Earlier text: THE LAW OF GOD'EVEN thus shall it be in the day when the Son of Man is revealed.' Thousands and tens of thousands of living men, eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building—fluttering, like the butterflies in a summer's day, about the perishing flowers of a perishing world—steeping all their senses in the earthly business of the passing hour—making everything a business; pleasure, daily avocation, necessary labor, natural appetites, even 'eating and drinking,' everything made a business of, and the soul absorbed and quenched therein—'whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly, whose glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things!' Phil. iii, 19.—The farmer at his market! the planter with his trees! the builder at his house! the tradesman in his shop! the student at his books! the reveler at his feast! the gambler at his cards! the rake at his brothel! the usurer at his gold! the nobleman at his pomp! the king at his court! the soldier at his blood! the laborer at his toil! the idler at his folly! the drunkard at his drink! the glutton at his meat! Each at his sin! Each in his day dream! Each in his soul's poison! The Lord bears it no longer. His mouth has sent forth the word of all-desolating vengeance. The vengeance-storm obeys, and gathers and thickens, and rolls on, and hangs over. One moment's pause—the world is still merry, and laughing, and busy, and 'knows not.' One moment's pause—the preachers are preaching—peradventure the sinner may repent. One moment's pause—hark! believers, the pause is for you—hark! 'A great sound of a trumpet.'—Angels are sent with it.—The Lord can do nothing till you are in refuge, being merciful unto you. See, O, see!—They are gathering together the Son's elect, from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other. Matt. xxiv, 31. The gathering is over—all are in safety—not one is forgotten.—O! dreadful!—The storm is bursting—thousands who began to be gathered have fallen back—the last trumpet sounds louder and louder—O! dreadful! 'voices, and thunders, and lightnings,' [Rev. xvi, 18.] in the heavens—'weeping, and wailing and gnashing of teeth,' on the earth.—The storm is burst upon the poor, guilty world! Every living soul has drank it! And—O! the omnipotence of MY GOD, the Son of Man!—the heavens are passing away with a great noise, and the elements are melting with fervent heat and the earth, and all the works that are therein, are burning up!—'Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness, looking for and hastening unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat!'' Advent Harbinger---No-Sabbath.
By Editor
PROBABLY no religious paper has taken so firm a stand for no-Sabbath as the Advent Harbinger.—Several writers in that paper have not only taught that the Sabbath is not now binding, but have represented the Sabbath to be an institution opposed to the gospel of Christ, and if observed by Christians they would fall from grace, and be in danger of "irretrievable ruin." We say this has been the position of the Harbinger. But we see by the number of that paper for Oct 22d, the following short, but excellent article in vindication of the Lord's Sabbath. OBSERVANCE OF THE LORD'S DAY.—If any doubt the necessity of a day of rest in order to the maintenance of our civil and religious institutions, let them look to those nations which have made the experiment of living without one. What was ancient Rome with her 6,000,000 or 7,000,000, when she had no Sabbath, but the grand theater of inhumanity and crime, whose delirious influence has ever since been felt all over the world? What was France, when she introduced her decades and blotted out the weekly Sabbath? What have been Mexico and South America? And it may be asked, what are they now? And what has been that of every christian nation who have neglected to observe a day of rest and thanksgiving. The phrase, Lord's day, used at the head of the article, is found in Rev. i, 10. John says, "I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day." This was in the year 96, fifty one years this side of the crucifixion of Christ. The Harbinger has taught that all seven days of the week are alike in the Gospel—that there is no holy time—that at the cross the Lord ceased to reserve one of the seven days of the week to himself as holy time. But such teachings cannot be harmonized with the testimony of John, who says, A. D. 96, "I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day." Fifty-one years of the gospel dispensation had past, yet John esteemed one day as the Lord's. But it may be said that the first day of the week is meant by "Lord's day," and it should be esteemed by Christians as a day of rest and worship. If so, then it is our duty to esteem one of the seven days above the others." The Harbinger has declared that Paul taught [Rom. xiv,] that we should not esteem one day of the week above the other six. So Rev. i, 10 is perfectly destructive of the position of the no-Sabbath men, that Rom. xiv, refers to the weekly Sabbath, and that all seven days of the week are alike. Let this fact be understood, that in the gospel there is a day which the holy Apostle regarded as the Lord's. What day of the week is the "Lord's day?" This we shall decide by the "plain word of the Lord."—"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." Isa. lviii, 13. "The Son of man is Lord, also, of the Sabbath." Mark ii, 28. Here are three testimonies, showing that the seventh day is the Lord's day. On that day God rested. He then put his blessing upon it, and sanctified, or set it apart for the use of man. It is the Lord's (not our) Sabbath. "In the mouth of two or three witnesses every word shall be established." It may be said that the Christian Fathers call the first day of the week the Lord's day. If plain testimony on this point could be produced from those uninspired men, it should not have a feather's weight on the mind of any consistent christian, in the absence of inspired testimony. Our faith shall rest on the plain word of God, and not on inferences, or the tradition of the Elders. It will be seen that the writer of the article is in harmony with the Bible on this point; for he calls the "Lord's day," Sabbath, twice in the short article. We are gratified to see the Harbinger, which has for years been devoted to the soul-destroying work of "blotting out the weekly Sabbath," now bearing testimony in its defense. Whether the Editor of the Harbinger is convicted of his past course in opposing the Sabbath, and is convinced of the truth of the perpetuity of the Lord's day since A. D. 96, or whether the insertion of the article was an oversight, his future course will decide. Immortality---Spirit Rappings.
By R. F. Cottrell
TO THE EDITORS OF THE SABBATH RECORDER: It is not because I wish to strive for the mastery that I speak again, but that the children of God may be prepared to withstand the wiles of the devil. Many who desire to serve God are ignorant of some of his devices, and while he is at work, "with all power and signs and lying wonders," those who have the light of the sure word on this subject should raise the warning voice against it. While men of the world are trying to explain these wonders on scientific principles, let those who believe that the Bible is the word of God—that the sure word of prophecy is a light that shineth in a dark place, and will continue to shine till the day dawn, go to that word expecting a perfect solution of the mystery. And if the children of the Highest have different views, in respect to what the "spirits" teach, namely, the immortality of the soul, let them candidly compare them together by the light of the word. Truth can lose nothing by comparing it with error; it will only shine the brighter. I am glad that Bro. Burdick has answered discreetly as to the cause of spirit manifestations. He has given us the word of the Lord for it. Thank the good Lord! I remember what Jesus said to one that answered discreetly, namely, Thou art not far from the kingdom of God. I do not wish to flatter you, Bro. Burdick, but I have felt thankful in my heart that you answered my questions, and have set forth the truth on the "working of Satan." David says, "His TRUTH shall be thy shield and buckler;" and if ever the servants of God wanted a shield to quench the fiery darts of the wicked one, it is now, while Satan is permitted to work with such power. You have a shield, brother, which seems to answer very well for the present time, but the time may come, when you will want a little more truth to make it better. The spirit wonders are progressing. They began with rapping; from that they have proceeded to writing and to speaking with an audible voice, and some have testified that they have felt the touch of the spirits, and have shaken hands with them. From this fact we may look for further developments in the future. The "spirits" profess to be our fellow creatures who have passed from this state of existence, and their first object is to make us believe it. And as God has permitted them to proceed so far, I shall not be surprised if they should go farther, and cause our dead157 friends to appear, visibly and tangibly before our faces, and, with their own sweet and persuasive accents, beseech us to believe. If Satan works with ALL power and signs and lying wonders, this trial may yet be realized. If this should be the case, we shall want all the truth, to make our "shield of faith" complete; so that when our dearest, deceased friends shall appear before us, we can say, Get behind me Satan; for it is written, "The dead know not anything," and never will till they are raised from the dead, and that will not take place till Christ is seen coming in the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory.—Such a shield we shall need in the "hour of temptation, which cometh upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth." Rev. iii, 10. The "spirits" give it out as one of their first objects "to convince skeptics of the immortality of the soul"—a doctrine almost universally held by professed Christians of the present day. If I had never doubted this doctrine before, unless it be supported by positive scripture testimony, I should doubt it now. Such testimony is not found in the word of God, and all that you can claim for it is, what you think are necessary inferences. There is another circumstance worthy of remark, and that is, thousands of professed Christians have been convinced, by Bible testimony, of the opposite doctrine, within the last ten years; and it would seem that God had commissioned Satan to stand up for his truth, and convince these "skeptics" of their error, by better testimony than can be found in the Bible! It looks to me like a device of the enemy, to bind the bands of error more firmly upon men, and so prevent their having a shield in the hour of temptation. This circumstance alone is sufficient to awaken the inquiry, in the reflecting mind, whether this doctrine is not one of those which Paul denominates doctrines of devils. "Giving heed to seducing spirits," says he, "and doctrines of devils." We must remember that the Catholic church changed the commandments of God, and corrupted almost every institution and doctrine of Christ. Her doctrines and practices savor more of paganism than of christianity. The Romans had the doctrines of purgatory and immortality of the soul, before they ever heard of the Christian religion. Those who doubt this have only to consult Virgil, and other ancient writers, to be satisfied of it. This does not prove that these doctrines are false, but teaches us to look to the Bible ALONE for our proof. The declaration, that "the dead know not anything," is as broad a declaration as any man can make. I cannot ask you to believe more. But you take the expression, "neither have they any more a portion for ever in any thing that is done under the sun," in the following verse, to explain the former expression, limiting it to the affairs of this life. Look at these two expressions. One speaks of knowledge; the other, of having a portion, or taking a part, in what is done under the sun. They are connected by the word neither. You understand them as being connected by that is. But what comes between these two clauses? "Their love, and their hatred, and their envy, is now perished." Love, hatred, &c. belong to the mind. Will not a righteous soul love God as long as he liveth?—as long as he knows any thing? The text cannot be explained away by saying that the body of the dead has no knowledge.—The assertion is made respecting that which knows while the person is living. The living know, the dead know not, is the declaration. In Chap. iii, the Preacher asks the question, Who knoweth the spirit of man that goeth upward, and the spirit of the beast that goeth downward to the earth? This is often quoted as proof of the immortality of the soul. Would it not be much better to answer the question, and tell us who knows this, than to understand him to mean that the spirits of man and beast go different ways? We know that heathen philosophers taught, very anciently, the immortality of the soul. I cannot say positively, but it was probably taught as long ago as the days of Solomon. It looks clear enough to me, that he had his mind upon this very philosophy when he asked the question. Look at what he had just asserted positively. He says, "For that which befalleth the sons of men befalleth beasts; even one thing befalleth them; as the one dieth, so dieth the other; yea, they have all one breath; [breath of the spirit of life. See Gen. vii, 22, margin.] so that a man hath no pre-eminence above a beast; for all is vanity. All go unto one place; all are of the dust, and all turn to dust again."—Then he triumphantly asks who knows the contrary doctrine. I dare say the philosophers could not answer it; neither can we. The dust returns to the earth as it was; and the spirit of the breath of life, in man and beast, returns to God who gave it.—Compare Eccl. xii, 7, with Ps. civ, 29, 30. In respect to death only, man hath no pre-eminence above a beast; the sinner's case is worse than that of beasts. They die but once; he must die the second death. But I do not wish to discuss this question throughout the scriptures. I only want to awaken inquiry, and let every believer of the Bible read for himself.—How easy to understand and believe the simple and positive declarations of that Book! How difficult a task to explain them away! Let us return to the spirit manifestations. You have shown that they are of the Devil, and a fulfillment of the prophecies. I wish to show their chronology, that is, the time of their wonderful manifestation. This can be ascertained by a careful examination of the prophecies which foretell these things. Isa. viii. Here the seeking to those who have familiar spirits and to the dead is at the time when the people of God should be looking for the Lord.—Verse 17. "And I will wait upon the Lord, that hideth his face from the house of Jacob, and I will look for him." The looking for the Lord is first noticed, then the seeking to familiar spirits and the dead, and the chapter closes with an evident allusion to the wrath of God in the seven last plagues—famine, trouble, and darkness, with cursing of God, instead of repentance. See Rev. xvi. It is well known that there is a people who are looking for the Lord. In fulfillment of the divine Word, the proclamation of "the hour of his judgment is come!" [Rev. xiv, 6, 7.] had gone through the land before the rappings had commenced. This raised up a people who are looking for the Lord. And though he "hideth his face from the house of Jacob," and many have been offended and given up their faith, yet there are a few who still "look for him." And that few are trying to keep all the ten commandments of God and the faith of Jesus. Rev. xiv, 12. This proves that the preaching of time was of God. A corrupt tree cannot bear good fruit. False preaching does not turn men from sin to holiness—from breaking God's commandments to keeping them. But, says an objector, there is no particular time to look for the Lord; it was the duty of past generations to look for him. For a refutation of this, read 2 Thess. ii. The subject of this chapter is the coming of the Lord. The Apostle cautions his brethren by no means to be persuaded that the day of Christ is at hand. Let no man deceive you, says he, for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first. The man of sin must arise, and have his day of persecuting the saints, which is 42 months, or 1260 prophetic days. Rev. xiii, 5, margin. The Papal church came into power to correct heretics in A. D. 538, at the time when the council of Orleans prohibited all labor upon Sunday. Then and there the beast received power to make war with the saints. From that time 1260 years bring us down to 1798, when the Pope was taken a prisoner of war and carried into captivity. Before this date no one had a right to expect the Lord would come, because if he came before that time, the scriptures could not be fulfilled. Here the Apostle's caution ends, and we may look for Christ. He then proceeds to speak of the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders. This comes upon the people because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this cause, says he, God shall send them strong delusion. This time of strong delusion is called, in Rev. iii, 10, the hour of temptation.—Those who believe not the truth, but have pleasure in breaking God's commandments, will be overcome of Satan; while those who have kept the word of Christ's patience [Here is the patience of the saints, here are they that keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus, says the third angel,] will be kept from the hour of temptation which cometh upon all the world, to try them that dwell on the earth.—And behold I come quickly, says Jesus. So we see that the coming of Jesus is the next thing after these spiritual wonders, and is to follow quickly. His Word is faithful and true, and I believe it. Amen. Turn now to 2 Tim. Chap. iii. The Apostle tells us that "perilous times" shall come. But what will make the times so dangerous? Men shall appear possessing eighteen abominable traits of character—still having a form of godliness. What will they do? "Now as Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses, so do these also resist the truth." How did these men withstand Moses? They wrought miracles, by the power of Satan, in the presence of Pharaoh. So these men shall work miracles by the same power, and deceive the people and harden their hearts. But they shall proceed no farther, for their folly shall be manifest to all, as theirs also was. The magicians' folly was manifest when the plagues came upon Egypt.—So these miracle-workers will be arrested by the seven last plagues. The time is close at hand when God shall slay the Egyptians and deliver Israel. After the two-horned beast works his wonders, and tries to compel the saints to worship the image and receive the mark, [Rev. xiii, 11 and onward,] the next thing, the saints are seen upon Mount Zion in triumph, having the Father's name in their foreheads, instead of the mark of the beast. Rev. xiv, 1. But the last work of the spirits will be to gather the nations to the battle of the great day of God Almighty. Rev. xvi, 14. They are now preparing the way, and gaining an influence over kings and subjects, and when the sixth vial of the wrath of God shall be poured out, they will gather them to the battle.—For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty. "Behold I come as a thief, says Jesus. "Blessed is he that watcheth." Thus we see that these spiritual wonders are a most positive sign that the day of Christ is at hand. And notwithstanding men are crying peace and safety, while sudden destruction is hanging over their heads; and the spirits of devils are arrayed against God and his truth; yet that truth will triumph.—Notwithstanding the errors and mistakes of his fallible children, God will justify the preaching of the first, the second and the third angels' messages.—And none are safe but those who heed this last call, Wrath unmingled follows upon its rejection. Blessed is he that watcheth. Reader, do you believe that all the signs of Christ's coming and of the end of the world recorded in the Scriptures, are given that you might know nothing about the time of the Advent? Jesus says, If thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee. But to those who watch the reverse of this will be true. Paul says, But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief. 1 Thess. v, 4. The Bible is in our hands.—The waymarks are all laid down, the history of the world is all given in advance. There are no great events to take place, but they are marked in the sure word of prophecy. Blessed is he that readeth; blessed is he that watcheth. In hope of immortality at the appearing of Jesus.
R. F. Cottrell.
Mill Grove, N. Y., Aug. 31st, 1853. CHAPTER IV.—THE SABBATH NOT ABOLISHED.
TRULY may it be said, when we perceive
The many theories which the world believe,
Theories upreared against the Sabbath, bold,
Their name is legion, their effects untold.
One point there is, most prominently known,
Around which has the Arch-Deceiver thrown
His varied snares, and spread his artful schemes,
To lull mankind into deceptive dreams.
Where thus to plant his power, he's not at loss,
But takes his station at the Saviour's cross. Thus, then, 'tis claimed: that Christ on Calvary's
Annulled God's royal law, the rule of right.
Others, who still would claim a law for men,
Say that the Sabbath, only, perished then.
Some say that all the ten commands were dead,
But nine were reenacted in their stead;
And so it happened as it came about,
That, lo, the Sabbath precept was left out. Thus on one point we find such theories queer,
Behold a perfect Babel, even here!
Some may be honest while they thus contend,
And think 'tis truth they're trying to defend;
But they may find, when to the crisis brought,
'Tis harder work to prove them, than they thought. First, if God's law is wholly done away,
Where is your rule of moral action? say!
May'st thou now murder, lie and swear and steal,
And yet no sin commit, nor guilty feel?
None will assert it. What then shall we do.
To say there is no law would be untrue.
If then there is a law, which none can doubt,
Why, there's the Sabbath, which must be got out. By stubborn facts, they thus are driven to say,
That Christ renewed all but the Sabbath-day.
When did he do it? O, say you, secure,
Why, in his public ministry, be sure!
But here's a slight objection, friend; just hark:
I'll show you where you've overshot the mark!
If at the cross, God's law first ceased to be,
'Twas good up to that time, you will agree;
But nine were reenacted, here you say,
Before the ten were ever done away!! One favored race, had nineteen precepts then,
They must, indeed, have been most moral men!
The folly of this view, all can but see;
And those who hold it still, must stubborn be.
A school boy, blind as that, we should expect,
Would be sent home, for want of intellect. Driven then from this absurd position, next,
To save themselves, they fabricate this text:
That when the ten commands were done away,
The nine were given again without delay.
In this, another bright idea they broach,
Worthy of ridicule, and all reproach:
To think that the same blow which crushed the ten,
Should instantly bring nine to life again. One illustration take, to show, most clear,
How perfectly absurd such views appear.
Suppose you have a finger, bruised and sore,
Which must come off: you cannot bear it more.
The surgeon comes, obedient to your call,
And chops off all your fingers, thumbs and all.
Then undertakes to join the others on,
Well pleased to think the sore one now has gone.
If any one, an act like this should try,
You'd say he was a fool, and so should I.
Equally bad, your view, that God did then,
To get out one command, strike out the ten. Compelled again to leave their luckless ground,
One theory more necessity has found;
One more foundation for their feet, opprest—
And lo this is as bad as all the rest.
As fierce as drowning men catch at a straw,
So they seize everything by which the law
Can be opposed; or which will aid their view,
That part is done away, and part holds true.
They now assert, The apostles this have done,
They've reenacted all the ten but one;
The Sabbath precept, only, could not stay,
As that the Lord designed to do away. One question now we ask: If this be true,
How long before God's law was given anew?
How long before the revised edition came,
That men might know their duty, and their blame!
How long might men live on, all law forgot,
Doing unholy deeds, yet sinning not!
Ah, here's the point, that, with unyielding claims,
Binds down this theory in eternal chains.
You will not claim, a moment e'er was found,
When men were not to moral duty bound.
If such suggestions any should throw out,
'Twould bring their sanity to serious doubt. This theory, then, though asserted e'er so bold,
We find fallacious; and it will not hold.
Would God his holy law abolish, then,
And leave the matter in the hands of men?
Leave them to say what parts henceforth shall stand,
And let the world receive it at their hand?
There's one law-giver, say the scriptures, true;
But there are twelve, according to this view. O why not take the word that God has given,
When he declared that sooner earth and heaven
Should pass away, than darkness should prevail,
And e'en a tittle of the law should fail?
Why not believe the word that Christ employed,
That he came not to render null and void
The law or prophets? that was not his aim,
Not to destroy, but to fulfill, he came.
Why strive t' amend, as though it were impaired,
The law the Psalmist, perfect, has declared?
Shall man attempt, with blind and bungling move,
What is already perfect, to improve?
Better 'twould be ye fighters of the law,
If your own weakness, verily, ye saw;
If ye would hear the teachings of God's Word,
And live obedient to all ye heard.
Better 'twould be t' obey God's holy will,
And own the Sabbath precept binding still,
Before ye make, in all ye do and say,
Such wretched work to have it done away. One law there was, we're ready to declare,
Which came up to the cross and perished there.
A ceremonial law; and which, we find,
Was for that dispensation sole designed.
Law of commands, in ordinances contained,
Shadows of things to come it was ordained.
Christ is the body, whither all did tend;
And when the substance comes, the shadows end. A law it was, made only for that laud,
And written in a book, by Moses' hand.
This law, no longer needed from that day,
Was nailed unto the cross, and done away;
Hence, the partition-wall was broken through,
That kept distinct, the Gentile and the Jew.
Hence all in Christ have now an equal claim,
And henceforth, Jew and Gentile are the same.
If we are Christ's then are we Abraham's seed,
According to the promise, heirs indeed. Therefore let none by this dead law abide,
Or henceforth take its precepts for their guide.
Let no man judge you by its ritual maze,
Its new-moons or its feasts, or sabbath-days:
These were but shadows; these but bondage bring:
The law of God is quite another thing.
Between them, there is given distinction broad,
In all the teachings of the Word of God.
The royal law, the law of ten commands,
On its eternal basis firmly stands.
Stands as it ever stood, preeminent,
The constitution of God's government.
'Tis holy just and good: if we fulfill
This law of liberty, we do his will. The ceremonial law, in works contained,
For types and shadows were express ordained.
In the old dispensation was its place:
If we observe it now, we fall from grace.
All unintended for the gospel reign,
It came up to the cross, and there was slain.
Those who between them no distinction find,
Must be, indeed, most pitifully blind;
Who claim that one law only was employed,
And therefore, at the cross, was all destroyed.
All who, these separate laws, thus blend together,
Can't make their arguments outweigh a feather. But why are men unwilling to admit,
That God's unaltered law is binding yet;
That neither all, nor yet a part is slain,
But unimpaired its precepts all remain?
'Tis simply this: the fourth command doth say,
The Sabbath comes upon the seventh day;
And so around the law they try to creep,
To shun the day God tells us we must keep. O Fourth Command! what trouble hast thou been,
Source of vexation to the sons of men!
How have they tugged and toiled, with various plans,
To break thy power, and shirk thy just demands!
Have chafed and fretted to secure their aim,
And render null and void thy obvious claim!
Vast circuits they through logic's fields have run,
And found themselves at last where they begun!
Have loud proclaimed thy day of rule was o'er
And that thy law was binding now no more!
Then brought forth reasons for their theories, wise,
Which fools might laugh at, maniacs despise! Still stern are thy demands, thy claims still good,
Though men would fain avoid them, if they could.
All who regard them not, must soon confess,
And reap the harvest of their sinfulness.
Firm and immutable as Heaven's decree
Thou e'er hast stood, and thou shalt ever be.
Among those holy laws, thy place is known,
Which God's own finger graved upon the stone.
Still thy requirements hold, that we must rest
Upon the seventh day, which God has blest,
His fixed decrees he ne'er will disarrange;
For God can never lie, and never change. Dialogue at the Gate of Heaven.
SHOWING THE BEWILDERMENT OF PROTESTANT SUNDAY-KEEPERS AND ANTI-SABBATARIANS.
A few years since a tract fell into my hands, entitled, "How Sin appears in Heaven." The author of the tract tells us that in order for us to know how sin appears there, we must go to that holy place, and carry our sins with us; or somehow, have them brought and laid before us, in that place of infinite holiness and glory. He has taken considerable pains to inform us respecting the road that we must take, to climb through the regions of ethereal space and at last enter the gate of Heaven. He says, we must first bring forward some of our grosser crimes, and see how they look there. He particularly names some of our grosser crimes, among which he mentions the transgression of that command, which says, "Remember the Sabbath-day to keep it holy." In reading this sentence, my mind was struck with a very solemn shock, and I was ready to say, Is it the surmise of imagination, or do I actually hear the examination of the author, (by the Judge of the universe,) on his arrival at the gate of Heaven. Do I not distinctly hear the Judge begin the examination in the following manner?159 Judge. What do you want here, Mr. Mr. —. I want you to open the gate and let me in. J. Are you a Christian? Mr. —. Yes sir, I hope so indeed; I have long been a member of the Church, and a preacher of the gospel. J. All that may be, and yet you not be a Christian; did you ever have true repentance of all your sins? Mr. —. Yes sir long ago. J. Well, how have you been living since; have you been living in the same sins that you thought you had repented of? Mr. —. I have tried to live as free from sin as I could, but it may be, I have missed the point in some things. J. Have you paid any regard to the command that says, "Remember the Sabbath-day to keep it holy?" Mr. —. O yes, I have been very particular in that; I go to meeting every Sunday, and spend the rest of the day in some religious duties. J. Every Sunday!! what day of the week do you think that is? Mr. —. Why the first to be sure, the day that Christ rose from the dead. J. Well, what if he did; did that make it the Sabbath; did you ever read the command that says, "Remember the Sabbath-day to keep it holy?" Mr. —. Yes, many a time. J. Well, what day did that command say was the Sabbath? Mr. —. I think the commandment says the seventh day is the Sabbath. J. Why then did you not keep the seventh day as the command directed? Mr. —. Why sir, I was brought up to keep the first day, and it would have been extremely inconvenient for me to keep the seventh day, when all the church where I belong and almost every body else kept the first.— J. Did you think it a sufficient excuse for you to disregard my word, because it would subject you to some temporal inconvenience; did you suppose that I could relinquish my law to suit your worldly convenience? Mr. —. No, I did not expect you to relinquish your government over men; but I was told when I was young, that the first day was the Sabbath, and I have always kept it as such. J. Have you been young ever since; have you not had time to read for yourself, and learn from the Bible that no such thing is written in that Book? Mr. —. Yes, I have read enough to know that no other day is commanded to be kept as the Sabbath, but the seventh; but I have been told that the Apostles kept the first day, and certainly they would not have done it without some instruction from Christ to that effect. J. Who told you that the Apostles kept the first day? Mr. —. A great many ministers, and some of the best Christians in the world have said so. J. Well, what if they did say so, did you think their say so, was more sacred, and more to be regarded than my Word? How could you be made to believe that the Apostles kept the first day, while not a syllable to that effect was to be found in all their writings? If an angel from heaven had told you so you had the solemn admonition of St. Paul, not to believe it unless it is to be found in the Bible. Mr. —. I confess I never could find any warrant for the practice in the Bible, and I have often wondered how it came about, and have even wished that all the world kept the seventh day, so that I might keep it too. J. So then it seems you would sooner disobey my law, than single yourself out from the rest of the world; have I not commanded you to come out from among them, and be separate, and touch not the unclean, and that in so doing I would receive you? how then could you expect to be received otherwise? Mr. —. To tell the plain truth, I thought it was no matter which day I kept, so long as I kept one day in seven as it ought to be kept. J. Do you not see that in this you have acted just as king Saul did, when he was commanded to destroy the Amalekites and leave nothing alive. It seems that he thought it was no matter about being so very particular to do just exactly as he was commanded, especially if he sacrificed to the Lord what he did not kill; and can you think that he deviated more from that command than you have from this? and is there any more apparent evil in it? and do you not know how it fared with him? And are you not informed by the Apostle that those things were written for our admonition? but how little notice you have taken of it. You ought to have known by such circumstances that the law of God could not be bent or twisted. Mr. —. But I have heard that time had been lost, so that we could not tell which was the seventh day. J. If that was the case, how did you know which the first day was? that now is mere folly. Mr. —. Well, I have one thing more to say about it, and that is, I thought that we were not under the law, but under grace, and I think that Paul said so. J. Did you suppose from that, that you were absolved from all the obligation of the “royal law”—(“Law of God”—Syriac.) Mr. —. I have always been taught that Paul recognized but one law in his epistles, consequently I supposed when he said “ye are not under the law,” that he meant we were absolved from all obligations to it. J. That is true concerning the law which he was speaking of, but who taught you that Paul recognized but one law in his epistles? Mr. —. All the ministers I ever heard on subjects of the law took that view of it, and most of the theological works that I have read take the same. J. Well, suppose they did so teach; did you think their teaching was more worthy to be regarded than that of Paul’s? Mr. —. I thought it was in harmony with Paul’s teaching. J. How could you think so when it was impossible for you with such a view to harmonize Paul’s writings. For he emphatically said in his epistle to the Romans, “For not the hearers of the law shall be just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified.” And again he said in his epistle to the Galatians, “Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace.” Now if Paul recognized but one law in his epistles, did you not see that these two texts could not be harmonized, but that they arrayed Paul against Paul, and made him a teacher of absurdities and contradictions? Was it not, yea it was perfectly plain to every candid mind that Paul did teach obligation to the law after “the law of commandments contained in ordinances” was blotted out. And you must know that he said, “by the law is the knowledge of sin,” and “I delight in the law of God.” And it is perfectly plain that he was speaking of the “ten commandments;—the law of God” in Rom. ii. 13, saying “the doers of the law shall be justified,” and in Gal. v. 3, 4, he was speaking of the ordinances of the Jewish church: “the law of commandments contained in ordinances,” having introduced the subject with circumcision. Ah! when men thus plead non-obligation to the law because it is “inconvenient” to keep the “Sabbath of the Lord thy God,” they betray a want of love to God, “for this is the love of God that we keep his commandments.” “He that sayeth I know him and keepeth not his commandments is a liar and the truth is not in him.” And besides, if you thought that Paul had reference to only one law in his epistles, and that you were absolved from the obligations of even that, because you was under grace, how came you to call on sinners to bring the crime of Sabbath-breaking into heaven to see how it would look there? Out of thine own mouth will I judge thee, thou hypocrite. Thou knowest that I commanded thee to keep the seventh day, and yet you indulged in disobedience because other folks did so and because it was more convenient on that account; you ought long ago to have carried this case into Heaven (in thought at least) and seen how it would look there. In this dark and sinful world, where God is unseen, and almost forgotten, such transgressions appear trivial; but do they appear so to him who gave the command; do they appear so in Heaven. Be ye assured that no sin can be admitted into his holy place; and if you had read your Bible as you ought, you must have known that the very least deviation from the royal law, is sin; and the least sin unrepented of, forever bar the gate of heaven against you. Dear reader, however inappropriate or disingenuous these remarks may at first sight appear, I think it will do you no harm to look seriously at the picture, and honestly endeavor to realize how sin appears in Heaven, and should it be the means of stirring up a single soul to timely repentance, the author would be amply rewarded. SCRIPTURALIST.