PHI LOS 0 P H Y . - Classic Works of Apologetics Online

294 Sa/,bL1tlral lnstitulio1is.
{lition of Christianity, the obser\-ation of a ne\v sab~
bath would Ila\re been u'\eless, or incon,·enient, or inlpracticable.
During Christ's personal miniMry, hlS
religion was preached to the Jews alone. They al.
ready had a sabbath, which~ as citizPflS and sUbjEcts
of that econonlY, they "utere obliged to keep, and did
keep. It was not therefore probable that Christ
\vould enjoin another day of rest ill conjunction with
this. 'Vben the J1~\V religion catne forth into the
Gentile world, converts to it were, for the most part,
Dlade from those classes of society, who have not
their time and labour at their own disposal; and it
was scarcely to be expected, that unbelieving masters
and magistrates, and they who directed the enlployment
of others, would permit their slaves and labourers
to rest from their work every seventh day;
or that· civil government, indeed, wou Id have submitted
to the loss of a seventh part of the public industry,
and that too in addition to the numer')us
J
festivals which the national religions indulged to the
people: at least, this would have been. an incumbrance
which might have greatly retarded the re.
ception of Christianity in the world. In reality, the
institution of a weekly sabbath is so connecte(i with
the functions of civil life, and requires so In~ch of
the concurrence of civil law!; 1n its regulation and
')upport, that it c:mnot, perhaps, properly be made
the !)rdinance of any religion, till that religion be
receiv~d as the l-elig:on of the stare.
The opinion, th~t Christ and his .L\postles meant
to retain the duties of the Jewi~h sabbath, shifting only
the Jay fronl the seventh to the firs:, £eenlS to prevail
without sufficient proof; nor do~ any evidence
remain in scripttire (ot what, h0wcvcr, is not improb ..
able) that th,~ first day (,f the week was thus distin ..
gui~hed in conlmcnll1rat!()11 ()t OU1· LOT(I's resurrection.
The conclw-i011 from th(! whole inquiry (for it is
our business to ["lICI\\' the arguments to whatever
probability they conduct U~:) i~ this: thr assembling upon
!he ! 'r'.t day of the wt·(·k, for the purpose of public
~~V:);":.: ,:~) arid rr~li:;:()u ~ in;~tru~:tjoll, is" law of Chrif.