A CONFUSION OF TONGUES.
By E. Lanphear
Among all the Bible questions discussed by the professed Christian world at the present day, there is none that seems more mixed than that of God’s Sabbath. Although there seems to be as plain a “thus saith the Lord” on this as can be found in reference to any other command of God, yet it is wonderful to read and hear the many ways adopted by professed Christian men and ministers, to make it appear that this law is abrogated, or to release themselves from observing this plain, God-given, and sanctified Sabbath day. Some admit that the seventh day of the week was set apart by God, and rested upon at the close of creation; and that the Sabbath was made for man. Others claim that the Sabbath was a Jewish institution, and did not exist until it was promulgated after the exodus from Egypt; and that it was abrogated by the death and resurrection of Christ. Others say that we are not under the law now, but under grace; that the law of the decalogue is now done away; yet they insist that a Sabbath is necessary, and adopt the Sunday, or Lord’s day, claiming that Christ arose upon that day, and redemption is a greater work than that of creation; therefore the first day of the week should be observed as the Sabbath. I heard a Baptist minister say in a lecture at a Christmas festival, where there was a tree full of presents, that “this 25th day of December, and this tree and gift enterprise, really had nothing to do with the birth of Christ; it was a heathen institution, the same as the Sunday was a heathen institution, and was observed long before Christ was born into the world;” but he had “no objection to their use, if the people could get any good out of them.” Yet he called Sunday the “Lord’s day,” and admitted that a “Sabbath was necessary for the good of mankind.” At another time, in a sermon, he quoted the fourth commandment to prove the sanctity of Sunday. This seems to be customary with nearly all denominations except the Roman Catholics; they claim the Sunday as a church institution by a right of their church, which seems more consistent than the view held by the Protestant church, that “Christ changed the Sabbath.” Some claim that the seventh day is not the Sabbath, and cannot be observed because of the revolutions of the earth; but they have no difficulty in knowing when the Sunday comes. Some claim that there is no weekly Sabbath under the gospel dispensation; yet admit that if there is any, it is the seventh day, according to the Bible. Others say that God requires us to observe the Sabbath, but they don’t think it makes any difference with God which day we keep, if we only observe one-seventh part of time; so, for convenience sake, it would be better for all to observe the Sunday, because Christ rose upon that day. Nearly all classes admit that there was an original339Sabbath, and that was the seventh day. David Jennings, of England, almost one hundred years ago, endeavored to prove that our “first day of the week, or Sunday, is identical with the day of the Creator’s rest.” Dr. Akers attempted to establish the same fact, but from altogether a different line of argument. Joseph Mead put forth the idea that “the original Sabbath was taken from Israel [though he did not know to what day of our week it applied], and that Saturday was given them in its stead.” One claims, in order to get rid of God’s Sabbath, or rest-day, that “the original week, or seventh division, commenced with Adam’s first day of existence, or creation, and that was the sixth day of God’s work;” and from this standpoint he insists that “the sixth day of God’s creation, man’s Sabbath, came on Friday, until Israel entered the wilderness, when the Jews lost their reckoning, and the seventh day was then given to them as God’s rest-day.” “Thus the seventh-day Sabbath came into use, and was observed until done away by the death and resurrection of Christ.” E. Fuller attempts to make Adam’s “first day God’s seventh day,” and yet tries to prove that our present first day, as observed, is really the Sabbath day to be observed by Christians. One man claims that “the first day of the week is the Sabbath, because it is the original seventh day;” while another claims that “it is the original first day of the week.” I might quote further from the different positions that writers and speakers have taken on this subject, showing the wonderful confusion of tongues and pens; but it is not necessary, in this article. All these efforts seem to have arisen in order to get around a plain command of God. An effort to avoid the first, third, or any other command of the decalogue, would be just as consistent; yet no Christian attempts to do that. How wonderfully strange, O man, thou art before our God! for neither God, Christ, nor the apostles have ever changed the Sabbath, or intimated that the original Sabbath was ever to be abrogated, or changed to the first day of the week. It was God’s original gift to man; and so long as man exists, he will be under obligations to regard it. Man may change his purposes; but God, never. “And they bend their tongues like their bows for lies; but they are not valiant for the truth upon the earth; for they proceed from evil to evil, and they know not me, saith the Lord.” “And they will deceive every one his neighbor, and will not speak the truth; they have taught their tongue to speak lies, and weary themselves to commit iniquity.” Jer. 9:3, 5. Are not these words true of the present Christian era?