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Repairing the Breach

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Publishing Committee · Rochester, N. Y. · Apr 4, 1854

FromReview and Herald, Vol. 5, No. 11.

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Repairing the Breach.

By J. B. Frisbie

BY J. B. FRISBIE.
A little while before Jesus comes the second time; the commandments of God are to be proclaimed with a loud voice. In doing this the breach which the horn that had eyes, [Dan. vii, 25,] had made in the law has to be made up.
We have shown that the Pope was prophesied of; that he should think to change laws. From their own testimony we find they claim to have done it. Now to the prophecy that it must be made up.
Rev. xiv, 9-14. And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice. . . . Here are they that keep the commandments of God. And I looked, and behold a white cloud and upon the cloud one sat like the Son of man. Rev. xxii, 12. And behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be. Verse 14. Blessed are they that do his commandments. James ii, 10. For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point he is guilty of all. James v, 7, 8. Be ye also patient; stablish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh. 1 John iii, 11. But we know that, when he shall appear we shall be like him: for we shall see him as he is. And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure. Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law. This testimony is sufficient to show that the commandments have much to do with the coming of Christ.
Eze. xiii, 45. O Israel, thy prophets are like the foxes in the deserts. Ye have not gone up into the gaps, [breaches, margin,] neither made up the hedges for the house of Israel to stand in the day of the Lord. The day of the Lord in this text shows that the breaches here have something to do with the present time. Isa. lviii, 1. Cry aloud, and spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and shew my people their transgressions. . . . Verse 12. And they that shall be of thee shall build the old waste places, thou shalt raise up the foundations of many generations; and thou shalt be called, The repairer of the breach, The restorer of paths to dwell in. Verse 13. 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: Verse 14. 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.
The breach here is called the Sabbath which is to be repaired after many generations. We find no other breach in God's law but this. So we can but understand it to refer to the present time, when the commandments are one of the lost things to be preached with a loud voice or cry just before Jesus is to make his second appearing in the clouds of heaven. Everything bespeaks his near approach. It is time to wake out of sleep for soon the last angel's message of mercy will close for ever. Then he that is unjust let him be unjust still, he that is holy let him be holy still. We will here present a few popular reasons for Sunday-keeping.

CATHOLIC REASONS FOR KEEPING SUNDAY.

  1. Because "it is also called Sunday from the old Roman denomination of Dies Solis, the day of the sun, to which it was sacred." "Sunday was a name given by the heathens to the first day of the week, because it was the day on which they worshiped the sun."
  2. Because it is "in honor of the blessed Virgin Mary."
  3. Because "it is a day dedicated by the apostles to the honor of the most Holy Trinity."
  4. "Because Christ was born upon a Sunday."
  5. Because he "rose from the dead upon a Sunday."
  6. Because he "sent down the Holy Ghost upon a Sunday."
  7. Because "the work of our redemption was a greater work than that of our creation."
  8. Because "we have for it the authority of the Catholic Church and apostolic tradition."
  9. Because "Sunday is sanctified by hearing Mass."
  10. Because of a letter reported to have "come from Heaven to Jerusalem, and found at St. Simeon's tomb."

PROTESTANT REASONS.

  1. Because Christ rose from the dead on Sunday.
  2. Because Christ sanctioned the first day by meeting with his disciples on the evening of that day. John xx, 19, 26.
  3. Because the apostles met on the first day to break bread. Acts xx, 7.
  4. Because the apostles told them to make their collections on that day for the poor saints. 1 Cor. xvi, 1, 2.
  5. Because John was in the Spirit on the Lord's day. Rev. i, 10.
  6. Because Paul says, "Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind"—whether he will keep one day above another, i. e., whether he will keep Sunday or not.
  7. Because Constantine established it by law. A. D. 321.
  8. Because it is the law of our own country.
  9. Because Sunday is the Christian Sabbath.
  10. Because the "old fathers" say that some kept Sunday.
  11. Because learned men and ministers, say it was changed.
  12. Because some say that the day we now keep, is the seventh-day Sabbath.
  13. Because the Lord only requires us to keep a seventh part of time.
  14. Because nobody knows whether we are keeping the right day or not, as time might have been lost.
  15. Because it don't make any difference what day we keep if we are only sincere and honest.
  16. Because it is customary, that is, fashionable.
  17. Because the Lord has blessed me so many times on that day, therefore I think I ought to keep it.
  18. Because I don't like to be changing about so much.
  19. Because all my neighbors keep it.
  20. Because I have always kept it, and my friends before me, and some of them died happy, and I will run the risk of it, rather than change now.
  21. Because our church keeps it, therefore I will.
  22. Because there are so many new things, and winds of doctrine, and so many "Lo heres," and "Lo theres," that we don't know what to believe, therefore I am agoing to stick to my old church.
These and many more unfounded and frivolous excuses, are framed up in favor of Sunday-keepingwhich are called by some, good and conclusive reasons for not obeying God's holy Sabbath law: "The seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord:" thus making the law of God void by their traditions.
How will such stand in the judgment, with such excuses in their mouths, before that God whose law they have broken, after having the light. Will it not be said, "thou art weighed in the balances, and art found wanting."