SABBATHS, and all her solemn feasts. Amos iii, 7. Surely the Lord God will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets. Amos viii, 5, Saying, Then will the new moon be gone that we may sell corn, and the sabbath &c. Jer. i, 13, Bring no more vain oblations; incense is an abomination unto me; the new moons and sabbaths. Verse 14, Your new moons and your appointed feasts my soul hateth. See sabbaths and new moons connected, 1 Chron. xxiii, 31; 2 Chron. ii, 4. Neh. x, 33; Eze. xlvi, 3. This must make it plain. God has revealed it to his servants the prophets that he would cause the sabbaths to cease that were connected with feasts, new moons and oblations. But nowhere that his holy Sabbath should cease; but be perpetual for ever. Rom. xiv, 3. Let not him that eateth, despise him that eateth not; and let not him which eateth not judge him that eateth: for God hath received him. Verse 5, One man esteemeth one day above another; another esteemeth every day alike, Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind, (whether he will keep God's holy Sabbath or not, this is another subject.) Verse 6, He that regardeth the (feast) day, regardeth it unto the Lord; and he that regardeth not the (feast) day to the Lord he doth not regard it. He that eateth, eateth to the Lord, for he giveth God thanks; and he that eateth not to the Lord he eateth not, and giveth God thanks. Nine times Paul has mentioned "eateth" in connexion with these days, and once "eat," so that any one that wants to see, may know that Paul referred to feast days, and not to the holy Sabbath of the Lord our God. Now read what was abolished and blotted out; Eph. ii, 15. Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances. Not the law of God written on tables of stone with the finger of God; for [Eph. vi, 2,] Honor thy father and mother; which is the first commandment with promise. A. D. 64. This sets the point at rest, that Paul would not have referred to this in the same letter, if these were the same commandments that were abolished. Col. ii, 14. Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross. Verse 16, Let no man judge you in meat (offerings) or in drink (offerings,) or in respect of an holy day, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days. Verse 17, Which are a shadow of things to come, but the body is of Christ. These holy days or sabbath days, are not associated here with any one of the ten commands, but with the shadowy law such as meats, drinks, new moons, and called handwriting, or ordinances to be blotted out. 2 Chron. xxxiv, 14. The book of the law of the Lord by the hand of Moses. (margin.) Which contained these ordinances. Heb. vii, 16. The law of a carnal commandment. Heb. ix, 10, Which stood only in meats and drinks, and divers washings, and carnal ordinances, imposed on them until the time of reformation. Verse 11, But Christ being come an High Priest of good things to come &c. Heb. x, 1. For the law having a shadow of good things to come and not the very image of the things, can never with those sacrifices which they offer year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect. For then would they not have ceased to be offered? because that the worshipers once purged should have had no more conscience of sins. But in those sacrifices there is a remembrance again made of sins every year. For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins. Wherefore when he cometh into the world, he saith, sacrifices and offerings thou wouldst not but a body hast thou prepared me. In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sins thou hast had no pleasure. Then said I, Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of me) that is, of Jesus Christ. Verse 10, By the which will are we sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. Gal. iii, 10. The Book of the law. Verse 24. Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ that we might be justified by faith. Verse 25, But after that faith is come, (or preached) we are no longer under a schoolmaster: The typical law pointed out, or brings us to, Christ, that we might be justified by faith and not by the works of the law as before. Verse 10. Chap. v, 4. Justified by the law. Luke xxiv, 44. And Jesus said unto them, These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the Psalms concerning me, that is Jesus. This tells us that all things written in the law of Moses concerning Jesus, was fulfilled by him, and that would be its end, abolished, blotted out, &c. For Christ to fulfill a prophecy would be to come according to the prediction of the prophet. For Christ to fulfill the law of Moses would be to come according to the types and shadows pointing him out. But would have nothing to do with that part of the Book of Moses that was not typical of him. Every moral precept would stand in its full force upon us as much as it did upon the Jews, such as, To love God with all the heart, Thy neighbor as thyself, or a brother marrying his sister, or a father his daughter. &c. &c. This testimony of Jesus in Luke in connexion with what we have quoted from the letters of Paul must settle for ever the questions what is binding and what is done away. To which may the good Lord help us to take heed for ourselves for we are all interested or should be in the things written