A Fox Nest Spoiled by B. F. Snook

The Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Nov 29, 1864

A Fox Nest Spoiled.

By B. F. Snook

ISRAEL'S latter-day foxes, or false teachers, tax all their ingenuity and skill to the greatest extent, to devise means whereby they may, if possible, evade and overthrow the truth. Such is the intention of all their efforts against the Bible Sabbath. On this question they must know that the Bible is against them. They have no good argument for their defense. They never can show a divine command for keeping Sunday as the Sabbath, nor a promised blessing for keeping it, nor a threat of punishment for not keeping it. Feeling their weakness to build up, they try their skill at tearing down. And hence they bring all their batteries to bear against the Sabbath by firing at it their little objections, not one of which has the least weight.

One of the strongest objections they urge is, that it

cannot be kept. If true, we confess that this is a formidable barrier in our way. But where is the proof? When this demand is made, the fox slyly gallops away north toward the pole, makes his nest, lies down in it, and barks out, "It is six months day, and six months night here. We can't count time here. Your seventh-day Sabbath cannot be kept here; therefore it is not the day we ought to keep; but Sunday is the Sabbath and we ought to keep it."

This objection is urged as of great force against the Sabbath. We will now probe it to the bottom and show that it is false, not a word of truth in it. Further, if there is any force in it at all, it proves just as much against Sunday, as it does against the Sabbath. It avers that the Sabbath cannot be kept because time cannot be computed, and time cannot be computed because the days and nights are six months long. This truly is a novel objection. It certainly is lame in both legs. Let me ask the objector if time cannot be computed, please tell us how you came to know that the days and nights there are six months long? Did you get this knowledge by computing time? If so, what becomes of your very serious objection? If not, you must have merely guessed at it, and hence your objection is founded on a guess.

Here is one proof against the objection in the very basis on which it is urged. We have now a great fact to urge against all such objections, and that is, that there is no portion of this earth where man can go or live, in which time cannot be, and is not, computed.

Dr. Kane and his company of men, who embarked in 1852, to the far distant North, in search of Sir John Franklin, traveled to the very country where they tell us time cannot be computed for the extreme length of days and nights. Speaking of the darkness, Dr. Kane says, "Nov. 7, Monday. The darkness is coming on with insidious steadiness, and its advances can only be perceived by comparing one day with its fellow of some time back." Journal, p. 142. "Our darkness has ninety days to run before we shall get back again even to the contested twilight of to-day. Altogether, our winter will have been sunless for one hundred and forty days." p. 148.

Again he says: "Nov. 27, Sunday. I sent out a volunteer party some days ago, with Mr. Bousall." p. 146. Dr. Kane what do you mean? I thought time could not be computed where you are? Well, Dr. Kane had no trouble to find and keep Sunday, even among these northern impossibilities.

Again he says: "Morton went out on Friday to reclaim the things they had left; and to-day at 1 P. M. he returned successful." p. 147.

Here we have not only the day, but the very hour of the day computed. Again, "Dec. 15, Thursday. We have lost the last vestige of our midday twilight. We cannot see print, and hardly paper; the fingers cannot be counted a foot from the eyes. Noonday and midnight are alike, and except a vague glimmer on the sky, we have nothing to tell us that this arctic world of ours has a sun." p. 148. "The first traces of returning light were observed at noon, on the 21st of January." March 11, Saturday. p. 172.

The question is therefore settled; time can be computed, even among the long days and nights of the arctics. Sundays were kept there, and even the Sabbath was found there and could have been kept, if its obligation had been remembered and submitted to.

B. F. SNOOK.