day above another: another esteemeth every day alike. Let every man
be persuaded in his own mind. He that regardeth the day, regardeth it
unto the Lord; and he that regardeth not the day to the Lord, he doth
not regard it." Does the apostle here mean to say, that under the new or
Christian dispensation it is a matter of indifference which day of the
week is kept as a Sabbath, or whether any sabbath at all is kept? Was
that institution which the people of God had been commanded to call a
delight, the holy of the Lord, honorable, now to be esteemed of so
carnal a nature as to be ranked among the things which Jesus "took out
of the way, nailing it to [12]his cross." If this be true, then has
Jesus, in the same manner, abolished the eight last verses in the
fifty-eighth of Isaiah, and the 2d, 6th and 7th verses of the 56th
chapter have no reference to the Gentile since the crucifixion. O Lord
help us rightly to understand and divide thy word. But is it not evident
from the four first verses in the same chapter of Romans, that Paul is
speaking of feast days; Hear him explain. "Destroy not him with thy
_meat_ for whom Christ died. For the kingdom of God is not meat and
drink." 15, 17 v, also 20, 23. Giving them again in substance the
decrees which had been given by the Apostles in their first conference,
in A. D. 51; held at Jerusalem. See Acts xv: 19. James proposes their
letter to the Gentiles should be "that they abstain from pollution of
Idols, and from fornication, and from things strangled, and from blood;"
to which the conference all agreed. Now please read their unanimous
_decrees_ (xvi: 4,) from twenty-three to thirty verses. "For it seemed
good to the Holy Ghost and to us, to lay upon you no greater burden than
these necessary things." "That ye abstain from meats offered to Idols,
and from blood, and from things strangled, and from fornication, from
which if ye keep yourselves ye shall do well." Reading along to the 13th
of the next chapter, we find Paul establishing the Churches with these
decrees; (see 4, 5,) and at Philippi he holds his meeting, (not in the
Jews Synagogue) but at the river's side, on the _Sabbath_ day. A little
from this it is said that Paul is in Thesalonica preaching on the
Sabbath days. Luke says this was his _manner_. What was it? Why, to
preach on the Sabbath days (not 1st days.) Observe here were three
Sabbaths in succession. xvii: 2. A little while from this Paul locates
himself in Corinth,