A THEOLOGICAL STRAIGHT-EDGE.
By Editor
A FRIEND has sent us the following extract from Pres. Edwards' History of Redemption, to which we judge the above heading appropriate. Speaking of Sacrifices he says, "It must, to be acceptable to God, be by some positive command or institution; for God has declared his abhorrence of such worship as is taught by the precept of men without his will. Isa. xxix, 13. And such worship as has not a warrant from divine institution cannot be offered up in faith; for faith has no foundation where there is no divine appointment. Men have no warrant to hope for God's acceptance in that which is not of his appointment, and to which he has not promised his acceptance." We wish now to apply these remarks of the President to his own theory of Sunday-keeping. 1. Whatever, according to the above, is acceptable to God, must be "by some positive command or institution." Sunday-keeping is not supported by any divine, positive command, or institution; therefore Sunday-keeping cannot be acceptable to God. 2. "God has declared his abhorrence of such worship as is taught by the precept of men without his will." Sunday-keeping is emphatically taught by the precept of men; for there is no will of God for its observance which he has ever made known to us; therefore it must be included with that worship which God abhors. 3. "Such worship as has not a warrant from divine institution cannot be offered up in faith." The keeping of Sunday has no warrant from divine institution; therefore we can express no faith by its observance. 4. "Faith has no foundation where there is no divine appointment." There is no divine appointment for Sunday-keeping; therefore faith in its observance is without foundation. 5. "Men have no warrant to hope for God's acceptance in that which is not of his appointment, and to which he has not promised his acceptance." Sunday-keeping is not of God's appointment, he has never promised to it his favor; therefore men have no warrant to hope for God's acceptance in such a practice. If any are disposed to doubt these declarations, we only invite them to "search the Scriptures." If they can find either in the Old or New Testament that the observance of the first day of the week for the Sabbath, is of positive and divine appointment, that God has shown this to be his will, that we can keep it with a consistent faith, that God has in any way favored or blessed the day so that in its observance we may hope for his acceptance, they will find what multitudes after multitudes have searched for in vain.