, 1876-02-06

apout IS eoflous az those have uaued. and .r
uos worm much serious attention And anal
not allow myself to be diverted from tho nait
.asue py any such eide-shows. 7 think I KNOW
JUST Where that main point lies. aud intend II
1otce Mr- b. and his friends to face tha ruusie
| and answer yes or no.
The gist Of the Whole matter 1ies in tho onaa-
ton, whether before tho time Of Mores a. Ssh
oath pfecept was given and Sabbath obsery.
| ance followed In previous article gtatei
that il any man would point me to well-detinod
sabbath injunction, or to clear statement o.
sabbath observance in the record before the
| stead Of SO much spec1a1 pleading and petsifog
| ing, why don't 3fr. B. or Some Of his school
point out this Sabbath law and observance Of
] Which they talk SO confidently. and spike ms
! little gun and stop the whole discussion? Why
mr. Is. knows, ii he knows ANYTHING at all about
tho matter, that there is no such law and nc
such TACT OF Sabbath observance outside OF the
pronho brains Of theo!ogians. Ho knows, o1
| ought to know, that the doctrine Of Sabbath
antecedent to Moses is all pur3 assump-
slon. nothing but inference and guess. The
array OF great names gives the assumption
no atEangth or force, because it is not question
OF the Interpretation OF words, in which tho
services OF scholars might be OF value. but tho
olaicuitY is the want Of words in tue record. It
Is not the meaning of words but their abeepce
that lnvaiues the Sabbath doctrine in trouble.
stated in former article that the facts Of
Creation and OF what God said in respect to the
seventh day were not known TO mankind till the
revelation was givon to Moses. In reply to this,
facts OF the time we're known to the people Of
the time quite as we'll as to Moses. certainly
didn't deny that fac:R transpirins among men pt
Mnscn they were cognizant wore as we'll known
20 them ns to Moses. But It was not these facts
=! Was speaking about and it AIr. 8. il not rery
dull OF comprehension. he must Laye
known that the facts to Which I re-
ferred wero the facts OF creation, and
what God said Of the seventh day. Tho facts Of
creation were not facts Of mans time, and he
and Ne are not told that God mado any ansece-
dent revelation on the subject It is assumed
because God blessed and haltowed the seventh
day that therefore the act Was known to the
world; but how should mankind know the fact
unless God told them? Tho record gives no ac-
80 that all assertions that mankind knew it arc
but assumptions. The silence Of the record is
against them, and gives ground for the preaump-
ton that they arc false. The objection ia raised
That there seems to be no purpose in the divine
blessing conferred upon the day, If it was not to
be given for human observance. Then tbs fnct
that "a can't See God's designs and comprehend
their entire scope, Is not very good reason
for asserting that unless they mean what We
thlnk they should they are meaningless: Now to
my simple way Of thinking the act Of God in re-
spect to the seventh day is just III significant,
and just as full OF purpose, whether it was to be
revealed to the first or the fortieth Reneratio0.
God foreknew all the agencies He would require
IN IN His dealing with man. and in the beginning
He provided for every one OF them He fore
SAW that in PROCESS OF time it would be necessary
to institute Sabbath law, and in blessing tho
seventh day. He provided the precedent to
which ho might, when the time arrived for the
law, refer as cause Or reason. I offer this
merely aa euggest1on, not an argument.
Let me repent here that the whole doctrine OF
a Sabbath before Moses rests wholly and solely |
on the assumption that the world knew by somo
sort OF instinct what God did in respect to
the seventh day before he revealed it. +
know Of nothing SO degrading to man
kind in this day Of so much boast about |
freedom and intelligence as the fact that they |
are held 60 eas1y io the hands Of so much utter
y groundless theological assumption. The very ]
idea that law or precept Of God for human OBJ !
lett to depend on Inference and conjecture, is ab-
surd. It takes three things to make precept |
Or INJUNCTION, VIZ. the giyer OF the precept,
Ehe person Or parsons addEeaaedr and itha matter
aujoined. Where. before the time Of Moses "a; t
these three conditions meet il the record to I
form Sabbath laws II they are IN Genesis. |
hey can easily ba pointed out But instead Of |
loing this, one refers to the use Of the number |
seven ~ proof OF the Sabbath, another thinks !
here is great significance in the word - Remem- !
oer." DR.. Hodge aud Prof. Lange are quoted
10 u certain random words and phrases, and the |
opinions Of doctors Of divinity, could force ure-
'ept and lts observance into the record when
lone exist. The use OF the number seyen is
ute as likely to be an astrological conceit as to !
ave any relation to . Sabbath. II alt the con-
ections in which it is used we're quoted it would
9 readily seen that to impute its meaning
the sabbath IN every case would make
bad jumble- It seems to be forgotten
nat the Sabbath precept was given to the Israeli
es about mouth before the lar was promul-
ated and, as indicated in the fourth verse Of
1odus sixteenth chapter, it was introduced in !
dVance OF the other laws a. preliminary trial !
: test OF whether or not when the whole laws |
1ould cone they would obey them. As the text
- it, God gave It first to prove or try them. |
he word text probably conveys the true aigni6-
lnce: When tho Sabbath precept was given
':mally in tho decalogue it commenced With
le word 'Sremember" Tor don't for9et1 the
'obath da5, erc. They had been keeping it
1t to forget to keen it holy. The word remem- i
u has no necessary nor usun} reference to time !
ID events long past or of long duration. Wo :
Il our children and servants, and all to whom |
. give directions or instruction to remember
hat We have just told them: and the newer the {
after is, aud the less familiar they are with it,
@ more emphasis we use III urging them to re-. 6
ember Job said, Great men are not alyays ! =
se," cud he might hare added with equal
18th, they are not always endowed With common
nEe.
Genesis twenty y-sixth md fifth nse referred to c
evidence that the Inv or somo general Low ! :
listed before the time Of Moses. Every in r
gldual whom God selected for any spocia} pur- ]
go had p1ecepts OF rules Of conduct given him :
respect to some things. Noah had rules Tor The {
Instruction Of the Ark and tho apimals be vas | i
take into it, and he obeyed them. Abraham ! 7
IS selected and had certain iniunctions im- Ii
sed upon him which he observed faithfully, Il
d it is these. and not . general existing Law s
( all men that be kept, and for which he is G
DR.. Hodge BATS: ''If nothing Il
g done but What is recorded in Genesis, tho RI
'tediluF'ans and putriarchs lived almost en- 81
ely without religious obseryances." Exactly lie
But If the record does not stata what their | n
lgious observances we're, what means has Dr.. al
'dge Of teiing2 Does not tue silence Of tho ! u
ord leave tue whole subject undecided? Who Il
the absence Of q recorded fact can Say in re- b;
sct to any specific matter Whist they did | II
what they did not 1t is not denied ! C
1t they may have had religious obserrances th
rhaps multitude Of them, but without rec N
Of the facts, are VIC not left to mere con- er
tu1e or infareuce2 What theo1ogtan. how | re
II distinguished, can say. while tha record Is ar
mt, just what religious ohservauces they had
lad not He may say be presumes they had Pc
Sabbath, Or ha thinks, or supposes, or be- i'd
kG-x- tn4- At1