Is the Law sin? God forbid.

Continued from yesterday…

Scriptures usually quoted to prove the abolition of the Sabbath examined.

The principal portions of Scripture quoted to sustain the no-Sabbath doctrine, are all from the epistles of the Apostle Paul. It is my object to prove to the reader, that these Scriptures do not mean what they are said to mean ; and that they do not present the least evidence for the abolition of the weekly Sabbath.

We will first take a view of some of the trials of the early Church, and the Apostle's labours with them in their trials. A portion of the Christian Church were converts from the circumcision, or Jews, and a

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portion from the, uncircumcision, or Gentiles. The converts from the Jewish Church were still inclined to hold on to, and practice many of the ceremonies and customs of the Jewish religion, in which they had been educated; while the Gentile Christians were free from these customs, as they had not been educated in them.

Peter did not see that the Gospel was for the Gentiles, until God gave him a vision upon the house top, and sent him to preach to them at the house of Cornelius. He would not eat with the Gentiles, or keep company with them, until he was shown that God was " no respecter of persons." Acts 10. 1-45

Certain men came down from Judea, and taught the brethren that they must, be circumcised in order to be saved. " Paul and Barnabus had no small dissention and disputation with them, and went up to Jerusalem unto the Apostles and elders about this question." There they were met by certain of the sect of the Pharisees, which believed, who said "that it was needful to circumcise them, and to command them to keep the law of Moses." After they had discussed this question, they came to the - following conclusion which they wrote and sent to the brethren which were of the Gentiles in Antioch, and Syria, and Cilicia."

"For it seemed good to the Holy Ghost, and to us, to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things.; that ye abstain from meats offered to idols, and from blood, and from things strangled, and from fornication : from which if ye keep yourselves; ye shall do well. Fare ye well." Acts 15 : 28, 29.

With these facts before the mind, turn to Paul's epistle to the Galatians, where it is said that the Apostle has taught the abolition of the Sabbath. The apostle says, " 0 FOOLISH Galatians, who hath bewitched you, that ye should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently' set forth, crucified among you? This only would I learn of you. Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith." Gal. 3. 1, 2.

It is very evident who had bewitched them. From what the Apostles says in the first and second chapters, it is clear that the Church in Galatia had been led from the truth of the Gospel 'by Judaizing teachers, who had commanded them to be circumcised, and to keep the law of Moses. Paul speaks in his second chapter, of the conference at Jerusalem with the Apostles and elders on this question, recorded in the Acts 16.  He then states that he with- stood Peter to the face " because he was to be blamed," for eating with the Gentile Christians in the absence of those of the circumcision, and then when they were present refusing to eat with the Gentiles. "But when I saw that they walked not uprightly according to the truth of the Gospel, I said unto. Peter before them all. If thou being a Jew, livest after the manner of the Gentiles, and not as do the Jews,. why compellest thou the Gentiles to live as do the Jews." Gal. ii : 14.

I have been thus particular that the reader may clearly see, and understand the Apostle's subject, in his epistle to the Galatians.

They had left the simplicity of faith in Jesus, and were turning back to the deeds of the law of Moses, which had been dead 25 years.

Paul speaks of circumcision, of their observing days, and months, and times, and years, and eating with the Gentiles; 11 of which related wholly to the ceremonial laws of Moses, and had no reference to the moral law of God, the ten commandments.

"Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace." Gal. 5: 4.

This text is frequently quoted by the no Sabbath teachers to show that those who are keeping the seventh day Sabbath have fallen from grace. Now if we fall from grace for keeping the fourth commandment in the decalogue, do they not fall from grace for keeping the first, third, fifth, seventh, or eighth commandment in the same law ? If we fall from grace by keeping the Sabbath commandment, we cannot be restored again to grace until we break it. And by the same rule those who are keeping the third, fifth, and eighth commandments, must dishonour their parents, swear, and steal, before they can be restored by divine grace."

I leave the reader to decide as to the justness of this startling conclusion. My desire is, to hold up to view, the no-Sabbath, no commandment system in its true, hideous, and crooked form, that the reader may not be devoured by it. If we fall from' grace by teaching the Sabbath; then St. Paul, and all the Apostles fell from grace, by teaching the commandments.

"Children, obey your parents in the Lord; for this is right. Honour thy father and mother, (which is the first commandment with promise.") Eph. 4 : 1, 2.

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This is the first commandment of the decalogue which has a promise annexed to it, and the first on the second table of stone. There is not a man, or woman in the world, who believes that the Apostle fell from grace for urging upon the Ephesians the claims of the fifth commandment in the moral law.

Neither is there a man or woman, who really believes that we have fallen from grace, (for the sin of Sabbath-keeping as some would have it,) for keeping and teaching the fourth commandment. Those who give -this impression do not really believe any such thing, but they seem willing to give this wrong impression, in order to hide the Sabbath truth.

"One man esteemeth one day above another ; another esteemeth every day alike. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind.

He that regardeth the day, regardeth it unto the Lord ; and he that regardeth not the day to the Lord he doth not regard it. He that eateth, eateth to the Lord, for he giveth God thanks ; and he that eateth not, to the Lord he eateth not, and giveth God thanks." Rom. 14 : 5, 6.

If we would understand the Apostle's subject and argument, we must read the whole chapter.

The Christians at Rome were labouring under trials, similar to those in other Churches. Some of them were holding on to the Jewish customs of eating, and feastdays, and others were opposed to these, customs. Paul's greatest trial with them, was their judging one another, and making these things a test of Christian fellowship.

"Let not him that eateth, despise him that eateth not; and let not him which eateth not, judge him that eateth ; for God hath received him." Rom. 14 : 3. He is here teaching them a lesson of Christian forbearance in those things which were not a test of fellowiship. He would have every man fully persuaded, and established, as to his own duty in regard to eating, and feastdays; then act conscientiously before God. Such a course was acceptable to God, therefore it was wrong to judge one another.

The Apostle was "all things to all men," that "by all means" he might "save some." He even had Timotheus circumcised, because of the Jews. See. Acts 16. This Jewish custom was not to be observed by the Christian Church, still, Paul would have his fellow labourer, (whose father was a Greek) circumcised, that they might better find access to the Jews.

" Circumcision is nothing, and uncircumcision is nothing, but the keeping of the commandments of God IS SOMETHING." See Whiting's translation. Cor. 7 : 19.

The keeping of the commandments of God, is no where spoken of in the- New Testament as a thing 'of little importance, as circumcision, eating, and feast-days are; but it is always made a test of Christian fellowship, and Eternal Salvation.

"He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. " 1 John 2: 4. " If thou wilt enter into life 'keep the commandments." Mat. 29: 17. "For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments." 1 John 5 : 3.

There is no evidence that St. Paul has reference to any of the commandments of God in his fourteenth chapter to the Romans. His subject is eating, and feast-days which some of the Church regarded, and others did not. The word eateth is mentioned in this chapter eleven times, eat three, meat four, drink twice, but the Sabbath (which the no-Sabbath teachers understand to be the subject of this chapter,) is not once mentioned. Those who have relied on this chapter as proof of the abolition of the Sabbath, have guessed at Paul's meaning, but if they will carefully examine the whole chapter, with a desire to get the truth, they will see that they have guessed wrongly.  If we read only the fifth and sixth verses of this chapter, without an understanding of the Apostle's subject, we may infer that the Sabbath is meant. But an understanding of his subject, his trials, and his labour with his brethren at Rome, destroys all grounds for even an inference, that he refers to the seventh-day Sabbath.

Now let the reader bear this in mind, that Rom. 14 : 5, 6, is one of the four, or five texts which support the whole no-commandment, no Sabbath argument. I have shown that the no-Sabbath system has no foundation in this portion of Scripture ; and by the help of the Spirit of truth, I will show that it has no foundation in the Scriptures of truth.

It is time for us to be fully awake to the whole truth in relation to the Sabbath; and not be deceived by those who are making void the law of God. 0, that God would wake up the " little flock," and show them all, His Sabbath.

To be Continued.

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We are now studying - 'The Present Truth' papers published in the middle 1800's. These are called the 'Present Truth' because it WAS Present Truth for that time. So why study them now? Because TRUTH at any time is worth studying, and we KNOW that often ORIGINAL truth presented before Satan has had an opportunity to corrupt it, can be very enlightening. At the very least we will see, by the grace of God, through the Holy Spirit, what truth then is still uncorrupted today and still very relevant for us living in these dark, dark times. Our world today compared to a hundred and seventy years ago is so much worse than it was, with so much evil being called good, and good being called evil.  May God bless us as we seek HIS truth for us in our present, bringing us only closer to Him and prayerfully the Second Coming of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!

THE PRESENT TRUTH.

PUBLISHED SEMI-MONTHLY—BY JAMES WHITE.

Vol.l.  MIDDLETOWN, CONN, JULY, 1849.  No. 1.