Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1910-03-08
PEOPLES PULPIT
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The Jewish Sabbath and the Christian
Lords.
LET no man therefore Judge you In
meat, or in drink, or in respect OF an
holiday, or Of the new moon, or of the
Sabbath Col. 1876.
In the first place, whatsoever is even
specifically familiar with the charac-
ter and tone Of the gospels, must have
felt that their main characteristics are
pure ethics and rational piety in their
most human aspects, and In their most
catholic principles; and that there Is
extremely little either Of institutional
enactment or intellectual doctrine in
their composition.
Our Saviour certainly was not a
doctor of theology with metaphysical
dogmas In his head; much less was
he lawgiver like Moses, with a book
OF Leviticus, full Of ceremonial, judicial,
sanatory and political regulations,
affecting the external conduct Of indi-
viduals and the material framework
of society.
The captain OF your salvation was a
man OF the spirit, who does not pre-
scribe outward conduct, but breathes
into us the breath of a new life, out OF
which, as from vital seed, the firm
root, the stout stem, the exuber-
ant foliage and the fruitful blossom
will be evolved by the necessary law
of growth.
Christianity is not religion of Or
dinances, SO when we turn up that
most valuable record of the earlier do
ings of the church, the acts of the
apostles, we find that when st. Paul.
in the course Of his missionary voy-
ages, was at Troas, he found the dis
ciples on the first day Of the week as
sembled there to break bread, and
took advantage of the occasion to de-
liver to them an epistolary discourse.
Now standing alone, this single text
would warrant no conclusion, but when
we find the same apostle making a col
lection for the poor and telling the
Corinthians to lay by something for
them on the first day Of the week, we
cannot avoid the conclusion that the
church in the earliest times had q
habit of coming together as church
and for some religious purpose, on tho
first day of the week, to which practice
it is plain that the apostle alludes In
his admonition to the Hebrews.
.'That they should not forget the as
sembling of themselves together as the
manner of some Isl These passages
interpreted by the nature Of the cir.
cumstances and by the universal prac-
tice through long centuries simply
prove that the day OF the week called
by the Romans Sunday (solis dies)
and by the Jews the first day OF tho
week. was afterward called by the
Christians "The Lords Day." the (dies
Dominica of the Western Calendar)
and If not by direct apostolic institu-
ton, certainly with apostolic approval
and sanction. fixed by them for their
weekly meetings as church, for the
sake of religious worship and exhorta-
ton. This is all we know from scrip
ture of the Christian festival of the
Lords day. as distinct from the Jew
ish Sabbath, with which some Judah
ing Christians in the early centuries
and some of the writer's in the peo-
pies pulpit have been SO forward to
confound it. The doctrine and practice
of the early apostolic church In this
matter, which 1 have now shortly TO
Indicate, is precisely what might have
been expected. flows indeed as natural
ly from the teaching and language Of
the APOSTLE Paul, as a corollary In
Euclid flows from the primal proposi-
ton. Nothing, in fact. but the violent
invasion of some foreign force into the
infant church, could have introduced
an element which apostolic authority
had SO emphatically thrust out. Here
are some extracts from two Of tho
patristic authorities, in matter so
acknowledged, which may
serve for whole chain. In the apology
of Justin Martyr (167) who -four
ished in the second century, we read
as follows: I'VE Christians, always
keep together, and those among us
who are rich keep those who are poor.
And for everything we give thanks to
the maker of ALL through Jesus Christ
and the Holy Spirit, and on the day of
the Sun all who live In the town or in
the country have meeting; and when
they are come together the memoirs
Of the apostles are read and the writ
ings Of the prophets as for a time al
lows.
After the reading, the president OF
the meeting gives an address, exhort-
ing to the excellent things that have
been read. Then all rise and pray. And
when the prayer, is finished. bread and
wine and water are brought around.
end the president prays and gives
thanks according to his power. and the
Is then made, and the par
in the elements. which have
been blessed, also are sent around by
the deacons to those who may be alb
sent Then the wealthy among us, ev-
cry one according to his good pleasure,
gives a contribution, and the sum
when collected. is deposited with the
president and he out Of these contri-
buttons gives help to orphans and Wild
ows, to sick persons or those who are
In prison, to strangers and equally to
all in want, and the reason why we
come together on the day of the Sun
Is because 1t is the first day of the
week. the day in which God, scatter
Ing the darkness, brought world ont