The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1876-02-26
The Sunday Question.
[No. xI.1

Editor. Of the InlelllGencer;
The change OF the day foretold by the
Prophets.
We read in the Scriptures Of two crea-
tons, Gen. /, In the beginning God Great
ed the heavens and the earth. Isaiah NV.
II, is, For behold l create new heavens,
and new earth, and the former shall not
be remembered, nor come into mind. But
be We glad and rejoice forever in that
which create: for behold, l create Jeru-
salem rejoicing, and her people joy.
And Isai. II. IL, And have put my
words in thy mouth, and have covered
thee in the shadow OF mine hand, that /
may plant the heavens and lay the foun-
Lation Of the earth, and say unto Zion
Thou art my people. And chapter Nv,
~, For as the new heavens and the new
earth which l will make &c. OF co urse
this is fgurative language; but We are
not left AT a loss TO decipher its meaning.
That it points to the gospel renovation, is
plain from the declaration, For behold, l
create Jerusalem q reioioing, and her peo-
pie Joy. We know that the gospel state
Is everywhere spoken of rs renewed
state Of things, wherein old things are
passed away, and all things become new.
We learn the necessity for this new
creation, from the prophet Jeremiah
w., %, %, where the old creation is rep
resented us destroyed; as it were, ami
hilated by sin, and reduced to chaos,
without form and void. "They are wise
to do evil, but to do good they have no
knowledge. beheld the earth, and 10!
it was without form and void; and the
heavens, and they had no light"
Note the similarity Of this language to
the description given in Genesis, as ap-
piled to the original creation. Now, it
is the purpose OF the Old Testament
Scriptures 10 reveal Gods purpose OF
grace to the world-the redemption that
Is in Christ. This salvation was revealed
10 the Jews through the types and shad-
ows Of their sacrifices under the law.
But their prophets reveal Christ, and the
Gospel dispensatiou, with all its increase
Of light and glory, in remarkable de-
gree Of clearncss in many places. These
Scriptures are also a part OF the "all
Scripture" that "is given by inspiration
from God" and Is profitable for our ad-
monition and instruction
And applying this prophecy Of a new
creation, in its manifest and obvious
sense to the work Of Christ in the re-
demption OF man, we are prepared to
make practical application Of the pass
age in the EpIstle 10 the Hebrews, w., 10:
"For he that Is entered into his rest, lie
also hath ceased from his own works, us.
God did from His" But the reason
given. for the Sabbath Mt its original in
stitution was that in il God had rested
from His work. ,.
Look at the parallclism in Hebrews;
Gods work, ChristS work; Gods rest,
Christs rest. The work Of creation, to be
COMMUNICATED by a Sabbath; the work
of redemption, to be commemorated by
Sabbath. To the Jews anaddiuonal rea-
son was given for the observance Of the
Sabbath, Deut. ", Is, "And remember
that thou vast a servant in the land OF
Egypt, and that the Lord thy God
brought thee out thence, through
mighty hand and a stretched out arm;
therefore the Lord thy God commanded
thee to keep the Sabbath day" Now
what is the typical Significance Of this
bondage in Egypt, and Of the deliyerance
: therefrom, that God alone could give?
The Saviour can, with the same proprie-
ty, say to His people, "And remember
that thou vast slave to sin, servant OF
Satan, and that with mighty hand and n
stretched out arm have brought thee
out thence: therefore do command thee
to keep the Sabbath day." This is the
thing 10 which the type points; and il We
would keep the Sabbath in commemora.
ton OF this great event, We must observe
the day on which this great work Of the
Savior was accomplished. But this day
u the first dsy Of the week. In Ps. cxviiir
y, % and q, we learn that the day Of
Christ'S resurrection Is to be celebrated
with holy joy, by the Church. The stone
which the builders refused is become the
maidstone Of the corner. This is the
Lords doing; il is marvellous in our
eyes This 10 the day which the Lord
nath made; we will rejoice and be glad
mn In regard 10 the new creation spo.
Ken Of by Isaiah xiv, II, Is, / would call
attention to the language whore It says,
tue former, that is the old, shall not be
remembered, nor come into mind. By
this language the Holy Ghost cannot
mean that we are to perpetuate the
keeping Of the seventh day for the ex-,
press purpose Of keeping II in mind. !
think in the light Of the prophet, rs we'll
~ in the limitations OF the typical OBJ
servances under the law, we may nowsee
very clearly the reason why the Savior
put special honor upon the first day OF
the week; and why the Apostles transfer
red to this day the claims OF the 9TH COM
nlandment; and why the Christian would,
down through the ages, have considered
The Lords day, and the Sabbath day SYM
onomous, or, in other words, why they
teach that "irom the resurrection or
Christ, TO CONTINUE to the end Of the
world, the first day Of the week Is the
Christian Sabbath" II is moreover very
easy TO see why, under the circumstances,
There was not an express precept given
los the change Of the day, when We con.
slider theeHect that such precept would
have had on the Jewish mind, 70 lead to
rejection Of Christ; for We know how
6rm Is the hold Of q long established re-
hgious usage upon the human mind. The