THE LORD’S DAY.
The question has been often asked, are Christians plainly commanded to keep the Lord’s day? There is no commandment to keep such a day in the Bible. Are we commanded to keep the sabbath day holy? Paul said, Col. 2:16, “Let no man, therefore, judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holy day, or of the sabbath;” 17th, “which are a shadow of things to come, but the body is of Christ.” The Gentiles were never under the law of Moses, and as the sabbath was a part of that institution, they were never under obligations to keep it. It is mockery to profess the observance of a day, and at the same time totally disregard the law of the same. Religionists talk much of the “holy sabbath,” and enjoin it upon their children under the penalty of damnation, and yet contemn every requirement of the sabbath. While the children of Israel were journeying to the promised land, “a man was found who gathered sticks on the sabbath day, and all the congregation brought him without the camp.; and stoned him with stones, and he died; as the Lord commanded Moses.” Nu. 15: 33-36; Ex. 31:14-15. But strange to tell, religious people in this age say they “love the sabbath,” and still tolerate “works of necessity,” so called in their creeds—build fires, cook, feast, and are merry. I know no professed Christian who should not be stoned to dead), if so, be the day is binding. Am I told “the sabbath has been changed from the seventh to the first day of the week?” Pray, who did this? An enemy, no doubt. If it were true that the day has been changed, the difficulty is not removed. No one lives up to the law of a seventh-day, or a first day sabbath. Ah! I am told, this is assumption —it is saying religionists are ignorant; they worship, they know not what. I would it were otherwise; but I cannot help confessing with shame, that I live in a dark age. I may be wholly ignorant of many important matters myself, but I am not of the Jewish sabbath and Christian Lord’s day. Having shown the sabbath is neither enjoined, or kept by Christians, I return to the question. I have admitted there is no commandment to keep the Lord’s day holy, or in any way; but the question may be varied. Is there no authority for keeping the Lord’s day? There is. We have the examples of the Saviour after his resurrection, the Apostles, and all the saints, spending the first day of the week in acts of devotion to God, Jesus rose from the dead on the first day, met his servants on the same day, and the next first day, John 2: 1 and 19 & 26, and ascended to heaven as it is admitted, on the first day of the week. The holy disciples met “on the first day of the week to break bread”—Acts. 20:7.Paul commanded the saints, “upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store, (or put into the treasury,) as God hath prospered him, (1 Cor. 16: 2.) This the same Apostle calls ‘‘the order of the churches.”
John says, “I was in the spirit on the Lord’s day,” Rev. 1: 20. These Scriptures abundantly demonstrate the practice of the first Christians on the Lord’s day, and example, with inspired men, is as high authority as positive commandments.
Next, I must be permitted to inquire as to the Scriptural mode of keeping the Lord’s day. As is my custom, I will first present the subject negatively. — It is not kept by merely resting from labor. The keeping of the sabbath amongst the Jews was not by ceasing from labor alone. Cessation from the occupations of life was one of the preparations to keep the sabbath. Positive obedience in acts of worship, was the keeping of the sabbath. The whole nation spent the day in worshipping God. We may cease from the industrial avocations of life, and still waste our time, and thus disobey the Lord. Attending meetings for the purpose of hearing preaching, is not keeping the Lord’s day as the ancients observed it. Christians met for certain purposes, without the accomplishment of which, they could not have honored the Lord’s institutions. Churches which meet once in the month, admitting the members understand the objects of the day, to say most, keep but one Lord’s day in four. That is, thirteen Lord’s days are kept in the year, and thirty-nine are given to the devil. Brethren in Christ, are these things so? To conclude this part of the subject, it is only necessary to add, we have fifty-two Lord’s days in every year, and if Christians will avail themselves of the means of grace God has given, they will devote every first day to their Divine Teacher. This can only be done by meeting for teaching, (not preaching to sinners,) exhortation, prayers, praise, and above all, remembering the Lord’s death, by solemnly observing the supper. Those alone who have had confidence in the Scriptural order of Christ’s Church, can fully realize the joys and weekly communings with the saints.— The idea of meeting our fathers and children for the purpose of praise and friendly greetings, and to encourage each other to look off from the world, to a better land, is certainly much more pleasant than the practice of going to hear the preacher forewarn sinners of the dangers before them, or what is too often the case, to hear sectarians abused.
All days, to be sure, should be the Lord’s, but this first day of the week, all Christians should spend in improving themselves and their families. Where a few Christians live near each other, the observance of the Lord’s day, like all other great gospel truths, should be a test question. T. F.