The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-04-10

as truly as though it were a buffalo or a lion.
 | Similarly. as mentioned in this lesson. fault was found with our Lords disci- ples because, passing through a wheat | field they rubbed out some of the grains I in their hands and ate them. This was construed as a violation of the Sabbath because it was threshing, winnowing, whether the amount was small or great. ! Jesus did not violate the Sabbath ordl- nance nor teach men so He was Jew and bound to keep the Sabbath law to the full He did object to such nonsensical misinterpretations as have mentioned. Jesus was Lord of the Sabbath, and had a right to explain it's true import Later He went into the synagogue where there was a man who had with cred hand, and they watched Him to see if He would heal him on the Sabbath day. that they might accuse Him The Savior was grieved and angry with righteous indignation that men should so seriously mistake and misrepresent the divine arrangement He healed the man.
 Lord of the Sabbath
 No commandment was given by Jesus or the apostles to the church respecting the Sabbath day. The early church evi- dently did observe the Jewish seventh day in many places, and in some places the first day of the week. the anniversary of our Lords resurrection; and sume- times they observed both of these days. But their observance was not that of law or command for the apostle wrote. .'Ye are not under law, but under grace They had the privilege of keeping either or both of those days sacred to the Lord, resting from earthly affairs and giving themselves peculiarly to spiritual mat ters.
 So with us today We are glad that one day in the week is so generally observed as a day of rest, a Sabbath Sabbath day signifies rest dayl. We are glad that the day so generally set apart is the first day of the week. because it so beautifully commentaries the Christians hopes, at tested by our Lords resurrection from the dead on that day. And if Gods people had two Sabbaths. or seven of them Tn the week, we believe they would have that much more blessing.
 Instead, to the Christian, every day IS Sabbath, every day should be used as holy to the Lord, and nothing should at any time be done contrary to the divine will or the principles of divine govern ment Jesus declaration that He was Lord of the Sabbath reminds us afresh of St Paurs declaration that God the Fa- ther rested from His own work on the seventh day: He left the work entirely l for Jesus to do The seventh day of Je- l hovahs rest was one of the great days of the creative week, each 1000 years | long Six of these great days had passed l and mans creation was in the end of the sixth.
 Having established His human son in l Eden. as the god or ruler of the earth. Jehovah rested or ceased from His work during the seventh day, or seventh pc
 rod of Io00 years. Six thousand years of this seventh period have already passed and Jehovah God has rested, ceased from His work-He has not inter- 1 fered to assist man or lift him out of sin l and degradation. Another 1000 years of | the seven vemains, but God will not ac-
 ely engage in mans rescue even then. l Why not? Because it Is a part of the divine programme to leave fallen man and
 his rescue entirely in the hands of Jesus.
 He is Lord of this great seventh day.
 Mans Seventh Day
 This entire period of 1000 years, which
 constitutes the great seventh day or Sab
 bath with God. is divided with man into
 seven great days of 1000 years each, in six l of which he has been under reign of
 sin and death, toll and suffering: but | the seventh or Sabbath. of 1010 years. l has been appointed for his rescue and up- 1 lifting and blessing. Tn that glorious
 7O0O year period Jesus is 10 be Lord. It
 will he the great antl-typcal Sabbath, and the great anti-typcal jubilee Gor man. kind. The six days of toll will terminate
 in the great Sabbath of Messah's glorious
 reign and the blessing of all the families ! of the earth.
 The Church's Sabbath Day
 St Paul clearly intmates that to the
 church, the new creation, every day is
 a Sabbath day, in the sense that God s
 consecrated people rest as God rests, in
 faith, in hope. in trust that Jesus vii ! eventually deliver the grooming creation i and bring them into a glorious Sabbath rest. St. Paul says. We who believe dc ] enter into rest" Literally, we who be-
 lieve have q perpetual sabbath. Seven