The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1894-05-14
OBSERVANCE OF THE SABBATH
Pastor Houston Pays His Respects
to ssTisat Manss FRANKIE.

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Pastor Houston Pays His Respects
to ssThat Mans FRANKIE.
Rev. Thomas Houston of the John Knox
Presbyterian Church last evening made a
reply to the question of the Seven Day
Adventists, ssWho changed the Sabbathg'
The blind pastor handled Rev. Mr.. Frank
OF the Adventists' Church without gloves,
and his sermon was listened to By a large
congregation. Among other things he
said
"a certain man has publicly advertised the
question, Who changed the Sabbath This
man pretends that he knows, and insists up
on his dogmatic bigotry that the Sabbath
has been changed, but he only displays his
ignorance in SO doing. A careful study of
modern history and the history of the Jews
proves conclusively that the Sabbath was
never changed. Still these people insist
that the seventh day of the week, and not the
first day, is the Sabbath. h Sabbath
they say, was changed by Constantine the
Great. I have here the edict of Constan-
tine. and a glance at it will show hat it has
been misinterpreted. Constantine was a
sun worshipper and always worshlpped on
the first day of the week. When be was
converted tos..Christianity by his mother,
it was but natural that he should retain the
first day of the week for worship. He in
sisted upon the first day of the week being
observed, and made the FIRST law compelling
artisans to lay aside their work on that day.
They who insist that the Sabbath was
changed say that we are followers of Con-
~stantine and call US Sun Worshippers.'
Their assertion is illogical and without
foundation. We can prove that the Sab
bath existed three hundred years before the
time of Constantine. The practice of wor-
shipping on the first day OF the week began
long before Constantine was heard of.
II AZ u - IL 4. oh Hfo~+o- ~ on% o-1 ro
find that the Savior arose from the tomb on
the first day of the week. Paul preached on
the first day and authorized the Corinthian
church to take a collection on the anne day.
We say that the Sabbath is of Jewish origin,
but it would be just as inconsistent for US to
observe the seventh day as Sabbath as it
would be for a Russian or an rishman to
celebrate the Fourth of July. The Sabbath
was unknown until the Lord a it known
through Moses on Mount Sinai. This idea
of a change of the Sabbath is only of recent
origin. Those who are claiming that it was
changed, lay great stress upon the order
in the commandments to rest on the Seventh
Day. but with US the Sabbath is not a day OF
rest. 1t is a day Of activity in which we la
Dor hard for the advancement of the king
dom of God. If the Sabbath was ever
changed Christ would a told us that
Notwithstanding he arose or the first day
the seventh day should be observed as His
day. h lSfaelteS were ordered not TO
make a journey covering more than two
miles on the Sabbath, and we find In our
Bibles that they did not journey on the first
day of the week. The seventh day law of
the Jews is not binding upon US. At Wash
ington you will find laws on
the statute books regulating slavery.
These laws have never been changed and
are not now enforced because there is no
need to do so. So it is with the seventh day
law of the Jews. 1t is in the word of God,
but instead Of being changed it has been
done away with. Only those laws which are
adapted to the age in which we live are
enforced. We, who observe the first day,
are simply following the early Christians. |
am sorry that | will not be able to speak
longer on this matter as / can advance many
more arguments in defense Of the Christian
Sabbath and everything that | say for the
arst day as the Sabbath | can substantiate
by the word of God