"Her Priests have Violated my Law, and Hid their Eyes from my Sabbaths."
By E. L. Barr
BRO. SMITH: On my return from Dartmouth I called at Lynn and gave a lecture in which, unfortunately, I referred to some efforts made by religious teachers of the present day to put down the Sabbath and law of God, and contrasted those efforts with certain scriptures. Thus, one professed minister says, "The seventh day Sabbath is of the Devil." But Gen. ii, 3 says, "God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it he had rested from all his works which he had created and made." Another minister calls the Lord's Sabbath "one of the daughters of Babylon." Isa. lviii, 13 calls the Sabbath "a delight, holy of the Lord, honorable." Another says, "It is the seal of damnation." But God says, "It is a sign between me and the children of Israel for ever." Ex. xxxi, 17. Two others: one says that those that keep the seventh day Sabbath "ought to be stoned from morning till night;" and the other said that if it was not for the cloth he wore, he would be one to stone them. But God says, [Isa. lvi, 6, 7] "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, and make them joyful in my house of prayer." Another, in a recent effort says, that "Advent Sabbath-keepers have switched off upon the Devil's track." But Jesus says, "Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have a right to the tree of life, and enter in through the gates into the city." Rev. xxii, 14. But once more: "The law of the ten commandments is an old, rickety, thunder-and-lightning law, a curse to man and is dead and buried, and does not deserve a grave stone." But Nehemiah says, [ix, 13,] "Thou camest down also upon mount Sinai, and spakest with them from heaven, and gavest them right judgments, true laws, good statutes and commandments." Paul says the law is holy, Rom. vii, 12, and delights in the law of God after the inward man. Verse 22. Here I remarked that it was impossible for me to believe that God gave his Holy Spirit to religious teachers who treat his word with contempt. I called no names; yet the next morning one of the leaders informed me that if I held any more meetings there, quite a number would not attend, as they believed I had allusion to Bro. B------- in some of my remarks the last evening, and hence I had no confidence in what they believed to be the work of God. To this charge I plead guilty; and on taking the second thought, concluded I could do that class no good that have more confidence in fallen man than in the word of a holy God. We believe there are honorable exceptions to this general rule, and hope such will bear in mind that God makes no difference. Men may shout and sing over a golden calf, and fancy they have good religion; or they can trample under foot God's holy Sabbath, and do the same. Yet the wages of sin is death; and he that turns away his ear from bearing the law, even his prayer shall be abomination. Prov. xxviii, 9. Sabbath, Feb. 17th, I met with the church at Clinton where we enjoyed much of the tender, heavenly Spirit of our compassionate Redeemer; and while we looked at the happy change that had taken place here since last fall, we could say with one anciently, "There is no other God that can save after this sort." I spent the 19th and 20th, at Fitchburg. Held meetings on First-day in the temperance hall; but the weather was rainy, and but few out to hear; yet it is very evident that the interest to hear the present truth is increasing in the East. May every member of the church feel the importance of a speedy preparation for the final close.