Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1910-04-28

teaching as our Lord delights in, no
such enactment could appear The
Sabbath though sprinclng out of the
universally human necessity for per-
iodically recurrent times of rest, is, IN
its particular form Of a special sanct-
ity attached to every seventh day, and
in the necessity which 1t involves of
an understanding with the civil auth
critics to make 1t effectual, essential
ly the outcome of institutional law,
and cannot find place in q gospel or
purely moral motives.
No doubt. Mr.. Smith, Jesus did OBJ
serve the Jewish Sabbath but this
he did simply because he was a Jew
and had been circumcised as q Jew,
and celebrated the passover after the
fashion of the Jews to the very end OF
his life. He never protested against
the seat of Moses. The contrast be-
tween his doctrine. and that Of the
men of the old time so emphatically
stated in the sermon on the Mount.
was not contract which necessarily
implied war. 1t was a contrast be-
tween the severe sckoolmaster of
boys and the mild teacher Of men;
contrast designed to disappear by de-
velopment, in virtue OF which the
great teacher could most truthfully
say, II came not to destroy the law,
but to fulfill it,
That the founder Of the Christian
church did not formally abolish the
Jewish Sabbath, proceeded from the
same reason that he did not formally
abolish circumcision or the passover.
It was not their ceremonies and IN
situations to which he objected but
the placing of the power and virtue
of religion in institutions, ceremonies
and sacerdotal traditions of any kind.
This is what Judaizng Christians
Spltf &C nT1n ~
are, continually doing. putting the
power and virtue of religion in sacer-
dotal tradition and institutions. New
ertheless after Christ's death. these
things naturally though gradually no
doubt. and not without a struggle, fell
off. simply Of course, In spite Of PauIs
frequent protest that he was Jew and
in spirit much better one than his
accusers. Acts. 26, 22-2S, II because
his unreformed brethren cast him out
Of their communion. The Christian re-
ligion thus became distinctly antagon-
istic to the Jewish, and the Christians
had formed themselves into a sep
arate and antagonistic society. When
certain of the Pharisees who like st.
Paul, had become Christians, and like
him did not cease in some sense to
remain Jews, declared their notions OF
the essential Judaism inherent Ill
Christianity by insisting that 1t was
necessary for all converts to be cir
cumcised and to keep the law OF
Moses. Acts Is, 5. Now in this law OF
Moses, the Sabbath as peculiar IN
stitution. Neh. TO-, 81 and Eek 20. 13,
was included and the venerable as
sembly of Apostles and Presbyters IN
Jerusalem had the whole question
formally brought before them as to
how far, and in what special points
the Jewish law was obligatory on the
early converts from heathenism. Their
answer therefore was as comprehen-
sive as it was public and authortat1ve'
and what did they say? That the
Gentle converts were bound to lab
stain from things offered to idols, ana
from fornication, and from things
strangled, and from blood"
Now Mr.. Smith, the Gentiles of An
tioch, to whom this apostolic rescr1pt
was sent, must have been destitute
of common sense. If after this they
could have imagined that either cir
cumcision or any other characteristic
ally Jewish observance, was obliga-
tory on Gentle Christians. And II any
more authoritative. testimony on this
point could be required, the witness or
the great apostle Of the Gentiles, who
was himself by. descent and connec-
ton Pharisee, and was literally race
to face with Judaizing Christians In
all parts Of the world, will supply the
additional weight. In the text which
heads these remarks he filings over
board with lofty evangelistic dis
dain those very Sabbaths and new
moons, and certain notions of abstain
ance from meats and drinks so formld-
able place in the solemn league and
covenant, under the guidance OF Nehe-
Levtes and priests Of the people,
set their seal
That ST. Paul in his position as
apostle of the Gentiles and founder
Of the Christian church, in Asia Minor
and in Greece. could have used such
language, to the Colossians, II he be-
lieved the observance Of the Sabbath
obligatory on Christians Is not credi-
BILE. The great apostle, whatever Things
have been said of him by persons, who
have a trick Of putting him against
his ma ster, was a man of sense and a
gentleman. which is more fear, than
can be said of few of his expositors.
The above two passages contain All
that is distinctiyely laid down IN the
New Testament with regard to the
observance Of the Jewish Sabbath. TIC
express discwnment in these passages
by apostolic authority Is not In the
slightest degree affected by the fact
mentioned. (Acts 10, 4244O That the
Gentle Christians in the early ages
Of the church Of Antioch were wont to
come 'rgether and hear Christian doc
trine expounded to them on the Sab
bath day; for the synagogue was a
necessary cradle of the church; and 1t
was only as strangers intermingl1ng
with a Jewish congregation. In
Jewish place of worship, that the first
converts had any opportunity OF hear
ing the gospel preached.
Thei. observance of the Sabbath IN
tt csc cases or rather the use they
made Of the Sabbath, was matter
Of necessity or convenience, certainly
not Of obligation In the argument for
the Jewish Sababth. great use Is fire.
quently made Of the Old Testament
anc ol the ten commandments. New
ertheless, think it plain both OH tho
face Of history and from the nature OF
the case, hat these ten command
ments as a part Of the Jewish law
were promulgated in a legal form to
the Jews, and were never re-promul-
gated in the same form to the Christ
ian church. In the main they SAVIOR
nothing Of the spirit OF the gospel. op-
posed as it is to mere legality. While
it is true, that OF two Of the command
ments, the grand central truth lof