HISTORY OF THE SABBATH AND FIRST DA

his uprightness, it must have been

which it has usurped the place of t

Chapter 1 The Creation Time and ete

On the second day of time "God said

kind, and everything that creepeth

abbis, who are legitimate judges in

Chapter 2 The Institution of the Sa

The blessing and sanctification of

of these days a name which indicate

etc. This sanctification or appoint

The declaration, "God blessed the s

holy use. And in the commandment it

the heavens be no more, they shall

seventh day because he had rested u

We have seen the Sabbath ordained o

that he should "remember the Sabbat

his intelligent creatures. When the

whole moral law is given. The recor

yet the observance of the other and

It was therefore not difficult for

and sanctified it. Gen. 2:3. Moses

8. Dr. Twisse illustrates the absur

Chapter 3 The Sabbath Committed to

(Gen. 2-6; Heb. 11:4-7; 1 Pet. 3:20

the knowledge of divine truth and t

hadst formed the earth and the worl

did mete it with an omer, he that g

people, of their own accord, had ga

day." (Lev. 23:3; Mark 1:21; Luke 4

and we are told why it was such a s

Sabbath; 2. When he brought the peo

Ex.16, which is supposed to give th

Chapter 4 The Fourth Commandment Th

giving of the law, and the service

holy use, at the close of the first

Creator rested, and upon which he p

commandment. And mark the expressio

3. He who created the world on the

Chapter 5 The Sabbath Written by th

and the foreigner must keep it, and

"And the Lord spake unto Moses sayi

Sabbaths TO BE a sign between me an

apart or sanctify unto himself the

did not originate from the fall of

affixed to most of the precepts of

in this record the Sabbath is menti

given him to be properly spent in t

The law within the ark was that whi

of Dr. C. And if this be correct, i

properly enough refer to Moses, if

provocation in the day of temptatio

This language has undoubted referen

their own land; and that one of the

nation, and not a part of the origi

would not conflict with the Passove

keep my Sabbaths, and reverence my

despised the word of the Lord, and

yourselves to the Most High to keep

Yet there is the strongest evidence

then bless and hallow the day. 4. T

in polluting it. Deliverance from a

These texts will explain the follow

to the TEN WORDS of the law of God,

Jacob, his statutes and his judgmen

Sabbath as a Jewish institution, be

Chapter 7 The Feasts, New Moons and

feasts, and occupied but a single d

"And ye shall proclaim on the selfs

these Sabbaths, the following or fi

these Sabbaths of the land came the

when he ordained the festivals and

Hosea carefully designates the annu

13:15-18) and their final restorati

says, 'her Sabbaths.' But the Sabba

violation of the Sabbath caused the

then is proved by the fact that six

OWN work: "Six days shalt thou labo

those who believe that God set apar

When our Lord was called upon to pr

forgotten or lost during the five c

overthrow as a people. About fifty

when they are outcasts, that is, wh

urden on the Sabbath day, nor bring

their children to their idols, then

and also to the festivals of the He

court, this covenant was in part, a

Nehemiah bears testimony to the acc

10. A few words relative to the tim

Chapter 9 The Sabbath from Nehemiah

"Then many that sought after justic

Yet were some martyred after this f

eason of the opposition the Jews wo

Sabbath to walk on green grass, for

frauds by which Sunday is shown to

as the close of the Seventy weeks I

in their synagogues, being glorifie

that were possessed with devils. An

2. That the question raised by the

this reference to the priests, had

God. There must be a time when thes

concerning the Sabbath. He carefull

have one sheep, and if it fall into

Sir, I have no man, when the water

hitherto lightly esteemed the Sabba

from the same point, else the examp

"I must work the works of him that

the glorious things that were done

MERCIFUL institution, and to rid it

the city of Jerusalem with an army,

for life. And pitiable indeed was t

"He pitched his camp at a certain p

therefore, that whether in city or

man thereof judge you in meat, or i

1. The Sabbath of the Lord was made

2:8-12; Matt. 5:17-19; Rom. 3:19, 3

terms. At this point of time it is

In these texts the foundation of th

sat at meat, and upbraided them wit

day of the week and blessed and hal

authority of the texts already quot

substantial frame-work than enters

The conclusion to which these facts

Son of God for sinful men may be sa

never authorized such an act. But a

day of the week, which he has never

slightest evidence that that day or

1. See, on this point, the conclusi

this day? What a false-hearted prof

was not, as to change the rest-day

or advanceth the work of redemption

Gentiles began with Sabbath-keepers

and foreigners, but fellow-citizens

2. The death of the Redeemer for th

great central point in the work of

the law of God in the heart of each

which we may conclude that man in h

Gentiles, and the opening events of

"For they that dwell at Jerusalem,

y other texts. Several years after

in the books of Moses, and the firs

strongly attests the Sabbath as the

esides the few Jews who received th

Sabbath-keeping church of Thessalon

as I have given order to the church

"[6] The Douay Bible reads: "Let ev

Sabbath. Yet Paul omits all titles

this day had become the Christian S

follows the important consequence t

own master he standeth or falleth.

1John 3:4, 5) 3. Because that Paul

of David, "All things are put under

testimony of Jesus Christ. I was in

proving beyond all doubt that that

examined, is found to have no such

from doing thy pleasure on MY HOLY

7. Sabbath Manual of the American T

elative to redemption as an argumen

they had regarded with superstitiou

truth, but that it was left out of

The book of Acts is an inspired his

who taught otherwise were of that c

its origin, it can never cease to b

forward and new modeled the cause."

portion of the people of God were s

passes over the line which separate

challenge them as its abettors. In

tradition, and show the amount of r

It is certain that the first-day Sa

is it decreed that the observation

Chapter 13 The Sunday-Lord’s Day

But next to the deception under whi

and is absolutely decisive. But thi

instances of its mention in the Bib

name, for it was not such. But if t

epistle of Pliny, A.D. 104, in conn

were tested by the question whether

Having carefully and minutely exami

"To-day we have passed the Lord's h

But Dionysius does not merely use t

Christians keeps the Sabbath, medit

John's vision upon Patmos, A.D. 96;

and genial spot, and the locality o

this duty in the gospel sense:-- "H

uses the term Lord’s Day. He defi

those heathen of whom he now writes

apostolic than is the sign of the c

name for the so-called eighth day.

Paul."[24] If the Sunday-Lord’s D

this History, a general statement o

25. Socrates's Eccl. Hist., book v.

curious interest to determine which

eferring to the first day of the we

Thus he says:-- "The epistle of Bar

"The letter still extant, which was

the testimony of some unknown write

themselves by a solemn oath, not fo

day, as that it was the first day;

genuine, do not include in their nu

A.D. 115. Of the eight epistles asc

scholars. Thus he presents the orig

"If therefore they who were well ve

spoke on this subject as a doctor o

statement is taken. In proof of thi

Texts commonly adduced from the New

Chapter 15 Examination of a Famous

would not recant, they must be put

not once occur; nor any equivalent

quite similar in most respects to G

"It thus appearing that the referen

testify relative to the character o

many years, the followers of Christ

to say this in so many words. Domvi

eplied that he was a Christian, and

words as follows: "By the words Col

sacrament of the Lord's supper, con

itself a substantive, neuter as app

Those who raise this point betray t

flagrantis persecutionis etiam temp

The festival of Sunday is more anci

Sunday, and appropriated the next d

ecause opportunity and common exped

church began to apostatize from God

the Christians held their assemblie

"It is also probable that Friday, t

moderns, and we shall find no Lord

a voluntary observance. Thus he add

human ordinance; water being now as

honor of the impostor Simon Magus.

It was because of your iniquities,

"I have carefully searched through

an interpolated passage from an epi

ishop of Rome, in the year 196,[34]

Council of Nice was induced to deci

honorable than the seventh, and els

Tertullian pleads no divine command

festival in honor of the sun, and t

"The western church began to fast o

3. Antiquities, p. 68. 4. Jewish An

35. History of the Popes, vol. i. p

Rome; or rather that Peter was the

day observance any divine authority

annually; you have a festive day ev

y some in the list. It is certain t

assembling was "to hear the saving

eader judge whether we have correct

the Scriptures. The next father wil

sacrament was given beforehand in s

"Looking forward to this, the proph

modern first-day writers. Or had th

"Similarly, too, in the period of P

festival of Sunday, in the judgment

harmony with the facts already addu

Sabbath. We shall also find that Cl

world shall endure in its present s

to keep in the present state of wic

"Do you see that the elements are n

Such were Justin's reasons for reje

the fact that when the Kingdom of G

not do their own work, but God's, w

Notes: 1. Epistle of Barnabas, chap

39. Apostolical Constitutions, book

Chapter 18 The Sabbath in the Recor

"For God at the first, indeed, warn

ules of our regenerate life," that

RETURN to those virtuous manners wh

"And he says in another place, 'If

during the duration of the world, a

made up rest from our works, for th

unknown in Tertullian's time. Had i

neglect and slight the Lord’s Day

shame.' "[14] In the conclusion of

Agatho there sat the twelfth counci

with due veneration, and wholly dev

according to Morer, "They entreated

estored to its honor, and for the c

"Where it was ordered more precisel

ead:-- A.D.876. "Alfred the Great,

A.D.967. King Edgar "commanded that

still more strict. Morer informs us

"Of him it is reported that he had

Flaye, returned to England, and pre

ain I will rain upon you stones, an

will I send against you still worse

commissioned to bring it into Engla

III. who filled the office of pope

would pay due reverence to the Lord

it under the ashes, after the ninth

observance. "It shows," as Morer qu

Edmund de Abendon archbishop of Can

obstinate and speak or act against

which has supplanted it:-- A.D.1584

14. Historical and Practical Discou

39. Hist. Sab. part ii, chap. v, se

56. See page 274 of this work. 57.

who were not in the communion of th

the communion of the church of Rome

into England.[5] "The people in the

and on Saturday the ninth of June s

Among the dissenters from the Romis

Jortin dates their withdrawal into

countries of Europe, Benedict thus

"They can say a great part of the O

Sylvester. . . . They hold that non

they distinguished themselves from

follows:-- "Insabbatati [they were

that this statement is founded in e

different Sabbath from the Catholic

speak of the observance of the seve

Another class of witnesses to the t

his first book against heretics, wh

distinctive as beautiful."[47] - Mo

e kept in mind whenever we read of

these heretics he places the Petrob

learned men of the East had put for

there is no evidence that any of th

"They which maintain the Saturday S

the perfect rule of the Christian f

Peter, and the sovereign of the wor

sight of by it. The Catholics of Eu

western world for a thousand years,

author has just spoken. The history

monks, to attach them to her commun

service on Saturdays, eat flesh, an

16. Edward's Hist. of Redemption, p

35. Jones's Church History, vol. ii

62. The Rise, Spring. and Foundatio

Chapter 22 Position of the Reformer

local saints which some particular

up by Melancthon [and approved by L

"If we would have the Lord's day so

proves conclusively that he did not

week. What does he say of the break

one's ability might enable -- that

found him enjoying the recreation o

John Barclay,[28] a learned man of

should come once in seven days, eve

That church now holds Sunday to be

impropriety of making them the stan

18. Calvin's Commentary on Acts 20:

38. Hessey p. 203. 39. Dr. Priestly

the Anabaptists -- Why Carlstadt ha

and Carlstadt on this very subject.

the Spirit was sufficient, there wa

[Carlstadt] rejected the practice o

egard to the ceremonies introduced

and Luther, and that which most emb

Carlstadt, for maintaining the doct

"For three centuries, Carlstadt's m

ut also most OUTRAGEOUS of his cont

" 'He was well acquainted,' says Dr

The various historians who treat of

the body and blood of Christ, and a

20. Id. book x. p. 315. 21. Hist. R

And we have not the word of God for

great number of ministers, and a mu

lamed" for the death of Davidis, "b

Genoldists."[10] Sabbath-keepers, a

speak of those who turn from the fi

"A Jew named Horie preached a mixtu

Passaginians.[17] Is there any reas

een instituted by popes, cardinals,

denomination in that kingdom."[26]

Oxford, 1835. 24. I know of no exce

portent -- none of these, nor all o

liberty to the church of the New Te

esponse, and the result was a most

Puritans fell in with this doctrine

and of the Gentiles, of the law and

eye-witness, Dr. Heylyn:-- "For by

"It is not possible, indeed, if tra

conclude this work. Notes: 1. Hengs

Chapter 26 English Sabbath-keepers

day, and the right use of the same.

"For 'making of conventicles and fa

her long imprisonment, Pagitt says

this day obligeth Christians under

Sabbatarian questions) in the old a

"Because an indefinite time must ei

Sabbath of the Lord."[21] In 1671,

"When he resided in London he forme

Ilchester jail.[31] About the time

idicule. At the scaffold, on the da

persecution was that of their great

8. Pagitt's Heresiography, p. 209.

Chapter 27 The Sabbath in America T

Mr. Mumford, on his arrival, went e

of the church," they "found themsel

1671."[7] "On the 23rd of December,

The American Sabbath Tract Society

State. They originated in 1728 from

The Sabbath was first introduced to

Sabbath reform. But both of them, w

about this time to interest many Ad

Adventist Publishing Association. T

settlement is instituted each year

families scattered all the way from

They have had perils from open foes

earth. The importance of the Sabbat

High is again and for the last time

4. Seventh-day Baptist Memorial, vo

Maine. This article was reprinted i

Schrevelius, and Greenfield. 907