[Sabbath Controversy #3] A Vindication of the Seventh-day Sabbath, and the Commandments of God

SECOND PILLAR FOR NO SABBATH

Colossians 2:14-17 - “Blotting out the hand writing of ordinances that was against us; which was contrary to us, taking it out of the way; nailing it to his cross.” Now Paul says it was the hand-writing of ordinances that was blotted out. You say it was the Sabbath, because he further says, “Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holy day, or of the new moon, or of the Sabbath days, which are a shadow of things to come,” etc. Now I say that the Sabbath of the Lord God is not included in this text. 1st. Because it never did belong to the hand-writing of ordinances. 2nd. It never is called an ordinance in the Scriptures; it is a commandment. 3rd. God’s Sabbath never was taken out of our way because it was against us. Jesus says it was made for us, (for man.) Then pray tell me, if you can, why Jesus has taken away from us the very thing, (the Sabbath) he had said was made for us? You see this is impossible; but he did take away at the very hour that he yielded you his life, the ceremonial worship of sacrifice and oblation, because his blood was now shed once for all for the whole world, therefore the shedding of bullocks blood, here at this hour, ceased forever; see also Hebrews 10:1-10, particularly the 9th verse. The angel Gabriel’s testimony is directly to this point; Daniel 9:27 Therefore the mode of worshipping God, in the law of Moses, ceased forever. But all of this no more affected God’s code of laws, the ten commandments, than the shining of the sun would upon the inhabitants of Massachusetts after he had gone down below the western horizon. The “hand-writing of ordinances” is what Moses wrote with his hand in a book and put it into the ark with the tables of stone; which tables were not the hand-writing of either God, or man, but written by the finger of God. Deuteronomy 31:25-26 Neither can it ever be proved that God’s law on these tables of stone, was a shadow - it is a substance. Paul says the things that were nailed to the cross here, were shadows; see 17th verse. Now if the Lord’s Sabbath, the fourth commandment, was taken out here, and forever erased from the tables of stone - where is the evidence? Farther, if it was a shadow, as you say, would not all the other nine commandments be shadows too? See if you can make the first and second ones, shadows; if you can, the worship of idols is just as valid as the worship of God; and so of the third - where would be the penalty of taking God’s name in vain, or to steal, or murder, or commit adultery? You see the idea itself is ridiculous. I know you say the spirit of them is as binding as ever. I ask how are we to know what the spirit of any thing is, without the precept (the letter) to guide us? It is impossible for any human being to know that it is wrong to worship idols and bow down to them unless it read so in the scriptures. If the apostle has taught it so, he has quoted from the decalogue. Thus you see the commandments can no more be abolished than salvation. In the 20-22nd verses, Paul further explains, and says, “Why are ye subject to ordinances which are to perish?” Why perish? because “they are after the doctrines and commandments of men.” “Touch not, taste not, handle not.” Now, if these are not the ordinances of the ceremonial law, the hand-writing of Moses, they are nothing; see also Ephesians 2:15, and Hebrews 7:16 The holy day, new moon and Sabbath days were their holy convocation, which, with the new moon and Sabbaths is the same that is connected with their feasts, as in Romans 14, and as distinctly separate, as I have shown in Leviticus 23:3, 38, and Numbers 28:9 Now I say God’s law containing the Sabbath is not even mentioned here. Their Sabbath days, and not God’s Sabbath days are here abolished; as Hosea said they should be, 2:11 It would be far more reasonable to assert that Paul had abolished all the ordinances in 20-22 verses. But who undertakes to say that baptism and the Lord’s Supper are abolished here. Nobody. Why? SC3 153.1

Because neither of them are the hand-writing of ordinances, but they are equally as much so, and as certainly made for us as the Sabbath is. Jesus says it was made for man. You say it was made for the Jews only. Shall the Scriptures decide this. “MAN that is born of a woman is of few days and full of trouble.” “MAN dieth and wasteth away; yea, MAN giveth up the ghost and where is he - So MAN lieth down and riseth not till the heavens be no more.” - Job. “And as it is appointed unto MAN once to die, but after this the judgment.” - Paul. Now just as certain as the Jews and Gentiles are the “man” alluded to here, just in the same sense and no other, is he alluded to by Jesus in Mark 2:27 - “The Sabbath was made for MAN,” - Jew and Gentile, for every living human being. Therefore it is impossible, yea it is a contradiction of terms to say that the Sabbath of the Lord God, which was made for man, just as much as the day of judgment is to judge him, was taken out of his way, because it was contrary to him, and against him, or that the Sabbath is an ordinance or a shadow, but all the seven Jewish convocation Sabbaths that were nailed to the cross, were shadows, as in Hebrews 10:1-10 The woman was also made for man, in the same sense. See how your rule will work here. This letter is from Rome, A.D. 64. SC3 155.1