The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1895-02-28
SABBATH DISSERTATION.

SABBATH DISSERTATION.
Mr.. ED1roR:-Please give me space
to reply to what the editor of the
American Sentinel" says about me,
in your last issue.
Mr.. Ballenger accuses me of being
"Self appointed Censor of Public
Morals" do not so regard myself.
l suppose all ordained ministers are
ordained censors of public morals.
They are appointed and ordained by
competent authority to promote the
Kingdom of Christ on Earth; and this
they do in the first place, positively,
by preaching the Word of God, and
in the second place, negatively, by
suppressing as far as possible all
kinds of evil. They encourage godli-
ness on the one hand and reprove sin
on the other. This they do, not by
disappointment but because they
have been called by authority to this
work. know the Civil government
does not recognize this authority, but
surely it Will be allowed, that public
sentiment expects aud requires min
listers, as ministers, to stand in the
forefront of the battle against sin, and
working Oh Sunday is sin, because it
is breaking the law of the land, and
as Christians we are not allowed to do
this.
Now with regard to the catechism.
The Episcopal church has only one
catechism, and that is found in the
prayer book. Bishop Doane's cate
chism, mentioned by Mr.. Ballenger,
and hundreds of others are not ''The
Catechism;' they have no authority
whatever. Their intrinsic merit may
win for them much favor, but they.are
not the authorized catechism. l have
never seen them and know nothing
about them; they are not 'The Cate
chism." I repeat therefore what the
editor of the American Sentinel says
is in the catechism, is not to be found
there. l did not and do not say he
was dishonest in this matter, he was
only mistaken, and l have tried to set
him right.
MIR. Ballenger is as badly mistaken
in this Sabbath question and l would
like to set him right. His numerous
quotations from Scripture, to prove
that the Sabbath was the Sabbath is
so much waste time and effort. I did
not deny that the Jews kept Saturday.
Instead of discussing this matter with
him, 1 will quote from Rev. NJ. D.
Canright, who for twenty-eight years
was prominent minister in the Sew
enth Day Adventist body. He says
Chap. X, page 1856 of his book, cater
keeping it THAT is Saturday, twenty
eight years, after having persuaded
more than thousand others to keep
it; after having read my Bible
through, verse by verse, more than
twenty times, after having scrutinizedi
to the very best of my ability every |
text, line aud word in the Bible hav-
ng the remotest bearing upon the
Sabbath question; after having looked
up all these both in the original and
in many translations; after having
written several works in favor Of the |
Seventh Day, which were satisfactory |
TO my brethren; after seeing the fruits |
Of keeping it, and weighing all the |
evidence in the fear of God; l amp
fully settled in my own mind and
that the evidence is against
keeping the Seventh Day. !
Out Of respect for your space Mr.. /,
Editor, say no more. I recommend
Mr.. Canright's book to the editor of
the American Sentinel; he will find it !
very interesting, and may, like Mr..
Canright, see the error of his way and
come out of them, and I hope it may
take less than twenty-eight years to
do it. H. BEER.