Lamoille newsdealer. [volume] (Hyde Park, Vt.) 1860-1877, 1873-01-01
day wherefore the Lord blessed the Sab.
bath day, and hallswsd it,

Here II law claiming to regulate a
sereHth portion Of human life. If a man
lives tventy-one years, this law claims the
entire control Of three of them If he lives
6hy years, il disposes of more than ssreR
of them. 1t is therefore important.
But il also devotes this portion Of tims to
religious purposes and these are the
highest ends of life. All other time is
secular. Shis is holy. That may be oc-
cupied with things which perish 10 the US
ing. This must be given to things which
take hold on eternity. Many questions
may be raised concerning this law; but
one question is at the foundation Of all
the rest; Is this law still in force ? 1T is
not binding now. it never will be; and if
il is binding now, it will bind while the
world stands. The inquiry is of great
practical interest. Public manners are
vastly affected by the esteem in which the
Sabbath is held. 1t is, therefore, right
to look we'll to the foundation.
''DoEs THE LAW OF THE SABBATH BIND Us ?"
at is evident that laws may cease to
be of force ; that is, they may cease to be
laws. When this occurs, it must be in
one ofthe following ways. The condition
Of a people may be so changed as to rem
der obedience to the law impracticabe.
In human governments such cases often
arise, and the law, unless administered by
tyrants, becomes dead letter. No good
government will iuaict the ponalty on the
transgrcssor to whom obedience is impos-
sible, evct though the law remains on the
statute book. But the law of the Sabbath
can as well be kept now as at any former
period of the wcrld. Indeed, when given
from Mount Sinai, il was given to people
or long journey, to whom were wanting
many conveniences which We enjoy for its
careful observance. If this law was in
It's nature ever prasticsblc, it is so now.
"Some laws expire By Limitation,
Such are many of the laws Of every coun'
try. Such we're many of the laws given
by Moses, They were in force until
Christ, who was their and, came; aud
then they bound no longer Thus the
whole ceremonial law ceased to bind aftei
the death of Christ, to which it was limi
ted. But no limit was fixed TO the obser
vance tf the fourth commandment, either
when first given, or attcrward. =.
I" A compot ept authority may repeal ;
law, and thus It's obliging power may
cease. Every free government affords
numerous instances of the repeal of law'
once useful, but no longer SO. In rcgu
lar government, the repeal must be passeC
by the power which enacted the law
The great law giver of the world is God
Ha ordained the law of the Saba'h, aRt
he has never repealed 1t. Is any evidenc,
of such repeal found in the Scripture
IF so, where is the book, the chapter, th'
verse, containing 1t ? All admit that thu
law was in force until Christ. Christ dit
not repeal it, for he says SO, Matt. 5 !: II
nor did the apostles anywhere. dsclar
that it was repealed. lfthis law, there
fore, has ceased to bind, it must be il
some way utterly unknown to US. 1t i
still practicable it has not expired b,
limitation it has not been repealed.
"TmIs LAW is PART OF CODE WHICH is Il
"It may also be said that this law is 1,
The middle of q code, all the rest of whc
is ackn owledged to be binding and VIII
not this ? Were the other precepts 0
this code spoken by God from Sinai
amidst the backness, and darkness, AM
tempest, and terrors T? So was this
Were the others deposited in the ark 0
the testimony, in the holy ofholes, unde
the wings Of the cherubim? So was this
No ceremonial or repealable law given t.
tho Jews, had these marks of honor pu
upon it. Did Christ say, l came not #
destroy, but to fulfill, the law? lie sait
it as much of this as fany other precept
Did Christ's most devoted followers keel
the other commandments So did the,
keep this. Luke 23 SO.
{" THIS LAW ENACTED WITH GREAT CARE.
"On the face of this law are fount
some things which prove that God, whit
gave it. regarded it as ofgrcat Importance
In the wording of it, a more full explana
tion of its true intent is given than in am
other commandment. 1t is enacted botl
positively and negatively; Positively
Remember the Sabbath day to keep j
holy Negatively In it thou shalt do ne
manner of work. No other precept of th'
deoalogue is given in both these forms
although every fair rule of interpreting
them requires that when they enjoin