The Lord has given to man six days in which to labor for his temporal good, but he has reserved one day, the seventh, for his own and called it by his name, the Sabbath of the Lord. He lays his hand upon it and says “it is mine; I have reserved the seventh day for my own honor, I have sanctified and blessed it. Keep it holy, do no secular work upon it.” Those who appropriate to themselves the day that God has reserved to his own worship, who uses his holy time as a common working day, and present to him in its stead a day he has not blessed are guilty of a great sin, even robbery of God. The Lord has told us plainly how he regards the offering to him of common in place of holy things.8LtMs, Ms 106, 1893, par. 1

“A son honoreth his father, and a servant his master; if I then be a Father, where is mine honor? And if I be a Master, where is my fear? Saith the Lord of Host unto you, O priests, that despise my name. And ye say, wherein have we despised thy name? You offer polluted bread upon mine altar; and ye say, wherein have polluted thee? In that ye say the table of the Lord is contemptible. And if ye offer the blind for sacrifice, is it not evil? And if ye offer the lame and sick is it not evil? Offer it now unto thy governor; will he be pleased with them, or accept thy person? saith the Lord of Hosts.” [Malachi 1:6-8.]8LtMs, Ms 106, 1893, par. 2

Please read the entire book of Malachi in connection with the 58th chapter of Isaiah. Especially read the third chapter of Malachi; “Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me; and the Lord, whom ye seek shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant whom ye delight in; behold, he shall come saith the Lord of Hosts. But who may abide the day of his coming and who shall stand when he appeareth? For he is like a refiner's fire, and like fullers' soap, and he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them [as] gold and silver, that they may offer to the Lord an offering in righteousness ... And I will come near to you to judgment; and I will be a swift witness against the sorrows and against the adulterers and against the false swearers, and against those that oppress the hireling in his wages, the widow, and the fatherless, and that turn aside the stranger from his right, and fear not me, saith the Lord of Hosts ... Even from the days of your fathers ye have gone away from mine ordinances and have not kept them. Return unto me, and I will return unto you, saith the Lord of Hosts. But ye said wherein shall we return? Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, wherein have we robbed me? Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings. Ye are cursed with a curse; for ye have robbed me, even this whole nation.” [Verses 1-3, 5, 7-9.]8LtMs, Ms 106, 1893, par. 3

Wherein can there be more marked robbery of God than in forsaking his ordinances and trampling upon his holy Sabbath? He who has bidden us to bring in our tithes and offerings to his cause in order to send the gospel to the world, who has told us to care for the poor, to minister to the widow and the fatherless, to deal justly with the hireling and the stranger, claims from us the Sabbath for himself. Rather he has set apart the Sabbath from the toils and cares of life, that he may give us a day of Holy Communion with him; he would lead us to contemplate the greatness of his power and his love in our creation, that we may understand how great is his power and love engaged for our redemption. Those who willfully disregard the Sabbath are robbing themselves of a rich blessing God desired to give them; they are cursed with a curse, for they are separating themselves from God the source of good.8LtMs, Ms 106, 1893, par. 4

Jesus, looking down upon the day in which we live, foretold that the time would be perilous. He compared it to the days of Noah and Lot, when the sins of the people brought the waters of the flood upon the antediluvian world and the fire from heaven on the cities of the plain. We see on every hand evidence of the truth of his word. Wickedness prevails in high places and in low, and our beautiful cities are fast becoming as corrupt as was Sodom. Why has sin reached such a pass? Because the law of God has been made void. Its claims have been lightly regarded by religious teaches. The Sabbath has been set aside, the power and love of God are lost sight of.8LtMs, Ms 106, 1893, par. 5

A greater activity than has before been witnessed is now manifest in the religious world. Men are teaching for doctrines the commandments of men; they are changing the ordinance breaking the everlasting covenant. Vain workers! “Forever, O God, thy word is settled in heaven.” “The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul; the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple.” “Thy word is very sure, therefore, thy servant loveth it.” [Psalm 119:89; 19:7; 119:140.]8LtMs, Ms 106, 1893, par. 6

There is great lack of the diligent searching of God's word which he has enjoined. If men were not so content with the surface truths of revelation; if they would make earnest investigations of God's word, giving no weight to human customs or traditions, thousands who are now in error would come to the knowledge of the truth. We are to take the Bible alone, and by earnest, prayerful study, seek for the truth as for hid treasures. As the miner finds rich veins of gold and silver hidden in the earth, so we shall discern the precious things of God if we will but sink the shaft deep in the mines of truth. And Jesus has promised us a guide in our research. The Disciples of Christ failed to understand many things that he desired to teach them, and before he went away he promised to send them the spirit of truth, which he said, “shall lead you into all truth.” [John 16:13.] His promise to them is a promise to us also, and we are to pray for its fulfillment. Jesus says, “If ye, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children; how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit unto them that ask him?” [Luke 11:13.] And under the guidance of the Spirit of God, through the grace of our Saviour, we may understand our duty from his word.8LtMs, Ms 106, 1893, par. 7

But we must regard the word of God something beyond more respect. It is the voice of God addressed to us. As we are privileged to have the truth clearly presented, we are to treasure it up in our hearts, and apply the lessons of inspiration to our daily life. It is not left with us to decide as to what will or will not be pleasing to God. When he has sanctified the seventh day, and has bidden us to keep it holy, we have no right to conclude that the observance of another day in its stead will be acceptable to him. Our only safety is in living by every word that proceedeth from the mouth of God.8LtMs, Ms 106, 1893, par. 8

“Therefore shall ye lay up these my words in your hearts and in your soul and bind them for a sign upon your hand, that they may be as frontlets between your eyes. And ye shall teach them your children, speaking of them when thou sittest in thy house, and when thou walkest by the way when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. And thou shalt write them upon the doorposts of thine house, and upon thy gates.” “Ye shall diligently keep the commandments of the Lord your God, and his testimonies and his statutes which he hath commanded thee. And thou shalt do that which is right and good in the sight of the Lord thy God that it may be well with thee.” “Behold, I set before you this day a blessing and a curse; a blessing if ye obey the commandments of the Lord your God, which I command you this day; and a curse, if ye will not obey the commandments of the Lord your God.” [Deuteronomy 11:18-20; 6:17, 18; 11:26-28.]8LtMs, Ms 106, 1893, par. 9

Ms 105, 1893

Ms 107, 1893