The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1876-01-20
The sabbath Question.
TSUNDER In.l

Editors Intelligcnocr:
That the view whicltI presented in my
last article has the sanction OF the Saw,
ioar's authority is clear from his. declar"
alton that the Sabbath was made for man.
Notice the import Of the language. He
does not say il was made for the Patri-
archnl or the Jewish diSpensations, but
for man. He was accused OF violating
the law Of the Sabbath. He does not say
that the law was abrogated, ind that He
was under no obligations to observe it.
but, on the contrary, shows that what He
had done was no violation OF the Fourth
Commandment, according to the con-
struction put upon it by QLsir best inter-
prefers, who had always held That works
Of necessity and Of mercy were lawful
on the Sabbath day, and had practiced
accordingly. He also claims the right to
construe it with authority. declaring
Himself to be Lord also Of the Sabbath;
that is, He by whom it had been ordained.
OBJECTIONS CONSIDERED.
Ithas been objected to this view, that
we have no account Of the Sabbath dur
ing the Patriarchal dispensatIon, nor
until the introduction Of the Jewish
economy, period Of two thousand years.
We account for this by the exceeding
breyity OF the Scripture narrative and
by the fact that it having been thus
plainly instituted, it was not necessary
until the introduction Of new dispensa.
ton that il should be reiterated.
JUDICIAL EVIDENCE.
We are not, however, without evidence
that the institution was known during
this period. OF Noah, we read that he
was Just man, and that he walked with
God. IL / am, right then in my former
articles, We shouldexpect from the above
language concerning him, to find Noah
observing the Sabbath. Accordingly we
read, Gen. vii. chapter: -f' ...
"And the Lord said unto Noal, come thou and
all thy hou4 into the ark. FOR yet Serrn
days and w1l cause II td nin, DC. And 1t
came 10 pass aer Seten days that the waters OF tho
flood were upon the Garth.
When the waters were abating Noah
sent forth dove, which returned. And
he stayed yet other Scren days, and sent
forth dove, which returned with m olive
leaf in her mouth. And he stayed yet other
sepen days, and sent her forth, and she
returned not. What, l would ask is
tho significance OF this frequent reference
to the seventh day? Again we End
that all the nations of antiquity thus di-
'vided time into weeks, which, without
reference to the Sabbath. being purely
arbitrary division, would be hard TO
account for.
11EArIIEN HEowIEDuE oE THE SABBATH.
After the deliverance Of the Israelites
from their bondage in Egypt, whilst they
were journcying toward Sinai, having
been miraculously supplied with food,
the Lord sending them "the bread Of
heaven" or mama, day by day, We read
Exod, 22d, that on the 9th day they gath
cred twice tho usual daily allowance.
And the rulers OF the congregation came
to Moses, and he sald unto them: "This
Is that the Lord hath said, tomorrow is
the rest OF the Holy Sabbath unto the
Lord" Yer. 2j, and Moses said, eat that
to-day, for to-day is Sabbath unto the
Lord. To-day ye shall not find it in the
field. Here the Sabbath is spoken Of not
US new unheard of thing, but as ofsome.
thing that had been well known 10 them.
Moses refers TO it Us the Sabbath OF the
Lord; that Is OF Divine authority. The
Lord also gives his sanction to this claim,
working two distinct miracles for that
purpose. First in preserving from de.
cay that which had been collected on the
sixth day for Sabbath day use; and, sec
ondly, in Withholding on the Sabbath,
the daily supply in the field. The &c.
count informs US that the people gathered
on the sixth day double supply, not
withstanding their previous experience
that il would not keep over day, and it
was only when the matter had been re.
ierred to Moses by their rulers that he
announced to them the Sabbath Of the
Lord, approving Of what they had done
as necessary to the proper observance of
the Sabbath.
This clearly shows that the law Of the
Sabbath was known TO the people before
tho giving Of tho decalogue.J . - U n
GIVING OF THE LAW AT SINAI.
This brings us to Sinai, and the giving
Of the law.
The only other argument that l shall
adducc to show that the Sabbath was
known to the Patriarchs, is found in the
use OF the word remember, as prefxed to
the 4th Commandment. This implies
that this was not new law, but simply
tho incorporation OF an old law into the
decalogue. tAnd the inference from the
use OF this word is, that during their
hard bondage in Egypt the 1sraelites had
almost forgotten this law. Fl.