Continuing our study
from the PRESENT TRUTH--
The Sabbath.
As the Sabbath was
made for man ; for the whole race of mankind; and as man has needed all its
blessings ever since it was first instituted in Eden ; it is reasonable to conclude that God designed that it
should be observed as strictly in one dispensation, as in another. I cannot see
any reasons why the Jew should keep it any more strictly, than the Christian. I
design to show that there is a perfect harmony in all the Scripture testimony
of both Testaments, in relation to the observance of the Holy Sabbath.
The fourth
commandment in the decalogue is the great Sabbath law. It is the standard to
which all other Scripture testimony relating to the Sabbath should be brought,
and carefully compared. "Remember
the sabbath-day to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labor, and do all THY work
: But the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not
do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy man-servant, nor thy
maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor the stranger that is within thy gates."
Ex. 20 : 8-10.
The great God
appointed six days for man to labor, and do ALL HIS work necessary for a
livelihood; but the seventh day he designed for man to rest from this world's
toil and labor, and engage in the service of his Creator. Such acts of mercy
and necessity, as alleviating the distressed, either man or beast; healing the
sick, and eating when hungry on the Sabbath, are no where in the Bible
forbidden by God ; and are no violation of the Sabbath law in the decalogue. I
know that some say that we cannot keep the Sabbath, as it is given in the Old
Testament ; but this is like most of the false assertions made by those who
oppose the true Sabbath. I am not ready
to admit that God has given us a law, that we cannot keep. I dare not
charge him with such injustice. The commandments of our holy and just God, are
not grievous, but joyous to those who keep them. Those who followed Jesus from
Galilee, saw his body put in Joseph's new tomb, then returned "and rested on the Sabbath according to the
COMMANDMENT." See Luke 23: 54-56. They could keep the
14 THE PRESENT TRUTH.
Sabbath according to
the law of God, after the ceremonial law was abolished, and so can we. Jesus
stripped off the traditions with which the blind Jew had covered the Sabbath,
and left it naked, resting on its own Eternal basis, the fourth commandment. The
Lord of the Sabbath-day kept his Father's commandments therefore, he and his disciples kept the
Sabbath according to the fourth commandment.
Mark this. Jesus and
his disciples even kept the law of Moses until the crucifixion ; so all must
see the folly of those who teach that they departed from the letter of the
Sabbath law! "The Scribes and, the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat : All,
therefore, whatsoever they bid you observe, that OBSERVE and DO : but do not ye
after their works : for they say and do not. Matt. 23 : 2, 3.
Jesus taught his
disciples to observe and do, even the law of Moses. His last meeting with them,
before he nailed it to his cross, was to keep the passover. How absurd then, is
the view which some are teaching, that Jesus and his disciples departed from the
letter of the Sabbath law, written on stones with the finger of Jehovah !! The
wicked Pharisees charged the disciples with departing from the letter of the
Sabbath law, when they plucked the ears of corn, and ate to satisfy present
hunger ; but Jesus proved to them on the ground, that it was a false charge. He
referred them to what David did when he was hungry ; also to the Priests in the
Temple who were blameless. The law of Moses required the Priests to offer
sacrifices on the Sabbath. " And on the Sabbath-day two lambs of the first
year without spot, and two tenth deals of flour for a meat-offering, mingled
with oil, and the drink offering thereof : This is the burnt-offering of every
sabbath, beside the continual burnt-offering, and his drink-offering." Num. 28: 9, 10.
The Priests then had
to labor on the Sabbath ; but it was no violation of the Sabbath law ; for it
was not that kind of labor prohibited in the fourth commandment. The law that
came by Moses, did not compel the Priests to violate the law written by the finger
of God. " Six days shalt thou labor and do all THY work." Man was to
attend to his own work during the six days; then rest from HIS work on the
seventh, and labor for God, who never designed that we should become
stationary, and inactive on his Sabbath. The words " labor," and
" work," in the fourth commandment, must be thus explained, to clear
the Priests in the Temple.
Eating on the
Sabbath when hungry, is no where forbidden in the Bible. Jesus and his
disciples were on their way to the synagogue, when the disciples plucked and
ate the corn ; and it was as lawful to eat that, when hungry on the Sabbath, as
any food. According to the law of Moses they had a right to pluck the ears of
corn with their hands, and eat. " When thou comest into the standing corn
of thy neighbor, then thou mayest pluck the ears with thine hand : but thou
shalt not move a sickle unto thy neighbor's stand-corn." Deut. 23 : 25.
Jesus never admitted
that he, or his disciples departed from the letter of the Sabbath law. No,
never; but always proved to his accusers, that what they did on the Sabbath was
lawful, or in strict accordance with the Sabbath law. On this ground, and no other,
were they GUILTLESS. "But if ye had known what this meaneth, I will have
MERCY, and not sacrifice, ye would not have condemned the guiltless." Mat.
12 : 7.
If they had known
that acts of mercy and necessity, such as eating when hungry, and _healing the
sick on the Sabbath, were lawful, they would never have falsely charged the
holy followers of Jesus with Sabbath-breaking.
Now who are ready to
take their stand with the wicked Pharisee, and charge the disciples, and their
holy Master, who said he had kept his Father's commandments, with departing
from the letter of the fourth commandment? The very thought of such a thing seems
awful! Rather let my right hand wither, and my tongue cleave to the roof of my
mouth, than to write, and speak, such a sentiment to the precious, waiting
flock. "And they asked him, saying, Is it lawful to heal on the
Sabbath-days ? that they might accuse him. And he said unto them, What man
shall there be among you, that shall have one sheep, and if it fall into a pit
on the Sabbath-day, will he not lay hold on it, and lift it out ? How much then
is a man better than a sheep? Wherefore it is LAWFUL to do well on the Sabbath
days." Matt. 12 : 10-12. The word lawful, signifies agreeably to law. In
this text it means agreeably to the Sabbath law. Mark this : Jesus did not give
them a new Sabbath law, nor intimate that the Sabbath law was to be RELAXED, or
changed ; but he exposed their hy-
THE PRESENT
TRUTH. 15
pocracy, in charging
him with Sabbath breaking, for healing the sick, when at the same time they
would relieve a dumb beast on the Sabbath. " How much then is a man better
than a sheep ?" He also taught them that such acts of mercy as to lift a
sheep out of a pit, and healing the sick on the Sabbath, was doing well, and
according to the Sabbath law. " Wherefore it is LAWFUL to do WELL on the
sabbath days." " And Jesus answering, spake unto the lawyers and
pharisees, saying, Is it LAWFUL to heal on the Sabbath-days? And they held
their peace. And he took him, and healed him, and let him go : And answered
them, saying, Which of you shall have an ass or an ox fallen into a pit, and
will not straightway pull him out on the Sabbath-day? AND THEY COULD NOT ANSWER
HIM AGAIN TO THESE THINGS." Luke xiv : 3-6.
Here again Jesus
referred the lawyers and Pharisees to the Sabbath law, and with it he closed
their mouths, so that they could not answer him. If he had intimated that the
Sabbath law was to be relaxed, and he had a right to depart from its letter,
they would have railed on him ; but instead of this, he appealed to the letter
of the law, and their manner of observing it, and proved to them that what he
had done was LAWFUL.
When Jesus healed
the daughter of Abraham, the ruler of the synagogue was filled with
indignation, and said unto the people, " There are six days in which men
ought to work : in them therefore come and be healed, and not on the
sabbath-day. The Lord then answered him, and said, Thou hypocrite, doth not
each one of you on the Sabbath loose his ox or his ass from the stall, and lead
him away to watering ?" Luke 13 : 11-17.
This reply from the
Saviour silenced the ruler of the synagogue, and put all his adversaries to
shame; " and all the people rejoiced for all the glorious things that were
done by him." They were all convinced that it was LAWFUL and right for Jesus
to heal on the Sabbath, or they would not have REJOICED.
We are sometimes
referred to the case of the impotent man who was healed, and took up his bed
and walked on the Sabbath, at the command of Jesus. It is said that he carried
a burden ; therefore he, and his Master, who said to him, "Rise, take up
thy bed and walk," broke the Sabbath. It is true that God by Jeremiah,
forbid the Jews carrying burdens in or
out of the gates of Jerusalem on the Sabbath. He also promised them if they
would diligently hearken unto him, and bring no burden through the gates of the
city on the Sabbath-day ; but hallow the Sabbath-day, to do no work therein,
that their city should remain FOREVER. Jer. 17: 19-25.
Jeremiah has not
shown us so definitely what kind of burdens are forbidden as Nehemiah. "
In those days saw I in Judah some treading wine-presses on the Sabbath, and
bringing in sheaves, and loading asses; as also wine, grapes, and figs, and all
manner of burdens, which they brought into Jerusalem on the sabbath-day : and I
testified against them in the day wherein they sold victuals?' Neh. 13: 15.
Here Nehemiah has
shown us that it is burdens of merchandise, that were brought into Jerusalem on
the Sabbath, that God has forbidden to be borne on the Sabbath. Now let the
reader compare carrying burdens of merchandise to market to sell for worldly
gain, with the healed impotent man with his bed, praising God, and the
difference will be seen. One was laborious, and for worldly gain : the other
was for the glory of God. One was a violation of the fourth commandment ; but
the other was an act of mercy, which manifested the mighty power of God. It was
doing well on the Sabbath; therefore it was lawful.
I fear I shall weary
those who understand the Sabbath question, with this lengthy article. My object
in being so particular, is to spread out the whole truth before those who have
not carefully investigated this glorious, harmonious subject. I will notice two
more objections to the true Sabbath, and leave this subject for the present.
One objection is, that the Jews were forbidden by God to kindle fires on the
Sabbath : and if we keep it as strictly as they did, we cannot kindle a fire on
the Sabbath. If we look at this objection in its true light, the difficulty
will all vanish. This direction concerning kindling fires on the Sabbath, was
given to Israel in the wilderness, when God was feeding them with manna from
heaven. They were a strong, healthy people in a mild climate. Their clothes
were miraculously preserved, and their food was given them from heaven. God
told them to cook their manna on the sixth day ; therefore they had no use for
a fire on the Sabbath. If they had kindled fires to cook their manna, or to
wash their clothes on the Sabbath, it would have been a plain violation of the
fourth command-
16 THE PRESENT TRUTH.
ment, as it was the
work which God designed for the, six days. We are differently situated. Our
constitutions and climate are such, that we need the heat of a fire a portion
of the year to keep us suitably warm. We kindle a fire on the Sabbath a portion
of the year, as an 'act of mercy, and necessity, the same as we would water an
ox or a horse, or lift a sheep out of a pit ; therefore it is lawful and right.
But it is as wrong to kindle fires now, in the mild portion of the year, to
cook our food on the Sabbath, which may be cooked on the sixth day, as it was
for the Jews. The sixth day is the preparation day, and if we neglect any of
the work of this day, and do it on the seventh, we desecrate the Holy Sabbath.
The Sabbath law forbids our doing on the seventh day, that which can be done on
the sixth; but acts of mercy and necessity, which cannot be done on the sixth
day are lawful on the Sabbath.
A reasonable, and
Scriptural observance of the Sabbath law will not freeze us, nor starve us; for
the law is " HOLY," "JUST," and " GOOD."
The other objection
to the true Sabbath which I will here mention, is the case of the man that was
stoned to death for gathering sticks on the Sabbath. We are not told what kind
of sticks he gathered, nor to what use he intended them ; but the best inference
is, that he gathered them for fuel to make a fire to bake and seethe their
manna. God said to them by Moses, "To-morrow is the rest of the holy
sabbath unto the Lord ; bake that which ye will bake today, and seethe that ye
will seethe." As they were to do all their cooking on the sixth day, this
man in gathering fuel on the Sabbath was certainly doing the work of the sixth
day, on the seventh, and was violating the fourth commandment. " Abide ye
every man in his place, let no man go out of his place on the seventh
day." Ex.24: 29. It was a violation of the express orders of Jehovah, for
them to go out into the field to gather manna, or fuel on the Sabbath. It was
doing on the seventh day the work of the sixth, and was a bold transgression of
the Sabbath law, written with the finger of God. It was as wrong for them to
gather sticks for fuel on the Sabbath, as it would be for us to chop and draw
wood on God's holy day. If we should do this, all the world would unite in
saying that we had broken the fourth commandment. Some will almost stone us
now, for doing such things on the first day of the week, the Pope's Sabbath.
(((Remember this was written in the 1800's))))
The children of
Israel while in the wilderness were not to go out of their places on the
Sabbath to gather manna, or do any other work which should have been done on
the sixth day ; but after this they did go out of their places on the Sabbath ;
not to do servile work, but to worship God. The Jews had what they called a
Sabbath day's journey, and certainly they had to go out of their places, or
dwelling to walk about one mile. The wages or penalty of transgressing the law
of God was, and still is, Eternal Death. " For the wages of sin is
DEATH." Rom. 6 : 23. And " sin is the transgression of the law."
1 John 3: 4. During the ministration of the law of God by Moses, the wilful
transgressor was immediately stoned to death : but under the ministration of
God's law by Jesus Christ, it is long-suffering and tender mercy. In this
better dispensation, God for Jesus' sake spares the life of the transgressor
that he may turn and keep the law of God, and find pardon through Jesus Christ,
and live.
During the time of
the first covenant, which was faulty, stern justice cut the transgressor down ;
but since Jesus has been our only sacrifice and Priest, MERCY, the excellency
and glory of the better covenant, has interposed, and given the transgressor of
the holy law of God a chance to repent of his sin, and find a full and free
pardon of all his sins, through the precious blood of Jesus. The Gospel never
required that a man should be stoned to death for stealing, or swearing. No,
never; still this does not prove that there is no law for stealing and
swearing. " Where no law is there is no transgression." Rom. 4 : 15.
If there is no law for keeping the Sabbath, stealing, and swearing, because the
Gospel does not require that the transgressor should be stoned, then men may
steal, swear, and desecrate the Holy Sabbath, and be pure in the sight of God ;
for " WHERE NO LAW IS, THERE IS NO TRANSGRESSION." The full, and
final penalty of the law of- God is not done away—no, no. This, and also the law, the transgressor will
meet in the judgment. Those who were stoned to death under the first covenant
will also meet the final penalty there. Dear reader, be not deceived by those
who oppose the true Sabbath. Their poor objections will all vanish, when held
up to the light of Bible truth. Be not turned away from this harmonious present
truth by their fables.
To Be Continued…..
*******
Taken from-
THE PRESENT
TRUTH,
PUBLISHED
SEMI-MONTHLY—BY JAMES WHITE.
Vol. 1. MIDDLETOWN, CONN. AUGUST, 1849. No.2
*******
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!
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