**THE WAY TO ETERNAL LIFE,
By J. M. McLellan
As Pointed Out by the Son of God.** MORE than eighteen hundred years ago, when Jesus was on earth, going about doing good, relieving sufferers and teaching the way to life eternal, a young man came to him, and from the reading of the record, we learn that he was greatly troubled about one thing; viz., how he could obtain eternal life. In this troubled state of mind he approaches the Son of God, knowing that he taught the way thither, and addressed himself to the great Teacher thus: "Good Master, what good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life?" Matt. xix. 16. "And he (Jesus) said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is God:" but, (here comes the answer to the young man's question, mark it well, reader, for it points the way to eternal life,) if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments." Here the way is pointed out, and the way-faring man though a fool need not err therein. Here are the conditions laid down by the Son of God himself, a faithful observance of which, will secure to you this first of all blessings from which all others flow. But you ask, What are the commandments? They are those of which the following, as quoted by the Son of God to the young man, are a part. "Thou shalt do no murder. Thou shalt not commit adultery. Thou shalt not steal. Thou shalt not bear false witness. Honor thy father and thy mother; and, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself." These, being the last written by the finger of God on the tables of stone, [Deut. iv. 13.] point out to us our duty to our fellow-men, and the first four which our Saviour omitted to quote point out our duty to God as our Creator and Preserver, the fourth of which says, "The seventh day (not the first) is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God." By this you see that God claims the seventh day of each succeeding week as his Sabbath or Rest-day, and no other. Hence we conclude, and we think justly, that the first-day Sabbath, so called, is a counterfeit, and belongs to, and is claimed by, the Man of Sin, (Papacy,) the son of perdition, [2 Thess. ii. 3, 4,] and to no one else; in proof of which see Dr. Butler's and Challoner's Catholic Catechisms, also extracts taken from these and other Catholic works published at the Review Office, and also the following. Sozomen in his Ecclesiastical History, B. I, C. 8, says, "He (Constantine) also made a law that on the dominical day which the Hebrews call the first of the week, the Greeks the day of the sun, and also on the day of Venus, i. e., Friday, judgments should not be given, or other business transacted; but that all should worship God with prayer and supplications, and venerate the dominical day, as on it Christ rose from the dead and the day of Venus as the day on which he was fixed to the cross. Dr. Chambers says, "It was Constantine the great who first made a law for the observance of Sunday, and who, according to Eusebius, appointed that it should be regularly celebrated throughout the Roman empire. Before him, and even in his time, they observed the Jewish Sabbath as well as Sunday." He adds, "Indeed, some are of the opinion that the Lord's day mentioned in the Apocalypse is our Sunday which they will have to have been so early instituted." By Constantine's laws, made in 321 it was decreed that for the future the Sunday should be kept a day of rest in all the cities and towns, but he allowed the country people to follow their work. In 538 the council of Orleans prohibited this country labor." By this you see that Constantine the great made the first law for Sunday-keeping, and not God; hence you see it is a tradition of men, and those who observe it are vain worshipers. Mark vii, 7. "Howbeit in vain do they worship me teaching for doctrines the commandments of men." Dear reader, pardon for this simple digression. We will now return to the subject. The fourth commandment, which says, "The seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God," is a part of that law of which David speaks as follows, [Ps. cxix, 151, 152, 160.] "Thou art near, O Lord, and all (not nine tenths) of thy commandments are truth. Concerning thy testimonies, I have known of old that thou hast founded them forever. Thy word is true from the beginning, and every one of thy righteous judgments endureth forever." The law of the Lord is perfect, therefore to alter it would be to make it imperfect. The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart, the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes. Moreover, by them is thy servant warned, and in keeping them there is great reward. Ps. xix, 7, 8, 11. God himself says by the mouth of the same prophet, My covenant (the tables of the covenant, the ten commandments, Ex. xxxiv, 27, 28; Deut. iv, 13; ix, 11, 15,) will I not break, nor alter the thing that is gone out of my lips." Ps. lxxxix. 34. The Lord himself spake with an audible voice the words of the ten commandments in the presence of the assembled hosts of Israel on mount Sinai. See Ex. xx. 1-17. And God spake all these words, saying, &c. Then followed the ten commandments. See also Deut. v, 22; iv, 13. These commandments he says "I will not break nor alter;" therefore, dear reader, if you would enter into life you must keep the seventh day and not the first of each week as the Sabbath of the Lord thy God. Will you who keep the first day of the week for the Sabbath, and every week trample upon God's holy sanctified day of rest, and teach others, both by precept and example to do the same, remember that you are hedging up the way which Jesus the Son of God says leads to eternal life? Can you whilst persisting in such a course as this expect ever to inherit eternal life? or do you expect to get it some other way that the Son of God knew not of? If you do, I fear your hopes will perish. I would say, hedge up the way no longer, but step into the gap and be called a "repairer of the breach, a restorer of paths to dwell in." This you can be. Isa. lviii, 12, 13. Choose ye this day whom ye will serve; if God be God, serve him; if Baal, serve him; for ye cannot serve two masters. Again says Jesus, And I know that his (God's) commandment is life everlasting. John xii, 50. Blessed are they that do his commandments that they may have right to the tree of life and may enter in through the gates into the city. Rev. xxii, 14. Says Paul, It is written, Eye hath not seen nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. 1 Cor. ii, 9. How are we to know that we love God? The inspired penman tells us, For this is the love of God that we keep his commandments, and his commandments are not grievous. By this we know that we love the children of God (also) when we love God and keep his commandments. 1 John v, 2, 3. This test is sure, it is infallible. By it we may know whether we love God and his children as we ought. If we love him we show it by obeying him in keeping his commandments, and his commandment is life everlasting. Remember the Sabbath-day to keep it holy, the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God. Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus. Rev. xiv, 12. Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter, Fear God and keep his commandments for this is the whole duty of man. Eccl. xii, 13. Dear reader, I will now leave the subject with you hoping that you and I may be profited by the teachings of the word of God, for says Jesus "Thy word is truth." John xvii, 17. Hastings, Mich., July 19th, 1867.