Christ is the head of the church. “God gave him to be the head over all things to the church.” Eph. i, 22. He is that Prophet of whom Moses spake, saying, “A Prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto me; him shall ye hear in all things whatsoever he shall say unto you.”
“And it shall come to pass, that every soul which will not hear that Prophet, shall be destroyed from among the people.” Acts iii, 22, 23.
Hence, on the mount of transfiguration, there came a voice from the cloud that overshadowed them, saying, “This is my beloved Son: HEAR HIM.” Luke ix, 35.
Christ is our Prophet, Priest and King. As such it is his prerogative,
1. To make known his will. He has spoken and made known, not only his own, but also his Father’s will.
2. It is his prerogative to select the motives by which to induce obedience to his will. If we deny this, we deny his official character—his authority and his right.
3. He knew what motives were best calculated to induce obedience to his will, and to lead men to repent of their sins, to believe in Jesus, and thereby secure eternal life. To suppose otherwise is to impeach his wisdom.
4. Those motives best calculated to glorify God and save men from perdition, have been selected by him. To doubt this is an impeachment of his goodness. Hence, if we would stir up, comfort or strengthen his people, and lead them to be holy, faithful and active in his cause, or alarm sinners and lead them to lay hold on the hope set before them in the gospel, this must be the motive presented to induce them to do so.
5. To present other motives to enforce the claims of the gospel, than those chosen by Christ, is—
1st. To prefer our own to Christ’s wisdom.
2d. To take the place, and assume the sole prerogative of Christ.
3d. It is downright rebellion against Christ.
4th. It is to preach a gospel of our own, and not the gospel of Christ.
5th. Finally, it is, strictly, the worst form of antichrist.
6. From these considerations, we perceive that it is important to know what is the motive of the gospel, and when known, to preach it and be governed by it in all things, leaving the result with God. For when we preach the gospel and enforce it by the motives Christ has given, he alone is responsible for the results. But if we enforce it by motives of our own, we assume the responsibility ourselves for so doing, and also for the results.
We pass to inquire, what is the motive of the gospel? We answer, negatively,—
1. It is not a preparation for death. God nowhere exhorts men to repent or believe because they must die, or as a preparation for death.
2. It is not the conversion of the world. No—never is this presented as a motive to induce his people to be holy, or faithful, or active in his cause, nor to lead sinners to repent and believe. For it is evident to all acquainted with the laws by which the mind is governed, that an effect directly opposite would be produced.
3. It is not eternal, conscious being in misery. For such a motive, instead of producing love to God, most invariably produced its opposition—hatred.
And yet many, very many, use these motives to enforce the claims of the gospel. Such, I would ask, in the language of Paul, “Despisest thou the riches of God’s goodness and forbearance, and long-suffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth men to repentance?” Then it is clear that neither of the above can claim to be the motive of the gospel. But affirmatively—
It is the second coming of Christ in power and great glory, or some event directly and intimately connected with his coming, such as the judgment, the resurrection, or the setting up of his kingdom, &c. This is, and ever has been, the great motive of the gospel. This is the object on which the eye of faith has ever rested, and to which the anticipation of the church is directed, both in the Old and New Testament.
“Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousand of his saints,” [or holy ones.] Job in his affliction cried out, “I know that my Redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth.”
Thus has it ever been with the saints in all ages. So when the disciples of Christ went forth to preach the gospel at his first advent, this we find was the motive presented to enforce its claims upon the children of men.
1. To induce repentance. It is recorded of John, the forerunner of Christ, [Matt. iii, 25,] that he came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea, and saying, Repent. Why? because you must die? No—but mark!—“For the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” The word rendered “at hand,” is eggika, which means approacheth, and is so rendered by George Campbell and others. The word meaning nigh, or impending, never was used by Christ or the apostles with reference to the proximity of the kingdom in their day. For “Christ added and spake a parable, because . . . they thought that the kingdom of God should immediately appear,” and said it was like “A certain nobleman, that went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom and to return.” Luke xix, 11, 12.
Also Paul wrote to the Thessalonians, who had imbibed the idea that Christ would come in their day, and said, “Be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is AT HAND.” 2 Thess. ii, 2. The word here used is, enesteken, which signifies immediately near, upon or impending.
Hence John exhorts men to repent, because the kingdom of God approacheth. This is an event connected with, and depending upon, Christ’s coming. As Paul says, “Christ shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and kingdom.” From which we learn that the judgment, the appearing, and the kingdom of Christ, are contemporary events, and that motive used by John to induce repentance, was an event connected with the coming of Christ.
After John was cast into prison, “Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent; for [because] the kingdom of heaven approacheth.” Matt. iv, 12, 17; Mark i, 14, 15.
The first recorded sermon of Peter after the day of Pentecost, presents the same features. He says, “Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out when the times of refreshing, shall come from the presence of the Lord, and he [God] shall send Jesus Christ,” to restore all things. Acts iii, 19–21. The motive here, is the sending of Jesus to restore all things.
From the above scriptures, it is evident that the motive to induce repentance is the coming and kingdom of Christ.
2. Love to Christ. “If any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be Anathema Maranatha,” which interpreted, signifies, “Let him be accursed when the Lord comes.” 1 Cor. xvi, 22. The idea is borrowed from the customs of the Jews. Under the Jewish law there were many crimes punishable with death, which is inflicted upon the persons as soon as convicted; but when the Jews were brought into subjection to the Romans, they lost the power of life and death. When, therefore, a person committed any crime that would have been punished with death by the Jewish law, the Jews anathematized him, in expectation that Christ would at his coming inflict the same penalty.
3. To abide in Christ. “Now little children abide in him; that when he shall appear we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before him at his coming.” 1 John ii, 28.
4. To do good to the poor. “When thou makest a feast, call the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind, and thou shalt be blessed; for they cannot recompense thee.” How shall they be recompensed, and when? “For thou shalt be recompensed at the resurrection of the just.” When are the just raised? At Christ’s second coming. Luke xiv, 13, 14, and Matt. xxv, 34, 46.
5. To keep his commandments. “Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.” Rev. xxii, 14.
6. To induce diligence and holy living. “Wherefore, beloved, seeing ye look for such things, (what things?)—the melting of the heavens and earth, and burning up the works therein, and the creation of a new heavens and earth, be diligent, that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless.” 2 Pet. iii, 10–14.
7. That we may set our affections on, and seek the things that are above. “Seek those things which are above”—where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. . . . set your affections on things above, not on things on the earth . . . for when Christ who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory. Col. iii, 1–4.
8. To hold fast our confidence. “Cast not away, therefore, your confidence, which hath great recompense of reward. For yet a little while, and he that shall come will come, and will not tarry.” Heb. x, 35, 37.
9. Patience. “Be ye also patient; establish178your hearts; for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh.” James v, 8.
10. To meet together often, and exhort one another. “Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is, but exhorting one another; and so much the more as ye see the day approaching.” Heb. x, 25.
11. To confess Jesus and his truth. “Whosoever, therefore, shall be ashamed of me and of my words, in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he cometh in the glory of his Father, with the holy angels.” Mark viii, 38.
12. To forsake all for Christ. “Then answered Peter and said unto him, Behold, we have forsaken all, and followed thee; what shall we have, therefore? And Jesus saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, that ye which have followed me, in the regeneration, (renovation, Camp trans., or restitution of all things,) when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.” Matt xix, 28; Phil. iii, 7, 16.
13. To suffer with Christ. “Rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ’s sufferings; that when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy.” “For if we suffer, we shall also reign with him.” “If so be that we suffer with him, that we may be all glorified together.” 1 Pet. iv, 13; 2 Tim. ii, 12; Rom. viii, 17.
14. To watch and pray. “Watch ye, therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.” “Be like unto men that wait for their lord, when he will return from the wedding; . . . blessed are those servants, whom the Lord, when he cometh, shall find watching.” But “if thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee.” Luke xxi, 36; xii, 36, 37; Rev. iii, 3.
15. Moderation. “Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand.” Phil. iv, 5.
16. To induce us to fear the Lord, think upon his name, and speak often one to another. “Then they that feared the Lord spake often one to another; and the Lord hearkened and heard it; and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the Lord, and that thought upon his name. And they shall be mine, saith the Lord of hosts, in that day when I make up my jewels; and I will spare them, as a man spareth his own son that serveth him.” Mal. iii, 16, 17.
17. Love to the brethren. “The Lord make you to increase and abound in love one toward another, and toward all men, even as we do toward you: to the end he may establish your hearts unblamable in holiness before God, even our Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all his saints.” 1 Thess. iii, 12, 13.
18. Comfort under bereavement. “I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus, will God bring with him. Besides this I affirm to you, by the command of the Lord, that we the living, who remain at the coming of the Lord, shall not anticipate them who are asleep. For the Lord himself will descend from heaven, with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God; and the dead in Christ shall rise first. Afterwards, we, the living who remain, shall at the same time with them, be caught up in clouds to join the Lord in the air: and so we shall be forever with the Lord.” 1 Thess. iv, 13–18. Paul would not have his brethren ignorant of the hope based upon the resurrection from the dead, for he would not have them sorrow under the bereavement of friends, as those who are without hope. For as certain as that Christ died and rose again from the dead, so certain is it, that them that sleep in Jesus will God bring with him from the grave, the place of the dead. He then assures them that, although they might be alive at the second coming of Christ, they should not go before, or anticipate, (see McKnight’s trans.) or outstrip, (Whiting’s,) their brethren who are asleep in the grave; and gives as a reason, the fact that Christ himself will come from heaven in person, and then he will change us who are alive, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, and we shall all go up together in the clouds to meet Jesus, and then we shall be no more separated from him—no, nor our friends—and Paul exhorts us to comfort one another in our bereavement, with this blessed hope. God will bring them up from the grave; though dead, they shall live again, when Christ comes.
From this array of scripture, it is evident to all, that the motive by which those who preach the gospel are to enforce obedience to its claims, to its requirements, and duties to God and man, is Christ’s second coming, or those events connected with, or dependent upon, his coming.
If this be so, (and who, I ask in all candor, is prepared to dispute it,) then, I ask, if we present other motives than those found in the gospel, are we not assuming the prerogatives of Christ? Are we not taking the seat of the Man of Sin? Are we not the false teachers of these last days, spoken of by the prophets, by Christ and the apostles? Are we not, in the strictest sense, Antichrist? In fine, are we not preaching another gospel than Christ’s!
And what shall we say to such? What saith the Scriptures to such? for we would stand aside and let God speak.
“To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.” Isa. viii, 20.
And Paul says: “Though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you, than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. As we said before, so say I now again, If ANY MAN preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed.” Gal. i, 8, 9.
God help us, my brethren, to avoid this curse. Oh, let us examine into this matter, and see whether we are preaching another gospel, or enforcing the claims of the gospel of Christ by other motives than those chosen by Christ. And if so, God help us to repent and submit to Christ; and, as he commanded Jonah, go and preach to the people the preaching that he bids us. Jonah iii, 2. Let us forsake all, leave all, turn from our own ways and the traditions of men, and follow Christ. And do you ask, What is following Christ in this respect? Let Christ himself answer.
“And he saith unto another, Follow me. But he said, Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father. Jesus said unto him, Let the dead bury the dead, but go thou and preach.”—Preach what? That men should prepare for death? No; but preach—“The kingdom of God.” Luke ix, 59, 60.
Then “Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel (good tidings) of the kingdom of God, and saying, The time is fulfilled, and the Kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye and believe the good tidings.” Mark i, 14, 15.
Paul “went into the synagogue, and spake boldly for the space of three months, disputing and persuading the things concerning the KINGDOM OF GOD. But when divers (many) were hardened, and believed not, but spake evil of that way before the multitude”—What way? Why, disputing and persuading the things concerning the kingdom of God. That is, because he would preach the coming and kingdom of Christ, as the motive to induce men to repent and believe on Christ, &c., the church was displeased with it. Well, what did Paul do? Read on. He went out of the church and took all the disciples with him, and went over and hired a school-room where one Tyrannus taught school. And God blessed him richly, and wrought special miracles by his hands. Acts xix, 8–12.
Thus did Paul, rather than to cease preaching Adventism—the coming and kingdom of Christ—as the great motive to induce men to yield and to accept the claims of the gospel. And so, my brethren, let us go and preach the preaching Christ has bid us—“The kingdom of God.” Go into the churches and preach it; and when they become hardened, and believe not, but speak evil of this doctrine before the multitude, come out from them, leave the church, and take the disciples with you, and go and hire a school-house, hall or barn, or go into the street; anywhere, rather than yield the motive of the gospel—than preach “another gospel” than Christ’s coming and kingdom.
God commands you by this example of Paul to come out (and remember his will made known by example) as binding as though made known by precept) and have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness; obey him, and he will bless you abundantly, as he did Paul, and bring you safely through, justify and crown you, and give you the kingdom.
And now, my brethren, I exhort you to be faithful—“preach the word”—“go, preach the kingdom of God.” Fear not; God will protect you in the path of duty. And what your hands find to do, do with your might—do quickly—for Jesus our Lord is coming, and coming quickly, to give reward to his faithful servants.
Sinner! awake! awake!! repent. The Lord is coming, with all his mighty angels, to take vengeance on the wicked. Oh, sinner, flee to Christ—believe in him—lay hold on eternal life—quickly, quickly! or soon it will be too late.
The last sands of time are falling. The last woe comes quickly. Soon, soon the opening heavens will reveal Him. God help us all to be ready when he comes, to share with him in the glories of his everlasting kingdom. Amen.—Ad. Tract No. 2.
LOOK UP!
By S. A. H.
Look up, weary pilgrim, restrain that deep sigh,
Look up, your Redemption is now drawing nigh;
Look up, Christ is coming, he soon will be here;
Look up, the night hasteth, the morning is near.
Look up, you will shortly receive your reward,
Look up, ’tis not vain that you trust in the Lord;
Look up, and by faith see that glittering crown,
Look up, see the glory of God coming down.
Look up, and behold yonder King coming forth;
Look up, he will gather his own from the earth;
Look up, all the saints from their dusty beds rise,
Look up, their glad shouts now are rending the skies.
Look up, Faith has triumphed, they’re winging the air,
Look up, how resplendent, immortal and fair;
Look up, and go with them to that blissful home,
Look up, care-worn pilgrim, Redemption has come.
S. A. H.
Sabbath Observance and Self-Restraint
week. This proved a snare to the Jews, as is evident from the scripture now before us. And no doubt it is a snare to many at the present day, who seem desirous to make the Sabbath something more than a day of worldly business.
2. From the text before us we learn that when we cannot restrain others from the profanation of holy time, we should be sure and restrain ourselves. The Jews were now in a dependent state, and they were surrounded by those who did not regard the Sabbath. If they could not prevent the heathen from bringing their ware and victuals to market, still they could agree together, that they would not buy it of them on that day. If others will profane the Sabbath, we must see to it, that we do not suffer them to draw us into their loose and pernicious practices. If I cannot prevent my neighbor from introducing some worldly topic of discourse, unsuitable for the Sabbath, still I may waive it, or propose a topic more suitable to the day. If you cannot prevent a neighbor from calling to pay you a visit on that day, you can certainly keep from returning the visit on that day, if you cannot summon up courage to tell him plainly, that you do not wish to receive or pay visits on the holy Sabbath. It would no doubt be highly proper to manifest your disapprobation of this practice, both by words and actions. We further notice in this text, that those Jews, who seemed disposed for a thorough reformation, agreed not to buy any wares on the Sabbath, or on the holy day.
Isa. lviii, 13, 14. If thou turn away thy foot from the Sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on my holy day; and call the Sabbath a delight, the holy of the Lord honorable; and shalt honor him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words: then shalt thou delight thyself in the Lord; and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth, and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.
This passage reflects much light upon the holy Sabbath.
1. It points out three ways by which the sabbath is trodden under foot, or encroached upon.
1st. By doing our own ways. Six days are our own, in distinction from the seventh, which the Lord calls his day. By “our own ways,” in the place before us, we are to understand the same as our work, our business. In the commandment it is said, six days shalt thou labor and do all thy work. In the same way we are to understand “our own,” in this whole passage; not as necessarily implying that which would be wrong to be done on the working days; otherwise, piety would lead us to avoid them on other days, as well as the holy day of the Lord.
The second way, here mentioned, of encroaching on the Sabbath, is by doing or finding our own pleasure. Pleasure, in distinction from work, is recreation or amusement. Some recreations are vain and sinful on any day; these must of course be forbidden on the day which is holy to the Lord. Others, when under due regulations, are admissible on the week days; such as visiting our friends, or riding abroad to take the air, and please our eyes, and recreate our minds with the delightful scenes of nature: but these also are forbidden on the Sabbath. In the passage before us, the laying aside of our amusements and recreations is enjoined with emphasis. “If thou turn away thy foot from doing thy pleasure on my holy day;” It is repeated in the same verse, “nor finding thine own pleasure.”
It is said, there are some who are very scrupulous in not doing their own work, who think it perfectly lawful to find their own pleasure, or recreation, on the Lord’s holy day. Do not such resemble the teachers in the time of our Saviour, who made a mighty difference between swearing by the temple, and by the gold of the temple? They said, Whosoever shall swear by the temple, it is nothing; but whosoever shall swear by the gold of the temple, he is a debtor. So these seem to say, Whosoever shall labor on the Sabbath, he is an infidel; but whosoever shall only play on the Sabbath, he is a good Christian. To such it might be said, Ye fools and blind, for whether is the greater offence, to sneak away the Sabbath, or to sport it away? There is a great difference between the Lord’s holy days, and men’s hollidays. The former are days eminently designed to prepare us for heaven; the latter, are days peculiarly calculated to fit us for hell. If the Sabbath is considered as a holiday, a day of pastime, instead of a holy day, a day of religion, it must be, instead of the best, the worst, and most dangerous day in the week. It would seem that the devil could not have invented a stratagem more calculated to impede the progress of the Redeemer’s kingdom, and to build up his own, than this transformation of the Lord’s consecrated day, into a day of sport. I fear there are some parts of our country, where even taverns are haunted on the Lord’s day; where games are played, and horses run over the race-ground. Others, who would be ashamed to be seen in these crowds, and taken up with these sports, are riding out for their pleasure, or politely giving, or accepting, invitations to dinners, or to tea parties. If such are not down-right infidels, let them ask themselves, Is this keeping holy the Sabbath-day?
3d. Speaking our own words, is an encroachment on the Sabbath. After being told that we must not find our own pleasure, it is added, “nor speaking thine own words.” We may talk on the Sabbath, but it must be such talk as belongs to a day holy to the Lord. It must not be vain; it must not even be secular. Would there not be a strange incongruity in the command, if it strictly forbade labor and recreation, but allowed us to talk freely about them both, and lay out all the business and recreations of the week on the holy Sabbath?
Some, in quoting this passage, have added another clause, namely, “not thinking thine own thoughts.” This is not expressed in the text; but the sentiment is just, and it is easily gathered from what is expressed. Thoughts about the business or pleasures of the week, do, when they are indulged, pollute the Sabbath in His view, from whom no thought can be withheld.
2. From this important portion of scripture, we not only learn what we must not do, but also what we must do, if we would keep the Sabbath in such a manner, as to please the Lord of the Sabbath. 1st. We must call the Sabbath a delight. The Sabbath, a day sequestered from business, recreations, and worldly discourse, and consecrated to the worship of God, and spiritual improvement; is a striking emblem of heaven. The Lord requires that we love this day, considered as a holy day; that we anticipate it with desire, and welcome it when it arrives; and that we drop our secular business, and go into, and continue in, its holy services with great delight. Surely, they who love God will call the Sabbath a delight.
2d. We are here required to call “the holy of the Lord honorable.” The Sabbath is a standing memorial, that Jehovah is our Creator. It becomes us not to be ashamed of the day, which our Creator has sanctified and blessed; and which, in distinction from all other days, he calls his own. If it be a disgrace for us, to own ourselves to be his dependent offspring, and to be in need of his salvation, then we may well be ashamed of his day. We are ashamed of it, and of its Author, if we are ashamed to keep it, even in the strictest sense, holy to the Lord.
We are not only to call, or esteem, the holy of the Lord honorable, but we are so to spend it as to “honor Him.” The Sabbath is not truly sanctified by ever so strict an observance of it, if the glory of God is not regarded. The religion of the Bible requires that the ultimate end should always be to glorify God.
Lastly. From the portion of inspired truth before us, we learn that God has promised great good to those who truly sanctify his Sabbaths. “I will cause thee (i. e., on condition of delighting in the Sabbath and turning away from every encroachment upon it) to ride upon the high places of the earth, and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father; for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.” A regard to the Sabbath is supposed to be connected with obedience to the other commands of God. And it is most certain, that such a regard to the Sabbath as is described by the Prophet, will be attended with correspondent obedience to other divine requirements. And this is also certain, that a nation, or people, to whom God has made known his holy Sabbath, cannot expect his blessing, if they lightly esteem, and disregard it.
Exposition of Scripture.
By Burder
But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up. 2 Pet. iii, 10; See also Matt. xiv, 42–44.
There is not only the most terrible sublimity and solemn grandeur, but also much philosophical propriety, in this description of the awful dissolution of the heavens and the earth; when “The heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also, and the works that are therein shall be burned up,—Wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat.” As the heavens mean here the whole atmosphere, in which all the terrestrial vapors are lodged; and as water itself is composed of two gases, oxygen and hydrogen; and as the electric, or ethereal fire, is probably that which God will employ in the general conflagration; the noise occasioned by the application of this fire to such an immense congeries of aqueous particles as float in the atmosphere, must be terrible in the extreme. A piece of iron red hot placed over a drop of water on an anvil, and struck with a hammer above the drop, will cause a report as loud as a musket; when, then, the whole strength of these opposite agents is brought into a state of conflict, the noise, the thunderings, and innumerable explosions, (till every particle of water on the earth and atmosphere, is by the action of the fire, reduced to its component gaseous parts,) will be frequent, loud, confounding and terrific, beyond every comprehension but that of God himself. When the fire has thus conquered and decomposed the water, the elements, the hydrogen and oxygen airs, or gases, will occupy distinct regions of the atmosphere; the hydrogen by its great levity ascending to the top, while the oxygen from its superior gravity will keep upon, or near, the surface of the earth; and thus if different substances be once ignited, the fire, which is supported in this case not only by oxygen, which is one of the constituents of atmospheric air, but also by a great additional quantity of oxygen obtained from the decomposition of all the aqueous vapors, will rapidly seize on all other substances, on all terrestrial particles, and the whole frame of nature will necessarily be torn in pieces; and thus “the earth and its works be burnt up.” It is probable, however, they will merely be all separated and decomposed, but none of them destroyed. And, as they are the original matter out of which God formed the terraqueous globe, they may enter again into the composition of a new system; and therefore the Apostle says, “We look for a new heaven and a new earth;” the other being decomposed, a new system will be formed from their materials. “Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought we to be in all holy conversation and godliness, looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God.”—Burder.
SHALL I PRAY TO CHANCE?
An English lady, who had forsaken her God and her Bible for the gloom and darkness of infidelity, was crossing the Atlantic, and asked a pious sailor one morning how long they should be out. “In fourteen days, if it is God’s will, we shall be in Liverpool,” answered the sailor. “If it is God’s will,” said the lady: “what a senseless expression; don’t you know that all comes by chance?”
After a few days a terrible storm arose, and the lady stood clinging to the side of the cabin door in an agony of terror, when the sailor passed her. “What think you?” said she, “will the storm soon be over?” “It seems likely to last for some time, madam.” “Oh,” she cried, “do pray that we may not be lost.” His only and calm reply was, “Shall I pray to chance?”
THEOLOGICAL GEMS.
By John Nevins Andrews
Through the kindness of a friend I had the pleasure, a few days since, of attending the closing lecture of Prof. ——, before the graduating class of Theological Students in the city of ——. It was not the lecture, however, but the remarks which preceded it, that caused me the deepest interest. A few days prior to the lecture in question, the Professor had favored his class with a lecture on the Divine authority for the change of the Sabbath to the first day of the week. On the present occasion several members of the class asked the Professor a variety of questions concerning the arguments which he had adduced in his previous lecture to prove the change of the Sabbath. It was this part of the proceedings that I thought most interesting.
The Professor had assigned as his first reason for the change of the Sabbath, the statement that Christ met with his disciples on the day of his resurrection, and on successive first-days afterward. One of the class pointed him to the fact that besides the day of his resurrection, Christ did not at most meet with his disciples but one first-day afterward. See John xx, 19, 26. In view of this fact, the student asked the Professor what he meant by successive first-days. He replied by denying that the foregoing were all the first-days that Christ met with his disciples, and affirmed that he met with them, at least, eight or ten successive Sundays!
I could not help thinking that this was a most valuable piece of information for those who are hard pressed for Sunday argument, forming as it does a large addition to the existing stock. But when I remembered that the first chapter of Acts testifies that there were but forty days in all between the resurrection and the ascension of Christ, I came to the conclusion that Sundays must have occurred in former times every four or five days, or else the Professor had made an egregious blunder.
How did he know that Christ met with his disciples eight or ten successive Sundays? Certainly he did not learn such a thing by reading the New Testament. For, giving in the doubtful instance in John xx, 26, there are then but two first-days in all in which Christ met with his disciples. I ask again, where did he get his authority for a statement which is not sustained by a single text, and which directly contradicts the first chapter of Acts? The best answer may be gathered from his own statement, that had he thought that this subject would be called in question, he would have had his proof texts all looked up. But he had regarded this as so clear a subject that he thought that no one would call it in question. It occurred to me at this time that I had rather be ignorant of Popular Theology, than ignorant of the New Testament.
His second evidence that the Sabbath has been changed, [Acts xx, 7,] was then called in question by one of the students. The attention of the Professor was called to the fact that Paul on this occasion broke bread after midnight. So that if this was on Sunday morning, Paul used Sunday as a day for traveling from Troas to Assos! But if this was not upon Sunday, but upon Monday morning, then Paul honored Monday, and not Sunday, by the breaking of bread. To this he replied, that they had doubtless attended to the breaking of bread on Sunday, but as Paul was about leaving them for the last time they attended to it again on Monday. Another item of rare and valuable information!
After some further conversation on the reasons for changing the Sabbath to the first day of the week, the question was asked, whether it could be considered a sin for a non-professor to work on Sunday. It was decided that the sin would consist only in the neglect of the means of grace which he might otherwise attend on that day. I could not help wishing that some one would read Rom. iv, 15. “Where no law is, there is no transgression,” and then ask the question, Is it a sin for Christians to labor in any honest calling on Sunday, just as they would on Monday? In the face of the foregoing text, there are few persons of sufficient assurance to answer in the affirmative; and to honestly answer, No, would be to upset the Sunday fabric, and leave it in ruins.
In the course of this effort to show that the New Testament now requires the observance of the first day of the week, the doctrine was laid down that the fourth commandment never required anything more definite than one seventh part of time. As I listened to this idea, the question arose in my mind, How then could the Sabbath be changed to another day of the week? For, according to this logic, the commandment would have been carried out to the letter had men chosen Sunday in Old-Testament times, as the one day in seven to keep holy unto the Lord. But it may be said that the change consisted in substituting the first day of the week for the indefinite one-day-in-seven system, which had before prevailed.
But it struck me as singular, that the Professor, after having thus established to his entire satisfaction the doctrine that Sunday has been substituted for the day which men were once required by the fourth commandment to observe, and that this day is the divinely authorised memorial of redemption, should then gravely inform his class that Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday would answer equally as well as Sunday, as a day of religious observance. Thus tacitly acknowledging that the Sabbath had not been changed to Sunday, that Sunday was no better than any other day, and that it is as great a sin to work on Wednesday or Thursday, as on Sunday.
The question was finally proposed to the Professor, whether Christ did not, in Matt. xxiv, 20, recognize the existence of the original Sabbath as late as the destruction of Jerusalem? To this he replied that the inquirer seemed to regard the Sabbath as something definite, like baptism, whereas the term did not apply to a definite day, but simply meant the day that would be observed by them at that time, namely, the first day of the week. The idea, he said, was this: Christ taught his disciples to pray that their flight might not be on the day of their religious observation; as in such case they would be deprived of their accustomed means of grace. Those who can allow the falsification of God’s word, and have the weekly Sabbath of the Bible mean any day in the seven, which they choose, will doubtless receive this exposition with joy, and henceforth firmly believe that Christ taught his disciples to pray that their flight from Jerusalem might not occur upon the first day of the week!
The foregoing is a fair specimen of the arguments with which grave Doctors of Divinity overthrow the fourth commandment. Let the reader weigh them in the balances of truth, with the fourth commandment in the opposite scale, and let him decide the matter as it will be decided in the day of God.
There is no fact plainer than this in the Book of God, that the fourth commandment requires the observance of that day of the week which Jehovah rested upon and sanctified. If he rested upon one day in seven and no day in particular, this kind of reasoning which we have here presented is just. But if the Rest-day of the Lord means the day on which he rested, then the effort of Doctors of Divinity to make some other day his Rest-day or Sabbath, must prove a total failure.