SEVENTH DAY ADVENTISTS.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume XXII, Issue 6484, 1 February 1905, Page 2

SEVENTH DAY ADVENTISTS.

TO THBS BDITOB. Sir, —Now that the Seventh Day Adventists are m oar midst, and striving to inculcate their belief into the people genflrally, that Saturday is the true and only acceptable day of rest to God, it behoves those who are assured that we know better to open our mouths or use our pens on the subject. Now, m the first plase, if anyone will turn to the book of Exodus, chapter 20, he or she can there read for themselves that it was the seventh day that was blessed (or m other words was to be a blessing to man); there is nothing about an original day or a fixed time. It has been pointed out by no less a master of reasoning than President Edwards m his j sermons on the subject, that the Fourth | Commandment does not fix the day, but only commands that after working, six days the next shall be a day of rest; and says —the particular day was determined for that nation m another place, viz M m Exodus 16, 23 :—And he said unto them " To-morrow is the Rest of the Holy Sabbath unto the Lord," . . . The Chris- ; tian Sabbath, m the sense of the Fourth ; Commandment, is as much the Seventh Day as the Jewish Sabbath, because it is kept after six days of labour, as well as that. Our friends have but an incomplete idea of the nature and love of God, if they think that He is calling them to make a sacrifice (for a sacrifice it undoubtedly is) to keep Saturday as the Sabbath. They undo the blessing that God intended it should be to man, by making it a hardship. lam glad to hear that one of our local ministers intends giving an address on the matter m the near future; otherwise some of the public might think that there was practically nothing to be said on the other side. While penning this, I would like to say that I have a great respect for the Seventh Day Adventists as a body. I believo their theology, with the exception of the Seventh Day idea, is scriptural; but feel sure they are making a gigantic mistake over God's intention with reference to the Day ot Ee3t. liam sorry* Mr Editor, that I cannot ask for more space, as there is much that could be aaid on the subject. —I am, etc., Salvo Jube.