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

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"On this day, which is <strong>the</strong> first [day] <strong>of</strong> light<br />

<strong>and</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> true Sun, we assemble, after an interval<br />

<strong>of</strong> six days, <strong>and</strong> celebrate holy <strong>and</strong> spiritual<br />

<strong>Sabbath</strong>s, even all nations redeemed by him<br />

throughout <strong>the</strong> world, <strong>and</strong> do those things<br />

according to <strong>the</strong> spiritual law, which were decreed<br />

for <strong>the</strong> priests to do on <strong>the</strong> <strong>Sabbath</strong>."[53]<br />

"And all things whatsoever that it was duty to<br />

do on <strong>the</strong> <strong>Sabbath</strong>, <strong>the</strong>se we have transferred to <strong>the</strong><br />

Lord’s <strong>Day</strong>, as more appropriately belonging to it,<br />

because it has a precedence <strong>and</strong> is first in rank, <strong>and</strong><br />

more honorable than <strong>the</strong> Jewish <strong>Sabbath</strong>."[54]<br />

Eusebius was under <strong>the</strong> strongest temptation to<br />

please <strong>and</strong> even to flatter Constantine; for he lived<br />

in <strong>the</strong> sunshine <strong>of</strong> imperial favor. On one occasion,<br />

he went so far as to say that <strong>the</strong> city <strong>of</strong> Jerusalem,<br />

which Constantine had rebuilt, might be <strong>the</strong> New<br />

Jerusalem predicted in <strong>the</strong> prophecies![55] But<br />

perhaps <strong>the</strong>re was no act <strong>of</strong> Eusebius that could<br />

give Constantine greater pleasure than his<br />

publication <strong>of</strong> such doctrine as this respecting <strong>the</strong><br />

change <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> <strong>Sabbath</strong>. The emperor had, by <strong>the</strong><br />

608

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