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History of the Sabbath and First Day of the Week - John N. Andrews

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if <strong>the</strong>y are guilty, consists in this: that on certain<br />

days <strong>the</strong>y assemble before sunrise to sing<br />

alternately <strong>the</strong> praises <strong>of</strong> Christ as <strong>of</strong> God."[20]<br />

Tertullian, who wrote A.D. 200, speaks <strong>of</strong> this<br />

very statement <strong>of</strong> Pliny thus:--<br />

"He found in <strong>the</strong>ir religious services nothing<br />

but meetings at early morning for singing hymns to<br />

Christ <strong>and</strong> God, <strong>and</strong> sealing home <strong>the</strong>ir way <strong>of</strong> life<br />

by a united pledge to be faithful to <strong>the</strong>ir religion,<br />

forbidding murder, adultery, dishonesty, <strong>and</strong> o<strong>the</strong>r<br />

crimes."[21]<br />

Tertullian certainly found in this no reference<br />

to <strong>the</strong> festival <strong>of</strong> Sunday.<br />

Mr. W. B. Tayler speaks <strong>of</strong> this stated day as<br />

follows:--<br />

"As <strong>the</strong> <strong>Sabbath</strong> day appears to have been quite<br />

as commonly observed at this date as <strong>the</strong> sun's day<br />

(if not even more so), it is just as probable that this<br />

'stated day' referred to by Pliny was <strong>the</strong> seventh<br />

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