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

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annually; you have a festive day every eighth<br />

day."[6] Dr. Heylyn spoke <strong>the</strong> truth when he said:--<br />

"Tertullian tells us that <strong>the</strong>y did devote <strong>the</strong><br />

Sunday partly unto mirth <strong>and</strong> recreation, not to<br />

devotion altoge<strong>the</strong>r; when in a hundred years after<br />

Tertullian's time <strong>the</strong>re was no law or constitution to<br />

restrain men from labor on this day in <strong>the</strong> Christian<br />

church."[7]<br />

The Sunday festival in Tertullian's time was not<br />

like <strong>the</strong> modern first-day <strong>Sabbath</strong>, but was<br />

essentially <strong>the</strong> German festival <strong>of</strong> Sunday, a day<br />

for worship <strong>and</strong> for recreation, <strong>and</strong> one on which<br />

labor was not sinful. But Tertullian speaks fur<strong>the</strong>r<br />

respecting Sunday observance, <strong>and</strong> <strong>the</strong> words now<br />

to be quoted have been used as pro<strong>of</strong> that labor on<br />

that day was counted sinful. This is <strong>the</strong> only<br />

statement that can be found prior to Constantine's<br />

Sunday law that has such an appearance, <strong>and</strong> <strong>the</strong><br />

pro<strong>of</strong> is decisive that such was not its meaning.<br />

Here are his words:--<br />

"We, however (just as we have received), only<br />

485

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