St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1886-01-02
The Sabbath.
Reasons why il should be More Gen
orally Observed.
NO DIRECT SCRIPTURAL JUNCTION
OTHER THAN THE COMMANDMENT,
But REASON AND CIVIL OBLI-
CATION ENJOIN 1T.
N, o. Time Democrat.

ne SUBJECT we propose TO cOlSluer Is
the Bible method of keeping the Sab
bath. The first point is to determine
whether the Sabbath is solely Jewish
tire human family. Some suppose that
because the Lord blessed and sanctified
the seventh day that the law OF the Sab
bath existed from the creation, but, as
we are only dealing with Bible facts,
the position is beyond proof. The great
er number OF the fathers and commen-
tators hold that the santitication of the
Sabbath mentioned by Moses in the be-
ginning of Genesis signifies that APP
pointment then made of the seventh day
to be afterwards sanctitied by the Jews.
We have nothing of the Sabbath in the
history of the Patriarchs. Neither is
it mentioned in the Book of Job, who
was contemporary with Moses. st. Paul
the law" And again, in speaking to
the Gentiles, he told them "that in times
past God suffered all nations to walk in
their own ways. Nevertheless he left
not himself without witness in that he
did good and gave US rain from Heaven
and fruitful seasons, filling our heart,
with food and gladness." The first pre-
cept of the Sabbath was given to the
Jews at Marah one month after their
exodus from Egypt. When the rulers
of the congregation came and acquaint
ed Moses with the fact that the people
had gathered double portion of man
ma on the sixth day, he replied, This is
that which the Lord hath said "To
morrow is the rest of the Sabbath unto
the Lord. Bake that which ye ill bake
to-day and seethe that ye will netIe,
and that which remaineth over lay up
for you to keep until to-morrov'." They
showed no knowledge OF a previous law.
Philo says the Hebrews, having forgot
ten the day of the creation, were again
reminded of it when God, having it to
rain mama all the other six days of the
week, withheld it ON the Sabbath. In
Exodus, XXI, Is, we have these words:
''Speak thou also unto the children of
Israel, saying, verify My Sabbath We
shall keep, for it is sign between Me
and you throughout your generations,
that We may know that | am the Lord
that doth sanctify you )" and again in
Deuteronomy, v, 10: And remember
Egypt and that the Lord thy God
brought thee out thence through a
mighty hand and by stretched-out arm.
Therefore the Lord thy God command
ed thee to keep the Sabbath day" Eze-
kiel, XIX, 10 and 90, says expressly "The
Sabbath and the other feasts of the Jews
are signs given by God to his people to
distinguish them from other nations
We see from this that the Sabbath
was Jewish institution, and we now
come to the second point in our investi-
cation To find out whether this law of
the Sabbath, given to the Jews to dis
tinguish them from other nations, is
binding on US, or, like all other Jewish
Il Il
in the tomb of our Savior, who, when
He rose triumphant, fulfilled the last
one OF those tynes. Old things passed |
away and all things became new. St. |
Paul, in his epistle to the Col, ,, II, Is, !
II, says: "Blotting out the handwriting
of ordinances that was against us, which |
was contrary to us, and took it OF the
way, mailing it to His cross. Let no
man therefore, judge you in meat, or in
drink, or in respect of a holy day, or of
the Sabbath days, which are a shadow
of thing to come, but the body is of
Christ. In Rom, IA, 5, 6 "One man es-
teemeth one day above another, another
every day alike. Let every
man be fully persuaded in his own
mind. He that regardeth the day re-
gardeth not the day to the Lord he doth
not regard it. He that eateth, eateth to
the Lord, for he giveth God thanks, and
he that eateth not to the Lord giveth I
God thanks" And in GAL, 4, 8, 10, II ;
''But now, after that he hath known I
God, or rather, known OF Gods, how
turn We again to the weak and beggar- s
ly elements, whereunto We desire again [
to be in bondage ? Ye observe days and I
times and years. / am afraid {
of you last have bestowed upon you
labor in vain." And when the Jewish t
Christians wished to bring the Gentle :
under the law of Moses. the {
Apostles, in council assembled ut Jeru- +
salem, sent them letter by the hand of +
Paul, Barnabas and three other breth- '
26, 80. "Foi it seemeth good to the :.
Holy Ghost and to us to lay upon YOU +
no greater burdens than these necessary !
things that We abstain from meats offer ,
ed to idols, and from blood. and from ,
things strangled, and from fornication .
shall do WE'LL" I
After Paul and his companions ira .
veled through the different cities deliy- +
3ring the DEGREES ordained by the Apos- =
les and elders by which the churches a
we're established in the faith, and carry =
ng the Gospel into remote countries, he
lgain returned to Jerusalem and pre- =
'ented himself before James and the e
,lders, and declared unto them what '
Kings God had wrought among the n
TEXTILES by his ministry. And when a
hey heard it they glorified the Lord, a,
nd said unto him Thou seest, brother, 81
ow many thousand Jews there are il
which believe, and they are all jealous p
f the law, and they are informed of n
bee that thou teachest all the Jews m
Zhich are among the GentileS to for M