Smyrna times., 1893-06-28
For the Smyrna Times.
"From Sabbath to Sunday"


weeks preaching Seventh Day Advent
ism to the people of Kenton, and, as
the aforesaid tract is being broadcasted
over that community to back up his
oral deliverances ON the Sabbath ques-
ton, and, inasmuch as the statements
of said tract are misleading and de-
signedly false, as l believe, il is my
purpose in this article to consider these
statements in detail, and do simple
justice to both Mr.. FRANKIE and the au-
thorities he quotes.
If Mr.. FRANKIE would seek to do the
work of true minister of Jesus and
use his influence to win the unbeliev-
ers to the paths of right, no true disciple
would fail to bid him a most hearty
"God-speed" in his work. But such is
not the case. The greater his measure
of success, the more thoroughly he dis
rupts the church, the family and the
community. In the start he covers IN
his real designs, and you may find him
in our churches and bearing preten-
tlous testimonies in our Methodist
class meetings, but he ultimately leads
to the impression, this is only meant to
Introduce himself to the people; and
when he gets the people out to hear
him his dangerous work begins. At
the start anything out of the usual or
der is given in homeopathic doses. but
soon Seventh Day Adventism is
preached, pure and simple, and so
astute has been the process of develop
ment, that the unwary are caught. be.
fore at all aware of the danger.
The mischief comes when he reaches
the Sabbath question. We must keen
the Commandments; but to keep the
Fourth Commandment we must OBJ
serve the seventh, and not the first dav.
And, to keep the Fourth Command
ment we are obliged to work the six
preceding days, which makes it neces-
sary that labor be done on Sunday
If reminded that this leads to the
breaking of our Sunday law. Mr.
FRANKIE teaches his people that the
State has no right to legislate in refer
ence to this Commandment, and such
laws ought not to be obeyed God de.
mands that we shall keep Saturday
and work the other six DAYS. and
wherever he has gained a foothold. the
people are breaking our Sunday laws
and going to Jail. For it is sin to
pay the fine, and, as l have said, the
tract in question is designed to confirm
his oral statements by showing how
others view the question.
No one will object to the opening
statement in that tract, that we must
go to the word of God for instruction
regarding faith and duty. He then
proceeds to show us that the Bible
does not say that "Christ and His
apostles changed the day" from Satur.
day to Sunday. Indeed, "Christ him
self kept the seventh-day Sabbath, ,,
and it would have been odd if he had
not kept that day, for, up to this date.
no one thought of another dav. "Tbe
early Christians kept it after the cruci-
hxlon." They had no other day up to
this date; but they did not keep the
seVenth-day Sabbath after the resltrrec-
tiOn of Jesus.
Paul preached to the Jews and
Gentiles on the Sabbath day." Just
as Mr.. FRANKIE does on Sunday even.
lngs to get congregation. Paul, like
others who have a message they wish
to make known, met the people on
occasions when they were accustomed
to gather together. But, when Mr..
FRANKIE says, 1--WE search in vain for
one passage in the Scriptures of truth
which sanctions Sunday as first dav OF
the week observance" ;" he should have
remembered that we also search in
vain for one passage in the Seriptures
OF truth" that sanctions the Saturday
Sabbath as the day that God rested al
the end of the creation week.
Mr.. FRANKIE knows that this is an
impossible task. Indeed, how can he
tell that the seventh day now is the
same seventh day mentioned on Sinai
He well knows the changes that have
been made in the calendar, once when
ten days were added, and in 1862 when
the date was advanced eleven days
How does he know that our Saturday
IS the same seventh-day Sabbath men.
toned in the Decalogue?
But when he cites certain authorities
in proof of his Saturday Sabbath no
tions, it looks as if he designedly mis-
represents. He knows that the Meth
odist discipline, the Baptist and Pres
byterian churches, and the minister:
he quotes, believe and teach that Sun
day observance completely meets th,
acquisitions of the Fourth Command
ment. Then why does he try to max,
them say the contrary? And, wher
Bishop Mallalieu denied in writing tba
he was rightly quoted by Mr.. Franke
and further said, ~ fully believe W,
have sufficient ground in the Scripture
for religiously observing Sunday a
our no ly day, rather than Saturday O
any other day of the week" WHY die
Mr.. FRANKIE try to convict the Bisho
: OF falsehood by saying he furnished
the manuscript to the newspaper tina
published his sermon, and that b.
, quoted the exact words therefrom
But Mr.. FRANKIE is just as unfai
, toward DR.. Buck. He might quot
even stronger utterances from Sunda,
Sabbath advocates, by detaching sen
! tences from their proper connection
, just as we can make the sacred Scrip
lures teach any heresy by detachin
, them from their proper connections
But Is that an honest method of inter
, probation And is it honest to quot
, from the writings of men to prov
, what they neither believe nor teach
But when Mr.. FRANKIE tells US tina
the change from Saturday to Sunday i
. the work of the Catholic Church, ant
, cites Catholic authorities to prove it
he does what Protestants denV an,
/, what the history of the case denies
, The Catholic Church would like to b
! so understood, but, as in many othe
matters, their claim to this honor ar
, very gratuitous, to say the least. TIL
, first distinctive Sunday GegisLatio
! came through Constantine, that hi
/ Christian subjects, who were makin
rapid progress" throughout his empire
! might have a uniform Sabbath day fo
j observance. But Sunday Legislation
is one thing and the institution of tn
, Sunday Sabbath is another. Th,
, change from Saturday to Sunday cam,
. in another way, and God has set tn,
seal of His divine approval upon tn
change by wonderfully blessing Sun
T day worshippers. Saturday observer
have always remained a strugglin
few. r.
June "A, 1898.
MARYLAND Items.