or. xvi, 2.
The readiness with which men grasp at every thing that can be made to
support this first-day Sabbath, may be seen in the use made of this text. It is first
claimed that Paul commanded a public collection on that day, and then it is
inferred that He, who once commanded that we remember and keep holy the day
of his rest, had now changed his mind and would have us remember and keep
holy the day on which he began to labor. But
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it is a remarkable fact that Paul enjoins exactly the reverse of a public collection.
He does not say "Place your alms in the public treasury on the first day of the
week;" but he says, "Upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by
him in store." The text, therefore, does not prove that the Corinthian church was
assembled for public worship on that day, but on the contrary, it does prove that
each must be at his own home, where he could examine his worldly affairs, and
lay by himself in store as God has prospered him. If each one should thus, from
week to week, collect of his earnings, when the Apostle should come, their
bounty would be ready, and each would be able to present to him what they had
gathered. The method of giving, enjoined in the New Testament, is the reverse of
a public contribution. "But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what
thy right hand doeth; that thine alms may be in secret; and thy Father which
seeth in secret, himself shall reward thee openly." Matt. vi, 3, 4. This humble,
unostentatious method of giving alms in secret, was what Paul enjoined upon the
Corinthians. So that if the first-day Sabbath has no better foundation than the
inference drawn from this text, it truly rests upon sand.
7. John was in the Spirit upon the Lord's day, which is the first day of the
week. Rev. i, 10.
It is peculiarly unfortunate for the advocates of a change of the Sabbath, that
in every instance they are obliged to assume the very point which they ought to
prove. This text is clear proof that there is a day in the gospel dispensation which
the Lord claims as his. But is there one text in the Book of God that testifies that
the first day of the week is the Lord's day! There is not one. Has God ever
claimed the day as his! Never. Has God ever claimed any day as his, and
reserved it to himself? He has. "And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified
it; because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and
made." Gen. ii, 3. "To-morrow is the rest of the holy Sabbath unto the Lord thy
God." Ex. xvi, 23. "But the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God." Ex.
xx, 10. "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," etc.
Isa. lviii, 13. "Therefore, the Son of man is Lord also of the Sabbath." Mark ii, 28.
Then
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the seventh day is the day which God reserved to himself, when he gave to man
the other six; and this day he calls his holy day. This is the day which the New
Testament designates the Son of man as Lord of. Is there one testimony in the
Scriptures that the Lord of the Sabbath has put away his holy day and chosen
another! Not one. Then that day which the Bible designates as the Lord's day, is
none other than the Sabbath of the fourth commandment.
We see, therefore, that there is no authority for the change of the Sabbath;
hence, those who believe in a Sabbath, must either resort to the so-called
Christian Fathers for proof of the change, or they must observe the Sabbath
according to the commandment. The history of the change will be given
hereafter. But we now ask, what right have the elders of the Christian church to
change the fourth commandment, any more than the elders of the Jewish church
had to change the fifth! The Pharisees pretended that they had a tradition
handed down from Moses, which authorized them to change the fifth
commandment; the Papist and Protestant Doctor of Divinity pretend that they
have a tradition handed down from Christ and the apostles, authorizing them to
change the fourth. But if Christ rebuked the Pharisees for holding a damnable
heresy, what would he not say to the like act on the part of his own professed
follows! Matt. xv, 3-9. And further, if we allow the Fathers to corrupt the fourth
commandment, must we not also admit their right to corrupt all the ordinances of
the News Testament! And as they have established purgatory, invocation of
saints, the worship of the virgin Mary, etc., must we not receive those also?
The Protestant professes to receive the Bible alone as his standard of faith
and practice. The Papist receives the Bible and the tradition of the Fathers as his
rule. The Protestant cannot prove the change of the Sabbath from his own
standard, (the Bible,) therefore he is, on this point, obliged to adopt that of the
Papist. viz: the Bible as explained and corrupted by the Fathers. The change of
the Sabbath is proved by Papists as follows:
"Ques. What warrant have you for keeping the Sunday, preferably to the
ancient Sabbath which was the Saturday?
"Ans. We have for it the authority of the Catholic Church, and apostolic
tradition.
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"Q. Does the Scripture any where command the Sunday to be kept for the
Sabbath?
"A. The Scripture commands us to hear the Church, (Matt. xviii, 17; Luke x,
16,) and to hold fast the traditions of the apostles. 2 Thess. ii, 15. But the
Scripture does not in particular mention this change of the Sabbath. John speaks
of the Lord's day [Rev. i, 10;] but he does not tell us what day of the week this
was, much less does he tell us that this day was to take the place of the Sabbath
ordained in the commandments. Luke also speaks of the disciples meeting
together to break bread on the first day of the week. Acts xx, 7. And Paul [1 Cor.
xvi, 2] orders that on the first day of the week the Corinthians should lay by in
store what they designed to bestow in charity on the faithful in Judea; but neither
the one nor the other tells us that this first day of the week was to be
henceforward the day of worship, and the Christian Sabbath; so that truly, the
best authority we have for this, is the testimony and ordinance of the church. And
therefore, those who pretend to be so religious of the Sunday, whilst they take no
notice of other festivals ordained by the same church authority, show that they
act by humor, and not by reason and religion; since Sundays and holy-days all
stand upon the same foundation viz: the ordinance of the church.
"Q. What was the reason why the weekly Sabbath was changed from the
Saturday to the Sunday?
"A. Because our Lord fully accomplished the work of our redemption by rising
from the dead on a Sunday, and by sending down the Holy Ghost on a Sunday;
as therefore the work of our redemption was a greater work than that of our
creation, the primitive church thought the day on which this work was completely
finished, was more worthy her religious observation than that in which God
rested from the creation, and should be properly called the Lord's day." --Catholic
Christian Instructed. Chapter xxiii.
This testimony from the "Right Rev. Dr. Challoner," shows conclusively that
the fourth commandment, which the New Testament has never changed, has
been corrupted by the Romish Church. And in this testimony we find the authority
of the Protestant church for saying that the commandment was changed because
redemption was greater than creation.
We have seen that there is no divine authority for the change of the Sabbath,
and that the various arguments urged in its behalf are totally destitute of
foundation in the word of God. And we here see that the principal of these
arguments were invented
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by the church of Rome. The change of the Sabbath, therefore, rests upon the
Papal church. Those who despise the Lord's Sabbath, and in its stead honor the
Sabbath of the Romish church, virtually acknowledge that the Papal apostasy is
above God and able to change his times and laws. Dan. vii, 25; 2 Thess. ii.
Those who believe in a change of the Sabbath of the Lord, should look at
these facts: The Sabbath of the Lord means the Rest-day of the Lord. Six days
the Almighty wrought in the work of creation. The seventh day he rested from all
his work. The Sabbath, or Rest-day of the Lord, is, therefore, a definite day,
which can no more be changed to one of the days upon which God wrought, than
the resurrection day can be changed to one of the days upon which Christ did not
rise, or the crucifixion day be changed to one of the six days of the week upon
which Christ was not crucified. Hence, it is as impossible to change the Rest-day
of the Lord, as it is to change the crucifixion day, or the day of the resurrection.
To all who read this article we submit one question: Must it not be sinful in the
sight of Heaven for men to change the Sabbath of the Lord, for another day, and
then steal that commandment which guards the holy Sabbath, to enforce the
observance of that new day!
