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

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during <strong>the</strong> duration <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> world, <strong>and</strong> in which all<br />

those will keep festival with God who have done<br />

all <strong>the</strong>ir works in <strong>the</strong>ir six days."[16]<br />

The testimony <strong>of</strong> Novation which has been<br />

given relative to <strong>the</strong> sacredness <strong>and</strong> authority <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong><br />

Decalogue plainly implies <strong>the</strong> existence <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong><br />

<strong>Sabbath</strong> in <strong>the</strong> patriarchal ages, <strong>and</strong> its observance<br />

by those holy men <strong>of</strong> old. It was given to Israel that<br />

<strong>the</strong>y might "RETURN to those virtuous manners<br />

which, although <strong>the</strong>y had received <strong>the</strong>m from <strong>the</strong>ir<br />

fa<strong>the</strong>rs, <strong>the</strong>y had corrupted in Egypt." And he adds,<br />

"Those Ten Comm<strong>and</strong>ments on <strong>the</strong> tables teach<br />

nothing new, but remind <strong>the</strong>m <strong>of</strong> what had been<br />

obliterated."[17] He did, not, <strong>the</strong>refore, believe <strong>the</strong><br />

<strong>Sabbath</strong> to have originated at <strong>the</strong> fall <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> manna,<br />

but counted it one <strong>of</strong> those things which were<br />

practiced by <strong>the</strong>ir fa<strong>the</strong>rs before Jacob went down<br />

to Egypt.<br />

Lactantius places <strong>the</strong> origin <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> <strong>Sabbath</strong> at<br />

creation:--<br />

"God completed <strong>the</strong> world <strong>and</strong> this admirable<br />

535

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