BABYLON CONFUSED by Isaac Sanborn

The Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Nov 5, 1861

BABYLON CONFUSED.

By Isaac Sanborn

While at Davis, Ills., October 26 and 27, Elder Taylor of Durand, Ills. came and preached four sermons in opposition to the Bible Sabbath, because it had been embraced by a few of the members of the Methodist church. He commenced by saying that there was a class of persons in every community that did not read and investigate nor think for themselves; and speaking of the tent-meeting at Harrison, Ills., he said that those who believed there were an unimportant set of individuals, and of those at Davis, they were backslidden Methodists, who wanted to get out of the church, and would therefore catch at anything that came along, even the seventh day Sabbath, when he knew at the same time that those who embraced the Sabbath in Davis were among the most enlightened and respectable citizens of the place and church.

But to his arguments against the Sabbath, if it is proper to call them such. He said he would examine it according to true science. He then spoke of the earth's revolving on its axis, which, said he, proves that the Sabbath cannot begin in every place at the same time. Well who said that it did? We never said so. But, Elder, does it not commence in every place at some time? If so, can we not keep it when it does come? Most certainly.

He told us that God made the true Sabbath at creation, and that the patriarchs kept it, then read Mr. Aker to prove that God gave the Jews the sixth day for their Sabbath, and tried to sustain Aker's position. He gave us six disconnected passages of scripture. We waited patiently through four sermons to have him read the fourth commandment, which says the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God to the Jews; remember it and keep it holy; because he made heaven and earth in six days and rested on the seventh, wherefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it. When did he do it? He did it at creation, the last day of creation week. But Elder Taylor said God did not give the Jews that day, but the day before, which is now called Friday. Let the Lord Jesus hear testimony about it. Mark ii, 27, 28. He said unto them the Sabbath was made for man and not man for the Sabbath; therefore the Son of man is Lord also of the Sabbath. But says Taylor, Jesus was talking to the Jews about the Sabbath they were then keeping. See Mark ii, 23, 24. And the Pharisees said unto him, Behold why do thy disciples on the Sabbath day that which is not lawful? But said Jesus, If ye had known what this meaneth, I will have mercy and not sacrifice, ye would not have condemned the guiltless. Matt. xii, 7.

You see the Jews claimed that the disciples had broken the law of the fourth commandment. See Ex. xx, 8–12. But Jesus said they had not and were not guilty. What day of the week was that? It was the seventh, or Saturday, and not the sixth day, as Taylor and Aker would have it.

When Elder Taylor got through I verily thought, well might Paul say, Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world and not after Christ. Col. ii, 8. But the greatest confusion took place at the last sermon he preached, Sunday evening. Dr. Jacobs of Crane's Grove came in and was invited by Elder Taylor to occupy part of the time that evening. Taylor spoke first and said the ten commandments were all good and perpetual, and would be to the end of time. Dr. Jacobs got up and said there never was a Christian principle in the ten commandments, and that they were all abolished and done away. Well, thought I, there surely can be no Methodist preacher so backslidden that he will sit and hear such blasphemy uttered from his own desk and before his own congregation and not rebuke it? But lo, and behold, to our astonishment as a congregation, there was no rebuke given. No, Pilate and Herod were made friends, to crucify the Sabbath at the sacrifice of every moral principle in the world. Says God . Her priests have violated my law and have profaned my holy things, and have hid their eyes from my Sabbaths, and I am profaned among them.

ISAAC SANBORN.

Twin Groves, Wis.