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Champions for Truth
253
delight, the holy of the Lord, honourable; and shalt honour him, not
doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking
thine own words: then shalt thou delight thyself in the Lord.”
Isaiah
58:12-14
.
The “breach” was made in the law of God when the Sabbath was
changed by the Roman power. But the time has come for the breach
to be repaired.
The Sabbath was kept by Adam in his innocence in Eden; by
Adam, fallen yet repentant, when driven from his estate. It was kept
by all the patriarchs from Abel to Noah, to Abraham, to Jacob. When
the Lord delivered Israel, He proclaimed His law to the multitude.
True Sabbath Always Kept
From that day to the present the Sabbath has been kept. Though
the “man of sin” succeeded in trampling underfoot God’s holy day,
yet hidden in secret places faithful souls paid it honor. Since the Ref-
ormation, some in every generation have maintained its observance.
These truths in connection with “the everlasting gospel” will
distinguish the church of Christ at the time of His appearing. “Here
are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.”
Revelation 14:12
.
Those who received the light concerning the sanctuary and the
law of God were filled with joy as they saw the harmony of truth.
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They desired the light to be imparted to all Christians. But truths at
variance with the world were not welcome to many who claimed to
follow Christ.
As the claims of the Sabbath were presented, many said: “We
have always kept Sunday, our fathers kept it, and many good men
have died happy while keeping it. The keeping of a new Sabbath
would throw us out of harmony with the world. What can a little
company keeping the seventh day accomplish against all the world
who are keeping Sunday?” By similar arguments the Jews justified
their rejection of Christ. So, in the time of Luther, papists reasoned
that true Christians had died in the Catholic faith; therefore that
religion was sufficient. Such reasoning would prove a barrier to all
advancement in faith.