River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1910-04-28

his followers. 1t is ours merely to
keep the spirit of it. Hence if we
were living in Palestine neither the
Seventh day nor any other partic-
ular day of the week would be
obligatory upon us. But it would
be our pleasure to maintain the
spirit of the Jewish Law. Acting
along the lines of liberty, the early
Church began to meet on the First
| Day of the week, because it was on
that day that their Redeemer arose
from the dead. On that day he
appeared to some in the upper
| room and to two on the way to En-
maus and to Mary, and subsequent
lY to others of the disciples near
the tomb. These four manifesto
tionS of the Lords resurrection
marked that day in special sense
as holy day to the early Church.
| They waited during an entire week.
Indeed, so far as we may know, all
of his eight appearances to his fol-
overs after his resurrection were
on the first day of the week. No
wonder if they specially associated
with that Day all the blessings of
God and rest of faith which came
! to them through the Redeemer.
Quite probably those who lived in
Jewish communities would continue
to observe the Seventh Day also,
because it's 6 n e r al observance
would make this necessity. But
the First Day of the week became
the general time for the Lords fol-
lowers to assemble themselves and
to partake of simple meal called
breaking of bread (not the Lords
Supper) in commemoration of the
fact that on the day of his resurrec-
ton Jesus manifested himself to his
followers in the breaking of bread.
But we are not TO understand
from the present study that the
Master reproved the Jews for keep
ing the seventh Day, which was
their duty. His reproofs attach to
certain extremes. The Pharisees
exaggerated some features and en-
tirely overestimated other features
of the Law. In their theory there
was no harm in eating the corn on
the Sabbath Day, but to pull an ear
of it they construed to be reaping.
And to rub it out of the chaff they
they considered to be threshing and
winnowing. Similarly, to scratch
or look for a flea was estimated to
be hunting, and thus Gods reason
able Law was made to appear alb
surd. 1t was such absurdities only
that Jesus combatted. He showed
that one had right to satisfy his
hunger, and cited a case where the
Prophet David had done so without
blame. He cited also the fact that
the priests labored on the Sabbath
Day without blame. He explained
that God was DESTROYS of seeing in
his creatures the quality of mercy
towards one another, rather than
merely the sacrificing of their COM
forts. Had they recognized this
Truth they would not have found
fault with the Apostles.
Then, as though to demonstrate
his position, he healed a man who
had withered hand, also demon
strating by his miracle that he had
the Divine favor and this evidence
of it's truthfulness. He pointed out
the inconsistency of his critics, say
ing that since they would relieve
one of their brute beasts, if he fell
into a pit on the Sabbath, they
would see, therefore, how illogical
was their position in objectiug to
his performing cures of human ills
on the Sabbath Day. But the evil
heart is not amenable to reason.
The very fact that he demonstrated
his teachings to be superior to theirs
excited the Pharisees to envy, mall
ice, hatred, and the very spirit of
murder. Thus they evidenced that
they lacked the quality of mercy,
love, which God would specially
approve, and without which we
cannot be his children. Sacrifice
is right in it's place, but mercy
more particularly indicates the ac-
ceptable condition of the heart.
Quite probably Jesus did so many
of his miracles on the Sabbath Day
as type-as a prophetical picture
of the great fact that the antltyp1cal
day, the great Sabbath Day, will
be the Seventh Thousand Year
period, the Millennium.