"Verily my Sabbaths ye shall keep; for it is a sign between
me an you throughout your generations; that ye may know that I am the Lord that
doth SANCTIFY you." "Wherefore the children of Israel shall keep the Sabbath, to
observe the Sabbath throughout their generations, for a PERPETUAL covenant."
It is a sign between me and the children of Israel FOREVER:
FOR in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day he rested
and was refreshed." Ex.xxxi:13-17.
The Sabbath then is a sign, or seal between GOD and his
people forever. It is a perpetual covenant between them. Will some one show us
the end of a perpetual covenant, given for a sign forever? The only reason here
given why the Sabbath is a perpetual sign, is, "for in six days the Lord made
heaven and earth, and on the seventh he rested." This shows that the Sabbath was
given for a weekly memorial. The passover was given for a memorial to Israel to
remind them of their deliverance from bondage, and that they should not forget
GOD, who passed over their houses in slaying their first-born, and with strength
of hand brought them out of Egypt.
The communion of the body and blood of Christ was given for a
memorial to the Church, that we may not forget the sufferings and death of the
Lamb of GOD.
So the Sabbath was given to man for a weekly memorial, that
on the seventh day he might dismiss all servile labor and care, and look back to
the creation and holy rest, and thus call to mind, worship and adore the great
Jehovah. If man had kept the weekly rest, he would never have forgotten GOD, who
made heaven and earth. "The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the
nations that forget GOD." Ps.ix:17.
This view gives the Sabbath its just weight of importance.
How wise and wonderful the plan of Jehovah, laid out in the beginning. Man was
to labour six days, and on the seventh day rest from servile labour and care. He
was to look to the heavens, the earth, the sea, and all things, even himself -
the noblest of creation, and thus call to mind the Living God.
The two Laws.
There is a clear distinction between the law of Moses, and
the law of God in the Holy Scriptures.
The law of Moses, was a law of carnal ceremonies, written by
the HAND of Moses in a BOOK.
The law of God, is the ten commandments, written by the
FINGER of GOD on TWO TABLES OF STONE.
One is called the BOOK of the COVENANT, the other, the TABLES
of the COVENANT.
The law of Moses, was a law of shadows, which were abolished
when the new, second, and better covenant came. Its "carnal rites," "burnt
offerings and sacrifices," "meats and drinks, and divers washings," were all
"nailed to the cross" when the Lamb of God shed his most precious blood.
The law of God is a law of realities, bodies, never to be
abolished.
Those who confound these two laws in one, cannot see, and
feel the force of the commandments of God, and are in great danger of settling
down on the modern view, that the seventh day Sabbath is abolished. I will here
introduce the two classes of texts which distinctly show the two laws, praying
the Lord to guide the candid reader to a thorough examination of this subject.
The Law of Moses.
"And it came to pass, when Moses had made an end of writing
the words of this law in a BOOK, until they were finished, that Moses commanded
the Levites which bare the ark of the covenant of the Lord, saying, take this
BOOK of the law, and put it in the SIDE of the ark of the covenant of the Lord
your God." Deut.xxxi:24-26. See verses 9-11.
"And when they brought out the money that was brought into
the house of the Lord, Hilkiah the priest found a BOOK of the law of the Lord,
given by the HAND of Moses." (See marg.) 2Chron.xxxiv:14.
"And he read in their ears all the words of the BOOK of the
COVENANT that was found in the house of the Lord." See 2Chron.xxxiv:30.
"And he read in their ears all the words of the BOOK of the
COVENANT which was found in the house of the Lord." 2Kings xxiii:2.
"And the king commanded all the people, saying, keep the
passover unto the Lord your God, as it is written in the BOOK of this COVENANT."
2Kings xxiii:21.
"And they spake unto Ezra the scribe, to bring the BOOK of
the law of Moses, which the Lord had commanded to Israel." See Neh.viii:1-3.
"Then said I, lo, I come (in the volume of the BOOK it is
written of me,) to do thy will, O God." Heb.x:7; Gal.iii:10.
"Have ye not read in the BOOK of Moses." Mark xii:26.
The Law of God, or the ten Commandments.
"And the Lord said unto Moses, come up to me into the mount,
and be there: and I will give thee TABLES OF STONE, and a law, and commandments
which I HAVE WRITTEN; that thou mayest teach them." Ex.xxiv:12.
"And he gave unto Moses, when he had made an end of communing
with him upon mount Sinai, two tables of testimony, tables of stone written with
the FINGER OF GOD." Ex.xxxi:18.
"And the tables were the work of God, and the writing was the
WRITING OF GOD, graven upon the tables." See Ex.xxii:15-16.
"And he wrote upon the tables the words of the COVENANT, THE
TEN COMMANDMENTS." See Ex.xxxiv:28,29.
"And he declared unto you HIS COVENANT, which he commanded
you to perform, EVEN TEN COMMANDMENTS; and he wrote them upon two tables of
stone." Deut.iv:13.
"And it came to pass at the end of forty days and forty
nights, that the Lord gave me the two tables of stone, EVEN THE TABLES OF THE
COVENANT." See Deut.ix:9-11; v:22.
Here we see two laws, and two covenants; one written by the
hand of Moses in a book, the other written with the finger of God on two tables
of stone.
The ark of the covenant - a small chest, four feet six inches
and eleven sixteenths long, and two feet, eight inches and thirteen sixteenths
wide, and high, was made purposely to contain the covenant of commandments. See
Ex.xxv:10-16; Deut.x:5; Kings viii:9; Heb.ix:4. The place for the ark in the
tabernacle and temple, was the most holy within the second vail. Here in the
holiest place on earth God placed his covenant, his law, his testimonies, even
the ten commandments. St. John in holy vision, in the isle, Patmos, A. D. 96,
saw the true sanctuary which the "Lord pitched, and not man," of which Christ is
a minister or priest, in the third heavens, and has written -
"And the temple of God was opened in heaven, and there was
seen in his temple the ark of his testament." Rev.xi:19.
The typical sanctuary, pitched by man on earth in which was
placed the ark of the testimony, was destroyed A. D. 70, 26 years before John
had his revelation; therefore he could see no other Temple of God, and ark but
those in the third heavens. John while in prophetic vision, looked down the
stream of time to the great anti-typical tenth day of the seventh month
atonement, (the only time for Jesus to open the "temple of the tabernacle of the
testimony in heaven;" Rev.xv:5-8, and pass within the second vail, and cleanse
the sanctuary,) and saw the Most Holy of the Heavenly Sanctuary opened, and in
it he saw the ark of the ten commandments. Yes, reader, God's covenant of
commandments is an everlasting covenant, perpetuated and preserved in the Heaven
of Heavens. A change of dispensations has not broken, nor altered it.
"If they break my statutes, and keep not my commandments;
Then will I visit their transgressions." "My covenant will I NOT BREAK NOR ALTER
THE THING THAT IS GONE OUT OF MY LIPS." See Ps.lxxxix:31-34. God first spake the
ten commandments from Sinai, then with his holy finger wrote them on tables of
stone. The Pope has altered the Sabbath commandment from the seventh, to the
first day of the week. God has not done it. He said he would not "break, nor
alter" his covenant.
Read what God has said on this important subject by
Isa.xxiv:1-6. "Behold, the Lord maketh the earth empty, and maketh it waste. And
it shall be, as with the people, so with the priest." "The land shall be utterly
emptied, and utterly spoiled: for the Lord hath spoke this word." "The earth
also is defiled under the inhabitants thereof; BECAUSE they have transgressed
the LAWS, changed the ORDINANCE, broken the EVERLASTING COVENANT. Therefore hath
the curse devoured the earth, and they that dwell therein are desolate:
therefore the inhabitants of the earth are BURNED, and few men left." All this
is to come upon the inhabitants of the earth, (with the exception of the "few
men," who keep the whole law,) for changing the ordinance, (the Sabbath, from
the seventh to the first day of the week,) and breaking the law of God. If men
could see, and feel the awful importance of keeping God's holy law, they would
tremble at the word of the Lord.
The ten commandments are the foundation of the whole Bible.
They are God's moral, royal law, given to man to live by, and by it he will be
judged. In our courts of justice, men are tried by the same laws that are given
them to live by. Then we cannot avoid the conclusion, that we are to meet the
ten commandments in the day of judgement, at the bar of God.
"So speak ye, and so do, as they that shall be judged by the
law of liberty." James ii:12. This law is called the royal law vs. 8th, for it
came forth from the King Eternal. James has quoted two of the commandments from
the decalogue in vs.11th, which shows that the royal law of liberty by which man
is to be judged, is the ten commandments. Reader, how will you feel before the
great white throne, when judged by the law of God, if you break the fourth
commandment - the Sabbath law.
The two Laws in the New Testament.
This is a very important subject. By not having a correct
view of this subject many have stumbled, and have been kept from the Sabbath
truth. It is my object to show that the word law, in the New Testament, does not
apply to one and the same law; but sometimes it applies to the ceremonial law of
Moses, and sometimes to the moral law of God, the ten commandments.
If the word law so often used by St. Paul, refers to only one
law, then certainly, the apostle has often contradicted himself. Here I will
give two texts from his epistles, which speak of the law, that the reader may
plainly see the contradiction, if but one law is meant.
"Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are
justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace." Gal.v:4.
"For not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the
doers of the law shall be justified." Rom.ii:13.
Has the Apostle contradicted what he wrote to the Galatians,
in his letter to the Romans two years after? This, no believer in the Bible will
admit. When we apply the word law as we should there is no contradiction. The
language of the text, and its connection will determine the application.
When Paul speaks of the law in Rom.ii:12-22, he refers to the
moral law of commandments. This fact he settles in verses 21,22, by quoting
three commandments from the decalogue.
When he speaks of the law in Gal.v:4, he refers to the
ceremonial law of Moses. This is clear, and established by the fact that Paul is
speaking of circumcision, and eating with the Gentiles, and does not refer to
the moral law.
St. Paul's letter to the Romans was written A. D. 60. Read
what he says to them of the law, 27 years after the law of Moses was abolished
and dead.
"Wherefore the law IS HOLY, and the commandment holy, and
JUST, and GOOD." Rom.vii:12. "For we know that the law is spiritual:" verse
14th. "For I DELIGHT in the law of God after the inward man:" verse 22d.
"I thank God, through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then, with
the mind I myself serve the law of God;" verse 25th.
No one will say that Paul calls the law of Moses "spiritual,"
"holy, just and good," and that he delighted in it, and SERVED it 27 years after
it was dead; therefore he is speaking of another law, the ten commandments. This
plain fact is made still more evident, if possible, by the 7th verse, where the
Apostle quotes the last commandment in the decalogue. "Nay, I had not known sin,
but by the law: for I had not known lust, except the law had said, THOU SHALT
NOT COVET."
We are often referred to Rome.vii:6, for proof that the law
of God is dead. But it proves no such thing. Please read this verse with the
marginal reading, and you will see that it is the christian that is dead to the
law, and not the law that is dead.
"But now we are delivered from the law, (the sentence of the
law,) being dead to that wherein we were held." The law of God is the instrument
to convict the sinner of sin, and slay him, as it did Paul, that he might be
justified, and made alive through faith in Jesus Christ. "For I was alive
without the law once; but when the commandment came, sin revived, and I died."
Rom.vii:9. Here, "the letter (or law) killeth, but the spirit giveth life."
2Cor.iii:6.
"Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid: yea,
we establish the law." Rom.iii:31. Any unprejudiced mind may see the two laws in
the New Testament, by carefully searching for the truth. One is called a yoke of
BONDAGE; Gal.v:1; the other is called a royal law of LIBERTY; James i:25; ii:8.
One was a law of "carnal ceremonies;" Heb.ix:10; the other was the Apostle's
delight, holy, just, good, and spiritual. Here I will add the testimony of Jesus
in his sermon on the Mount. Matt.v:17-33.
"Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the
prophets. I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil." How many are thinking that
Jesus abolished, and destroyed the law of commandments, the very thing he has
told them not to think. He came to fulfil the law. The way to fulfill the law is
to keep it. This Jesus did, in keeping his Father's commandments. See John
xv:10.
"For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one
jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled."
This text proves that all ten of the commandments, in the
moral law are to continue in full force, not one relaxed, or taken away, while
heaven and earth remain. The next verse shows that Jesus was speaking of the ten
commandments.
"Whosoever, therefore, shall violate, or teach others to
violate, were it the least of these commandments, shall be in no esteem in the
reign of heaven; but whosoever shall practice and teach them, shall be highly
esteemed in the reign of heaven." (See Campbell's translation.)
The first four commandments, on the first table of stone show
man his duty to his God. They are the great commandments in the law, as they are
laws relating to man's duty to God.
The last six, on the second table, show man his duty to his
fellow man. They are the least commandments in the law as they are laws relating
to man's duty to his fellow man.
Jesus here quotes three of these least commandments from the
second table of stone, which establishes the fact, without a shadow of a doubt,
that he is speaking of the ten commandments. See verses 21st, 27th and 33d.
Men may teach for a few days that the moral law is abolished,
or that the fourth commandment is changed, or RELAXED, but how their false
assertions, and sophistry withers before the plain testimony of the Son of God
who has said, "Till heaven and earth pass, ONE JOT or ONE TITTLE shall in NO
WISE pass from the law." And how they will wither and fall in the day of
slaughter, and in the judgement.
Reader, be not deceived by those who are trampling under
their feet the holy law of God. Do not, I beg of you, let them turn you from the
plain teachings of the Saviour, and his holy Apostles, in relation to the law of
God. Are you violating the fourth, the Sabbath commandment in that law? If you
are, do it no longer. It is one of the great commandments. If those who break
the least, will be of no esteem in the reign of heaven, how and where will you
appear, if you violate one of the greatest commandments?
Dear Brethren and Sisters -
I hope this little sheet will afford you comfort and
strength. Love and duty have compelled me to send it out to you. I know you must
be rooted, and built up in the present truth, or you will not be able to stand
"in the battle in the day of the Lord;" Eze.xiii:5.
The time has come when we must be whole hearted in the truth.
Every thing is to be shaken that can be; therefore those whose feet are not
planted on the rock, will be shaken all to pieces. Those only will be able to
stand in the day of slaughter, who shall be found keeping the commandments of
God, and the faith of Jesus. It is no small thing to be a Christian. We must be
pure in life and conversation here in time, if we would enter the Holy City.
The keeping of the fourth commandment is all-important
present truth; but this alone, will not save any one. We must keep all ten of
the commandments, and strictly follow all the directions of the New Testament,
and have living active faith in Jesus. Those who would be found ready to enter
the saint's rest, at the appearing of Christ, must live wholly, WHOLLY for Jesus
now.
This little sheet is free for all. Those who are interested
in Present Truth, and esteem it a privilege, are invited to help pay the
expense. I would publish in pamphlet form, but it would be a number of weeks
before I could get out a pamphlet containing all I wish to write. I shall send
out 1000 copies of this sheet; then arrange the matter of this and the following
Nos, and have 1000 more of each No. printed to stitch together in pamphlet form,
to distribute as they are called for.
Will some brother or sister in each place where this sheet is
received, send me in plain writing the names and Post-Office address of all who
are seeking present truth. Write soon. My Post-Office address is Middletown,
Conn.
In hope,
JAMES WHITE.
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 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 x.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 xv: 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, "O 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.iii.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, xvi:1-29. He then states that he
withstood 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; all 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.v: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.iv:1,2.
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.xiv: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 feast-days, 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.xiv:3. He is here teaching them a lesson of Christian forbearance in those
things which were not a test of fellowship. He would have every man fully
persuaded, and established, as to his own duty in regard to eating, and
feast-days; 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 xvi:1-3. 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.vii: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." 1John ii:4. "If thou wilt enter into
life keep the commandments." Matt.xix:17. "For this is the love of God, that we
keep his commandments." 1John v: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.xiv: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. O, that God would wake up the "little flock," and show them all, His
Sabbath.
To be Continued.
