2H INCE the surrender of Cornwallis
%4 at Yorktown in 1781, this coun-
try has had several important
victories, chief of which are those
in 1865 and 1918. But important as were
the Union victory in Lincoln's time and
that of the Allies in the present century,
neither of these has made it necessary to
discontinue the celebration of the day of
our nation’s birth. Picnies, band music,
fireworks, and the like are still in order on
the Fourth of July, and will continue so to
be as long as America retains her inde-
pendence.
So 1t 1s with the great memorial of the
creation of our world. Jesus did not come
to destroy His own works; He came ‘‘ that
He might destroy the works of the devil.”
1 John 3:8. It is true He said, “Heaven
and earth shall pass away” (Matthew 24:
35); but He did not mean by that that
heaven and earth would be no more, but
rather that this old sin-cursed earth with its
atmospheric heavens would pass away to
give place to ‘“‘new heavens and a new
earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness”
(2 Peter 3: 13).
It 1s said by some that redemption is so
important an event that we should by all
means commemorate that (and we could
hardly have two rest days in one week),
and so we should keep the day on which
Jesus rose from the dead. It is true that the
work of redemption is of great importance;
but 1s 1t necessary, or even reasonable, to
wipe out the memorial of one important
event mm order to commemorate another
event that in no way lessens the importance
of the first? Why then should the memorial
of creation be done away, if the creation it-
self 1s not to be destroyed, but restored?
The ordinances that God gave to com-
memorate the work of redemption do not in
any way conflict with the Sabbath of crea-
tion. There is not a text in all the New
Testament about keeping a day either
weekly or yearly as a memorial of the death
or the resurrection of Christ. But thereis a
memorial of His death in which every
Christian may participate. Just before
His death, Jesus gave us, in the Lord's
Supper, a fitting memorial of His death; and
Paul, speaking of this ordinance, says that
“as often as ye eat this bread, and drink
this cup, ye do show the Lord's death till
He come.” 1 Corinthians 11: 26.
And the memorial of His resurrection,—
if the church carries out the divine com-
mission to “make disciples of all nations”
(Matthew 28: 19, margin)—that memorial
will often be celebrated. In the sixth of
Romans, Paul tells us that those who are
baptized into Christ are “ buried with Him
by baptism into death: that like as Christ
was raised up from the dead by the glory of
the Father, even so we also should walk in
newness of life.” Romans 6:4. Nowhere
do the Scriptures mention a weekly rest
day as a memorial of Christ’s resurrection:
baptism is the ordinance God gave us; and
the question for us to decide is, Shall we
observe His ordinance, or invent one of
our own?
AUGUST,
1942
¥ Adminastration building, Randolph Field, Texas. The largest military aviation training center
in the world, Randolph Field embodies the latest in military flying, a pledge of victory in the present
great conflict. A mew Armistice Day or Victory Day could not disannul the Fourth of July, which
all America celebrates in honor of this nation’s independence. Nor does the day of Christ's resurrec-
tion substitute for the creation Sabbath. Read what Mr. Rosser says concerning the relationship
between these two events.
VILTURIES and MUNUMENTS
By Clyde Hosser
“The seventh day is a Jewish Sabbath,”
15 an objection commonly offered. But in
order to know whether this is a reasonable
objection, we should consider what 1s meant
by the term “Jewish.” If we mean, *per-
taining to the sacrificial system, which
ceased at the death of Christ,” then there
arises the question, “Would it be reason-
able when there was no sin in the world to
have an ordinance pointing forward to the
death of a Saviour?” The seventh day was
blessed and sanctified when the work of
creation was finished, ——when “God saw
everything that He had made, and, behold,
it was very good” (Genesis 1:31)—before
there was any sin, hence before there was
any need of a Saviour.
Again, the Sabbath precept was placed in
the very midst of the Decalogue, the only
document which we have in God’s own
handwriting. The ordinances that were to
cease at the cross included the offering of
animals in sacrifice, the yearly feasts and
holy days, and circumcision. Now is it
reasonable, or even thinkable, that the
great Lawgiver would single out one
ordinance of this class, and place it along
with nine commandments which, in their
very nature, could not pass away? The
fundamental reason for the Sabbath 1s not
that on that day Israel left Egypt, nor that
by 1t atonement for sin 1s made; but that
“in six days the Lord made heaven and
earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and
rested the seventh day: wherefore the Lord
blessed the Sabbath day, and hallowed it.”
Fixodus 20: 11. The Sabbath originated at
creation, and 1s therefore no more Jewish
than the creation itself.
If by saying that anything is Jewish we
mean that it was committed to ancient
Israel, then there are many Jewish doc-
trines that all Christians freely accept. Of
the many things committed to Israel
through Moses, the following are examples:
The two great commandments quoted by
Jesus in Matthew 22:37-39.—“ Thou shalt
love the Lord thy God with all thine heart,
and with all thy soul, and with all thy
might.” Deuteronomy 6:5. “Thou shalt
love thy neighbor as thyself.” Leviticus
19: 18,
Kindness to the poor.—“For the poor
shall never cease out of the land: therefore
I command thee, saying, Thou shalt open
thine hand wide unto thy brother, to thy
poor, and to thy needy, in thy land.”
Deuteronomy 15: 11.
Truthfulness.— Thou shalt not raise a
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