THE SABBATH ALTERED BACK AGAIN.
Bro. Smith: I have recently had the privilege of perusing a Bible Dictionary, called Malcom’s New Dictionary, published by the American Baptist Publishing Society, 118 Arch-st., Philadelphia. The date of preface is 1853. He says, “Sabbath, literally rest. Though it was really the seventh day to God, to man who was formed on the evening of the last day, it was the first, and was kept as such for ages, though called the seventh part of time. Gen. ii, 23. In the first institution of the Sabbath it was instituted to call to mind the wisdom, power and goodness of God. But after the return of the children of Israel from their state of servitude and hard bondage in Egypt that was an additional object of recollection on the Sabbath-day, and also as an additional motive to its observance the day was at the same time changed to correspond with that memorable event, and to preserve the Hebrews more effectually from idolatry, by making their day of worship different from that of the heathen. Deut. v, 14, 15. Under the Christian dispensation, which unites Jews and Gentiles, the Sabbath is altered back again from the seventh to the first day of the week on which the Redeemer himself arose from the dead. It is thus no longer an institution for the Jews as the Mosaic Sabbath was, but for the world as it was before Moses. In the apostolic age the first day of the week was never called the Sabbath, but Lord’s day. Many of the converts from Judaism observed both. Rev. i, 10.” GEO. LOWREE,
Penfield, Mich., Apr. 10th, 1859. NOTE.—We notice in the above a little item lacking which advocates for Sunday-keeping seem lightly to esteem, or at least with which they have but very little to do; and that is—Proof. We have Malcom’s assertion that the first day of the week was kept previous to Moses, and that it was kept as the first of man’s existence. But how much is his assertion worth, unsustained by the slightest inference from Bible language? Just as much as Satan’s declaration to Eve, “Ye shall not surely die;” and no more. He tells us further that the Sabbath was changed at the exode to the seventh day of the week to distinguish his people from the heathen. With just as181much right we might retort that it is now changed back to the seventh day again for the same reason. So then it seems that at the time of Israel's deliverance from Egypt, the heathen were all keeping the true Sabbath; and God had to abandon his day to them, and shift his people over to a false day to distinguish them from the heathen who were keeping the true Sabbath! But under the Christian dispensation which “unites Jews and Gentiles,” (or in other words, takes in the heathen!) the Sabbath goes back to the old heathen Sunday which is after all, the true Sabbath! We are at a loss to determine by what language to characterize such nonsense. The man who will publicly hold it forth as light and information, presumes largely upon stupidity in his readers, or proves it in himself.