Imágenes de páginas
PDF
EPUB

every plain of heaven, and inscribe them all over with the story of the manger, the garden, and the cross.

While gratitude and truth remain, the name and the love of Jesus shall never be forgotten.-pp. 22, 23.

LITERARY AND PHILOSOPHICAL INTELLIGENCE.

The first Number of the American Quarterly Review, was issued from the press of Messrs. Carey & Lea Philadelphia, on the first of March, and is, we believe, well received. Its plan and appearance are the same as those of contemporary publications of the same class.

Freedom's Journal.—The Editors of this new publication, Messrs. Cornish & Russwurm, are men of color, and the paper is devoted to their brethren of the African race. If we may judge from the first and second numbers, it is likely to be conducted with ability and in a good spirit. The design of the editors appears to be, not to awaken feelings of resentment, or to breed discontent in the minds of the coloured people, but to incite them to industry, sobriety, and self-improvement, and thus to teach them, by elevating themselves, to shame the prejudices of the whites.

The object of Messrs. C. and R. is one of much interest; their task is also a delicate one; and while it will constantly lead them to contemplate the wrongs their race have suffered, and continue to suffer, it will require in them no ordinary share of prudence and Christian magnanimity. We hope all who are the friends of the African cause, will aid them in the circulation of their paper among those for whom it is designed. For ourselves,

they have our sincerest good wishes. We bid them God-speed.

Reformed Commercial Paper.-A new daily paper is about to be commenced in New-York, under circumstances which we trust will secure for it a favorable reception. Among all the daily papers in that city, there was not found one, it seems, which had not wholly lent itself to theatres and lotteries. Men of sense and virtue had become disgusted with their sickly puffs and gaudy advertisements; and with one consent demanded a paper which should not perpetually obtrude upon themselves and families, these great corrupters of the public morals. The connexion between the theatre and the corruption of the public morals, is not less obvious and demonstrable than the connexion between public virtue and the safety of our republican institu tions; and if the New-York Editors wanted either wisdom to perceive, or principle to regard these relations, it was time they were left to the bloated patronage which they had shown themselves so anxious to enjoy.

Seminary for Teachers.-Four thou sand dollars have been subscribed in Shrewsbury, Mass. for the purpose of enabling Mr. J. G. Carter to establish Seminary in that town, for the instruction of school-masters.

a

Errata. On page 165 of the last Number, the word dissent should be descent. Gibrah and Gilbeah, should be Gibeah.

NEW PUBLICATIONS, MONTHLY RECORD, and ORDINATIONS, deferred for want of room.

[ocr errors]
[blocks in formation]

WHEN DOES THE SABBATH BEGIN?

THE question when the Sabbath begins, or whether Saturday or Sabbath evening belongs to the Sabbath, is a question of no little importance. The difference of opinion and practice among professing Christians as to the time when the Sabbath begins, doubtless has influence in weakening in the minds of people, a reverence for that sacred day. They observe professors conversing about the world, and attending to their secular concerns on both Saturday and Sabbath evenings. And those who observe different evenings will interrupt each other in their devotions and lead one another into worldly conversation, and insensibly lessen their respect for the holy Sabbath. How desirable then that there should be, in this respect, an agreement. And is there not sufficient light on the subject in the scriptures to settle the question, if examined carefully and impartially? There are three passages in the Bible which are generally adduced to prove that Saturday evening belongs to the Sabbath. And though doctrines and duties are usually taught in more numerous places; yet, if these three are explicit and unequivocal, they ought to decide the point. But, if it is doubtful whether they do afford the supposed proof, and there are many more passages, which seem to teach that the evening following the day beVoi. I.-No. V.

29

[No. V.

ongs to the Sabbath, then every one, who wishes to take the Bible as the standard of his faith and practice, will carefully compare these passages together, and candidly enquire which afford the greater weight of evidence?

The first argument in favor of observing Saturday evening as holy time is drawn from Gen. i. 5, &c. "The evening and the morning were the first day." As the evening is mentioned first, it is inferred that the day began with the evening preceding, and included the night and the following day; though in this same verse the day is mentioned before the night. "God called the light day, and the darkness he called night." And therefore according to this mode of reasoning, we might infer that the day preceded the night. The evening and morning include twenty-four hours.— Consequently, if the evening began at sunset, it must have extended to sunrise, and the morning from sunrise to sunset. But it is contrary to scripture and universal practice to call the time from midnight to sunrise evening, and from noon to sunset morning. The time before sunrise is often called morning. See Gen. xix. 15, 23, 27. Ex. xii. 29-33, 42, compared with verse 22. Ex. xiv. 24. Ruth iii. 14. 1 Sam. xxv. 22, 34. Ps. cxix. 147. Dan. vi. 19. Mark i. 35. But if the evening begins the day and extends to sunrise, then the time before sunrise is not morning, but

evening. As the evening is the close of the day, there could be no evening before there was a day. And the evening succeeding the day, properly belongs to the day; and is so reckoned in , the scriptures, as I shall presently show.

If in Gen. i. 5, it had been said the morning and the evening were the first day, I presume no one would have thought of beginning the day at sunrise, and extending the morning to sunset, and then extending the evening from sunset to sunrise. But they would have considered the day as beginning at midnight, and the morning as extending from midnight to noon; and the evening as extending from noon to midnight, as we all reckon. All call the time from midnight to noon morning, and from noon to midnight evening.And how much stress ought to be laid on the mentioning of the evening first, when the order of time is often inverted in the scriptures? It is said that Noah begat Shem, Ham, and Japheth. And Japheth was the elder; and Ham the younger; Gen. v. 32, and ix. 24, and x. 31. In Acts v. 30, and x. 39 it is said, the Jews slew Christ, and hanged him on a tree, which according to this argument would prove that they slew him before they hung him on the cross. Tim. i. 9, "Who hath saved us and called us." Here salvation is put before effectual calling or regeneration. Jude verse 1--sanctifiedpreserved in Jesus Christ, and called. Here sanctification is put before regeneration. In 1 Cor. vi. 11, sanctification is mentioned before justification. Upon which Dr. Scott remarks, "the arrangement of the expression in the 11th verse shows that no argument can be drawn merely from that circumstance in respect to controverted points of doctrine." If this remark be correct, then no argument in favour of keeping Saturday eve

2

ning can be drawn from the circumstance that in Gen. i. 5, the evening is mentioned first.

2. Lev. xxiii. 32, "From even to even shall ye celebrate your Sabbath," is adduced to prove that the weekly Sabbath begins at sunset, though it has no reference to the weekly Sabbath, which is enjoined verse 3d, but to the great day of atonement. But if one evening only is here included, which is it? Does from one include that, any more than to the other includes that? In this chapter several solemn feasts are enjoined, which are called Sabbaths. And as the time for celebrating none except this is thus mentioned, does it not seem to imply that the appointed time was peculiar to this? As if it had been said, "from even to even shall ye celebrate this Sabbath." As the day of atonement was a peculiarly solemn day, in which the people were to afflict their souls," it is probable that both evenings were observed, which is the opinion of some commentators, who say that it was kept from sunset to midnight of the next day. That both evenings were included appears from similar expressions in this chapter and other places. In verses 15 and 16, the children of Israel were directed to count from the morrow after the Sabbath seven Sabbaths complete, even into the morrow after the seventh Sabbath-fifty days. Now unless both of these morrows be included it will not make fifty days. Ex. xii. 15, "Seven days shall ye eat unleavened bread ;from the first day until the seventh day. Here both days are included to make the seven days. In verse 11th, until the fourteenth day included that day; because the paschal lamb was killed and eaten on the evening following the fourteenth day, as I shall show beyond all doubt. In verse 18th until the one and twentieth day includes that day. And in Lev. xxiii. 32, the very verse

containing the supposed argument which we are examining, the evening preceding the tenth day is called the evening of the ninth day. The Israelites were to celebrate the tenth day as the day of atonement; but were to begin on the evening of the ninth day and keep the evening of the ninth day, and the following day. So that this affords no evidence that the weekly Sabbath begins Saturday evening.

3. It is urged that the Jews brought their sick to Christ to be healed when the sun was set Sabbath evening, because they considered it unlawful to heal on the Sabbath, and because the Sabbath ended at sunset. See Matt. viii. 518. Mark i. 21-34. There is however no intimation that they viewed it unlawful to heal on the Sabbath, but the contrary, and no intimation that they brought their sick when the sun was set, because the Sabbath was ended; but it is a mere assumption. He had cast out an unclean spirit, and healed two that day, viz. the centurion's servant and Peter's wife's mother, both by request, and the servant, by the urgent entreaties of the elders of the Jews, (Luke vii. 3, 4,) and without any complaint from any one. On the contrary they spread abroad his fame. But did they spread abroad his fame for breaking the Sabbath? That the Scribes and Pharisees and chief priests did not view his healing on the Sabbath a breach of the Sabbath, is manifest, notwithstand ing their malignant cavils. For by his reply he put them to shame, Luke xiii. 10-17. The breach of the Sabbath was death. Ex. xxxi. 15. And if they had believed that Christ broke the Sabbath by healing on it, they need not have sought false witnesses to put him to death. For they could easily have proved that he healed on the Sabbath. Why then did they wait till the sun was set before they brought their sick at Capernaum? I answer, to

avoid the intense heat of the sun, which Jahn in his Archaeology says is often very oppressive. Mr. Goodell, one of our missionaries in Palestine, to avoid suffering from the heat, "took care to keep himself quiet and within doors from sunrise to sunset." And they left their lodgings"in the evening, travelling all night to avoid the heat of the sun." Now, if the last clause containing the reason of their travelling in the evening and night, had been omitted and only the fact had been stated, as it is respecting the Jews' bringing their sick to Christ when the sun was set, might it not be urged that it was the Sabbath and they kept Saturday evening and would not travel till the evening was come, and the Sabbath ended? But if our missionaries in the same country travelled in the evening out of regard to their comfort, is it not reasonable to suppose the Jews brought their sick to Christ out of regard to their comfort?

4. It is urged that the Jews observed the evening preceding the Sabbath as belonging to the Sabbath.

What was their practice

while they were God's professing people, we must learn from the scriptures. And since their rejection, awful blindness and wickedness and disbelief of the New Testament, it little concerns us, in deciding upon the institutions of our holy religion, to know what their opinion and practice have been in their dispersed and unbelieving state. But

5. It is said that most commentators admit that the Jews kept the evening preceding the Sabbath as holy time.

I was once of the same opinion. And I founded it upon the passages, which I have been examining. And others have done the same. But I am now willing to submit it to the candid and judicious, to decide whether these passages do afford evidence that the Jews obser

ved the evening preceding as belonging to the Sabbath. The learned Pool in his Synopsis, says, "As the Jews extended the preceding day to midnight, so they began the morning of the following day at midnight.

I will now adduce direct proof that the evening succeeding, and not the preceding, belonged to the

Sabbath.

1. God expressly teaches that the evening succeeding the day belongs to the day. If the Sabbath began at sunset, then every other day began at the same hour, and the evening preceding always belonged to the day. But we shall find that God reckoned the evening following the day as belonging to the day. The day of atonement was to be observed on the tenth day of the month, Lev. xxiii. 27. But the evening preceding is called the evening of the ninth day, verse 32. But if the day had begun at sunset, the evening would have belonged to the tenth day. The children of Israel were commanded to kill the paschal lamb "at the going down of the sun," and to "eat it on the fourteenth day of the same month" at even, and to eat unleavened bread seven days unto the one and twentieth day at even-Deut. xvi. 6. Ex. xii. 6, viii. 18. Lev. xxiii. 5, 6.

But if the fourteenth day began at sunset, then the evening would be the evening following the thirteenth day, and the first day of unleavened bread would be the fourteenth day. But it was the fifteenth day-Lev. xxiii. 6. Num. xxviii. 17. Hence the evening following the fourteenth and twentyfirst day is called the evening of the fourteenth and twenty-first day.

The children of Israel went out of Egypt on the morrow after the passover, which would have been on the fourteenth day, if the fourteenth day had began at sunset, and they had eaten the passover on the evening following the thirteenth

on

92

day. But in Num. xxxiii. 3, it is said they left Egypt "on the fif teenth day of the first month: the morrow after the passover.' Thus manifest is it that God even when speaking of solemn feasts, reckoned the evening following the day as belonging to the day. And in 1 Sam., xxx. 17, the Holy Spirit calls the evening following the day the evening of the day. "And David smote them from the twilight even unto the evening of the next day." Hence as God reckons the evening following the day as belonging to the day, and as I can no where find a different reckoning, I feel safe in inferring that the evening following the day belongs to the Sabbath. It would be truly unaccountable, if the evening preceding the day belonged to the day, that God himself should not reckon so, but should call the evening following the day the evening of the day.

2. In Nehem. xiii. 16-19, we find that to prevent the profanation of the Sabbath by the sale of fish, &c. by the men of Tyre, "when the gates began to be dark before the Sabbath, Nehemiah commanded that the gates should be shut." As they were not shut till it began to be dark they were not shut before the Sabbath, if the Sabbath began at sunset. And yet it is said they were shut before the Sabbath. And undoubtedly such a zealous reformer as Nehemiah would command the work of shutting the gates to be done before and not ofter the Sabbath began. If it be inquired why the gates were shut at dark if the Sabbath did not begin till midnight, I answer, had the Syrians been permitted to enter after dark, they could not have sold their wares that night, and would have lodged in the city, and sold them on the Sabbath, and the evil, which Nehemiah designed to remedy, would still exist.

3. In Matt. xxvi. 17, and Mark

« AnteriorContinuar »