THE SABBATH AND THE “INSTITUTION OF THE SABBATH.”
By R. F. C.
“We believe the institution of the Sabbath to be universally binding on man; that the Bible Sabbath is a day of rest after six days of labor; that under the Mosaic economy that day fell on our Saturday, but under the Christian, on our Sunday; and that the day to be observed was changed by Christ, by his resurrection from the dead on Sunday—he being the Lord of the Sabbath, with power to change, abrogate, or ratify it.”—Advent Herald, April 26th, 1856. Modern theology is very acute. It makes a distinction between the Sabbath and the institution of the Sabbath. The sword of the Spirit, the word of God, is, indeed, sharp and penetrating. It divides asunder soul and spirit, joints and marrow; but it never divided between the Sabbath of the Lord and the seventh day. This was left for the more subtil edge of the theological dissecting knife. The word of God, it is true, declares that the seventh day is the Sabbath; but learned theologians have discovered, that the Sabbath is a, that is, any day of rest after six days of labor. Hence the Herald does not venture to say, that the Sabbath is universally binding; but the institution of the Sabbath is. Institution is defined by Webster, Act of establishing, system established. The institution of the Sabbath then must signify, the act of establishing the Sabbath, or the system established by that act. What was the act of establishing the Sabbath? God labored six days, including “our Sunday,” and rested on the seventh. Then, because he had rested on the seventh day, he blessed and sanctified it. This was the act. God blessed and sanctified the very day of the week on which he rested. He neither blessed nor sanctified “our Sunday,” nor some indefinite day of rest after six of labor. The next question is, What was the system established by this act? That man should labor six days of the established week, the very six on which his Creator labored, including “our Sunday,” and that he should rest on the seventh day, the day on which God rested. That this is the system established is proved by the fourth commandment. What are we commanded to remember? The Rest-day. What must be kept holy? The Rest-day; “keep it holy.” Which day is the Rest-day? The seventh. Whose rest is it? The Rest of the Lord thy God. “In it thou shalt not do any work.” For what reason is this establishment, and when was it established? “In six days the Lord made heaven and earth, and rested the seventh day: wherefore (for which reason) the Lord blessed the Rest-day and hallowed it.”133 To substitute a good definition for a word does not change the sense. The Scriptures then are not wrested by substituting rest for Sabbath. Neither should we do injustice to the Herald by substituting the true definition for one of his words. He believes then “the system established of the Sabbath to be universally binding on man.” This is our belief precisely. We have already shown what system was established by our Creator for our observance; and it still remains to be proved, that that established system has been changed by the only proper authority. A change of the Sabbath is impossible. Sabbath means rest. God rested on the seventh day and that made it his Sabbath-day—his Rest-day. It is the day on which he rested. Now can it’s Rest-day be changed to another day of the week? Can it be changed to one of the days on which he labored, and did not rest? Can the day of Christ’s resurrection be changed to a day on which he did not arise? Can your birth-day be changed to some other day in the year—a day on which you were not born? No; it is impossible. Then Jehovah’s Rest-day—the Sabbath of the Lord our God, cannot be changed. It will remain a truth forever that he rested on the seventh day, and on no other day of the week. It is impossible for God to lie; therefore he cannot change this truth into a lie. “We believe,” says the Herald. Well, your belief will not change the matter; truth will be truth still. But what do you believe? “That the Bible Sabbath is a day of rest after six days of labor.” How did you arrive at that conclusion? There is no such reading in the Bible. Such a Sabbath is not mentioned there. The Bible Sabbath is a definite day. It is the Sabbath, the seventh day, the Sabbath of the Lord, the holy of the Lord—his holy day. The Sabbath you mention is indefinite. It is a, one, any, some, no particular, day of rest after six indefinite days of labor. Such a sabbatic institution would leave it with every man to choose his own day, and bring a state of perfect confusion. God has declared, he is not the author of confusion; therefore he is not the author of such an institution. But what more do you believe? “That under the Mosaic economy that day fell on our Saturday, but under the Christian, on our Sunday.” But how is this? Is not here a contradiction? You just professed your faith in an indefinite day for the Sabbath, and now you believe in two definite days, one for the Mosaic, and the other for the Christian economy! Do you believe that the second, third, fourth, fifth, or sixth day of the week ever was, or ever will be, the Sabbath? I presume not. Then why not come up to the point at once, and say that you believe in two definite Sabbath days? Why launch out upon the indefinite, and, fetching a compass, settle down upon the definite? I will tell you how it looks to me. You know that God has revealed one definite Sabbath-day in his word. You find yourself in a vast company who are keeping another definite day, for which there is no definite authority in the Bible. Under these circumstances, you can see no hope for your daring institution, unless you can shake and unsettle the foundation of God's holy Sabbath. Therefore the effort to cast the mist of indefiniteness over it. Thus, the Bible Sabbath is an indefinite day. It is any day of rest after six days of labor. But this indefinite day fell, by chance, on a definite one in ancient time. How reasonable to suppose, that that same indefinite day has, by some lucky turn of the wheel of fortune, happened to fall upon another definite day—the very day upon which Rome and all the world sabbatize! What further need of testimony for the first day? A few inferences will make the change an absolute certainty! Pardon me, if I misunderstand you. I mean no offense; but this is the only light in which I can view your effort. What is the next article? “That the day to be observed was changed by Christ, by his resurrection from the dead on Sunday.” The day to be observed was changed! This looks like transubstantiation. As though the real seventh day was changed into the veritable first day. But I recollect myself. It was an indefinite day, that stood right upon the top of Saturday, which was lifted up and set right over upon Sunday. Who changed the day? Christ. Did he teach the change, or give any information respecting it? No; he never said a word about it. How then did he change it? By his resurrection from the dead. If his resurrection alone could change the Sabbath, how do we know that he has not changed it more than once? If days can be changed thus silently, how do we know but that the day of the declaration of American independence has been changed to the fourth of March, by the inauguration of some president on that day? For myself, I can form no idea how Christ could change the Sabbath, and bring men under obligation to keep a new day, without making the change known. This he has never done; therefore I do not believe he changed it. But you infer from the saying of Christ, that he was Lord of the Sabbath, that he had “power to change, abrogate, or ratify it.” Well, suppose he had all this power. The question still is, Which did he do? You say he changed it; another says he abrogated it; but Christ himself affirms that he ratified it. I refer you to Campbell's translation of Matt. v, 17. “Think not that I am come to subvert the law or the prophets. I am come not to subvert, but to ratify.” The Sabbath commandment was a part of that law, therefore he ratified it. And here I leave the controversy between you and Him who came to ratify his Father's commandments; referring you to his gracious promise, that whosoever shall practice and teach them, shall be highly esteemed in the Reign of heaven. Mill Grove, N. Y., Feb. 17th, 1857.