Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1904-05-24
#istellaneuals 8eading.
SEVENTH TO FIRST DAY.
CHANGE Was Made at Beginning oi
New Dispensation.

in the minds OF many, why mas tae
Sabbath been changed from the sew
enth to the first day Of the week?
From the Old Testament we find that
the seventh day was always the Sab
bath with the Jewish nation. Indeed,
the commandment says distinctly, 1.-THE
seventh Is the Sabbath Of the Lord
thy God" In the New Testament we
find no command given to make the
change from the seventh to the first
day Of the week, and yet the Christian
church everywhere observes the first
day Of the week as the Sabbath. The
question then naturally arises, Why
was the change made? Was 1t made
with Divine sanction?
The first question to be settled is
WAS there anything to prevent a
change? Anything either In the day
itself or in the command that demand
ed the seventh to be kept continually
as the Sabbath? Looking at the COM
mand we read, "Six days shalt thou
labor and do all thy work, but the
seventh Is the Sabbath" "The seventh
is the Sabbath" What seventh Is
this? Is 1t the seventh counting from
the time God began his creating work?
If so man began his life by keeping
the Sabbath, for he was created
sometime during the sixth day. Is 1t
the seventh from the day man was
created? If so, then mans Sabbath
could not fall on the same day OF
Gods resting, which Is the very
thing to be commemorated by our
keeping the Sabbath. Is not the sew
enth rather the day that follows six
days Of labor? "Six days shalt thou
labor-but the seventh is the Sab
bath" The seventh, the day that fol-
lows the six days Of toll. 1t commem-
crates Gods resting after six days OF
creating work. Hence to us the COM
mand is work six, rest one-the one
following the six work days.
The spirit Of the command Is that
one-seventh Of our time must be given
to God. Six days for our own en-
ployment, one to keep holy for God.
Not the eighth or ninth or twelfth, but
the seventh Is the Sabbath-one day
out Of every seven. one-seventh Of your
time. It Is evident then that the keep
ing Of the first day of the week full
fills both the letter and spirit of the
law Just as fully as the keeping Of the
seventh did.
Again, there Is nothing in the nature
of the day itself to prevent change.
One day Is no more intrinsically holy
than another. The thing that halloWs
the day is the setting it apart for a
sacred purpose. This must be per-
fectly evident when we consider that
on account Of the shape Of our earth
no two nations observe precisely the
same day. While 1t is day here 1t is
night on the other side Of the globe.
Clearly then 1t is the spirit Of the law
we are required to obey, and the spirit
of the law is one-seventh of your time
belongs to God-one day out Of every
seven.
The second question that arises Is,
Was there anything that called for
change? Clearly there was. The CEN
tral figure of the Old Testament proph-
ecy-the coming Christ-had appeared.
The shadows were giving place to the
substance. The types and figures were
giving place to the great anti-type.
1.-The sun Of Judaism was now setting
and a new and more glorious era was
beginning to dawn. AS everything pc
culiarly Jewish was about to be re-
moved it was eminently proper that
there should be a change Of day as
we'll as Of dispensation. AS the day
was employed to signalize the resting
of the creator from his first work-the
work Of creation-and as he had now
finished His second and even greater
work Of redemption and had entered
upon His second rest it seeu peculiar
ly appropriate that this purpose
should be grated upor. i. so that,
without in the least interfering with
its original purpose and design 1t
might also ever stand as lasting me-
rorial Of the resurrection Of our Lord
and Savior" The change Of day has
in no way affected the sanctity Of the
Sabbath save to add a new and pecu-
liarly sacred thought. So now with
each return of the Sabbath we are re-
minded not only Of Gods rest from His
creating work but also Of our Savior's
rest from His glorious redemptive
work.
Now, What are the facts in the case
The first and great fact that meets us
is that our Savior rose on the first
lay of the week. OF His ten recorded
appearances after the resurrection five
were on that first day. His next ap-
pearance was one week later on the
first day of the next week. So far as
the record goes He never appeared on
the seventh day. Both by His resur-
rection and appearances He seems to
have utterly ignored the seventh day
the Jewish Sabbath-and given
pre-eminence to the first day. Does
not this in itself create strong pre-
sumptive argument?
Again, Pentecost, the day Of the out
pouring of His spirit upon the disci-
pies, preparing them for their life work
was on the first day of the week. John
when in Punishment on Patmos, says
that it was the Lords Day when the
vision appeared to him. What was the
Lords Day." The Lords Supper
is the supper instituted by the Lord;
the Lords Day" then must be the
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