Lessons for Bible Students.
(History of the Sabbath, pp. 138-147.) HAVING given his last discourse relative to the Sabbath, what soon happened to the Lord of the Sabbath? At what point of prophetic time did this event take place? What did he cause to cease by his death? How does Paul describe the abrogation of the typical system? What was the object of this action? Paul uses three expressions in describing the abrogation of the hand-writing of ordinances; what are they? What language is used to show the nature of the hand-writing of ordinances? What were the things contained in it? What is the whole declared to be? Had the law proclaimed by the voice of God from Sinai any resemblance to this? Where was the law of carnal ordinances deposited? Note, p. 139. Would it be at all proper to speak of tables of stone being nailed to the cross, or of blotting out what was engraven on stone? What would it be to represent the Son of God as pouring out his blood to blot out what the Father had written? What would it be to represent the ten commandments as contrary to man's moral nature? Of what would Christ be the minister if he died to utterly destroy the moral law? Does the man keep truth on his side who represents the ten commandments as among the things which Paul says were blotted out? Can we without absurdity call the moral law a shadow? That the Sabbath of the Lord is not included among the new moons and sabbaths of the ceremonial law is shown by several considerations; what is the first of these? This text is worthy of especial attention; first, how does it treat the fourth commandment? Second, what renders it the most remarkable case of Sabbath observance in the whole Bible? What does it show in the third place? Of what is it a direct testimony? On what day of the week did Jesus probably rise from the dead? What change do some suppose took place at this point? An examination of each mention of the first day of the week by the four evangelists, will determine this point; what is Matthew's testimony? How does Mark write concerning it? What is the language used by Luke? How does John speak of it? What are these texts supposed to prove? These are the only texts that relate to the first day of the week at the time when it is supposed to have become sacred; if, then, such an institution as the Christian Sabbath, as commonly understood, exists, where must we look for its foundation? But do these texts mention any change of the Sabbath? Do they not carefully discriminate between the Sabbath of the fourth commandment, and the first day of the week? Do they apply any sacred title to the first day of the week? Do they state as a fact that Christ rested upon that day; an act which would be essential to its becoming a Sabbath? Do they relate any act on the part of God, of taking the blessing from the seventh day, and placing it181upon the first day; or any act of hallowing the first day at all? Do they mention that Christ did anything to the first day, or even took its name into his lips? Do they give any precept in support of the first day of the week, or offer any hint how it can be enforced by the fourth commandment? Should it be contended from the words of John that the disciples were met together on the evening of that first day of the week, to honor the day of the resurrection, what scripture immediately comes up to refute that assertion? The Scriptures affirm that God cannot lie; can the fourth commandment be changed to support the first day of the week, without changing the truth of God into a lie? How should the fourth commandment read to support the first day of the week? Does such an edition of the fourth commandment exist? Are such titles as these anywhere in the Scriptures applied to the first day of the week? Did the Law-giver bless and hallow that day? Is such a change of the fourth commandment on the part of God possible? After such a change, would any part of the original Sabbath remain?