The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-03-11
N T T1Te5ROKEYN Z|IEABERNACLE
Lawful on the Sabbath
BIBLE sSTUDYr ON.D
l:10-17; 14:16-March 15.

I The Sabbath was made for man. and
 not man for the Sabbath. Mark 2:27 1 Much confusion prevails amongst Chris ] tian people respecting the Sabbath. Few l realize that Gods arrangements with the followers of Jesus are totally different | from those which He made with Natural Israel under the law covenant. Every
 thing under that covenant contained
 valuable lesson for Christians; but to mistake the type for the antitype is to confuse our minds and miss the beauty
 and force of the antitype.
 | There was no Sabbath before the Jewish
 law, except that God rested on the sev- | enth great day, epoch, of the creative l week. Enoch, Abraham, and others pleas- | ing to the Lord knew nothing about the l Sabbath, even as they knew nothing about the Atonement Day sacrifices, or other matters appertaining to Israers law covenant
 The Israelites were house of servants, | under Moses; but the church is house of sons, under Christ. (Hebrews 31-6) Gods method of dealing with the house of servants would very properly be differ | ent from His method of dealing with the house of sons. Commands are given to servants without explanation why or wherefore. But to the true Christian the Heavenly Father makes known His rur- poses. His arrangements, that His sons, who have His spirit, may sympathetically enter into those plans, by obedience to the extent of self-sacrifice, not beca. .se of command but because of joy to do the Fathers will,
 Jesus and the Apostles were Jews, un< der the law covenant up to the time that Jesus by His death became ''the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth. Since that time Jesus followers are in no sense bound by the Jewish law. They are interested in the Ten Commandments, because those com mandments in an outward way indicate the will of God, which all the sons of God are anxious to know, that they may voluntarily do it. But God does not ad- dress the house of sons, Thou shalt not kill. thou shalt not steal" for so surely as they have been begotten of the Holy Spirit they will not wish to kill, nor to steal
 In dealing with the house of sons God through the head of the house. has set up new law, which means much more than the law of Moses was understood to signify. It is the law of love; as the
 
 of the law''-love supreme for God and love for our fellow men. Jesus declared
 "A new command I give unto you. That ye love one another as have loved you"
 Early in the gospel dspensatlon Jesus followers began to meet on the first day of the week. Jesus rose from the dead on that day, and appeared several times to His followers and again on the follow ing first day of the week. Apparently 1t became a custom amongst the disciples to fellowship on that day, not that 1t was commanded of the Lord. but because of their desire to remember the Master and to fellowship with each other. Quite probably they kept the Sabbath and the first day well, for a time. They evil dently had difficulty in realizing how completely they had passed from the dom nation of Moses law to be under the headship of Jesus-"the liberty where with Christ makes free indeed"
 Although Christians have now aban- doned the observance of the seventh day. many erroneousy think that God author ized the change. But not so: the Chris | tian is not under law, but under grace l It was from privilege that the early dis clpes met together on the first day, not by instruction of God. So it should be still, and so 1t Is with some True Chris tians cannot have too much opportunity for fellowship together for the study of N iI. offering Him the worship of their hearts. l
 True Christians are undoubtedly glad that there is a special day in which they can give themselves to prayer. praise. | Bible study and good works. Glad would many of the Lords people be if their earthly affairs were so arranged as to permit of two Sundays in the week.
 To Do Good on the Sabbath
 Jesus did many of His miracles on the Sabbath, partly no doubt to emphasize the |
 act that the great Sabbath, the seventh thousand-year day of earths history will l be the time of His kingdom, in which all mankind will be privileged to be healed |
 rom sin, sorrow and pain and brought 1
 the full perfection of human nature, | lost in Adam and redeemed at Calvary.
 Since Jesus according to the law was 'l Jew and therefore bound by the Jewish | aw. it follows that He could do nothing l contrary to that law, Nor was it proper 1 that He should explain to the Jews the | real meaning of the Sabbath. All that | knowledge would come after Pentecost. | after the begettng of the Holy Spirit: for | the natural man receiveth not the things | of the Spirit of God, neither can he know them. because they are spiritually dis cerned." But Jesus corrected certain of | the. misapprehensions of the law which had crept in through the teachings or | their rabbis, doctors of the law, and the PhariSeeS.
 These for show exaggerated the letter of the law in some respects, while they entirely ignored its spirit. In various ways they made Gods reasonable law ap- pear unreasonable to the people; and while thus particular in trifes they set aside the weightier matters of the law-justice, love and mercy.
 In todays lesson, we have two in- stances of healing on the Sabbath woman had an infirmity which had bowed her down for IS years. Jesus healed Der on Sabbath day. and she was made straight and glorifled God. But the ruler of the synagogue was indignant and said unto the people: There arc six days N which you can come and be healed, and not on the Sabbath day"
 This was intended as a special rebuke