The Kalispell bee., 1902-04-16

rest from creative work. Each of
His long, creative days has a
morning and an evening, but there
is no record in Genesis of the even
ing of Gods seventh day We may
now be in the morning, or at the
noontide, or near the close of that
day. but God only knows when it's
evening will come. 1t is long day,
to which our time pieces and our sys-
TENS of chronology cannot be ad-
justed. Only the great clock of eter-
nifty strikes it's hours. In all this
long day God is distinguishing from
a certain kind of work. His works
of providence, His most holy, wise
and powerful preserving and govern
ing still goes on. He is not idle be-
cause he has suspended particular
form of activity, no more than man
is idle when he ceases the secular
work of the week and enters upon
the higher spiritual employment of
the Lords day.
We know that the long Sabbath,
or rest day of God from creation
of material things, is day of great
spiritual activity in the spiritual
realm, because it covers the life
growth and expansion of the church
from the beginning through all dis
pensations until the end of time. The
Bible gives us clearly to understand
that this day is an interval lying be-
tween the creation of two worlds, the
first of which is our present world,
to be created when the great Sab
bath day of spiritual creation and re-
demptive work is ended. In Isaiah
we read: Behold, l create new
heavens and new earth; and the
former things (creation-that is, this
present worldD shall not be remem-
bered. In Peter we read: "Ac-
cording to His PROMISE we look for
new heavens and a new earth, where
in dwelleth righteousness; ''these
heavens dissolving by fire, and these
elements melting with fervent heat, e"
In Revelation we read: "And I,
John, saw new heaven and a new
earth, for the first heaven and the
first earth were passed away"
Our rest day, referred to in the
text, is one, in seven of our natural
days-a period of twenty-four hours.
There seems to be a parallelism here
God in His great week, and man in
his little week, a measurement of the
finite after the pattern of the infinite,
Gods seventh day devoted to a spir-
itual purpose, and mans seventh day
set apart by divine appointment to
cooperate with his Maker in the ac-
complishment of a great spiritual
end.
Reading the Scriptures in this
light, Hugh Miller the Scottish geolo
gist, says, that the voice our Sabbath
is, "As God rests on His Sabbath
from His creative labors in material
things, and is doing a Sabbath day
work in spiritual things, in order tC
save and elevate man, rest you, Q
man, from material and secular pur
suits on your Sabbaths, that through
your cooperation with God in His
great work you may be elevated and
saved"
What is the meaning of the words
of solemn institution and dedication
And God blessed the Sabbath (oul
Sabbath) and hallowed it?" Is Gods
time divided into secular and holy
days? Has he need of holy day tc
develop His spiritual life, or is His
eternity an endless day of holiness
with Him? To bless a day is to sci
it apart to be a blessingto him tt
whom it is given. And to whom was
this day given? Was it to Moses
as the representative of the Jewish
people? Then the divine law ant
institution of marriage was also giveI
at the same time and under the same
; circumstances. If such is the case
then marriage and the Sabbath arC
: peculiarly Jewish institutions; the,
: stand or fall with the Jewish econ
, omy and are in no wise of perpetua
I and universal obligation. But the,