ADDRESS TO A FRIEND by H. C. Crumb

Publishing Committee · Battle Creek, Mich. · Dec 31, 1857

ADDRESS TO A FRIEND.

By H. C. Crumb

BELOVED FRIEND: Permit me to address you at this time. The subject to which I would call your attention, is God's holy law, the Sabbath in particular. I have long felt it my duty to let my light shine. This, and love to God, his word, and my fellow clay, is all the apology I have for thus addressing you.

"Come now, and let us reason together." Isa. i, 18. "Thus saith the Lord, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls." Jer. vi, 16. It is implied in this, that if we do not walk in the good way, we shall not find rest to our souls; hence the importance of seeking for the old paths, the good way that God has marked out for us in his word. But let us not say as they said, that we will not walk therein; for if we do, God will bring evil upon us, as he has said in Jer. vi, 19. "Hear, O earth: I will bring evil upon this people, even the fruit of their thoughts, because they have not hearkened unto my words, nor to my law, but rejected it." Who is God speaking to? He says, "Hear O earth!" Is he speaking to the hills and valleys? is he not speaking to the inhabitants of this earth? Well, says one, God is speaking to the Jews. True, but is he not speaking to the Gentiles also? Is not the Gentile an inhabitant of this earth? And the reason why God will bring evil upon this people, is because they have not hearkened to his word, nor his law but rejected it. Says the Psalmist, [Ps. cxix, 105,] "Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path." May it be so to us. Let us do as the Psalmist did. He said that he thought on his ways, and turned his feet unto God's testimonies, and made haste, and delayed not to keep God's commandments. Ps. cxix, 59, 60. The Psalmist did not reject any one of them; he said that all God's commandments were faithful, [verse 86,] and that God had founded them forever, [verse 152,] and that every one of them endureth forever. Verse 160. "My covenant will I not break, nor alter the thing that is gone out of my lips." Ps. lxxxix, 34 also v, 5. This truth endureth to all generations. Ps. cxi, 5, 7, 8, 9. "He will ever be mindful of his covenant." "All his commandments are sure, they stand fast forever and ever." Ps. cxii, 1. "Blessed is the man that feareth the Lord, that delighteth greatly in his commandments." "Blessed is the man;" is not the Gentile a man? and if he delight greatly in the commandments, will he not strive to keep them, and turn away his feet from doing his own pleasure on God's holy Sabbath? Will he not call it a delight, the holy of the Lord, honorable? "And shalt honor him, not doing thine own

pleasure, nor speaking thine own words: then shalt thou delight thyself in the Lord." How much of the same spirit is manifested in 1 John v, 3.

Again in Psalms i, there are two classes brought to view; the righteous and the ungodly; and these two classes comprehend all the human family. One class does not walk in the counsel of the ungodly, does not stand in the way of sinners, does not sit in the seat of the scornful; but they delight in the law of the Lord and in his law do they meditate day and night. The ungodly are not so. Which of these classes will you try to imitate?

Ps. xix, 7-11. "The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul; the testimony of the Lord is sure making wise the simple; the statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandments of the Lord are pure, enlightening the eyes, the fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever; the judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether; more to be desired are they than gold, yea than much fine gold; sweeter also than honey, and the honey comb. Moreover by them is thy servant warned, and in keeping of them here is great reward." "Blessed are they that do his (the Father's not my) commandments," says the Saviour, "that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city." As says also the prophet Isaiah, [chap. xxvi, 2,] "Open ye the gates that the righteous nation which keepeth the truth may enter in."

Do not turn away your ear from hearing the law for then even your prayer shall be an abomination. Prov. xxviii, 9; also Isa. xlviii, 18; Ps. xciv, 12; Rev. xxii, 14. Please examine Isa. lvi, 1-7. The Prophet says that the Lord says this; will we not believe it? Verse 2. "Blessed is the man that doeth this, and the son of man that layeth hold on it; that keepeth the Sabbath from polluting it." &c. God says blessed is the man &c. Will not man here include the whole human family, Gentile as well as Jew, if he will only keep the Sabbath, and keep his hand from doing any evil? But if you will not have it that man here means the whole human family—that it means you—let us read verse 6. "Also the sons of the stranger that join themselves to the Lord, to serve him, and to love the name of the Lord, to be his servants, every one that keepeth the Sabbath from polluting it, and taketh hold of my covenant; even them will I bring to my holy mountain," &c. Does not stranger here mean the Gentile? And does not the son of the stranger mean you? Methinks it does, if you have joined yourself to the Lord, to serve him, if you keep the Sabbath from polluting it, and take hold of God's covenant. But I would ask, where is there a promise of long life, or anything that is good, made to Jew or Gentile, in disobeying any one of God's commands. But on the other hand, are there not threatenings against any, Jew or Gentile, for his disobeying God's commands, without reserving any one of them, not even the least. Then what a solemn thing it is to fall into the hands of the living God, when we have knowingly transgressed any one of his commandments, even the least, without repenting of it.

Let us now turn to Isa. xxiv, 1-6. We see that God speaks of that dreadful day, the destruction of the wicked, that is yet to come as though it had already passed. He says, "The inhabitants of the earth are burned, and few men left." And the reason for this is rendered in verse 5, namely, "The earth is defiled under the inhabitants thereof because they have transgressed the laws, (God's law,) changed the ordinance, (immersion to sprinkling) broken the everlasting covenant; therefore the inhabitants of the earth are burned, and few men left." God does not say, Jews are burned, and but few Jews left; but inhabitants. Are not the Gentiles inhabitants of this earth? Who would not wish to be of these few men left? To be of this number we must think on our ways, and turn our feet into God's testimonies, and make haste and delay not to keep all his commandments.

But says one, the ten commandments were never given until they were given on mount Sinai, and there only to the Jews; hence the Gentile is not bound to keep them. But this does not seem reasonable; for God says of Abraham, who lived several hundred years before the giving of the law on mount Sinai, that Abraham had kept his commandments, his statutes, and his laws. Again, how came it to be sin for Cain to kill Abel, if God's law did not exist then? for says the Apostle, where there is no law there is no transgression, no sin; for sin is the transgression of the law. Again, if God's law did not exist until it was given on mount Sinai, how came God to complain of the children of Israel for not keeping his commandments, and his laws as is recorded in Ex. xvi, 28? This was before the law was spoken on mount Sinai; for they had not yet come to mount Sinai, and the particular thing that God complained of them for not keeping, was the Sabbath. And God speaks as though he had long been displeased with them for not keeping his commandments and laws. He says, "How long refuse ye to keep my commandments and my laws." And God in giving his Law on mount Sinai, says, "Remember the Sabbath day" as though he was referring back to an existing institution. And the reason that God renders for commanding us to remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy, is this: "For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore (for which reason) the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it." What day did God bless? the Sabbath day. What day is the Sabbath day? The seventh day. When did God bless the Sabbath day? "God rested the seventh day from all his work which he had made; and God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it; because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made." Gen. ii, 2, 3. Thus we have the account of the making of the Sabbath; and says Christ, "The Sabbath was made for man." Mark ii, 27. Did not Christ mean by man the whole human family, Adam with all his posterity? Until you bring some proof to the contrary, it is your duty to receive it as made for you, and call it holy. Isa. lviii, 13.

But it is said God finished his work of creation on the seventh day, and it is no more harm for men to work. But friend, if this be your position, stop and consider before you contradict God. God says that he created the world &c., in six days, and rested on the seventh day from all work which he had made.

Mr. J. Edwards, in the Sab. Manual, p. 11, after quoting some passages from the Bible, showing man's duty to keep the Sabbath, says, "In the above passages Jehovah speaks as if the keeping of the Sabbath were everything, as if it comprehended, or would secure obedience to all his commands. This in an important sense is the case. Such is the nature of man

such the institution of the Sabbath, and such the effect which the keeping of it will have upon him, that if he is obedient to God in this thing, he will be obedient to him in other things. A Sabbath-keeping people will be an obedient people. The manner in which they treat the Sabbath will be a test of their character, an index of their morality and religion."

Again on page 12 he says: "Had all men properly kept the Sabbath, all would have known Jehovah, and worshiped him from the creation of the world to the present time; and idolatry never would have been practiced on the earth." What a pity that all men had not kept the Sabbath, Mr. J. Edwards among the rest, and taught men so; then in the judgment, he would not have to give an account for breaking one of these commandments, and teaching men so. Matt. v, 19.

But says one, The Old Testament is like an old law book laid aside, of no further use, and I am not under the law, but under grace; for Christ hath redeemed me from under the law; hence I am not bound to keep it; and as Christ rose on the first day, and as redemption is greater than creation, hence I keep the first day of the week. Well, as you lay the Old Testament aside, let us turn to the New Testament. But in the first place, in view of its not being our duty to keep the law because Christ hath redeemed us from under the law, let us suppose a case. Suppose there should come a stranger to Hon. Gerritt Smith, one that had been a slave, and he should take him in, feed and clothe him, just as Christ has made it our duty. At this time suppose his master should come for him, and Gerritt should not deliver him up, and in their strife, he should kill the slave-catcher, and be taken and tried for murder, and condemned; for the laws of our country say, Thou shalt deliver up, although God says, Thou shalt not deliver. Now Gerritt Smith has many friends, and suppose some one of them should give himself a ransom for him and redeem him from under the law, would that do away the law, most certainly not; neither would it give him the liberty to go and transgress that law again. Neither does Christ in redeeming us from under the curse of the law, do away the law, or give us the liberty to go and transgress the law. Where is the Christian that will say that Christ has given him the liberty to murder, or to take the name of God in vain? and what more liberty have we for breaking the Sabbath than for breaking any one of the other commands?

But we will look and see if Christ has taught us that we need not keep the law. Matt. xix, 17. Said Jesus, "But if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments." Says the objector, Christ did not name the fourth commandment; hence we are not bound to keep it. If this position proves any thing, it proves too much; for Christ did not name either of the first four. Are all of them done away? But says one, there are two great commandments, love to God, and love man; these are all that we have got to keep. But says Christ, "Upon these two hang all the law and the prophets." In Matt. vii, 21, Christ says, "Not every one that says unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven, but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven." Matt. iv, 4. "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God." Now if we live by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God, we shall have to do with the fourth commandment; for God spake that among the rest. Matt. v, 17.

Christ says, "Think not that I am come to destroy the law or the prophets, I am not come to destroy but to fulfill." Well, says the objector, that is what I say: Christ fulfilled the law, and did it away. If fulfilling a thing does it away, then is all righteousness done away; for when Jesus demanded baptism of John, John forbade him, but Jesus said, "Suffer it to be so now; for thus it becometh us to fulfill all righteousness. Then he suffered him." Is all righteousness done away? No one will claim it. Neither is the law done away; and those who take this position, go right the reverse of what Christ said. He said, "Think not that I am come to destroy the law or the prophets;" as much as to

say, now do not think any such thing as that I am come to destroy the law; for I have not come for any such purpose; "For verily I say unto you, till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law till all be fulfilled." In nowise: not by the Father; for he will not alter the words that have gone out of his lips; not by Christ; for he said that he did not come to do it; not by the Holy Ghost; for that will teach you, said Christ, to observe all things whatsoever I have said unto you: not by the apostles; for they followed Christ; and Christ said that not one jot or tittle should pass from the law till heaven and earth pass. Heaven and earth have not passed yet; so you can rest assured that not one jot or one tittle of the law has failed; hence the law says to you to-day, "Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy." The seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God." What is man that he should think to do away God's law? Poor feeble man cannot make heaven or earth, either of them pass away; and Christ said that it was easier for heaven and earth both to pass, than for one tittle of the law to fail. Luke xvi, 17.

In view of the fact that not one tittle of the law should fail, or pass away, Christ says in Matt. v, 19, "Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven." Whosoever, Will that not comprehend Jew or Gentile, or any one that shall break one of these least commandments? Shall break: Christ does not say has broken, or does break; but if all break. It is in the future tense and will last as long as the law will last, and that will last so long as heaven and earth endure; hence the law says to you to-day, "Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy." The seventh day is the Sabbath day, not the first day. And shall teach men so; this is also in the future, and will last as long as the law will last. How dare you or any one else teach men that they need not keep the Sabbath, after reading what Christ has said on keeping, and not keeping his Father's commandments?

Let us review what Christ has said on this subject. We will repeat a portion of his words: "Man shall live by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God." "Not every one that saith Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven, but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven." Again, "If thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments." "Yea, rather blessed are they that hear the word of God, and keep it." Luke xi, 28. These words of Christ will judge us in the last day. For Christ has said, "He that rejecteth me and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day. For I have not spoken of myself: but the Father which sent me, he gave me commandment what I should say and what I should speak; and I know that his commandment is life everlasting; whatsoever I speak therefore, even as the Father said unto me, so speak." John xii, 48-50. Is it any less our duty to obey God, than it was Christ's? Behold the love and union between the Father and Son! What oneness! Says the Father "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." Matt. iii, 17 also xvii 5. "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased, hear ye him." Says Jesus, "Father, if thou be willing remove this cup from me, nevertheless not my will but thine be done." Luke xxii, 42. "Holy Father keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one as we are." John xvii, 11. "And they have kept thy word." Verse 6. "For I have given unto them the words which thou gavest me, and they have received them."

Now if we are the true children that Jesus spoke of, we have received God's word and kept it, so we may know whether we are in the true faith or not. And Jesus prayed to his Father that he would sanctify them through the truth: thy word, said he, is truth Verse 17. Is this your prayer; is this your language?

In John xiii, 17 it is said, "If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them." We will now be able to see if the apostles have taught us that this law of ten commandments is done away. James

ii, 8-11. "If ye fulfill the royal law according to the Scriptures, thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself, ye do well; but if ye have respect of persons ye commit sin, and are convinced of the law as transgressors." For whosoever; (does not this include Gentiles as well as Jews?) shall keep the whole law and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all. For he that said do not commit adultery, said also, do not kill. And does not the epistle of James address itself to you, and does it not say to you, "Now he that said do not kill," said also, "Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy" "The seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God;" (if you own the Lord that created the heavens and the earth to be your God) even if thou do not kill, yet if thou break the Sabbath, thou art become a transgressor of the law. 1 Pet. iv, 11. "If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God." If any man; are not the Gentiles among the any man? And if we speak as the fourth oracle speaks, we shall say, "Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy." "The seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God" &c.

In Acts vii, 38, Stephen in his last testimony which he sealed with his blood, calls them lively oracles. This was this side of the cross, after the ceremonial law contained in ordinances was nailed to the cross. Paul in 1 Cor. vii, 19, tells us that "circumcision is nothing, and uncircumcision is nothing but the keeping of the commandments of God." Also Paul says in Rom. iii, 31, "Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid: yea we establish the law." Has God given us any more liberty than he did Paul? Paul says, "By the law is the knowledge of sin." Rom. iii, 20. "Sin is the transgression of the law." 1 John iii, 4. Paul said that he had not known sin but by the law; for said he, "I had not known lust except the law had said thou shalt not covet." Rom. vii, 7. So we can see by what law we obtain the knowledge of sin; God's law of ten commandments; for Paul names one of them. Paul says in Rom. ii, 13, "For not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers of law shall be justified." Yes, blessed are they, says the Revelator in Rev. xxii, 14. Read also Isaiah xxvi, 2. Paul has not told us that the law was done away; yet in Acts xx, 20 he tells us that he had kept nothing back that was profitable unto you. Although the law slew him, yet he says that the law is holy, the commandment holy, just and good; yea more; spiritual! Rom. vii, 12, 14. Now dare you say that Paul has taught us that God's law, which he said was holy, just and good, and spiritual, is done away, when he has told us all this, and says that God forbid that he should do it away even through faith? O do not do it and sin against your own soul.

But says one, redemption is greater than creation, and as Christ rose on First-day, hence I keep the first day for a Sabbath. How can you tell which is the greatest, creation or redemption, when we cannot tell how great either is? Again, do we have redemption through the resurrection? Does not the apostles teach us that we have redemption through Christ's blood? Col. i, 14; Eph. i, 7; Heb. ii, 14; Acts xx, 28.

But it is urged that the apostles must have kept First-day to commemorate the resurrection of Christ; for they met on First-day after his resurrection, and Christ met with them. But this does not appear to be a fact. They appear to have been at home; for they had one common place of abode. See Acts i, 13. They appear to have been partaking of a common meal, and Christ made himself known unto them. They were not assembled to commemorate his resurrection, for they did not believe that he had risen until he made himself known unto them in breaking of bread. They had been told of the fact, but it seemed unto them as an idle tale. Luke xxiv, 11. After eight days Christ met with them again. John xx, 26. This is claimed to be the next First-day, and an example for Sunday-keeping. When the first meeting was near or after the close of First-day, eight days from time would bring it near or after the close of Second-day, but after eight days must bring it as late in the week as Third-day. There is one other,

a third meeting, as recorded in John xxi. This is claimed as an example for Sunday-keeping. Although we are not told on what day it occurred, only it appears to have been a fishing day, and when the minister admonishes the boys for fishing on Sunday, they have just as good a right to say that Christ taught them to fish on Sunday, as he has to claim this as an example for Sunday-keeping. Again, says one, the apostles must have kept First-day, for they met on that day for public worship, and broke bread on that day as recorded in Acts xx, 7. Let us read that over again. "And upon the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul preached unto them, ready to depart on the morrow, and continued his speech until midnight." I am ready to admit that Paul in this instance broke bread on First-day, and perhaps on others. This was an evening meeting for Paul continued his speech until midnight; after this he went down and restored Eutychus to life. "When he therefore was come up again, and had broken bread, and eaten, and talked a long while, even till break of day, so he departed." So we see that if Paul broke bread in this instance on First-day, (even as they now reckon time) he went on his journey on First-day; not a very good Sunday-keeper. If Paul did not start on his journey on First-day, he did not break bread on First-day in this instance. If the breaking of bread is of sufficient importance to make a Sabbath of the day on which it occurs, is not the day on which Christ broke bread before he was crucified a Sabbath? Is not Christ's example of as much importance as Paul's? Again, are not all days Sabbaths? for it is said that they broke bread daily. Inasmuch as they called it First-day they did not call it Sabbath day. They had another day that they called Sabbath day. Again, was not the object in recording this meeting, to record the death and restoring to life again of Eutychus, instead of an example for Sunday-keeping?

But says one, the apostles must have kept First-day for they met on that day, and took up a public collection, as recorded in 1 Cor. xvi, 1, 2; hence First-day, must be the Sabbath day. But I do not so read it. Look again. "Upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store as God hath prospered him, that there be no gatherings when I come." No account of any meeting, or appointment for any, and so far from there being a public collection, every one was to lay by him in store, not by another, not in the public collection box, but by himself in store.

"J. W. Morton in his 'Vindication of the true Sabbath,' pages 51, 52, says:— "The Apostle simply orders, that each one of the Corinthian brethren should lay up at home some portion of his weekly gains on the first day of the week. The whole question turns upon the meaning of the expression, 'by him;' and I marvel greatly how you can imagine that it means 'in the collection box of the congregation.' Greenfield, in his Lexicon, translates the Greek term, 'by one's self, i. e. at home.' Two Latin versions, the Vulgate and that of Castello, render it, 'apud se,' with one's self, at home. Three French translations, those of Martin, Osterwald, and De Sacy, 'chez soi,' at his own house, at home. The German of Luther, 'bei sich selbst,' by himself, at home. The Dutch, 'by hemselven,' same as the German. The Italian of Diodati, 'appresso di se,' in his own presence, at home. The Spanish of Felipe Scio, 'en su casa,' in his own house. The Portuguese of Ferreira, 'para isso,' with himself. The Swedish, 'nær sig sielf,' near himself. I know not how much this list of authorities might be swelled, for I have not examined one translation that differs from those quoted above."

Now is not this Paul's true meaning? Paul wrote this epistle and sent by Stephanus and others, to the Corinthians, and he would say unto them as he had said unto the Galatians. Paul expected that they would meet on the Sabbath, and this epistle would be read to them, and he would tell them upon the first day of the week (let it be the first business of the week) to think over how God had prospered them, and lay by them in store, have it in readiness, that when Paul came they might not be troubled about looking it up, when

they should be giving attention to the word of life. How much more ready the churches are to make this passage [1 Cor. xvi, 1, 2.] teach Sunday-keeping, which it does not so much hint at, than they are to obey its teaching and give to the poor and needy. Will you look it over again and ask yourself this question: Have I done it? (To be Continued.)