Knoxville daily chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1882, 1880-11-28
THE SABBATH.
Prof. John" TyndaIl discusses
Sabbatarianism and Proves
That ssThe Sabbath was
Made for Man and not
Man for the Sab
bath.''

marked by Martin Luther that Jesus
broke the Sabbath deliberately, and
even ostentatiously for a purpose.
He walked the fields; he plucked,
shelled and ate the corn; he treated
the sick, and his spirit may be de-
tected in the allegedimposition upon
the restored cripple of the labor Of
carrying his bed on the Sabbath day.
He crowned his protest against a
sterile Journalism by the enunciation
of principle which applies to us tor
day as much as to the world in the
time of Christ: s|The Sabbath was
made for man, and not man for the
Sabbath" Though the Jews, to
their detriment, kept themselves as a
nation intellectually isolated, the
minds of individ 10 were frequently
colored by Greek thought and cul-
ture. The learned and celebrated
Philo, who was contemporary with
Josephus, was thus influenced. Philo
expanded the uses of the seventh
day by including inits proper observ-
ance studies which might be called
secular. Moreover, he says, the
seventh day is also an example from
which you may learn the propriety
of studying philosophy. AS on that
day it is said God beheld the works
that He had made, SO you also may
yourself contemplate the works OF
nature" Permission to do this is
exactly what the members of the
Sunday society humbly claim. The
Philo, would grant them this per
mission, but our straiter Christians
will not. Where shall we find such
samples of those works of nature
which Philo commended to the Sun
day con 5emplation of his country
men as in the British. museum
Within those walls we have, as it
were, epochs disentombed- ages OF
divine energy illustrated. But the
efficient authorities, amo lg whom /
would include a short-sighted
portion of the public, resol 1tely
close the doors, and exclude f. OH the
contemplation of these things the
multitude who have only Sunday to
devote to them. Taking them on
their own ground, we ask, are the
authorities logical in doing SO? Do
they who thus stand between them
and us really believe those treasures
to be the work of God? Do they OF
do they not, hold with Paul, that
"the eternal power and godhead "
may be clearly seen from "the things
that are made? :" If they do-and
they dare not affirm that they DO not
I fear that Paul, in his customary
Language, would pronounce their
conduct to be without excuse.
With regard to the time when the
obligation to keep the Sabbath was
imposed, and the reasons for it's i'm
position, there are grave differences
of opinion between learned and pious
men. Some affirm that it was in
situated at the creation in re.
membrance of the rest of God
Others allege that it was i'm
posed after the departure Of
the Israelites from Egypt, and in
memory of that departure. The
bible countenances both interpreta-
tons. In Exodus we find the origin
of the Sabbath described with I'M
mistakable clearness, thus: "F'or in
six days the Lord made heaven and
earth, the sea, and all that in them is,
and rested the seventh day. Where
fore the Lord blessed the seventh
day, and hallOwed it." In Deuter-
onomy this reason is suppressed and
another is assigned. Israel being a
servant in Egypt, God, it is stated,
brought them out of it through a
mighty hand and stretched-out arm.
therefore the Lord thy God COM
manded thee to keep the Sabbath
day." After repeating the ten COM
mandments, and assigning the fore
going origin to the Sabbath, the
writer in Deuteronomy proceeds
thus: ''These words the Lord spake
unto all your assembly on the
mount, out of the midst Of
the fire, of the cloud, and
thu thick darkness, with loud
voice; and he adeed no more" But
in Exodus God not only added more
but something entirely different
This has been a difficulty with com
mentators-not formidable, if the
Bible be treated as any other ancient
book, but extremely formidable OF
the theory of plenary inspiration
| remember in the days of my you'll
:: beng shocked and perplexed by 81
admission made by Bishop Watson
in his celebrated "Apology for tn,
Bible" written in answer to Ton
Paine. "You have, says the bishop
disclosed a few weeds which goo,
men would have covered up from
view" That there were "weeds" i
the Bible requiring to be kept out @
! sight was to me, at that time, a nev
revelation. I take little pleasure i
dwelling upon the errors and blem
ishes of book rendered venerabl
to me by intrinsic wisdom an
inlperishable associations. Blu
when that book is wrested to on
detriment, when it's passages are in