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appointed them in revealing Christ to an
apostate world. They professed to be
anxious to know the will of God, but
they rejected the evidence that Jesus was
the Messiah, which was given them in
such abundance.
If the rejecters of light in Christ's day
had opened their hearts to the appeals of
the Spirit of God, they would have sym-
pathized with the purpose and work of
Christ. They would have seen in him
the antitype of all their sacrificial offer-
ings. They would have been saved from
the terrible doom pronounced upon them
by the One who gave his life that they
might live. Israel would have had a
God to deliver them from the bondage
of the Roman yoke,— a God who would
have done more for them than a loving
father could do for his child. Christ
wept over the obdurate city, saying, “O
Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest
the prophets, and stonest them that are
sent unto thee, how often would I have
gathered thy children together, even as a
hen gathereth her chickens under her
wings, and ye would not. Behold, your
house is left unto you desolate.”
We have before us the example of the
Jewish nation, who jealously cherished
their self-righteousness. They had not
that faith which works by love, and puri-
fies the soul from all defilement.
The truths of the Bible have again
become obscured by custom, tradition,
and false doctrine. The erroneous teach-
ings of popular theology have made thou-
sands of skeptics and infidels. There are
errors and inconsistencies which many
denounce as the teaching of the Bible,
that are really false interpretations of
Scripture adopted during the ages of pa-
pal darkness. Multitudes have been led
to cherish an erroneous Conception of
God, as the Jews, misled by the errors
and traditions of their time, had a false
conception of Christ. * Had they known,
they would not have crucified the Lord
of glory.”
Let those who hear the message God
sends to-day beware lest they follow the
example of the self-exalted Jews. It is
ours to reveal to the world the true char-
acter of God. Instead of criticising the
Bible, let us seek, by precept and ex-
ample, to present to the world its sacred,
life-giving truths, that we may ‘show
forth the praises of Him who hath called
us out of darkness into his marvelous
light.”
THE WATCHMAN
JRE EY CY £5 a a
MEETING
THEMES
Lesson Twenty-two
THE SABBATH
CLARENCE SANTEE
OU will remember that in
our last lesson we considered
texts proving that God
would neither “break” his
law nor “alter” it, that in
harmony with this statement
Christ said, “ I have kept my
Father's commandments.”
He was accused of breaking them by do-
ing acts of mercy, such as healing the
sick, etc., on the Sabbath, but he affirms
that he had kept them. He also says
that * we should follow his steps.” Also
that “he that saith he abideth in him
ought himself also so to walk, even as he
1 John 2:6.
In the same connection vou will read,
“And hereby we do know that we know
him, if we keep his commandments. He
that saith, I know him, and keepeth not
his commandments, is a liar, and the
truth is not in him.” 1 John 2:3, 4.
It is evident that many will be deceived
in their experience, believing that they
are going into the kingdom, but when too
late, awakening to the fact that their re-
ligious experiences were not based upon
a “thus saith the Lord.” You will re-
member that Christ, in his wonderful ser-
mon on the mount, said, “ Not every
one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall
enter into the kingdom of heaven; but
he that doeth the will of my Father which
is in heaven.” Matt. 7:21. He then
adds, “ Many will say to me in that day,
Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in
thy name? and in thy name have cast out
devils? and in thy name done many won-
derful works? And then will I profess
unto them, I never knew you.” Verses
22, 23.
walked.”
You will see from this that the doing
of his Father’s will is the passport which
Christ will recognize at the gates of the
city of God. His Father's will is ex-
pressed in his law. Christ said, “ I de-
light to do thy will, O my God; yea, thy
law is within my heart.” Ps. 40:8.
Christ bore testimony in as strong lan-
guage as can be framed, that the ten
commandments could not be changed or
abolished. Listen: * Verily I say unto
you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot
or one tittle shall in no wise pass from
the law, till all be fulfilled.” Matt. 5: 134
With all these statements so often re-
peated in both the Old and the New Tes-
tament, that the law, in its least part,
cannot be changed; that in its form as
given by God himself it will stand for-
ever; that it is, as it now stands, “ per-
fect” (Ps. 19:7); that being framed by
God, “ nothing can be put to it, nor any-
thing taken from it” (Eccl. 3:14), the
question will arise, Why has the Catholic
Church taken out the second command-
ment, and changed the tenth? Another
question equally vital is, Why has the
Sabbath commandment been changed,
making the day of worship, not the sev-
enth, but the first day of the week? And
why have nearly all Protestants accepted
the change? Is God the authority for
If he is, can we believe
his strong assurances to the contrary to
the change?
mean more than the words of changeable
man? If he is not, will it be safe to
accept any change made by human au-
thority, expecting that it will be accepted
at the tribunal of God?
the estimate in which his Father holds
Christ gives
the laws of men touching things spiritual
in these words: “But in vain they do
worship me, teaching for doctrines the
Matt. 15:0.
The change of the Sabbath from the
seventh to the first day of the week is at
commandments of men.”
the present time the most important ques-
tion that confronts us, and as such we
will give some time to the study of the
Sabbath.
The Sabbath command must stand or
fall with the law of which it is a part.
The meaning of the word Sabbath is sim-
God’s Sabbath day means his
He labored, then he rested
ply rest.
rest-day.