Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1912-07-20


| should DO typewritten or In l
1 plain hand, on ono eide Of the I
paper, and sisne1.
1T any man shall do his will, he
shall know of the doctrine, whether
it be of--God, or whether speak OF
myself" John, 7:17.
Editor Courier:
| When l consider how plain the
creator has made this Sabbath ques.
ton, am only surprised that there is
any controversy over the subject. TO
my mind it is so plain that way-far-
ing man, though fool, need not err
therein, If he follows the woru u God.
All the objections that have ever been
filed against Gods holy law and COM
mandments, and his holy Sabbath day,
with his example and precept COM
bined to enforce obedience to It, have
arisen from an unwillingness to meet
its demands, embrace its principles,
or practice it's precepts, or else from
a misunderstanding of the scriptures.
And why is this true? Because the
carnal mind is enmity against God;
for 1t Is not subject to the law Of God,
neither indeed can be, for to be car
ually minded Is life and peace" ROM,
nally minded is death, but to be spirit
1867. And just in proportion as men
and women are saved by the gospel of
Christ they are brought into harmony
with Gods holy law. If they are idol
aters they will quit their idolatry, II
they have been makers of idols they
will quit the business, If they have
been taking Gods name in vain, they
will quit it, or if they have
been breaking any of Gods commands
they will quit 1t, if they are saved from
sin, for sin is the transgression OF the
law. We might as we'll talk about hav-
ing ice and snow without water, as to
talk about having the gospel without
the law, for by the law is the knowl-
edge of sin, and by the gospel is saliva
ton from sin, and just in proportion
as we are saved by the gospel, we are
brought into harmony with Gods holy
law, and Commandments, and In proper
ton as we become spiritually minded
through the gospel, we can say with
the apostle "The law is spiritual, but
l am carnal, sold under sim" In pro-
portion as we are made holy by the
gospel, we can say with the apostle,
"The law is holy, and the command
ment. just and good" Rom. 7:12-14. I
started out with this article to answer
J. H. r. Spilman in a recent paper
in which he says. II have been wonder
ing for some time if our bible stu
dents who have been wrangling over
the seventh day through the peoples
pulpit in the Courier do not realize
that they are openly violating the holy
scriptures. Surely, men SO ready with
bible quotations must know what they
are doing, and that makes their con-
duct the more reprehensible. Now, he
says, if you think am not warranted
in the above statement, please open
your bible and read Isaiah, first chap
ter, thirteenth verse The new moons
and Sabbaths, the calling Of as
semblies I cannot away with; 1t is
niquity.' Now, my dear sirs, he asks,
what it is that Is iniquity." II Mr.. Spill
man will read the first four verses of
the chapter he can see what the trou-
ole was all about. The Lord says, II
have nourished and brought up chill
dren. and they have rebelled against
me. The OK knoweth his owner. and
the ass his masters crib. but Israel
doth not know, my people doth not
consider, All, sinful nation, a people
laden with iniquity, seed Of evil
doers, children that are corrupters;
they have forsaken the Lord, they
have provoked the holy one of Israel
unto anger, they are gone away back
ward" Then in the tenth verse he
says, "Hear the word of the Lord, We
rulers of Sodom; give ear unto the
law of our God, We people Of Gomor-
rah." This was the cause Of all the
trouble, Mr.. Spilman, they had for
saken Gods law. they had made them
selves odious in his sight. 1t is no won
der he discarded their assemblies and
hypocritical worship: no wonder he
says in the thirteenth verse, Bring
no more vain oblations; incense is an
unto me- It was all in
iquity in his sight. all because they
had forsaken his law. There would
not be so much wrangling and
over the Sabbath question,
Mr.. Spilman, if the people had always
followed Gods law. Now, l will ask !
you to turn to the fifty-eighth chapter J
Of Isaiah and read it carefully and you
will see that people can seek God
daily, and delight to know his ways
as people that did righteousness and
forsook not the ordinance of their
God, and yet be in transgression and
sin, and under censure and condemna
ton. Then notice carefully what God
says to his people in the last verses
If this chapter "1f thou turn away thy
loot from the Sabbath from doing thy
pleasure on my holy day, and call the
Sabbath a delight, the holy of
The Lord honorable; and shalt
honor him, not doing thine own ways,
nor finding thine own pleasure, nor
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