The record-union., 1893-02-22
The Sunday Question.

The Sunday Question.
EDS. RECoRD-UNIoN: Permit me
through your worthy columns to present
the truth in regard to the important ques-
tion, ''What was the Sabbath and what is
The Lords day, or first day of the week."
First-The Sabbath before or until the
law" (Romans v, 13).
/. Genesis IL, 2, 8. When God
rested from his work of creation
ceased from it, satisfied with it. how soon
His rest was broken by the entrance Of
sin! In 1.-THE times of the restitution of
all things" and in His earthly people re-
stored to their place God will rest in the
results of ChrisTs redemptive work
lLeph. ill.,, %, IL. No injunction what
ever accompanies this first mention of
Gods rest, nor does Scripture give evil
dence that any of the patriarchs from
Adam to Moses observed the Sabbath un-
less we may take the margin in Genesis
iv-, 3, as pointing TO it. Nor does the
Hebrew word, of which rest or Sab
bath" is the translation, occur
from Genesis H., to Exodus xvi. We
know that God himself could not enjoy
This creation rest, for He cannot rest
where sin holds sway, but at once we see
Him in His blessed work of undoing the
enemy's mischief The Lord Jesus,
and defended His breaking it John v, 8,
i, 16; tx, l6) by what the Father was
doing, Sand again in Matthew xii, II,
because He is it's Lord.
=. Exodus xvi. $3.50. Here it is char
acteristic of the Sabbath that it is 'given"
as a favor to the people verse 29) and to
this law (2S) there was no penalty at
tached. 1t is not the fiery law'' given a
few days later. Israel had known no
seventh day of rest in the ''bitter
bondage'' of Egypt. A ceaseless
round of toll, enforced by the blows Of
taskmasters, gave no place for Sabbath.
Indeed the people themselves had sunk
into the debasing idolatry of Egypt.
Exodus xxXii., Is. But now that God
had redeemed them by the blood of the
lamb to Himself (EX. XIII to be His
people (xv.), to become His holy habita-
ton, had fed them with angels flood"
had refreshed them with waters Sweetened
by the branch or flowing from the smit-
ten rock, had supplied every want, He
would still further detach them from
self and the world, by giving them a
seventh day for rest. He gave them the
Sabbath in grace, a favor to this much
favored people. But they were not
content to resi- in Gods grace, but like
many of His blood-bought ones now pre-
1erred by works to merit his favor and
put themselves under law lex. xix,
and so (xx.) we have.
Second-rhe Sabbath under the law.
l. Given at Sinai with The awful signs
of Jehovah's presence Heb. xii, lS-2l),
and with an attached penalty for dis
obedience-Death. (EX. XXI, IA, 10;
xxXv.,2. This law and this penalty have
never been altered nor set aside. (Ihe
law has not died, but the Christian has
died to it. Romans vii, 8, revised YER
sion.I God could save the people from
entire destruction, for disobedleDce to the
very first commandment, by retreating
into His sovereign prerogative 10 eXer-
else grace upon whom he will" lex.
xxi. and XXXiii.) Grace, too, could
omen a way for the repentant Israelite to
escape the punishment for ''sins of ignor-
;,nce'' by the offering a bloody sacrifice
nv way of substitution. LEV. iv.; Mum.
sv 27. 29) But for willful sin there was
The one law-death of the sinner. Mum.
w. 3O-351 Blessed be God; Christ has
redeemed us from the curse of the law.
1GaI. iii. 1913; Col H., l4.) LET us not
he entangled again with the yoke of
bondage" Gal. v, -
, But under the law there was fur
ther character given to the Sabbath, and
all-important to observe. (Read EX.
xxxi.. 1916; lisa. lviii., Is, IA; Jer. xvii,
o4-27: Eek. Xxx, u, 15, 20, p; xxi, S.
That the sabbath was token of the cove
nant which God had made with Israel.
While they kept it they were in obedi
euce. and therefore under the law in
bis favor, and we see IN Inc ABOVE pas
sapes how He points to the broken Sab
bath as clear proof they had broken that
covenant.
3. This token our Lord deliberately dis
r.egarded. although the Pharisees were
most scrupulous in observing the letter
of the commandments; for, recognizing
their real estrangement from God and
His holy law. lie would not, as jehovah
ssT,ord of the Sabbath'i-own them as
having a right to Gods favor, as His
ovenant-keeping people Matt. xii,
rack of this was the truth that the Sab
bath was made for man tEx. XVII and
the Giver; its Lord would not bind mems
consciences by sign that had LOST Its
Talne. And He, in that grace which can
not be hemmed in by law, Himself
worked on the sabbath day., John v,
etc. And the Sabbath, as a day OF obll-
cation, found its end for us when our
ord lay in the tomb throughout the day,
crucifed by those to whom it had been