Clarksville evening chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn) 1886-1890, 1888-10-06

cludes such an hypothesis, for it is
made binding upon the stranger
(foreigner) within my gates Now
it is notorious, that foreigners could
take no part in the Jewish ceremo-
MES. and had they touched them, it
would have been sacrilege, but the
moral law is of universal binding
obligation, and is aptly ali summed
up in the double summary, "Thou
shall love the Lord thy God with all
thy heart, with all thy mind, and
with all thy soul, and with all thy
strength, and thou shalt love thy
neighbor as thyself;" a pure moral
code, without even single ceremo-
NAL sandwiched in with the other
nine to mar the symmetry and the
perpetuity of the whole.
We conclude that the Sabbath is a
fundamental institution for the race,
and as permanent as time, and of
universal binding force. How is it,
then, that since the resurrection Of
Christ, the first day of the week has
been and will be observed to the end
of time as the Christian Sabbath in
stead of the seventh day of the week?
Had l an extra half hour, / could
show you beyond question that this
change of day was distinctly fol.-
Swallowed and justified by the Old
Testament prophecy; that it was
amply authorized by the usage and
example of the apostles whose mis-
sion and prerogatory were to set in
order tho church of Christ and deter
mine all her franchises !; and that the
practice and teaching Of the early
church were in project accord with
the doctor Of divinely appointed
change from the seventh to the first
day of the week, fulfilling oil the
conditions of Sabbath law. We
shall assume all this, however, and
pass on to consider how the Sabbath
is to be sanctified.
How shall we keep the Sabbath
holy? "By a holy resting all that
day, from all such worldly employ
ments recreations as are lawful on
other days, and spending the whole
day in public and private exercises Of
Gods worship, except so much rs
may be taken up with works of nc
cessity and mercy" This is the full
orthodox answer as opposed to the
continental view. No single part OF
it may be taken out without destroy
ing the whole. Like a beautiful arch
built Of stone, all fitted and complete,
let one single stone be displaced and
the whole is but a mass of shapeless
ruins. God challenges special pro-
priety and ownership in the Sabbath.
He claims it all or none, and the
mode of its observation is laid down
in his word, and that word is our
final appeal. Some people speak
snceringly af Jewish Sabbath, and
a Puritanic Sabbath as a thing con-
trary to the law of liberty promulga-
ted by Christ, and if you will press
these same sneerers little, you will
find that they consider the standard
of morals lowered along the whole
line of this same law of liberty. But
where is the evidence of the lower
ing of the standard? Murder and
theft and adultery are still as helm
GUS as in Moses day. Nor is there
any evidence that Sabbath breaking
is any less heinous to-day than when
the gatherer Of sticks ON the Sabbath
was stoned by Gods direct COM
mand. Christ says, "Think not that
I am come to destroy the law and the
prophets, but to fulfill" "Whoso-
ever shall break one of the least COM
and teach men so, shall
be called least in the kingdom of
heaven" There is no new legisla-
ton on moral in the New Testament.
The Ten Commandments stand to-
day with identically the same force
as when given on Mt. Sinai. If,
then, you will understand the limi-
tations to the Sabbath law, look for
them in the Old Testament, where
you have the history of its working.
There must then be a cessation
from the worldly employments and
lawful on other days.
This is the condition precedent to the
right improvement of the day; the
clearing of the hands and heart for
other and higher things. ain it thou
shall not do any work. 'ss 1t means an
absolute cessation, not only by your
self, but by all under your control,
and for whose conduct Won are !