The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1876-01-11
IL the sabbath IL Jewish InStiIu'
fiOn3

To the Editors OF tic IntclIiScnceT'
Avowed infdcls and some protested
Christians, who are but 4 single remove
from them, are discussing the Sabbath
question, as it is called, in the columns
OF various papers; ard are coolly assum.
ing that the Sabbath belongs to that part
oithe Lcvitical economy which wns ended
nj the coming OF Christ.
An article over the signature Oi
Moses, taken from the Chicago Tribune,
and published in the INTELLIGESCER OF
the 10th inst, asks that the reader shall
admit that the Sabbath Of the Jews was
purely Jewish Institution, and was oh
iigatory. on no other people. Ii the
reader will admit whatever premises the
writer may present, he can draw his own
conclusions Indeed it would I've much
easier and equally logical, to first present
the conclusions and then construct the
premises so as to suit them. Just he
plastic enough to admit all that is asked,
and you can be led to any desired con-
clusiOn.
The laws Of the Old Testament may be
divided into three classes, viz. CerG.
monial, Judicial and Moral Its freely
admitted that the Ceremonial and Judi.
Cial laws belonged exclusively to the Jews.
The former regulated their typical wor-
ship, and the latter their civil poli!y.
But the moral law did not belong to
them any more than to any other people.
Take the dccaloguC as 4 compendium OF
the moral law, and it will be- found to
bear alike on all nations on the face Of
the earth. 1t does not prescribe the
manner OF Jewish worship, nor yet the
polty OF their thcocraCy, but presents
the great moral principles Of truth that
are alike necessary to good society aHd
good government everywhere on the lace
Of the earth.
In this compendium oi moral law the
law Of the Sabbath holds u conspicuous
place. The appointment oi the Sabbath
was made Immediately ut the end 0i the
work OF creation, aud long before the
Jew had an existence. God rested on
the seventh day and sanCti!Icd it, bcfor"
our first parents had ,inucd and been
driven from their Eden home. Had there
been no Sabbath appointed until the time
when the law was given to Moses, then
there might have been room 10 question
whether il did not belong 10 the ccrrno.
NAL code. Instead Of this the Sabbath
was co.cyaI with man, and not with the
Jew only, and Christ, speaking Of It's de-
sign, distinctly said, "The Sabbath was
made for man mot for the Jews alone
"and not man Tor the Sabbath The
records Of the worlds history irom the
creation to the day u Moses are 70
brief that We cannot reasonably cI.
poet to find in them ans detail
showing the extent aud manner in which
the Sabbath was 0b.crycd. The state
mcnt, however, il clearly moIc that
wickedncss aboundCd to such 4 degree
that tic inhabitants were destroyed hv
the delugc, and in such condition Of al.
iaiT.it isnotlikcly that there were many
who kept the Sabbath IA aday -acrcd to
the service Of God.
But the proposition that the Sabbath
was Jewish Institution and il not obi.
gatory on any hutthc Irwa, will ncccssa.
rily carry with il all the other prcccpls
Of tho dCcalogue. The Law Of the Sab
bath stands on on equality with the law
Of idolatry--oi mufdcr-'f thcil-of
InlSehoOd and all the rest Are we
then at liberty to kill, and ,,raI aud bear
false witness and 10 on? II the Sabbath
law il Jewish, all the other pre-