THE INSTITUTION OF THE SABBATH.
By J. D. Merriam
In the article in a late Herald on the Institution of the Sabbath, it is admitted that the children of Israel in their Egyptian bondage must have been unable to gain time for the observance of the Sabbath, from the rigor of their servitude, and had probably become careless and indifferent respecting it; but he expresses doubt, as to the day which the Lord designated for the observance of the Sabbath whether or no, it was the original seventh day in regular succession from creation. From the language of the fourth commandment, in connection with what is said in Gen. ii, 2, 3, I see no reasonable ground for a doubt on that point. The command is, to remember the Sabbath day. How could it be remembered, unless it had been before in the memory? Again it says, "The seventh day is the Sabbath;" not a seventh day, but the definite seventh day. A reason for the observance is given. For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is; wherefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it. What day did he bless and hallow? The Sabbath day. What day is the Sabbath? "The seventh day is the Sabbath." When did he bless and hallow it? When he rested on it. This is plain unequivocal language and need not be mistaken. The writer conveys the idea that as God instituted the Sabbath, it is his prerogative alone to change or abrogate it, either by direct precept, or by his Providence. It is admitted indirectly that there is no direct precept for its change; but it is endeavored to be proved, that the providence of God was manifest in its change. The first reason given, is, that Christ rose from the dead on that day, and that doing that was an event of more momentous interest to the human race than any event that had previously transpired since the creation. By what rule the writer came to this conclusion, he has not informed us. Who knows whether the resurrection of Christ is an event of greater interest to the human race, than his being "delivered for our offences?" We have "redemption through his blood even the forgiveness of sins." Eph. i, 7; Col. i, 14; Rom. iii, 24, 25; 1 Pet. i, 18, 19. That both these events are worthy of being commemorated, no one doubts; but that there is a necessity for a change in the law of God, that either event should be commemorated, there is room for doubt: for, to commemorate the first, we have the ordinance of the Lord's Supper, instituted by the Saviour; and is not the first shadowed forth in the ordinance of baptism? So I think. Again, the writer says, that the day of the resurrection of Christ "was more fitting for Christians of all nations to observe, than a day which commemorated only the national deliverance of the Jews." Before this, he had said that "The Sabbath was commemorative of God's great work of creation in six days; which these do not commemorate who keep no Sabbath." How these two statements harmonize, I am not able to see. If the Sabbath is a type of the rest which remains to the people of God, [Heb. iv,] and that is in the seventh thousand year of the world, how would the first day of the week have any significance respecting it? It is asserted that after the resurrection of Christ, "there is not on record any marked Christian observance of the (Jewish) Sabbath." Was not the Evangelist Luke a Christian writer? and did he not write the Acts of the apostles some thirty years after the resurrection of Christ? and do we not find in that record, an account of the observance of at least eighty-four Sabbaths by the apostle Paul and Christians with him, both Jews and Gentiles? Please examine a few texts. Acts xiii, 14, 44; xvi, 13; xvii, 2; xviii, 4, 11. I think these declarations by an inspired penman, are sufficient to show that assertion to be incorrect. Again, "Apostolic practice is equally significant with apostolic precept." A precept I understand to be a command, order, or mandate. It has not been shown that there is an apostolic command for the first day of the week; and as to their practice, according to the references above, it savors more of an observance of the Sabbath according to the commandment, than of the first day, there being only one text referring to the first day of the week, in the Acts, and it lacks positive proof, that that day was observed as a Sabbath. Again, "since then the first day has been universally recognized as 'The Lord's Day.'" That it has been universally recognized as the Sabbath, I think must be a mistake, if any reliance can be placed on history. I have seen extracts from various writers which speak of the observance of the Sabbath according to the commandment by Christians in almost every century since the commencement of the Christian Era. Their numbers were, however, not great, compared with the body of professed Christians. The mystery of iniquity began to work in the days of the apostles; and it would not be strange, if that power made an effort to change the laws of God, and substitute his own in their place, and institute a day for worship, which the Lord did not sanctify and hallow. Because God permitted the change, it does not follow that he sanctioned it. The Scripture texts brought to sustain the position taken, fail to do it to my mind and I presume to the minds of many others. The first text [John xx, 19] does not prove that the disciples were together for the purpose of celebrating the first day, in honor of his resurrection, for they did not believe that he was raised, at that time; and we learn from Acts, i, 13, that they abode together; and as their hope seemed to be lost, their doors were shut for fear of the Jews, when the Saviour came among them. If the day commenced at the going down of the sun, I should think the evening must be the commencement of the second day; as two of them were at Emmaus, about seven and a half miles from Jerusalem, when it was towards evening, and the day was far spent. The next passage, [verse 26.] And after eight days, &c. I should think that after eight days would be the ninth day; would be the second day of the week, if the first meeting of Christ and his disciples was on the first. Acts xx, 7. And upon the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, &c. If the coming together in that instance to break bread constituted that day a Sabbath, then on the same principle might every other day in the week become a Sabbath; for the disciples continued "daily with one accord in the temple, and in breaking bread from house to house"—there being the same proof for the one, as the other. The text in 1 Cor. xvi, 2, rather proves that Paul did not consider the first day of the week the Sabbath, for he advised them to do what would not seem proper business for the Sabbath; for how could they know how the Lord had prospered them unless they looked over their secular concerns? The command to lay by them, would indicate that they were at home rather than at meeting. Rev. i, 10. I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day, &c. That day is claimed to be the first day of the week; but where is the proof from the Bible? If the first day is anywhere else in the Scripture called the Lord's day, there then is satisfactory proof that such was the case; but I have been unable to find a single text which designates the first day of the week as the Lord's day. On the contrary I do find frequent mention of the seventh day as being the Sabbath of the Lord; my holy day. Keep my Sabbaths. The Son of man is Lord of the Sabbath day. The inference I should draw, would be that the Sabbath day, was the day in which John was in the Spirit. Christ, in Matt. xxiv, when referring to an event to take place some forty years in the future, spoke of the Sabbath as though it would continue to that time certain, as it then was. I fail to see from these considerations and others, which I have not time or space to enumerate, that God has honored the first day of the week above the seventh; neither do I find that all of God's church has uniformly testified to the observance of the first day of the week in place of the Sabbath. God in his providence has permitted the Man of Sin to sit in the temple of God; but it does not follow as a matter of course, that all the doctrines, which have been thundered forth from the Vatican, are the commandments of God. If men can commemorate God's great work of creation, by keeping the first day of the week as the162Sabbath; why cannot those who rest on the Sabbath day according to the commandment, by the same rule commemorate the resurrection of Christ? If a person must of necessity keep the first day of the week, in order to commemorate Christ's resurrection, then by the same rule, he must keep the seventh day to commemorate the work of creation. How can we come to any other conclusion? The close of that article is worthy of being remembered. "To keep Jehovah's Sabbaths it is needful to observe the day that He recognizes, which is significant of all the truths for the perpetuation of which he has instituted it." In deciding which day that is, let us appeal to the law and to the testimony, rather than to the commandments of men, who have made void the law, through their traditions. What I have written has been done with a sincere desire for the truth. If I have misapprehended the matter, I stand for correction; but as the subject appears to my mind, I see no way to avoid the conviction that it is my duty to turn away my foot from the Sabbath; from doing my pleasure on his holy day, and call the Sabbath a delight, the holy of the Lord honorable. So I mean by the grace of God, to live by every word that proceedeth out of his mouth. If this position is not truth I would not take it on any consideration. I may err in judgment, and thus be led into error in practice; but my prayer is, Sanctify me through thy truth: thy word O God is truth. May all the children of God who are striving for the kingdom, be found in the path of obedience, be among those who do his commandments; that they may have right to the tree of life, and enter in through the gates into the city. And O pray the time soon come, when the gates of the city shall open, and the righteous nation that keepeth the truth enter in. J. D. MERRIAM.
Templeton, May 25th, 1856.