Seventh-day Adventist Missionary Society · Oakland, California · Oct 28, 1880
General Articles.
By Ellen G. White
THE FIERY SERPENTS.
BY MRS. E. G. WHITE.
AS THE children of Israel cherished the spirit of murmuring and rebellion, they were disposed to find fault with even the blessing which God had graciously bestowed upon them. The simple manna, though palatable at first, grew loathsome to their taste. They had been provided with it for many years—indeed, most of the people had known no other bread—and it seemed to lose its miraculous character. "And the people spake against God, and against Moses, wherefore have ye brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? for there is no bread, neither is there any water; and our soul loatheth this light bread."
What ingratitude! This people were partaking of the bread of Heaven. "Man did eat angel's food." They were fed every day by God's constant bounty. Yet all the tokens of his love and care failed to inspire their hearts with thankfulness and childlike trust. Did not He who made man know what was best adapted to meet the wants of his people? He had promised that if they would be obedient to his voice there should not be a feeble one in all their tribes. But the food which he provided did not meet their fancy. And in their murmurings they uttered falsehoods, by saying that they had no bread nor water; they had both, provided by a daily miracle.
In the midst of their complaining, a new and terrible evil came upon them. The wilderness through which they journeyed was infested by the most venomous serpents, their sting producing heat, violent inflammation, thirst, and speedy death. Indeed, so terrible were the effects resulting from the bite of these reptiles that they were called fiery serpents. The Lord had hitherto preserved his people from the attacks of these creatures, but he now removed from them his restraining power, that Israel might realize their ingratitude to God, and be led to repentance and humiliation before him.
Moses faithfully set before the people their great sin in murmuring against God. He pointed them to the fact that every day of their travels in the wilderness they had been preserved by a miracle of divine mercy. The Majesty of Heaven had prepared the way before them. Their feet had not swollen in their long journeys, neither had their clothes grown old. There was no sickness in all their ranks. God had given them food from Heaven, and water from the rock. He had subdued before them the strong and dangerous beasts, as well as the serpents, that inhabited forest and wilderness. If the people still complained, with all these tokens of his love, the Lord would continue to send judgments upon them, until they should appreciate his merciful care.
Because they had been shielded by the power of God, the Israelites did not realize the countless dangers by which they were continually surrounded. They had hardened their hearts in unbelief, and were unwilling to be guided and controlled by God; they dwelt upon imaginary evils, and continually distrusted the hand which had hitherto led them. Again and again the Lord had brought them into strait places to prove whether they would trust in him, after so many evidences of his care. But they failed to endure the test; and now, though the Heaven-sent manna lay fresh upon the ground every morning, they dared to accuse Moses of killing them with hunger. In their ingratitude and unbelief, they had anticipated death, and now the Lord withdrew his protecting hand, and permitted death to come upon them.
In every family of these murmurers were the dying and the dead. The hearts that had been filled with the fires of passion and bitter complaining were now chilled with horror at the frenzied cries of children and dearest friends. All had enough to do, and in deep anguish they ministered to their loved ones, knowing full well that at any moment they might need the same care themselves. Not a word of murmuring escaped their lips. When compared with the present suffering, the difficulties and trials which before had seemed so great were not worthy of a thought. Confusion and terror reigned in every tent. In the silence of the night, a piercing shriek would arouse the camp to find that their dream of the serpent's deadly sting was a fearful reality. Fathers, mothers, and children were alike attacked. In this terrible calamity, all felt that they must soon perish; for every stone and shrub concealed the venomous reptiles, which, disturbed by foot or hand, gave back the sting of death.
The people were now ready to humble themselves before God. They went to Moses, of whom they had complained so unjustly, and entreated his forgiveness, and his intercession in their behalf. That long-suffering man of God did not for a moment delay to comply with their request. And the Lord hearkened to the prayer of his servant, and commanded him,—
"Make thee a fiery serpent and set it upon a pole; and it shall come to pass that every one that is bitten, when he looketh upon it, shall live."
In obedience to the word of God, Moses made a serpent of brass resembling the creatures by which the people had been bitten, and set it upon a high pole in the midst of the camp. Then the joyful news was sounded throughout the encampment, that all who had been bitten might look upon the brazen serpent and be healed.
Here the Israelites were required to do something for themselves. They must look upon the brazen serpent, if they would live. Many had already died from the sting of the venomous reptiles, and when Moses raised the serpent upon the pole, some would not believe that merely looking upon that metallic image would heal them, and they perished. Yet many had faith in the provision which God had made. Fathers, mothers, brothers, and sisters were anxiously engaged in helping their suffering, dying friends to fix their languid eyes upon the serpent. If they could only look while faint and dying, they revived, and were entirely freed from the effects of their poisonous wounds.
470There was no power in the serpent of brass to cause such a change in those who looked upon it. The healing virtue was derived from God alone. In his wisdom he chose this manner to display his power. It was the faith of the people in the provision made, which was acceptable to God. By this simple means they were made sensible that he had permitted these serpents to afflict them, because of their murmurings, and their lack of faith in him. They were also assured that while obeying God they had no reason to fear; for he would be their friend, and would preserve them from the dangers to which they were continually exposed.
The Hebrews, in their affliction, could not save themselves from the deadly venom of the serpents. God alone could heal sinful, rebellious Israel. Yet he did not see fit to pardon their transgression, without testing their repentance and faith. They must look, in order to live. The lifting up of the brazen serpent was to teach Israel a lesson. Heretofore they had presented their offerings to God, and had felt that in thus doing they made ample atonement for their sins. They did not by faith rely upon the Redeemer to come, of whom their offerings were only the type. The Lord would now show them that their sacrifices, in themselves, had no more power nor virtue than the serpent of brass, but were, like that, to lead their minds to Christ, the great Sin-Offering. So, also, their offerings were to be brought with subdued wills and penitent hearts, they having faith in the atoning sacrifice of God's dear Son.
None were compelled to look upon the brazen serpent. All could look and live, or distrust the simple provision God had made, refuse to look, and die. The people of God may not always see the reason for his requirements, and may not be able to understand his dealings with them; yet it is not their part to question and doubt his purposes. The lifelong recipients of his favor, they should yield him ready and willing obedience. All his commands are founded in infinite love and wisdom; and though we may not fully understand his purpose here, yet we shall know hereafter.
As the serpent was lifted up in the wilderness, so the Son of God was lifted up on the cross, that sinners from the ends of the earth might look and live. Multitudes are still suffering from the deadly sting of that old serpent, the devil. The effects of sin can be removed only by the provision which God has made. Here, alone, hope and salvation can be found. As the Israelites saved their lives by looking upon the brazen serpent, so sinners can look to Christ and live. Unlike that inert and lifeless symbol, Christ has power and virtue in himself, to heal the suffering, repenting, bleeding sinner.
Many are unwilling to accept of Christ until the whole mystery of the plan of salvation shall be made plain to them. They refuse the look of faith, although they see that thousands have looked, and have felt the efficacy of looking to the cross of Christ. Many wander in the mazes of blind philosophy, in search of reasons and evidence which they will never find, while they reject the evidence which God has been pleased to give. They refuse to walk in the light of the Sun of Righteousness, until the reason of its shining shall be explained. All who persist in this course will fail to come to a knowledge of the truth. The last occasion for doubt will never be removed. God will give sufficient evidence on which to base faith, and if this is not accepted, the mind will be left in the darkness of doubt and unbelief.
If those who had been bitten by the serpents had stopped to doubt and question before they would consent to look, death would have been the result. Our first duty is to look and live.
We should seek now to gather evidence upon which to base our faith. There is an eternity before us, in which to study the mysteries of redemption.
Christ, in his words to Nicodemus, says, "As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life." In both these cases the object was to save the perishing. As the sting of the serpent was certain death, unless the sufferer would avail himself of the remedy provided; so, also, is sin deadly in its effects, unless men look unto Christ, and believe in the merits of his blood. Men of gray hairs, men in the prime of life, youth and children, were to be saved in the same way,—look, and live. The remedy was perfect, when, according to God's direction, they looked upon the uplifted serpent. That look implied faith. They lived, because they believed the word of God, and availed themselves of the provisions made. So, in the plan of salvation, not one who has come to Christ in penitence and faith has ever been turned away.
The people of Israel well knew that in that semblance of a serpent was no healing virtue. They knew that it was only a symbol of the Son of God, and that faith in the divine word, and immediate action, would be the power of salvation to them. So we are to be saved, not by any act which we can perform of ourselves, but by simple obedience,—by doing just as God has said. Our salvation rests upon the ample atonement made by our Saviour, and the veracity of God's word. We must believe that Jesus died to redeem sinners like ourselves, and that God means what he says, "Him that cometh unto me I will in no wise cast out." Through the merits of Christ we are accepted. Assurance in this case honors the faithfulness of God, while doubt casts discredit upon the Most High.
THE SINNER'S PLEA.
BEFORE the throne of God above,
I have a strong, a perfect plea;
A great High Priest, whose name is Love,
Who ever lives and pleads for me.
My name is graven on His hands,
My name is written on His heart;
I know that while in Heaven he stands,
No power can bid me hence depart.
When Satan tempts me to despair,
And tells me of the guilt within,
Upward I look, and see Him there
Who made an end of all my sin.
Because the sinless Saviour died,
My sinful soul is counted free;
For God, the Just, is satisfied
To look on Him, and pardon me.
Behold him there, the bleeding Lamb!
My perfect, spotless righteousness,—
The great, unchangable I AM,—
The King of glory and of grace.
One with himself, I cannot die;
My soul is purchased by his blood;
My life is hid with Christ on high,—
With Christ, my Saviour and my God.
—Selected.
THE PRESENT TRUTH.
By Dudley Marvin Canright
BY ELD. D. M. CANRIGHT.
TO PROVE that God will do in the last days as he always has before, viz., instruct his people and warn the world of important coming events, we we now offer a few plain propositions:
I. The Judgment, the Second Advent of Christ, the Resurrection, and the End of the World, are events which the Scriptures teach will come to pass at sometime.
We are not now concerned as to when they will come to pass, but simply with the fact that these events will transpire sometime. Nothing in the Bible, it seems to us, is more plainly revealed and emphatically stated than these facts, and we presume that most of our readers will agree with us on this point. They believe in the literal second advent and resurrection of the dead the same as we do. There is no controversy, then, on this point. However, we will give a few texts out of the scores bearing upon these events.
The Judgment. "Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness." Acts 17 : 31. "And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness, unto the Judgment of the great day." Jude 6. "And I saw a great white throne, and Him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened; and another book was opened, which is the book of life; and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works." Rev. 20 : 11, 12.
The Second Advent. "For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works." Matt. 16 : 27. "For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be." Matt. 24 : 27. "And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight. And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel; which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven." Acts 1 : 9-11. "The
Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God; and the dead in Christ shall rise first." 1 Thess. 4 : 16.
The Resurrection. "Marvel not at this; for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, and shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation." John 5 : 28, 29.
The End of the World. "The field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom, but the tares are the children of the wicked one; the enemy that sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are the angels. As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire, so shall it be in the end of this world. The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity; and shall cast them into a furnace of fire; there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth." Matt. 13 : 38-42.
Language could not be more explicit than this on these great and awful events. Yes, say our opponents, we agree that they will come sometime, but as to when they will come, we know nothing. Christ may come to-night, or next week, or it may be a thousand years before he comes; we cannot tell. If we are only prepared to die, that is all that need concern us, let it come when it will.
No doubt but the objector thinks that this is sound reasoning, and according to Scripture; but look a little further. We often hear these men who declare that the Lord may come to-night, declare that the world must be converted, and that there must be a millennium of a thousand years before Christ comes. Then they go on to argue that the Jews must be converted and return to Palestine, first; that this, that, and the other prophecy has not been fulfilled; and still the Lord may come to-night! How they can have the world converted, and a thousand years millennium, in one night, and the Lord come after that time, we never could see. And yet they stoutly argue both. The Jews must be converted and return to Palestine before the Lord comes, and yet he may come to-night! Many other prophecies have not been fulfilled, and yet the Lord may come to-night! They certainly cannot believe both positions. And further: In saying this, they assume that the coming of the Lord will take place without any signs being given to mark his coming—without any warning to the world, and without his people knowing anything concerning it. They virtually assume that everything will go right on just as it always has, without any sign or warning, and the first thing that any one knows, either saint or sinner, the trumpet will sound like a peal of thunder out of a clear sky at noonday. To show the unsoundness of this, we will make a second proposition:—
II. There will be signs given preceding these events, to mark their coming.
I might give scores of texts on this point, naming the different signs which shall transpire shortly before the advent. I will content myself with quoting two or three which directly assert that there shall be signs. "And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?" Matt. 24 : 3. The disciples inquire directly, What shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world? If there were to be no signs, Christ would have simply said, Children, do not trouble yourselves on that point; there will be no signs given of those events. But instead of answering them thus, he does proceed to give them a whole chapter of signs upon the very point they had asked. Luke briefly sums up his answer thus: "And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring; men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth; for the powers of heaven shall be shaken. And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh." Luke 21 : 25-28. Here Jesus says that there shall be signs in the sun, in the moon, in the stars, in the earth, etc.
So in verse 11, he says, "And great earthquakes shall be in divers places, and famines, and pestilences; and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven." And thus Joel says: "And I will show wonders in heaven above, and signs in the earth beneath, blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke; the sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before that great and notable day of the Lord come." Acts 2 : 19, 20. We take it that these texts settle the fact that the Lord will give signs to mark his second coming.
God has said that, at the proper time, he will hang out signs in very conspicuous places indeed, viz., in the sun, in the moon, in the stars, and upon the earth. And when God shall do this, what will it be for? Will it not be to call the attention of his people and the world to the very event which these signs indicate? Most certainly. This fact alone shows that God will have men know something with regard to it, else why give the signs? And when God shall do this, will it be immaterial whether men heed these signs, or disregard them? whether they believe them, or scoff at them? whether they note them, or pass them by as not worthy of their attention? whether they accept them as the fulfillment of God's word, or deny them to be such? Think of this point a moment. Did not Christ rebuke the men of his time for not discerning the signs of the times? "O ye hypocrites! ye can discern the face of the sky; but can ye not discern the signs of the times?" Matt. 16 : 3. And if men should pay no more attention to the signs of the times now than they did then, will they not receive just as severe a rebuke from the Lord as they did then? Certainly, they will. Be careful, my friend, there may be more importance to this subject than you have thought.
THE GOSPEL
By A. S. Hutchins
BY ELD. A. S. HUTCHINS.
The work of the gospel ever has been, and ever will be, a work both of separation and of union. Those who receive the gospel and take upon themselves the duties it enjoins must separate themselves from the world. It is also true that they must and will separate themselves from those who oppose God's truth, though such may profess to love and serve him.
In the opening of the gospel to the Gentiles, we learn that God visited them "to take out of them a people for his name." Acts 15:14. Christ speaks with great distinctness on this point: "Think not that I am come to send peace on earth; I came not to send peace but a sword. For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. And a man's foes shall be they of his own household." Matt. 10:34-36.
These are the words of the Prince of Peace—one who knew well the force of every word spoken. Now, we ask, if former organizations and fraternities are severed for light, truth, and duty's sake, where lies the fault? In those who gladly accept the plain teachings of the sacred Scriptures, or those who reject them?
An easy illustration may help the mind here: We suppose friend A has four sons. In the morning he requires them to go into the field and perform, each one, a certain and reasonable amount of labor, the work to be done being in two different localities. These youths are charged not to separate, but labor together, performing the work in one locality first, and then together go and complete it in the other. In good time and in a proper manner the duties are closed at the first point, when one says, We will proceed, agreeably to direction, to the other place. Three raise their objections to this, persistently refusing to go. The purpose of the first is fixed. He proceeds to perform his share of the work, while the voices of the others are ringing in his ears, "You will get the punishment, while we shall be free; for father's orders were not to separate. You have left us, while we remain firm and fixed on the ground where we started."
If one can decide which would here meet the approval of the parent, we may decide with equal clearness who will receive the approval of our Heavenly Father when we separate from former brethren and unite heart and hand on the great principles of present truth. God has made precious promises to such. See Micah 4:6, 7.
Feeling and Right and Wrong
Feeling is no criterion of right or wrong.
MUTATIONS OF DR. AKER.
By Eld. Jos. Clarke
BY ELD. JOS. CLARKE.
THE Sabbath is a fixed fact in Bible history. It ended creation week with the acclamations of the universe, when the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy. Here was only its inauguration. In the desert, by fall of double rations of manna on the sixth day, and none on the seventh for forty years, in the presence of three millions of people, and of Moses and Joshua, men of renown, the Sabbath of paradise was attested on (52x40 = 2080) two thousand and eighty different occasions, at intervals of a week each, consecutively.
In the midst of this mighty and long-continued miracle, the moral law of ten precepts was proclaimed by the mouth of our much-profaned and insulted Jehovah. Earth trembled and shook at his voice, as he said, "Remember the Sabbath day," the very day he pointed out, by the failure of the fall of the manna, and the seventh of the week of creation.
Again, Luke says by the word of inspiration that they (the holy women) rested the Sabbath day according to the commandment.
In the face of such evidence, the learned Aker stands up, and gravely tells people that somewhere on the way a day is lost and that a day is gained, or to that effect. It makes no matter; a day is slipped out of the calendar; Moses lost the count somehow or other. Of course it is now by accident all right again.
It really makes one's heart ache to think that such a theory could find adherents. It could not, if it were not for its being a lame apology for a custom which has become stale because of its origin and its age—that is, Sunday Sabbatizing—having Paganism for its mother, and Rome for its godmother, and Protestantism for its sponsor and guardian.
This institution, like all the institutions of Papacy, is becoming gray with age, and is bound to fall with its authors, abettors, and apologists. All sorts of arguments are adduced; and among them, this one of Dr. Aker, of the loss of a day somewhere on the way from Egypt to Canaan. He would make the people of God all at once, and at the same time, leap over a day in the calendar, and then all at once and at the same time, agree upon the next succeeding day. If such a thing were possible, it is truly an interesting possibility, a curious possibility. Were they so frightened on that lost day that they lost their individuality, as a people, for twenty-four mortal hours, and then regained it? Did all of these Israelites, with Moses and Joshua, from the child to the chief, lie on the cold ground unconscious, with no one to keep count of the days of the week?
Truly, this last dodge is one of a thousand; and one is at a loss to know which is the greater, the audacity of its author, or the credulity of its adherents.
A REMINISCENCE OF THE WAR.
It is well known that some of the judges in Missouri were very reluctant to enforce the law against ministers of the gospel for exercising their profession without having taken the test oath, and availed themselves of every pretense to discharge those who were accused. We tell the following tale, says an exchange, as it was told to us, vouching for nothing:—
Three ministers, charged with the crime of preaching "the glorious gospel of the Son of God," were arraigned before a judge. They were regularly indicted, and it was understood that the proof against them was very clear.
"Are you a preacher?" said the judge to one of them.
"Yes, sir," replied the culprit.
"To what denomination do you belong, sir?"
"I am a Christian, sir." (With dignity.)
"A Christian! What do you mean by that? Are not all preachers Christians?"
"I belong to a sect commonly, but wrongly, called Campbellites." (Not much dignity.)
"Ah! Then you are in favor of baptizing people in order that they may be born again, are you?"
"I am, sir." (Defiantly.)
"Mr. Sheriff, discharge that man! He is an innocent man! He is indicted for preaching the gospel, and there is not a word of gospel in the stuff he preaches! It's all some of Alexander Campbell's nonsense. Discharge that man."
Exit Campbellites, greatly rejoicing.
"Are you a preacher?" said his honor, addressing the next criminal.
"I am, sir," said the miscreant.
"Of what denomination are you?"
"I am a Methodist, sir." (His looks showed it.)
"Do you believe in falling from grace?"
"I do, sir." (Without hesitation.)
"Do you believe in sprinkling people, instead of baptizing them?"
"I believe that people can be baptized by sprinkling." (Much offended.)
"Do you believe in baptizing babies?"
"It is my opinion, sir, that infants ought to be baptized. (Much offended.)
"Not a word of Scripture for anything of the kind!" shouted the judge. "Mr. Sheriff, turn that man loose! He is no preacher of the gospel! The gospel is the truth, and there is not a word of truth in what that man teaches! Turn him loose! It is ridiculous to indict men on such frivolous pretenses! Turn him loose?"
Methodist disappears not at all hurt in his feelings by the judicial abuse he had received.
"What are you, sir?" demanded the judge, of the third felon.
"Some people call me a preacher, sir." (Meekly.)
"What's your denomination?"
"I am a Baptist, sir." (Head up.)
His honor's countenance fell, and he looked sober and sad. After a pause he said:—
"Do you believe in salvation by grace, sir?"
"I do." (Firmly.)
"Do you teach that immersion only is baptism?"
"That is my doctrine." (Earnestly.)
"And you baptize none but those who believe in Jesus Christ?"
"That is my faith and practice." (With emphasis.)
"My friend, I fear it will go hard with you; I see you are indicted for preaching the gospel, and it appears to me that by your confession you are guilty."
Baptist looked pretty blue.
"May it please your honor," said the Baptist's counsel, springing to his feet, "that man has never preached the gospel. I have heard him say a hundred times that he only tried. I have heard him try myself."
"Mr. Sheriff, discharge that man! He's not indicted for trying! There's nothing said about the mere effort! Let him go, sir! Turn him loose! Send him about his business! I am astonished that the State Attorney should annoy the court with such frivolous indictments."
Exit Baptist, determined to "try" again.
Court adjourned.
"God save the State and this honorable court!" exclaimed the Sheriff.
"Amen!" exclaimed the three preachers.
And, after all, say we, as ridiculous as the story may seem, it has a moral. If the State has a right to prohibit the preaching of the gospel, it has a right to decide what the gospel is; and when this is done we have a national church, and the adulterous connection between church and State becomes complete.
CHANGE OF THE SABBATH.
"Why are we keeping Sunday instead of Saturday?" is a question asked by thousands of children, youth, and people of mature years; and the answer generally given is, that the Sabbath has been changed from the seventh to the first day of the week.
It is true that the majority of Christians regard the first day either as a festival in honor of Christ's resurrection, or as a sabbath, or as both; but the important question is, who made this change? It is frequently said that either Christ or his apostles authorized it, but where is such authority to be found? If either abrogated the Sabbath and commanded the observance of Sunday for the purpose of worship, or of Sabbath-keeping, or of a festival, such abrogation and command ought to appear in the New Testament. One seeks in vain for these statements. Rather do we find our Lord saying, "Think not that I am come to destroy the law or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill."
In none of the interviews with his disciples, during forty days after his resurrection, did Christ say one word about the sacredness of the first day. In Acts 20 : 7, after the words, "upon the first day of the week," Luke did not insert the qualifying phrase, "which is the Christian Sabbath;" nor in the sentence, "I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day" (Rev. 1 : 10), did John add, "which is the first day of the week," nor any other expression to indicate that it was the first day. There is no intimation of the sanctity of this day from any known custom of the apostles.
All Scripture failing for a support for making Sunday a holy day, how is it that it has so generally displaced the seventh day? The answer to this question is found in the heathen custom of worshiping the sun on the first day, and in the prejudice of nominal Christians against the Jews.
The first law for Sunday observance was enacted by Constantine, then a Pagan emperor, who "designated it by its astrological or heathen title, Dies Solis," and applied to it the epithet venerabilis, which had "reference to the rites performed on that day in honor of Hercules, Apollo, and Mithras."
Sir William Domville says: "Centuries of the Christian era passed away before Sunday was observed by the Christian church as a sabbath. History does not furnish us with a single proof or indication that it was at any time so observed previous to the sabbatical edict of Constantine in A. D. 321."
The Roman Catholic Church commands Sunday to be kept holy, not by authority of the Bible, but upon her own authority. She accuses Protestants of inconsistency in keeping Sunday, and profaning Saturday, while professing to follow the Scriptures as their only rule of faith which commands the keeping of Saturday. (See "Doctrinal Catechism" and Milner's "End of Religious Controversy.") Thus the change of the Sabbath is to be found in the edict of a Pagan emperor, and in the decretals of the Church of Rome, and not in the word of God. Sabbath Memorial.
THE TONGUE.
Pythagoras used to say that a "wound from the tongue is worse than a wound from the sword; for the latter affects only the body, the former the spirit—the soul."
It was a remark of Anacharsis, that "the tongue was at the same time the best part of a man and his worst; that with good government none is more useful, and without it none is more mischievous."
"Boerhave," says Dr. Johnson, "was never soured by calumny and detraction, nor ever thought it necessary to confute them. 'For,' said he, 'they are sparks, which, if you don't blow, they will go out of themselves.'"
"We cannot," says Cato, "control the evil tongues of others; but a good life enables us to despise them."
"Slander," says Bacon, "cannot make the subject of it either better or worse. It may represent us in a false light, or place a likeness of us in a bad one. But we are the same. Not so that slanderer; the slander that he utters makes him worse, the slandered never."
"No one," says Jerome, "loves to tell a tale of scandal except to him who loves to hear it. Learn, then, to rebuke and check the detracting tongue, by showing that you do not listen to it with pleasure."
"No man sees the wallet on his own back," says the old proverb, alluding to the fable of the traveler with two packs, the one before stuffed with the faults of his neighbors, the one behind with his own.
It was a maxim of Euripides, "either to keep silence, or to speak something better than silence."
"Set a watch, O Lord, before my mouth; keep the door of my lips; incline not my heart to any evil thing." Ps. 141:3, 4.
"IF YOU LOVE ME, LEAN HARD."
Miss Fiske, while in the Nestorian Mission, was at one time in feeble health, and much depressed in spirits. One hot Sunday afternoon, she sat on her mat on the chapel floor, longing for support and rest, feeling unable to maintain her trying position until the close of worship. Presently she felt a woman's form seated at her back, and heard the whisper, "Lean on me." Scarcely yielding to the request, she heard it repeated, "Lean on me." Then she divided her weight with the gentle pleader, but that did not suffice. In earnest, almost reproachful tones, the voice again urged, "If you love me, lean hard." This incident is worth a whole volume of commentary on the nature of true love, which is happiest when it can do most for the loved one.
THE SABBATH MADE FOR MAN.
By T. M. Steward
BY ELD. T. M. STEWARD.
MARK 2:27: "The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath." This is the language of Him who knew, and from whose authority there is no appeal.
1. Who made the Sabbath? Surely, not man, for it was made for man. Then God made the Sabbath. Ex. 20:10; Isa. 58:13.
2. When was it made? The record does not say he made it for himself and 2500 years after concluded to give it to man. But it was made for man. If it was made for man, there would be no object in making it before there was a man, neither was it wisdom to make it until man needed it. The wisdom of God is manifest in that he made man first, and then, as he immediately required a Sabbath, the Lord chose the first opportunity to make one. On the sixth day, he made man (and woman) which completed his work; "and He rested on the seventh day from all his work which He had made." Gen. 1:26; 2:2. Then it was made at the close of the first six days of time, and becomes the turning point of the weekly cycle.
3. But how was it made? We read: "For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day." Ex. 20:11. This places before us the contrast between the first six days and the seventh, and tells us plainly that there are but six working days in the weekly cycle. Ex. 31:15: "Six days may work be done." Eze. 46:1: "The gate of the inner court that looketh toward the east shall be shut the six working days." Now if all days are working days, why has Inspiration used such definite language in reference to these days, as if there were but six working days?
Then again in explaining his own command he says: "Six days may work be done;" but the seventh is the Sabbath of rest, holy to the Lord. So there is the widest contrast between the six days and the seventh. As the Bible recognizes six working days and there are seven days in each weekly cycle, then there is one day in each week that is not a working day. In making the Sabbath (which signifies rest), the Lord employed one whole day for rest. He could not take one of the six, for he had appointed them for work. So he appoints the seventh (the last day in the weekly cycle) for a Sabbath (or rest) for man. Thus we have six working days and one day of rest in each week. Having thus made the Sabbath for man, God places his blessing upon it, and instructs man how to use it. Gen. 2:3. "He sanctified it," or set it apart to a sacred or holy use. To say there is no Sabbath would contradict the record given, and would reduce the weekly cycle to six days instead of seven. Who would undertake this?
To say that the first day of the weekly cycle is the Sabbath, is to call one of the six days which God appointed for work, a sabbath, which would contradict God's own testimony, and convert God's holy Sabbath into a laboring or common day, which is strictly forbidden. Ex. 20:10; 31:15. "Every word of God is pure; he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him. Add thou not unto his words, lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar." Prov. 30:5, 6.
Then the Sabbath was made by the God of Heaven by resting on the seventh day, the last day of the first weekly cycle, thus setting an example for all time to come. All time is summed up in the six working days and the one rest (or Sabbath) day. It was so made for man that all the race may have the day in each week for rest and holy meditation which marks the termination of each weekly cycle.
Then how consistent to say to all: "Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labor, and do all thy work; but the seventh day [of each weekly cycle] is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God; in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: for in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day; wherefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day, and hallowed it." Ex. 20:8-11.