Herald of the times, and Rhode Islander. [volume] (Newport, R.I.) 1846-1849, 1846-09-24
Address 10 The Inhabitants of the
State of Rhode Island.

| Sldlc OF Rhode Island.
| The Undersigned were recently np-
pointed by "I'nE RHopE ISLAND SAB-
BATH UNION" respectfully TO ask the
co-operatlon ofthe Pastors, Church Mem
bers, Magistrates aud People generally,
IN promoting "A better observance of the
Sabbath, through the State
/ Ia pursuance Of the purposes Of their
| appointment, the Committee would cah
your attention, in the first place, 10 the
CLAIMS of the Sabbath
| The Lord OF the Sabbath has said
that "the Sabbath was made for man,
Man is here used, most certainly as n
| generic term, ard therefore, presents n
universal proposilion The Sabbath WAS
not made for man lor man, as genus,
as race, unless ii was made for every
! individual Of the lace for lhe first aud
| Tor the last man for the first generation,
and for every other. The Sabbath, then,
must have existed from the beginning,
aud is AS old as the human race. Our
| Lord says, moreover, "he Sabbath was
made for mau." He says not the Jew
Ish Sabbath or, the Christian Sabbath;
but, The Sabbath, the comron, ihe uni
! versaI one, which belongs to mankind. -
Is not this the very language to deuote'
II universal and perpetual institution
| Let us look at The connection of fhe
| Sabbath with the work of ctesiion =
"God blessed the Seventh day and sane
| u6ed it," If the Creator had merely
rested on the Seventh day, il would
have been an impressive cOnsecralion -
! But when he proceeds 10 bless and To-
ISanciIy 1t, there ls authority d positive
! Sabbath, forming a part Of the primevaE
arrangement when God fixed the order
in which the world should go ; SIX days,
labor ; one day rest over and over,
forever The first week of the world,
then, was not completed, tiil there had
\ been Sabbath, as well az a first day,
I or a sixth. Is not this indicative of the
universally and perpetuity Of the insti
tuition Consider if you please, he ne
cesSuy OF the Sabbath. II was made
for man, because he could not do with
out it. Both mind and body need diff
lerenl rest from that Of sleep, Il rrsaID
rraking resi-. Experience shows that a..
bout one seventh of human life, or one
day IN seven, is best adapted 10 this
purpose.
Il The soul Of man wants special season
set apar, Tor the purpose Of preparing for
the duties and enJoymenis OF a higher
existence. Rational evidence of such
preparation IS never afforded bv those
who d,, pense with the moral Influences Of
the Sabbath, Are not these the reasons
why the Sabbath was made, and why il
was made for man
To object that large part Of man
kind have never heard Of the original
institution of The Sabbath, and ihat,
! therefore, it could not have been made
for man, is (to say nothing of inpugning
our Lords veracny,) as absurd, MS to-
;. deny The true rotation of the earth, be-
cause a large par, of The world have al
! ways believed The contrary.
II 1t has also been alleged that, in fhe'
sacred records of the first twenty-five
centuries from the creation, no farther
mention is made Of the Sabbath, and The
inference is urged that it must have
ceased. The allegation is not strictly
I true. Repeated mention is made "f
. wecks, as the received divisnn of DAYS
! "a rule OF division which Org mated IN
! the Sabbath, aud would never have been
/ thought of without it, That tie Sab
! bath of he creation laid the foundalion
/ for Septena,y division of days by alb
nations Is not disputed,
/ But farther: The form IN which the
! Sabbath is spoken OF, when ii is again
| distinctly mentioned IN the pcniutcurh,
! is proof that 1t was then, and ever had
! been, and ever would be in force that
u was prmeval and perpetual Homer
! and liesrod, Josephus and Groiius, to
name no mOie, furnish ample evidence
I that "the seventh day Sabbath" was oh
served throughout the world - Eastern
and Wcsteru-civilzed aud barbarian.
\ There is no explanation Of this Tact bu,
upon the supposllion that the Sabbath
was made for man was meant for man |;
was and is binding on man
A statute can expire bot in one of two
ways, by limitation or by repeal. u We
examine the original appointment Of the
Sabbath, Gen, 9, or The recognition oi II,
Exod. l6 or the giving OF the ten COM
mandmenls, Exod 90, or the exposition
of the Sabbath, sa SO, or our Lords
assumption of II as his own institution,
Mark 2, we shall find that no llmtaiion
of time is hinled at, but the reverse.-
, Two passages have been adduced rs
! favorinc a repeal, (Rom. ii and Coloss.
! p neither Of which has any reference TO
the subject, one way or the other.
To crown the whole, our Saviour,
when foretellng the destruction Of Jeru-
salem, gave directions respecting the OBJ
! servance of The Sabbath IN an emergen-
I cy, which was not to occur till more
taan thirty years after he LEFT the world |;
thus committing to his friends m instilu-
ton which, most undeniably, he expected
them to keep and protect, to the end OF
time. The sun Is not more essential