The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1880-05-12
TIE SABBATH.

flAoI DAY Ot The WEEK.
There Is deep sub-structure, buried
far beneath the surface, and which never
meets the eye of the casual student, un-
DERIVING the Temple which rises out of
the duPlex-system of the Old and New
Testaments, which is not indeed duplex
system, but foundation wall of vast cir
cult, embracing two compartments. The
system of religion based on these two
books or these two sets of books, is one
well-united, tremendously adjusted, or
ganic whole, Just as much so as the sys-
TEN of Nature, and it involves constant
and endless study to comprehend the
inter-relations of the parts. The more
profoundly one enters into the meaning
and character of the Bible, the more dis
tinctly he perceives this organic unity
which binds it together from Genesis to
Revelation, and the more he is struck
with the value and significance of parts
which, specifically considered, seem to
have no function or which do not seem
to be necessary to the general structure
Everywhere he will discern marks of
design, but it is the subtle design of the
intelligence which the biologists recog-
nize in the structure of the rocks or of
the simplest mineral or which the nat
uralist recognizes in the fern or the tree,
the actinia or the great monsters of the
deep not the superficial continuance of
human workmanship.
We called attention on one occasion to
the prophetic declaration in the third
chapter Of Genesis, uttered at the time
of the expulsion of man from Paradise,
In which, with brevity almost careless,
and with enigmatic words only to be APP
preciated centuries afterwards, it was an
rOunced that the seed of the poor, erring
woman, who was then being driven in
shame from that beautiful Eden, should,
in the progress of the ages, "bruise the
Serpent's head" We observed that this
was fulfilled by the son of Mary when he,
as it were, nailed to his cross the great
adversary of humanity, typifed in the
wilderness by the elevation of the brazen
serpent on the pole.
We perceive a similar unobtrusive, but
distinctly recognizable, method in the
change from the seventh to the first day
of the week for the special worship Of
God, and the commemoration of his Rest.
There is no alluSion to such change
in the gospels There is no command on
the subject in the epistles. The change
was silently effected, and it is difficult to
say where it began and when it was fully
realized. Both days, the seventh and
the first, were observed in the early
Church, the one more especially by the
Jewish converts, the other by the Gen
tile converts. Up to the year 70, when
the temple was destroyed, even the apos-
ties themselves observed with more or
less strictness the Jewish ceremonial law
That event created new epoch, but even
then it was several centuries before the
Christian Sunday-the Lords Day-bad
completely pushed aside the memory of
the Jewish Sabbath
In other words, here is a silent growth,
originated indeed in the apostolic days
by apostolic practice, but still obviously
left TO the operation of silent causes in
consequence Of the peculiar relation be-
tween the vanishing system Of Judaism
and the new administration Of the Spirit.
Indeed we think in some measure God
left the Christian Church to work out for
itself this problem, that thereby its at
IGNITION might be the more closely drawn
to the meaning Of the institution, and
the relations Of the two economies to one
another There is the same reserve with
regard to infant baptism, the mode of
baptism, the significance Of baptism,
Johns baptism, with regard to the form
a Church government with regard to
the observance Of days dixie Eastern, with
regard to Church worship, with regard to
the origin Of evil, etc., etc.
Now we can look back and see that