Grand Rapids herald. [volume] (Grand Rapids, Mich.) 1892-1959, 1892-10-03

looked Into ths subject, aud there
coold not be letter t.Lle, l am sure.
10 look into Il than the present, "a view
Of taese questIonlngs concerning the
opening OF cIoslng Of the fair grounds
Ga this day.
orixin Of the sabbath.
Now even The Jewish sabbath was of
pagan origin. Ii was borrowed by
Moses from Egypt. where IL bad been
observed thousands of years before the
fourth commandment made lie Oh
servance obligatory upon the Jews.
There Is 10 mention of the Sabbath ia
the bible by any OF the IatElsrchs be
fore Moses, VIII carried IL away from
Egypt, with much else that hc mad
learned there. for Egypt was the uni
verslty At which the whole world was
educated. Moses saw in II an lnstitu-
ton tnat could condaee to the clylllLs-
ton OF the barbarous people whom he
led out thence, and he adopted IL.
And where did the Egyptions or the
Chaldeans, before the Egyptians get it
and why dld they observe 4,
The sabbath Was doubtless the nat
ural outcome OF the superstltioas be-
lIeI that the seven planets winch We're
the sphere OF the stars and ruilag the
fates OF men and nations.
The seven days Of the week were as
ISOLATED With the seven planets. IN
which were included the sun and the
moon, supposed then to be planets, and
the days OF the week and the twenty
four hours of the day were consecu-
lively devoted to the worship of these
planetary gods, in the order OF their
supposed distance from the earth.
saturn Was the 'dies infaustus"
of the Egyptians. 1t was counted
AS unlucky TO do any work on
that day. So if q Jewish Pharisee, af-
ter the Jews had become great and
prosperous nation in their own land, in
strict conformity to the law OF the
Jewish Sabbath, was hoeing his rield
when the sun went down on Friday
| night, ne left his hoe standing in the
ground where be had struck il on the
going down Of the sun. 1t was thou
sand such superstitions and really ps-
gan observanees, borrowed by the Jews
from the Egyptians. that Jesus rebuked
| by saying, when He was Himself re-
minded that His disciples had broken
the Sabbath by plucking and eating
~
ger when they were passing through q
field, 1.-The Sabbath was made for man
not man for the Sabbath"
How 1t Was Instituted.
The God, whom Moses had somehow
learned to worship, encouraged and
commanded the continuance OF the
Sabbath, giving as a reason for so do.
ing tine following command: "Remem-
Der the Sabbath day, to keep it holy"
and giving rs his reasons, ''For in SIX
days the Lord made heaven and earth
the sea, and all that IN them is; and
the Lord rested the seventh day;
wherefore the Lord blessed the Sab
bath day and hallowed lex. XIV, IL.
And why did he give this command,
"that these may rest" He says the
reason for the observance Of the Sab
bath is changed from making it mere
memorial of Gods rest, to the rest of
man. This is the first great lesson Of
| characterization in the old testament.
Moses had grown since the first issuing
| of this commandment, or his people
had grown, SO as to be able to under
stand q broader application OF the
command. This was through . nat.
ural process Of education or evolution,
consecrating the Sabbath to q higher
purpose of human service, than of OBJ.
serving 1T as q memorial of Gods res,
from the work of creation. Here is a
recognition of God in man, the germ
of the two great commandments, on
which, as Jesus said, "hang all the law
and the prophets:"-"Thou shalt love
the Lord thy God with all thy heart,
and thy neigbor as myself"
Jeeus made a still broader application
of the reasons for the observance of
the Sabbath when he said the Sabbath
was made for man, not man for the
Sabbath. 1t was for use, not for fetch
worship and 1t seems to me that II
would be perfectly conformed to Jesus
teachings to open the worlds fair on
Sunday for the benefit and instruction
| Of men and women.
| The Christian Sunday.
"But," say those Jealous for III
closing,"we do not keep the old Jewish
Sabbath is the christian Sunday, fol-
the observance of which We contend
the day established, as they verify
think, because they have been told so
by the apostles themselves, and to
which for higher reasons has beer
transferred, with some mltigatlons fol
which they do not account, the obliga-
tons Of the old Jewish Sabbath, and
many intelligent persons with whom
have discussed the subject that the
apostles established and commanded
the observance of the first day of the
week in memory of the resurrection
of Jesus from the dead. They have
been told 80 and they never have gone
TO the source of truth for themselves
This is the way of tradition
As the Sabbath or Sunday serve
the higher moral, physical, educa
tional or religious interests of man
for whom 1t was made, as Jesus said. i
should be observed, aud such way
only, as it does serve these interests, is
the obligation to- keep it IN any pre-
scribed way binding.
As TO the origin of Sunday, on which
We have engrsfted, without single
bible reason, most certainly. kind oil
psuedo old Jewish Sabbath, making s
mixture of this and the pagan Sunday
There ~ not the slightest evidence II
the new testament that the apostles
or the immediate followers of Jesu
ever observed or sanctioned II, ol
dreamed of its ever taxing the place o
the Jewish sabbath. They met together
as loving friend. would meet and SUI
together, a. they had done with theI
departed friend and leader of the new
thought that had come INTO tue world
They met IN tender remembrance o
HIM. but there is nowhere IN the new
testament the slightest hint, that 9th
erwiss than this. they ever abstslue,
from the common duties of other DAYS
Neither DO the early fathers of tn