The Handbook of the Sabbath

— (continued) —

It is sometimes said that, if the law of the Sabbath is binding upon men now, then we must, as the Jews did, put the violators of it to death by the hand of the civil magistrate. This does not follow. We are not now, as the Jews did, to put the open presumptuous violators of the first, or the fifth, or the seventh command to death. Yet are not these commands binding upon men? Is it not wicked for men to have another god before Jehovah, to bow down to graven images and worship them, or to dishonor their parents? All the commands of the decalogue expressed obligations which were binding upon men before they were written upon tables of stone, and which will continue to be binding till the end of the world.

The penalty of death attached for a time to the violation of the Sabbath, showed how the Lawgiver abhorred the crime. Nor was this abhorrence without good reason. The Sabbath-breaker violated a fundamental law. He proclaimed by actions, the most impressive of all language, “No God!” and thus produced the effect of practical atheism on himself and on others. He does this in all ages. And as long as it will be wicked for men in a state of probation to have another god before Jehovah, to bow down to graven images, to take the name of God in vain, to dishonor their parents, to commit murder, adultery, or theft, to bear false witness, or to covet; so long will it be wicked for them not to rest from worldly business, cares, and amusements one day in seven, for the purpose of publicly worshipping Jehovah, and promoting the spiritual good of themselves and others.

“For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that in them is.”

The reason which God gave on the tables of stone for keeping the Sabbath was not a Jewish reason. It was one which applies alike to all men. “For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that in them is.” But He did not make them for Jews merely, or for any particular people. He made them for us, and for all men. As a memorial ofthat fact, He set apart the Sabbath, kept it, sanctified and blessed it for the benefit of all. All are bound, by keeping it, to acknowledge this, and to honor Him as the Creator, Preserver, and Benefactor, and, as such, the Owner, Governor, and Disposer of all things. The Sabbath was appointed for that purpose, and, as a consequence, to impress on the minds of men the great truths, that “the earth is the Lord’s, and the fullness thereof, the world, and they that dwell therein”; that “the silver and the gold are His,” though acquired by human industry, and “the cattle upon a thousand hills.”

The earth is not eternal; it did not create itself. No creature called it into being. Nor is its existence to be ascribed to chance, to idols, or to any of the false gods which men have worshipped. In the beginning Jehovah created the heavens and the earth. And the things which are seen were not made of things which do appear. They were literally created. “He spake, and it was. He commanded, and it stood fast.”

The Sabbath was designed to make all men feel this and to lead them, by keeping it, publicly to acknowledge, “Thou, Lord, in the beginning hast laid the foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the work of Thy hands. They shall perish, but Thou remainest.” And “Thine, O Lord, is the greatness, and the power, and the victory, and the majesty; for all that is in the heavens and the earth is Thine; Thine is the kingdom, O Jehovah, and Thou art exalted as Head above all.”

Such are some of the truths which, by the keeping of the Sabbath, are every week proclaimed to the world, in a manner adapted to the nature of man, and suited to make on him a strong and lasting impression.

When, on the morning ofthat blessed day, the sun rises and shines as brightly as on other days, the oxen graze as peacefully, the lambs skip as briskly, and the birds sing as sweetly — yet no man goes forth to his labor, no shop-door or window opens, no wheel rattles on the pavement, or vessel leaves the harbor, no stage-coach or canal boat runs, no whistling or rumbling is heard on the railroad, or bustle is witnessed in any department of secular business, but universal stillness reigns throughout creation, except as broken by the voice of prayer and praise ascending to its Author — that stillness is the voice of God to the moral nature of man. His still, small, but all pervading and efficacious voice proclaims His existence, His character, and His will: that He is a great God and a great King, above all gods; that in His hand are the deep places of the earth, and that the strength of the hills is His also; that the sea is His, for He made it, and His hands formed the dry land; that He is a God that judgeth in the earth, and is not far from every one of us; that on Him we are dependent, and to Him are accountable; and that He will bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good or evil. And it is a voice which each individual who is enlightened, and not scathed by iniquity till he is twice dead, will hear, and in some measure feel.

In proportion as he hearkens to it and enters into its spirit, he will have a deeper and more operative conviction of the presence of God, and of the nearness, reality, and importance of eternal things. He will feel more solemn, more as if one thing were needful; as if the favor of God were life, and His loving-kindness better than life; and he will be more likely to say, “O come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the Lord our Maker; for He is our God, and we are the people of His pasture and the sheep of His hand.”

This was designed to be the effect of the stillness of the Sabbath, and this is the preparation which men need when they go to the house of God, and hear His voice speaking through the living ministry to the ear, in order to make it like the rain and the snow that come down from heaven and water the earth, causing it to bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower and bread to the eater. So, when men rightly keep the Sabbath, will the word of the Lord be. It will not return void, but will accomplish that which pleases Him, and prosper in the thing whereunto He sends it. In the prophetic language of inspiration, “Men will go out with joy, and be led forth with peace; the mountains and the hills will break forth before them into singing, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands. Instead of the thorn will come up the fir-tree, and instead of the brier, the myrtle-tree; and it will be to the Lord for a name, and for an everlasting sign, that shall not be cut off.”

Thus the keeping of the Sabbath makes God known, gives efficacy to His moral government, increases the number and fidelity of His subjects, and communicates, to a greater extent than can otherwise be done, the benefit of His holy and perfect reign.

— (to be continued) —

Deze tekst is geautomatiseerd gemaakt en kan nog fouten bevatten. Digibron werkt voortdurend aan correctie. Klik voor het origineel door naar de pdf. Voor opmerkingen, vragen, informatie: contact.

Op Digibron -en alle daarin opgenomen content- is het databankrecht van toepassing. Gebruiksvoorwaarden. Data protection law applies to Digibron and the content of this database. Terms of use.

Printen