Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1912-01-25
PEOPLES PULPIT
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Wanted: Chapter and Verse.

Wanted: Chapter and Verse.
| 1t is very unfortunate that so many
Christians regard the first day Of the
! week as the Sabbath. The fact that
they do gives our seventh day friends
a "big stick" which they are not slow
| to WELD, but are loath to WELD. They
are ever demanding chapter and
verse;" for the authority for chang
| ing the Sabbath from the seventh day
to the first, which of course can not
be found. In one thing at least ad-
ventists are correct. Saturday is the
Sabbath, but you will ask, if you be-
lfeve that, why do you not observe it
as the Sabbath? reply, because ! am
not occupied with shadow The Sab
! but the body is of Christi (Col 2:16-
~ Christ has come. have believed
in him, and "We which have believed
do enter into rest (Heb. 4-3) and "He
that is <entered into his rest, he also
hath ceased from his own works, as
God did from his" (Heb. 4:10). You
see, the same thing is said of any one
who enters into redemption rest, the
result Of the work which Christ "fln-
ished" on the cross, that is said Of
God when he entered into his Sab
bath, the result of his finished crea-
ton work. "He also hath ceased from
his own works, as God did from his"
Excuse me then from clinging to
shadow when have the body. He that
hath the son hath life; and he that
hath not the son of God hath not
life =. John, 5;12).
Bit again you will ask, if Sunday is
not the Sabbath, why do you observe
it as day of rest and worship?
reply, first of all, because it was on
the first day of the week that the
Lord Jesus rose from the dead. On the
first day of the week he repeatedly
appeared to his disciples before his
ascension. 1t was on the day of Pente-
cost, which was "the morrow after the
Sabbath and day wherein mo SER
vile work should be DONE" Lev. 23:16-
21) that the holy spirit came down
and inaugurated the church. (Acts a.
And, last, but not least, the only day
that I can find mentioned when the
apostolic church gathered for worship
is this, "And upon the first day of the
week, when the disciples came to-
gether to break bread. (Acts 27:7) 1t
is just such, and only such, language
as would be used if it were their regu-
lar weekly practice:
Our Adventist friends make much of
this only being recorded once Let me
remind them. it is only a matter of
record once that Jesus said, Eye must
be born again." Yet it is absolutely
certain that; except a man be born
again, he cannot see the kingdom of
heaven" as If he had said it to every
man he met, as in thes case before
us, repetition would not have it
palmer.
But to the point. In, order to insist
that Christians must keep the seventh
day Sabbath, our friends must put
them under the law given at Sinai.
Please give us chapter and verse for
doing this; one that will not contra
sages. If the seventh day Sabbath is
as binding on Christians in this dis
pensation of grace as it was on the
Jew in the dispensation of law, which
preceded it; then, in the places in the
new testament where the command
ments are enumerated. Matt. 10: 49,
10, Matthew. 22:96-39, and Rom.
1890 give us the verse where
the Sabbath is even mentioned.
In the epistles which contain all
needed instruction as to what
Christians should believe and prac-
tice, give us chapter and verse
where blessing is promised for observ-
ing the fourth commandment, or pun
(Rom. 7:4) and that, "Christ is the
ishment threatened for not doing so
with which the old testament abounds.
If, as is constantly affirmed, the early
church met for worship on the Sab
bath, give us single verse that says
they did. as Acts 20:7 says they met
on the first day. ..a...l p. ~. e. Z
1t is not with the hope of convincing
our Adventist friends that these lines
are penned. Only the spirit of God
could do that But there are others
Many Christians are perplexed be-
cause of the persistent. emphatic
teaching that "it was needful to COM
mand them to keep the law of Moses
(Acts 1850. To all who have received
Jesus as their savior John 1-12) who
believe that "he bore our sins in his
own body on the tree" e.. Pet. 2:24)
Gods word says of you. I'VE also are
become dead to the law of Christ"
end of the law for righteousness to
every one that believeth" (Rom. 1870
"Stand fast therefore in the liberty
wherewith Christ hath made us free,
and be not entangled again with the