,transcriber's ,note3 ,quotations from ,scripture and other sources1 which are in smaller type in the original1 have been indented one space4 ,small capitals have been replaced by full capitals4 ,italics are indicated by underscores4 ,the use of hyphens has been rationalized4 ,apparent typographical errors have been corrected4 ,,tracts ,,on ,,the ,,sabbath4 ,,the ,,seventh ,,day ,,is ,,the ,,sabbath ,,of ,,the ,,lord ,,thy ,,god4 ,,new ,,york3 ,,published ,,by ,,the ,,american ,,sabbath ,,tract ,,society4 ,no4 #i ,spruce ,street4 #ahec4 ,,table ,,of ,,contents4 #a4--,reasons for introducing the ,sabbath of the ,fourth ,commandment to the consideration of the ,christian ,public4 #bd pp4 #b4--,the ,sabbath3 its ,moral ,nature and ,scriptural ,observance4 #dh pp4 #c4--,the ,sabbath3 ,authority for the ,change of the ,day4 #bd pp4 #d4--,the ,sabbath and ,lord's ,day3 ,a ,history of their ,observance in the ,christian ,church4 #dh pp4 #e4--;,a ,christian ,caveat4 #d pp4 #f4--,twenty ,reasons for keeping holy1 in each week1 the ,seventh ,day instead of the ,first ,day4 #d pp4 #g4--,thirty-six ,plain ,questions1 presenting the main points in the ,sabbath ,controversy3 ,a ,dialogue between a ,minister of the ,gospel and a ,sabbatarian2 ,counterfeit ,coin4 #h pp4 #h4--,the ,sabbath ,controversy3 ,the ,true ,issue4 #d pp4 #i4--,the ,fourth ,commandment3 ,false ,exposition4 #d pp4 #aj4--,the ,true ,sabbath ,embraced and ,observed4 #af pp4 #aa4--,religious ,liberty ,endangered by ,legislative ,enactments4 #af pp4 #ab4--,misuse of the term ,sabbath4 #h pp4 #ac4--,the ,bible ,sabbath4 #bd pp4 #ad4--;,delaying ,obedience4 #d pp4 #ae4--;,an ,appeal for the ,restoration of the ,bible ,sabbath1 in an ,address to the ,baptists1 from the ,seventh-day ,baptist ,general ,conference4 #cf pp4 #af4--,the ,royal ,law contended for4 ,by ,edward ,stennett4 #fj pp4 #ag4--,vindication of the ,true ,sabbath4 ,by ,j4 ,w4 ,morton1 late ,missionary of the ,reformed ,presbyterian ,church4 #fj pp4 ,no4 #a4 ,,reasons ,,for ,,introducing ,,the ,,sabbath ,,of ,,the ,,fourth ,,commandment ,,to ,,the ,,consideration ,,of ,,the ,,christian ,,public4 ,,new ,,york3 ,,published ,,by ,,the ,,american ,,sabbath ,,tract ,,society1 ,no4 #i ,spruce-,street4 ,to search for the knowledge of our duty1 as subjects of the ,divine ,government1 is of the highest importance to ,christians and to all men4 ,none of us liveth to himself1 and no man dieth to himself1 but whether we live or die1 we are the ,lord's4 ,it behooves us1 therefore1 to inquire1 diligently and prayerfully1 what ,god would have us to do1 and how we may best glorify ,him and save our generation8 ,we should seek wisdom as silver1 and search for it as for hid treasure2 and we should labor after the knowledge1 not only of some duties1 but of every duty4 ,obey my voice1 is the reiterated mandate of ,jehovah4 ,to give full proof of our friendship for ,christ1 we must do whatsoever he hath commanded us4 ,hence the importance of searching the ,scriptures1 and of carefully pondering the testimonies of ,god4 ,all should pursue this course1 and feel this responsibility2 for every one of us shall give account of himself unto ,god4 ,hence the propriety and necessity1 in many cases1 of individuals dissenting from the views and decisions of collective bodies1 and of minorities dissenting from majorities1 and protesting against what they discover to be erroneous1 unequal1 and oppressive1 in their resolves and measures--accompanying the same with a particular statement of their reasons4 ,such a course expresses a determination not to be partakers of other men's sins1 and is often the means of leading to investigation and reform4 ,this duty is acknowledged1 and this privilege is claimed1 by the observers of the seventh day1 in relation to the subject of the ,sabbath4 ,compared with the many who assume the ,christian name1 we are a minority--a mere remnant--and our reasons and motives for dissent from the great mass of believers1 have been by most but partially1 if at all1 examined and weighed4 ,believing1 as we do1 that we have a full and explicit ,divine warrant for our practice1 we regard it as our duty to make renewed efforts to sustain the claims of the original ,sabbath of ,god's appointment1 enlighten the public mind1 disarm our neighbors and fellow ,christians of their prejudices1 and promote a more thorough and impartial attention to this item of religious practice4 ,the object of this ,tract is not to enter fully upon the proofs of our doctrine and practice1 but to invite attention to the subject1 and impress the reader with the importance of correct views and of being sustained in ,sabbath principles and efforts by an explicit warrant from ,god himself1 in order the more effectually to secure the sanctification of this precious institution4 ,accordingly1 we proceed to state some of our ,reasons for introducing the ,sabbath of the ,fourth ,commandment to the consideration of the ,christian ,public4 ,i4 ,the general concession that the weekly ,sabbath is a needful1 wise1 and valuable institution4 ,being a weekly rest from secular business and labor1 it contributes to the health and vigor both of man and beast1 encourages habits of cleanliness and decency1 gives opportunity to cultivate the social virtues1 makes man acquainted with man1 and inspires a mutual regard for the interests of society2 and1 what is much more1 it furnishes a proper and necessary season for mental improvement1 public worship and instruction1 private meditation and self-examination1 the training up of children in the knowledge of ,god and of ,heaven1 and the deepening of our impressions of the value of time1 and of the importance of preparing for eternity4 ,these and similar considerations sensibly arrest the attention of sober and enlightened ,christians1 and secure a conscientious regard to the institution4 ,this fact evinces the importance of being able to bring a divine sanction for a day so evidently desirable1 and so generally esteemed--of being assured that it rests upon no doubtful authority1 that it is not a mere human provision or a matter of expediency and accommodation1 but that in observing it we are conforming to the clearly-manifested will of ,god4 ,it is evident1 that this consideration will give a value to the institution which can be supplied by no other1 and secure a love and respect for it1 and a delight in it1 which nothing else can so effectually produce4 ,hence the question is presented1 with a high and impressive claim to a true and definite answer1 ,is any other than the seventh day of the week sustained by the important and indisputable sanction of divine authority8 ,if this1 and this only1 be the ,sabbath of ,god's appointment1 for general and permanent use1 then1 by the substitution of another day1 the institution is shorn of its chief excellence and force--yea1 it is virtually annulled4 ,it no longer exists as ,god ordained it1 for the express reason that he gave for it4 ,this is a point which it becomes ,christians seriously to look at4 ,,ii4 ,it is not the province of ,rulers1 ,bishops1 or ,councils1 to legislate for the ,church1 and to bind the consciences of men in this or any other matter4 ,man's appointment of another day than the one contained in the ,divine ,enactment1 does not make it the ,sabbath of the ,lord4 ,it is only a human law1 resting on human authority4 ,therefore1 all attempts to enforce the observance of such an institution as being of divine authority1 are calculated to mislead and ensnare souls4 ,it is teaching for doctrine the commandments of men4 ,our faith in this matter should not stand in the wisdom of men1 but in the power of ,god4 ,the question is not1 ,what day have men judged most proper8 and1 ,what reasons for the institution have they deemed the most appropriate8 and1 ,what day have civil rulers sanctioned by their decrees and penalties8--but it is1 ,what day has ,god sanctified and blessed as a day of rest8 ,it is manifest that no man should stop his inquiries until he is able to produce a clear divine warrant for his practice4 ,,iii4 ,the fact that there is a lamentable division among professors of religion in regard to the true design of the weekly ,sabbath1 and the proper day to be observed1 evinces the great importance of investigation1 and of arriving at a correct knowledge of the ,divine ,will4 ,this division is not likely to cease till a more general and thorough knowledge of the subject is obtained1 and a deeper interest therein is felt4 ,can it reasonably be supposed that the whole church will become united in the observance of the first day of the week1 if it is not the ,sabbath of the ,bible8 ,will it ever be the case1 that ,god will have no witnesses for his own unrepealed and unadulterated institution8--none that shall call the ,sabbath of his own appointment a delight1 the holy of the ,lord1 honorable1 and shall honor him therein8 ,no--this will never be6 ,admitting that the ,sabbath of the fourth commandment is still binding1 there is no doubt that there will ever be a remnant1 at least1 who will conscientiously observe it4 ,for his great name's sake1 ,god will not suffer this prominent part of his law to be universally corrupted and profaned4 ,and hence1 if a preference continues to be given1 as it is now1 to a day which ,he has not designated and made holy1 there will1 of necessity1 be a protracted division in the ranks of ,zion1 and the cause of the ,redeemer will1 on this account1 continue to suffer4 ,the faithful witnesses will unquestionably continue to prophecy1 though clothed in sackcloth1 and to bear testimony against the innovation4 ,and no earthly power can prevent them4 ,resolves1 and proscriptions1 and gibbets1 will not wholly suppress their testimony in favor of the ,sabbath of the fourth commandment4 ,therefore1 the occasion of the present division must be put away by a general return to the uncorrupted appointment of ,god1 or the same cause for regret and mourning which now exists will continue to afflict the church4 ,let those who regard the unity and peace of ,zion1 seriously lay to heart this consequence4 ,,iv4 ,it must be admitted1 that in so important a matter as a weekly ,sabbath1 our great moral ,legislator has sufficiently declared his will to enable honest and impartial inquirers to arrive at a true result4 ,if it would be reasonable to expect explicit information of his will concerning any point1 it would certainly be reasonable to expect it concerning this1 seeing the claims of this law would come in direct contact with the cupidity of men1 and sensibly influence the arrangements of business and pleasure--yea1 deeply affect the general interests of society4 ,were the data furnished1 from which contemplative and well-disposed minds might infer a weekly ,sabbath1 its observance and its ends could not be extensively secured without an explicit warrant4 ,therefore1 if ,god intended there should be a ,sabbath--yea1 we might with propriety say1 that if he intended his religion and worship should be preserved in the world--he would have given an explicit law upon this subject--one1 of course1 which could be easily discovered1 and the permanent obligation of which could be readily traced4 ,v4 ,it is an obvious fact1 that ,god has legislated upon this subject--that he has once made a law for the observance of the seventh day as a weekly ,sabbath4 ,he did this at the close of his creative operations4 ,excepting marriage1 the seventh-day ,sabbath is the oldest institution in the world4 ,moreover1 ,god gave a new edition of this law at the promulgation of the ,decalogue upon ,mount ,sinai1 under circumstances of peculiar and awful solemnity and majesty2 first pronouncing it1 in connection with the other nine commandments1 with an audible voice from the ,mount1 in the hearing of all ,israel1 amidst thunders1 and flames1 and tempests2 and afterwards writing the entire ten on two tables of stone1 for a perpetual rule of action4 ,it is obvious1 also1 that obedience to this institution1 so solemnly stated and defined1 and enforced by so plain and adequate a reason1 was regarded as a prominent item of duty1 and received his marked approbation1 whereas disobedience received his marked disapprobation4 ,it is also clear1 that good men throughout the times of the ,old ,testament were peculiarly zealous for this institution1 and sought diligently to prevent its neglect or desecration1 and to secure its legitimate advantages4 ,thus far all is plain1 and is generally conceded4 ,,vi4 ,it is a principle which no proficient in the science of ,government1 divine or human1 will deny1 that a law1 once enacted and in force1 remains in force1 unless repealed or amended by the same authority which first enacted it4 ,hence1 if the law respecting the seventh-day weekly ,sabbath has not been repealed or amended by the same authority which first enacted it1 it still remains in full force and obligation1 as originally given4 ,this conclusion is legitimate1 necessary1 and undeniable4 ,it is obvious to persons of every capacity4 ,and we here declare our deliberate and settled conviction1 from a careful and thorough examination of the matter1 that there has never been any such repeal or amendment2 hence1 that our obligation1 and that of all men1 to keep the ,sabbath of the fourth commandment1 remains without the least abatement4 ,till heaven and earth pass1 we believe1 according to the declaration of the ,saviour1 one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law1 till all be fulfilled4 ,we alledge1 then1 fearless of successful contradiction1 that it never has been so repealed or amended1 and hence is now binding upon the entire family of man4 ,,vii4 ,from the nature of the case1 and from ,god's declared will1 and procedure in other cases on scriptural record1 it is evident that the same divine authority is attached to the day of the week to be observed1 as belongs to the institution itself1 so that there is no room to say1 that if a seventh pert of time is observed as a holy rest1 it is not essential which day of the week is selected4 ,when ,god appointed the ,passover to be kept on the fourteenth day of the first month at even1 the time of keeping it could not be changed to the thirteenth or fifteenth of the month1 without disregarding his authority4 ,there was1 indeed1 a specified case in which those who were not in the prescribed circumstances to keep the fast at the time appointed1 might celebrate it on the fourteenth day of the second month at even4 ,but without this express divine provision1 no departure from the first arrangement would have been allowable4 ,and when ,god commanded ,saul to slay the ,amalekites1 without exception1 together with the sheep and the cattle1 it did not answer for him to spare their king1 and the best of the sheep and the oxen for sacrifice4 ,for this deviation from the course prescribed1 ,god pronounced him a transgressor1 and visited him in judgment1 declaring that to obey is better than sacrifice1 and to hearken than the fat of rams4 ,so when ,god instituted a weekly ,sabbath1 and specified the seventh day for that purpose1 assigning a special and appropriate reason1 it was manifestly his will that that particular day should be observed2 and the substitution of another day1 without subsequent instruction to that effect1 cannot be reconciled with a due regard for his supreme authority4 ,it is changing the ordinance1 and breaking the everlasting covenant4 ,,viii4 ,it is evident that the substitution of the first day of the week for the seventh1 as a weekly ,sabbath1 which has been adopted by the major part of the professors of ,christianity1 has presented1 and continues to present1 a formidable obstacle to the conversion of the ,jews1 and the introduction of the millennium4 ,it is well known1 that the ,jews as a body are exceedingly tenacious of the ,sabbath of the fourth commandment2 that1 with few exceptions1 they have persevered from ancient times in its observance2 and that they consider it a prominent article in the religion of their forefathers4 ,this practice has been unbroken in the nation from the time of the giving of the law upon ,mount ,sinai till the present day4 ,there have been1 indeed1 many instances of ,sabbath-breaking among them1 and at present there is reason to believe that the motives which govern them in its observance are sadly deficient4 ,but the practice itself is tenaciously adhered to1 as required by the unrepealed law of the ,god of ,israel4 ,and1 if our views are correct1 they have the right of the case1 and the majority of ,christians have corrupted the law4 ,this1 therefore1 is a formidable obstacle to their embracing ,christianity4 ,to become first-day ,christians 7and such compose a vast majority of professors7 they must relinquish or change one of the precepts of the ,decalogue1 and dissent from a custom held sacred by their ancestors1 and deeply venerated by themselves2 and that1 too1 without seeing any divine warrant produced for such a departure4 ,this unauthorized practice of keeping the first instead of the seventh day of the week1 cannot fail to prove a powerful objection in their view to embracing the gospel of ,jesus ,christ4 ,it is true that they are tenacious also of other practices enjoined in the ,old ,testament1 which ,christians justly regard as obsolete4 ,but as to these1 we can show authority for their abrogation4 ,we can appeal to the ,new ,testament records1 and show that the ,mosaic ritual1 the law of commandments contained in ordinances1 which constituted the enmity or separation between ,jews and ,gentiles1 was abolished by the death of ,christ--that he took it out of the way1 nailing it to his cross4 ,but the same course cannot be successfully pursued with respect to the seventh-day ,sabbath4 ,the ,decalogue in which this is found was not included in the abrogated ritual4 ,it is altogether a distinct thing1 wherefore the ,jews cannot be met in the same way with regard to the weekly ,sabbath as they can with regard to the typical observances which had their accomplishment in ,christ4 ,hence the stumbling-block remains4 ,and yet those who observe the first day are generally praying for and expecting the conversion of the ,jews1 and1 in connection therewith1 the millennial glory of the church4 ,what an inconsistency is this6 ,while they are praying for their national conversion and return to the land of their forefathers1 and are beginning to use some other means for that end1 they1 by their palpable violation of the law of the fourth commandment1 place a most formidable obstacle in their way1 and pursue a course calculated to augment their prejudices1 confirm their unbelief1 and retard the approach of millennial glory4 ,to bring ,jews and ,gentiles together in the observance of the ,sabbath1 the one party or the other must materially change their practice4 ,and which is it most reasonable to expect will ultimately be compelled to make the change--the ,jews1 who have the authority of ,god's example and express precept to sustain them1 or the ,gentiles1 who can claim no such authority for a first-day ,sabbath8 ,surely1 we need not be at a loss for an answer4 ,it is confidently believed1 that this subject has no inconsiderable bearing upon the condition and prospects of the ,jews4 ,if a few conversions are now effected among them1 what might be expected if ,christians would remove the stumbling-blocks which their own errors have placed in their way8 ,would we enter an effectual plea in behalf of this wonderful and long-neglected people1 we know not how we could do it better than to plead for the observance of the ,sabbath of the fourth commandment4 ,let those whose heart's desire and prayer to ,god for ,israel is1 like ,paul's1 that they might be saved1 give this subject a thorough and impartial consideration1 and return to the path of strict obedience4 ,,ix4 ,it is not to be expected1 that an effectual check can be put to the sin of ,sabbath-breaking1 till the duty of keeping the ,sabbath is so taught1 understood1 and practiced1 that the sanction of express divine authority can be brought to bear upon it4 ,though a weekly rest be profitable1 both as it respects the life that now is1 and that which is to come1 there is much in the carnal views and inclinations of men to oppose it1 to resist its restrictions1 and to thwart its purposes4 ,hence powerful considerations and inducements are necessary to suppress its desecration1 and insure its proper observance4 ,not only the unbelieving world1 but ,christians1 in their present imperfect state1 need to have this institution thoroughly guarded to prevent its abuse4 ,if it be considered as resting upon doubtful authority2 if it be viewed as sustained merely by inference1 and the premises from which the inference is drawn be at best questionable1 and do not necessarily authorize it2 if the principal argument for it be founded on a supposed apostolic example of meeting for public worship on the first day of the week1 which is sustained only by two passages1 while those very passages fail to mark it as a ,sabbath1 or to give the least intimation of its having been introduced as a substitute for the former ,sabbath1 and even fail to imply1 necessarily1 that meetings of this description were stated and general in the churches in the apostolic age2 and if it be found1 from subsequent ecclesiastical history1 that the first day1 called ,sunday and ,lord's day1 was not regarded by ,christians in the first centuries after the apostles as a ,sabbath1 nor as substituted therefore1 but only as a festival in commemoration of the resurrection--a festival observed in connection with the ,sabbath1 but not accompanied with a resting from worldly labor1 till the time of ,constantine the ,great2 yea1 if but a part of those who are considered experimental ,christians1 look upon it now as properly a ,sabbath1 or day of holy rest1 while others regard it merely as a day for public worship1 and even such as call it a ,sabbath conceive1 in many instances1 that the strict observance formerly required is somewhat modified2 we can easily perceive1 that it wants that explicit sanction--that high and overpowering authority--which will be likely to awe the public into obedience--which is necessary1 indeed1 to give ,christians themselves a proper sense of its sanctity1 and of the evil of its desecration--to induce them not to do their own ways1 nor to find their own pleasure1 nor to speak their own words1 in it4 ,in vain do its friends procure for it the resolutions of churches and synods1 the essays of the learned1 and the decrees of the ,state2 if it fails of being expressly supported by the supreme authority of ,god1 to whom all must render a final and strict account1 it will lack the main motive to obedience--it will be unattended with that power which1 above all others1 acts upon the conscience1 and makes men feel their obligation4 ,and as such authority does not pertain to a first-day ,sabbath1 but is limited to the seventh day1 it is manifest that no thorough check to ,sabbath desecration can be imposed1 till men change their views and practice1 and place the institution on its original and proper basis4 ,x4 ,the power of custom1 though sustained by ecclesiastical and civil enactments1 and with corresponding forfeitures and penalties1 ought not to prevent investigation and discourage reform in this important matter4 ,when the claims of the original ,sabbath are plainly presented1 many seem to be convinced of their justness2 but1 at the same time1 think that a general return to the observance of the seventh day is impracticable4 ,they alledge that the custom of keeping the first day has been so long and so generally maintained--that it is so intimately wrought into the habits1 calculations1 and business of life--that it has received such explicit sanction from the civil powers1 obedience thereto being required by the authority of the ,state1 and the disobedient being subjected to civil pains and penalties--and that it is so often1 ably1 and pointedly vindicated by the first ministers1 professors1 and commentators in the popular churches1 that it is in vain to expect a change1 and that the cause of ,sabbath-keeping is rather retarded than promoted by efforts to change the present custom4 ,and it is highly probable that some1 in view of these difficulties1 forbear to give the subject a close investigation4 ,but if the same views and modes of reasoning had been adopted in other cases1 what would have become of the various reformations which are now established1 and even triumphant8 ,what would have become of the whole subject of ,protestantism8 ,there is nothing more impracticable in a ,sabbath reform than in any other reform4 ,in other cases1 difficulties which at first seemed insurmountable1 have given way to laborious1 prayerful1 and united efforts4 ,and there is the same reason to believe that they will give way in this1 if a proper zeal is once awakened1 and the friends of the ,sabbath are resolved to examine the subject1 build on the foundation of truth1 and persevere in their labors1 with union and vigor1 relying upon the protecting power and blessing of ,israel's ,god4 ,it is manifest that no earthly consideration should impede our investigation of this matter1 that no array of opposition and discouragement should daunt us1 and that no motives to sit still or pass along with the current of public opinion1 if that be not founded in truth1 should be suffered to influence us1 and detain us in the wilderness of error4 ,the cause of obedience is the cause of ,god1 and we should steadfastly labor to promote it1 and trust in him for ultimate victory4 ,,xi4 ,as a consequence of the foregoing principles and facts1 we are constrained to regard those who observe the first day of the week1 to the neglect of the seventh day1 as having sadly deviated from the path of obedience1 and we feel ourselves bound to admonish them1 and labor respectfully and kindly to reclaim them4 ,we cannot think it immaterial what day of the week is observed as a day of rest1 when ,god has specified the seventh1 and no other1 as a weekly ,sabbath4 ,we cannot think it a small matter to substitute the first day in the room of the seventh1 although it be done in honor of the resurrection of our ,lord1 and because that event appears to demand equal and even greater commemoration than the work of creation1 so long as there is no divine warrant therefor4 ,this appears to us to be making the wisdom of man the foundation of duty1 and not the wisdom of ,god4 ,we discover two evils here2 first1 changing the day without order or permission from ,god2 and1 secondly1 changing the reason for the institution1 when the ,lord hath not spoken4 ,and is not this a departure from the rule of duty8 ,and has not the ,lord a controversy with ,zion for this8 ,if ,god had seen fit to substitute the first day for the seventh day1 on account of the resurrection1 7supposing it to have occurred on the first day1 which1 however1 is not certain17 and to assign another reason than the original one for keeping the ,sabbath1 he would doubtless have given order to that effect4 ,his not having done so1 makes it manifest that he did not see fit to do this1 and that he considered the former ,sabbath as well adapted to celebrate the work of redemption as it was the work of creation--adapted perfectly to subserve all the purposes of a weekly ,sabbath4 ,and we find this to be the case by experience4 ,here1 therefore1 we rest satisfied with the divine arrangement1 and feel deeply the importance of universal conformity thereto4 ,consequently1 our regard for the honor of ,god1 and for the sabbatic institution1 induces us to bring this subject in the present form before the ,christian public4 ,we do not think that we are justly chargeable with opposing or retarding the practice of ,sabbath-keeping1 because we protest against keeping the first day of the week as a divine institution1 and faithfully present the claims of the original ,sabbath4 ,what better course can we take to secure a proper observance of the ,sabbath1 than to labor to restore it as ,god originally made it8 ,it is not just to charge us with ,judaizing--with virtually denying that ,christ has come in the flesh and introduced the ,new ,testament dispensation4 ,we might as well be charged with this for maintaining that men should not have any other ,god before the ,lord1 or that they should not kill1 nor steal4 ,these precepts are in close connection with that requiring the observance of the seventh-day ,sabbath1 and stand or fall with it4 ,the truth of the case is1 that the law containing the weekly ,sabbath is the law both of the ,old ,testament and of the ,new4 ,there is no ,christian ,sabbath distinct from the ,sabbath of the fourth commandment4 ,if this be a correct view--and we see not how it can be gainsayed--we in this respect perform our duty as subjects of ,god's moral government only when we exhort men to remember the ,sabbath day1 to keep it holy1 and when we labor to impress them with the annexed fact1 that the seventh day is the ,sabbath4 ,these are some of our ,reasons for introducing the subject of the ,sabbath1 as originally given1 to your consideration4 ,and we seriously ask you1 whether they are not sufficient--whether they are not adequate for earnestly and perseveringly inviting investigation and reformation4 ,if there be any blame attached to us in the matter1 it is for not having labored more diligently and efficiently in this cause4 ,are we not dearly bound1 by way of promoting inquiry and reform1 to bear a more pointed testimony against the evil in question1 and to vindicate the claims of the seventh-day ,sabbath with more zeal and firmness than ever before8 ,are we not peculiarly obligated to labor to remove1 if possible1 the veil which is upon the minds of the great majority of professors of ,christianity1 correct the false notions received by tradition from 'the ,fathers1' and effectually dispel the delusion so extensively prevailing4 ,we do not claim the right of dictating to the consciences of others4 ,to their own ,master they stand or fall4 ,the only ground which we would assume is that which was occupied by the ,apostle ,paul when he said1 ,it is written1 ,i have believed1 and therefore have ,i spoken2 we also believe1 and therefore speak4 ,and also by the ,saviour1 ,let your light so shine before men1 that they may see your good works1 and glorify your ,father which is in ,heaven4 ,and again1 ,whatsoever ye would that men should do to you1 do ye even so to them2 for this is the law and the prophets4 ,surely1 the ,lord hath spoken1 and who can but prophesy8 ,how can we bear to see one of his commandments made void by human tradition8--to see the flock of ,jesus divided concerning this question1 where union is so necessary and desirable8--to witness the unavoidable interruptions occasioned by the different parties1 and the triumph of the adversaries of religion8--to observe those for whom ,christ died grossly misled by mistaken teachers1 provoking the ,most ,high by neglecting to keep a day which he has made sacred1 and transferring the sacredness of his own appointment to an ordinance of men1 or1 what is still worse1 regarding the original institution as annulled1 and placing in its stead a day merely of memorial of the resurrection and of worship1 divested of the main characteristics of the ,sabbath1 and resting upon no solid basis--its foundation1 at best1 being mere probability and conjecture8 ,must it not1 of necessity1 be very painful to us1 to see those who are our neighbors1 and by profession our fellow ,christians1 in a case so clear and important1 and involving such high and permanent interests1 contented with such evidence as they would blush to introduce in relation to almost any other point8 ,how can we bear to see ,protestants1 whose avowed maxim is1 that scriptural authority alone is sufficient to determine matters of faith and duty1 dispensing with their own rule1 in not requiring expressly a thus saith the ,lord for their practice1 and relying upon far-fetched and inconclusive reasonings1 and mere probabilities--yea1 in some instances1 by their own concession1 going out of the ,bible to ecclesiastical history1 to find a warrant for observing the first day of the week1 which warrant itself1 even if proof from that source were allowable1 is by no means adequate8 ,do we talk of reforming the church1 while the guilt of disobedience in this matter rests upon the great majority of her members8--while ministers1 doctors1 and professors of divinity1 break one of the commandments of the ,decalogue1 and teach men so1 and the multitude are willingly obedient to their instructions8 ,it is preposterous6 ,a thorough reformation cannot be effected under such circumstances1 or while things remain thus4 ,it is time that it were more deeply laid to heart1 that one of the leading objects of ,christ's mission was to save his people from their sins--that he gave himself for us1 that he might redeem us from all iniquity1 and purify unto himself a peculiar people1 zealous of good works--and that he that saith1 ,i know him1 and keepeth not his commandments1 is a liar1 and the truth is not in him8 ,in view of such passages1 although it be admitted that occasional mistakes and sins1 being repented of1 do not absolutely divest men of the ,christian character and hopes1 it will appear1 that obedience to the will of ,god is an indispensable requisite and all-absorbing consideration2 and that1 if any man be in ,christ1 he is verily a new creature--that he will be zealous of good works4 ,one in ancient times1 who was eminent for his religious knowledge1 observed1 ,then shall ,i not be ashamed1 when ,i have respect unto all thy commandments4 ,and this respect1 or obedience1 which constitutes the moral purity and glory of ,christians1 and is the test of their discipleship1 must be regulated and governed by the precepts of that very law which contains the seventh-day ,sabbath4 ,there are1 indeed1 some precepts peculiar to the gospel1 such as repentance towards ,god1 and faith towards our ,lord ,jesus ,christ1 ,baptism1 and the ,lord's ,supper4 ,nevertheless1 the commandments of ,god1 so often and so particularly alluded to as the rule of ,christian duty1 are eminently the precepts of the ,decalogue--the ten words or testimonies which ,god spake with his own mouth1 and wrote with his own finger1 and no one of which has ever been erased from the sacred code1 or undergone the least alteration2 for the law of the ,lord is perfect1 converting the soul4 ,the keeping of the weekly ,sabbath1 therefore1 as ,god appointed it1 and has continued it1 enters vitally into the matter of holy obedience--the true test of ,christianity4 ,if the prescriptions of the fourth commandment are not faithfully adhered to1 our obedience is imperfect4 ,we are the proper subjects of reprehension1 and may reasonably expect corresponding tokens of ,divine displeasure4 ,sabbath-keeping is peculiarly adapted to serve as a test of loyalty to ,god1 on account of its frequent occurrence1 the weekly remission which it requires of secular business1 the peremptory call which it makes on us to leave all our own works and ways for the special service of ,god1 and the opportunity which it affords1 amidst the common hurry and bustle of this world1 to pause and examine our state and prospects for eternity4 ,it is well calculated for this1 because it so clearly and so often teaches us that the will of ,god should govern all our actions4 ,all these and similar considerations1 therefore1 should combine to fix our attention to the very day of ,god's appointment1 so that we may sensibly feel that we are governed by a divine warrant1 and have the sublime pleasure of knowing that we are conforming to the will of ,god4 ,taking this course1 we not only preserve a good conscience1 but tread in the footsteps of ,god's redeemed flock4 ,we imitate those who1 in the times of the ,old ,testament1 took pleasure in his holy day4 ,we follow the example of the ,redeemer himself1 who was a strict observer of the ,sabbath of the fourth commandment4 ,his vindication of the disciples in the case of plucking the ears of corn to satisfy their hunger1 which some have thought was a deviation from the strictness originally required1 was in perfect accordance with the true intent and meaning of the law1 else his obedience would have been imperfect1 and thereby the entire prospects of the ,christian would have been blasted4 ,under the circumstances1 it was a work of absolute necessity1 and therefore not prohibited4 ,as our ,lord ,jesus ,christ was unquestionably a strict observer of the seventh-day ,sabbath1 it is a commanding motive for a continued observance of it by his followers1 there being no substitute appointed4 ,the ,apostles1 also1 and primitive ,christians1 were conscientious observers of this institution as originally delivered4 ,the ,sabbath so often mentioned in the apostolic records is unquestionably the seventh-day ,sabbath4 ,who will dare deny this8 ,and from ecclesiastical history it appears that the whole ,christian church1 with very few exceptions at most1 kept the seventh-day ,sabbath1 in obedience to the law contained in the ,decalogue1 down to the time of ,constantine1 in the fourth century1 and even afterward4 ,so true it is1 that we imitate the church in her primitive and purest times1 in keeping the ,sabbath of the fourth commandment4 ,under such circumstances1 therefore1 is it strange that we should strenuously advocate the practice8--that we should adhere to it amidst reproaches1 privations1 and suffering8--and that we should feel the most ardent desire for the reformation of our brethren who differ from us8 ,the cause is sufficient to demand this deep feeling1 this unwearied effort1 these prayers and tears1 with a vast increase of holy sensibility1 tenderness of conscience1 and active labor1 to promote this branch of obedience4 ,we therefore earnestly1 and with all due respect1 commend the subject to your notice4 ,do not pass it by as a matter of little or no consequence4 ,it surely involves much that should be dear to the friends of ,jesus1 and the advocates of pure morality--to such as would see the church appear fair as the moon1 clear as the sun1 and terrible as an army with banners4 ,we entreat you1 therefore1 for the glory of ,god1 the honor of his law and government1 the unity and perfection of the church1 your own spiritual attainments and acceptance with ,god1 the conversion and salvation of sinners1 the triumph of truth over infidelity1 the redemption of the long-neglected house of ,israel1 the hastening of millennial prosperity1 and the recompenses of eternity1 to give this subject a most serious consideration1 to examine and weigh our proofs and arguments1 and1 if you find yourselves in error1 as we confidently believe you will1 to reform4 ,with the high consideration in view1 that wisdom's ways are pleasantness1 and all her paths are peace1 and that to pursue them is for your life1 we invite and seek your recovery to sound views and practice in this matter4 ,we long after you in the bowels of ,jesus ,christ1 regarding him as the ,lord of the ,sabbath1 not to repeal or change the sacred institution1 but to protect it1 and enforce obedience thereto4 ,firmly believing that we are not without law to ,god1 but under the law to ,christ1 we cannot by any means discharge our own convictions at this eventful period1 this remarkable age of attempted reform1 without using all the persuasion in our power to promote an investigation of this matter4 ,we behold with sincere gratification the efforts which have been made1 and are being made1 in regard to other subjects of special importance to the church and the world4 ,we would cordially coperate with their respective advocates in securing1 as far as practicable1 a strict obedience to other moral precepts1 and in emancipating the human mind from sin and error4 ,but we cannot forget that ,god has given a fourth1 as well as a first1 a sixth1 a seventh1 and a tenth commandment1 and that it rests upon equal authority with those1 and with either of the precepts of the ,decalogue2 and hence we plead in its behalf4 ,we do this as moral and accountable beings1 as ,protestants1 as ,christians1 as reformers1 and as cotemporaries of our brethren in the nineteenth century1 a period so distinguished for its moral and political enterprises1 and for its proximity to the time when it shall be said1 ,the kingdoms of this world are become the kingdom of our ,lord and of his ,christ4 ,we approach you in the belief that open rebuke is better than secret love--that faithful are the wounds of a friend--and that we should admonish one another daily1 and so much the more as we see the day approaching4 ,we feel bound to exert ourselves in this cause1 in the belief that our labor will not be in vain in the ,lord1 that the church is coming up out of the wilderness1 and that we live in the dawn of a brighter day1 in a period of the world when the scriptures and the providences of ,god concur in affording the highest encouragement to the faithful advocates of truth and duty4 ,and we do not hesitate to express our expectation1 that by the blessing of ,god upon the well-directed and persevering labors of his people1 and the continued and augmenting spirit of inquiry1 there will soon be achieved a glorious reformation in respect to the subject of this ,tract4 ,god will overturn1 and overturn1 and overturn1 till ,he shall come1 whose right it is1 and the sanctuary shall be cleansed4 ,finally--we enter our testimony in what we deem an important case1 in the hope1 through grace1 of meeting all the faithful in ,christ ,jesus in the everlasting rest1 of which the rest of the seventh day is a lively and touching type and foretaste4 ,published by the ,american ,sabbath ,tract ,society1 ,no4 #i ,spruce ,street1 ,new ,york4 ,,the ,,sabbath3 ,,its ,,moral ,,nature ,,and ,,observance ,,section ,i4 ,,the ,,sabbath ,,not ,,ceremonial4 ,it is disputed whether the weekly ,sabbath is an essential part of what is generally called the ,moral ,law1 which the ,holy ,ghost declares to be spiritual--holy1 and just1 and good2 or whether it is to be classed among the ceremonial institutions1 which were a shadow of things to come4 ,if the latter position can be established1 it can be of no use whatever to perpetuate the ,institution under the ,new ,dispensation4 ,it can neither be promotive of the spirituality and growth of the body of ,christ1 nor even conservative of the morals of the community4 ,to suppose that the church cannot enjoy all necessary prosperity1 and attain its millennial glory by the use of ,new ,covenant ordinances alone1 but must borrow a little help from the abrogated rites of the ,old ,economy1 is most anti-evangelical4 ,gal4 iii4 #c4 ,the church needs nothing for the nourishment of its piety1 except such means as have the entire sanction of the better covenant4 ,moses is dead1 and the ,lord has buried him4 ,he cannot load us into the promised inheritance4 ,we have only to follow our ,joshua1 even ,jesus1 the ,son who is consecrated forevermore4 ,nor can the weak and beggarly elements be of service to promote the morals of the community4 ,where do we find the most elevated and pure morality1 that which is refined from all selfishness8 ,we find it only in real ,christians4 ,the source1 and life1 and power of it is the ,atonement of their ,great ,high-,priest1 and the grace which is by ,him4 ,their obedience to all moral precepts is the obedience of faith1 even faith in his sacrifice4 ,in proportion as their faith is strong1 and their dependence on ,him entire1 to the exclusion of all reliance upon their own merit1 so is their moral conduct irreproachable4 ,it is not by any resort to the weak and unprofitable commandment1 that their morality acquires such excellence4 ,as for that inferior kind of morality1 which obtains among unbelievers1 however profitable it may be to human society1 it is but the mimic representation of that which is practiced by the godly4 ,for its very existence it is dependent on ,christianity1 from whose influence if it recede1 it becomes withered and perishes4 ,transplanted to a heathen soil1 it cannot live4 ,as1 therefore1 the general morals of the community are traceable to the gospel as their first cause1 and are kept in credit only by its nurturing influence1 it would be at war with sound reason to suppose1 that they could be promoted by such things as are destructive of the purity of the gospel itself4 ,they will be much safer1 if left wholly to the nurturing influence of that system1 which is declared to be 'complete and faultless1--the power and the wisdom of ,god4' ,wherefore1 if the weekly ,sabbath was a ceremonial ,institution1 we have no use for it1 either as it respects the church1 or the world4 ,it is an injury rather than a benefit4 ,but if1 on the other hand1 the ,sabbath is a part of ,god's holy1 and just1 and good law1 to which nothing but the carnal mind refuses subjection1 ,rom4 viii4 #g1 it must be an institution of lasting value1 to dispense with which is dangerous in the extreme4 ,for the transgression of this law is sin1 #a ,john iii4 #d1 and the wages of sin is death1 ,rom4 vi4 #bc4 ,that the ,sabbath was not a ceremonial institution1 is proved from the fact that it was given to man before his ,apostacy1 ,gen4 ii4 #a-c4 ,there he had no need of a ,redeemer1 for he bore the image of his ,maker in righteousness and true holiness4 ,if man in his original state of uprightness had no need of a ,redeemer1 he certainly had no need of a type of the ,redeemer4 ,types1 in such a case1 were unmeaning things1 or else a source of vexation and horrible forebodings4 ,if he understood their meaning1 he could never look upon them1 without thinking of the awful ruin into which he must soon be plunged by the fall4 ,but this would both operate as a discouragement to all endeavors at steadfastness1 and at the same time would exhibit the ,all-,benevolent ,god as marring the happiness of an innocent creature2--an idea never to be admitted4 ,we conclude1 therefore1 that the ,sabbath1 as originally instituted1 possessed nothing of a ceremonial character4 ,typical institutions were introduced after the fall1 to explain to ruined man the nature of that redemption of which he stood in need1 and which in the fulness of the time would be provided for him4 ,they were for his encouragement and consolation3--not to mar his happiness1 but to promote it4 ,to evade the force of this argument1 some contend that the ,sabbath was not actually instituted and given to man in ,paradise2 that the sanctification of it mentioned by ,moses1 signifies only that appointment then made of the seventh day1 to be afterwards solemnized and sanctified by the ,jews4 ,but the utter futility of this objection appears from our ,savior's declaration that the ,sabbath was made for man4 ,mark ii4 #bg4 ,if it was made for man1 it was made for him as man2 the very word denoting mankind at large1 or rather1 referring to the first man as the representative of the whole human race4 ,it was made for him as a human1 rational1 intelligent creature2 for his benefit as such1 without reference to the particular nation or country to which he might belong4 ,if it was made for his benefit1 is it reasonable to suppose that it was1 nevertheless1 kept in abeyance for twenty-five hundred years8 ,made for man1 and yet not given to him6 ,the world teeming with human beings1 and yet the very institution that was designed for their temporal and spiritual welfare1 kept from them for more than two thousand years1 and then given only to an isolated people forming but a fraction of the human race6 ,the idea is monstrous absurdity4 ,an institution so important to the interests of humanity1 of civilization1 and of religion1 was wanted immediately1 as well as at the distance of two thousand years afterwards4 ,the objection is farther confuted by a consideration of the reason which enforces the institution4 ,the reason is1 that ,god rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made4 ,the natural inference is1 that the institution existed from the time the reason of it did4 ,human legislators1 it is true1 may not enact a law1 until long after a good reason exists for doing so2 because they may be blind to the existence of such a reason1 and slow to discover it4 ,but not so with ,god4 ,if the work of creation1 and his resting from it on the seventh day1 is at any period of the world a good reason that man should rest on that day1 it was a good reason from the beginning4 ,it was good as soon as there were men to do it4 ,so that what was then their reasonable service1 could not have been deferred for twenty-five hundred years4 ,nay1 it may be safely affirmed1 that the reason for keeping the ,sabbath possessed more cogency at the beginning than it did afterwards4 ,for in after ages sin had marred and defaced the ,almighty's work4 ,nevertheless1 if when sin had marred it1 there was still good reason for keeping the memorial of it1 much more was there good reason for doing so1 when it was in all its original glory4 ,in what respect does or did this reason concern the ,jews more than any other part of mankind8 ,do not ,gentiles stand on the same level with them in respect of their being a part of ,god's creation8 ,have they not as much interest in creation as the ,jews8 ,is ,he the ,god of the ,jews only8 ,is ,he not of the ,gentiles also8 ,the reasons for such institutions as were enjoined on the ,jews particularly1 were derived from considerations in which they as a people had a special and peculiar interest4 ,now the ,sabbath1 it is true1 is in one place enforced upon them by a consideration of this kind1 viz4 their redemption from bondage in ,egypt1 ,deut4 v4 #ae4 ,but while this laid the ,jews under a special and peculiar obligation to regard the institution1 it does not forbid the idea that they were also under obligations of a general nature1 which concern all mankind alike4 ,so too1 the ,christian church is under a special obligation too keep this sacred day1 because of its interest in the blood of redemption4 ,but to infer from this1 that the common obligation under which all others are held is canceled1 and that none are bound to keep it except the blood-bought church of ,god1 would be in the last degree illogical1 as well as unscriptural4 ,let it be observed1 that the language of the sacred historian3 ,god blessed the seventh day and sanctified it--is no more qualified1 than that which speaks of his resting4 ,with reference to this1 his language is explicit1--,he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made4 ,in face of such a declaration1 nothing but folly would say1 that ,god did not actually rest on the seventh day of creation1 but waited until the ,jews were called out of ,egypt4 ,god certainly did rest on the seventh day of creation4 ,if the ordinary construction of language is to be employed in reference to this1 it must be employed in reference to his blessing and sanctifying it also4 ,wherefore1 as ,god rested on the seventh day of creation1 he blessed and sanctified that day1 even that very day on which he rested4 ,god blessed the seventh day1 and sanctified it1 because that in it1 7the very day which he so blessed and sanctified17 he had rested from all his work which ,god created and made4 ,gen4 ii4 #c4 ,the act of blessing and sanctifying the day can import nothing else than constituting it a ,sabbath4 ,for to sanctify1 undoubtedly1 is to set apart for a holy use4 ,it refers to some line of conduct to be observed by men towards that day4 ,the expression1 ,god blessed it1 must mean that he rendered it a day peculiarly happy and beneficial for man4 ,for whenever ,god blesses an object1 whether it be a person or an inanimate thing--a rational creature or the brute creation--he connects with his blessing certain favors which would otherwise not be bestowed1 and renders the object serviceable for the promotion of certain purposes which would not result without his blessing4 ,a few examples will render this perfectly clear4 ,thus1 when he blessed the first human pair1 and the brute creation1 he bestowed on them the power to be fruitful and multiply4 ,when the ground receiveth blessing from ,god1 it bringeth forth herbs1 meet for them by whom it is dressed4 ,when it is cursed1 it bears thorns and briars1 ,heb4 vi4 #g1 #h4 ,gen4 xxvii4 #bg4 ,lev4 xxv4 #ba4 ,mal4 iii4 #aj4 ,when ,god blessed ,abraham1 he bestowed on him a numerous posterity1 with ,canaan for an inheritance1 and counted his faith for righteousness4 ,in blessing ,samson1 ,judges xiii4 #bd1 he endowed him with an heroic spirit1 singular valor1 miraculous strength of body1 and all other gifts and graces necessary to his calling4 ,when he blesses the church1 he bestows spiritual blessings in ,christ1 ,eph4 i4 #c4 ,numerous other examples might be adduced3 but these are sufficient to show1 that in connection with the ,divine blessing1 special favors are always bestowed4 ,we therefore argue1 that when it is said1 ,god blessed the seventh day1 it can mean nothing less than that he connected with it favors and benefits above what are connected with any other day1 and that he bestows them abundantly upon those who keep it1 and delight in it1 ,isa4 lviii4 #ac4 ,he renders the day serviceable for the promotion of the spiritual and temporal welfare of man4 ,for it can by no means be supposed1 that ,god proposed to render homage to himself1 or to bless himself4 ,it must be man1 for whom the ,sabbath was made1 ,mark ii4 #bg1 that stands in need of the blessing1 and who is bound to make a holy use of the day4 ,the foregoing remarks are judged sufficient to destroy the notion of the ,sabbath being a ceremonial institution4 ,but we will not yet dismiss the subject4 ,if it was a ceremony1 why was its importance magnified above all the other ceremonies8 ,why that pre-eminence and sanctity1 which it had above all other types8 ,it rears its head high above all the ritual institutions1 and holds this superiority throughout the whole ,mosaic ,economy4 ,not only is it counted worthy of being graven by the finger of ,god upon the stone tablets1 thus having the same honor as all the other precepts of the ,decalogue1 which are confessedly moral2 but even where it appears in combination with the ceremonial usages1 its great importance as a moral institute directed to the highest ends1 is clearly exhibited4 ,for first1 after the record of the promulgation of the ,decalogue1 three chapters of judicial statutes follow2 but in the midst of these1 the people are reminded of the essential importance of the ,sabbath1 in a manner quite distinct and peculiar4 ,it is associated with the primary duty of worshiping the one true ,god1 as of equal obligation1 and indeed as necessary to it4 ',six days shalt thou do thy work1 and on the seventh thou shalt rest1 99 99 in all things that ,i have said unto thee1 be circumspect1 and make no mention of the name of other gods1 neither let it be heard out of thy mouth1' ,exod4 xxiii4 #ab1 #ac4 ,this is sufficiently remarkable4 ,again1 after six chapters more concerning the tabernacle and its various sacrifices1 the whole communication of the forty days' abode on the mount is concluded with a re-inculcation of the ,sabbath-rest1 in a manner the most solemn and affecting4 ',and the ,lord spake unto ,moses saying1 verily my ,sabbath ye shall keep2 for it is a sign between me and you throughout your generations1 ,,that ,,ye ,,may ,,know ,,that ,i ,,am ,,the ,,lord ,,that ,,doth ,,sanctify ,,you4 ,ye shall keep the ,sabbath1 therefore1 for it is holy unto you2 every one that defileth it shall surely be put to death2 for whosoever doeth any work therein1 that soul shall be cut off from among his people4 ,six days may work be done2 but in the seventh is the ,sabbath of rest1 holy to the ,lord2 whosoever doeth any work in the ,sabbath-day1 he shall surely be put to death4 ,wherefore the children of ,israel shall keep the ,sabbath1 to observe the ,sabbath throughout their generations1 for a perpetual covenant4 ,it is a sign between me and the children of ,israel forever1 for in six days the ,lord made heaven and earth1 and on the seventh day he rested and was refreshed4' ,exod4 xxxi4 #ab-ag4 ,can anything give dignity to the sacred day1 as founded in the essential relation of man to his ,maker and ,redeemer1 if this sublime language does not8 ,every idea of sanctification1 every sense of importance from a sign of a covenant between ,god and man1 every sanction derived from the awful punishment of death1 unite to impress upon us the duty2 whilst the proportion noted between the working days and the day of rest1 and the reason drawn from the order of creation1 extend the obligation to every human being4#a ,this great prominence which the ,sabbath had amidst all the ceremonial laws1 was equivalent to an intimation that the ritual service must never take the precedence of moral duties2 that in the multitude of their offerings and shadowy service1 the worshipers must still remember that true holiness does not consist in them1 but in something higher2 and that all their conformity to the ritual service must proceed upon moral footing1 otherwise it is abomination in the sight of ,god4 ,but come with me1 reader1 a little farther1 and see how the scriptures magnify the ,sabbath at the very time they comparatively underrate the importance of ceremonial observances4 ,compare carefully ,isa4 i4 #aa-ad1 with chapters lvi4 #a-h1 and lviii4 #ac1 #ad1 of the same prophecy4 ,see how in the one case the ritual service is degraded1 and in the other the ,sabbath is exalted1 and the holy keeping of it made the condition on which depends the acceptance of their burnt-offerings and sacrifices4 ,consider the language of ,jeremiah4 chap4 xvii4 #ai-bg4 ,read the passage with care1 and see how all the prosperity of the nation1 all the favor of ,god1 is suspended on this one branch of moral obedience2 with which compare his language concerning ceremonial observances4 ,for ,i spake not unto your fathers1 nor commanded them in the day that ,i brought them out of the land of ,egypt1 concerning burnt-offerings or sacrifices3 ,but this thing commanded ,i them1 saying1 ,obey my voice1 and ,i will be your ,god1 and ye shall be my people2 and walk ye in all the ways that ,i have commanded you1 that it may be well unto you1 ,jer4 vii4 #bb1 #bc4 ,a comparison of these passages shows that ,sabbath-breaking stood upon the same level with the breach of all moral precepts1 and characterized them as a disobedient and rebellious people2 while the neglect of ceremonial observances is classed in a different category4 ,ezekiel follows in the same strain1 chap4 xx4 #ab1 #ac1 #af4 ,in the book of ,psalms too1 we have the ,sabbath and its holy duties and pleasures extolled1 ,ps4 xcii1 while ceremonies are depreciated1 ,ps4 #a4 #h1 #ad1 li4 #af1 #ag4 ,and what was the great reformation which the prophets after the captivity sought to accomplish8 ,was not ,sabbath-breaking the crying sin upon which they dwelt8 ,look at the holy zeal of ,nehemiah4 ,his faithful and searching rebukes proceed not upon their omission of ceremonial duties1 but upon their neglect of the great and paramount duty of keeping the ,sabbath1 ,neh4 xiii4 #ae1 #ba1 #bc4 ,in view of these scripture references1 does the ,sabbath look like a ceremony--a shadow--a mere element of the world1 weak and beggarly6 ,again1 if the ,sabbath was a part of the ceremonial law1 why was ,christ at such pains to regulate the manner of observing it8 ,matt4 xii4 #a1 #ac4 ,why so careful to modify the false usages that obtained8 ,why did he lay down distinctions between what is lawful to be done1 and what is unlawful8 ,was this his manner when any thing ceremonial was the subject of dispute8 ,do we not find him1 in such cases1 waiving the subject at issue1 in order to inculcate matters of lasting importance8 ,how was it in his interview with the ,samaritan woman8 ,john iv4 ,her question in regard to the proper place of worship was merely of a ceremonial nature1 yet it had been hotly disputed between her nation and the ,jews4 ,does ,jesus become an umpire in the case8 ,no4 ,the ceremonial institutions were about to vanish away2 ,he himself came to end them4 ,therefore he occupies himself1 not in settling the litigated questions that grew out of them1 but in preaching great and everlasting truths4 ,in regard to the ,moral ,law1 however1 he is at especial pains to vindicate if from all ,pharisaic austerities1 to remove all false glosses1 and to assert its everlasting equity and glory4 ,witness his admirable exposition of it in his sermon on the mount4 ,witness too1 his exposure of the hypocritical tradition concerning the fifth commandment4 ,matt4 xv4 #a-i4 ,with this1 his vindication of the ,sabbath1 his care to purge it from traditional corruptions1 is perfectly parallel4 ,but what sane mind ever thought that he proclaimed the fifth commandment to be of a ceremonial nature8 ,yet1 strange to say1 the precisely similar course which he took in regard to the ,sabbath1 has1 by some1 been made an argument that he abolished it as nothing but a ,jewish ceremony4 ',but drowning men catch at straws4' ,in spite of the overwhelming proof that the ,sabbath had its origin before ceremonial observances could1 with any reason1 have been introduced1 it is contended that it must have been merely a ,mosaic institution1 because no mention is made of its observance from the creation down to the time of the exodus of the ,israelites from ,egypt4 ,it is asked1 'whether men during all that time1 though otherwise so wicked1 sanctified the ,sabbath so universally and perfectly1 that not one among them ever needed an excitement to duty1 or a reproof for the neglect of it4' ,but to this question1 however triumphantly proposed1 we are as ready to answer1 ,no1 as the objector himself4 ,that the great mass of men1 during all this time1 were wicked and sinners before the ,lord exceedingly1 is admitted4 ,but because they were not particularly reproved for ,sabbath-breaking1 no more proves that it was not a sin cognizable by the moral law1 than the fact of ,god's winking at the times of the ,gentiles' ignorance and idolatry1 ,acts xvii4 #cj1 proves that their conduct was not cognizable as a sin against his law4 ,if ,god passed over the ,sabbath-breaking of those who lived in the first ages of the world without particularly taking notice of it1 the same may be said of his carriage towards the ,gentile world1 in reference to all their wickedness for four thousand years4 ,besides1 is not the drunkeness of ,noah passed over without reproof8 ,is not ,lot's incest with his daughters8--and ,jacob's cheating ,esau of the patrimony8--and the plurality of the patriarchs' wives8 ,were these things not contrary to the ,divine ,law1 because they were winked at8 ,or1 to come to cases still more in point1 we observe that the silence of scripture respecting the observance of the ,sabbath during the ante-,mosaic age1 is no more than what occurs in regard to the period between ,moses and the time of ,david1 near four hundred years4 ,yet who ever doubted that it was observed during all this time8 ,so also the rite of circumcision is not so much as alluded to from a little after the death of ,moses1 till the days of ,jeremiah1 a period of eight hundred years or more4 ,nor is the ordinance of the red heifer once mentioned from the ,pentateuch till the close of the ,old ,testament4 ,but who doubts the constant observance of these ceremonies8 ,the objection1 therefore1 which is raised from the silence of ,scripture1 has no force whatever4 ,but whoever considers the very concise manner in which events are narrated in scripture1 and that the history of two thousand years is all compressed within the compass of fifty short chapters1 occupying about as many pages1 will cease to wonder that no notice is taken of the observance of the ,sabbath by the pious patriarchs4 ,this very conciseness is a sufficient solution to a candid mind1 without resorting to the supposition that there was no observance of the institution4 ,moreover1 any one that peruses with attention the accounts of pious characters contained in the word of ,god1 will see that no express mention is made of their acts of religion1 unless something remarkable attaches to them4#b ,abraham's faith is mentioned1 because it was remarkable4 ,so of ,abel1 of ,noah1 and of ,enoch4 ,but in regard to their observance of the ,sabbath in particular1 it is not probable that anything remarkable or extraordinary was connected with it1 rendering it of sufficient importance to the world at large to be recorded4 ,the position that we have taken is1 that the ,sabbath was instituted in ,paradise1 when man was innocent2 that it was binding before ,judaism had any existence4 ,we have seen that the silence of scripture as to any reproof given to the transgressor of it1 does not shake this position2 that its silence as to any commendation bestowed upon the pious for keeping it1 does not shake it2 and that its entire silence is no more than what obtains with regard to the ,sabbath from ,moses to ,david1 or with regard to circumcision from ,joshua to ,jeremiah1 or with regard to the red heifer from ,moses to the end of the ,old ,testament4 ,is there any thing yet remaining to weaken the force of our arguments8 ,in the opinion of our opponents there is one thing more4 ,it is argued1 from ,ex4 xvi41 that the ,sabbath was first made known to the ,israelites in the wilderness1 by the falling of the manna4 ,but we can discover nothing in the whole history of the matter1 as given by ,moses1 which intimates that the ,sabbath was then made known for the first4 ,on the contrary1 the abruptness of the reference implies very strongly the previous knowledge of it4 ,this idea receives strong confirmation from the fact1 that when the people were reminded of the institution1 nothing was said to them concerning the reason of its being their duty to keep it2 which would hardly have been the case1 had the subject been then presented to them for the first time4 ,for it is worthy of note1 that ,god condescends to give the reason of this command2 a thing which he does not for moral precepts in general4 ,he gives the reason1 because man cannot discover it for himself1 it being purely a matter of revelation that ,god made the world in six days1 and rested on the seventh4 ,whereas1 other moral precepts are more readily discoverable from the light of nature4 ,now1 if ,god condescends in any place1 and at any time1 to give the reason for a command1 we might expect it would be at the time of its first promulgation4 ,in ,gen4 ii41 where we suppose the law to be first given1 the reason accompanies it2 but in the passage now under consideration it does not4 ,again1 it is nowhere in the context intimated that the object of giving the manna was to make known the ,sabbath4 ,on the contrary1 the declared object of supplying their wants in this miraculous manner1 was to make the ,israelites know that it was the ,lord ,jehovah who brought them out of ,egypt1 v4 #f1 and not ,moses and ,aaron1 as they intimated1 v4 #c1 to make them know that the ,lord was their ,god1 v4 #ab1 and to prove them1 whether they would manifest their gratitude for his merciful interposition in their favor1 by walking in his law1 or no1 v4 #d4 ,this was the express and primary object4 ,to make known the ,sabbath is not even hinted as having been the subordinate1 much less the principal object4 ,,section ,,ii4 ,,argument ,,from ,,the ,,decalogue4 ,we commenced this essay with the design of showing that the ,sabbath is a necessary part of the immutable law of ,god--that law which is holy1 and just1 and good2 which is spiritual2 to which nothing is opposed but that which is carnal4 ,hitherto1 we have rested none of our proofs upon the fact1 that it was incorporated in the ,decalogue2 that it is one of the ,,ten ,,words which ,god spake in the ,mount1 out of the midst of the fire1 of the cloud1 and of the thick darkness1 with a great voice2 and he added no more4 ,deut4 v4 #bb4 ,for to assume that the ,decalogue1 as such1 is the moral law1 and that the ,sabbath1 because it makes a part of it1 is therefore everlastingly binding1 may not be satisfactory to some of our readers4 ,that the ,decalogue1 as such1 held a peculiar aspect towards the ,jews1 different from that which it holds towards any others1 is freely admitted4 ,it made a part of their civil code2 it was incorporated with their political laws1 and1 therefore1 temporal penalties were annexed1 which were inflicted by the civil magistrate4 ,offences against the most of its precepts were punishable by death1 ,sabbath-breaking not excepted4 ,hence some contend that these precepts ought not to be called1 by way of eminence1 the ,moral ,law2 that the fact of their having been graven upon stone1 and given under circumstances of greater pomp and glory than the other precepts of the ,old ,testament1 constitutes no solid argument for their being so called4 ,the greater glory of their promulgation from the ,mount of ,god1 is supposed to be sufficiently accounted for1 by considering them as the ,constitution1 or ,grand ,platform1 upon which was based the whole of that system which was peculiar to the ,jews4 ,the ,decalogue1 therefore1 is supposed to bear about the same relation to the other precepts spoken by ,moses1 as constitution bears to statute law4 ,this view is thought to be favored by those passages which call the stone tables the tables of the ,covenant4 ,heb4 ix4 #d4 ,hence1 as they say1 the ,covenant being abrogated1 the tables of the ,covenant are set aside also2 on the same principle that when a political government is dissolved the constitution is of no farther use4 ,upon this seemingly plausible argument we offer the following remarks3 #a4 ,admitting that the ,decalogue is the grand constitution of the ,jewish polity1 and that it has an excellence over the other precepts spoken by ,moses1 precisely like that of constitution over statute law2 still we think it could not1 in the nature of things1 be any thing less than a code of morals4 ,there was a necessity of the strongest kind1 that it should embody all the essential elements of the moral law4 ,for1 as obedience to statute law must proceed from constitutional principles1 so the obedience of the ,israelites to the whole system of ,moses must proceed upon moral footing4 ,any other obedience than this--any obedience which is of an inferior kind1 ,god does not require1 and cannot1 consistently with his holy nature4 ,no matter what is the nature of the precepts ,he gives1 obedience to them must be upon moral principle4 ,a love for the great principles of righteousness must regulate it all2 for this only is the pledge that they will rigidly1 and without deviation1 conform to any system that ,he enjoins upon them4 ,therefore1 the ,moral ,law1 or rather the essential elements of it1 go before all the other laws ,he gave to the children of ,israel4 ,if they will keep this law1 which they promised to do1 ,exod4 xix4 #h1 it is a pledge that they will keep all the rest4 #b4 ,though the covenant character of the ,decalogue is abolished1 by reason of the ,sinaitic ,covenant being entirely abrogated1 the moral character of it remains untouched1 and just the same as it was before a covenant was based upon it4 ,hence1 though we are under no covenant obligation to its precepts1 we are under a moral obligation to them4 ,the ,jews were under a covenant obligation to the ,decalogue1 brought upon them by the transaction at ,sinai4 ,but ,jews and ,gentiles were alike under moral obligation to its precepts1 antecedently to the covenant made at ,sinai4 ,let men learn to distinguish between covenant obligation and moral obligation1 and they will have no difficulty on this point4#c #c4 ,if the covenant character of the ,decalogue is abolished1 and all covenant obligation destroyed along with it1 of course those temporal penalties which were annexed to its precepts are also abolished4 ,but the moral penalty1 the death of the soul1 remains to be inflicted upon every impenitent transgressor4 ,hence the ,sabbath-breaker1 as well as the idolator1 the profane swearer1 and the adulterer1 though not obnoxious to death1 as the despiser of ,moses' law1 is yet obnoxious to the curse of ,god1 and must inherit it by being punished with everlasting destruction from ,his presence1 and from the glory of ,his power4 ,what is it then8 ,not only do the ten commandments possess a moral character1 independent of their inscription upon the stone tablets1 as the grand constitutional platform of the ,jewish ,theocracy2 but they possess this moral character ,,because they compose this constitution4 ,for the constitution1 as we have already proved1 could not1 in the nature of things1 be any thing else than a summary of moral precepts4 ,therefore1 as the ,sabbath is one of these precepts1 it is a part of the moral law1 and remains of everlasting force and obligation4 ,in our defense of the ten commandments1 we do not contradistinguish them from the rest by calling the former exclusively the moral law1 and all the other divine instructions of the ,jews1 through ,moses1 the ceremonial law4 ,we not only admit1 but strongly insist1 that moral duties are inculcated elsewhere besides in the ,decalogue4 ,when the ,jews are told1 ,exod4 xxii4 #bb1 ,ye shall not afflict any widow or fatherless child1 we need no scholastic definitions to enable us to recognize this as a part of the moral code4#d ,but we do suppose that the ,decalogue comprises the elementary principles of the moral law4 ,we suppose1 that whatever moral duty is inculcated elsewhere1 it is deducible from one or other of the ten commandments4 ,we can hardly imagine a single condition in which it is possible for man to be placed in this life1 or a relation that he sustains1 which is not cognizable by this code4 ,our doctrine receives strength from the prominence given to the ,decalogue in the ,new ,testament4 ,no small degree of honor is put upon it by the ,savior1 in his ,sermon on the ,mount1 an important part of that celebrated discourse being occupied with expositions of its precepts1 and applications of them to the conduct of men1 as the subjects of ,god's moral government4 ,again1 when the young man came to ,christ1 and asked1 ,what good thing shall ,i do that ,i may inherit eternal life1 he was told to keep the commandments4 ,that by these were meant the precepts of the ,decalogue1 is evident from the ,savior's immediately beginning to quote those precepts4 ,matt4 xix4 #af-ai4 ,the fact that they were enjoined with reference to eternal life1 proves conclusively that their bearing was not merely upon the conduct of men as citizens of the ,jewish commonwealth1 but upon their conduct as moral and accountable creatures4#e ,again1 when the ,apostle inculcates those duties which are the mark of love to our neighbor1 he quotes the precepts of the second table of the ,decalogue4 ,rom4 xiii4 #i4 ,it is evident1 also1 that ,paul refers particularly to the ,decalogue as the law which convinced him of sin4 ,rom4 vii4 #g4 ,for he cites the tenth precept of it1 as showing him that strong desire after things forbidden is sin4 ,this is the commandment which1 being powerfully applied to his heart1 made sin to revive1 and he died3 ver4 #i4 ,hence he includes the ,decalogue1 when he speaks of that law which is spiritual1 and holy1 and just1 and good3 vs4 #ab1 #ad2 to which the carnal mind1 refusing subjection1 is therefore enmity against ,god4 ,rom4 viii4 #g4 ,one more example4 ,paul writing1 not to ,jews1 but to converts from among the ,gentiles1 recognizes the usual arrangement of the ,decalogue1 and its validity as a rule of duty under the ,gospel1 when he says1 concerning filial obedience1 that it is the first commandment which has a promise annexed to it4 ,eph4 vi4 #a1 #b4 ,in the following verse he states what the promise is1 presenting it as a motive to obedience4 ,this proves that no commandment had been changed or dispossessed of its place4 ,in asserting the importance of the ,decalogue1 the reader will observe that we do not particularly insist upon the manner and circumstances of its promulgation4 ,we dwell not upon the fact of its having been written with ,god's own finger upon stone1 while ,mosaic institutions were engrossed by ,moses himself upon parchment4 ,we dwell not upon the thunderings1 lightnings1 thick clouds1 the loud blast of the trumpet1 and the voice of ,jehovah from the midst of the fire2 all which conspire to throw around the ten commandments a glory not belonging to the ceremonial precepts4 ,these things we pass1 aware that men will evade the argument from them1 by the supposition that they prove nothing more than that kind of superiority which the constitution of a state has over statute law4 ,we can hardly refrain1 however1 from observing1 as we pass1 that as the ark was the throne of ,god1 ,exod4 xxv4 #bb1 ,num4 vii4 #hi1 xvii4 #d1 ,ps4 xcix4 #a--;it is difficult to conceive how righteousness and judgment were the habitation of his throne1 ,ps xcvii4 #b1 if the ten words which were there deposited were not designed to be an expression of ,his perfections1 and the eternal rule of right to ,his creatures4 ,but we think we have placed the morality of the ,decalogue upon grounds that cannot be successfully disputed4 ,having thus secured it1 we advert to the foregoing circumstances1 not as direct proof of the truth of our argument1 but as so much collateral evidence4 ,there is one circumstance1 however1 which ought not to be passed over lightly4 ,the tables of stone were deposited in the ark1 and covered over by the mercy seat4 ,on the great day of atonement1 when the ,high ,priest entered into the ,most ,holy1 he sprinkled the blood of the sacrifice upon this mercy seat1 and upon the floor before it1 thus making an atonement for the sins of the people4 ,but did this blood in reality atone for the sins of the people against that law which was concealed under the mercy seat8 ,no4 ,not only was it no atonement for moral offences1 ,heb4 x4 #d1 but it was not even an atonement for their political violation of this code4 ,for such violation1 in regard to most of its precepts1 was a capital crime1 and could not be expiated under that covenant4 ,the whole process1 therefore1 was typical or prefigurative of the grand atonement made for the sins of the world by ,jesus ,christ1 the ,high-,priest of our profession4 ,heb4 iii4 #a4 ,the argument derived from it in favor of the ,decalogue is1 that what the law by its offerings could not do1 ,god1 sending his own son in the likeness of sinful flesh1 and for sin1 condemned sin in the flesh4 ,rom4 viii4 #c4 ,for ,christ enters into the ,most ,holy1 even unto ,heaven itself1 with his own blood1 and makes a real atonement for sins4 ,in other words1 the legal sacrifices could not reach to sins against the ,decalogue1 but ,christ's sacrifice did1 and therefore the superiority of the gospel over the law is fully established4 ,but the whole argument for the superiority of the ,christian sacrifice becomes null and void1 on the supposition that the atonement had reference to any other law than the ,decalogue4 ,now if the ,decalogue1 as a whole1 has a claim to be called a summary of the moral law1 the ,sabbath derives in this way no small degree of authority1 ,for it is a very important part of the ,ten ,words1 standing right in the very heart of them1 and bound up along with them2 so that1 whatever dignity and excellence the rest have1 this has also4 ,we are1 therefore1 driven to the conclusion1 that when the ,savior says1 ,one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law1 the ,sabbath is alluded to as much as any other precept4 ,that when the ,apostle teaches1 the law is not made void through faith1 ,rom4 iii4 #ca1 he means1 among other things1 that the ,sabbath is not made void by the gospel1 but rather established4 ,that when he says the law is spiritual1 ,rom4 vii4 #ad1 he means that the ,sabbath law1 as well as all other precepts1 is spiritual2 and that none reject it but those who are carnal1 sold under sin4 ,but we shall hear it objected1 that the fourth commandment is not transferred to the ,new ,testament1 and re-enacted there1 while all the other commandments are4 ,this1 however1 is taking a wrong view of the case1 altogether4 ,the truth is1 that no moral precept is re-enacted in the ,new ,testament4 ,what necessity is there for re-enacting laws which never expired8 ,the very notion of re-enacting implies their previous expiration4 ,wherefore1 if those precepts of the moral law which we find in the ,new ,testament are there for no other reason than because they are re-enacted1 it follows that they must have expired with the ,old ,covenant4 ,if they expired with it1 they were peculiar to it1 and must have had their origin in it4 ,if they were peculiar to it1 and originated in it1 then all obligation to obey them was merely covenant obligation1 while moral or natural obligation is supposed to have had no existence4 ,but this conclusion is an absurdity1 and if carried out still farther1 leads to multiplied absurdities4 ,whatever laws are enacted in the ,new ,testament1 are altogether new and peculiar to that covenant of which ,jesus is the mediator4 ,they emanated from him in his character of ,head of the ,church4 ,baptism is one of them4 ,it is1 however1 a new institution1 peculiar to the ,new ,covenant1 and was not brought over from the old4 ,the ,lord's ,supper is another1 yet it is a new ,covenant ordinance entirely1 and therefore1 like baptism1 is to be observed only by believers4 ,but as for the re-enacting of laws1 it is a thing altogether unknown in the ,new ,covenant1 and inconsistent with its nature4 ,the notion of the necessity of re-enacting the ,sabbath in the ,new ,testament1 arises altogether from supposing that it is a covenant institution or church ordinance4 ,but if it is a church ordinance1 it can be binding upon none but believers2 on the same principle that the ordinances of the ,mosaic church were binding upon none but ,jews4 ,is any one prepared to take this ground8 ,we think not4 ,those who acknowledge the necessity of any ,sabbath whatever1 consider the observance of it a duty devolving upon men irrespective of their connection with the church1 binding them in the isolated and individual capacity1 even though church privileges were altogether out of the question4 ,were an individual abiding in some lone cavern of the ,rocky ,mountains1 or roaming the uninhabited and trackless wastes of the earth1 far1 far from scenes of busy life1 the law of ,god still binds him to remember the ,sabbath-day to keep it holy4 ,the truth is1 the ,sabbath is not properly an ordinance of either of the covenants4 ,it originated in neither of them1 but was in existence long before any covenant was revealed to man4 ,hence1 after the ,old ,covenant was abrogated1 it remained just what it was before4 ,so that if1 in the history of the ,new ,covenant1 or what is commonly called the ,new ,testament1 there was not one word of allusion to the ,sabbath in particular1 it would not affect the argument in the least4#f ,but is it true1 that the ,sabbath is not sanctioned by the ,new ,testament8 ,what means our ,savior's course in regulating the manner of its observance1 in vindicating it from ,pharisaic austerities1 determining what is lawful to be done1 c41 ,matt4 xii4 #a-ac4 ,it can mean nothing else than sanctioning it1 as a precept of the moral law1 as we have already shown in our remarks upon this text1 p4 #aj4 ,but even if this express sanction were wholly wanting1 inasmuch as it is a part of the moral law1 as we have clearly proved1 it stands firm1 unaltered1 and unalterable1 receiving1 from the very nature of the case1 all the sanction of the ,new ,covenant4 ,it is impossible for the ,new ,covenant to affect it in any other way than to strengthen and uphold it4 ,,section ,,iii4 ,,relation ,,of ,,the ,,sabbath ,,to ,,positive ,,institutions ,is there then no difference between the law of the ,sabbath and the other precepts of the decalogue8 ,we do not mean to say there is no difference whatever4 ,there is something in it which partakes of the nature of a positive institution1 as theologians are pleased to term it4 ,positive institutions are generally considered to be such as are not discoverable by the light of nature1 their obligation resting upon the mere will of the ,lawgiver4 ,while on the other hand1 moral precepts are supposed to be ascertained by the light of nature1 and to be binding independently of any appointment of the ,lawgiver4 ,we are free to admit the positive nature of the ,sabbatic institution1 so far as it respects the particular day to be observed1 and the proportion of time2 also as it respects the great reason on which the law is founded4 ,for it is not a dictate of nature1 that one seventh part of time is more holy1 or has any more demand upon us in a religious way1 than one tenth1 or one fifth1 or any other proportion4 ,nor is it a dictate of nature1 that ,god created the world in six days1 and rested on the seventh1 blessing and sanctifying it4 ,the light of nature1 it is true1 teaches that the world was created by eternal ,power2 but it gives no information of the time occupied in it1 nor of the fact of ,his resting on the seventh day1 after it was finished4 ,therefore1 so far as the mere light of nature is concerned1 we are left in the dark respecting what constitutes the very foundation of the institution4 ,but after all1 we very much doubt the propriety of classing all those precepts which we cannot discover by the mere light of nature1 under the sweeping name of positive institutions1 as if they were on the same level with the passover1 circumcision1 the ordinance of the red heifer1 c4 ,indeed1 we utterly protest against it1 if the intention is to underrate their importance1 or to depreciate them as non-essential1 according to the cant term of the day4 ,for what in such case would become of the whole system of ,christianity itself8 ,we mean the system of appointing a ,mediator1 and the redemption of the world through him4 ,it is a positive institution1 that is1 purely a matter of revelation1 and wholly undiscoverable by the light of nature4 ,but shall we therefore call it a non-essential8 ,shall we regard it as something of minor importance in comparison with the religion of nature8 ,does it not devolve upon us with obligations just as strong and overwhelming as the moral law8 ,most certainly it does2 not only because it is enjoined by the same authority1 but also because it is the only means of promoting a conformity to the moral law4 ,the same may be said of all positive institutions3 they are designed to promote a conformity first to that dispensation to which they are peculiar1 and second1 to the moral law4 ,whoever attempts a close investigation of the nature of positive institutions1 will find that the line of separation between them and moral duties1 is not always so easy to be drawn as might at first be imagined4 ,we say1 indeed1 that the former are not discoverable by the light of nature4 ,the reason of that1 however1 may be1 not because they do not in reality originate in the nature of things1 but merely because1 our powers of discovery are so feeble4 ,were these powers expanded1 and the range of our intellectual vision widened1 we might possibly see that those very institutions we call positive1 grow naturally and necessarily out of the relation between ,god and us4 ,not only might we see the reasons of positive institutions in general1 7which indeed is already sufficiently obvious17 but with such enlarged capacities1 we might see the reason why such particular ones are pitched upon rather than others4 ,the real difference between moral and positive duties may1 after all1 be nothing more than this1 that the former we can readily discover for ourselves1 narrow as the range of our vision is--while the latter1 we are so short-sighted1 we cannot discover1 and are therefore wholly dependent on revelation for them4 ,hence we suppose it is assuming more than can be proved1 when it is argued that positive appointments are altogether arbitrary1 and have no real foundation in the nature and fitness of things4#g ,now when we admit that the ,sabbath is a positive institution1 we mean that it is not discoverable by the light of nature1 but is purely a matter of revelation2 and this is all we mean4 ,it still possesses the main attributes of a moral precept4 ,for as we have already shown1 any duty which has its origin in the natural relation of creature to ,creator1 must be of a moral nature1 whether we can discover it for ourselves1 or whether by reason of our short-sightedness1 we are altogether dependent on revelation for it4 ,that such is the origin of the ,sabbath law1 is plain from the most casual inspection of it4 ,it grew out of ,god's creating the world in six days1 and resting on the seventh1 and is a constant memorial of it4 ,besides1 it provides for the performance of the worship of ,god1 which is confessedly a moral duty2 while the satisfaction it yields to the conscience of every man1 is a sufficient indication of its parity with other moral precepts4#h ,but to dismiss all further argument concerning the distinction between moral and positive duties1 let it be admitted that the ,sabbath is a positive institution in the very strictest sense2 let it be admitted to be nothing more than an arbitrary appointment1 having no foundation in the natural and primary relation of man to his ,creator--it must nevertheless remain in force so long as that dispensation lasts to which it is peculiar4 ,hence it must still be in force2 for the dispensation to which it belongs1 is the dispensation of nature itself4 ,while the dispensation of nature lasts1 the day which ,god the ,creator originally blessed and sanctified1 will continue to be sacred4 ,it is utterly impossible that it should be otherwise2 and therefore all speculations about its changeable nature1 resulting from its being a positive appointment1 are vain4 ,changeable and positive as were the carnal ordinances of the old economy1 they were not changeable while that economy lasted1 but were sacred throughout the whole of it4 ,changeable and positive as are the ordinances of ,baptism and the ,lord's ,supper1 they are not changeable while the dispensation to which they belong continues1 but are sacredly binding until the dispensation ends4 ,so of the ,sabbath2 yes1 even of the very day originally appointed4 ,customary as it is with writers to draw the broad line of distinction between what they call the moral and positive parts of the institution1 and whatever advantage it may have in theory1 so far as practice is concerned1 nothing is gained by it4 ,indeed1 with those who pretend to be guided by divine revelation1 rather than by the unaided deductions of their own minds1 it is always an unnecessary distinction4 ,he whose heart is subdued to the will of ,god1 will not be studious to inquire which of his commands are of a moral1 and which of a positive nature4 ,his inquiry will be simply this3 ,lord1 what wilt thou have me to do8 ,if ,god command1 he will obey1 let the nature of the command be what it will4 ,were man left to deduce the knowledge of his duty from the nature and fitness of things1 without the aid of any light from above1 ,god would not blame him if he should wholly neglect to practice those duties1 which are commonly called positive4 ,all that would be required of him in such case1 would be the practice of those duties which are most obviously of the moral kind4 ,but with the statute book of ,almighty ,god in his hand1 he stands on very different ground4 ,he is thus brought under obligation--yea1 under moral obligation1 to esteem ,,all the divine precepts concerning all things1 to be right4 ,psalm cxix4 #abh4 ,,section ,,iv4 ,,the ,,importance ,,and ,,necessity ,,of ,,the ,,sabbatic ,,institution4 ,there are very few bearing the ,christian name--perhaps none except such as are a scandal to the profession--who do not feel the importance of a weekly day of rest1 which shall be dedicated to the service of the ,most ,high ,god4 ,whatever may be their scruples in regard to the application of the term ,sabbath1 to such a day1 and though they may suppose that it is not to be observed according to the rigorous exactness of the ancient law1 they nevertheless feel that it would be sapping the foundation of religion1 morality1 and good order1 to abolish all distinction of days1 leaving none for religious and moral improvement4 ,nay1 even those who1 in theory1 maintain that under the gospel all days are alike1 still feel--though it is difficult for them to account for it--that their theory and their experience will not harmonize together4 ,their very nature calls for a day of repose1 while the wants of their souls are so clamorous as to drive them to some moral and religious improvement of it4 ,if they heed not these monitions1 they do but feel some aching void1 some uneasy distress1 wholly unlike those peaceful feelings which result from a due improvement of the season4 ,whatever be a man's theory1 he feels better when he sanctifies one day in seven to the ,lord3 his body feels better--his soul feels better4 ,this feeling is not one which grows out of the airy visions of a distempered brain2 but it is one which is capable of being resolved into solid arguments4 ,without a ,sabbath1 it would be utterly impossible to promote the interests of religion4 ,were there no set time for suspending the business of the world1 the church of ,god would soon lose its visibility1 and hell obtain complete triumph over the fallen soul of man4 ,ministers might preach1 embodying in their discourses the most powerful reasoning1 and garnishing the whole with the sweetest flowers of rhetoric2 but1 to whom would they preach8 ,a few1 of exalted piety1 who rejoice in the sacred testimonies more than in all riches1 and who feel that a day in the courts of the ,lord is better than a thousand1 ,psalm lxxxiv4 #aj1 would perhaps be there4 ,but the mass--the throng--the great multitude--would be elsewhere4 ,they would be immersed in the service of the world1 their souls perishing for lack of knowledge4 ,it would be impossible1 utterly impossible to bring the word of ,god to bear upon their minds4 ,how then could they be saved8 ,for faith cometh by hearing1 and hearing by the word of ,god1 ,rom4 x4 #ag4 ,and if men are not brought to believe the gospel1 what becomes of the church8 ,its visibility is gone--the gates of hell have prevailed against it4 ,but ,god has sworn that the church shall stand2 nay1 that all nations shall flow unto it1 ,isa4 ii4 #b4 ,wherefore1 ,he who said the gates of hell shall not prevail against it1 ,matt4 xvi4 #ah1 is also ,lord of the ,sabbath for the benefit of the church4 ,as ,lord of the ,sabbath1 he will forever perpetuate an institution so necessary to the interests of his kingdom4 ,this object--the promotion of ,zion's welfare--could not be accomplished1 unless the day were strictly a ,sabbath2 that is1 a day of rest from all sorts of work4 ,it is not sufficient that the day be merely an honorable day--a notable season1 or a day for holding religious meetings4 ,if men are not obliged to intermit their worldly business1 and that too by the express authority of ,god1 they will give themselves but little trouble to repair to a place of worship4 ,or even should they go1 their minds would be so filled with the world1 that the instructions from the desk would be as seed cast upon the way side4 ,even with regard to the ,christian himself1 how could the life of ,god be maintained in his soul1 by an attention to religious duties just barely for the short space allotted to the public assembly8 ,it would be impossible4 ,his soul would be eaten up by the world4 ,public opportunities must be followed up by secret prayer1 and close meditation in the sacred word4 ,for this1 one entire day in seven is little enough4 ,the experience of all devoted ,christians--let their theory about the ,sabbath be what it may--has taught them1 that nothing less will suffice to keep their souls in prosperity and health4 ,it appears1 then1 that we need just such a ,sabbath as the fourth commandment enjoins2 one1 the law of which is1 in it thou shalt not do any work1 thou1 nor thy son1 nor thy daughter1 nor thy man-servant1 nor thy maid-servant1 nor thy cattle1 nor thy stranger that is within thy gates4 ,if the great object of evangelizing men1 and bringing them to the knowledge and worship of ,jehovah cannot be accomplished with any thing less than one entire day in seven1 sanctified for the purpose1 then unquestionably we need a ,sabbath4 ,it is therefore fair to presume1 that the ,sabbath of the ,decalogue was given with special reference to man's necessities1 and was not a mere shadow to be annulled for the weakness and unprofitableness thereof4 ,the ,sabbath is necessary to promote the growth and strength of the moral principle4 ,a man may render obedience to all the other precepts of the moral law2 we may suppose them to be written on his heart2 we may even suppose them to be so perfectly wrought into the temper and texture of his soul1 that there is no deviation whatever4 ,by his obedience he gives evidence of being in possession of the great principle of holiness4 ,but this principle lives not by its own inherent vitality2 it must be nourished and fed continually1 or it withers and dies4 ,however holy1 however perfect the creature may be1 he possesses no self-replenishing1 self-renovating principle1--he must constantly resort to the great uncreated source for new supplies4 ,the contrary supposition makes him independent of his ,maker4 ,now the ,sabbath is the season set apart and sanctified by ,god ,almighty for this very purpose4 ,it is the means of grace for keeping alive the great moral principle--the season when the creature goes right up to the ,great ,fountain1 and drinks of its invigorating streams1 whereby he comes forth rejoicing as a strong man to run a race4 ,hence we find that even when man was innocent2 when he was in possession of the moral principle to perfection1 still he was not left without a ,sabbath season for the replenishing of his spiritual powers4 ,if he needed a ,sabbath then1 much more does he need it now4 ,for though he has been created anew in ,christ ,jesus1--the principle of holiness being thus re-implanted--yet has he a harder task to live holy to the ,lord1 inasmuch as there is a law in his members warring against the law of his mind1 the flesh lusting against the spirit4 ,therefore he needs all the aid the ,sabbath can bring to his soul4 ,he needs the restoring1 the awakening day--the day of recovery and reformation--the day that brings him back to recollection1 to seriousness1 to penitence1 to prayer4 ,and when the last traces of sin shall have become obliterated1 and man put in possession of all that perfection which pertains to the glorified state2 still that perfection1 we believe1 will not be sustained by its own vitality1 but will be preserved by means having a similarity to those employed on earth4 ,for it is an everlasting ,sabbath there1 ,heb4 vi4 #i4 ,yes1 ----there's a nobler rest above1 ,to which our lab'ring souls aspire1 ,with ardent pangs of strong desire4 ,but that the great importance of the ,sabbatic ,institution may be more distinctly felt1 let it be blotted out from existence4 ,not only let the day which ,god himself sanctified and blessed1 be disregarded2 but let there be no day whatever devoted as a season of rest and religious improvement4 ,let every thing which has the least semblance of the ,sabbatic rest be annihilated4 ,what now is the state of morals8 ,what kind of order prevails in society8 ,why1 men are not ashamed when they commit abomination1 neither can they blush4 ,they can glory in their shame1 and hell seems to be let loose4 ,what is true of communities1 is also true of individuals4 ,such as have disregarded all seasons and opportunities for instruction in those principles which serve as restraints upon the heart1 have proceeded from bad to worse2 have become perfect pests of society1 the ringleaders of all wickedness1 at the head of every miscreant gang1 foaming out their own shame1 and ending their career in a prison or on the gallows4 ,witness the poor criminal1 as he stands on the dividing line between time and eternity1 and his long-slumbering conscience wakes up1 and begins to speak out its thunders4 ,what does he say in that dread moment1 when he feels that the eye of ,god is directly upon him8 ,what6--,why1 that in the beginning of his career1 all the powers of his nature called him to a day of rest1 and warned him not to trample upon seasons devoted to moral and religious improvement2--that he disregarded these monitions1 until at length the voice of conscience was hushed in silence1 and the work of death was easy4 ,therefore1 says he1 ,i am a ruined man4 ,reader1 when you contemplate such facts1 can you say that a ,sabbath is not necessary8 ,do you not see that the obliteration of it is the brand upon the forehead of morality8 ,need we1 in this little essay1 pause to consider the bearing of the ,sabbath upon the temporal welfare of man8 ,it is a matter so obvious1 that we are almost ashamed to make it the subject of a separate paragraph4 ,it is a fact well attested by experience1 that the human frame sinks under uninterrupted toil4 ,the utmost productive labor of man is in the proportion of six days exertion to one of repose4 ,so that the ,sabbath1 instead of being an interruption to our necessary business1 is really a help to it4 ,the utmost prolongation of human life also1 is in the like alternation of toil and rest4 ,while the poor beast of burden1 if doomed to continued service1 drags out a miserable existence1 and at length sinks under the premature exhaustion of his powers4 ,what lustre1 then1 does the ,sabbath cast upon the benevolence of its ,author4 ,what mercy1 what ,god-breathed humanity appear in this holy ,institution4 ,let those who dwell in the habitations of cruelty1 be its enemies4 ,,section ,v4 ,,manner ,,of ,,observing ,,the ,,sabbath4 ,notwithstanding ,god has given the ,sabbath for the spiritual and temporal benefit of man1 it is manifest that we may suffer a woful loss of all the good it proposes1 if we neglect to make a proper improvement of it4 ,like all the other means of grace1 it may prove a savor of death unto death to those who abuse it4 ,it therefore becomes a momentous inquiry1 ,how shall this holy day be observed8 ,this great institution is to be regarded as a weekly testimony of our allegiance to ,him who created us4 ,it thus becomes the mark of distinction between the worshipers of ,jehovah and heathens4 ,this being the case1 it becomes a matter of thrilling importance that the testimony of our allegiance be sincere1 characterized by nothing of hypocrisy or formality4 ,if1 in all our acts of worship1 we must be careful to worship in spirit and in truth1 surely it is of the highest importance to do so on this solemn occasion1 when the ,great ,king comes down to test our loyalty4 ,let it be remembered1 too1 that in this business there can properly be no uninterested spectators4 ,it is not for a few to go through with the solemn act of dedicating themselves1 while the rest make it a mere holiday1 in which they look on1 as boys witness the manouverings of soldiers on parade day4 ,but all the sons and daughters of ,adam--for all are alike the workmanship of the ,divine ,being--are equally bound to direct their eyes and their hearts to ,him who made them1 and to say1 ,come1 let us join ourselves to the ,lord in a perpetual covenant that shall not be forgotten4 ,on this day we should by no means omit to celebrate the praise of creation4 ,to be a memorial of this great work of the ,almighty1 the ,sabbath was originally instituted4 ,shall we then lose sight of the original design of the institution1 or even throw it into the shade as a matter of secondary importance8 ,is not the soundness of that system of theology to be suspected1 which would teach us to do so8 ,some1 it is true1 teach us that the work of ,redemption being much more stupendous than that of creation1 is therefore to be made the chief object of our praise4 ,but however plausible this sentiment may seem1 it is a sufficient answer to say it is not contained in the ,scriptures4 ,how much more vast the work of ,redemption is than that of creation1 we pretend not to say1 as we are not able to measure the extent of either4 ,to say which work makes the most powerful impression upon our minds1 and fills us with more sublime ideas1 is more easy4 ,but that is no criterion by which to judge of their relative magnitude4 ,let it even be conceded that ,redemption exceeds in glory the work of creation1 still1 whence do we derive those powers by which we estimate its glory8 ,whence did we obtain those faculties by which we contemplate the great scheme of ,redemption1 and know that it is glorious8 ,is it not to the wisdom and goodness of ,god as displayed in creation1 that we are indebted for all these8 ,and what are the objects upon which ,redemption is accomplished8 ,are they not created objects8 ,and what is the effect which redemption has upon them8 ,is it not that of putting an end to the disorders which sin has introduced1 and bringing them to their original glory8 ,is not the final result of redemption to be that of bringing man back to that state of holiness and rectitude which the work of creation originally bestowed upon him8 ,how then can the praise of ,redemption be celebrated1 without celebrating the praise of creation also8 ,the one certainly leads directly to the other4 ,so that if ,redemption accomplish its proper fruits upon us1 it will lead us to be still more devout in observing the proper memorial of the ,creator's works4 ,but let it not be thought1 because the work of creation holds so prominent a place in our ,sabbath meditations1 that redemption is therefore cast into the shade4 ,it is rather the contrary4 ,for as those powers by which we contemplate the work of creation1 and become acquainted with its grandeur and with its author1 are impaired by sin1 so it is impossible for us to enter into the subject profitably1 except by the aid which ,redemption affords4 ,if we attempt to bring our mental powers to act upon the works of creation1 and to look through nature up to ,nature's ,god1 we shall find them slow and lifeless to perform their duty1 until first purified and invigorated by the influence of the great ,atonement4 ,much1 therefore1 as it is our duty to celebrate the praise of creation1 we cannot do so to the glory of ,god1 without recognizing at the same time the redemption that is in ,christ ,jesus1 as the means by which we do it4 ,from which it appears1 that the praises of creation and of redemption go hand in hand in this matter4 ,there is no clashing1--no contrariety1--nor even such an elevation of one above the other in respect to glory1 that they cannot be celebrated together1 and upon the very day which most fitly serves as the memorial of the former2 which memorial cannot be transferred to another day without manifest incongruity4 ,it is manifest from the slightest consideration of the nature and design of the ,sabbatic institution1 that ,redemption cannot be excluded from our meditations on this holy day1 but must hold a very prominent place4 ,for one great design of the ,sabbath is1 to promote our conformity to holiness4 ,but man partakes of no holiness except through the gospel4 ,the mediation of ,christ is the only channel through which it is communicated to him1 and this always in connection with the most vigorous action of his mind on the subject4 ,another very important thing among the duties of the ,sabbath1 is the cultivation of a right spirit with reference to it4 ,we should count it a delight1 ,isa4 lviii4 #ac4 ,can that man be called a ,christian1 who counts it an irksome season8 ,is he spiritually minded to whom it is an unwelcome interruption of his worldly business1 who in the avariciousness of his heart says when will the ,sabbath be gone that we may set forth wheat8 ,amos4 viii4 #e4 ,surely not4 ,his temper is any thing but in accordance with the sacredness of the ,sabbath season4 ,his thoughts1 his feelings are a direct violation of that law which says1 ,remember the ,sabbath-day to keep it holy4 ,to a real ,christian1 however1 the ,sabbath is the most delightful season he enjoys on earth4 ,it is something like a heaven below2 for the things of ,god and ,christ come then into direct contact with his holy soul4 ,he is as eager for the approach of this holy season1 as a child is for his holiday4 ,instead of it being too long for him1 it is too short2 and with joy does he look forward to a ,sabbath which shall never end1 that which remaineth for the people of ,god1 ,heb4 iv4 #i4 ,such a spirit ought ever to be cultivated4 ,in no other way can the ,sabbath become a means of grace to the soul4 ,what will mere abstinence from labor do8 ,it will only contribute to the renovation of the corporeal system2 which1 it is true1 is one design of the institution4 ,but this is a small part4 ,shall we take care of the body1 and not of the soul6 ,yet the soul suffers unto death1 if there be no care to cherish a right spirit with reference to the day which is the holy of the ,lord4 ,our very thoughts must be put under restraint1 and the greatest care taken that nothing of a worldly nature intrude into the mind4 ,this leads us to observe1 that our conversation should have no reference to worldly things1 but should be upon such subjects as are spiritual and tend to the furtherance of the soul in the divine life4 ,not speaking thine own words1 ,isa4 lviii4 #ac4 ,but1 alas6 we shall enter the dwellings of some1 and when the ,sabbath approaches1 we shall not know it by any difference that we can discover in their conversation4 ,it is still upon subjects that have not the remotest connection with the glory of ,god4 ,follow them to the place of public worship1 and up to the very threshhold of the door1 their speech still savors of this world4 ,follow them through the whole of the day--the state of their crops1 the currency of the country1 the political aspect of things1 banks1 bonds1 mortgages2 these are the themes upon which they expatiate4 ,these render them animated1 and even eloquent4 ,out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh4 ,reader1 thinkest thou that such persons can say in truth1 ,o how ,i love thy law4 ,that law says1 ,remember the ,sabbath-day to keep it holy4 ,thinkest thou that the love of ,god reigns in their hearts8 ,this is the love of ,god1 that we keep his commandments4 ,john4 v4 #c4 ,all visiting for pleasure is inconsistent with a right observance of the ,sabbath4 ,express and plain is the word of ,god--,not finding thine own pleasure4 ,isa4 lxviii4 #ac4 ,visiting the sick for the purpose of alleviating their sufferings1 and rendering what help we can1 either as it regards their bodies or their souls1 is not only allowable1 but is a ,sabbath duty4 ,but even this is liable to abuse4 ,multitudes take the ,sabbath to visit the sick1 merely because they are not willing to take time on any other day2 and it is to be feared that if there were no ,sabbath1 the sick would be sadly neglected by them4 ,others go merely because the rigid improvement of the day at home is irksome to them4 ,they watch the occasion1 and convert it as much as possible into a visit for their own pleasure1 while they quiet their consciences by the reflection that they have been visiting the sick4 ,reader6 be careful how you seek to evade the restraints of ,heaven's law4 ,every attempt on your part to convert the season of holy rest into a day of pleasure1 evinces a heart that counts the commandments of ,god grievous4 ,is this a renewed heart8 ,impossible4 ,remember1 too1 that while you visit others for your own pleasure1 you drive them to a violation of the ,sabbath1 as well as yourself4 ,you take them from their closet1 their reading1 their meditations4 ,all traveling1 for business or for pleasure1 is also forbidden by the ,sabbath law4 ,such traveling as may be necessary in order to promote the due sanctification of the day1 is of course not included4 ,harnessing our horses and riding to our accustomed places of worship1 may be necessary to promote the sanctification of the ,sabbath1 and is1 therefore1 no breach of it4 ,it stands on the same level with the labor performed by the priests of the ,old ,economy in the temple1 for which they were blameless4 ,matt4 xii4 #e4 ,yet traveling one half the distance for pleasure1 is a profanation of the day1 inasmuch as the word of ,god says1 not finding thine own pleasure4 ,for the same reason1 and because there are six days in which men ought to work1 journeying for business on the ,sabbath1 is a violation of it4 ,take the following case3 ,brother ,a4 is out on a journey4 ,the ,sabbath comes1 and instead of putting up and resting until the sacred season is past1 he keeps right forward just as he had done every other day of the week4 ,true1 he professes to regret the necessity of traveling on this day1 but pleads in excuse that he cannot afford to stop at a public house during the time4 ,he is too poor2 or1 he says1 the tavern is a noisy1 bustling place1 and unfavorable to his religious enjoyment1 and1 therefore1 he concludes it will be no greater violation of the ,sabbath to proceed quietly on his journey than it would be to spend it in such a situation4 ,but1 brother1 let me talk with you about this4 ,how much would it cost you to stop at the public house8 ,a dollar1 or two dollars2 or it may be1 if your family is with you1 five dollars4 ,well1 will you barter away the sanctity of the ,sabbath for five dollars6 ,poor as you are1 will you make sale of the ordinance of ,god for money8 ,for this is what you do in reality4 ,turn it and turn it whichever way you will1 it comes at last to this4 ,pause1 then1 and consider whether1 under such circumstances1 and actuated by such principles1 you can class yourself with those who esteem the law of ,god better to them than thousands of gold and silver4 ,ps4 cxix4 #gb4 ,the true ,christian would rather impoverish himself to the last farthing than violate one of ,god's precepts4 ,but the tavern was noisy and bustling4 ,how came you to put up at such a tavern8 ,those who remember the ,sabbath1 and are anxious to spend it to the glory of ,god1 will carefully look out and make their inquiries beforehand1 and in most cases will not have much difficulty in lodging themselves at a quiet place4 ,but if through circumstances beyond their own control1 they are lodged in a place of different character1 their duty is to submit to it1 and do the best they can4 ,your enjoyment may not be so great2 but what of that8 ,your spiritual prosperity does not always depend on your enjoyment2 nor does ,god's glory depend upon it4 ,god's glory depends upon your obedience to his law1 and so does your prosperity4 ,it is a mistaken notion that ,christians are never in the way of duty but when they are in the way of enjoyment4 ,besides1 dare you prescribe terms to the ,almighty1 and say you will obey him1 provided he will grant you such enjoyments and privileges as you want1 otherwise you will not8 ,how daring the impiety6 ,what if ,god lodged you at such a wicked place on purpose that you might1 by your conduct and your words1 be a reproof to the ungodly sinners that frequented there4 ,will you be ashamed of your duty1 and shrink from the trial8 ,he that is ashamed of me and of my words1 of him shall the ,son of ,man be ashamed4 ,luke ix4 #bf4 ,remember1 my brother1 ,god's law says1 ,remember the ,sabbath to keep it holy4 ,the exceptions which you make1 ,god has not made4 ,after what has been offered1 it seems almost needless to add1 that ,sabbath-keeping includes abstinence from labor4 ,the ,divine law enjoins us to keep it holy4 ,the plain meaning of which is1 that it is a day peculiarly sacred to the ,lord4 ,for the word holy1 when applied to things inanimate1 or to portions of time1 denotes them to be set apart exclusively for religious purposes4 ,if1 then1 the day in question1 according to the divine mandate1 is to be kept holy1 it is manifestly a sin to devote it1 or any part of it1 to secular pursuits4 ,wherefore the law is express--in it thou shalt not do any work4 ,all that work which on other days is perfectly lawful1 is on the holy ,sabbath to be laid aside1 except such as may be absolutely necessary for the prevention of distress1 or the relief of objects of mercy4 ,but alas6 what kind of commentary upon this law is the conduct of many who call themselves by the name of our ,lord ,jesus ,christ4 ,let us see4--,neighbor ,b4 has a large grass farm1 and milks daily from thirty to fifty cows4 ,the product of his dairy is cheese1 of which he makes one or perhaps two each day during the proper season4 ,the ,sabbath comes1 and the cows must be milked4 ,well1 that is right and necessary for the prevention of distress4 ,but then the milk must be subjected to the same operation as on other days1 and the accustomed cheese must be made1 because otherwise it would be lost4 ,lost6--well1 suppose it should be1 how much is it worth8 ,why1 five dollars1 more or less4 ,and so he barters away the sanctity of the ,sabbath for five dollars6 ,well1 ,judas sold his master for thirty pieces of silver1 and how much better is your conduct than his8 ,or what better is your conduct than mine would be in the following case8 ,i have a valuable horse1 which ,i will sell for one hundred dollars4 ,a traveler passes my door on ,sabbath day1 and offers me my price4 ,now the times are hard1 and by closing the bargain it will be a profit to me of twenty or twenty-five dollars4 ,by refusing to do so1 ,i lose the chance of selling him1 and he remains on my hands4 ,rather than lose so good an opportunity1 ,i strike the bargain1 ,sabbath though it be4 ,thus have ,i sold the sanctity of the ,sabbath for twenty dollars6 ,neighbor ,b41 who makes his cheese on the ,sabbath1 is horror-struck1 and comes over to admonish me4 ,but1 ,physician heal thyself4 ,we might multiply cases to illustrate our argument1 but it is needless4 ,every instance of departure from ,god's law1 we believe1 will be found to have originated in selfishness4 ,but that manner of keeping the day which looks at our own interest1 rather than the honor of ,god1 can in no way be called keeping it holy4 ,for if it is holy1 it is consecrated to the ,lord1 not to ourselves4 ,but in all the foregoing instances1 it is manifest1 the individual looks first to himself4 ,such selfishness is idolatry1 and is the very spirit that governs the carnal mind4 ,but ,god1 in the just retributions of his providence1 sometimes defeats the very end proposed to be obtained by it4 ,for instance1 the cheese1 which is the product of ,sabbath labor1 spoils on the dairyman's hands2 or if that does not take place1 he fails of getting his pay for it4 ,the farmer who was in haste to gather in his hay or his grain on the ,sabbath for fear of a shower1 has no sooner secured it than the storm begins1 and a single flash of lightning consumes the whole4 ,or1 it may be1 when winter comes1 he takes it to market1 trusts it out1 and finally gets nothing for it4 ,the man who could not afford the expense of stopping at the hotel over ,sabbath while on his journey1 gets home1 and finds perhaps that on the very day he was profaning ,god's holy institution1 some person's cattle broke into his grain-field and destroyed enough to pay for his lodging at the hotel half a dozen times4 ,what then did he gain by it8 ,that such retributions overtake those who violate the law of ,god1 is not merely imaginary4 ,on the contrary1 it is believed1 that were men more close observers of the dealings of ,providence1 they would be sensible that such things take place often4 ,but1 alas6 ,god speaketh once1 yea1 twice1 and man perceiveth it not4 ,it seems almost superfluous to say any thing about public worship1 as an important part of ,sabbath exercises4 ,if it were necessary to their spiritual prosperity that ,jews should meet together in holy convocation1 ,lev4 xxii4 #c1 and be instructed in the testimonies concerning a ,messiah to come1 it cannot be less important that ,christians should now assemble and celebrate the fulfilment of those testimonies1 and the grace and truth which came by ,jesus ,christ4 ,our ,lord has ordained public worship to be a means of promoting the growth of his people in holiness2 and if the ,sabbath is a means to the same end1 they ought both to go together1 unless our situation render it impossible4 ,if on the holy ,sabbath we cannot say1 ,how amiable are thy tabernacles1 ,o ,lord of hosts1 when can we8 ,if on this holy day we cannot say1 ,i had rather be a door-keeper in the house of my ,god1 than to dwell in the tents of wickedness1 when will it ever be the language of our hearts8 ,but we cannot enlarge4 ,our essay has already exceeded the limits we had designed4 ,we submit the subject to your consideration1 as being one of incalculable importance4 ,reader1 what course will you take8 ,god ,almighty has separated one day in particular from all others1 and pronounced it holy4 ,will you then say that all days are alike8 ,or will you assume to yourself the prerogative of setting apart whatever portion of time you choose1 in open disregard of that particular portion which ,god sanctified and blessed1 saying1 it is the ,sabbath of the ,lord thy ,god8 ,will you suffer your convenience or your selfishness to come into conflict with the claims of your ,maker8 ,who is it that said1 ,if any man will come after me1 let him ,,deny himself8 ,pause then1 before you suffer yourself to be lulled into indifference on this matter4 ,a vain sophistry insinuates that it is a subject of minor importance--a non-essential4 ,but be not deceived4 ,god has magnified its importance throughout his holy oracles4 ,it is ,god the ,lord that speaks1 will you obey or will you turn again to folly8 #a ,wilson4 #b ,burnside4 #c ,the ,decalogue1 as to the form of it1 and as delivered through the hand and ministry of ,moses1 only concerned that people 7,israel71 and was calculated for their use2 though1 as to the matter of it1 and so far as it is of a moral nature1 and agrees with the law and light of nature1 it is equally binding on the ,gentiles4--,dr4 ,gill4 #d ,bap4 ,advocate of ,jan4 #af1 #ahda4 #e ,christ inculcates only the precepts of the second table of the law1 not because they are of more importance than those of the first1 but because they are less easily counterfeited4 ,such duties are by far too weighty to be permanently sustained by the hollow-heartedness of the hypocrite4 #f ,most writers on this subject1 though they admit the morality of the ,sabbath1 and the claims it has upon all men indiscriminately1 appear to reason in a manner entirely different1 when they come to contend for a change from the seventh to the first day of the week4 ,their arguments which before were predicated upon the nature and fitness of things1 and the requirements of ,god1 as the natural ,lawgiver of mankind1 are suddenly changed and based upon the new dispensation of ,jesus ,christ4 ,now this is an inconsistency2 but it is one to which they are necessarily driven1 in order to give plausibility to the claims of their new ,sabbath4 ,the fact that ,christ introduced a new dispensation1 does not argue a change of the ,sabbath1 or an institution of a new one1 unless it can be proved that the old ,sabbath was a church ordinance4 ,if it was1 then1 as there is a new church state1 of course we must look for new church ordinances4 ,how1 then1 will it be proved1 that the old ,sabbath was a church ordinance8 ,will it be said that the observance of it was indispensable to membership in the ,jewish church8 ,very true4 ,but the same may be said of the laws concerning murder1 and theft1 and adultery4 ,yet these were not1 properly speaking1 church ordinances4 ,concerning these things men were bound1 though no church had ever existed4 ,the sin of murder lay at ,cain's door1 long before any church was formed4 ,the earth was corrupt before ,god1 and the earth was filled with violence1 before the ,jews were organized into a church2 and the sin of dishonoring his father blackened the character of ,ham1 long before the fifth commandment was published from ,sinai4 ,so1 too1 the ,sabbath was set apart by ,god sanctifying it and blessing it1 more than two thousand years before it entered into the statute law of ,israel4 ,it cannot1 therefore1 be a church ordinance4 ,will it be said1 that the ,sabbath1 though not altogether a church ordinance1 is nevertheless so in part8 ,if this can be established1 then certainly so much of it as partook of this character must necessarily have been abolished by the death of ,christ1 and that part only remains which had no such character4 ,but ,i ask1 what part of the ,sabbath law can claim to be a church ordinance1 peculiar to the old dispensation4 ,it will be said that the particular day of the week set apart for observance1 was such4 ,this1 as all the world confesses1 was the seventh in distinction from every other4 ,but the same rule which determines every other part of the ,sabbath law to be something else than a church ordinance1 determines the same thing with regard to the seventh day of the week4 ,if the ,sabbath was not a church ordinance1 but obligatory upon all men indiscriminately1 long before any church existed1 the same is true of the seventh day of the week4 ,one part of the law was not brought into existence without the other1 nor one part before the other4 ,we conclude1 therefore1 that the particular day which was consecrated1 partook no more of the nature of a church ordinance1 than all the rest of the law did4 #g ,the reason of positive institutions in general1 is very obvious2 though we should not see the reason why such particular ones are pitched upon1 gather than others4 ,whoever1 therefore1 instead of caviling at words1 will attend to the thing itself1 may clearly see1 that positive institutions in general1 as distinguished from this or that particular one1 have the nature of moral commands1 since the reasons of them appear4 ,thus1 for instance1 the external worship of ,god is a moral duty1 though no particular mode of it be so4 ,care then is to be taken1 when a comparison is made between moral and positive duties1 that they be compared no farther than as they are different--no farther than as the former are positive1 or arise out of mere external command1 the reasons of which we are not acquainted with2 and as the latter are moral1 or arise out of the apparent reason of the case1 without such external command4 ,unless this caution be observed1 we shall run into endless confusion4--,butler's ,analogy of ,religion to ,nature4 ,part ,,ii4 ,chap4 #a4 ,it is very commonly said1 that positive institutions are changeable1 and therefore are unlike moral precepts1 which are unchangeable and eternal in their nature4 ,but we deny that positive precepts are changeable1 so long as the relation subsists in which they originate4 ,such positive institutions as originated in the peculiar relation which ,god sustained towards the ,jews1 by reason of the ,sinaitic covenant1 remained unchanged and unchangeable so long as that relation subsisted4 ,such as originate in the relation ,he sustains towards man as his ,redeemer through ,jesus ,christ1 also remain unchangeable so long as such relation remains4 ,on the same principle1 such as originate in the natural relation ,he bears to man as his ,creator1 remain just as long as this relation exists2 which is forever4 #h ,president ,dwight observes1 ,sermon #ahe1 ,the distinction between moral and positive commands1 has been less clearly made by moral writers than most other distinctions4 ,he says the law of the ,sabbath is entirely of a moral nature1 as to the whole end to which it aims1 so far as man is concerned2 that it makes no difference here1 whether we could have known it without information from ,god1 that one day in seven would be the best time and furnish the best performance of these religious things1 or no4 ,it is sufficient that we know them4 ,the decalogue exhibits a perfect standard of morality2 and a standard of morality not providing for the public acknowledgement and stated worship of ,god as the ,creator1 would be essentially defective4--,parkinson's ,letters to ,elder ,w4 ,b4 ,maxson4 ,,the ,,sixth-,,day ,,night4 ,sweet to the soul the parting ray1 ,which ushers placid evening in1 ,when with the still expiring day1 ,the ,sabbath's peaceful hours begin2 ,how grateful to the anxious breast1 ,the sacred hours of holy rest6 ,i love the blush of vernal bloom1 ,when morning gilds night's sullen tear3 ,and dear to me the mournful gloom ,of ,autumn--,sabbath of the year2 ,but purer pleasures1 joys sublime1 ,await the dawn of holy time4 ,hushed is the tumult of the day1 ,and worldly cares1 and business cease4 ,while soft the vesper breezes play ,to hymn the glad return of peace2 ,o season blest6 ,o moments given1 ,to turn the vagrant thoughts to ,heaven4 ,what though involved in lurid sight1 ,the loveliest forms in nature fade1 ,yet mid the gloom shall heavenly light ,with joy the contrite heart pervade2 ,o thou1 great source of light divine1 ,with beams etherial gladden mine4 ,oft as this hallowed hour shall come1 ,o raise my thoughts from earthly things1 ,and bear them to my heavenly home1 ,on living faith's immortal wings-- ,till the last gleam of life decay ,in one eternal ,sabbath ,day6 ,no4 #c4 ,,the ,,sabbath3 ,,authority ,,for ,,the ,,change ,,of ,,the ,,day4 ,it being clear from the ,scriptures1 that the seventh day was instituted by divine authority for a weekly ,sabbath1 and religiously regarded throughout the times of the ,old ,testament1 those who now relinquish its observance1 and keep the first day of the week1 take the ground that the ,sabbath was either abrogated and a new institution introduced in its room1 or that the time of its observance was changed from the seventh to the first day of the week1 in commemoration of the resurrection of our ,lord ,jesus ,christ4 ,to be consistent with themselves1 therefore1 they are bound to evince one or the other of these positions4 ,the burden of proof evidently lies on their part4 ,for unless it can be shown1 that the fourth commandment1 which requires the sanctification of the seventh day1 has been abolished1 or amended by the substitution of the first for the seventh day of the week1 it is clear that the original appointment remains obligatory and is now binding on the entire human family4 ,and to substantiate either of these points1 the proof must be clear and decisive4 ,it will not do to rest upon doubtful deductions4 ,we have an unquestionable right to demand that divine warrant1 in either case1 which pertained to the institution as originally delivered4 ,we will therefore first examine the proofs adduced in favor of the abrogation of the former weekly ,sabbath and the introduction of a new institution4 99 99 99 99 99 ,to sustain this position1 the broad ground is taken by some1 that the ,decalogue itself1 in which the law of the ,sabbath is contained1 was abrogated2 and that1 under the new dispensation1 no part of it is binding but what is newly enjoined or expressly recognized1 either by ,christ or his ,apostles4 ,the perpetual obligation of the ,decalogue implies1 of course1 the perpetual obligation of the ,sabbath as enjoined in the fourth commandment4 ,but if that was abrogated1 the ,sabbath which it enjoined was also abrogated2 and1 consequently1 it ceases to be binding1 unless renewed under the new economy4 ,what1 then1 is the proof here relied upon8 ,one of the principal passages in which this proof is supposed to be contained is #b ,corinthians #c3g1 #h1 #ac4 ,but if the ministration of death1 written and engraven in stones1 was glorious1 so that the children of ,israel could not steadfastly behold the face of ,moses for the glory of his countenance1 which glory was to be done away1 how shall not the ministration of the ,spirit be rather glorious8444 ,and not as ,moses1 which put a veil over his face1 that the children of ,israel could not steadfastly look to the end of that which is abolished4 ,it is argued from this passage1 that the clauses which glory was to be done away1 and to the end of that which is abolished1 refer to the whole law1 moral as well as ritual1 because mention is made of that which was written and engraven in stones1 which is an evident allusion to the ,decalogue4 ,but1 on careful examination1 it will be found that that which was to be done away1 was not the ,decalogue itself1 but the ministration of it1 which was then appointed--the same being emblematically illustrated by the glory of ,moses' countenance1 which was merely temporary4 ,this clause refers expressly to the glory of his countenance1 and not to the glory of the law itself4 ,so also the clause that which is abolished1 does not refer to the ,decalogue1 but to the ministration of ,moses1 including the appended rites and usages1 the priesthood and its sacrifices1 which were useful merely for the time being4 ,it cannot be supposed that the ,decalogue was abolished1 without expressly contradicting ,christ's testimony1 ,matt4 #e3ag-ai1 as well as many other representations of the ,scriptures4 ,the abolishment spoken of1 therefore1 evidently respected no other than what the ,apostle calls in another place the law of commandments contained in ordinances1 inclusive of the entire ministration of ,moses4 ,there is unquestionably a reference in this chapter to the ,decalogue1 but not as abolished4 ,it was merely the ministration of it1 or the then instituted manner of teaching1 illustrating1 and enforcing it1 which was abolished1 to be succeeded by a new ministration of the same law by the ,spirit4 ,for it is written1 ,i will put my law--7the very law of the ten commandments7--in their inward parts1 and write it in their hearts4 ,again1 ,we are not without law to ,god1 but under the law to ,christ4 ,what law but the ,decalogue is here referred to8 ,evidently none4 ,for surely we are not under the ,mosaic ritual4 ,again1 ,do we make void the law through faith8444 ,yea1 we establish the law4 ,the same1 no doubt1 which was contained in the ,decalogue4 ,hence1 the ,apostle ,james says1 ,if ye fulfil the royal law according to the ,scripture1 ,thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself1 ye shall do well4 ,here the title the royal law is given by way of eminence to the ,decalogue2 and its permanent obligation is manifestly recognized2 for the precept alluded to is a summary of the last six commandments of this code1 and the allusion is so made as to imply the continued obligation of the first four1 which are summed up in supreme love to ,god4 ,again1 the ,apostle ,john testifies1 ,hereby do we know that we know him1 if we keep his commandments4 ,and again1 ,blessed are they that do his commandments1 that they may have right to the tree of life1 and may enter in through the gates into the city4 ,in both these passages reference is evidently had to the precepts of the ,decalogue1 as the essential and permanent rule of obedience for ,christians4 ,the doing away or abolishment1 therefore1 spoken of in the above passage1 cannot refer to the ,decalogue or the moral law itself1 but to the ,mosaic dispensation or ritual4 ,another of the proofs alledged for the abrogation of the ,decalogue1 and consequently of the ,sabbath1 is ,colossians #b3ad-ag4 ,blotting out the hand-writing of ordinances that was against us1 which was contrary to us1 and took it out of the way1 nailing it to his cross2 and1 having spoiled principalities and powers1 he made a show of them openly1 triumphing over them in it4 ,let no man therefore judge you in meat1 or in drink1 or in respect of an holy day1 or of the new moon1 or of the sabbath days1 which are a shadow of things to come2 but the body is of ,christ4 ,by the hand-writing of ordinances1 is most evidently meant the ceremonial law--not the ,decalogue1 or the moral law4 ,this is never characterized as the hand-writing of ordinances4 ,therefore1 the blotting out1 taking away1 and nailing to the cross1 spoken of1 have no reference to this law1 but to the ,mosaic ritual4 ,this is particularly distinguished from the ,decalogue1 and fitly described as the law of commandments contained in ordinances4 ,it was this1 and this only1 which was blotted out and nailed to the cross4 ,as1 therefore1 the reference made by the ,apostle is expressly to this law1 it follows1 by a fair inference1 that the sabbath days alluded to1 or1 strictly rendered1 sabbaths1 are those which were contained in this law1 or among these ordinances1 and do not include the ,sabbath of the fourth commandment4 ,there were1 besides the weekly ,sabbath1 various other sabbaths appointed1 which belonged to that ritual1 and not to the ,decalogue4 ,accordingly1 these were expressly included in the hand-writing of ordinances1 and like the rest were a shadow of things to come1 and ceased to be obligatory at the death of ,christ4 ,there is evidently no authority in this passage for including any sabbaths but what properly belonged to the ,mosaic ritual4 ,this view of the matter is corroborated by a more literal rendering of the #agth verse1 viz3 ,let no one therefore judge you in meat1 or in drink1 or in a part or division of a festival1 or of a new moon1 or of sabbaths4 ,the sabbaths alluded to are obviously those which are found in the same place with meats and drinks1 festivals and new moons1 and which were of the same general character4 ,the weekly ,sabbath1 therefore1 is not affected at all by their abrogation1 but remains in full force1 as does every other precept of the ,decalogue4 ,we find the same distinction as to the law which was abolished1 in ,ephesians #b3ad1 #ae4 ,for he is our peace1 who hath made both one1 and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us1 having abolished in his flesh the enmity1 even the law of commandments contained in ordinances1 for to make in himself of twain one new man1 so making peace4 ,here the middle wall of partition between ,jews and ,gentiles1 called the enmity1 is expressly defined1 as before1 to be the law of commandments contained in ordinances4 ,this1 and this only1 therefore1 was abolished1 leaving the ,decalogue1 or the moral law1 in its original character and obligation4 ,this is the language of the whole ,bible4 ,there is no proof in any of these passages1 that the law of the ten commandments was abolished1 or that the ,sabbath enjoined therein was done away4 ,nor is there such proof in ,romans #ad3e1 #f4 ,one man esteemeth one day above another2 another esteemeth every day alike4 ,let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind4 ,he that regardeth the day1 regardeth it to the ,lord2 and he that regardeth not the day1 to the ,lord he doth not regard it4 ,he that eateth1 eateth to the ,lord1 for he giveth ,god thanks3 and he that eateth not1 to the ,lord he eateth not1 and giveth ,god thanks4 ,this passage is frequently adduced as proof that the obligation to keep the ancient ,sabbath has ceased1 and that under the ,gospel dispensation there is no divinely authorized distinction in the days of the week2 that there is no one constituted holy in distinction from the rest2 and consequently that every one is left at his own liberty to keep a ,sabbath or not4 ,it will be easily perceived1 that if this argument has any weight in reference to the seventh day as the ,sabbath1 it operates equally against the obligation to keep the first day1 either as a substitute for the seventh1 or as a memorial of the resurrection1 seeing it places all distinctions whatever as to days on the same ground with the confessedly obsolete rites of the ,mosaic ritual4 ,according to this view of the passage1 we have under the ,gospel dispensation no ,sabbath at all--not so much as an authorized memorial of the resurrection4 ,he who claims the least authority for the observance of the first day of the week for any purpose1 takes a course which completely overthrows the argument based upon this passage4 ,but1 in reality1 this text has nothing more to do with the subject before us1 than either of those which have been examined4 ,it respects merely the distinctions which formerly existed in regard to the six working days of the week--some of them being appointed in the ,mosaic ritual as sabbaths1 others as days of atonement and purification1 and others as festivals4 ,some of the early ,christians thought these distinctions still binding1 as also the distinctions in regard to meats and drinks2 others thought they were not4 ,hence the exhortation which is subjoined to mutual forbearance4 ,that the distinctions referred to as to days1 were those noted in the ,mosaic ritual1 and did not include the one contained in the fourth commandment1 is manifest from the whole scope of the chapter4 ,there is particular reference made to one's freely eating all things1 while another would eat only herbs2 and accordingly the following rule1 to be respectively observed1 is laid down3 ,let not him that eateth1 despise him that eateth not2 and let not him that eateth not1 judge him that eateth2 for ,god hath received him4 ,this quotation clearly evinces that the ,apostle was treating of ritual distinctions1 and not of that distinction of days which was constituted by the ancient law of the ,sabbath4 ,again1 the abrogation of the ,decalogue is supposed to be taught in ,romans #g3d1 #e1 #f4 ,wherefore1 my brethren1 ye also are become dead to the law by the body of ,christ1 that ye should be married to another1 even to him who is raised from the dead1 that we should bring forth fruit unto ,god4 ,for when we were in the flesh1 the motions of sin which were by the law1 did work in our members1 to bring forth fruit unto death4 ,but now we are delivered from the law1 that being dead wherein we were held2 that we should serve in newness of spirit1 and not in the oldness of the letter4 ,but if the term law here includes the moral as well as the ceremonial law1 it is manifest that believers are not said to be delivered from it1 considered in any other light than as a covenant of works4 ,certainly they are not delivered from it as a rule of obedience4 ,to suppose this1 is inconsistent with ,christ's sermon on the mount1 before alluded to1 and many other decisive proofs of the perpetual obligation of the ,decalogue4 ,it is probable the ,apostle had special reference to the deliverance of believers from the curse of the moral law4 ,this is reasonably inferred from the clause1 that being dead wherein we were held4 ,if any thing more pertaining to this law be intended1 it must be its original character when given to ,adam as a covenant of works or of life4 ,for surely we are not and cannot be delivered from it as a rule of obedience1 so long as ,god is what he is1 and we are what we are4 ,seeing that as long as the relation constituted by his character as ,supreme ,ruler1 and by ours as moral subjects1 exists1 we shall be bound to love him supremely1 and our neighbor as ourselves1 which is the fulfilling of this law4 ,and to suppose that this law1 as a rule of obedience1 was actually annulled1 and that those precepts only are now to be considered obligatory1 which are enacted or published anew under the ,gospel1 is to suppose that ,god1 at a certain time1 actually rescinded the rule requiring supreme love to him1 and to our neighbor as ourselves1 which is palpably inconsistent1 and contrary both to the current of ,scripture and the nature of things4 ,it would be maintaining that to be changed which is manifestly unchangeable4 ,it would imply that1 for the time being1 the obligation recognized by the law did not exist2 that the tie by which ,god and moral beings are united1 was sundered1 not by rebellion on the part of his subjects1 but by his own act of abrogation4 ,can this be admitted8 ,but if it were admissible1 and if no part of this law is binding on ,christians but what is newly enacted or particularly recognized under the ,gospel dispensation1 the ,sabbath of the fourth commandment could not in this way be set aside2 because its continued obligation is plainly taught in the ,new ,testament4 ,it is altogether a mistake1 that we have no express recognition of this precept under the ,christian dispensation4 ,it is plainly recognized by the ,savior in ,matthew #e3ag-ai1 where he says1 that he came not to destroy the law1 but to fulfill2 that one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law1 till all be fulfilled2 and that whosoever shall break one of these least commandments1 and shall teach men so1 shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven2 but whosoever shall do and teach them1 shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven4 ,if any commandment of this law is binding1 the fourth is binding of course1 even if it should be called the least4 ,it is also recognized in the following declaration of ,christ1 ,mark #b3bg--,the ,sabbath was made for man1 and not man for the ,sabbath4 ,the word man is here obviously used for the entire race--not for a part--not for the ,jews in distinction from the ,gentiles--not for those who lived under the ,old ,testament dispensation1 or till the time of ,christ's death2 but for man in his protracted existence during all future periods of time1 i4 e4 for mankind in general4 ,this is the plain import of the declaration4 ,and if we render the original with the article1 it is still more evident that the entire race is included4 ,the ,sabbath was made for the man1 i4 e4 for ,adam1 the original parent of man1 including1 of course1 his posterity4 ,but1 according to either rendering1 the entire human race is manifestly included in the term4 ,the ,sabbath1 then1 was as truly made for the ,gentiles as for the ,jews2 and for those who should live after the crucifixion1 as for those who lived before2 which is an explicit recognition of its perpetual obligation4 ,the same recognition also appears from its continued observance under the ministry of the ,apostles1 and there being not the least hint or stir in reference to its abrogation1 or to the substitution of another day in its room4 ,the weekly ,sabbath is frequently mentioned in the ,apostolic records1 as a part of practical duty1 and it was unquestionably the seventh day4 ,thus we have the continued obligation of the ,sabbath sanctioned by ,apostolic example4 ,if1 therefore1 a new edition1 or an express recognition of the ,sabbath of the fourth commandment be considered necessary1 to bind the consciences of men under the new dispensation1 the foregoing considerations will show that we have such an edition or recognition1 as truly as we have of the other precepts of the ,decalogue4 ,so that nothing is gained in regard to setting aside the seventh day of the week1 by attempting to show the abrogation of the ,decalogue4 ,if those precepts of that law which require that we should have no other gods before the ,lord--that we should not kill1 nor commit adultery1 nor steal--are newly enjoined or expressly recognized under the present dispensation1 and1 consequently1 universally binding1 the same is true of the fourth commandment1 which requires the keeping of the seventh day4 ,again1 an attempt is made to prove the abrogation of the original ,sabbath1 by showing that the entire ,decalogue was peculiar to the ,jewish nation1 constituting a national covenant1 which1 at the coming of ,christ1 was annulled1 and a new covenant introduced4 ,but admitting that it was delivered immediately to them1 in the form of a national covenant1 this does not in the least imply that it was not equally binding1 as a rule of obedience1 upon other portions of the human family4 ,we might as well argue that the ,new ,testament belonged merely to the primitive ,christians1 because it was delivered directly to them1 and constituted the rule of their conduct and the basis of their hopes4 ,yea1 we might as well suppose that no nation except the ,jews were bound not to have any other gods before the ,lord1 not to kill1 not to commit adultery1 not to steal1 not to bear false witness1 as to suppose that the ,decalogue was purely of a national character1 and binding merely on that people during their continuance as a national church4 ,and1 as the ,decalogue was not merely national as a whole1 so there was nothing national in the fourth commandment4 ,it belonged1 equally with the other nine1 to the entire family of man1 inasmuch as the essential reasons of all and of either of the commandments1 were of universal obligation4 ,again1 that the original ,sabbath was peculiar to the ,jews1 and consequently abrogated by the introduction of the new dispensation1 is argued from its being specially urged upon them by the consideration of their deliverance from ,egypt4 ,but this argument is of no force1 because the same reason is urged in the preface to the entire ,decalogue4 ,for the same purpose1 also1 an argument is founded upon the fact that the fourth commandment was enforced with a deadly penalty4 ,but this argument also fails2 because a similar penalty was annexed to the breach of the other precepts of this law4 ,the truth of the case is1 that these penalties belonged not to the ,decalogue itself as first promulgated1 any more than they belong to it now under the milder dispensation of the ,gospel4 ,they were added in the ,mosaic ritual1 and constituted a part of the political arrangements for the time being4 ,their abrogation1 therefore1 affects not the original law4 ,though there be no civil power now given to the church to enforce obedience to this precept by temporal punishments1 as formerly1 the sacredness and obligation of the institution are not thereby at all affected4 ,the sin of disobedience will be visited in ,god's own time4 ,again1 some have inferred the abrogation of the former ,sabbath1 or at least its change1 from our ,lord's vindication of the act of the disciples1 in plucking the ears of corn1 and rubbing them in their hands1 as they passed through the corn-fields on the ,sabbath day1 and from his saying1 that the ,son of ,man is ,lord also of the ,sabbath day1 ,mark #b3bc-bh4 ,but there is evidently nothing in this narrative1 or in this declaration1 to justify such an inference4 ,it must be admitted on all hands1 that the fourth commandment was obligatory1 as originally given1 till the death of ,christ1 if no further2 and therefore ,christ1 who was made under the law1 was bound to obey it in its original strictness4 ,admitting that he possessed the right1 in a given instance1 to intermit its obligation1 it is not consistent to maintain that he did it2 because he came to render perfect and universal obedience4 ,hence he affirmed1 that one jot or one tittle should in no wise pass from the law till all be fulfilled4 ,his whole life was a perfect comment on the requirements of the law4 ,had he failed in the least particular1 he would have been inadequate to the great purposes of our salvation4 ,it is obvious1 therefore1 that the transaction alluded to was not1 under the circumstances1 a breach of the fourth commandment1 but in perfect accordance with its prescriptions--the labor implied by the act of the disciples being a matter of urgent necessity4 ,it is lawful1 said he1 to do well on the ,sabbath day4 ,neither does the declaration1 that the ,son of ,man is ,lord also of the ,sabbath day1 imply that he abrogated or changed it1 but rather that he was bound and engaged to protect it as a divine institution1 and to enforce an enlightened and strict obedience to its requirements4 ,the foregoing being the principal proofs adduced for the abrogation of the ,decalogue1 and the original ,sabbath1 it is evident that this view of the subject cannot be sustained4 ,it is not sanctioned by any plain scriptural evidence4 ,it is1 therefore1 palpably absurd to rest so important a matter upon so slender a basis4 ,it is laying violent hands on a code of moral and immutable precepts1 given by ,god1 and promulgated under peculiar and terrible signs of purity and majesty1 to vindicate a practice which was introduced long after the commencement of the ,christian era4 ,another portion of the observers of the first day1 seeing the absurdity of holding to the abrogation of the ,decalogue1 and1 consequently1 of the ,sabbath of the fourth commandment1 readily admit its perpetual obligation1 but alledge that the ,sabbath is changed1 under the new dispensation1 from the seventh to the first day of the week--thus transferring the authority for keeping the seventh day to the first4 ,it is not pretended that we have an explicit warrant from ,god1 pointing out and authorizing the change in question1 but that we have what is tantamount to such a warrant4 ,we will examine the principal arguments for this supposed change4 ,in the first place1 this change is inferred from the resurrection of ,christ on the first day of the week1 which is supposed to be an event of such magnitude as to constitute an equal and even greater reason for observing the first day of the week as the weekly ,sabbath under the new dispensation1 than that which existed for observing the seventh under the old4 ,but what does this argument amount to8 ,it is not perfectly clear that the resurrection occurred on the first day of the week4 ,very plausible reasons may be assigned for the opinion1 that it occurred on the evening of the seventh day1 although it was not publicly declared till the morning of the first4 ,but admitting that it occurred on the morning of the first day1 how does this prove that it was substituted for the seventh day as the ,sabbath8 ,is the inference absolutely necessary8 ,is there any designation of the first day for a sabbatic purpose8 ,if another than the seventh day was in any wise admissible1 as according better with the ,christian dispensation and the work of redemption1 why should we fix upon the day of ,christ's resurrection1 rather than the day of his birth1 or of his crucifixion1 or of his ascension8 ,will it be alledged1 as a reason for the preference1 that he finished the work of redemption on the day of his resurrection8 ,this reason might be offered with equal if not superior propriety1 for commemorating the day of his crucifixion2 because1 when he bowed his head and gave up the ghost2 he said1 ,it is finished1 which is more than is said in reference to the day of his resurrection4 ,if a day were to be selected as a weekly ,sabbath1 which was validly the day of redemption1 it seems most proper to select the day of his death1 which was the end of his temptation and conflict with the powers of darkness1 and the severest test of his obedience2 or the day of his final ascension1 when he emphatically entered into his rest1 and was crowned ,king in ,zion4 ,if1 therefore1 a day were to be selected1 under the new economy1 for the appropriate commemoration of the work of redemption1 as the seventh day was for the commemoration of the work of creation1 it is by no means clear that it should be the day of the resurrection4 ,it might with equal1 perhaps greater propriety1 be some other day of the week4 ,and hence1 the different preferences of ,christians might clash1 and by that means counteract in a great measure the design of a ,sabbath4 ,but1 in truth1 the argument from the resurrection in favor of the first day of the week1 rests upon the wisdom of man and not upon the appointment of ,god4 ,it seems to men befitting the ends of a weekly ,sabbath1 under the ,christian dispensation1 to observe the first rather than the seventh day1 and hence a change is inferred1 without any express authority from ,god to that effect2 as though it were lawful to change a divine institution when it appears to us that greater reasons exist for a change1 than for its unamended continuance--a principle which would justify all the innovations and extravagancies of ,popery4 ,but no such power is given unto men4 ,however many and important the reasons which exist in human view for the change in the ,sabbath contended for1 it is invading ,god's prerogative to make a change without his express warrant4 ,so long1 therefore1 as there is no divine enactment which goes to authorize this change1 but the permanent and unvaried nature of the entire ,decalogue expressly forbids it1 as does the continued practice of the primitive church1 it is grossly erroneous and presumptuous to make it4 ,this argument for the supposed change is surely without any validity4 ,in the next place1 it is alledged that ,christ's appearance to the disciples1 after his resurrection1 on the first day of the week1 marks this as the ,christian ,sabbath4 ,this argument is adopted both by those who hold to the abrogation of the former institution1 and those who contend for its change4 ,but1 in reality1 it is as devoid of solid weight as the one previously examined4 ,it is easy to account for his appearing in the course of the day of his resurrection1 or of the first declaration of it1 because the earliest information of this great event was of the utmost importance to the afflicted and desponding disciples4 ,it was important1 also1 as a testimony to the truth of the ,savior's prediction that he would rise on the third day4 ,there is nothing in his several appearances during that day1 which seems intended for any other purpose than giving the necessary proof of his resurrection1 and the light and consolation which the circumstances of the disciples required4 ,there is nothing in either of them which favors the idea of a new ,sabbath4 ,but the circumstance of his appearing to the two disciples who were on a journey to ,emmaus1 and traveling a while with them1 which was a distance much too long for a ,sabbath day's journey1 expressly forbids it1 as it shows that it was regarded as a day for labor4 ,and as to his appearance the following evening1 there is nothing in that circumstance which savors of a newly appointed ,sabbath4 ,the disciples were not assembled together to keep a ,sabbath1 but for fear of the ,jews4 ,besides1 according to the ,jewish method of reckoning time1 this evening actually belonged to the second day of the week4 ,so that all which is said concerning his appearances on this day and evening1 is perfectly devoid of proof of a change of the ,sabbath4 ,as to the next appearance recorded1 there is no evidence that it occurred on the first day of the week4 ,the record states1 that ,after eight days1 again his disciples were within1 and ,thomas with them4 ,then came ,jesus1 the doors being shut1 and stood in the midst1 and said1 ,peace be unto you4 ,surely the phrase1 and after eight days1 cannot be fairly construed to mean a week4 ,who can tell but that he appeared on the ninth day after his first appearance8 ,but even if it could be so interpreted as to mean precisely a week1 and hence to show that his second appearance took place on the first day1 as before1 it would be no proof of the point in question1 because the subject of the ,sabbath was not introduced in any form4 ,the next instance of his appearing is very far from corroborating the opinion that he sanctioned the first day as the ,new ,testament ,sabbath by appearing on it2 for the disciples1 or some of them1 were fishing at the sea of ,tiberias1 and consequently were not observing the first day as a ,sabbath4 ,indeed1 this appearance must have taken place as late as the second day of the week1 if not later2 for they had been engaged in fishing1 as the record will show1 the day before he appeared to them4 ,and they could not have been so engaged on the seventh day1 because it would have been contrary to the universal and unbroken practice of their nation4 ,hence it could not have been on the first day of the week that ,christ appeared to them4 ,it must have been on the second or some later day of the week4 ,the argument1 therefore1 from the several appearances of ,christ1 amounts to nothing4 ,the next1 and the principal argument for the change of the ,sabbath1 is the supposed ,apostolic practice of meeting on the first day of the week for public worship and the breaking of bread4 ,it is often confidently affirmed1 that the keeping of the first day instead of the seventh is sanctioned by ,apostolic usage4 ,the proof of this position rests mainly on two passages4 ,let us examine them4 ,the first is ,acts #bj3g4 ,and upon the first day of the week1 when the disciples came together to break bread1 ,paul preached unto them1 ready to depart on the morrow1 and continued his speech until midnight4 ,but is there any thing in this transaction1 or the attendant circumstances1 which clearly and undeniably proves an ,apostolic example in favor of a new ,sabbath1 or of keeping the first day of the week1 in any manner1 as a substitute for the former institution8 ,surely there is not4 ,the passage does not so much as prove that the practice of meeting for worship on the first day of the week was then common and general4 ,but if it did1 it would not determine the change contended for4 ,there is nothing said in the narrative1 which characterizes it as a ,sabbath4 ,assembling for public worship is proper on any day of the week2 and so is the breaking of bread4 ,the ,supper was first administered on one of the six working days2 and there is nothing in the ,scriptures which restricts its subsequent administration to a particular day--not even to the authorized ,sabbath4 ,besides1 in this case1 the breaking of bread was deferred till after midnight4 ,of course1 according to the ,jewish reckoning of time1 it was attended actually on the second day2 and this must have been the case1 also1 according to the prevailing custom among observers of the first day1 of commencing the day at midnight4 ,it seems1 therefore1 that the ,apostle and his brethren were not very precise in regard to its being done on the first day4 ,let the most be made of this passage1 and it lacks a divine designation of the first day as the ,christian ,sabbath2 and hence it is entirely wanting as to the requisite evidence of a change in the sabbatic law4 ,surely1 if there had been such a change1 and this1 with one more instance of meeting on the first day of the week1 were to contain the evidence for all after generations1 we should have been informed of the fact4 ,something would have been said to determine that the first day of the week was regarded as a ,sabbath1 and that it had taken the place of the seventh4 ,but there is nothing of this4 ,the record is perfectly silent in regard to either point4 ,besides1 it is evident that the original ,sabbath continued to be observed1 as already noticed1 throughout the entire period of ,new ,testament history4 ,this is so plain a fact1 that no one who gives the subject a candid examination will deny it4 ,this shows the opinion of a new ,sabbath--observed1 as it must have been1 in connection with the ,sabbath of the fourth commandment1 and without a word being said on the subject1 or the least objection1 stir1 query1 or excitement whatever being raised--to be perfectly preposterous4 ,such is the result of this reasoning from a supposed ,apostolic example1 giving the passage its widest possible scope1 as implying a common practice of meeting for public worship on the first day of the week4 ,but in reality there is nothing in this text which proves or implies that such a practice was common at that period4 ,for aught appears1 it might have been an occasional meeting1 appointed merely in consequence of ,paul's being about to depart on the morrow4 ,therefore1 to adopt a practice so important as the one in question1 upon such vague1 uncertain1 and inadequate testimony--especially when1 in order thereto1 we must dispose of a plain and positive command of ,god respecting the observance of the seventh day1 and of a usage as old as the completion of the creation--is unreasonable in the extreme4 ,another passage quoted in proof of an ,apostolic example of keeping the first day of the week1 and1 consequently1 in support of the opinion that the ,sabbath is changed1 is #a ,corinthians #af3b4 ,upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store1 as ,god hath prospered him1 that there be no gatherings when ,i come4 ,this passage1 like the others1 does not imply that the first day was then commonly and generally regarded as a day for public worship4 ,indeed1 it does not necessarily imply a public meeting of any kind4 ,the direction for every one to lay by him in store1 for the benefit of the poor saints at ,jerusalem1 on the first day of the week1 necessarily amounts to no more than an appointment of this day to make up their bounty at home1 so that it might be sure to be ready when the ,apostle should come--a very judicious arrangement1 as the time of his coming for it was uncertain1 and he would not know how to wait4 ,but if it be understood to imply anything more1 it is simply that they should bring their donations together publicly on the first day of the week1 so as to be prepared in the fullest sense for the ,apostle's visit4 ,therefore1 according to this view of the case1 it proves no more than an occasional meeting on this day for the purpose of a public contribution for an important object of benevolence4 ,but even if it could be so construed as clearly to imply that it was then a common and general practice to meet for public worship and instruction on this day1 it would not thereby be pointed out to us as the ,christian ,sabbath1 and a substitute for the seventh day1 seeing that it contains no information to that effect1 and that no divine warrant appears on any part of the ,new ,testament records for the supposed change4 ,meetings for public worship1 taking up of collections1 and even breaking of bread1 do not constitute a ,sabbath1 though they are proper exercises for such a day4 ,to sabbatize is to rest from our own secular labors1 and keep a season holy to ,god4 ,these proofs for a change of the ,sabbath1 therefore1 which are unquestionably the best that can be produced1 are utterly deficient1 and the argument therefrom1 as generally presented1 is deceptive1 and unworthy of confidence4 ,another of the proofs adduced for the supposed change of the ,sabbath1 is the following prediction4 ,psalm #aah3bb-bd4 ,the stone which the builders refused is become the head stone of the corner4 ,this is the ,lord's doing2 it is marvelous in our eyes4 ,this is the day which the ,lord hath made2 we will rejoice and be glad in it4 ,but this1 like all the previous quotations1 wants solidity4 ,the main points in the argument are assumed4 ,first1 it is assumed1 that ,christ's becoming the head of the corner refers to the day of his resurrection2 whereas there is no conclusive evidence that it refers to this rather than to the day of his birth1 or of his entrance on his public ministry1 or of his final ascension into heaven4 ,next1 it is assumed that the day spoken of is a natural day of twenty-four hours2 whereas this word is often used to designate an indefinite period of time--particularly the ,gospel era 7,john #h3ef7--;and may very probably be so used here4 ,again1 it is assumed1 that the day mentioned is the first day of the week2 whereas there is nothing which designates this rather than some other in the course of his mediatorial work1 allowing a natural day to be referred to4 ,and even if the resurrection day be intended1 it is not certain that this occurred on the first day of the week4 ,it is further assumed1 that the emphasis which is laid on the day alluded to as the day which the ,lord hath made1 and in which the church would rejoice and be glad1 determines it to be the ,new ,testament ,sabbath in distinction from the ,sabbath of the fourth commandment2 whereas there is nothing in these circumstances which necessarily intimates any such change1 while there are various important considerations by which this opinion is absolutely precluded4 ,the entire argument1 therefore1 fails4 ,another argument for the change of the ,sabbath is based upon the supposition that the day of ,pentecost occurred on the first day of the week1 which was a remarkable season of the outpouring of the ,spirit1 and of ,christ's triumph as the risen and exalted ,savior4 ,but this will appear1 on a very little examination1 to be wholly inconclusive4 ,in the first place1 it is far from being conclusively proved that this event occurred on the first day of the week4 ,it is much more likely to have occurred either on the fifth or the seventh4 ,indeed1 it is quite manifest from the best calculations that can be made1 from the time of eating the passover supper1 the first paschal sabbath1 the crucifixion and the resurrection1 that it occurred on one or the other of these days4 ,secondly1 if the feast of ,pentecost had actually occurred on the first day of the week1 this would furnish no proof of its being the ,new ,testament ,sabbath1 in the absence of a divine warrant to that effect4 ,there is one other argument for the change in question1 founded on the supposed application of the title the ,lord's day1 to the first day of the week4 ,the only passage referred to for the purpose of sustaining it1 is ,revelation #a3aj4 ,i was in the spirit on the ,lord's day4 ,but that the day here called the ,lord's day1 is the first day of the week1 is merely assumed1 and hence is not to be considered as proved4 ,it is not1 in fact1 probable that this is the day referred to4 ,it is much more likely that the expression here used refers to the day of ,christ's reign2 and that ,st4 ,john meant to declare that in spirit he had a view of the scenes of that period4 ,this use of the term day is sanctioned by the ,savior's declaration1 ,abraham rejoiced to see my day1 7,john #h3ef17 as well as by the ,psalmist's1 who1 when speaking of the glories of ,christ's kingdom1 says1 ,this is the day which the ,lord hath made2 we will rejoice and be glad in it1 7,psalm #aah3bc47 ,the nature of the visions afterwards described also corroborates this view of the passage1 and warrants the opinion that the expression ,lord's day1 7or1 as some translate it1 lordly day17 here used1 does not refer to a natural day1 but to a longer period of time4 ,if1 however1 these words be understood to refer to a natural day1 it is more likely to be the seventh day1 which ,god had blessed and sanctified for his special service1 than the first day4 ,the seventh day is called by ,him my holy day1 and the holy of the ,lord--phrases very similar to the one in this passage4 ,this was also the ,sabbath which was made for man1 and of which ,christ says he is ,lord4 ,and since it was observed up to the close of the ,new ,testament history1 it would be perfectly natural for ,john to speak of it as the ,lord's day4 ,further1 there is no evidence that the first day of the week was denominated the ,lord's day1 at so early a period4 ,only one writer mentions the expression till towards the close of the second century2 and the reputed author of this passage1 when speaking1 in his ,gospel1 7which was written some years later than the ,apocalypse17 of the resurrection of ,christ1 and the first day of the week2 never intimates that the day should be called by any other name4 ,the learned ,morer1 though an advocate for the first day1 in mentioning the different days to which this phrase may be applied1 acknowledges the entire uncertainty as to what day is intended1 and says1 ,it is very likely that the more solemn and public use of the words was not observed until about the time of ,sylvester ,,ii41 when1 by ,constantine's command1 it became an injunction4 ,it is evident1 therefore1 that this passage cannot justly be used as proof that the ,sabbath had been transferred to the first day of the week4 99 99 99 99 99 ,we have now examined the proofs commonly adduced for the abrogation or change of the original ,sabbath1 and have found them utterly insufficient and deceptive4 ,hence the claims of the ,sabbath of the fourth commandment1 without alteration1 are fully sustained4 ,the advocates for the first day are aware that if an abrogation or change of the original ,sabbath law cannot be made out1 the seventh day is still the true ,sabbath4 ,dr4 ,dwight1 for instance1 makes the following admission3 ,if we cannot find in the ,scriptures plain and ample proof of the abrogation of the original day1 or the substitution of a new one1 the seventh day undoubtedly remains in full force and obligation1 and is now to be celebrated by all the race of ,adam4 ,here1 then1 the laboring oar is confessedly put into the hands of the advocates of the first day2 and with what success they have used it1 the foregoing examination will show4 ,we ask1 is it not a total failure8 ,has such plain and ample proof been produced from the ,scriptures for the supposed abrogation or change8 ,indeed1 it is evident that neither one nor the other of these things is practicable4 ,an abrogation is not practicable2 for the ,decalogue1 in which the law of the ,sabbath is contained1 is unchangeable4 ,not one jot or one tittle shall in any wise pass from the law1 till all be fulfilled2 which implies its continued obligation1 as long as moral beings exist4 ,and the change contended for is not practicable2 because the substitution of another day for the seventh would annul the institution4 ,it contains no warrant to keep the first day of the week as a ,sabbath1 but the seventh only4 ,its authority is limited to the seventh day1 and cannot be transferred4 ,the reason given for its institution1 likewise1 is limited to this day4 ,it is obvious that it will not apply to another4 ,the ,sabbath law1 therefore1 contains no warrant whatever for the observance of the first day of the week4 ,if the day is changed1 the institution is annulled2 and another institution1 in some respects similar1 but not in all1 is introduced1 in the total absence of divine authority1 and hence rests altogether upon that which is human4 ,this consideration1 of itself1 shows the absurdity of holding to the change of the original day1 while the validity of the entire ,decalogue is admitted4 ,from what has been here presented1 it is evident that the ,scriptures do not authorize the abrogation or change of the original ,sabbath1 but enforce its observance by precept and example4 ,the opposite view is supported wholly by tradition and human authority1 as an impartial examination of the history of the change will show4 ,have we not a right to expect1 then1 that when the great body of professing ,christians shall become enlightened on this subject1 and have sufficient grace and fortitude to act up to their convictions1 the result will be1 a general return to the faithful keeping of the ,sabbath of the fourth commandment8 ,published by the ,american ,sabbath ,tract ,society1 ,no4 #i ,spruce ,street1 ,n4 ,y4 ,no4 #d4 ,,the ,,sabbath ,,and ,,lord',s ,,day2 ,a ,,history ,,of ,,their ,,observance ,,in ,,the ,,christian ,,church4 ,,new ,,york3 ,,published ,,by ,,the ,,american ,,sabbath ,,tract ,,society1 ,no4 #i ,spruce-,street #aheb4 ,in the preceding numbers of this series of ,tracts1 we have given an account of the institution of the ,sabbath1 and the reasons for believing it to be moral and perpetually binding1 together with an examination of the authority for a change of the day4 ,as the result of this examination1 we have been driven to the conclusion1 that the ,sabbath was given to man in ,paradise2 that the fourth commandment was but a renforcement of it2 that the ,scriptures do not authorize a change of the day of the ,sabbath2 and that1 therefore1 the seventh day of the week ought now to be observed by all men4 ,but there are many persons who admit the early institution of the ,sabbath1 and the absence of any authority from the ,scriptures for a change1 yet suppose that the example of the early ,christians1 and the sayings of the ,fathers1 warrant them in observing the first day of the week1 to the neglect of the seventh4 ,for the benefit of such1 we now come to consider the history of the ,sabbath since the establishment of the ,christian ,church4 ,by consenting to do this1 it is not meant to admit1 that if a regard for the first day of the week can be traced to near the time of the ,apostles1 it is necessarily of apostolic authority2 for it is affirmed by ,st4 ,paul1 that even in his time the mystery of iniquity had begun to work4 ,we believe that the ,holy ,scripture containeth all things necessary to salvation1 so that whatsoever is not read therein1 nor may be proved thereby1 is not to be required of any man2 and we cannot admit1 therefore1 that the early existence of the practice is sufficient to give it divine authority1 unless sanctioned by the inspired writings4 ,in order to establish the claims of the first day of the week to be the ,sabbath1 two things are indispensable3 #a4 ,to prove from the ,scriptures that the seventh day 7which all acknowledge to have been originally the ,sabbath7 has been abrogated4 #b4 ,to show from the same source that the first day has been appointed in the place of the seventh4 ,it is not sufficient to prove that a religious regard was early paid to the first day4 ,there is an important distinction between the ,sabbath and a religious festival2 the former requiring abstinence from all ordinary labor1 and devotion of a whole day to the public and private duties of religion2 the latter requiring only the commemoration of some important event1 and allowing the time not occupied in the public celebration of it to be devoted to labor or amusement4 ,that this distinction was understood to exist between the regard for the seventh day and that for the first day1 seems evident from the fact that in the early history of the church no ,christians are charged with abandoning the ,sabbath1 while we are assured that after the meetings on the first day of the week they went about their ordinary labor4 ,this apparently innocent regard for the day on which ,christ first appeared to his disciples after his resurrection1 it is believed1 has given rise to the whole apostacy from the ,sabbath4 ,the following pages are designed to show the steps by which it was brought about4 ,the ,sabbath in the ,apostolic ,church4 ,before entering upon the history of the ,sabbath1 as it is derived from uninspired records1 it is proper to inquire how it was regarded by ,jesus ,christ and his ,apostles4 ,that ,jesus ,christ embraced the observance of the ,sabbath among other duties enjoined in the ,decalogue1 is evident from ,matt4 #e3ag3--,think not that ,i am come to destroy the law or the prophets2 ,i am not come to destroy1 but to fulfill2 for verily ,i say unto you1 till heaven and earth pass1 one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law1 till all be fulfilled4 ,he here declared the precepts of this law1 without distinction1 to be permanent and unchangeable4 ,had he commanded his disciples to keep the ,sabbath1 by enacting a new precept1 it would have been equivalent to saying that he considered it in the light of a ceremonial and expiring institution1 which1 in truth1 it was not4 ,he therefore most wisely enforced all those precepts as inseparable1 unchangeable1 and unrepealable4 ,and he plainly said1 in the connection referred to1 that no person is worthy of a place in his church1 who will break any one of these commandments1 or teach others to do so4 ,in all his subsequent allusions to this subject1 he speaks of the ,sabbath as an ancient and well-established ordinance1 founded in the nature and fitness of things1 made for and adapted to the uses of mankind4 7,mark #b3bg47 ,his example was in strict conformity with his teachings on this subject4 ,his custom was to go to places of public worship1 and to preach the ,gospel on the ,sabbath4 ,his disciples1 being educated in the observance of the ,sabbath1 could have entertained no doubts as to its perpetuity1 nor have reasons to suppose that ,christianity relaxed their obligation to observe it4 ,it is very certain1 that during the whole time that our ,lord was with his disciples before his death1 he gave no intimation to them that the duty of keeping the ,sabbath was to be in any wise affected by his death2 and we find that after this event1 the disciples rested the ,sabbath day1 according to the commandment4 7,luke #bc3ef47 ,further1 our ,saviour himself1 when speaking of the destruction of ,jerusalem1 an event not to take place until forty years after his death1 tells his disciples to pray that their flight might not be on the ,sabbath day4 ,it is difficult to conceive why this day should be spoken of at so late a period1 unless it was to continue4 ,the same views respecting the sacredness of the ,sabbath seem to have been entertained by the ,apostles1 after the resurrection of ,christ1 that they held before his death2 and they appear to have occupied that day as they had formerly done1 in attending places of public worship1 and preaching the ,gospel4 ,see ,acts #ac3ad1 #db1 #dd1 where it is said1 ,they came to ,antioch1 in ,pisidia1 and went into the synagogue on the ,sabbath day4 ,after ,paul had preached ,christ as the true ,messiah1 and when the ,jews were gone out of the synagogue1 the ,gentiles besought that these words might be preached to them the next ,sabbath4 ,and the next ,sabbath day came almost the whole city together to hear the word of ,god4 ,or1 see ,acts #af3ac1 where1 on the ,sabbath we went out of the city1 by a river side1 where prayer was wont to be made4 ,or ,acts #ae3ba--;,for ,moses1 of old time1 hath in every city them that preach him1 being read in the synagogue every ,sabbath day4 ,this last passage is given by ,st4 ,james as a reason why they should write to the ,gentile converts only that they abstain from things offered to idols1 c4 ,from this it is apparent that the custom was common1 both to hold meetings on the ,sabbath day1 and for the ,gentile ,christians to attend those meetings4 ,if it was not common1 the reading of ,moses would not benefit them4 ,if it was common1 then they kept the ,sabbath4 ,st4 ,paul1 in #a ,thess4 #b3ad1 says to the ,thessalonians1 ,for ye1 brethren1 became followers 7imitators7 of the churches of ,god1 which in ,judea are in ,christ ,jesus4 ,and as these ,gentile ,christians were followers of the churches in ,judea1 so they were ensamples1 or patterns1 to all the believers in ,macedonia1 and ,achaia4 7,ch4 #a3g47 ,as to the character of the churches in ,judea touching the ,sabbath1 we need only to consult ,acts #ba3bj4 ,it is there asserted1 that there were many thousands of the ,jews who believed1 and that they were all zealous of the law4 ,and the context shows that they were zealous of even the ceremonies of the ,jewish ritual4 ,hence we infer1 that there was uniformity with the ,jewish and ,gentile ,christians1 in the observance of the ,sabbath1 and that the whole apostolic church religiously kept it4 ,notwithstanding the ,sabbath continued to be observed until the sacred canon was closed1 it has been quite common1 since the ,reformation1 to refer to certain passages of ,scripture as indicating that the first day had been1 or was to be1 substituted for the seventh4 ,it is said that ,christ's meeting with his disciples on the evening of his resurrection day indicates that it was to be religiously regarded thereafter4 ,those who make such use of this circumstance seem to overlook1 what it is very important to remember1 that two of the disciples traveled from ,jerusalem to ,emmaus and back on that day1 a distance of fifteen miles1 and a part of this in company with the ,saviour4 ,this fact alone shows that it could not have been regarded as a ,sabbath4 ,nor is there any thing in the circumstances of the meeting to indicate it4 ,the disciples were not all present1 and those who were present had assembled for other reasons1 without any expectation of seeing the ,master4 ,the meeting after eight days affords no help4 ,who can say positively that this expression means a week8 ,or1 granting that it does mean a week1 what does the passage make for the religious character of the first day8 ,jesus met his disciples on one occasion when fishing1 and was seen of them forty days4 ,now1 if his meeting with them proves the day of that meeting to be a ,sabbath1 a fishing day would be such1 and the whole forty4 ,in regard to those two places1 7,acts #bj3g1 and #a ,cor4 #af3b17 where the expression first day of the week occurs1 they make nothing for the sanctification of the day1 since there is no hint of any such thing4 ,the meetings there spoken of were for special purposes1 and nothing was done at either which might not with perfect propriety have been done on any day4 ,it is not quite certain that the passage1 ,they came together to break bread1 refers to the ,lord's ,supper4 ,indeed1 both ,st4 ,chrysostom among the ancients1 and ,calvin among the moderns1 deny that it was to celebrate the ,supper1 and refer it to a friendly meal4 ,the text1 ,rev4 #a3aj1 where ,st4 ,john was in the spirit on the ,lord's day1 is likewise not a good proof text4 ,that reference is there had to the first day of the week1 is by no means certain4 ,there are some who refer it to a much longer period--to the gospel era2 while others1 among whom is ,bede1 refer it to the day of judgment4 ,the fact that none of those who early mention the ,lord's day refer to this passage1 is much against it4 ,in these circumstances1 it would not be safe to draw conclusions in regard to practice therefrom4 ,indeed1 none of the earliest writers found the observance of the ,lord's day upon the ,scriptures4 ,observance of the ,sabbath from the time of the ,apostles to ,constantine4 ,thus far we have been guided by the inspired ,scriptures1 and we think they prove beyond dispute1 that the ,christians of the apostolic age had received no new doctrine concerning the ,sabbath1 but continued without any change to devote the seventh day of the week to the duties of religion4 ,but we now enter a period in which the history of the ,sabbath must be derived from other sources4 ,it may be difficult to trace exactly every step which has been taken1 as the histories of the early ages are very defective on many subjects4 ,they have come to us1 to a considerable extent1 through the church of ,rome2 and since she claims to have changed the day of the ,sabbath1 it is not to be expected that testimony against herself would be very faithfully preserved4 ,in pursuing our sketch1 we shall follow the best lights we have to guide us4 ,after the period described in the ,acts of the ,apostles1 ,christianity soon became widely spread in the ,roman empire1 which1 at that time1 extended over most of the civilized world4 ,but as it receded from the time of the ,apostles1 and the number of its professors increased1 the church became gradually less spiritual1 and more disposed to deck the simple religion of ,jesus with mysteries and superstitious formalities2 and the bishops or pastors became ambitious of their authority over the churches4 ,those churches1 even in ,gentile cities1 appear to have been composed1 at first1 principally of converted ,jews1 who not only observed the weekly ,sabbath1 but also the feast of the ,passover1 adapted particularly to ,christian worship2 respecting which1 there was much contention4 ,in the mean time1 converts were greatly multiplied from among the ,gentiles and were united with those from the ,jews1 who1 not without reason1 considered themselves entitled to some distinction as the original founders of the gospel church1 and as being better informed in the writings of ,moses and the prophets1 having been in the habit of reading them every ,sabbath in the synagogues4 ,about three years after the martyrdom of ,peter and ,paul1 according to the common account1 ,judea was invaded by the ,roman armies1 and ,jerusalem was besieged and destroyed1 as our ,lord had predicted4 ,by this awful calamity1 it is supposed that most of the churches in ,judea were scattered2 for they fled their country at the approach of their enemies1 as they were taught by ,jesus ,christ to do4 7,matt4 #bd3af47 ,this war resulted not only in the breaking up of the nation1 and the destruction of a great portion of the people1 but also in bringing a general odium upon the ,jews wherever they were found2 so that even the ,christians of ,judea suffered what our ,saviour taught them to expect1 7,matt4 #bd3i17 ,and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name's sake4 ,these circumstances1 added to the enmity which formerly existed between the ,gentiles and the ,jews1 produced a prejudice which had its influence in the church in bringing into disrepute1 and in fixing a stigma upon1 whatever was regarded as ,judaism4 ,the doctrines of our ,saviour and the church1 flourishing from day to day1 continued to receive constant accessions1 says ,eusebius1 but the calamities of the ,jews also continued to grow with one accumulation of evil upon another4 ,the insurrectionary disposition of the conquered ,jews in the reign of ,trajan1 in the early part of the second century1 and the calamities that followed them1 seemed to confirm the opinion that the ,jews were given over by the ,almighty to entire destruction4 ,but their calamities increased in the reign of ,adrian1 who succeeded ,trajan1 in whose reign the revolt of the ,jews again proceeded to many and great excesses1 and ,rufus1 the lieutenant governor of ,judea1 using their madness as a pretext1 destroyed myriads of men1 women and children1 in crowds2 and by the laws of war1 he reduced their country to a state of absolute subjection1 and the degraded race to the condition of slaves4 ,the transformation of the church in ,jerusalem is thus described by ,eusebius3 ,the city of the ,jews being thus reduced to a state of abandonment for them1 and totally stripped of its ancient inhabitants1 and also inhabited by strangers2 the ,roman city which subsequently arose changing its name1 was called lia1 in honor of the emperor lias ,adrian2 and when the church was collected there of the ,gentiles1 the first bishop after those of the circumcision was ,marcus4 ,thus was extinguished the ,hebrew church in ,jerusalem1 having had a succession of fifteen pastors2 all which1 says ,eusebius1 they say1 were ,hebrews from the first4 ,at that time the whole church under them1 he adds1 consisted of faithful ,hebrews1 who continued from the time of the ,apostles to the siege that then took place4 ,this church1 which heretofore held the first rank in regard to its influence1 being now composed entirely of ,gentiles1 and stripped of its apostolic character and influence1 could no longer successfully oppose the growing ambition and influence of the bishops of the church in the metropolis of the empire4 ,up to this period1 and for some time after1 there does not appear to have been any change in the sentiments or practice of the church1 in any place1 relative to the ,sabbath2 but from what is related by subsequent writers1 which will be noticed in its place1 it is certain that it was observed by the churches universally4 ,this fact is so generally acknowledged by those acquainted with the history of the matter1 that we need refer to only a few passages in proof4 ,the learned ,grotius says1 in his ,explication of the ,decalogue1 ,therefore the ,christians also1 who believed ,christ would restore all things to their primitive practice1 as ,tertullian teacheth in ,monogamia1 kept holy the ,sabbath1 and had their assemblies on that day1 in which the law was read to them1 as appears in ,acts #ae3ba1 which custom remained till the time of the council of ,laodicea1 about ,a4 ,d4 #cfe1 who then thought meet that the gospels also should be read on that day4 ,edward ,brerewood1 ,professor in ,gresham ,college1 ,london1 in a ,treatise on the ,sabbath1 #afcj1 says3 ,it is commonly believed that the ,jewish ,sabbath was changed into the ,lord's day by ,christian emperors1 and they know little who do not know1 that the ancient ,sabbath did remain and was observed by the eastern churches three hundred years after our ,saviour's passion4 ,at what time the first day of the week came into notice as a festival in the church1 it is not easy to determine4 ,the first intimation we have of this1 in any ancient writer of acknowledged integrity1 is from ,justin ,martyr's ,apology for the ,christians1 about ,a4 ,d4 #adj4 ,he is cited as saying1 that the ,christians in the city and in the country assembled on the day called ,sunday1 and after certain religious devotions1 all returned home to their labors2 and he assigns as reasons for this1 that ,god made the world on the first day1 and that ,christ first showed himself to his disciples on that day after his resurrection4 ,these were the best1 and probably all the reasons that could then be offered for the practice4 ,he also speaks of ,sunday only as a festival1 on which they performed labor1 when not engaged in devotions1 and not as a substitute for the ,sabbath4 ,from this author we can learn nothing as to the extent of the practice2 for though he says this was done by those in the city and in the country1 he may have intended only the city of ,rome and its suburbs1 since ,justin1 although a native of ,palestine in ,syria1 is stated by ,eusebius to have made his residence in ,rome4 ,nor can we determine from this1 that he intended any thing more than that they did thus on the ,sunday in which the church of ,rome1 a short time after this1 is known to have closed the paschal feast1 which was observed annually4 ,it is contended1 however1 that mention is made of keeping the first day previous to ,justin4 ,the first intimation of this kind1 it is believed1 is from an apocryphal writing1 styled the ,epistle of ,barnabas2 but to this epistle it is objected1 that there is no evidence of its genuineness4 ,eusebius1 who lived near the time when it was written1 mentions it as a spurious writing1 entitled to no credit4 ,dr4 ,milnor says it is an injury to ,st4 ,barnabas to ascribe this epistle to him4 ,mosheim says it is the work of some superstitious ,jew of mean abilities4 ,and we think it has but little to recommend it besides its antiquity4 ,barnabas' theory for observing the first day1 rests upon the tradition that the seventh day was typical of the seventh millennium of the age of the world1 which would be purely a holy age1 and that the ,sabbath was not to be kept until that time arrived2 and he says1 ,we keep the eighth day with gladness1 in which ,jesus rose from the dead4 ,the citations from ,ignatius1 are as little to the purpose4 ,in the passage of which most use has been made1 he did not say that himself or any one else kept the ,lord's day1 as is often asserted4 ,his own words are1 that the prophets who lived before ,christ came to a newness of hope1 not by keeping ,sabbaths1 but by living according to a lordly or most excellent life4 ,in this passage1 ,ignatius was speaking of altogether a different thing from ,sabbath-keeping4 ,there is another quotation from him1 however1 in which he brings out more clearly his view of the relation existing between the ,sabbath and ,lord's day4 ,it is as follows3 ,let us not keep the ,sabbath in a ,jewish manner1 in sloth and idleness2 but let us keep it after a spiritual manner1 not in bodily ease1 but in the study of the law1 and in the contemplation of the works of ,god4 ,and after we have kept the ,sabbath1 let every one that loveth ,christ keep the ,lord's day festival4 ,from this it seems that he would have the ,sabbath kept first1 as such1 and in a manner satisfactory to the strictest ,sabbatarian1 after which the ,lord's day1 not as a ,sabbath1 but as a festival4 ,indeed1 with this distinction between the ,sabbath and a festival before us1 it is easy to explain all those passages from early historians which refer to the first day4 ,we shall find them to be either immediately connected with instructions about such seasons as ,good ,friday and ,holy ,thursday1 or in the writings of those who have recommended the observance of these festival days4 ,it is also said that ,pliny1 ,governor of ,bithynia1 ,a4 ,d4 #ajb1 in a letter to ,trajan1 states that the ,christians met on the first day of the week for worship2 but by no fair interpretation of his words can he be so understood4 ,he says1 in writing about those of his own province1 that they were accustomed to assemble on a stated day4 ,this might be referred to the first day1 if there were credible testimony that this day was alone regarded at that time2 but as there is no evidence of this1 and as the ,sabbath is known to have been the stated day of religious assembling a long time after this1 it seems more proper to refer it to the ,sabbath4 ,we will mention but one more of these misinterpreted citations1 and this is from ,dionysius1 bishop of ,corinth1 who lived a little after ,justin4 ,his letter to ,soter1 bishop of ,rome1 is cited as saying1 ,this day we celebrated the holy ,dominical day1 in which we have read your epistle4 ,as given by ,eusebius1 it is thus3 ,to-day we have passed the ,lord's holy day1 c4 ,the only ground upon which this phrase can be referred to the first day1 is1 that this day was at that time known by the same title that ,god has given to the ,sabbath1 7see ,isaiah #dh3ac17 of which there is no proof4 ,therefore it is not just to cite this passage as evidence of the observance of the first day at that time4 ,it is1 indeed1 a well-known fact1 that the first day has come into very extensive use among the great body of ,christians1 as the only day of weekly rest and worship4 ,the origin of this practice does not appear1 however1 to be as ancient1 by some centuries1 as many suppose2 nor was its adoption secured at once1 but by slow and gradual advances it obtained general notice in ,christian countries4 ,this is frankly admitted by ,morer1 an ,english ,episcopalian1 in his ,dialogues on the ,lord's day1 p4 #bcf4 ,he says1 ,in ,st4 ,jerome's time1 7that is1 in the fifth century17 ,christianity had got into the throne as well as into the empire4 ,yet for all this1 the entire sanctification of the ,lord's day proceeded slowly2 and that it was the work of time to bring it to perfection1 appears from the several steps the church made in her constitution1 and from the decrees of emperors and other princes1 wherein the prohibitions from servile and civil business advanced by degrees from one species to another1 till the day got a considerable figure in the world4 ,the same author says1 on the same page3 ,if the ,christians in ,st4 ,jerome's time1 after divine service on the ,lord's day1 followed their daily employments1 it should be remembered1 that this was not done till the worship was quite over1 when they might with innocency enough resume them1 because the length of time and the number of hours assigned for piety were not then so well explained as in after ages4 ,it is probable that no other day could have obtained the same notice in ancient times as the first day of the week did2 for there were circumstances1 aside from the resurrection1 that had an influence in promoting its observance4 ,it was at first a celebration of the same character as the fourth and sixth days of the week1 and the annual festivals of saints and martyrs4 ,these celebrations were comparatively unobjectionable1 when not permitted to interfere with a divine appointment2 but when they were made to supersede or cause a neglect of the ,sabbath1 they were criminal4 ,in respect to these days of weekly celebration1 ,mosheim1 when remarking upon this early period1 and the regard then paid to the seventh and first days1 says1 ,many also observed the fourth day1 in which ,christ was betrayed1 and the sixth day1 in which he was crucified4 ,he adds1 ,the time of assembling was generally in the evening after sunset1 or in the morning before the dawn4 ,the respect which the ,gentiles had for the first day1 or ,sunday1 while they were ,pagans1 contributed much to render its introduction easy1 and its weekly celebration popular1 among such materials as composed the body of the church of ,rome in the second1 third1 and fourth centuries4 ,the observance of the first day of the week as a festival of the ,sun1 was very general in those nations from which the ,gentile church received her converts4 ,that an idolatrous worship was paid to the ,sun and other heavenly bodies by the ,gentiles1 the ,old ,testament abundantly testifies2 and this kind of adoration paid to the ,sun in later times1 is as plainly a matter of historical record4 ,thomas ,bampfield1 an ,english writer of the seventeenth century1 quoting ,verstegan's ,antiquities1 p4 #fh1 says3 ,our ancestors in ,england1 before the light of the ,gospel came among them1 went very far in this idolatry1 and dedicated the first day of the week to the adoration of the idol of the ,sun1 and gave it the name of ,sunday4 ,this idol they placed in a temple1 and there sacrificed to it4 ,he further states1 that from his historical reading1 he finds that a great part of the world1 and particularly those parts of it which have since embraced ,christianity1 did anciently adore the ,sun upon ,sunday4 ,it is also stated by ,dr4 ,chambers1 in his ,cyclopedia1 that ,sunday was so called by our idolatrous ancestors1 because set apart for the worship of the ,sun4 ,the ,greeks and the ,latins also gave the same name to the first day of the week4 ,dr4 ,brownlee1 as quoted by ,kingsbury1 on the ,sabbath1 p4 #bbc1 also says1 ,when the descendants of ,adam apostatized from the worship of the true ,god1 they substituted in his place the ,sun1 that luminary which1 more than all others1 strikes the minds of savage people with religious awe2 and which1 therefore1 all heathens worship4 ,attachment to particular days of religious celebration1 from habit merely1 is well known1 even in our own day1 to be very strong1 and powerful convictions of duty are often required to produce a change4 ,this was no doubt well understood by the teachers of ,christianity in those times4 ,dr4 ,mosheim1 when treating on that age1 says1 that the leaders imagined that the nations would the more readily receive ,christianity when they saw the rites and ceremonies to which they had been accustomed established in the churches1 and the same worship paid to ,jesus ,christ and his martyrs which they had formerly offered to their idol deities4 ,hence it happened1 that in those times1 the religion of the ,greeks and ,romans differed but little in its external appearance from that of ,christians4 ,prejudice against the ,jews1 was another influence against the ,sabbath1 and in favor of the first day4 ,this was very strong1 and directly calculated to lead the ,gentile ,christians to fix a stigma upon every religious custom of the ,jews1 and to brand as ,judaism whatever they supposed had any connection with the ,mosaic religion4 ,hence it was that in those times1 as often occurs in our own1 to produce disaffection and disgust to the seventh day as the ,sabbath1 they spoke of it and reproached its observance as ,judaizing4 ,this feeling in relation to ,judaism led ,athanasius1 bishop of ,alexandria1 in ,egypt1 in the fourth century1 who with his people then observed the ,sabbath1 to say1 in his ,interpretation of the ,psalms1 ,we assemble on ,saturday1 not that we are infected with ,judaism1 but to worship ,jesus the ,lord of the ,sabbath4 ,in a community of ,christians whose religion was formal1 and whose celebrations were designed more to act upon their passions and senses than to improve their hearts or to conform them to divine requirements1 a more powerful argument could scarcely be used against the ,sabbath day1 or one that would more effectually promote the observance of the first day1 which was raised up as its rival4 ,dr4 ,neander says distinctly1 ,opposition to ,judaism introduced the particular festival of ,sunday very early4 ,the observance of the ,passover1 or ,easter1 by the early ,christians1 aided the introduction of the first day as a religious festival in the church1 if it was not indeed the direct cause of it4 ,this feast was held by the ,asiatic ,christians1 who began it at the same time the ,jews began their ,passover1 and ended it in like manner1 without regard to the particular day of the week4 ,the church of ,rome does not appear to have observed it until the latter part of the second century1 when1 in the time of ,victor1 bishop of ,rome1 it seems that it was observed by the ,roman and western churches4 ,victor insisted upon the fast being closed on the first day of the week1 on whatever day it might commence2 and he claimed the right1 as bishop of ,rome1 to control all the churches in this matter4 ,hence1 says ,eusebius1 there were synods and convocations of the bishops on this question1 and all 7i4 e4 the western bishops7 unanimously drew up an ecclesiastical decree1 which they communicated to all the churches in all places1 that the mystery of our ,lord's resurrection should be celebrated on no other day than the ,lord's day1 and that on this day alone we should observe the close of the paschal feasts4 ,the bishops of ,asia1 however1 persisted for a considerable time in observing the custom handed down to them by apostolic tradition1 until1 either by the threats of excommunication which were made1 or by a desire for peace1 they were induced partially to adopt the custom of the western churches4 ,this change was made1 as we are told1 partly in honor of the day1 and partly to express some difference between ,jews and ,christians4 ,but the question does not appear to have been fully settled2 for we find ,constantine1 in an epistle to the churches1 urging them to uniformity in the day of the celebration1 wherein1 after a strong invective against the practice of the ,jews1 he says1 ,for we have learned another way from our ,saviour1 which we may follow4 ,it is indeed most absurd that they should have occasion of insolent boasting on account of our not being able to observe these things in any manner unless by the aid of their instruction4 ,wherefore1 let us have nothing in common with that most odious brood of the ,jews4 ,by this contest an important point was gained for the first day1 although it was but an annual celebration4 ,the ,sabbath1 however1 does not appear to have been laid aside in any place1 but continued to be the principal day of religious worship throughout the whole ,christian church4 ,at what time the first day began to be observed weekly1 we have no particular account2 but from the favor it received from the bishops of ,rome1 and some of the ,christian fathers1 at the close of the third and beginning of the fourth century1 we suppose it had then become a practice in ,rome and some of the western churches4 ,this brings us to near the close of the third century4 ,and here it ought to be noted1 that ,lord's day1 or ,sunday1 was not the only holy-day of the ,church during these three centuries4 ,origen 7as quoted by ,dr4 ,peter ,heylyn in his ,history of the ,sabbath7 names the ,good ,friday as we call it now1 the ,parasceve as he calls it there2 the feasts of ,easter and of ,pentecost4 ,and anciently1 not only the day which is now called ,whitsunday or ,pentecost1 but all the fifty days from ,easter forward1 were accounted holy1 and solemnized with no less observance than the ,sundays were4 ,of the day of the ,ascension1 or ,holy ,thursday1 it may likewise be said1 that soon after1 it came to be more highly esteemed of than all the rest4 ,such was the estimation in which the ,lord's day was held4 ,it was on a level with those other holy days which are now disregarded by the body of the ,protestant ,church4 ,it is to be remembered1 farther1 that the term ,sabbath was applied exclusively to the seventh day of the week1 or ,saturday4 ,indeed1 wherever1 for a thousand years and upwards1 we meet the word ,sabbatum in any writer1 of what name soever1 it must be understood of no day but ,saturday4 ,the ,sabbath from the time of ,constantine to the ,reformation4 ,we have seen how the matter stood until the commencement of ,constantine's career4 ,the ,sabbath was generally observed1 while the ,lord's day was regarded as a festival of no greater importance or authority than ,good ,friday or ,holy ,thursday4 ,no text of ,scripture1 or edict of emperor1 or decree of council1 could be produced in its favor4 ,but from this time forth may be found emperors and councils combining to give importance to the ,lord's day and to oppose the ,sabbath4 ,an important change in the regard paid to the first day was produced soon after the accession of ,constantine1 the first ,christian emperor1 in the early part of the fourth century4 ,when he became master of ,rome1 he soon gave himself up to the guidance of the ,christian clergy4 ,according to ,jones' ,church ,history1 ,he built places of public worship2 he encouraged the meeting of synods and bishops2 honored them with his presence1 and employed himself continually in aggrandizing the church4 ,he was scrupulously attentive to the religious rites and ceremonies which were prescribed to him by the clergy4 ,he fasted1 observed the feasts in commemoration of the martyrs1 and devoutly watched the whole night on the vigils of the saints1 and showed great anxiety for uniformity in the doctrines and observances of religion in the church4 ,he was1 therefore1 exactly suited to the wishes of the ,roman bishop and clergy1 in establishing1 by his imperial authority1 what they had no ,scripture to support1 and what their influence had hitherto been insufficient to effect1 viz4 a uniformity in the celebration of ,easter and the first day4 ,in #cba1 ,constantine first published his edicts enjoining upon his subjects these superstitious celebrations4 ,eusebius1 in his ,life of ,constantine1 says3 ,he appointed as a suitable time for prayers the ,dominical day1 which then was an especial day1 and now is undoubtedly the very first4 ,his body guard observed the day1 and offered on it prayers written by the ,emperor4 ,the happy prince endeavored to persuade all to do this1 and by degrees to lead all to the worship of ,god2 wherefore he determined that those obeying ,roman power should abstain from every work upon the days named after the ,saviour1 that they should venerate also the day before the ,sabbath1 in memory1 as seems to me1 of the events occurring on those days to our common ,saviour4 ,he says again1 ,an edict also1 by the will and pleasure of the ,emperor1 was transmitted to the ,prefects of the provinces1 that they thenceforth should venerate the ,dominical day2 that they should honor the days consecrated to the martyrs1 and should celebrate the solemnities of the festivals in the churches1 all which was done according to the will of the ,emperor4 ,and1 as quoted by ,lucius1 he says1 that he admonished his subjects likewise that those days which were ,sabbaths should be honored or worshiped4 ,sozomen1 in his ,ecclesiastical ,history1 b4 #a1 c4 #h1 says1 ,he 7,constantine7 also made a law that on the ,dominical day1 which the ,hebrews call the first day of the week1 the ,greeks the day of the ,sun1 and also on the day of ,venus1 7i4 e4 ,friday17 judgments should not be given1 or other business transacted1 but that all should worship ,god with prayer and supplications1 and venerate the ,dominical day1 as on it ,christ rose from the dead1 and the day of ,venus1 as the day on which he was fixed to the cross4 ,dr4 ,chambers says1 ,it was ,constantine the ,great who first made a law for the observance of ,sunday1 and who1 according to ,eusebius1 appointed that it should be regularly celebrated throughout the ,roman empire4 ,before him1 and even in his time1 they observed the ,jewish ,sabbath as well as ,sunday1 both to satisfy the law of ,moses1 and to imitate the ,apostles1 who used to meet together on the first day4 ,he adds1 ,indeed1 some are of opinion that the ,lord's day mentioned in the ,apocalypse is our ,sunday1 which they will have to have been so early instituted4 ,by ,constantine's laws1 made in #cba1 it was decreed that for the future the ,sunday should be kept a day of rest in all cities and towns2 but he allowed the country people to follow their work4 ,in #ech1 the ,council of ,orleans prohibited this country labor4 ,to give the more solemnity to the first day of the week1 7as we learn from ,lucius' ,ecclesiastical ,history17 ,sylvester1 who was bishop of ,rome while ,constantine was ,emperor1 changed the name of ,sunday1 giving it the more imposing title of ,lord's day4 ,it cannot be doubted1 that the laws of ,constantine did much to make the first day conspicuous throughout the empire1 as all public business was forbidden upon it4 ,they changed its character from a special day1 in which1 as a weekly festival1 all kinds of business and labor were performed in city and country1 to be1 as ,eusebius says1 the very first4 ,this imperial favor for the first day operated against all who conscientiously regarded the ,sabbath from respect to the fourth commandment1 in obedience to which the seventh day had always been observed2 and if it had produced a general abandonment of its observance1 it would not have been very surprising1 considering the influence of court example1 and the general ignorance and darkness of the age4 ,this1 however1 does not appear to have been the case4 ,the ,sabbath was still extensively observed2 and to counteract it the ,council of ,laodicea1 about ,a4 ,d4 #cej1 passed a decree saying1 ,it is not proper for ,christians to ,judaize1 and to cease from labor on the ,sabbath1 but they ought to work on that day1 and put especial honor upon the ,lord's day1 as ,christians4 ,if any be found ,judaizing1 let him be anathematized4 ,but this did not produce any material change1 for ,socrates1 a writer of the fifth century1 who resided at ,constantinople1 makes the following remarks upon the celebration of the ,sabbath at the time he wrote1 ,a4 ,d4 #ddj4 ,he says1 ,there are various customs concerning assembling2 for though all the churches throughout the whole world celebrate the sacred mysteries on the ,sabbath day1 yet the ,alexandrians and the ,romans1 from an ancient tradition1 refuse to do this2 but the ,egyptians who are in the neighborhood of ,alexandria1 and those inhabiting ,thebais1 indeed have assemblies on the ,sabbath1 but do not participate in the mysteries1 as is the custom of the ,christians4 ,at ,csarea1 ,cappadocia1 and in ,cyprus1 on the ,sabbath and ,dominical day1 at twilight1 with lighted lamps1 the presbyters and bishops interpret the ,scriptures4 ,at ,rome they fast every ,sabbath4 ,this account of the manner of celebrating the ,sabbath in the fifth century1 is corroborated by ,sozomen1 in his ,ecclesiastical ,history1 b4 #g1 c4 #i4 ,he says1 ,at ,constantinople1 and almost among all1 the ,christians assembled upon the ,sabbath1 and also upon the first day of the week1 excepting at ,rome and ,alexandria2 the ecclesiastical assemblies at ,rome were not upon the ,sabbath1 as in almost all other churches of the rest of the world2 and in many cities and villages in ,egypt1 they used to commune in the evening of the ,sabbath1 on which day there were public assemblies4 ,in regard to fasting on the ,sabbath at ,rome1 referred to by ,socrates1 it ought to be said1 that from the earliest times to the fourth century1 the practice had been to observe the ,sabbath as a holiday4 ,but the ,church of ,rome1 in its opposition to the ,jews1 made it a fast day1 that the separation might be marked and strong4 ,in the eastern churches they never fasted upon the ,sabbath1 excepting one ,sabbath in the year1 which was the day before the ,passover4 ,but in the western churches they celebrated a fast every week4 ,it was in reference to this that ,ambrose said1 ,when ,i come to ,rome1 ,i fast upon the ,sabbath2 when ,i am here1 ,i do not fast4 ,augustine also said concerning this1 ,if they say it is sinful to fast on the ,sabbath1 then they would condemn the ,roman ,church1 and many places near to and far from it4 ,and if they should think it a sin not to fast on the ,sabbath1 then they would blame many eastern churches1 and the far greater part of the world4 ,this ,sabbath fasting was opposed by the eastern church2 and in the sixth general council1 held at ,constantinople1 it was commanded that the ,sabbath and ,dominical days be kept as festivals1 and that no one fast or mourn upon them4 ,the practice of fasting1 therefore1 was chiefly in the western churches1 about ,rome4 ,it is perhaps difficult to determine exactly the relative importance attached to the seventh and first days of the week at this time4 ,sufficient may be found1 however1 to assure us1 that the ,sabbath was observed1 and that no one regarded ,sunday as having taken its place4 ,this is shown by the provision of the ,council of ,laodicea1 ,a4 ,d4 #cfe1 that the ,gospels should be read on that day4 ,it is shown by the action of a ,council in #eag1 7mentioned in ,robinson's ,history of ,baptism17 which regulated and enforced the observance of the ,sabbath4 ,it is shown by the expostulation of ,gregory of ,nyssa1 ,how can you look upon the ,lord's day1 if you neglect the ,sabbath8 ,do you not know that they are sisters1 and that in despising the one you affront the other8 ,and as sisters we find them hand in hand in the ecclesiastical canons4 ,penalties were inflicted by the council2 both of ,laodicea and ,trullo1 on clergymen who did not observe both days as festivals4 ,how the first day of the week1 or ,lord's day1 was observed in the early part of the fifth century1 we may learn from the words of ,st4 ,jerome4 ,in a funeral oration for the ,lady ,paula1 he says3 ,she1 with all her virgins and widows who lived at ,bethlehem in a cloister with her1 upon the ,lord's day1 repaired duly to the church1 or house of ,god1 which was nigh to her cell2 and after her return from thence to her own lodgings1 she herself and all her company fell to work1 and they all performed their task1 which was the making of clothes and garments for themselves and for others1 as they were appointed4 ,st4 ,chrysostom1 patriarch of ,constantinople1 recommended to his audience1 after impressing upon themselves and their families what they had heard on the ,lord's day1 to return to their daily employments and trades4 ,dr4 ,francis ,white1 ,lord ,bishop of ,ely1 speaking of this matter1 says1 ,the ,catholic ,church1 for more than six hundred years after ,christ1 permitted labor1 and gave license to many ,christian people to work upon the ,lord's day1 at such hours as they were not commanded to be present at the public service by the precepts of the church4 ,in the sixth century efforts were made to prevent this labor4 ,the following promulgation of a synod held by command of ,king ,junthran1 of ,burgundy1 will show the condition of things1 and the means used to improve it2 ,we see the ,christian people1 in an unadvised manner1 deliver to contempt the ,dominical day1 and1 as in other days1 indulge on continual labor4 ,therefore they determined to teach the people subject to them to keep the ,dominical day1 which1 if not observed by the lawyer1 he should irreparably lose his cause1 and if a countryman or servant did not keep it1 he should be beaten with heavier blows of cudgels4 ,the council of ,orleans1 held #ech1 prohibited the country labor on ,sunday which ,constantine by his laws permitted4 ,according to ,chambers1 this council also declared1 that to hold it unlawful to travel with horses1 cattle1 and carriages1 to prepare food1 or to do any thing necessary to the cleanliness and decency of houses or persons1 savors more of ,judaism than ,christianity4 ,according to ,lucius1 in another council held in ,narbonne1 in ,france1 in the seventh century1 they also forbid this country work4 ,early in the seventh century1 in the time of ,pope ,gregory ,i41 the subject of the ,sabbath attracted considerable attention4 ,there was one class of persons who declared1 that it was not lawful to do any manner of work upon the ,saturday1 or the old ,sabbath2 another1 that no man ought to bathe himself on the ,lord's day1 or their new ,sabbath4 ,against both of these doctrines ,pope ,gregory wrote a letter to the ,roman citizens4 ,baronius1 in his ,councils1 says1 ,this year 7#fjc7 at ,rome1 ,st4 ,gregory1 the ,pope1 corrected that error which some preached1 by ,jewish superstition1 or the ,grecian custom1 that it was a duty to worship on the ,sabbath1 as likewise upon the ,dominical day2 and he calls such preachers the preachers of ,antichrist4 ,nearly the same doctrine was preached again in the time of ,gregory ,,vii41 ,a4 ,d4 #ajgd1 about five hundred years after what we are now speaking of4 ,this is sufficient to show that the ,sabbath was kept until those times of decline which introduced so many errors in faith and practice4 ,indeed1 it is sufficient to show1 that wherever the subject has been under discussion1 the ,sabbath has found its advocates1 both in theory and in practice4 ,according to ,lucius1 ,pope ,urban ,,ii41 in the eleventh century1 dedicated the ,sabbath to the ,virgin ,mary1 with a mass4 ,binius says1 ,pope ,innocent ,i4 constituted a fast on the ,sabbath day1 which seems to be the first constitution of that fast2 but dedicating the ,sabbath to the ,virgin ,mary was by ,urban ,,ii41 in the latter part of the eleventh century4 ,about this time we find ,esychius teaching the doctrine that the precept for the observance of the ,sabbath is not one of the commandments1 because it is not at all times to be observed according to the letter2 and ,thomas ,aquinas1 another ,romish ecclesiastic1 saying1 that it seems to be inconvenient that the precept for observing the ,sabbath should be put among the precepts of the ,decalogue1 if it do not at all belong to it2 that the precept1 ',thou shall not make a graven image1' and the precept for observing the ,sabbath1 are ceremonial4 ,the observance of the first day was not so early in ,england and in ,scotland as in most other parts of the ,roman ,empire4 ,according to ,heylyn1 there were ,christian societies established in ,scotland as early as ,a4 ,d4 #dce2 and it is supposed that the gospel was preached in ,england in the first century by ,st4 ,paul1 ,for many ages after ,christianity was received in those kingdoms1 they paid no respect to the first day4 ,binius1 a ,catholic writer1 in the second volume of his works1 gives some account of the bringing into use of the ,dominical day ,sunday in ,scotland1 as late as ,a4 ,d4 #abjc4 ,this year1 he says1 a council was held in ,scotland concerning the introduction of the ,lord's day1 which council was held in #abjc1 in the time of ,pope ,innocent ,,iii41 and he quotes as his authority ,roger ,hoveden1 ,matth4 ,paris1 and ,lucius' ,eccl4 ,hist4 ,he says1 ,by this council it was enacted that it should be holy time from the twelfth hour on ,saturday noon until ,monday4 ,boethus 7de ,scottis1 p4 #cdd7 says1 ,in #abjc1 ,william1 king of ,scotland1 called a council of the principal of his kingdom1 by which it was decreed1 that ,saturday1 from the twelfth hour at noon1 should be holy1 that they should do no profane work1 and this they should observe until ,monday4 ,binius says that in #abja ,eustachius1 ,abbot of ,flay1 came to ,england1 and therein preached from city to city1 and from place to place4 ,he prohibited using markets on ,dominical days2 and for this he professed to have a special command from heaven4 ,the history of this singular document1 entitled1 ,a holy ,command of the ,dominical ,day1 the pious ,abbot stated to be this3 ,it came from ,heaven to ,jerusalem1 and was found on ,st4 ,simeon's tomb in ,golgotha4 ,and the ,lord commanded this epistle1 which for three days and three nights men looked upon1 and falling to the earth1 prayed for ,god's mercy4 ,and after the third hour1 the patriarch stood up2 and ,akarias the archbishop stretched out his mitre1 and they took the holy epistle of ,god and found it thus written4 ,we give some extracts from this epistle1 partly as a matter of curiosity1 and partly to show the credulity of our ancestors1 and the means by which they were awed into what was to them a new religious observance4 ,i1 the ,lord1 who commanded you that ye should observe the ,dominical day1 and ye have not kept it1 and ye have not repented of your sins1 as ,i said by my gospel1 heaven and earth shall pass away1 but my word shall not pass away2 ,i have caused repentance unto life to be preached unto you1 and ye have not believed2 ,i sent pagans against you1 who shed your blood1 yet ye believed not2 and because ye kept not the ,dominical day1 for a few days ye had famine2 but ,i soon gave you plenty1 and afterwards ye did worse2 ,i will again1 that none from the ninth hour of the ,sabbath until the rising of the sun on ,monday1 do work any thing unless what is good1 which if any do1 let him amend by repentance2 and if ye be not obedient to this command1 amen1 ,i say unto you1 and ,i swear unto you by my seat1 and throne1 and cherubim1 who keep my holy seat1 because ,i will not change any thing by another epistle2 but ,i will open the heavens1 and for rain ,i will rain upon you stones1 and logs of wood1 and hot water by night1 and none may be able to prevent1 but that ,i may destroy all wicked men4 ,this ,i say unto you1 ye shall die the death1 because of the ,dominical holy day and other festivals of my saints which ye have not kept4 ,i will send unto you beasts having the heads of lions1 the hair of women1 and tails of camels2 and they shall be so hunger-starved that they shall devour your flesh1 and ye shall desire to flee to the sepulchres of the dead1 and hide you for fear of the beasts2 and ,i will take away the light of the sun from your eyes2 and ,i will send upon you darkness1 that without seeing ye may kill one another2 and ,i will take away my face from you1 and will not show you mercy2 for ,i will burn the bodies and hearts of all who keep not the ,dominical holy day4 ,hear my voice1 lest ye perish in the land because of the ,dominical holy day4 ,now know ye1 that ye are safe by the prayers of my most holy mother ,mary1 and of my holy angels who daily pray for you4 ,i gave you the law from ,mount ,sinai1 which ye have not kept4 ,for you ,i was born into the world1 and my festivals ye have not known2 the ,dominical day of my resurrection ye have not kept2 ,i swear to you by my right hand1 unless ye keep the ,dominical day and the festivals of my saints1 ,i will send pagans to kill you4 ,provided with this new command from heaven1 ,eustachius preached in various parts of ,england against the desecration of the ,dominical day1 and other festivals2 and gave the people absolution upon condition that they hereafter reverence the ,dominical day1 and the festivals of the saints4 ,and the people vowed to ,god1 that thereafter they would neither buy nor sell any thing but food on ,sunday4 ,then1 says ,binius1 the enemy of man1 envying the admonitions of this holy man1 put it into the heart of the king and nobility of ,england1 to command that all who should keep the aforesaid traditions1 and chiefly all who had cast down the markets for things vendible upon the ,dominical day1 should be brought to the king's court to make satisfaction about observing the ,dominical day4 ,binius relates many miraculous things that occurred on the ,sabbath to those that labored after the ninth hour 7i4 e4 after three o'clock in the afternoon7 of the seventh day1 or ,saturday4 ,he says1 that upon a certain ,sabbath1 after the ninth hour1 a carpenter1 for making a wooden pin1 was struck with the palsy2 and a woman1 for knitting on the ,sabbath1 after the ninth hour1 was also struck with the palsy4 ,a man baked bread1 and when he broke it to eat1 blood came out4 ,another1 grinding corn1 blood came in a great stream instead of meal1 while the wheel of his mill stood still against a vehement impulse of water4 ,heated ovens refused to bake bread1 if heated after the ninth hour of the ,sabbath2 and dough1 left unbaked out of respect to ,eustachius' new doctrine1 was found on ,monday morning well baked without the aid of fire4 ,these fables were industriously propagated throughout the kingdom2 yet the people1 says ,binius1 fearing kingly and human power more than divine1 returned as a dog to his own vomit1 to keep markets of saleable things upon the ,dominical day4 ,mr4 ,bampfield1 in his ,enquiry1 p4 #c1 says1 ,the king and princes of ,england1 in #abjc1 would not agree to change the ,sabbath1 and keep the first day1 by this authority4 ,this was in the time of ,king ,john1 against whom the popish clergy had a great pique for not honoring their prelacy and the monks1 by one of whom he was finally poisoned4 ,binius 7,councils1 cent4 #ac7 states that ,king ,john of ,england1 in #abjh1 in the tenth year of his reign1 for not submitting to popish impositions upon his prerogatives1 was excommunicated by the ,pope1 and his kingdom interdicted1 which occasioned so much trouble at home and abroad1 that it forced him at last to lay down his crown at the feet of ,mandulphus1 the ,pope's agent4 ,after he was thus humbled by that excommunication and interdiction1 the king1 in the fifteenth year of his reign1 by writ1 removed the market of the city of ,exon from ,sunday1 on which it was held1 to ,monday4 ,the market of ,lanceston was removed from the first to the fifth day of the week4 ,in the second and third years of ,henry ,,iii4 many other markets were removed from the first to other days of the week1 which the ,king at first would not permit4 ,he also issued a writ which permitted the removal of markets from the first day to other days without special license4 ,the ,parliament of ,england met on ,sundays until the time of ,richard ,,ii41 who adjourned it from that to the following day4 ,in #abjc1 according to ,boethus1 a council was held in ,scotland to inaugurate the king1 and concerning the feast of the ,sabbath2 and there came also a legate from the ,pope1 with a sword and purple hat1 and indulgences and privileges to the young king4 ,it was also there decreed1 that ,saturday1 from the twelfth hour at noon1 should be holy4 ,the ,magdeburgenses say that this ,council was about the observance of the ,dominical day newly brought in1 and that they ordained that it should be holy from the twelfth hour of ,saturday even till ,monday4 ,binius says1 ,a synod was held in ,oxford1 ,a4 ,d4 #abbc1 by ,stephen1 ,archbishop of ,canterbury1 where they determined that the ,dominical day be kept with all veneration1 and a fast upon the ,sabbath4 ,according to ,bampfield1 the first law of ,england made for the keeping of ,sunday1 was in the time of ,edward ,,vi41 about #adgj4 ,parliament then passed an act1 by which ,sunday and many holy days1 the feasts of all ,saints and of holy ,innocents1 were established as festivals by law4 ,this provided also1 that it should be lawful for husbandmen1 laborers1 fishermen1 and all others in harvest1 or at any other time of the year when necessity should require1 to labor1 ride1 fish1 or do any other kind of work1 at their own free will and pleasure1 upon any of the said days4 ,by such means as these1 the observance of the first day was gradually forced upon the people wherever they owned allegiance to the ,pope as head of the church1 and the ,sabbath was as gradually brought into contempt and disuse4 ,the process by which the change was effected appears to be this3 ,by first obtaining an annual celebration of the first day at the close of the ,passover1 in honor of the resurrection2 then a partial observance of the day weekly1 it being generally so observed among the heathen2 then obtaining for it the support of civil laws1 ecclesiastical canons and penalties1 and by giving it the title of ,lord's day2 then by requiring the consecration of the entire day4 ,to abate and ultimately eradicate all respect for the ,sabbath1 it was first turned into a fast2 then it was dedicated to the ,virgin ,mary1 resting upon it was stigmatized as ,judaism and heresy1 and the preaching of it was called ,antichrist2 and finally the fourth commandment was pronounced ceremonial1 and was effectually abstracted from the ,decalogue4 ,and thus1 so far as the ,roman church was concerned1 the point was gained2 and thus1 probably1 she performed her part in the fulfillment of the prophecy of ,daniel1 7#g3be17 ,he shall think to change ,,times and ,,laws2 and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time4 ,the cause of the ,sabbath must also have been seriously affected by the rise of the ,ottoman ,empire in the seventh century1 and the success of the ,mahometans in conquering the eastern division of the church4 ,mahomet formed the plan of establishing a new religion1 or1 as he expressed it1 of replanting the only true and ancient one professed by ,adam1 ,noah1 ,abraham1 ,moses1 ,jesus1 and the prophets2 by destroying idolatry1 and weeding out the corruptions which the later ,jews and ,christians had1 as he supposed1 introduced4 ,he was equally opposed to both ,jews and ,christians4 ,to distinguish his disciples from each1 he selected as their day of weekly celebration the sixth day1 or ,friday4 ,and thus1 as a writer of the seventeenth century remarks1 they and the ,romanists crucified the ,sabbath1 as the ,jews and the ,romans did the ,lord of the ,sabbath1 between two thieves1 the sixth and the first day of the week4 ,we have thus traced the history of the ,sabbath in the ,roman church down to the thirteenth century2 and we see that through the whole of this period1 the seventh day every where retained the honor of being called the ,sabbath1 and that no other day had ever borne that title2 that not until the remarkable letter found on ,st4 ,simeon's tomb1 had it been asserted by any one1 that the observance of the first day1 ,lord's day1 or ,sunday1 was enjoined by the authority of ,jesus or his apostles1 nor was any example of theirs plead in its favor4 ,even then it was not pretended that the ,scriptures required its observance4 ,there are some traces of the ,sabbath among those ,christians who separated from the ,catholic communion1 or were never embraced in it4 ,the ,greek church separated from them about the middle of the eleventh century1 and had a larger extent of empire than the papists4 ,according to ,brerewood's ,enquiries1 p4 #abh1 this church solemnized ,saturday festivals1 and forbade as unlawful to fast on any ,saturday except in ,lent1 retaining the custom followed before their separation4 ,the same author states that the ,syrian ,christians1 who composed a numerous body in the ,east1 celebrated divine worship solemnly on both the ,sabbath and first day1 continuing the custom of the ,roman church at the time they separated from that community4 ,sandy's ,travels1 p4 #agc1 speak of a ,christian empire in ,ethiopia that celebrate both ,saturday and ,sunday1 that they have divers errors and many ancient truths4 ,the ,abyssinian ,christians1 another numerous body1 are represented as being similar in some respects to the ,papists2 and ,purchase speaks of them as subject to ,peter and ,paul1 and especially to ,christ1 and as observing the ,saturday ,sabbath4 ,they are also mentioned by ,brerewood4 ,mosheim mentions a sect of ,christians in the twelfth century1 in ,lombardy1 called ,pasaginians1 charged with circumcising their followers1 and keeping the ,jewish ,sabbath4 ,mr4 ,benedict considers the account of their practicing the bloody rite a slander charged on them on account of their keeping the ,jewish ,sabbath4 ,binius says that in #aeee there were ,christians in ,rome who kept the ,sabbath1 and were therefore called ,sabbatarii1 and they are represented as differing in other respects from the ,romanists4 ,many of the ,armenian ,christians are believed to observe the ancient ,sabbath4 ,dr4 ,buchanan1 in his ,researches1 when speaking of those of them who are settled in the ,east ,indies1 says1 ,their doctrines are1 as far as the author knows1 the doctrines of the ,bible4 ,besides this1 they maintain the solemn observation of ,christian worship throughout our empire on the seventh day4 ,probably there has not existed a class of ,christians since the times of the ,apostles1 who could more justly claim to be ,apostolic than the ,waldenses1 formerly a numerous people living in the valleys of ,piedmont2 whither they retired1 says ,burnside1 on the promulgation of ,constantine's laws for the observance of the first day1 in the fourth century2 and where they remained1 according to ,scaliger and ,brerewood1 in the time of ,elizabeth of ,england1 in the latter part of the sixteenth century4 ,they adhered firmly to the apostolic faith1 and suffered severe persecutions from the ,catholics4 ,robinson1 in his ,history of ,baptism1 says1 ,they were called ,sabbati and ,sabbatati1 so named from the ,hebrew word ,sabbath1 because they kept the ,saturday for the ,lord's day4 ,they were also called ,insabbatati1 because they rejected all the festivals1 or ,sabbaths1 in the low ,latin sense of the word4 ,the account the ,papists gave of their sentiments in #abej1 was briefly this3 ,that they declared themselves to be the apostolic successors1 and to have apostolic authority2 that they held the church of ,rome to be the 'whore of ,babylon2' that none of the ordinances of the church which have been introduced since ,christ's ascension ought to be observed2 that baptism is of no advantage to infants1 because they cannot actually believe4 ,they reject the sacrament of confirmation1 but instead of that their teachers lay their hands upon their disciples4 ,jones1 in his ,church ,history1 says that because they would not observe saints' days1 they were falsely supposed to neglect the ,sabbath also4 ,another of their enemies1 an ,inquisitor of ,rome1 charged them with despising all the feasts of ,christ and his saints4 ,another1 a ,commissioner of ,charles ,,xii4 of ,france1 reported to him1 that he found among them none of the ceremonies1 images1 or signs of the ,romish church1 much less the crimes with which they were charged2 on the contrary1 they kept the ,sabbath day1 observed the ordinance of baptism according to the primitive church1 and instructed their children in the articles of the ,christian faith and commandments of ,god4 ,the ,sabbath since the ,reformation4 ,with the commencement of the ,reformation1 a new spirit of religious inquiry was awakened4 ,nearly every item of ,christian practice was brought under review1 and not dismissed until either approved or rejected4 ,among the subjects for discussion we find the ,sabbath early introduced and thoroughly examined4 ,there were three leading views then maintained by different classes of ,reformers1 which deserve particular notice4 #a4 ,one class of ,reformers there was1 who1 dwelling alone on the sufficiency of faith1 and the freeness of the ,gospel1 trembled at the thought of imposing rules upon men1 and seemed to fear the term law4 ,these declared1 that the law of the ,sabbath was abolished2 that ,sunday was no ,sabbath1 only a festival of the church1 which had been appointed and might be altered at her pleasure4 ,that we may not be thought in error here1 as well as to give a full understanding of the opinions of that time1 we will present the assertions of some of these men4 ,bishop ,cranmer's ,catechism1 ,a4 ,d4 #aedh1 says3 ,the ,jews were commanded in the ,old ,testament to keep the ,sabbath-day1 and they observed it every seventh day1 called the ,sabbath1 or ,saturday2 but we ,christian men are not bound to such commandments in ,moses' law1 and therefore we now keep no more the ,sabbath1 or ,saturday1 as the ,jews did1 but we observe the ,sunday1 and some other days1 as the magistrates do judge convenient4 ,william ,tindal says1 in his answer to ,more1 chap4 #be3 ,we be lords over the ,sabbath1 and may change it into ,monday1 or any other day1 as we see need2 or may make every tenth day holy-day1 only if we see cause why2 we may make two every week1 if it were expedient1 and one not enough to teach the people4 ,neither was there any cause to change it from the ,saturday1 other than to put a difference between us and the ,jews1 and lest we should become servants to the day after their superstition4 ,bullinger1 on ,rev4 #a3aj1 says3 ,christian churches entertained the ,lord's day1 not upon any commandment from ,god1 but according to their free choice4 ,melancthon says3 ,the ,lord's day1 from the ,apostles' age1 hath been a solemn day2 notwithstanding1 we find not the same commanded by any apostolic law2 but it is collected from hence that the observance thereof was free1 because ,epiphanius and ,st4 ,augustine testify that on the fourth and the sixth days of the week church assemblies were held1 as well as upon the ,lord's day4 ,the ,augustan ,confession1 drawn up by ,melancthon1 and approved by ,luther1 says3 ,we teach that traditions are not to be condemned which have a religious end1444 namely1 traditions concerning holy-days1 the ,lord's day1 the feast of the nativity1 easter1 c4 ,these passages distinctly do away with the ,sabbath1 and place the observance of the ,lord's day on the ground of human authority4 ,in the books of some early authors who adopted those views1 may be found frequent references to a difficulty which drove them to deny the perpetuity of the ,sabbath4 ,bishop ,white1 in #afce1 says3 ,if the fourth commandment1 concerning the keeping of the seventh day1 is moral and perpetual1 then it is not such in respect to the first and eighth day2 for this precept requireth the observance of that one day only which it specifieth in that commandment4 ,in speaking of the ,lord's day1 he says3 ,every day of the week and of the year is the ,lord's2 and the ,sunday is no more the ,lord's by the law of the fourth commandment1 than the ,friday1 for the ,lord's day of that fourth commandment is the ,saturday4 ,from each of these quotations1 it appears to have been felt to be inconsistent to admit the perpetuity of the ,sabbath1 without keeping the seventh day4 ,but to come back to this ancient day1 and keep it in company with ,jews1 seemed too great a change4 ,hence the abrogation of the institution was asserted1 as the easiest way of escaping from the dilemma4 ,john ,milton1 speaking of this difficulty1 says3 ,if we under the ,gospel are to regulate the time of our public worship by the prescriptions of the ,decalogue1 it will surely be far safer to observe the seventh day1 according to the express command of ,god1 than1 on the authority of mere human conjecture1 to adopt the first4 ,another influence which led to the rejection of the ,sabbath by these men1 was the view of it which was held by the ,romish ,church4 ,when the leaders of the ,reformation separated from that church1 it was claimed that all her festival days1 including ,sundays1 were holier than other days1 not only in relation to the use made of them1 but to a natural and inherent holiness wherewith they thought them to be invested4 ,in addition to this1 many and hurtful restraints had been imposed upon the consciences of ,god's people1 until these were days of punishment1 rather than of holy pleasure and profit4 ,seeing these days perverted from their real design1 and made the means of strengthening papal power1 it is not surprising that they were discarded together4 ,anxious to escape one error1 they fell into another equally dangerous4 #b4 ,but another class of ,reformers1 7probably somewhat fearful of the consequences of those lax notions to which we have just referred17 considering that the ,sabbath was given in ,paradise1 rehearsed at ,sinai1 and placed among the precepts of the ,decalogue1 declared that it must be moral in its nature1 and perpetually binding4 ,but having admitted its perpetuity1 and having rested its claims upon the fourth commandment1 the way of explaining and enforcing the change of the day presented an obstacle to the spread of this view4 ,how this was treated1 let their own words answer4 ,dr4 ,bound1 in #aeie1 says1 ,the fourth commandment is simply and perpetually moral1 and not ceremonial in whole or in part4 ,richard ,byfield1 #afcj1 says1 ,the fourth commandment is part of the law of nature1 and thus part of the image of ,god1 and is no more capable of a ceremony to be in it than ,god is4 ,afterwards he says1 ,the institution of the ,lord's day is clearly in the work of ,christ's resurrection1 as the institution of the seventh day was in the work of finishing the creation4 ,the resurrection applieth and determineth the ,sabbath of the fourth commandment to the ,lord's day4 ,such was the course of reasoning adopted by this class of persons4 ,having established the morality and perpetuity of the ,sabbath by means of ,scripture1 and brought the sanctions of the ,word of ,god to sustain them1 they apply all this to the support of an institution1 the existence and time of keeping which is inferred from ,christ's resurrection4 ,it is easy to see what must have been the consequence4 #c4 ,there was another class among the disputants about the ,sabbath1 who endeavored1 by strict adherence to the ,scriptures1 to escape the difficulties and inconsistencies into which others had been led4 ,they contended for the early institution of the ,sabbath1 for its morality and perpetuity as inferred from its being placed in the ,decalogue1 and for the seventh day of the week as an essential and necessary part of the commandment4 ,theophilus ,brabourne1 in #afbh1 says3 #a4 ,the fourth commandment of the ,decalogue is a divine precept1 simply and entirely moral1 containing nothing legally ceremonial1 in whole or in part1 and therefore the weekly observation thereof ought to be perpetual1 and to continue in full force and virtue to the world's end4 #b4 ,the ,saturday1 or seventh day of the week1 ought to be an everlasting holy-day in the ,christian church1 and the religious observation of this day obligeth ,christians under the ,gospel1 as it did the ,jews before the coming of ,christ4 #c4 ,the ,sunday1 or ,lord's day1 is an ordinary working day2 and it is superstition and will-worship to make the same the ,sabbath of the fourth commandment4 ,these opinions were vindicated by ,brabourne in two volumes which appeared1 one in #afbh1 and the other in #afcb4 ,they have never been answered to the satisfaction of many candid mind4 ,it is true1 an answer has been attempted4 ,but this answer1 laboring as it did mainly to prove that such doctrine is repugnant to the public sentence of the ,church of ,england1 and to the sentence of divines who lived at the beginning of the ,reformation1 could not satisfy one who believed the ,scriptures to be a sufficient rule of faith and practice4 ,to these volumes might be added others1 which appeared soon after1 and to the results of which1 living witnesses have testified from that day to this4 ,it was while the discussion just referred to was yet in progress1 that ,king ,james1 in #afah1 published his ,book of ,sports for ,sunday1 in which is set forth1 that by the preciseness of some magistrates and ministers in several places in this kingdom1 in hindering people from their recreations on the ,sunday1 the papists in this realm being thereby persuaded that no honest mirth or recreation was tolerable in our religion1 wherefore1 it pleased his majesty to set out his declaration1 that for his good people's lawful recreation1 his pleasure was1 that after the end of divine service1 they should not be disturbed1 letted1 or discouraged1 from any lawful recreation1 such as dancing1 either men or women1 archery for men1 leaping1 vaulting1 or any other such harmless recreations2 nor from having of ,may-games1 ,whitsun-ales1 or ,morrice-dances1 and setting up of ,may-poles1 or other sports therewith used2 so as the same be had in due and convenient time1 without impediment or let of divine service4 ,this book was designed to counteract what was then called the ,puritan notion1 and maybe regarded as expressing the opinion of the ,english ,church at that time in regard to the sacredness of the day4 ,it was re-published in #afcf1 by ,charles1 with how much real effect upon the practices of his subjects it is not easy to determine4 ,it is evident that a rection in favor of the sabbatic institution had already commenced2 and the earnestness of ,puritanism on this subject1 joined to the influence of ,sabbatarianism1 affected almost the whole body of the ,english ,church4 ,to ,puritanism and ,sabbatarianism belong the credit of having preserved to that country a regard for the day of rest1 which raises it indefinitely above many other ,protestant countries4 ,had ,scriptural ground been taken1 who can estimate the results which would have followed8 ,in ,germany1 according to ,ross' ,picture of all ,religions1 observers of the seventh-day as the ,sabbath were common in the sixteenth century1 their numbers being such as to lead to organization1 and attract attention4 ,a number of these formed a church1 and emigrated to ,america in the early settlement of the country4 ,there were ,sabbath-keepers in ,transylvania1 about the same time1 among whom was ,francis ,davidis1 first chaplain to the ,court of ,sigismund1 the prince of that kingdom1 and afterwards superintendent of all the ,transylvanian churches4 ,in ,france1 also1 there were ,christians of this class1 among whom was ,m4 de la ,roque1 who wrote in defense of the ,sabbath1 against ,bossuet1 the ,catholic ,bishop of ,meaux4 ,but it is difficult to determine to what extent this day was observed in those countries4 ,in ,england we find ,sabbath-keepers very early4 ,dr4 ,chambers says1 ,they arose in ,england in the sixteenth century2 from which we understand that they then became a distinct denomination in that kingdom4 ,they increased considerably in the seventeenth century2 and we find that towards the close of that century there were eleven flourishing churches in different parts of that country4 ,among those who held this view were some men of distinction4 ,theophilus ,brabourne was called before the ,court of ,high ,commission1 in #afcb1 for having written and published books vindicating the claims of the seventh day4 ,one ,traske was about the same time examined in the ,starr ,chamber1 where a long discussion on the subject seems to have been held4 ,nearly thirty years after this1 ,john ,james1 preacher to a ,sabbath-keeping congregation in the east of ,london1 was executed in a barbarous manner1 upon a variety of charges1 among which was his keeping of the ,sabbath4 ,twenty years later still1 ,francis ,bampfield died in ,newgate1 a martyr to non-conformity--especially as one who could not conform in the matter of the ,sabbath4 ,it is needless to mention more names1 or to speak particularly of ,edward1 ,joseph1 ,dr4 ,joseph1 and ,dr4 ,samuel ,stennett1 ,john ,maulden1 ,robert ,cornthwaite1 and others1 who have written and suffered in proof of their attachment to this truth4 ,but the ,sabbath met with great opposition in ,england1 being assailed1 both from the pulpit and the press1 by those who were attached to the established church4 ,many men of learning and talent engaged in the discussion1 on both sides of the question4 ,it is evident that the opposers of reform felt the difficulty of defending themselves against the strength of talent and scripture brought to bear in favor of the seventh day4 ,the civil powers attempted to check the progress of all ,dissenters by means of the famous ,conventicle ,act4 ,by that law1 passed in #affd1 it was provided1 that if any person1 above sixteen years of age1 was present at any meeting of worship different from the ,church of ,england1 where there were five persons more than the household1 for the first offense he should be imprisoned three months1 or pay five pounds2 for the second1 the penalty was doubled2 and for the third he should be banished to ,america1 or pay one hundred pounds sterling4 ,this act was renewed in #affi1 and1 in addition to the former penalties1 made the person preaching liable to pay a fine of twenty pounds2 and the same penalty was imposed upon any person suffering a meeting to be held in his house4 ,justices of the ,peace were empowered to enter such houses1 and seize such persons2 and they were fined one hundred pounds if they neglected doing so4 ,these acts were exceedingly harrassing to those who observed the ,sabbath4 ,many of their distinguished ministers were taken from their flocks and confined in prison1 some of whom sunk under their sufferings4 ,these persecutions not only prevented those who kept the ,sabbath from assembling1 but deterred some who embraced their opinions from uniting with them1 and discouraged others from investigating the subject4 ,at present the ,sabbath is not as extensively observed in ,england as formerly4 ,but the extent of ,sabbath-keeping cannot be determined by the number and magnitude of the churches1 either there or in other countries4 ,for many persons live in the observance of the seventh day and remain members of churches which assemble on the first day2 and a still greater number acknowledge its correctness1 who conform to the more popular custom of keeping the first day4 ,at what time the ,sabbath became the subject of attention in ,america1 we cannot definitely say4 ,the intolerance of the first settlers of ,new ,england was unfavorable to the ,sabbath4 ,the poor ,christian who may have been banished to this country for its observance could find no refuge among the ,pilgrim ,fathers4 ,the laws of ,rhode ,island were more tolerant than those of some other ,states1 and observers of the ,sabbath first made their appearance at ,newport in #afga4 ,the cause of the ,sabbath has gradually gained ground in this country from that period2 but it has found much to oppose its progress1 even in ,rhode ,island4 ,it was in opposition to the general practice of ,christians1 on which account an odium was put upon it1 and those who have kept the ,sabbath have been reproached with ,judaizing1 and classed with ,jews4 ,besides this1 they have ever been subjected to great inconvenience in their occupations1 especially in cities and towns4 ,at no time does there appear to have been in this country any general excitement on the subject4 ,the observers of ,sunday have avoided as far as possible its discussion2 so that those who have observed the ,sabbath have had but little encouragement1 as they have supposed1 to try to extend their sentiments4 ,but the propagation of their opinions has not depended exclusively on their efforts4 ,the common ,english version of the ,bible has been found in many instances a sufficient means of converting men to the truth4 ,churches observing the ,sabbath have been formed in ,rhode ,island1 ,connecticut1 ,new ,york1 ,new ,jersey1 ,pennsylvania1 ,virginia1 ,south ,carolina1 ,georgia1 and in most of the ,western ,states1 embracing1 as is supposed1 a population of forty or fifty thousand4 ,conclusion4 ,from the foregoing historical sketch1 it appears that through the apostolic age1 and for a long time after1 the ,sabbath was religiously observed by the church of ,christ2 and that not until the latter part of the second century was the first day introduced to religious notice as a festival of the resurrection2 and then1 probably1 as an annual celebration at the close of the ,passover only4 ,it also appears1 that it was a work of some hundreds of years to establish the weekly celebration of this day1 even in the ,romish church2 and that this was not done without the aid of ecclesiastical and civil laws and penalties--the same instrumentalities used to bring the ,sabbath into disrepute in the popular branches of the church4 ,thus it appears that the ,romish clergy1 and the princes under their control1 have been the principal actors in bringing about the change from the ,sabbath to the first day of the week4 ,for a long time before the ,reformation the popular branches of the ,christian church were literally without a ,sabbath4 ,until after that period1 it is not known that a single passage of ,scripture was ever cited as authority for the celebration of the first day1 even as a festival2 the notion that the apostles observed it as a memorial of the resurrection1 being of comparatively modern origin4 ,when1 however1 the ,reformers threw off the yoke of the ,romish church1 and protested against her corruptions1 some of them could no longer be satisfied to let the observance of the first day rest upon her authority4 ,they saw that they must either give it up as a human invention1 or find some ,scripture to support it4 ,hence the numerous theories which have been invented to justify its observance--theories which necessarily conflict with each other1 as well as with ,scripture1 and are altogether unsatisfactory to inquiring minds4 ,the history of this matter shows us1 that neither the adoption of the first day1 nor the abandonment of the seventh1 took place until the corruptions of the ,catholic church in other respects had become so numerous and flagrant1 as to drive from her communion many of her most conscientious and apostolic members1 who still retained the observance of the ,sabbath4 ,the case of those sects in different ages of the church who have kept the ,sabbath in connection with the first day1 and practiced other things peculiar to the ,romish church1 furnishes additional evidence that the observance of the first day was adopted while the ,sabbath was retained1 and consequently that the first day was not adopted as a substitute for the ,sabbath1 which it ultimately displaced4 ,the permitting of labor on the first day in the earlier ages of the church1 and the canons of ,councils and ,synods and the edicts of ,princes to bring about a general conformity in this respect1 together with the slow progress made1 even in ,catholic countries1 evince in the strongest manner that it was viewed in no other light1 even by its warmest advocates1 than that of a human institution1 and one that could be enforced by human authority only4 ,as such it was looked upon by enlightened and conscientious ,christians in every age1 who would not make void a commandment of ,god through a tradition of men4 ,in the light of these facts1 we are led to the conclusion of ,dr4 ,neander1 set forth in his ,church ,history1 that the festival of ,sunday was always only a human ordinance1 and it was far from the intention of the ,apostles to establish a divine command in this respect1 far from them1 and from the early apostolic church1 to transfer the laws of the ,sabbath to ,sunday4 ,as a human ordinance1 the observance of ,sunday has long been and is now considered by many4 ,while they consider it in this light1 it is not to be expected that they will render it that sacred regard which the ,sabbath claims1 and must have in order to our safety and its usefulness4 ,what1 then1 shall be done8 ,shall we allow an institution of so much importance to rest upon mere human authority8 ,to such a proposition every friend of the institution ought to say1 ,no4 ,to set it adrift1 or to attempt to enforce it upon such authority1 would be to withdraw from it the high sanction which it once had1 and expose it to certain contempt and neglect4 ,there is but one course dictated by wisdom and prudence4 ,if we would save the ,sabbath from threatened destruction1 we must come back to the law as it was originally given1 place the institution under the care of the ,lawgiver1 and enforce its claims by his authority4 ,we must join the commandment1 ,remember the ,sabbath day to keep it holy1 with the explanation of it1 ,the seventh day is the ,sabbath of the ,lord thy ,god1 and united they shall stand4 ,let this be done1 and we need not fear4 ,the ,lord of the ,sabbath is pledged for its safety2 and he will cause those who call the ,sabbath a delight1 holy of the ,lord1 honorable1 to rejoice in ,him1 and ride upon the high places of the earth4 ,no4 #e4 ,a ,,christian ,,caveat ,,to ,,the ,,old ,,and ,,new ,,sabbatarians4 ,,by ,,edward ,,fisher1 ,,esq4 ,the following article is taken from the fifth edition of a work with the above title1 printed in ,london1 #afec4 ,the book was written in defence of the orthodoxal doctrine of the ,church of ,england1 respecting festivals1 against the ,sabbatarian novelties1 as they were called1 of the ,puritans4 ,while it demolishes the claims set up on behalf or ,sunday or ,lord's ,day1 it fully establishes the claims of the ,sabbath or ,seventh ,day4 ,and it is worthy of note here1 that it is not possible to refute any of the erroneous views in regard to the ,sabbath and ,lord's ,day1 without taking positions which necessarily lead to the observation of the ,seventh ,day4 ,how much easier it would be to fasten the claims of the ,sabbatic institution upon the consciences of men1 if we were satisfied to take the fourth commandment as it reads1 and enforce it by ,thus saith the ,lord4 ,the third opinion is1 of the new ,sabbatarians1 who dream of a middle way betwixt a ,jew and a ,christian2 and this they usually lay down in two propositions4 ,the first is1 ,that the ,lord's ,day1 or first day of the week1 namely ,sunday1 may be called the ,sabbath3 the next is1 ,that the observation of the ,lord's ,day is a moral duty1 enjoined by ,god himself1 and declared both by the doctrine and practice of ,christ and his apostles4 ,the first appearance of this kind of teachers was in the year of our ,lord #aeie1 near the end of the reign of ,queen ,elizabeth3 and because they are neither able to produce direct ,scripture1 nor solid reason for what they say1 they labor to support their conceits by fallacies1 falsities and wrestings of ,god's holy word1 as upon scanning their proofs will be manifest to the meanest capacity4 ,for their first proposition1 they alledge two reasons why the ,lord's ,day may be called the ,sabbath4 ,one is because the ,sabbath signifies a rest2 and therefore the ,lord's ,day being a rest1 may be called the ,sabbath4 ,but to this we answer1 it is false that the ,sabbath signifies a rest2 for when by custom of speech a common name is restrained to a particular place1 thing1 or person1 it then becomes a proper name1 and so losing its community1 does signify that only particular1 unto which by custom of speech it is applied2 as for instance1 the temple is a common name1 signifying the ,church2 yet in ,london1 where by custom of speech this name1 ,the ,temple1 is restrained to an ,inns of ,court1 it is false and absurd to say you were at the ,temple1 and mean the ,church of ,st4 ,giles4 ,in like manner the ,sabbath is a common name1 signifying the rest2 yet in the ,christian ,church1 where by custom of speech1 according to ,god's holy phrase throughout the ,old and ,new ,testament1 this name1 the ,sabbath1 is restrained to the ,jewish weekly festival1 it is false and absurd to speak of the ,sabbath1 and mean the ,lord's ,day4 ,their other reason why the ,lord's ,day may be called the ,sabbath1 is1 because the ,lord's ,day succeeded in the room of the ,sabbath4 ,but if this argument be good1 then may baptism be called circumcision1 the ,lord's ,supper the ,passover1 and ,king ,james ,queen ,elizabeth4 ,as for the second proposition1 wherein they assert the morality and divine institution of the ,lord's ,day1 we shall here notice only three of their reasons4 ,the first is1 because ,adam1 according to ,god's command1 kept the ,sabbath in the state of innocency4444 ,but what is the sanctification of the ,sabbath spoken of by ,moses in the second chapter of ,genesis1 to our observing the ,lord's ,day8 ,that was appointed to be kept on the seventh and last day of the week2 this is kept on the first day of the week3 that was the day in which ,god rested from his work of creation2 this is the day in which ,god began to create the heavens and the earth3 that was our ,saturday2 this is our ,sunday4 ,their second proof for the morality of the ,lord's ,day1 is from the fourth commandment1 where they seek to corrupt the very text1 and would persuade us that for the seventh day1 we must read a seventh day2 as if ,god did not there set apart a certain day of the week1 but left it to man to keep which of the seven he pleased4 ,unto which we answer1 that this conceit is not only against the letter of all our translations1 but even repugnant to the sense of the commandment2 for the words are express that ,god blessed and hallowed the ,sabbath day2 that ,sabbath day was the seventh day2 that seventh day was the day in which ,god rested from his six days' work of creation4 ,nay1 grant it were true 7as these men would have7 that this special precept does exactly oblige us1 and that no particular day of the seven was by ,god appointed to be kept holy1 then may we set apart ,monday1 or ,tuesday1 or any other day to ,god's service1 as well as ,sunday2 and so1 by their own argument1 the ,lord's ,day is no more moral than any other day of the week4 ,their third proof is from the title or name1 ,lord's ,day1 which 7say they7 cannot be for any other reason1 but because it is of the ,lord's institution4 ,we answer1 this is false2 for the ,lord's ,day was not so called because it was instituted by the ,lord1 but because it was dedicated to the ,lord2 as we commonly say1 ,saint ,mary's ,church1 or ,saint ,peter's ,church2 which no man did ever imagine were built or founded by ,saint ,mary or ,saint ,peter4 ,near the close of his book1 after having examined each of the positions here referred to1 he comes directly to his design1 and says3-- ,in vain1 therefore1 it is1 and most absurd1 for you our opponents to charge us with befooling and misleading the people4 ,your own practice1 your own doctrines1 shall bear witness betwixt us4 ,you who say one while1 that ,god did not appoint the seventh day1 the day on which he rested1 to be kept holy1 but a seventh day1 and so one day in seven be observed1 no matter which of them2 another while1 that by this commandment ,god enjoins us to keep holy the first day of the week on which he began his work of creation--,do you not befool and mislead the people8 ,you who 7forgetting your own doctrine of the fourth commandment7 do teach1 that the keeping holy the first day of the week1 or ,lord's ,day1 was appointed and practised by ,christ and his apostles1 yet cannot produce so much as one example for it1 much less a precept--,do you not befool and mislead the people8 ,you who infer1 because ,st4 ,paul1 and the disciples at ,troas1 spent the whole night of the first day of the week in praying1 preaching1 and heavenly conference1 in regard he was to leave them and depart on the morrow2 therefore1 ,st4 ,paul and the disciples at ,troas met that night to keep holy the day past2 therefore the disciples at ,troas met every first day of the week1 to keep that day holy2 therefore the ,church at ,philippi1 the ,church in ,cilicia1 and all ,christian ,churches1 did then keep holy the first day of the week2 therefore all the apostles did constantly keep holy that day2 therefore ,christ and his apostles appointed the first day of the week to be for ever celebrated1 instead of the ,sabbath--,is not this pitiful logic8 ,do you not befool and mislead the people8 ,you who tell stories of an old ,sabbath and a new ,sabbath1 a ,jewish ,sabbath and a ,christian ,sabbath1 a ,sabbath of the seventh day and a ,sabbath of the first day of the week2 that so you may slily fix the name ,sabbath on the ,lord's ,day1 and then persuade the simple and ignorant that all those texts of ,scripture wherein mention is made of the ,sabbath day1 are intended of the ,lord's ,day2 when indeed to call the ,lord's ,day the ,sabbath1 is as senseless as to call ,sunday ,saturday1 or the first day the last day of the week1 when throughout the ,old and ,new ,testament we have not the least intimation of any other weekly ,sabbath1 save the old1 ,jewish1 seventh day ,sabbath2 when you yourselves confess1 that the name ,lord's ,day1 is more proper and particular1 and less obvious to exception1 than the name ,sabbath2 and that the name ,sabbath is in dignity inferior to both ,lord's ,day and ,sunday--,do you not befool and mislead the people8 ,you that condemn the yearly observance of ,christ's birth-day as heathenish1 yet acknowledge this feast to be a constitution of the ancient primitive ,church--,do you not befool and mislead the people8 ,take ye heed2 these are not small matters2 consider well with yourselves what it is to stand guilty before ,god of belying ,christ and his apostles1 and wilfully wresting the ,holy ,scriptures4 ,be advised2 take time while time is to repent of those notorious slanders wherewith you have aspersed the ancient approved ways of ,god's worship2 and let the sincerity of your repentance appear by the speedy abandoning of your unchristian practices and principles2 lest the heavy judgment of seducers1 to wax worse and worse1 fall upon you1 and ,god in the end deliver you up to such strong delusions1 that you should believe your own lies4 ,published by the ,american ,sabbath ,tract ,society1 ,no4 #i ,spruce ,street1 ,n4 ,y4 ,no4 #f4 ,,twenty ,,reasons ,,for ,,keeping ,,holy ,,in ,,each ,,week1 ,,the ,,seventh ,,day ,,instead ,,of ,,the ,,first ,,day4 #a4 ,because the ,seventh ,day was blessed and sanctified for a ,sabbath1 by ,god1 immediately after the creation of the world1 as a perpetual memorial of that wonderful work1 and of ,his own resting from it2 and because there is now as much need for man to remember ,god's creative work1 and to enjoy a weekly rest1 as ever there was4 #b4 ,because there is evidence that the ,seventh ,day was observed from ,adam to ,moses1 by ,noah1 ,jacob1 ,joseph1 and ,job4 7,see ,gen4 vii4 #d1 #aj2 viii4 #aj1 #ab2 xxix4 #bg1 #bh2 l4 #aj2 ,job4 ii4 #c47 #c4 ,because the ,seventh ,day is a necessary part of the fourth commandment1 given at ,mount ,sinai1 graven on stone by the finger of ,god1 and incorporated with the other nine precepts of the ,decalogue1 which are admitted to be moral in their nature1 and perpetually binding4 ,remember the ,sabbath ,day to keep it holy4 ,the ,seventh ,day is the ,sabbath of the ,lord thy ,god4 ,for in six days the ,lord made heaven and earth1 the sea1 and all that in them is1 and rested the ,seventh ,day2 wherefore the ,lord blessed the ,sabbath ,day and hallowed it4 #d4 ,because the ,old ,testament abounds with declarations of ,god's blessing upon those who keep holy the ,seventh ,day1 and of his vengeance upon those who profane it4 #e4 ,because our ,lord ,jesus ,christ enforced the claims of the law to the fullest extent1 saying in regard to the code to which the ,seventh ,day belonged1 ,till heaven and earth pass1 one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law1 till all be fulfilled2 and because ,he always kept holy the ,seventh ,day1 in this doubtless leaving us an example that we should follow in ,his steps4 #f4 ,because the holy women who had attended ,jesus ,christ at his death and burial1 are expressly said to have rested the ,,sabbath ,,day according to the commandment1 7,luke xxiii4 #ef27 and because1 though the narrative proceeds immediately to record the appearance of ,jesus ,christ1 on the morning of the first day of the week1 neither there nor elsewhere is one word said about a change of the ,sabbath1 or about the sabbatic observance of the ,first ,day of the ,week4 #g4 ,because the ,apostles of our ,lord constantly kept the ,seventh ,day1 of which there is abundant evidence in the ,acts of the ,apostles1 and it is declared of ,paul1 that1 as his manner was1 he went into the synagogue frequently on the ,sabbath ,day4 7,compare ,luke iv4 #af with ,acts xvii4 #b2 see also ,acts xiii4 #ad1 #db1 #dd1 and xvi4 #ac47 #h4 ,because ,jesus ,christ1 foretelling the destruction of ,jerusalem1 warned his disciples to pray that their flight might not happen on the ,sabbath ,day2 and as that event was to take place almost forty years after the resurrection of our ,lord1 it appears that the same ,sabbath was to be then observed by his disciples4 #i4 ,because there is no other day of the week called by the name of ,sabbath1 in all the ,holy ,scriptures1 but the ,seventh ,day alone2 and because1 when the ,first ,day of the ,week is mentioned in the ,new ,testament1 it is always clearly distinguished from the ,sabbath4 #aj4 ,because not one of those passages which speak of the ,first ,day of the ,week1 records an event or transaction peculiar to the ,sabbath4 #aa4 ,because when ,god had so carefully committed his ,law to writing1 had repeated his precepts throughout the prophetic books1 and had left so many testimonies and examples of the ,seventh ,day ,sabbath on ,his sacred records1 it is most unreasonable to suppose that ,he would have repealed or changed one single article thereof1 without recording it among the words of our ,lord ,jesus or ,his ,apostles1 in the writings of the ,new ,testament4 #ab4 ,because the observance of the ,moral ,law1 7without any exception from it17 is constantly enjoined1 in the writings of the ,apostles2 and one of them says that ,whosoever shall keep the whole law1 and yet offend in one point1 he is guilty of all1 quoting at the same time the sixth and seventh commandments4 7,see ,rom4 xiii4 #i2 ,gal4 v4 #ad2 ,eph4 vi4 #b1 #c2 and ,james ii4 #h-aa47 #ac4 ,because the religious observance of the ,seventh ,day of the ,week as the ,sabbath1 was constantly practised by the primitive ,christians1 for three or four hundred years at least2 and because1 though it gradually fell into disuse1 the neglect of the ,sabbath was caused only by those corruptions of ,christianity1 which at length grew up into the grossest idolatry2 so that the second commandment was in fact1 and the fourth was in effect1 abolished by an ignorant1 superstitious1 and tyrannical priesthood4 #ad4 ,because it was only through the superstitious observance of the anniversaries of saints and martyrs1 and a multitude of other fasts and feasts1 with which the simplicity of revealed religion was encumbered and overwhelmed1 that the sabbatic observance of the ,seventh ,day went out of use2 and not 7in fact7 by any real or pretended command of ,christ or ,his apostles1 nor at first by the express authority of any ,pope or ,council3 for it was kept as a strict fast1 for ages after it lost every other token of a holy day4 #ae4 ,because the leaders of the ,reformation never claimed for the ,first ,day the name of the ,sabbath1 and never enforced the observance of that day by any other authority than that of the ,church4 #af4 ,because it is obviously absurd--7and it is an objection often made by irreligious people7--that the observance of the ,first ,day of the ,week as the ,sabbath1 should be grounded on a divine precept which commands the observance1 not of the ,first1 but of the ,seventh ,day4 #ag4 ,because1 if the fundamental principle of ,protestantism be right and true1 that the ,bible alone is the religion of ,protestants1 then the ,seventh ,day must be the true and only ,sabbath of ,protestants2 for1 unless that day of the week be kept1 they have no scriptural ,sabbath at all4 #ah4 ,because the pertinacious observance of the ,first ,day of the ,week1 in the stead of the ,seventh1 has actually given occasion of great scandal to the ,protestant faith2 it has caused the ,papists to declare that ,protestants admit the authority of human tradition in matters of religion2 and it has led to intolerance and persecution4 #ai4 ,because the observance of the ,first ,day1 and neglect of the ,seventh1 having been adopted partly in contempt of the ,jews1 has always laid a burden upon them1 and presented an obstacle to their receiving ,christianity1 which ought to be removed4 #bj4 ,because the observance of the ,seventh ,day obeys ,god1 honors the ,protestant ,principle1 rebukes ,papacy1 removes stumbling-blocks1 and secures for us the presence and blessing of the ,lord of the ,sabbath4 ,published by the ,american ,sabbath ,tract ,society1 ,no4 #i ,spruce ,street1 ,n4 ,y4 ,no4 #g4 ,,plain ,,questions4 ,reader6 be pleased to give a plain answer to each of these plain questions1 without equivocation or mental reservation4 #a4 ,did ,god1 after he had finished the work of creation1 bless and sanctify ,,the seventh day of the week2 or simply the seventh part of time1 without reference to any particular day of the seven8 #b4 ,did ,he not sanctify ,,the very day in which he rested from his work8 ,was not that the last day of the seven8 ,did ,he sanctify any other8 #c4 ,,why did ,he bless and sanctify the seventh day8 ,was it not because he rested on that day8 ,will this reason apply to any other day of the seven8 ,did he not work on ,,every other day8 7,see ,gen4 #b3b1 #c47 #d4 ,is not ,god's example of resting on the seventh day enjoined upon us for imitation8 7,ex4 #bj3h-aa47 ,do we imitate him1 when we rest upon some other day than the one in which ,he rested8 #e4 ,is it the special appointment of ,god which renders a day holy1 or is it our own act8 ,is the day holy because we count it so1 or because ,god has made it so8 #f4 ,when ,god enjoins us to count the ,sabbath1 the holy of the ,lord1 7,isa4 #eh3ac17 is it not equivalent to telling us that ,he himself has previously constituted it a holy day by blessing and sanctifying it8 ,is it any thing more than requiring us to reckon the day to possess that dignity which ,he has already conferred upon it8 #g4 ,if ,god's blessing does not rest upon one particularly specified day1 to the exclusion of all others1 and we are nevertheless required to keep a day holy1 are we not required to do what is impossible8 ,for how can we count a day to be holy1 which ,god has not previously made so8 7,compare ,quest4 #e47 #h4 ,if ,god's blessing did not rest upon one particularly specified day1 could he challenge to himself any propriety in one day more than in another8 ,yet in the ,sabbath day he claims a special propriety2 ,,my holy day4 7,isa4 #eh3ac47 #i4 ,are we not commanded to refrain from labor in that very day which ,god once blessed and sanctified1 and thereby made holy time8 ,in ,,it thou shalt not do any work1 c4 ,do we obey this command when we work all of that day1 and make it the busiest day of all the seven8 #aj4 ,if it be downright disobedience to set about our work on the seventh day1 when ,god says1 in it thou shalt ,,not do any work1 can we think to make amends for this act of disobedience by ceasing from work on another day8 ,even the performance of a required duty will not make amends for another one neglected4 ,how much less1 then1 the performance of something which is not required6 ,who hath required this at your hand8 #aa4 ,has ,god ever taken away the blessing which he once put upon the seventh day1 and made that day a common or secular day8 #ab4 ,does not the reason of the blessing 7,see ,quest4 #c17 possess all the cogency now that it ever did8 ,has it lost force by the lapse of time8 ,and while the reason of an institution remains1 does not the institution itself remain8 #ac4 ,was the reason of the blessing which ,god originally put upon the seventh day1 founded upon any need that men then had of a ,redeemer8 ,was it therefore to receive its accomplishment and fulfillment by the actual coming of the ,redeemer8 ,in what possible sense can it be said1 that ,jesus ,christ fulfilled and made an end of this reason8 #ad4 ,has ,god ever said of the first day of the week1 ,in it thou shalt not do any work8 ,has ,christ ever said so8 ,have the apostles8 #ae4 ,is there any scriptural proof that ,christ1 or his apostles1 or the ,christian churches in the days of the apostles1 refrained from labor on the first day of the week8 #af4 ,as there is no transgression where there is no law1 7,rom4 #d3ae2 ,john #c3d17 what sin is committed by working on the first day of the week8 #ag4 ,does not the ,sabbatic ,institution ,,result from the blessing and sanctifying of a particular day8 ,is not this the very thing in which it consists8 ,how then is the institution separable from the day thus blessed and sanctified8 ,how can it be separated from that upon which its very existence depends8 #ah4 ,if the very life and soul of the institution consist in the blessing which was once put upon a particular day1 is it not idle to talk of the transfer of the institution to another day8 ,if another day has been sanctified and blessed1 then it is an entirely new institution1 and not a transfer of the old4 #ai4 ,does not the law of the ,sabbath require the weekly commemoration of that rest which ,god entered into after he had finished the work of creation8 ,by what principle of law or logic1 then1 can that law be made to require the commemoration of the work of redemption8 #bj4 ,if it be necessary that the work of redemption be commemorated weekly by a positive institution1 must not the obligation so to commemorate it arise from some law which directly and specifically requires it8 ,but when1 instead of this1 the attempt is made to derive the obligation from the ,sabbath law1 is it not a tacit acknowledgment that there is no law requiring the weekly commemoration of the work of redemption8 #ba4 ,does the ,scripture ever apply the name1 ,sabbath1 to the first day of the week8 ,even in the ,new ,testament1 where the term is used1 is not the reference always to the seventh day8 #bb4 ,if ,luke1 who wrote the ,acts of the ,apostles ful thirty years after the death of ,christ1 under the inspiration of the ,holy ,spirit1 still calls the seventh day of the week the ,sabbath1 can it be wrong in us to do so8 7,see ,acts #ac3ad1 #db1 #dd2 #af3a1 #c2 #ag3a1 #b2 #ah3d47 ,if this be the inspired application of the term so many years after all the ceremonial institutions were nailed to the cross1 is it not our duty to make the same use of the term now8 #bc4 ,is it not a manifest perversion of the scriptural use of terms1 to take away the sacred name from the seventh day of the week1 and give it to the first day8 #bd4 ,when the first day of the week is so generally called the ,sabbath1 are not the common people thereby led to suppose that the ,bible calls it so8 ,are they not thus grossly deceived8 #be4 ,if the name ,sabbath were no longer applied to this day1 and it should simply be called first day of the week1 as in the ,bible1 is it not probable that it would soon lose its sacredness in the eyes of the people8 #bf4 ,is it possible1 then1 that ,god has not given the day a name sufficiently sacred to secure for it a religious regard1 nor even guarded it with a law sufficient to prevent its desecration8 #bg4 ,what then8 ,,has ,,god ,,left ,,his ,,work ,,for ,,man ,,to ,,mend6 ,,is ,,it ,,not ,,safe ,,to ,,leave ,,the ,,day ,,as ,,god ,,has ,,left ,,it6 ,who hath directed the ,spirit of the ,lord1 or being his counsellor hath taught him8 7,isa4 #aa3ac47 #bh4 ,are you very sure that by the ,lord's day1 7,rev4 #a3aj17 is meant the first day of the week8 ,have you any ,scripture proof of it8 ,have you any other proof of it than the testimony of those who are called the early ,fathers8 #bi4 ,if the testimony of the early ,fathers is to be relied on1 that the ,lord's day means the first day of the week1 ought not their testimony to be just as much relied on1 as to the manner in which the primitive ,christians observed the day8 #cj4 ,if it were even certain that by the ,lord's day the writer of the book of ,revelations meant to designate the first day of the week1 would it thence follow that it is a day sacred by divine appointment1 any more than that the ,sabbath day's journey 7,acts #a3ab17 was a distance limited and prescribed by divine authority8 ,if ,luke could select the latter expression from the vocabulary of human tradition1 without intending to sanction it as being of divine origin1 could not ,john do the same with regard to the former expression8 #ca4 ,do the ,fathers1 or any one of them1 inform us that the ,lord's day was observed by abstinence from labor8--that it was observed as the ,sabbath8 ,mark the question4 ,it is not1 was the day observed1 simply2 but1 was it observed as the ,sabbath8 #cb4 ,is there not an important distinction between the ,sabbath and a religious festival8 ,does not the word ,sabbath mean rest8 ,can any day1 therefore1 be called a ,sabbath day1 which is not a day of rest from ordinary labor8 #cc4 ,does a religious festival require any thing more than the commemoration of some important event1 allowing the time not occupied in the public celebration of it to be spent in labor or amusement8 ,is not this precisely the manner in which the first day of the week was observed1 according to the testimony of the ancient ,fathers8 #cd4 ,though the observance of the first day of the week as a religious festival be in itself innocent1 7,rom4 #ad3e17 so long as it is not made a pretext for dispensing with an express law of ,god1 7,matt4 #ae3f17 yet do you find it any where in the word of ,god commanded as a duty8 #ce4 ,do you believe that a ,sabbath1 in the true and proper sense of the term2 namely1 a day of rest from all ordinary labor1 is necessary and indispensable to the well-being of mankind8 ,if so1 do you honestly suppose that ,god would set it aside1 and have its place supplied by nothing more than a religious festival8 #cf4 ,is it not wicked to uphold a course which makes the commandment of ,god of none effect8 7,matt4 #ae3a-i2 ,mark #g3a-ac47 ,reader6 carefully ponder the foregoing questions1 together with the ,scripture references4 ,answer them as you would if you stood at the gates of death4 ,do not trifle with the ,holy ,spirit of ,god1 by forcibly wresting his word from its obvious meaning4 ,let conscience be unfettered2 and act1 as fully realizing that ,,thou1 ,,god1 ,,seest ,,me4 ,published by the ,american ,sabbath ,tract ,society1 ,no4 #i ,spruce ,street1 ,n4 ,y4 ,,dialogue1 ,between a ,minister of the ,gospel and a ,sabbatarian ,sabbatarian4 ,did ,jehovah ever sanctify one day above another8 ,minister4 ,he did4 ,s4 ,and what day was that8 ,m4 ,the seventh4 ,s4 ,when8 ,m4 ,when he finished his creative work4 ,s4 ,where8 ,m4 ,in ,eden4 ,s4 ,on whom was it obligatory8 ,m4 ,on our first parents1 and all their posterity4 ,s4 ,did he ever unsanctify that day8 ,m4 ,no4 ,s4 ,did he ever sanctify the first1 or any other day than the seventh1 as a day of rest8 ,m4 ,not that ,i know of4 ,s4 ,then do not those who neglect the seventh day1 take away something from the word of ,god8 ,and do not those who keep the first day add to that word8 ,read the threatnings of the ,lord against such3--,if any man shall add unto these things1 ,god shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book3 and if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy1 ,god shall take away his part out of the book of life1 and out of the holy city1 and from the things which are written in this book4 ,,counterfeit ,,coin4 ,being the substance of a recent ,conversation between an eminent ,counsellor at ,law and a ,sabbatarian4 ,the ,lawyer contended that although the first day of the week had no divine authority for its sanctity or observance as a ,sabbath1 yet if it be kept as scrupulously and conscientiously as the seventh day demanded1 it could not but be as acceptable to ,god4 ,in answer to such sophistry1 the ,sabbatarian submitted the following legal case to him3-- ,i am told that ,i can purchase1 in the ,state of ,connecticut1 one hundred copper cents1 bearing the impress and superscription of the ,united ,states ,mint1 and equal in every respect in value to the mint coin1 for sixty-five cents1 payable in gold or silver4 ,but ,i admit them to be counterfeit4 ,i admit1 also1 that ,i circulate this spurious coin4 ,now1 will you undertake1 for a fee of #aj1jjj1 to defend my cause against a prosecution for passing such false coin1 and exonerate me from conviction in the ,united ,states' ,courts4 ,the honest lawyer's answer unhesitatingly was1 ,i cannot argue your cause in the very teeth of so unquestionable a law as appears to exist on the ,statute ,books4#i ,the ,sabbatarian replied3--,then1 as you admit your first day ,sabbath a counterfeit1 allow me to answer you as the celebrated ,mr4 ,whiston did ,chancellor ,king of ,england upon a similar question3 ',if ,god ,almighty should be as consistent1 as just1 and as jealous of his laws in the ,court of ,heaven1 as my ,lord ,chancellor is in his1 where are we then8' ,,the ,,inference4--,if1 then1 ,i cannot obtain an advocate on earth1 7for no one of repute would undertake it17 to plead my cause with the offer of a fee of #aj1jjj1 for the violation of a law of man's making1 what ground have ,i to expect that the only advocate to be obtained in the ,court of ,heaven1 i4 e4 the ,lord ,jesus ,christ1 will defend my cause against a breach of that law which his father ever made punishable with ,,death1 temporal and eternal8--and who himself1 when on earth1 in his comment on that law1 averred that not one jot or tittle could in any wise pass from it8 7,matt4 #e3ah1 #ai47 #i ,if any person shall falsely make or counterfeit any copper coin of the ,united ,states1 or pass or publish the same1 he shall be subjected to a fine of #ajjj1 and suffer imprisonment to hard labor for a term not exceeding three years4--,gordon's ,digest1 p4 #ibb4 ,published by the ,american ,sabbath ,tract ,society1 ,no4 #i ,spruce ,street1 ,n4 ,y4 ,no4 #h4 ,,sabbath ,,controversy4 ,,the ,,true ,,issue4 ,one of the greatest difficulties which we who observe the seventh day have ever found in the ,sabbath controversy1 is to make our opponents understand what is the real question at issue4 ,so long have their thoughts1 feelings and habits1 been moulded under one particular view of the subject1 that it seems almost a miracle if one is found who can disregard all foreign matter1 and look at the precise point in debate long enough to come to any certain and intelligent conclusion about it4 ,but it is evident1 that if an opponent is suffered to raise false issues1 or to be continually striking off into the discussion of some point which does not affect the final question1 we may prolong the controversy ad infinitum4 ,let us then endeavor to state distinctly what is1 and what is not1 the issue between us and the observers of the first day of the week4 #a4 ,the issue is not whether the first day of the week was observed at a very early period by ,christians4 ,we admit that it was4 ,we admit that its observance may be traced up to very near the borders of the apostolic age4 ,what more can a generous1 conscientious opponent1 who scorns any other aid than what the truth will give him1 ask8 ,he knows in his own soul that this is the very utmost that can be produced from any of his histories4 ,let him ransack his old musty volumes all the way backward1 till he fancies he can almost talk to the beloved disciple face to face1 and what more can he find8 ,verily1 nothing4 ,but when you have got this admission from us1 then we have another question to ask4 ,how--don't dodge the question--,,how was the day observed by the early ,christians8 ,we admit the observance of it2 but that is not the issue4 ,the issue respects the manner of observing it4 ,you1 if you are consistent1 will say that the early ,christians observed it not only by public worship1 but by abstaining from labor4 ,we1 on the other hand1 deny that they abstained from labor4 ,we admit that they held public worship2 but--we repeat it--we deny that they abstained from labor4 ,we deny that they regarded it as a ,sabbath1 resting according to the commandment4 ,now with the issue thus fairly stated1 we put the laboring oar into your hands1 and challenge you to prove your position4 ,bring proof1 if you can1 that the early ,christians regarded the first day of the week as any thing else than a religious festival2 between which and a ,sabbath there is a very important difference1 the latter requiring abstinence from labor1 the former merely requiring public worship in honor of the event commemorated1 and allowing the remainder of the day to be spent in labor or amusement4 #b4 ,when it is once settled1 that in a very early period of the church the first day was observed as a festival2 when our opponents have fairly jaded themselves to a weariness of the flesh1 in their much study of the old fathers1 to find proof of it2--though we never called it in question2--then the issue is1 whether this festival was ordained by ,christ8--whether the ,new ,testament furnishes inspired example of such festival8 ,our opponents affirm2 we deny4 ,we maintain that in every passage of the ,new ,testament1 where the first day of the week is mentioned1 the context furnishes a sufficient reason why it is mentioned1 without the least necessity of supposing it to have been a festival season4 ,no exception can be made to this1 unless in regard to #a ,cor4 #af3b4 ,the reason why the ,apostle in this place specifies the first1 rather than any other day of the week1 does not so clearly appear from the context2 but the peculiar phraseology employed1 let each one of you lay by him1 himself1 is against the idea of any public meeting2 and if no public meeting1 of course no festival season4 ,as every allusion to the first day of the week is sufficiently explained by other circumstances noticed in the context1 the inferential proof of its festival character is thereby destroyed4 ,as for clear1 positive proof of it1 such as express precept or command1 no person of modesty pretends it4 ,still less is there any proof of its ,sabbatic character4 #c4 ,another point wherein we are necessarily at issue with great numbers of ,christians1 is whether the institution of the ,sabbath is separable from the particular day to be observed4 ,they affirm2 we deny4 ,we maintain that ,god's blessing and sanctifying a particular day is the very thing in which the institution consists4 ,to render this plain matter yet more plain1 we invite close attention to the wording of the fourth commandment2 premising1 however1 that the word ,sabbath is not translated from a ,hebrew word1 but is the ,hebrew word itself anglicized1 just as baptism is an anglicized ,greek word4 ,the proper translation of the word is ,rest4 ,now let the word ,rest be substituted for ,sabbath1 and how clear it becomes-- ,remember the ,rest day to keep it holy4 ,surely some particular day is denoted2 for it is ,,the ,rest day1 not ,a ,rest day4 ,six days shalt thou labor1 and do all thy work2 but the seventh day is the ,rest of the ,lord thy ,god4 ,is it any where historically recorded as a fact that ,god rested on ,,the seventh day8 ,it is ,gen4 #b3b4 ',on the seventh day ,god rested from1 all his work which he had made4' ,who does not see that that day on which ,god rested1 was the last of the seven which constituted the first week of time8 ,in it--in ,,what8 why1 in the seventh day1 the last day of the week2 for the pronoun it can have no other antecedent--thou shalt not do any work1 thou1 nor thy son1 nor thy daughter1 nor thy man-servant1 nor thy maid-servant1 nor thy cattle1 nor the stranger that is within thy gates4 ,,why must no work be done on that particular day1 the seventh or last day of the week8 ,the reason follows4 ,for in six days the ,lord made heaven and earth1 the sea and all that in them is1 and ,,rested on the seventh day1 as the record in ,gen4 #b3b proves4 ,see also ,heb4 #d3d4 ,wherefore the ,lord blessed the ,rest day and sanctified it4 ,the conclusion is irresistible1 that the ,rest day spoken of is the particular day on which ,god rested from his work1 which1 as before shown1 was the last day of the week4 ,that very day1 and no other1 ,god blessed and sanctified4 ,the only reason assigned why he sanctified it1 is because that in it he had rested from all his work which ,god created and made4 ,gen4 #b3c4 ,the ,rest day1 then1 which we are required to observe1 is the ,rest of the ,lord thy ,god3 which does not mean the rest which the ,lord thy ,god has appointed1 though it is true that he has appointed it2 nor does it mean a rest which becomes the ,lord's by reason of our appropriating it to him2 but the rest of the ,lord thy ,god means ,,the ,,rest ,,which ,,the ,,lord ,,thy ,,god ,,observed4 ,now from all this we think it must be evident1 that whoever observes any other ,rest day than the seventh day of the week1 does not observe the ,rest--,sabbath--of the ,lord thy ,god4 ,he may1 it is true1 appropriate it to the ,lord his ,god1 and in that sense call it the ,lord's2 he may ignorantly suppose that ,christ in the ,gospel has appointed it1 and in that sense also call it the ,lord's2 but it can by no means be called the ,rest of the ,lord thy ,god in the sense of that expression in the fourth commandment4 ,hence1 irresistible is our conviction1 that he does not obey the commandment4 ,o brother ,christian1 why will you persist in maintaining that your ,sunday keeping is an act of obedience to the law of the ,sabbath8 ,published by the ,american ,sabbath ,tract ,society1 ,no4 #i ,spruce-street1 ,new-,york4 ,no4 #i ,,the ,,fourth ,,commandment4 ,,false ,,exposition ,,and ,,its ,,consequences4 ,the ,fourth ,commandment has been variously expounded by its professed friends4 ,among these expositions1 none has been more injurious than that which represents it as requiring the observance1 not of the ,sabbath1 and the seventh day1 but of a ,sabbath1 and a seventh day--not of a certain and well-known time1 but of an uncertain and varying time4 ,yet this is the exposition of it which is given both by commentators and writers on the subject of the ,sabbath4 ,it will be found1 however1 that this view is generally presented in order to prepare the way to introduce the first day of the week1 under the specious name of ,lord's ,day1 into the place of the ,sabbath4 ,thus some are made to think1 that the name ,sabbath may as well be applied to the first day of the week as to the seventh4 ,but to such an exposition there are several serious objections3-- #a4 ,it is a perversion of the original text itself4 ,in every place where the weekly ,sabbath and the seventh day are spoken of1 the ,hebrew article is uniformly used4 ,this article is often used like our demonstrative this--but more commonly like our definite article the--never as our indefinite article a or an2 and ,gesenius1 in answer to the question whether it may be used indefinitely1 says1 ,the definite article cannot be rightly said to stand indefinitely4 ,to this opinion agree all our translators1 both ancient and modern1 who have rendered the terms1 both in the fourth commandment and all other places of the ,scripture1 by the ,sabbath and the seventh day4 #b4 ,it makes the ,fourth ,commandment to be indefinite and absurd4 ,if that commandment only requires the observance of a ,sabbath or rest1 and that on a seventh day1 then one man might keep the seventh day1 another the third day1 and another the fifth day1 yet all obey the commandment4 ,what confusion would thus result from carrying out this exposition to its legitimate results6 ,but ,god's commandment is not yea and nay after this manner4 ,it says1 the seventh day is the ,sabbath of the ,lord thy ,god4 ,that man will not be held guiltless who misinterprets and misrepresents it1 for however pious a purpose he may do so4 #c4 ,it is contrary to the teachings of the very men who give this exposition2 for they affirm1 that the fourth commandment required the keeping of the seventh day until ,christ came4 ,now1 if the ,jews before ,christ1 were bound to keep a certain and definite day1 and that the seventh day1 then the commandment required a certain and definite day1 and that the seventh day4 ,from these considerations it is evident1 that those who represent the fourth commandment as requiring the observance of only a ,sabbath1 and that upon some one day of the seven indefinitely1 are guilty of a false exposition of the commandment1 and of handling the word of ,god deceitfully4 ,they make a plain passage of ,scripture to signify one thing for some thousands of years1 and then ever afterwards to signify another thing4 ,thus do they make void the commandment of ,god1 that they may keep their own traditions4 ,now let us turn to a consideration of some of the consequences of this kind of exposition4 ,among these we will mention only three4 #a4 ,it overturns all certainty in explaining the ,scriptures4 ,if a man1 in translating from a ,latin or ,greek author1 should pervert his author's meaning in this manner1 by using words in a different sense from that in which they were intended1 he would be cast out and despised4 ,but yet when a preacher represents the term the ,sabbath as meaning simply a rest1 that so he may call the first day of the week a rest1 and therefore the ,sabbath1 he deals worse with the ,scriptures than the translator just mentioned does with his profane author4 ,instead1 however1 of being cast out and despised1 his speculations are allowed to go for truth4 ,thus unbelievers are encouraged in their infidelity2 and occasion is given for them to say1 that the ,bible is interpreted by its friends to mean just what they please to have it4 ,it is dangerous for men to use their wits thus to blind the eyes of their fellows4 #b4 ,it abolishes the ,lord's ,sabbath1 and makes the ,fourth ,commandment to be a mere cipher4 ,first1 it abolishes the ,lord's ,sabbath1 because it teaches that the observance of the seventh day1 on which ,god rested and which he introduced into the commandment as one with the ,sabbath1 is not at all binding1 but the day may be spent in any kind of labor4 ,is not this to abolish the ,lord's ,sabbath8 ,second1 it makes the fourth commandment a cipher1 because it takes away the time1 which is the seventh day1 and the event commemorated1 which is ,god's resting from his creative work4 ,now read the commandment1 as these expounders would have it1 bereft of the time and the event commemorated4 ,it then commands only a rest1 without any precept or example as to its length or frequency4 ,one person1 therefore1 may rest one hour in each day2 another one day in a month2 and a third one month in a year2 and each may call this keeping the ,sabbath4 ,does not this make the fourth commandment a mere cipher8 #c4 ,it abuses ,god's ,word1 and misleads his people4 ,it abuses his word by representing that the ,word teaches what it does not teach1 and that it fails to teach what it attempts to teach4 ,it misleads his people1 on one side1 by pressing the fourth commandment to sustain the first day of the week1 which it says nothing about1 thus laying a yoke upon the people1 requiring them to observe a day1 in regard to which they will finally be asked1 ,who hath required this at your hands8 ,on the other side1 it misleads the people1 by encouraging them to neglect a day which ,god hath sanctified2 and commanded them to keep holy4 ,such are some of the consequences of this false exposition of the fourth commandment4 ,they affect both the sabbatic institution itself1 and those whose duty it is to remember it4 ,it is true that the persons who countenance such expositions are called very zealous and godly men2 but this1 instead of bettering the case1 makes it worse4 ,if they were enemies to the commandment1 such things might be expected1 and would be comparatively unimportant2 but that the wound should be inflicted by its friends1 aggravates the evil4 ,there is occasion to tremble for some religious teachers1 who profess great interest in the ,sabbath1 but who yet refuse to hear the truth in regard to it4 ,some such there are1 who1 if the truth be presented to them1 instead of inquiring if these things are so1 imitate the ,jews of old who1 when they were cut to the heart1 gnashed on their reprover with their teeth2 and when they could endure it no longer1 stoppped their ears1 and ran upon him with one accord4 ,such would do well to inquire if they are not in this thing teaching error for truth1 and their own traditions for the commandments of ,god4 ,published by the ,american ,sabbath ,tract ,society1 ,no4 #i ,spruce-street1 ,new-,york4 ,no4 #aj4 ,,the ,,true ,,sabbath ,,embraced ,,and ,,observed4 ,,by ,,eld4 ,,samuel ,,davison1 ,many years a regular ,baptist ,minister2 now ,pastor of the ,seventh day ,baptist ,church in ,shiloh1 ,new ,jersey4 ,,new-,,york3 ,,published ,,by ,,the ,,amer4 ,,sabbath ,,tract ,,society ,,introductory ,,observations4 ,having often been solicited to give an account of my conversion from the observance of what is commonly called the ,lord's ,day1 or ,sunday1 to the observance of the ancient ,sabbath of ,jehovah1 the seventh day of the week1 ,i submit this brief narrative to public notice1 not so much for the justification of my present practice1 as in the hope that it may be the means of leading many other ,christian people candidly to examine this subject1 which1 as it appears to me1 is very essential to the restoration of primitive ,christianity4 ,the narrative derives its importance1 not from the person of the narrator1 but from the practical exhibition which it furnishes of the working of divine truth upon the mind4 ,,early ,,prepossessions4 ,my parents1 and nearly all of my family connections1 being members of ,baptist churches1 or attached to that denomination--and ,i having been a member of the same for above twenty-five years1 and more than half that time an accredited minister among them--all my preferences and prepossessions were with their peculiarities as churches of the ,lord ,jesus ,christ4 ,if there was one characteristic doctrine of the ,baptists which ,i esteemed above another1 it was this3 ,we believe that the ,scriptures of the ,old and ,new ,testaments were given by the inspiration of ,god1 and are a perfect rule of faith and practice4 ,i could say with the ,psalmist1 ,my heart standeth in awe of thy word2 for thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name4 ,,matured ,,attachments4 ,i believed firmly1 that if there was a ,christian people upon the earth who had kept the primitive faith from the days of the apostles1 and had never symbolized with the errors of the church of ,rome in her idolatrous and adulterous course1 that people was the ,baptist denomination4 ,if there was any thing in my religious privileges in which ,i gloried1 it was in thinking that ,i had never been deceived by the working of that mystery of iniquity4 ,i was sensible that the ,baptists had errors among them2 but ,i regarded them as the errors of fallible human nature1 and not as departures from the constitutional doctrine and law of the ,holy ,scriptures--some of them superinduced by an unwatchful and familiar intercourse with our more erroneous ,pedobaptist brethren1 and hence mediately1 though not directly1 the effect of that great apostacy which was predicted as to come and deceive all nations4 ,holding these sentiments1 ,i was ardently and conscientiously attached to that denomination1 as the most scriptural people on earth4 ,i did not doubt but that ,i should remain united with them in time1 in death1 and in eternal life4 ,,regard ,,for ,,scriptural ,,christianity4 ,notwithstanding my prepossessions and attachments1 it has been my prevailing desire1 from the time of my conversion1 to be a ,scriptural ,christian2 and since ,i became a teacher of others1 ,i have felt a growing sense of obligation to know and teach the whole counsel of ,god aright4 ,the words of the ,lord ,jesus ,christ to his disciples1 saying1 ,call no man master1 ,call no man father1 have for years been so deeply impressed upon my heart1 that ,i have scrupulously refused to call myself a ,fullerite1 a ,calvinist1 an ,armenian1 or after any human name4 ,although ,i have my preferences in reading and approving the sentiments of great and good men1 the ,bible alone is my creed book4 ,,former ,,sabbath ,,sentiments4 ,my former ,sabbath sentiments were formed according to the ,puritan model4 ,while a child1 ,i learned ,sutcliff's and ,watts' ,catechisms1 in both of which it is taught1 that the ten commandments are a rule of life to good men2 and traditionally ,i was taught1 that the ,sabbath was changed from the seventh to the first day of the week in honor of the resurrection of ,christ2 and ,i fully believed this was confirmed by the various references to the first day contained in the ,new ,testament4 ,,disturbed ,,about ,,the ,,sabbath4 ,i was first disturbed about the ,sabbath seven years ago1 when a brother sent me a tract upon the subject1 called the ,investigator4 ,i read it with considerable interest1 and was much perplexed in attempting to satisfy myself with my own views1 as ,i went along in the perusal of it4 ,i wished then1 that there had been something more explicit upon the subject of the change of the day than what ,i could find in the ,new ,testament4 ,not questioning1 however1 but that it was divinely changed1 ,i quieted1 rather than satisfied1 my mind with what ,i supposed to be abundant apostolic example2 and ,i remarked1 that if our ,pedobaptist brethren could produce from the ,scriptures as clear examples of infant baptism1 as we could of keeping the first day of the week for a ,sabbath1 ,i would admit its validity4 ,although ,i would not dare to say so now1 then it sufficed to quiet my mind4 ,i had no farther solicitude upon the subject1 until about midsummer of #ahdc4 ,at that time1 as several professors of religion of my acquaintance did not regard the day as ,i thought the ,lord's ,day ought to be regarded1 ,i concluded to preach a sermon upon the subject1 and commenced preparing one4 ,i had then recently purchased ,neander's ,history of the ,christian ,religion and ,church during the ,first ,three ,centuries4 ,i read this book with much satisfaction1 as the work of an able and candid historian1 who takes a philosophical view of the events and circumstances of society which operated to give character to those early ages of church history4 ,in the section on ,christian ,worship and ,festivals1 ,i was surprised to find the following statement1 viz3 ,,opposition ,,to ,,judaism introduced the particular festival of ,sunday very early indeed into the place of the ,sabbath4444 ,the festival of ,sunday1 like all other festivals1 was always only a human ordinance2 and it was far from the intentions of the apostles to establish a divine command in this respect--far from them1 and from the early apostolic church1 to transfer the laws of the ,sabbath to ,sunday4 ,perhaps at the end of the second century a false application of this kind had begun to take place2 for men appear by that time to have considered laboring on ,sunday as a sin4 ,i was the more surprised at this statement1 as ,i found ,neander was not a ,sabbath-keeper4 ,he takes the high-church ground1 acknowledging the right of the so-called apostolic or catholic church to alter or ordain the rites of ,christian worship2 which is indeed1 the foundation principle of all ,papal1 ,puseyite1 and ,pedobaptist observances4 ,i saw clearly enough1 that if ,neander was right1 ,i had no better foundation for ,sunday-keeping than hierarchists have for their ,easter1 ,ascension1 and ,christmas ,festivals1 which ,i had always repudiated2 or than ,pedobaptists have for sprinkling infants4 ,i therefore determined to give the subject ,a ,,thorough ,,examination4 ,i commenced with human authors1 and read ,fuller1 ,buck1 ,doddridge1 ,paley1 ,wilson1 ,humphrey1 ,nevins1 ,kingsbury1 ,phelps1 ,whateley1 and others2 and ,i was astonished to find every one of them admitting1 that there is no express command1 precept1 or passage of ,scripture1 to authorize the change of the ,sabbath from the seventh to the first day of the week4 ,they all attempt to support the practice by inferences and analogical reasonings from particular events4 ,not having veneration large enough to bow to their great names and acute reasonings1 ,i was landed upon a lonely shore1 without pilot or compass1 with no guide but the truthful chart of ,revelation4 ,as ,i had often vowed in my heart to the ,lord1 that ,i would be a ,bible ,christian so far as ,i could discover the meaning of the divine ,word1 or know the revealed will of ,god2 and had more than once told my ,pedobaptist friends1 when accused of sectarianism1 that ,i would leave all for the truth's sake1 if ,i could discover that ,i was wrong2 ,i was greatly perplexed1 for ,i found a great fact--,the ,sabbath was changed4 ,the greater part of the world1 the most estimable of ,christians1 do keep their weekly ,sabbath on the first day6 ,can they all be wrong8 ,i conversed with some1 and found them more inconsistent in their reasons than the authors ,i read4 ,for a time1 to sanction the change of the ,sabbath1 ,i took what may properly be called prelatical ground4 ,it may be stated as follows1 viz3 ,the thing exists2 and in the ,new ,testament we find some things which appear to us so like it1 that1 we conclude this and they are identical2 though we cannot find the particulars of the change4 ,and besides1 we find some occurrences mentioned in the ,new ,testament which seemingly happened in accordance with it and which afford reasons for it1 and so we think1 they should be considered satisfactory evidences of the change existing at the time4 ,but my confidence in this fact was overturned by discovering another great fact1 viz3 ,that the first day was not honored as a ,sabbath during the first two centuries of the ,christian era2 and that when it did come to be so observed1 it was not on the considerations that are now alledged1 but on what appeared to me a wicked reason--mere spite to the ,jews4 ,i therefore commenced anew1 ,a ,,thorough ,,examination ,,of ,,the ,,new ,,testament4 ,but the more attentively ,i read it1 with this object in view1 viz4 to find out the mind of ,christ upon the subject of the ,sabbath1 the more plainly ,i saw that it was against me4 ,i found that ,christ and his apostles enjoined the observance of the law of the ten commandments as holy1 just1 and good--that law which says1 ,remember the ,sabbath day to keep it holy1 444 the seventh day is the ,sabbath of the ,lord thy ,god4 ,i found1 also1 that ,christ had said1 7,mark #b3bg1 #bh17 ,the ,sabbath was made for man2 therefore the ,son of ,man is ,lord also of the ,sabbath day--plainly incorporating it into the laws of his kingdom4 ,luke also says1 many years after the resurrection1 writing the account in his ,gospel of that event1 ,the women rested the ,sabbath day according to the commandment--thus recognizing it1 as it appeared to me1 to be a commandment still in force4 ,,the ,,resurrection ,,of ,,christ4 ,the ,resurrection of ,christ being regarded as the great event which required the change in question1 ,i carefully considered that matter4 ,but ,i no where found it spoken of by the ,new ,testament writers1 as it is by divines of modern times4 ,the only instance ,i could find of its celebration by the apostles1 was in the ordinance of baptism1 in these words1 ,if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death1 we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection4 7,rom4 #f3e47 ,and again1 ,what shall they do which are baptized for the resurrection of the dead1 if the dead rise not at all8 7#a ,cor4 #ae3bi47 ,i concluded that there could not be two apostolic ways of celebrating it2 and hence that ,i must look for some other reason to justify the change in question4 ,,the ,,time ,,of ,,the ,,resurrection ,,of ,,christ4 ,i had always supposed that our ,saviour rose on the morning of the first day of the week1 and had no doubt about finding it plainly recorded that he did4 ,but when ,i searched for it in the evangelists1 ,i found the accounts very different from what ,i had supposed4 ,matthew #bh3a1 reads1 ,in the end of the ,sabbath4 ,mark #af3a--,when the ,sabbath was passed4 ,matthew--,as it began to dawn towards the first day of the week4 ,mark--,very early in the morning1 the first day of the week4 ,luke #bd3a--,very early in the morning4 ,john #bj3a--;,early1 when it was yet dark1 444 they came to the sepulchre1 and found not the body of the ,lord ,jesus4 ,as this did not tell the exact time of his resurrection1 ,i set myself to see if ,i could find it by any other passages4 ,on examination1 it appeared plain to me1 that as he was buried at sun-down1 according to that law in ,deut4 #ba3bc1 to fulfill his own prediction1 ,so shall the ,son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth1 his resurrection must have taken place at the same hour of the day1 or rather evening--which would destroy its identity with the first day as now reckoned1 and carry back his crucifixion to the fourth day of the week4 ,all we know of the time of the crucifixion1 ,i found to be1 that it was on the fourteenth day of the first month1 the preparation day of the ,passover ,the fifteenth day was the ,passover ,sabbath1 a high day with the ,jews4 7,see ,john #ai3ad1 #ca47 ,if ,jesus was thus crucified on the fourth day of the week1 ,i found that it made a striking correspondence between the event and the prediction in ,daniel #i3g4 ,the reason why the ,holy ,spirit was poured out on the day of ,,pentecost1 ,i found to be1 because it was the first annual national assembly after the crucifixion--the ,saviour being put to death at the ,passover1 and ,pentecost being fifty days after4 ,this event1 therefore1 had nothing to do with the ,sabbath4 ,,christ',s ,,appearances4 ,the appearances of ,christ to his disciples on the first day of the week1 are considered as good reasons for sanctifying that day4 ,it is supposed that he so designed them4 ,but these did not appear to me as ,i expected1 when ,i came to examine them carefully1 ,i knew them as related by the evangelists1 but ,i had them traditionally arranged and associated to suit the arguments for keeping the first day2 and when ,i came to read them with an honest inquiry after the truth1 they appeared very different from what ,i had supposed4 ,i found that there were five appearances of ,christ to his disciples on the first day following his resurrection2 and neither of them occurred when the disciples were assembled for worship2 neither were they accompanied by any such direction4 ,his first appearance was to the four women1 as they returned from the sepulchre1 where they had been with spices to embalm the body of ,jesus4 ,they were directed by an angel1 and by ,jesus himself1 to go and tell his disciples that ,christ was risen1 and would meet them on a mountain in ,galilee as he had promised them before his crucifixion4 ,there was nothing in this like ,sabbath-keeping6 ,the women having gone into the city1 informed ,peter and ,john1 who went immediately to the sepulchre2 and having looked in and satisfied themselves that the report of the women was true1 ,peter and ,john returned to the city4 ,but ,mary tarried still at the sepulchre1 weeping1 when ,jesus appeared to her alone4 7,john #bj3af47 ,next he appeared to ,peter4 7,luke #bd3cd1 #a ,cor4 #ae3e47 ,afterward he appeared to ,cleopas and another disciple as they journied to ,emmaus4 7,luke #bd3ac-ce47 ,at night1 when they had retired for their evening repast1 ,jesus appeared in the midst of them1 and partook with them of a piece of broiled fish and an honey comb4 7,luke #bd3db47 ,these were all on the first day of the week1 and they appeared to me conclusive evidence1 that the disciples had not yet received any intimations of a change of ,sabbath time1 there being no evidence of it in their conduct or discourse4 ,eight days after this1 ,jesus appeared again to his disciples1 ,thomas being with them4 7,john #bj3bf47 ,after these things1 he shewed himself again to seven of his disciples as they were fishing at the sea of ,tiberius4 7,john #ba3a-ad47 ,at another time1 probably on the mountain in ,galilee1 he was seen of five hundred brethren at once4 7#a ,cor4 #ae3f47 ,after this1 he was seen of ,james4 7#a ,cor4 #ae3g47 ,then of the disciples when he was taken up into heaven4 7,luke #bd3ej1 #ea47 ,last of all1 he was seen by ,saul of ,tarsus on his way to ,damascus4 7#a ,cor4 #ae3h47 ,there are eleven instances mentioned of his meeting his disciples1 and not one of them contains a single reference to the ,sabbath in any way whatever1 which fully convinced me that the pretence of the ,sabbath being changed at the resurrection of ,christ was wholly groundless4 ,how any one1 without very strong prepossessions and blindness1 could think these things make a ,sabbath1 ,i could not see4 ,only five of these instances are said to be on the first day1 and these were all private interviews6 ,saul of ,tarsus might as well conclude that he ought to build a meeting-house where ,jesus met him1 as for the disciples to make a ,sabbath of the first day because ,jesus appeared to them on that day4 ,after examining these things1 it looked to me as though the ,papists were quite as justifiable for changing the second commandment to make an image of ,christ and his cross1 as ,protestants are for altering the fourth commandment to honor the resurrection4 ,the ,papists honor the crucifixion1 and the ,protestants the resurrection4 ,,apostolic ,,examples4 ,i looked for apostolic examples4 ,but alas1 they all failed me4 ,they did not afford me the evidences ,i had supposed they would4 ,i found but one account of a ,christian assembly on the first day of the week1 which was at ,troas2 and that was an evening meeting1 and a parting meeting which ,paul held with his friends2 and while he was holding that meeting1 seven of his companions in travel went and removed the ship in which they were to sail from ,troas to ,assos1 whither he followed them on foot to go aboard4 ,i thought1 ,could they be keeping ,sabbath in so doing8 7,see ,acts #bj3a-ad47 ,the ,lord's ,day1 ,i found mentioned but once in the ,new ,testament1 7,rev4 #a3aj17 and there it does not tell what day of the week it was on1 so that ,i judged it certainly must favor that day for which there is both ,bible command and example1 rather than that day for which there is nothing but custom and tradition4 ,thus it appeared to me1 that all apostolic example was not only against the observance of the first day1 but clearly in favor of the seventh2 for ,i found that at ,antioch in ,pisidia1 the ,apostle observed the ,sabbath with both ,jews and ,gentiles4 7,acts #ac3ad1 #db1 #dd47 ,the same at ,philippi4 7,acts #af3ac47 ,and at ,thessalonica4 7,acts #ag3b1 #c47 ,also at ,corinth1 where the ,apostle continued a year and six months1 he observed ,,every ,sabbath day4 7,acts #ah3d1 #aa47 ,the law of ,god1 with all its awful sanctions1 flaming from ,mount ,sinai1 appeared to me to threaten my destruction if ,i dared to reject any part of its holy claims1 for when ,i read what ,jesus said1 7,luke #af3ag17 ,it is easier for heaven and earth to pass than for one tittle of the law to fail1 ,i could not entertain a doubt but that it was obligatory upon his disciples4 ,,the ,,decision4 ,these things greatly distressed me1 and in the end separated me from ,sunday-keeping forever4 ,at this time ,i was not acquainted with a single seventh-day ,christian4 ,but a bookseller sent me some copies of the ,address of the ,seventh-day ,baptists to the ,baptists of the ,united ,states1 which was peculiarly opportune to my state of mind4 ,it showed me the inconsistency of ,sunday-keeping with all the foundation principles of the faith ,i had received1 and the order ,i had observed2 and served to bring me to a decision4 ,yet ,i did not dare to submit my mind at once to the force of truth1 until ,i had repeatedly investigated every ,scripture passage and event on which ,i had formerly relied for a justification of my faith4 ,i endeavored to do this as independently of extrinsic considerations as ,i could2 and each time brought me to the same conclusion4 ,i could find no ,scripture authority for a first-day ,sabbath4 ,yet the conflict was not over4 ,i suffered for some time that deep mental anguish which attends a conscientious mind1 where enlightened judgment conflicts with all the inclinations1 expectations1 and kindliest associations of life4 ,if ever an anxious mariner sailed tremblingly between ,sylla and ,charybdis1 surely his condition was like mine at this time4 ,to advocate the ,sunday observance without ,bible authority1 ,i could not for conscience's sake4 ,to embrace the no-,sabbath doctrine1 ,i dared not2 this was too dark and downward a leap from the highway of holiness for me to hazard2 and the former was too disloyal and dishonest a course for me to pursue in the name of the ,king of saints4 ,for a time ,i indulged a forlorn hope1 that ,i might find some way of reconciling the matter so as to appear consistent without leaving the denomination4 ,but accustomed to speak the honest sentiments of my heart1 ,i found the subject naturally influencing my prayers and my preaching1 and in other ways embarrassing me1 so that it became a burden ,i knew not how to bear4 ,i commenced keeping the ,sabbath alone in my study4 ,it seemed now as if ,god had shut me up to my own vows2 ,i was compelled to renounce all for his truth1 or prove apostate to the principles of godliness6 ,dark indeed appeared my prospects4 ,i had a wife and eight children to support1 and no human resource to look to but my salary4 ,i felt1 too1 for the reputation1 sentiments1 and prepossessions of my wife and children1 some of whom had already made a profession of religion1 and for many other young converts recently gathered into the church of which ,i was pastor4 ,but just at that time1 ,i was called to baptize a young woman who had to leave father and mother1 and brothers and sisters1 and all she had on earth1 for her faith in ,christ4 ,this greatly assisted me to determine to do so too4 ,the decision gave great relief to my mind4 ,i could now with more confidence appeal to our ,father in heaven for support and direction4 ,i could with great comfort appropriate many precious promises of ,god's ,word to my own case1 and find them a precious cordial to my soul4 ,never have ,i found more enjoyment in divine things than since ,i thus renounced all for ,christ4 ,i found as the ,psalmist expresses it1 that great peace have they that love thy law1 and nothing shall offend them4 ,o taste and see that the ,lord is good2 blessed is the man that trusteth in him4 ,,conclusion4 ,the result has been happy in my own family4 ,all in my house who have come to years of discretion have since united in walking according to the commandments4 ,although it was not easy at first to throw off early prepossessions1 we have found no embarrassments from them since the decision was made4 ,many things which we feared have proved imaginary1 and all necessary good has been added unto us2 and the truth of ,god has more abounded toward us4 ,thus will it be with all them that obey ,god4 ,all his commandments are sure4 ,no good thing will he withhold from him that walketh uprightly4 ,its influence upon my religious feelings1 and views of divine truth in general1 has been to clear up some things that were previously obscure1 and give a beautiful harmony to the requirements of the law and the doctrines of the ,gospel4 ,my hope is1 when ,babylon shall fall1 to be found among them who keep the commandments of ,god and the faith of ,jesus4 7,rev4 #ad3ab47 ,,taking ,,up ,,the ,,cross4 ,,by ,,joseph ,,stennett4 ,jesus1 ,i my cross have taken1 ,all to leave and follow thee2 ,naked1 poor1 despised1 forsaken1 ,thou from hence my all shalt be4 ,let the world neglect and leave me2 ,they have left my ,saviour too2 ,human hopes have oft deceived me2 ,thou art faithful1 thou art true4 ,perish1 earthly fame and treasure2 ,come disaster1 scorn1 and pain2 ,in thy service1 pain is pleasure2 ,with thy favor1 death is gain4 ,oh6 'tis not in grief to harm me1 ,while thy bleeding love ,i see2 ,oh6 'tis not in joy to charm me1 ,when that love is hid from me4 ,published by the ,american ,sabbath ,tract ,society1 ,no4 #i ,spruce ,street1 ,n4 ,y4 ,no4 #aa4 ,religious ,liberty ,endangered by ,legislative ,enactments4 ,,an ,,appeal ,,to ,,the ,,friends ,,of ,,equal ,,rights ,,and ,,religious ,,freedom1 ,,in ,,the ,,united ,,states1 ,,from ,,the ,,seventh-,,day ,,baptist ,,general ,,conference4 ,,mdcccxlvi4 ,,new-,,york3 ,,published ,,by ,,the ,,amer4 ,,sabbath ,,tract ,,society4 ,no4 #i ,spruce-,street ,e4 ,g4 ,,champlin1 ,,stereotyper ,,and ,,printer4 ,the ,seventh-day ,baptist ,general ,conference held its ,forty-second ,anniversary at ,shiloh1 ,n4 ,j41 on the #ith1 #ajth1 #aath1 and #acth days of ,september1 #ahdf4 ,during the session a resolution was passed expressing the settled conviction of the ,conference1 that all legislation designed to enforce the religious observance of any day for a ,sabbath1 thereby determining by civil law that such day shall not be used for labor or judicial purposes1 is unconstitutional1 and hostile to religious freedom4 ,a ,committee was appointed to prepare an ,address to the people of the ,united ,states in accordance with the opinion thus expressed4 ,the following is the ,address reported by the ,committee1 approved by the ,conference1 and referred to the ,american ,sabbath ,tract ,society for publication4 ,,fellow-,,citizens3-- ,we fully agree with you in the popular sentiment of our nation1 that liberty is sweet--to men of noble minds1 much more precious than estates1 or treasures of silver and gold--dearer than our reputation and honor among the despots of the world4 ,was it not this sentiment1 firmly-rooted in the minds of the ,fathers of our ,national ,independence1 which led them to stake their lives1 their fortunes1 and their sacred honor1 rather than be the serfs of a ,british ,king and his aristocratic ,lords8 ,applauding their spirit1 we know that you will agree with us in the sentiment1 that the preservation of that liberty which they achieved and perpetuated in our ever-glorious ,constitution1 is the highest civil duty which we owe to ourselves1 to our posterity1 and to our nation4 ,all but coercionists will agree with us1 that the preservation of our religious liberty is a sacred duty1 which we owe alike to the cause of truth and our political happiness4 ,give us your candid attention1 then1 while we present a brief statement of the wrongs we are suffering in these ,united ,states1 despite the principles of the ,national ,declaration of ,independence1 and the guarantees of our ,national ,constitution4 ,believing in the integrity of the provisional ,government which made the ,declaration of ,independence1 our fathers and predecessors in faith1 fought side by side with yours for the liberty which that instrument declares to be the inalienable right of all men4 ,they were equally zealous parties to the adoption of the ,constitution of the ,united ,states--that ,constitution which says there shall be no law respecting an establishment of religion1 or prohibiting the free exercise thereof2 and the judges in every ,state shall be bound thereby1 any thing in the constitution or laws of any ,state to the contrary notwithstanding4 ,although our brethren at ,ephrata1 in ,pennsylvania1 regarded warfare and the shedding of blood as inconsistent with the ,christian profession1 yet they were no less ardent admirers of those national instruments by which ,american liberties were asserted and established4 ,of this they gave ample proof1 in the unwavering support which they ever voluntarily rendered to the ,national ,government and its troops1 by all the peaceable means at their command4 ,history records an act of patriotism and piety1 which reflects everlasting honor on their names4 ,they voluntarily and compassionately received1 at their establishment1 between four and five hundred wounded ,americans who had fallen in the battle of ,brandywine1 fed them from their own stores1 and nursed them with their own hands1 for which they never received nor asked a recompense of the ,american ,government or people4 ,it was enough for them1 that they were their fellow men4 ,but it stirred their hearts the deeper1 that they knew they were bleeding in the cause of sacred liberty4 ,we are the descendants and successors in faith of these parties4 ,we hold the same sentiments1 and cherish the same principles1 which they did at that time4 ,is it not surprising1 then1 that within seventy years after the signing of that ,declaration1 and in little more than half a century after the adoption of the ,constitution1 the lineal descendants of these parties1 and their successors in faith and principles1 should have their liberties so abridged by state authorities1 as to give occasion for an appeal to the citizens of the whole nation1 from whom the sovereign power emanates1 for a redress of their wrongs8 ,but so it is4 ,religious zealots1 in our ,state ,legislatures and on the ,judicial ,bench1 have violated the ,constitution of the nation1 established an article of their religious creed1 and made it penal for others of different sentiments to follow out their own honest convictions of duty to ,god4 ,the consequence is1 that eight of our brethren are at this moment under judicial sentence for their religious sentiments1 and condemned to pay four dollars each1 with costs of prosecution1 or suffer imprisonment in the common jail4 ,it is not pretended that they have injured the persons1 or wronged the estates or interests of any of their fellow-citizens4 ,neither is it pretended that they are lewd or intemperate persons1 or profaners of churches4 ,the only pretence is1 that they have injured the religious feelings of some others by peaceably working upon their own farms on the first day of the week1 in obedience to the dictates of their own consciences and the law of ,god4 ,and this is the second time1 within the space of one year1 that the persecution of these otherwise unoffending men1 has been approved by the courts of ,pennsylvania4 ,in four other ,states of the ,union1 in defiance of the ,national ,constitution1 our fellow-citizens have suffered prosecutions1 fines1 and imprisonment1 within the past year1 upon similar charges4 ,beside this1 in the ,states where toleration is provided for labor on our own farms and in our own work shops on the first day of the week1 all contracts1 legal and commercial transactions1 if done even among ourselves1 are declared null and void by the ,state ,statutes4 ,so that1 even in these ,states1 we are deprived of our constitutional and inalienable right to use one-sixth part of our time for commercial1 legal1 and judicial transactions2 and then are tied up to our own premises1 as though we were as dangerous to the religious interests of our fellow-citizens1 as rabid animals are to their persons4 ,applications were made to three ,state ,legislatures during the winter of #ahde-f1 for relief from these odious statutes4 ,but those applications were all repulsed with supercilious denials4 ,forbearance is no longer a virtue4 ,a succession of abuses and usurpations of our rights1 has compelled us to take measures to resist1 with all the legal means in our power1 and with all that we can honorably acquire1 whatever laws abridge the rights or coerce the consciences of ourselves or our fellow-citizens on religious or sectarian considerations4 ,appealing to ,jehovah and his holy law for the rectitude of our principles and the righteousness of our cause1 we have implored1 and shall continue to implore1 the interposition of his ,providence to succeed our efforts4 ,without wishing to disturb the peace of society1 or wantonly to overturn the existing order of things1 but actuated solely by a sense of duty to maintain the integrity of ,god's law1 and preserve unimpaired our religious privileges1 we appeal to you1 fellow-citizens1 in defence of the justice of our demands1 by a fair representation of our ,constitutional ,rights4 ,the sixth article of the ,constitution of the ,united ,states1 section #b;d1 says1 ,this ,constitution1 and the laws of the ,united ,states which shall be made in pursuance thereof1 444 shall be the supreme law of the land2 and the judges in every ,state shall be bound thereby1 any thing in the constitution or laws of any ,state to the contrary notwithstanding4 ,section #c;d says1 ,the members of the several ,state ,legislatures1 and all executive and judicial officers1 both of the ,united ,states and of the several ,states1 shall be bound by oath or affirmation to support this ,constitution2 but no religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to office or public trust under the ,united ,states4 ,in the amendments to the ,constitution1 article #ast1 it is written1 ,congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion1 or prohibiting the free exercise thereof4 ,in view of these sections of the fundamental law of the nation1 what can be more palpably unconstitutional than those ,state statutes which are so framed as to declare and establish the first day of the week as the ,christian ,sabbath1 or holy day4 ,the ,state statutes which subject any citizen to fine or imprisonment for labor1 or any legal transaction1 on the first day of the week1 as far as their influence extends1 make void ,god's everlasting law1 and subject the conscientious servant thereof to punishment for a strict conformity to it4 ,the ,state statutes violate the ,constitution of the ,united ,states in two respects4 #ast4 ,they violate that part of the ,constitution which forbids the enactment of any law respecting an establishment of religion2 because by them the religious observance of the first day is made a ,state establishment of religion as really and arbitrarily as the law of ,constantine made it a part of the religion of the ,roman ,empire4 #b;d4 ,they violate that part of the ,constitution which forbids the making of any law prohibiting the free exercise of religion2 because1 by forbidding labor on the first day of the week1 they prohibit a strict conformity to the law of ,god which says1 ,six days shalt thou labor and do all thy work1 but the seventh day is the ,sabbath of the ,lord thy ,god4 ,with this view of the subject1 we submit it to the common-sense of candid men to say1 if every judicial officer who convicts or passes sentence upon his fellow-citizens for disobeying these arbitrary statutes on a charge of ,sabbath-breaking1 is not a perjured man4 ,he swears or affirms to support the ,constitution of the ,united ,states1 any thing in the ,constitution or laws of any ,state to the contrary notwithstanding2 yet he administers a law which establishes a sectarian article of religion1 and punishes conscientious men for a free exercise of their own religious opinions1 and for doing what they esteem to be their duty to ,god4 ,heretofore we have asked only for exemptions from these odious statutes for all such as observe the seventh day of the week as the ,sabbath1 and we have generally been permitted to pass peaceably along4 ,but of late our growing numbers1 and our increasing influence in the nation1 together with the use of the public press in defence of our sentiments1 have seemingly made us too odious in the eyes of some of our fellow-citizens to be suffered peaceably to enjoy our lights4 ,powerful efforts are being made to inflame the public mind against us1 to influence the magistracy to enforce the ,sunday laws now existing1 and if possible to procure the enactment of others more stringent and restrictive4 ,these things have thrown us unavoidably upon our constitutional rights4 ,experience teaches us that our peace and liberty are continually jepordized by the existence of statutes which can be so construed as to coerce us1 contrary to our consciences1 to do reverence to the first day of the week as a holy day4 ,we therefore demand the entire repeal of all laws for coercing the observance of the first day1 as being contrary to the spirit and the letter of the ,constitution of the ,united ,states4 ,the view which we take of this subject is not from a partial construction of the ,constitution4 ,that instrument has been so construed by impartial and competent authority4 ,the following extract from a letter written by ,,george ,,washington1 while ,president of the ,united ,states1 and who was ,president of the ,convention for framing the ,constitution1 to a committee of a ,baptist ,society in ,virginia1 in answer to an application to him for his views of the meaning and efficiency of that instrument to protect the rights of conscience1 decides the intent of the framers of the ,constitution1 and consequently the intent of the ,constitution itself4 ,the letter is dated ,august #d1 #aghi1 and reads as follows3-- ,if ,i had the least idea of any difficulty resulting from the ,constitution adopted by the ,convention of which ,i had the honor to be ,president when it was formed1 so as to endanger the rights of any religious denomination1 then ,i never should have attached my name to that instrument4 ,if ,i had any idea that the ,general ,government was so administered that liberty of conscience was endangered1 ,i pray you be assured that no man would be more willing than myself to revise and alter that part of it1 so as to avoid all religious persecution4 ,you can1 without doubt1 remember that ,i have often expressed my opinion1 that every man who conducts himself as a good citizen is accountable alone to ,god for his religious faith1 and should be protected in worshiping ,god according to the dictates of his conscience4 ,signed1 ,,george ,,washington4#aj ,the ,congressional ,committee on ,post ,offices and ,post ,roads1 to whom were referred certain memorials for prohibiting the transportation of mails and the opening of post offices on ,sunday1 in the #dc;d session of ,congress1 ,a4 ,d4 #ahcj1 reported unfavorably to the prayer of the memorialists4 ,their report was adopted and printed by order of the ,senate of the ,united ,states1 and the ,committee was discharged from the farther consideration of the subject4 ,that ,committee take the same view of the intent of the ,constitution as did ,general ,washington4 ,they say3-- ,we look in vain to that instrument for authority to say whether first day1 or seventh day1 or whether any day1 has been made holy by the ,almighty4 444 ,the ,constitution regards the conscience of the ,jew as sacred as that of the ,christian2 and gives no more authority to adopt a measure affecting the conscience of a solitary individual1 than that of a whole community4 ,that representative who would violate this principle1 would lose his delegated character1 and forfeit the confidence of his constituents4 ,if ,congress should declare the first day of the week holy1 it would not convince the ,jew nor the ,sabbatarian4 ,it would dissatisfy both1 and consequently convert neither4 444 ,if a solemn act of legislation shall in one point define the law of ,god1 or point out to the citizen one religious duty1 it may with equal propriety define every part of revelation1 and enforce every religious obligation1 even to the forms and ceremonies of worship1 the endowments of the church1 and the support of the clergy4 444 ,the framers of the ,constitution recognized the eternal principle1 that man's relation to his ,god is above human legislation1 and his rights of conscience inalienable4 ,reasoning was not necessary to establish this truth2 we are conscious of it in our own bosoms4 ,it is this consciousness which1 in defiance of human laws1 has sustained so many martyrs in tortures and flames4 ,they felt that their duty to ,god was superior to human enactments1 and that man could exercise no authority over their consciences4 ,it is an inborn principle1 which nothing can eradicate4 444 ,it is also a fact1 that counter memorials1 equally respectable1 oppose the interference of ,congress1 on the ground that it would be legislating upon a religious subject1 and therefore unconstitutional4 ,impartial ,judiciaries have taken the same view of these provisions of the ,constitution1 and have declared the laws enforcing the observance of the first day of the week unconstitutional1 as may be seen in ,judge ,herttell's book1 ,the ,rights of the ,people ,reclaimed2 also in ,an ,essay on ,constitutional ,reform1 by ,hiram ,p4 ,hastings1 ,counselor at ,law4 ,on the #b;d of ,october1 #agii1 at ,new ,mills1 ,burlington ,county1 ,new ,jersey1 a ,seventh-day ,baptist being indicted before a ,justice of the ,peace for working on ,sunday1 and fined1 he appealed4 ,at the trial in ,court1 the foregoing letter from ,general ,washington was produced by the ,judge1 and read in his charge to the ,jury4 ,the result was acquittal by the ,jury4 ,in the year #ahde1 the ,court of ,hamilton ,county1 ,ohio1 made a similar decision in a like case1 and on similar considerations4 ,a ,committee of the ,common ,hall of the ,city of ,richmond1 ,virginia1 to whom was referred the case of certain persecuted ,jews1 have made a like decision on the municipal laws of that ,city1 which have been construed to enforce keeping the first day4 ,the ,post ,office ,laws are framed in accordance with these provisions of the ,constitution4 ,the ,act of ,march #c;d1 #ahbe1 section #ast1 authorizes the ,postmaster to provide for the carriage of the mail on all post roads that are or may be established by law1 and as often as he1 having regard to the productiveness thereof1 and other circumstances1 shall think proper4 ,section #agth provides1 that every ,postmaster shall keep an office1 in which one or more persons shall attend on every day on which a mail shall arrive by land or water1 as well as on other days1 at such hours as the ,postmaster ,general shall direct1 for the purpose of performing the duties thereof2 and it shall be the duty of the ,postmaster1 at all reasonable hours1 on every day of the week1 to deliver on demand any letter1 paper1 or packet1 to the person entitled to1 or authorized to receive the same4 ,the laws against labor on the first day1 in each ,state where they exist1 are obliged to except the mail-carriers and the postmasters4 ,but we ask our fellow-citizens to consider by what show of justice1 any local tribunal can punish a private citizen for doing that on his own account1 which the servants and officers of the ,united ,states are doing at the same time1 for the use of the people1 and by a law of the same ,government8 ,suppose a carriage conveying the ,united ,states ,mail1 should enter the ,city of ,philadelphia on ,sunday2 and another carriage1 containing goods or wares for the next day's market1 should enter at the same time and by the same route2 with what show of justice shall the driver of the market carriage be put under arrest and fined1 and the driver of the mail carriage go free8 ,or suppose there should be a postmaster assorting his letters on the first day1 and a fellow-citizen selling pens1 ink1 paper1 and wafers1 to write the same letters1 in another part of the same building2 with what show of justice shall the tradesman be fined and the postmaster go free8 ,the officers of the ,united ,states ,government have no national rights above the humblest citizen4 ,the transgression of law by them is as really a crime as in the case of any other citizen4 ,our ,government knows nothing of those kingly rights which set emperors1 monarchs1 and their servants1 above law4 ,if1 therefore1 there is no transgression of constitutional law in carrying the ,united ,states ,mail on the first day1 then there is none in a private citizen following his otherwise lawful and peaceable occupation on the same day4 ,in some quarters1 during the last year1 our motives and designs were grossly misrepresented by prejudiced persons1 in our legislatures and elsewhere4 ,we were represented as wishing the legislature to change the ,sabbath from the first to the seventh day of the week2 and were accused of covertly wishing to compel our fellow-citizens to keep our ,sabbath day4 ,no insinuation could be more grossly deceptive--no accusation more flagitiously unjust to us as a people4 ,we declare unequivocally1 that we do not desire any such thing4 ,we believe that keeping the ,sabbath day is purely a religious duty4 ,all we ask is1 that our ,state ,legislatures leave the matter where the ,constitution of the ,united ,states and the laws of the ,general ,government have placed it4 ,they have no more right to determine this religious duty1 than they have to determine the rites of ,christian worship4 ,we believe our fellow-citizens ought to be protected in the peaceable observation of their day of religious rest1 as in the observance of every other religious institution1 except where such observance is made a sanctuary for crime4 ,we ask the same protection for ourselves on the seventh day of the week1 and nothing more4 ,if the ,constitution may be infringed upon to put down the observers of the seventh day1 no one can say how long it will be before other minor denominations may be put down too4 ,already attempts are making to exact a confession of faith1 unknown to the ,constitution1 as a qualification for a legal oath4 ,if the religious sanctification of the first day of the week may be enforced by statutory requirements1 so may the forms and hours of worship4 ,he who says1 that there is no danger of the latter being enforced1 while statutory regulations violate two of the most sacred provisions of the ,national ,constitution1 knows but little of the history of mankind1 or pays but little attention to the tendencies of human nature4 ,a single standing violation of the ,constitution is an example and an authority for others to follow4 ,one religious observance established by law1 is the admission of the main principle of national hierarchy1 and will come in time to be referred to as authority for similar infractions of the ,constitution4 ,the laws for the observance of the first day are in fact a union of ,church and ,state4 ,it is not pretended that they are designed to subserve directly a political or civil object4 ,it is altogether a religious object which they subserve4 ,it becomes every friend of equal rights1 as he loves the ,constitution of his country1 to oppose these infractions of its just principles1 until equal liberty is secured to all citizens by statutory provisions1 as by the fundamental laws of the nation4 ,our opponents often remind us of their pretence1 that we are under no more restrictions than other citizens2 we may do as we please about keeping the seventh day4 ,to this we reply1 that the tyrants of the ,roman people deprived the ,republic of its liberties by professing themselves the guardians of their ,,interests4 ,by declaring themselves the protectors of the people1 ,marius and ,csar had subverted the ,constitution of their country4 ,augustus established a despotism by artfully affecting to be governed himself by the same laws which he procured to be enacted to take away the rights of the people4 ,these are the same principles upon which religious coercionists conjure us to be quiet under the loss of our constitutional rights4 ,the progress of these things towards despotism is as dangerous in the ,american ,republic as in that of ,rome1 and may be as rapid4 ,their success would be as deadly to human happiness1 and all the best interests of mankind1 in the nineteenth century1 as they were in the decline and fall of the ,roman ,empire4 ,human nature now affords no better guaranty for the safety of our national rights1 than it did to the ,romans at the summit of their greatness4 ,liberty can be preserved only at the expense of perpetual vigilance1 and by the popular support of individual rights4 ,if ever the doctrine which has been urged before one of our legislative bodies1 ,the greatest good of the greatest number1 should become a popular political axiom1 to justify the course of the many in taking away the rights of the few1 the halls of legislation will become scaffolds for the execution of liberty1 and that odious principle will be the shroud in which it will be buried4 ,despots may establish a round of religious observances1 and exact an unwilling and insincere conformity to their arbitrary prescriptions2 but they can never convince the understanding nor win the heart of one who knows the voice of truth4 ,they can only make him a slave1 while the effects of their arbitrary prescriptions on the popular mind will be to wither up all interest in the religious tendencies of an observance sustained only by the enactments of heartless politicians4 ,all that makes religion vital and effective for its own holy objects1 expires when the sword is drawn to enforce it4 ,liberty1 humanity1 religion1 and our ,national ,constitution1 then1 require that the laws enforcing the observance of the first day of the week should be repealed4 ,as ,american ,citizens1 as independent ,freemen1 and as responsible ,stewards of the glorious heritage bequeathed to us by the ,fathers of the ,revolution1 we shall1 with the aid of the ,majesty of ,heaven1 maintain unimpaired the high privileges secured to us by the ,charter of our ,liberties4 ,we ask for no exclusive immunities4 ,we disclaim all right of human government to exercise over1 or fetter in the least1 the religious rights of any being4 ,might is not right1 neither does the accident of being a majority give any1 claim to trample on the rights of the minority4 ,it is a usurpation of authority to oppress the minority1 or set at naught their indefeasible rights4 ,in civil affairs we respect the authorities that be1 but in religious service1 resent being forced to keep the commandments of men4 ,we recognize the laws of the land in all secular matters1 and the laws of ,god1 and of ,god alone1 in religious faith and practice4 ,these are the inalienable rights of all the members of a ,republic4 ,these are rights reserved by the people to themselves1 in the formation of our ,government1 which no power can legitimately wrest from us1 and with the help of ,god none shall4 #aj ,this letter was translated into the ,german at ,ephrata1 ,penn41 and the present copy of the letter is probably a re-translation of it into ,english from the ,german4 ,no4 #ab4 ,,misuse ,,of ,,the ,,term ,,sabbath ,it is quite common1 in these days1 to hear the term ,sabbath used to designate the first day of the week or ,sunday4 ,but such a use of the term is not only unscriptural1 but calculated to mislead the people4 ,throughout the ,bible1 there is but one sacred day of weekly occurrence called the ,sabbath1 and that is the seventh or last day of the week4 ,when1 therefore1 men talk about a ,christian ,sabbath1 and a ,jewish ,sabbath--a first-day ,sabbath1 and a seventh-day ,sabbath--that so they may slily fix the term ,sabbath upon the first day1 and then persuade people that all those texts of ,scripture which speak of the ,sabbath day are meant of the first day1 they pursue a course which is unauthorized1 and deserve to be sharply rebuked4 ,there are circumstances1 however1 which many persons seem to regard as justifying the common practice of calling the first day by the name ,sabbath4 ,let us examine some of them4 #a4 ,it is said that the term ,sabbath signifies rest2 therefore the first day1 being commonly observed as a day of rest1 may properly be called the ,sabbath4 ,in reply to this1 it may be said1 that when1 by custom and common consent1 any term is used to express a particular place or thing1 it then becomes a proper name for that thing1 and signifies only that thing to which it is applied4 ,for instance1 a tabernacle means a place of worship4 ,yet1 in ,new ,york1 where this name is used to express a particular and well-known place of worship1 it would be absurd and false to say you were at the ,tabernacle1 and mean the ,church of the ,messiah4 ,so with the term ,sabbath2 although the word strictly means rest1 yet after the ,scriptures throughout the ,old and ,new ,testaments have used this term to express a particular rest1 which occurred on the seventh day1 it would be foolish and deceptive to speak of the ,sabbath and mean the first day of the week4 ,it may be farther said1 that if this argument be good for calling the first day the ,sabbath1 and if the fact of its being a rest-day makes it the ,sabbath1 then may the ,mohammedans properly call the sixth day the ,sabbath1 and the fact that they rest upon that day makes it the ,sabbath4 ,yes1 and those ,mexican ,indians1 whom ,cortes found keeping the fourth day1 may properly call that day the ,sabbath1 and directly it is made such4 ,even those people in ,guinea1 whom ,purchase describes as having a rest-day1 but which1 says he1 they observe not upon our ,sunday1 nor upon the ,jews' ,sabbath day1 but hold it upon ,tuesday1 the second working day of the week1 may properly call that day the ,sabbath1 and straightway it becomes such4 ,are the observers of the first day ready to rest upon such ground for calling that day the ,sabbath1 or to continue to call it ,sabbath when there is no better ground8 ,we hope not4 ,and we feel bound1 as those who respect the ,bible1 and dare not charge the ,author of that ,book with folly in calling the seventh day only the ,sabbath1 to protest against such abuse of the language of ,scripture4 #b4 ,the second reason frequently urged1 is1 that the first day comes in the room of the seventh day1 and may therefore properly be called the ,sabbath4 ,aside from the fact that the ,scriptures say not a word about a substitution of the one day for the other1 it may be said in reply1 that if the argument be good1 then the ,lord's ,supper may be called the ,passover1 and ,king ,solomon may be called ,king ,david4 #c4 ,a third reason alledged for calling the first day the ,sabbath1 is1 because it has long been the practice of ,christians to call it so4 ,in answering this assertion1 it may be worth while to inquire what has been the practice of ,christians in this matter4 ,few will deny1 that wherever1 in the ,new ,testament1 the word ,sabbath refers to a weekly religious day1 it is the seventh day4 ,when the first day of the week is spoken of1 it is under its appropriate title4 ,for nearly the whole of the first century1 then1 we have the testimony of ,scripture that the name ,sabbath belonged exclusively to the seventh day4 ,during the succeeding four hundred years1 there were large numbers1 both in the ,eastern church1 about ,constantinople1 and in the ,western church1 about ,rome1 who kept the ,sabbath4 ,and when ecclesiastical councils1 in the fourth and fifth centuries1 began to enact laws against them1 they condemned ,sabbath-keeping altogether4 ,from this it is apparent1 that the idea of calling the first day the ,sabbath had not then entered their minds4 ,what day was meant when the term ,sabbath was used for five hundred years later still1 the learned ,dr4 ,peter ,heylyn has told us in the following words3--,wherever1 for a thousand years and upwards1 we meet with ,sabbatum1 in any writer1 of what name soever1 it must be understood of no day but ,saturday4 ,indeed1 if we search all the books which have been written on this and kindred subjects up to the time of the ,reformation1 we shall not find that the first day was to any considerable extent regarded as the ,sabbath or called by that name4 ,dr4 ,richard ,whately1 ,archbishop of ,dublin1 in a late work on the subject of the ,sabbath1 says1 in fact1 the notion against which ,i am contending1 viz4 that the fourth commandment binds ,christians to hallow the first day of the week1 and that it may properly be called the ,sabbath1 seems1 as far as ,i can recollect1 to have originated with the ,puritans1 not much more than #bjj years ago1 and to have been for a considerable time confined to them1 though it was subsequently adopted by some members of our church4 ,so far is it from being true1 then1 that the first day has been universally called the ,sabbath among ,christians1 that even now1 by the best authorities upon such subjects1 it is not called ,sabbath at all4 ,the ,records of ,england up to the present time invariably call the seventh day the ,sabbath4 ,in the ,journals of the ,house of ,lords1 whatever is entered as having been done on the seventh day1 or ,saturday1 is under the date1 ,die ,sabbati1 upon the ,sabbath day4 ,the same is true of the ,house of ,commons4 ,the ,rules and ,records of the ,king's ,bench1 and the ,latin ,records in the ,court of ,exchequer and in ,chancery1 do likewise call the seventh day the ,sabbath4 ,these things may be known by any who will take the trouble to examine2 and they show how groundless and erroneous is the supposition to which we are replying4 ,indeed1 in many languages the seventh day is called by a name which indicates its sabbatic character4 ,in ,low ,dutch it is called rust-dagh1 the day of rest4 ,in ,english1 ,french1 ,italian1 ,spanish1 ,portuguese1 ,latin1 ,greek1 and ,hebrew1 it has its right name1 the ,sabbath1 the day of rest4 ,now let us look at some of the consequences of calling the first day by the name of the ,sabbath4 ,it has given occasion for ,papists to charge ,protestants with neglecting the ,scriptures to follow their traditions4 ,the ,papists claim1 that the change of the ,sabbath is the work of their own church1 and that the ,scriptures nowhere warrant the keeping of the first day1 much less the calling it by the name of the ,sabbath4 ,who will deny this latter position8 ,again1 it has led some earnest and pious men to charge the teachers of religion with befooling and misleading the people4 ,proof of this may be found to any extent in books writted on the subject in the seventeenth century4 ,the charge is there distinctly and frequently made1 of designedly using deceptive arguments4 ,we will not undertake to say1 that those who are accustomed to speak in a manner so likely to deceive1 design to do that4 ,but we will say1 that such would be the natural effect of their language4 ,it would leave upon the minds of many an impression1 that they were not only bound to pay peculiar respect to the first day of the week1 but that the fourth commandment required of them such respect4 ,for a religious teacher knowingly to make this impression1 is to be guilty of directly fostering error4 ,nay1 more2 if he should call the first day the ,sabbath1 and refer to the fourth commandment as inculcating the duty of observing that day2 or should1 without direct reference to that law1 express himself in such a way as to leave his hearers to suppose that it required the observance of the first day1 he would be wanting in faithfulness to the truth1 and exposed to the denunciation of those who add to or take from it4 ,no doubt many will think1 that at a time when the prevailing tendency is to disregard all sacred seasons1 it were better not to say these things1 but to leave men under an impression that the law of ,god requires the observance of the first day of the week1 and sanctions calling that day the ,sabbath4 ,but this prevailing disregard of the day of rest1 is an important reason for urging an examination of the foundation upon which the ,sabbath rests4 ,common prudence1 to say nothing of ,christian sincerity1 would require us1 in such circumstances1 to place the duty upon its true ground4 ,if it will not stand there1 it will stand nowhere4 ,it is a dangerous experiment to encourage or connive at misconceptions in a point like this4 ,and even if we felt assured that it would be right1 we are fully convinced that it would be inexpedient4 ,it is exceedingly dangerous to acknowledge an unsound principle1 although it may promise to conduct us to desirable results1 or1 at the worst1 to produce no bad effects4 ,it ought to be remembered1 that it was in apparently trivial and harmless points1 that those false principles were allowed1 which have infused their poison into the ,romish and other apostate churches--a poison which1 commencing with the extremities1 has worked its way rapidly towards the vitals1 and diffused its effects through the whole system4 ,it is not1 then1 a matter of small moment4 ,the most important and disastrous consequences may result from baptizing a day of human invention with a name which the ,scriptures apply exclusively to one appointed of ,god4 ,no4 #ac4 ,,the ,,bible ,,sabbath4 ,,by ,,william ,m4 ,,fahnestock1 ,m4 ,d4 ,,we ,,ought ,,to ,,obey ,,god ,,rather ,,than ,,men4 ,,new-,,york3 ,,published ,,by ,,the ,,american ,,sabbath ,,tract ,,society1 ,no4 #i ,spruce-,street4 ,most professors of religion1 who found their faith on the ,word of ,god1 attach much importance to a weekly day of sacred rest1 however much they may differ in regard to the day to be sanctified as the ,sabbath1 or the manner in which its sacred hours are to be improved4 ,it is not the design of the writer of this small tract1 to enter upon the discussion of the multifarious points of disputation1 which have been raised by most writers1 in treating this question1 but simply to exhibit the scriptural account of the day to be honored unto the ,lord1 with some cursory remarks on the prominent topics of the controversy1 which can be1 and which ought to be1 determined by direct reference to the law and the testimony4 ,without1 therefore1 any pretensions to an extended confutation of men's hypotheses and men's subterfuges on this subject1 he desires merely to present a concise epitome of what saith the ,scriptures in reference to the day which legitimately challenges our profound veneration and implicit obedience2 and will restrict his comments2 on the bearings of the sacred text1 to as few words as is practicable in a matter of such grave importance2 that1 in embracing and defending so sacred an institution1 and in responding to the scriptural interrogation1 ,who hath required this at your hand8 the reader may1 confidently and without fear of contradiction1 answer1 ,the ,lord thy ,god--the ,almighty ,jehovah6 and lay his finger on the clear1 unequivocal1 ungarbled1 ,thus saith the ,lord1 for his practice4 ,the ,scriptures tell us1 that ,god rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made2 and ,god blessed the seventh day and sanctified it4 ,gen4 #b3b1 #c4 ,this is the first notice of the ,sabbath in the ,bible2 and it is the first religious institution established by the ,almighty for the benefit of all after generations4 ,the rest of the testimonies of the ,lord to the sacredness of his holy day1 are like unto it1 wherever they occur in the ,inspired ,volume4 ,during the sojourn of the children of ,israel in the wilderness1 the ,lord1 to supply their necessities1 sent manna daily1 save on the seventh day2 thus recognizing strictly his holy ,sabbath1 by affording them a double portion on the sixth day1 and requiring them to secure it at that time for the seventh day4 ,and ,moses said unto them1 ,this is the bread which the ,lord hath given you to eat4 ,this is the thing which the ,lord hath commanded4 ,gather of it every man according to his eating2 an omer for every man according to the number of your persons1 take ye every man for them which are in your tents4 ,and the children of ,israel did so1 and gathered1 some more1 some less4 ,and when they did mete it with an omer1 he that had gathered much had nothing over1 and he that had gathered little had no lack2 they gathered every man according to his eating4 ,and ,moses said1 ,let no man leave of it till the morning4 ,notwithstanding1 they hearkened not unto ,moses1 but some of them left it until the morning1 and it bred worms and stank2 and ,moses was wroth with them4 ,and they gathered it every morning1 every man according to his eating2 when the sun waxed hot it melted4 ,and it came to pass1 that on the sixth day1 they gathered twice as much bread1 two omers for one man2 and all the rulers of the congregation came and told ,moses4 ,and he said unto them1 ,this is that which the ,lord hath said1 ,to-morrow is the rest of the holy ,sabbath unto the ,lord2 bake that which ye will bake to-day1 and seethe that ye will seethe2 and that which remaineth over lay up for you to be kept until the morning4 ,and they laid it up till the morning1 as ,moses bade2 and it did not stink1 neither was there any worm therein4 ,and ,moses said1 ,eat that to-day2 for to-day is the ,sabbath unto the ,lord2 to-day ye shall not find it in the field4 ,six days ye shall gather it2 but on the seventh day1 which is the ,sabbath1 in it there shall be none4 ,and it came to pass1 that there went out some people on the seventh day for to gather1 and they found none4 ,and the ,lord said unto ,moses1 ,how long refuse ye to keep my commandments and my laws8 ,see1 for the ,lord hath given you the ,sabbath1 therefore he giveth you on the sixth day the bread of two days2 abide ye every man in his place on the seventh day4 ,exod4 #af3ae-cj4 ,this was before the giving of the law1 and is irrefragible evidence of respect unto the ,sabbath before the law was promulgated4 ,when the ,decalogue1 written on stone by the finger of ,god1 was committed to the ,israelites1 the obligation to honor the ,sabbath--the seventh day--was emphatically renewed1 and most explicitly defined and enjoined4 ,remember the ,sabbath day to keep it holy4 ,six days shall thou labor and do all thy work2 but the seventh day is the ,sabbath of the ,lord thy ,god2 in it thou shalt not do any work1 thou1 nor thy son1 nor thy daughter1 thy man-servant1 nor thy maid-servant1 nor thy cattle1 nor thy stranger that is within thy gates2 for in six days the ,lord made heaven and earth1 the sea1 and all that in them is1 and rested the seventh day2 wherefore the ,lord blessed the ,sabbath day and hallowed it4 ,exod4 #bj3h-aa4 ,the same is reiterated by the same writer in another place4 ,six days shall work be done2 but the seventh day is the ,sabbath of rest1 an holy convocation2 ye shall do no work therein2 it is the ,sabbath of the ,lord in all your dwellings4 ,lev4 #bc3c4 ,the reader will observe1 that this commandment does not ordain a new and peculiar institution1 but reminds the ,israelites of one which had been established long prior to their existence as a nation1 to be had in remembrance and to be rigidly observed4 ,remember the ,sabbath day to keep it holy4 ,the reader will also observe1 that it does not simply appoint a ,sabbath1 or a seventh part of time to be consecrated as holy time1 but that the precise time1 the particular day1 is specifically certified by ,jehovah himself--that it is the day1 and not the institution1 which the ,lord blessed and hallowed2 that it was not the sabbatic law1 but the day of rest1 which was enjoined4 ,the law was predicated on the sanctified day1 not the day accommodated to the institution2 and that there might be no mistake on the subject1 the law defines the day as it found it1 and assigns clearly and most unequivocally the reason for its observance4 ,it aims simply at hallowing the day1 the precise1 particular day2 which is still more emphatically expressed in the original1 1 the day of the rest1 because in it1 the day1 ,god rested from all his work1 and subsequently enjoined like rest1 on the same day1 and for the same purpose1 upon all his people4 ,this ,bible truth ought to be sufficient to overset all the sophistry of equivocators1 in their attempts to blind the inquirer1 by astutely insinuating the idea1 that the sabbatic law only demands the consecration of a seventh portion of time1 which position1 they1 in turn1 as stoutly repudiate1 when any one sees proper to choose any other seventh part of time than the day which they propound for them4 ,to proceed2 ,nehemiah says3-- ,in those days saw ,i in ,judah some treading wine presses on the ,sabbath1 and bringing in sheaves and lading asses2 as also wine1 grapes1 and figs1 and all manner of burdens1 which they brought into ,jerusalem on the ,sabbath day2 and ,i testified against them on the day wherein they sold victuals4 ,there dwelt men of ,tyre also therein1 which brought fish and all manner of ware1 and sold on the ,sabbath unto the children of ,judah1 and in ,jerusalem4 ,then ,i contended with the nobles of ,judah1 and said unto them1 ,what evil thing is this that ye do and profane the ,sabbath day8 ,did not your fathers thus1 and did not our ,god bring all this evil upon us1 and upon this city8 ,yet ye bring more wrath upon ,israel by profaning the ,sabbath4 ,and it came to pass1 that when the gates of ,jerusalem began to be dark before the ,sabbath1 ,i commanded that the gates should be shut1 and charged that they should not be opened till after the ,sabbath2 and some of my servants set ,i at the gates1 that there should no burden be brought in on the ,sabbath day4 ,so the merchants and sellers of all kinds of ware lodged without ,jerusalem once or twice4 ,then ,i testified against them1 ,why lodge ye about the wall8 if ye do so again1 ,i will lay hands on you4 ,from this time forth came they no more on the ,sabbath4 ,and ,i commanded the ,levites that they should cleanse themselves1 and that they should come and keep the gates to sanctify the ,sabbath day4 ,neh4 #ac3ae-bb4 ,to turn to the ,new ,testament1 our blessed ,redeemer proclaimed himself ,lord of the ,sabbath1 7,mark #b3bh17 thereby incorporating it in the new dispensation4 ,he also declared most distinctly1 that he did not come to destroy the law1 but to fulfill it2 that not one jot or tittle should pass from the law1 till all be fulfilled4 ,matt4 #e3ag1 #ah4 ,luke also affirms1 in reference to the course of the disciples after the crucifixion1 that they rested the ,sabbath day according to the commandment4 ,luke #bc3ef4 ,this was after ,christ had declared that all his work was finished--the new covenant perfected1 and he had been nailed to the tree4 ,this doubtless refers to the commandment to observe the seventh day4 ,no one disputes it1 as no command was given to observe any other day4 ,and from the ,acts of the ,apostles1 we find that they made it the day of their special ministrations of the ,word1 as their ,lord and ,master had done before them4 ,but when they departed from ,perga1 they came to ,antioch in ,pisidia and went into the synagogue on the ,sabbath day1 and sat down4 ,and after the reading of the law and the prophets1 the rulers of the synagogue sent unto them saying1 ,ye men and brethren1 if ye have any word of exhortation for the people1 say on4 ,then ,paul stood up1 and beckoning with his hand1 said1 ,men of ,israel1 and ye that fear ,god1 give audience4 ,acts #ac3ad1 #ae4 ,and when the ,jews were gone out of the synagogue1 the ,gentiles besought that these words might be preached to them the next ,sabbath4 99 99 99 ,and the next ,sabbath day came almost the whole city to hear the word of ,god4 ,id4 verses #db1 #dd4 ,paul reasoned in the synagogue every ,sabbath1 and persuaded the ,jews and the ,greeks4 ,id4 #ah3d1 #e4 ,all the promises1 and all the penalties connected with the observance or the desecration of the ,sabbath1 refer to the seventh day ,sabbath1 and to no other in future4 ,blessed is the man that doeth this1 and the son of man that layeth hold on it2 that keepeth the ,sabbath from polluting it1 and keepeth his hand from doing any evil4 ,isa4 #ef3b4 ,if thou turn away thy foot from the ,sabbath1 from doing thy pleasure on my holy day2 and call the ,sabbath a delight1 the holy of the ,lord1 honorable2 and shalt honor him1 not doing thine own ways1 nor finding thine own pleasure1 nor speaking thine own words2 then thou shall delight thyself in the ,lord2 and ,i will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth1 and feed thee with the heritage of ,jacob thy father2 for the mouth of the ,lord hath spoken it4 ,id4 #eh3ac1 #ad4 ,thus saith the ,lord3 ,take heed to yourselves1 and bear no burden on the ,sabbath day1 nor bring it in by the gates of ,jerusalem2 neither carry forth a burden out of your houses on the ,sabbath day1 neither do ye any work1 but hallow ye the ,sabbath day1 as ,i commanded your fathers4 99 99 99 ,and it shall come to pass1 if ye diligently hearken unto me1 saith the ,lord1 to bring in no burden through the gates of the city on the ,sabbath day1 but hallow the ,sabbath day to do no work therein1 then shall there enter into the gates of the city1 kings and princes1 sitting upon the throne of ,david1 riding in chariots and on horses1 they and their princes1 the men of ,judah and the inhabitants of ,jerusalem2 and this shall remain forever4 99 99 99 ,but if ye will not hearken unto me1 to hallow the ,sabbath day1 and not to bear a burden1 even entering at the gates of ,jerusalem on the ,sabbath day2 then ,i will kindle a fire in the gates thereof1 and it shall devour the palaces of ,jerusalem1 and it shall not be quenched4 ,jer4 #ag3ba1 #bb1 #bd1 #be1 #bg4 ,no where in the ,inspired ,word have we any other weekly ,sabbath appointed4 ,no where has that ,sabbath ever been abrogated or superseded4 ,no where in the ,scriptures is any other day called the ,sabbath-day4 ,no where is any other day required to be observed as the ,sabbath4 ,if1 then1 ,,he1 the ,almighty1 gave the seventh day1 and sanctified and hallowed it as his ,sabbath1 and has not abrogated it--has not absolved us from its duties1 nor delegated authority to others to do so--it remains in as full force as when first instituted by ,jehovah himself1 and will stand in the ,judgment against all the crafty inventions and futile subterfuges of perverse1 rebellious man4 ,the foregoing summary is a plain1 unvarnished1 unmutilated scriptural account of ,god's rest-day1 which ,,he enjoined on all mankind1 for all ages1 for all nations1 tongues1 and kindred4 ,some persons1 nay1 the great mass of the ,christian world1 have been taught1 that the ,sabbath alluded to is a ,jewish ,sabbath1 and has been done away2 in proof of which position1 they adduce the passages in ,paul's ,epistle to the ,colossians--,let no man1 therefore1 judge you in meat1 or in drink1 or in respect of an holy-day1 or of the new moon1 or of the ,sabbath-days1 which are a shadow of things to come2 but the body is of ,christ4#aa ,col4 #b3af1 #ag4 ,who blotted out the hand-writing of ordinances1 that was against us1 which was contrary to us1 and took it out of the way1 nailing it to his cross4 ,col4 #b3ad4 ,this1 ,i must remark1 proves too much2 for if it has abrogated the seventh-day ,sabbath1 it has blotted out the sabbatic law also2 unless it be shown1 that it is reserved1 or that another has been re-enacted1 clearly and expressly ordained4 ,if so1 let its advocates point to a single requirement1 an unequivocal injunction1 to observe any other day as the ,sabbath1 and it will terminate all controversy on the subject4 ,the hand-writing of ordinances1 which was nailed to the cross1 was merely the ceremonial law1 the onerous burdens of the ,levitical ritual1 not the moral law of commandments--the ,decalogue6 ,if the opposite view be correct1 then the ,sabbath1 or any rest-day1 is against us1 contrary to our nature and wants1 and is not for our good1 and ought to be annulled and obliterated forever4 ,then1 also1 we are driven to the doctrine of the ,friends1 that all days are alike holy under the gospel dispensation4 ,the advocates for the first day of the week can not consistently escape this dilemma4 ,they must accept the ,sabbath hallowed by the ,lord1 or hallow all days alike4 ,much as man has attempted to obscure and pervert this holy institution1 the ,word of ,truth is clear1 express and emphatic1 in regard to the perpetuity of the particular day to be hallowed1 as well as it is explicit in the precise time to be sanctified4 ,the ,scriptures no where speak of a ,jewish ,sabbath or a ,christian ,sabbath4 ,the ,sabbath of the ,bible is but one1 and has but one name--the ,sabbath of the ,lord thy ,god2 which the ,scriptures declare is the seventh day1 instituted more than two thousand years before there was a ,jew in the world1 and1 consequently1 could not have been a ,jewish ,sabbath4 ,the ,sabbath1 ,christ1 who is ,lord of the ,sabbath1 asserts1 was made for man--the whole race of man--not for a particular nation or people1 but for mankind at large4 ,it is proper here to remark1 that this sneering at the ,jewish ,sabbath1 which in times past was1 and still is1 by weak minds1 constantly resorted to1 in the absence of legitimate argument1 to prejudice the populace against giving this subject a fair and impartial examination1 and thereby to lead them to prejudge the case1 has1 within a few years past1 been abandoned by all sensible and consistent advocates for the sabbatic institution4 ,they find that it stultifies their own pretensions1 and has done much damage to themselves in sustaining the claims of sacredness for any other day2 for1 while they maintain that the ancient ,sabbath was a ,jewish institution1 they unwittingly prove that there is no longer any ,sabbath to be observed1 since they fail to show that another has been ordained or established for the ,christian ,church4 ,if a ,jewish ,sabbath1 it was done away with by the ,jewish dispensation2 and if no other ,sabbath has been expressly appointed by ,divine authority1 the ,christian ,church is certainly left without the ,sabbath1 or any substitute possessing any of its sacredness--a sacredness which can only be derived from an express and explicit mandate from the ,lord of the ,sabbath4 ,that puerile quibble1 the nick-name ,jewish ,sabbath1 has1 therefore1 been abandoned by the most prominent writers of the present day2 who generally fall back and found the institution 7the origin and grounds for its perpetuity7 long anterior to the ,jewish1 the ,mosaic dispensation--even back to the ,sabbath of ,paradise4 ,thus ,dr4 ,barnes1 of ,philadelphia1 in a series of sermons on this subject1 delivered and published in the fall of #ahde1 advocates this position1 and contends strenuously for the ante-,mosaic ,sabbath4 ,the same view was inculcated by the ,national ,lord's ,day ,convention1 held at ,baltimore1 ,november1 #ahdd2 and it has been reiterated more distinctly and emphatically by ,the ,rhode ,island ,sabbath ,union1 in an address to the people of that ,state1 in #ahdf1 to which1 among others1 we find attached the name of ,dr4 ,wayland1 the honored ,president of ,brown ,university4 ,the ,committee of the ,rhode ,island ,sabbath ,union1 in calling attention to the claims of the ,sabbath1 remark3 ,the ,lord of the ,sabbath has here said1 ',the ,sabbath was made for man4' ,man is here used1 most certainly1 as a generic term1 and1 therefore1 presents a universal proposition4 ,the ,sabbath was not made for man1 for man as a genus1 as a race1 unless it was made for every individual of the race2 for the first1 and for the last man2 for the first generation1 and for every other4 ,the ,sabbath1 then1 must have existed from the beginning1 and is as old as the human race4 ,our ,lord says1 moreover1 ',the ,sabbath was made for man4' ,he says not1 the ,jewish ,sabbath1 or the ,christian ,sabbath1 but the ,sabbath1 the common1 the universal one1 which belongs to mankind4 ,is this not the very language to denote a universal and perpetual institution8 ,let us look at the connection of the ,sabbath with the work of creation4 ',god blessed the seventh day and sanctified it4' ,if the ,creator had merely rested on the seventh day1 it would have been an impressive consecration4 ,but when he proceeds to bless and sanctify it1 there is authority1 a positive ,sabbath1 forming a part of the primeval arrangement1 when ,god fixed the order in which the world should go--six days labor and one day rest1 over and over forever4 ,the first week of the world1 then1 was not completed till there had been a ,sabbath1 as well as a first day or a sixth4 ,is not this indicative of the universality and perpetuity of the institution8 ,here we might rest the question1 with perfect safety1 if the mass of mankind would be content with the plain teachings of the ,bible2 but1 having itching ears1 they1 unfortunately1 are too apt to leave the law and the testimony1 and cleave to the commandments of men2 which teach them1 that ,christ ,,or his ,apostles have transferred the sacredness of the seventh day to the first day of the week4 ,the writer1 therefore1 feels constrained to bring before his readers the passages on which that notion is predicated1 to exhibit the weakness of their untenable position1 and thereby establish the ,sabbath of the ,bible4 ,what saith the ,scriptures to support the claims of the first day of the week to be holy time8 ,the first notice we have of the disciples being together on the first day of the week1 on which the assumed change is predicated1 is found in the ,gospel by ,john3-- ,then the same day at evening1 being the first day of the week1 when the doors were shut for fear of the ,jews 7mark that67 came ,jesus and stood in the midst1 and saith unto them1 ,peace be unto you4 ,and when he had so said1 he showed unto them his hands and his side4 ,then were the disciples glad when they saw the ,lord4 ,john #bj3ai1 #bj4 ,this passage contains no command1 no intimation whatever1 to sanctify that day4 ,it does not even claim that they were there for any sacred purpose1 much less to celebrate the ,sabbath1 or institute a new day of worship1 but simply for common protection1 for fear of the ,jews2 and a design to comfort them in their trepidation is all the legitimate inference we can draw from the circumstance of ,christ's appearing unto them4 ,all the ,apostles were not together2 ,thomas was absent6 ,if they had met together to sabbatize1 he1 certainly1 would have been with them4 ,not having been present1 and not having seen the risen ,saviour1 while doubting and disputing on the subject of his resurrection1 eight days afterward1 ,christ appeared again1 to confound the incredulity of ,thomas1 and for no other ostensible purpose4 ,thomas1 one of the twelve1 called ,didymus1 was not with them when ,jesus came4 ,the other disciples therefore said unto him1 ,we have seen the ,lord4 ,but he said unto them1 ,except ,i shall see in his hands the print of the nails1 and thrust my hand into his side1 ,i will not believe4 ,and after eight days the disciples were within1#ab and ,thomas with them3 then came ,jesus1 the door being shut1 and stood in the midst1 and said1 ,peace be unto you4 ,then said he to ,thomas1 ,reach hither thy finger1 and behold my hands2 and reach hither thy hand1 and thrust it into my side1 and be not faithless1 but believing4 ,and ,thomas answered and said unto him1 ,my ,lord and my ,god4 ,john #bj3bd-bh4 ,so much1 and that is all1 is the authority adduced by the advocates for the sacredness of the first day for ,christ having changed the day of rest1 the ,sabbath1 or having given his sanction to the change4 ,ought such a vague inference overturn the fiat of the ,almighty--change times and laws ordained by ,jehovah to endure forever8 ,is the being together1 save one1 of the twelve1 for fear of the ,jews1 and being within eight days afterward1 any evidence of their being there to celebrate the ,sabbath or ,lord's day8 ,is there1 in these transactions1 any re-enactment of the sabbatic law1 which some persons maintain was abrogated by the blotting out of the hand-writing of ordinances8 ,is there any injunction issued by them--the apostles--requiring the disciples to honor1 hallow1 and sanctify the first day of the week1 in any of the above proceedings8 ,the next ,scripture assumed for the substitution of the first day of the week in the place of the ,sabbath of the ,lord1 is found in the ,acts of the ,apostles3-- ,and upon the first day of the week1 when the disciples came together to break bread1 ,paul preached unto them1 ready to depart on the morrow1 and continued his speech until midnight4 ,and there were many lights in the upper chamber where they were assembled together4 ,and there sat in the window a certain young man named ,eutychus1 being fallen into a deep sleep2 and as ,paul was long preaching1 he sunk down with sleep1 and fell from the third loft1 and was taken up dead4 ,and ,paul went down1 and fell on him1 and embracing him1 said1 ,trouble not yourselves1 for his life is in him4 ,when he1 therefore1 was come up again1 and had broken bread1 and eaten1 and talked a long while1 even till break of day1 he departed4 ,acts #bj3g-aa4 ,it is necessary to a proper understanding here1 to bear in mind--#ast4 ,that it was the custom of the disciples1 in the days of the apostles1 to meet together1 and break bread1 every day4 ,they continued steadfast in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship1 and in breaking of bread1 and in prayers4 ,and they1 continuing daily with one accord in the temple1 and breaking bread from house to house1 did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart4 #b;d4 ,that in those times a day was counted the evening and the morning were the first day4 ,from even unto even shall ye celebrate your ,sabbaths4 ,lev4 #bc3cb4 ,thus it appears1 by this passage1 that they had simply met1 as was their uniform1 daily custom1 to celebrate the breaking of bread on the evening 7the commencement of the day71 it being the last evening ,paul was to be with them2 and in all probability the circumstance would not have been noticed so particularly1 but to introduce the case of ,eutychus1 in confirmation of ,paul's miraculous powers4 ,the passage does not prove any thing for the sacredness of the first day of the week1 but proves much against it2 for1 if the first day of the week is holy time1 ,paul1 in preaching till midnight1 and departing on the morrow1 would be a ,sabbath-breaker for traveling on that day4 ,he would have kept the evening only4 ,from even unto even shall ye celebrate your ,sabbaths4 ,the same disregard for the sacredness of the first day of the week was manifested by the ,redeemer himself1 in traveling on the resurrection day to ,emmaus1 a distance of seven and a half miles1 while a ,sabbath-day's journey was restricted to one mile3 slender evidence1 indeed1 of the ,saviour's having transferred the holiness of the ,sabbath to the first day of the week1 or having sanctioned it1 as is often claimed by its advocates4 ,the next passage adduced is found in ,paul's ,first ,epistle to the ,corinthians--,upon the first day of the week1 let every one of you lay by him in store1 as ,god hath prospered him1 that there be no gatherings when ,i come4 #a ,cor4 #af3b4 ,first day8 ,day is not in the original1 but is supplied1 and is so designated by being italicized4 ,so the true reading is1 ,in the first of the week4 ,however1 if it mean the first day1 ,sunday1 it makes it a commercial day1 a day of business1 a day of reckoning1 not of rest1 as it requires a man to cast up his accounts1 to find what amount he can lay by4 ,the last text1 and the one most relied upon1 is from ,john's ,revelation--,i was in the spirit on the ,lord's day4 ,rev4 #a3aj4 ,there is nothing in this passage1 or in the context1 to indicate that it was the first day of the week4 ,it is a mere assumption1 without any ,scripture to fortify the position4 ,the best biblical critics admit that there is no scriptural evidence to identify the expression with the first day of the week4 ,if we follow the ,protestant rule1 to prove ,scripture by ,scripture1 and not evade the plain teachings of the ,bible1 it will be an easy matter to see a much more apt application of the expression4 ,many of the best commentators suppose that it alludes to the ,gospel-day4 ,your father ,abraham rejoiced to see my day2 he saw it1 and was glad4 ,john #h3ef4 ,was not this a day which approximates 7if it will not be admitted to be identical7 not only in idea1 but in a kin-name--the day of ,christ--the ,gospel-day8 ,paul speaks of it as something yet to come4 ,that ye may approve things that are excellent2 that ye may be sincere and without offense1 till the day of ,christ4 ,holding forth the word of life1 that ,i may rejoice in the day of ,christ1 that ,i have not run in vain1 neither labored in vain4 ,who shall also confirm you unto the end1 that ye may be blameless in the day of our ,lord ,jesus ,christ4 ,now1 we beseech you1 brethren1 by the coming of our ,lord ,jesus ,christ1 and by our gathering together unto him1 that ye be not soon shaken in mind1 or troubled1 neither by spirit1 nor by word1 nor by letter1 as from us1 as that the day of ,christ is at hand4 ,that the spirit may be saved in the day of the ,lord ,jesus4 ,phil4 #a3aj2 #b3af2 #a ,cor4 #a3h2 #b ,thess4 #b3a1 #b1 #c2 #a ,cor4 #e3e4 ,again1 it is maintained by some expounders1 that allusion is had to the ,judgment ,day4 ,the day of the ,lord will come as a thief in the night1 in which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise1 and the elements shall melt with fervent heat2 the earth also1 and all the works therein1 shall be burned up4 #b ,peter #c3aj4 ,therefore ,john1 in saying1 ,i was in the spirit on the ,lord's day1 simply asserts1 that in prophetic vision his spirit reached forward to the great day for which all other days were made1 and beheld the momentous transactions of that awful crisis1 which he was directed to reveal to the churches on earth4 ,from this brief examination1 it appears1 that the term ,lord's day1 as here used1 does not refer to any particular day of the week4 ,but if it refer to any special day of the week1 as some suppose1 it must refer to the seventh2 for that is the sanctified1 hallowed rest-day of the ,bible1 and is the only day which the ,lord calls his holy day 7,is4 #eh3ac71 and therefore must be the ,lord's day4 ,if1 however1 the term ,lord's day1 used by ,john1 does not refer to the gospel day1 or the day of judgment1 nor to the ,lord's holy day1 the seventh-day ,sabbath1 but alludes to a festival day to commemorate the resurrection1 as is assumed1 where is the command requiring it to be kept holy8 ,and where is the evidence in the ,scriptures1 that it was kept as the ,sabbath1 or in place of the ,sabbath8 ,even were there any intimations given by the prophets or the apostles1 7which we deny17 that the resurrection day should be regarded as the ceremony-worship-day under the gospel dispensation1 where is the evidence in the ,scriptures that the first day of the week is or was the resurrection day8 ,it is assumed1 not proved4 ,the ,bible and human theories are at conflict on this subject4 ,it is generally assumed1 that the ,redeemer was crucified on ,friday1 and rose early on ,sunday morning4 ,this makes ,christ a liar2 for he said1 ,as ,jonas was three days and three nights in the whale's belly1 so shall the ,son of ,man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth4 ,matth4 #ab3dj4 ,crucified on ,friday1 and rising on ,sunday morning1 would make but part of three days1 and only two nights4 ,christ said three days and three nights1 and he certainly must be right4 ,therefore1 crucified on ,friday1 he could not have risen on ,sunday4 ,the ,new ,testament does not assert that he rose on the first day of the week2 it only says1 that he was seen on the first of the week1 not first day4 ,in all the places in which allusion is had to this matter1 7,matth4 #bh3a2 ,mark #af3a1 #i2 ,luke #bd3a2 ,john #bj3a1 #ai71 the original says1 in the first of the week--day is not once named1 but is supplied in our version1 as is indicated by being italicised4 ,but even if the term first of the week implies first day1 the ,scriptures no where assert that he rose on that day4 ,being seen1 and rising1 are two entirely different matters4 ,so is a part of three days and two nights different from three days and three nights4 ,if ,jesus had said1 three days and nights1 it might not involve the present difficulty2 but no one questions that ,jonas was three whole days and three whole nights in the whale's belly4 ,then1 as the ,redeemer makes that the simile of his own confinement in the heart of the earth1 the antitype1 to be verified and accredited1 must be like unto the type4 ,he must have been there the three days and the three nights1 according to his word4 ,it is vain presumption1 arrant blasphemy1 to make it any less to gratify a human theory4 ,let ,god be true1 though it make all men liars4 ,in the absence of all direct scriptural evidence to sustain the assumption1 that the first day of the week is the resurrection day2 and in the absence of all such evidence1 that the ,lord designed to elevate the first day of the week to the special regard of the ,christian ,church1 and confer upon it the sacredness of the ancient ,sabbath2 would we not1 at least1 have some intimation of it in the writings of the prophets1 in which all the important circumstances of the ,redeemer's life and mission are foreshadowed8 ,where1 reader1 will you find any thing in them that predicts any change of the holy ,sabbath to the resurrection day8 ,if found1 let it be adduced4 ,the ,sabbath is a standing monument against ,atheism1 for all ages1 declaring the workmanship of ,god2 yet some assume1 that as redemption is a greater work1 and a more important work1 than the creation of the universe and the living souls which inhabit all the spheres1 therefore the resurrection day ought to be honored as the rest-day4 ,has not the ,lord the right to determine this matter8 ,if ,,he deemed it important that the resurrection day be thus distinguished1 would ,,he not have declared it1 expressly1 unto us8 ,would ,,he have left us to infer it8 ,can we1 will we1 be justified in casting aside the explicit command of the ,most ,high1 in this matter1 to substitute our fancied day of greater importance than the one the ,almighty has ordained8 ,wherefore kick ye at my sacrifice and at mine offering1 which ,i have commanded8 #a ,sam4 #b3bi4 ,it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks4 ,acts #i3e4 ,if1 then1 there is no evidence in the ,scriptures1 that the first day of the week is the resurrection day1 7which1 even if satisfactorily established1 would not invalidate our position1 nor entitle it to supersede the holy ,sabbath72 and1 more particularly1 if there is no evidence in the ,inspired ,volume1 that the term ,lord's day is intended to designate the first day of the week2 we are reduced1 by every principle of reasoning1 to regard the seventh day--the ,heaven-heralded ,sabbath--as the only ,lord's day1 the only rest-day1 sanctified and hallowed by the ,almighty as holy time4 ,all days1 in one sense1 are ,lord's days2 but there has never been but one ,heaven-appointed weekly ,sabbath1 and that1 most unequivocally1 is the seventh day4 ,remember the ,sabbath day to keep it holy--the seventh day is the ,sabbath of the ,lord thy ,god4 ,ex4 #bj3h4 ,if that sacred injunction has been abrogated1 we should expect--7for it would be unreasonable to recognize its repeal or transfer1 without as explicit and as authoritative a mandate from the ,court of ,heaven7--at least a re-enactment somewhat thus3 ,from the resurrection of the ,lord ,jesus1 ye shall no longer ,,sabbatize1 but shall give heed to the assembling of yourselves ,,on ,,the ,,first ,,day ,,of ,,the ,,week2 in it ye shall do no work2 and1 to avoid the appearance of symbolizing with my ancient people1 the ,jews1 call it no longer the ,sabbath1 but designate it by the term ,lord's day6 ,is there any intimation of such an abrogation1 or such a transfer of the sacredness of the ,sabbath to ,sunday1 in the inspired volume8 ,not the semblance of it4 ,even if the early disciples1 without any intimation from the ,lord of the ,sabbath1 but of their own accord1 chose to set apart a special day as a festival day1 as they were wont to do for martyrs and saints1 it can not1 certainly1 supersede the institution of ,jehovah2 neither can they confer upon it the sacredness belonging1 by the decree of the ,most ,high1 to his rest-day4 ,indeed1 this is so evident1 that the erudite and frank ,,neander expressly says1 ,opposition to ,judaism introduced the particular festival of ,sunday1 very early1 indeed1 into the place of the ,sabbath 444 ,sunday was distinguished as a day of joy1 by the circumstance that men did not fast upon it1 and that they prayed standing up1 and not kneeling1 as ,christ had raised up fallen man to heaven again through his resurrection4 ,the festival of ,sunday1 like all other festivals1 was always only a ,,human ,,ordinance2 and it was far from the intention of the apostles to establish a divine command in this respect--far from them1 and from the early apostolic church1 to transfer the laws of the ,sabbath to ,sunday4 ,perhaps at the end of the second century1 a false application of this kind had begun to take place2 for men appear by that time to have considered laboring on ,sunday as a sin4#ac ,such1 then1 is the scriptural account of the ,sabbath1 and such the frank admission of one of the most distinguished ecclesiastical historians1 who could have no motive in perverting or misrepresenting the facts in the case1 but who has always shown himself above all mean subterfuges for any purpose whatever4 ,his testimony might be fortified by many names of high authority among writers of eminence1 who do not contend for sabbatizing on the seventh day1 yet whose candor and honesty constrain them to make the like admission4 ,thus it will be seen1 that the observers of the seventh-day ,sabbath can look up with full confidence of having a thus saith the ,lord for their practice2 while the observers of the first day of the week must confess1 with confusion of face1 that they are but following the commandments of men1 and can only plead the nakedness of the ,fathers1 as ,whitby terms their inconsistencies4 ,will the ,lord admit such a vain oblation8 ,will he suffer such a perversion of his holy institution to go unreproved8 ,where1 reader1 can you find in the ,bible any authority for appropriating the title of the holy rest-day1 the ,sabbath1 to the first day of the week8 ,if you can not1 is it not robbing ,god thus to falsify his ,word8 ,is it not base felony every time any worm of the dust thus perversely uses the term which ,,he1 the ,sovereign of the ,universe1 has attached to his holy day--thereby wantonly changing times and laws--overturning the decrees of the ,lord ,god8 ,is it not wresting the ,word to your own destruction8 ,if the ,lord charge man with robbery in withholding perishable tithes and offerings1 and curse him for that delinquency1 how much greater1 think ye1 must be the condemnation of those who set at naught his prerogative to institute and ordain the service of the sanctuary8 ,he alone has the right to impose religious ordinances2 and it is but the reasonable service of his creatures to obey1 implicitly1 his righteous mandates--the sacred injunction1 to hallow and sanctify his holy ,sabbath4 ,will a man rob ,god8 asks the ,almighty1 through his prophet2 yet ye have robbed me1 saith the ,holy ,one4 ,ye are cursed with a curse2 for ye have robbed me1 even this whole nation4 ,mal4 #b3h1 #i4 ,where1 then1 will you find your excuse for this perversion of the ,word of ,god1 when that ,word shall come to judge you8 for it is the ,word1 the written ,word1 7given to be a lamp unto your feet and a light to your path17 which shall judge you at the last day4 ,of old it was said1 ,from the days of your fathers ye are gone astray from mine ordinances1 and have not kept them4 ,mal4 #c3g4 ,the apostle of the ,gentiles speaks of those in his day who corrupted the ,word4 #b ,cor4 #b3ag4 ,in another place it is asked1 ,when wilt thou cease to pervert the right ways of the ,lord8 ,acts #ac3aj4 ,to which interrogation all are obnoxious who seek out inventions of their own1 or follow the commandments of men1 which subvert the testimony of the ,lord4 ,canst thou1 reader1 contend with the ,almighty8 ,it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living ,god1 when he shall lay judgment to the line1 and righteousness to the plummet1 and shall sweep away the refuge of lies4 ,isaiah #bh3ag4 ,the true principle1 reader1 and the only safe principle1 is1 to let ,god be true1 though it make every man a liar4 ,rom4 #c3d4 ,ye are my friends1 says ,christ1 if ye do whatsover ,i command you4 ,john #ad3ae4 ,he that saith1 ,i know him1 and keepeth not his commandments1 is a liar1 and the truth is not in him4 #a ,john #b3d4 ,in vain do they worship me1 teaching for doctrine the commandments of men4 ,matt4 #ae3i4 ,what thing soever ,i command you1 observe to do it2 thou shalt not add thereto1 nor diminish from it4 ,deut4 #ac3cb4 ,turn not from it to the right hand or to the left4 ,josh4 #a3g4 ,add not unto his words1 lest he reprove thee1 and thou be found a liar4 ,prov4 #cj3f4 ,if any man shall add unto these things1 ,god shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book2 and if any man shall take away from the words of this prophecy1 ,god shall take away his part out of the book of life1 and out of the holy city1 and from the things that are written in this book4 ,rev4 #bb3ah1 #ai4 ,ponder well this subject1 reader1 and render unto ,god the things that are ,god's1 that it may be well with thee1 and thou be admitted into the rest reserved for those who delayed not to keep the commandments--for those who keep his covenant and walk in the way of the ,lord4 #aa ,the ,sabbath was no type of ,christ--a shadow1 of which ,christ was to be the body4 ,it was instituted before the transgression2 consequently1 the term ,sabbath-days1 here1 has no relevancy if applied to the weekly ,sabbath2 but it evidently alludes to the festival days among the ,jews1 usually called ,sabbaths1 as all the ,israelites had at those periods to refrain from labor--such as the festivals of the ,passover1 ,pentecost1 the ,feast of ,tabernacles1 c41 c41 which are alluded to in ,leviticus1 #ai3c-cj4 ,keep my ,sabbaths4--,,calmet4 #ab ,within does not imply that they were assembled at any public place for worship1 or to celebrate a holy day4 ,within may simply mean1 that they were together in the place of their common lodgment--where they abode together4 #ac ,the ,history of the ,christian ,religion and ,church during the ,first ,three ,centuries4 ,by ,dr4 ,augustus ,neander4 ,translated by ,henry ,john ,rose1 ,b4 ,d4 ,new ,york1 #ahdh1 p4 #ahf4 ,no4 #ad4 ,,delaying ,,obedience4 ,to have the understanding enlightened in regard to duty1 and the conscience so thoroughly awake as to make one feel uneasy in the neglect of it1 and yet to be surrounded with advisers1 wearing the name and title of ,christians1 who are continually urging farther delay1 is about as uncomfortable a position as a person of fervent piety needs to be placed in4 ,to rebuke such advisers in the faithfulness of the gospel1 and yet1 at the same time1 to behave towards them with becoming meekness1 is not the easiest thing in the world4 ,nevertheless1 the idea that we may postpone our obedience to ,god for a little season1 notwithstanding our convictions1 is not to be tolerated4 ,suppose1 for example1 that a person becomes convinced1 that it is his duty to observe the ,sabbath of the ,bible--the seventh day of the week4 ,forthwith he is assailed by his associates with the suggestion1 that he ought not to be in a hurry--that he ought to take plenty of time for consideration1 at least a year4 ,plausible as such advice is1 we offset it with a simple passage of ,scripture4 ,i thought on my ways1 and turned my feet unto thy testimonies2 ,i made haste1 and delayed not to keep thy commandments4 ,ps4 #aai3ei1 #fj4 ,here the ,psalmist testifies1 that he turned his feet to obedience1 so soon as1 by thinking on his ways1 he found that he was walking astray4 ,he made no delay about it2 he did not go about to consult the wise men of the nation2 he did not examine the writings of the rabbis and doctors1 to see if there was not some way of getting round the duty1 he made haste to render obedience4 ,but1 now-a-days1 as soon as a person's conscience begins to lash him for neglected duty1 he is advised to be very careful about running too hastily4 ,well1 we would not wish one to be too hasty2 but1 on the other hand1 it may be well to consider whether there is not such a thing as being too tardy4 ,conviction of duty is not to be trifled with4 ,when any one does violence to his conviction1 he feels that he disobeys ,god2 and such disobedience is sure to be followed by disastrous results4 ,the voice of conscience grows more feeble1 and 7if the disobedience be persisted in7 becomes1 at length1 hushed in silence4 ,it may continue to reprove with regard to other duties1 but with regard to that particular one which has been made the object of willful neglect1 it reproves no more4 ,as a necessary consequence1 the soul suffers the loss of all those blessings which obedience in that one thing would bring4 ,nor is this all4 ,conscience1 having yielded to corruption in one instance1 becomes ready to yield in another4 ,its sternness has been overcome1 and it no longer guards the soul with that security which it had been wont to do4 ,it is to the soul what the sense of modesty is to the female2 and1 as the female cannot allow her sense of delicacy to be trifled with without incurring the risk of a total loss of virtue1 so the conscience cannot1 in a single instance1 be abused1 without incurring the danger of becoming seared with a hot iron4 ,we will not undertake to say1 that this is1 in every case1 the result2 but we do say1 that there is great danger of it4 ,we insist1 therefore1 that when one understands what is duty1 he ought to lose no time in putting it in practice4 ,let him remember1 too1 that the wrath of ,god is revealed against those who hold the truth in unrighteousness4 ,rom4 #a3ah4 ,but the possibility that one may be mistaken as to his duty1 is often urged as a reason for delay4 ,there may be something in this2 at least1 it seems plausible4 ,generally1 however1 this objection is more specious than solid4 ,at all events1 it is so with regard to those things which are the subject of direct and unequivocal command4 ,with regard to the ,sabbath1 we have no hesitation in saying1 that it savors of the wisdom that is earthly4 ,the object of those who urge it is to induce a deference to the views of those who have acquired great skill in explaining away the divine law4 ,but we hold1 that however doubtful may be the teachings of ,scripture with regard to such questions as are purely doctrinal1 or however obscure the language in which its prophecies foretell coming events1 with regard to the common1 practical duties of life1 the ,word of ,god is so plain that there is no need for a child to be mistaken4 ,were it otherwise1 it would be unsuited to the wants of mankind4 ,for1 inasmuch as every one must give account for himself1 and not another for him1 it is necessary that each one should be able to decide his duty for himself4 ,people of small intellectual capacity must be able to make this decision1 as well as those of more expanded powers2 and children1 as well as those of mature age4 ,hence duty must be revealed in very simple language4 ,and how simple the language in which our duty to keep holy the ,sabbath day is revealed6 ,remember the ,sabbath-day to keep it holy--the seventh day is the ,sabbath4 ,who can fail to understand it8 ,what untutored peasant cannot comprehend it8 ,what child does not perceive its meaning8 ,the command to refrain from the adoration of images is not more plain4 ,yet1 when a person of ordinary mental powers is convinced by it1 and begins to think about rendering obedience1 straightway he is admonished that he does not understand it1 and that he would do well to consult some learned men1 some spiritual rabbis or doctors of divinity1 before taking any decided steps6 ,and what do the learned doctors say1 upon being consulted8 ,why1 that it is the duty of men keep holy the first day of the week4 ,but how do they make it appear8 ,do they produce any precept from the ,scripture1 plain and unequivocal1 like the fourth commandment8 ,not by any means4 ,they can present nothing which is level to the comprehension of a child4 ,whatever they say on the subject1 is entirely above the understanding of children1 and entirely above the understanding of ignorant people4 ,they talk about the magnitude of redemption1 as compared with the work of creation2 they have something to say about redemption being finished on the first day of the week1 by the resurrection of ,christ from the dead2 they lay a few such theological propositions together1 and finally draw out the inference1 that the first day of the week is a holy day4 ,but the plain1 ordinary mind1 does not understand this4 ,the child fails to comprehend it4 ,it is true1 he hardly dares to indulge the thought that learned men may be mistaken2 nevertheless1 he is puzzled1 extremely puzzled1 to understand it4 ,is not this conclusive proof1 that no such duty is enjoined in the ,book of ,god8 ,we cannot1 therefore1 subscribe to the idea1 that a person must1 in reference to the ,sabbath1 or in reference to any other plain command of ,heaven1 wait to consult friends1 and learned teachers1 and the writings of fallible men1 before rendering obedience4 ,if ,god has spoken1 see that ye refuse not him that speaketh4 ,we do not believe that any one can begin to obey ,god too soon4 ,published by the ,,american ,,sabbath ,,tract ,,society1 ,no4 #i ,spruce-street ,n4 ,y4 ,no4 #ae4 ,,an ,,appeal ,,for ,,the ,,restoration ,,of ,,the ,,bible ,,sabbath3 ,,in ,,an ,,address ,,to ,,the ,,baptists1 ,,from ,,the ,,seventh-,,day ,,baptist ,,general ,,conference4 ,,new ,,york3 ,,published ,,by ,,the ,,american ,,sabbath ,,tract ,,society1 ,no4 #i ,spruce-,street4 #aheb4 ,,the ,,address4 ,the ,seventh-day ,baptist ,general ,conference1 to the ,members of the ,baptist ,denomination throughout the ,united ,states1 holding to the ,observance of the ,first ,day of the ,week as a ,divine ,institution3 ,,beloved ,,brethren3-- ,when our ,divine ,redeemer dwelt on earth1 he prayed that all his disciples might be made perfect in one4 ,as this prayer was in harmony with the sure word of prophecy1 which instructs us to look for a time when the watchmen shall see eye to eye1 and sing with united voice1 we are sure that it will ultimately be answered4 ,we see nothing1 however1 to warrant us in looking for such a happy consummation1 while we contemplate the multiplied divisions of the ,christian world1 perpetuated as they are by the selfishness of human nature4 ,here the prospect is dark indeed4 ,but we have an unshaken confidence in the power of ,god to bring about his own purposes1 notwithstanding all the devices of men4 ,the hearts of all are in his hands1 and he turneth them whithersoever he will4 ,he that made the multitude of one heart and of one soul1 in the first age of the church1 can again concentrate his scattered bands1 break down every wall of separation1 and enlighten every mind by the effusion of his ,spirit4 ,then shall ,zion move forth1 clear as the sun1 and terrible as an army with banners4 ,we rejoice1 brethren1 that you1 as well as ourselves1 are looking for this day of glory4 ,moreover1 we have knowledge of your firm persuasion1 that this glorious union of the now scattered forces of ,israel1 can be effected only upon the basis of divine truth4 ,with a single glance you see the fallacy of that reasoning1 which calls upon you1 for the sake of union1 to sacrifice the least particle of ,god's ,word4 ,taught by the ,spirit of ,god1 you have learned that the smallest atom of truth is more precious than fine gold4 ,that meager piety which finds non-essentials in the appointments of ,jehovah1 you cannot abide4 ,your language is1 ,we esteem ,,all thy precepts concerning ,,all things to be right1 and we hate ,,every false way4 ,we know1 moreover1 that it is the desire of your hearts1 that all dissensions between ,christians should be for ever ended4 ,for this object you are laboring and praying2 and while you are doing so1 you have the enlightened conviction1 that your labors and prayers will be successful1 in proportion to the amount of truth with which your own minds are imbued1 and which you can bring to bear upon the minds of others4 ,laboring as you do to expound to others the way of the ,lord more perfectly1 we cannot suppose that you are yourselves unwilling to learn4 ,we therefore approach you with confidence1 affectionately and earnestly requesting you to take into consideration the subject which is the only ground of difference between you and us4 ,in our estimation1 it is a subject of great importance2 and though some of you have made it a matter of thought1 we are persuaded that the great body of your denomination have dismissed it without any particular investigation4 ,indeed1 we speak not unadvisedly when we say1 that on this question the whole church of ,god have been hushed to sleep4 ,in urging it upon your attention1 we think you will not charge us with wishing to raise disturbance in ,zion4 ,we indulge the hope that you will impute to us the same disinterestedness of motive by which you yourselves are actuated when you boldly proclaim your denominational sentiments upon every high place1 and scatter your publications in every direction4 ,your course springs not from any wish to foment disturbance1 but from the pain which your hearts feel to see the institutions of ,christ made void by the traditions of men4 ,our action in this matter springs from the same principle4 ,we feel in regard to the ,sabbath just as you do in regard to baptism4 ,we declare before ,god and the ,lord ,jesus ,christ1 that we are moved by a desire for your good and ,god's glory4 ,when we look over your large and influential denomination1 we find that1 in reference to the subject upon which we now address you1 you are divided into about three classes4 ,i4 ,those who1 acknowledging the perpetuity of the ,sabbath law1 enforce the observance of the ,sabbath by the fourth commandment1 but change the day of its celebration from the seventh to the first day of the week4 ,,ii4 ,those who see the impossibility of proving a change of the day1 and therefore regard the commandment as abolished by the death of ,christ4 ,but1 at the same time1 they consider the first day of the week as an institution entirely new1 to be regulated as to its observance wholly by the ,new ,testament4 ,,iii4 ,those who consider neither the ,old nor the ,new ,testament to impose any obligation upon them to observe a day of rest1 and advocate one merely on the ground of expediency4 99 99 99 99 99 ,i4 ,to those of you who acknowledge the obligation of a ,sabbath1 but change the day of its celebration from the seventh to the first day of the week1 we would say1 that while from the ,law only you infer any obligation to sabbatize at all1 yet make the particular time of sabbatizing to stand upon ,new ,testament authority1 we do not see how you can relieve yourselves from the charge of departing from the great principle contended for by ,baptists1 viz4 ,that whatever is commanded by an institution1 is to be learned from the law of the institution1 and not from other sources4 ,on this principle1 you reject the logic of ,pedobaptists1 who1 while they find the ordinance of baptism in the ,new ,testament1 go back to the law of circumcision to determine the subjects4 ,you tell them1 and very justly too1 that the law of the institution is the only rule of obedience4 ,but do you not fall into the same error when the argument has respect to the ,sabbath8 ,we can see no more fitness in applying the law of the ,sabbath to the first day of the week1 than in applying the law of circumcision to the subjects of baptism4 ,for the law of circumcision was not more expressly confined to the fleshly seed of ,abraham1 than was the law of the ,sabbath to the seventh day of the week4 ,the true principle is1 that every institution is to be explained and regulated by its own law4 ,therefore1 if the first day of the week is an institution binding upon us1 the law to regulate its observance should be looked for where we find the institution4 ,be pleased1 brethren1 to review this argument1 and see if you are not treading on ,pedobaptist ground4 ,in justification of this change of the day1 we often hear you plead the example of ,christ and his apostles4 ,but where do we find any thing to this effect in their example8 ,did the apostles sabbatize on the first day of the week8 ,did the churches which were organized by them do so8 ,observe1 the question between you and us is ,,not1 ,did they meet together and hold worship on that day8 ,,but1 ,did they sabbatize8 that is1 ,did they ,,rest ,,from ,,their ,,labor on the first day of the week8 ,did they observe it ,,as a ,sabbath8 ,this is the true issue4 ,we have often asked this question1 but the only answer that we have received has been1 that they assembled for worship4 ,but this is not a candid way of meeting the point4 ,it is in reality an answer to a very different question from the one we ask4 ,brethren1 act out your own principles4 ,come up fairly to the question4 ,when you ask a ,pedobaptist1 ,did ,christ baptize or authorize the baptism of little children8 you expect him to make some other reply than1 ,he put his hands on them1 and prayed4 ,when you ask1 ,did the apostles baptize unconscious babes8 you are not well pleased with the reply1 ,they baptized households4 ,your question was with regard to infants--the baptism of them4 ,if1 therefore1 when we ask you1 ,did the apostles and primitive ,christians sabbatize on the first day of the week8 you merely reply as above1 we do not see but you are guilty of the very same sophistry you are so ready to charge upon your ,pedobaptist brethren4 ,your adroit evasion of the real question seems to place you much in the same predicament as were the ,pharisees1 when ,christ asked them whence was the baptism of ,john4 ,it appears as if you reasoned with yourselves1 and said1 ,if we shall say they did sabbatize on the first day of the week1 the evidence will be called for1 and we cannot find it2 but if we shall say they did not1 we fear the day will lose its sacredness in the eyes of the people4 ,we do not by any means wish to charge you with a ,pharisaic lack of principle1 but we put it to your sober judgment1 whether your position is not an awkward one4 ,brethren1 reconsider this point1 and see if you are not on ,pedobaptist ground4 ,if the apostles did not sabbatize on the first day of the week1 then it follows1 as a matter of course1 that1 whatever notoriety or dignity belonged to that day1 they did not regard it as a substitute for the ,sabbath4 ,consequently1 unless the ,sabbath law was entirely abrogated by the death of ,christ1 the old ,sabbath1 as instituted in ,paradise1 and rehearsed from ,sinai1 continues yet binding1 as the ,sabbath of the ,lord thy ,god4 ,but more than this4 ,even if it could be proved1 that the apostles and primitive ,christians did actually regard the first day of the week as a ,sabbath1 it would not follow that the old ,sabbath is no longer in force1 unless it could be proved that they considered the new as a ,,substitute for the old2 or1 that so far as the particular day was concerned1 it was of a ,,ceremonial character4 ,but where do we find proof for either of these points8 ,in the whole record of the transactions and teachings of the apostles1 where do we find this idea of substitution8 ,no where4 ,where do we find evidence that1 so far as the particular day was concerned1 it was ceremonial1 and therefore to cease at the death of ,christ8 ,no where4 ,the argument that proves the ,sabbath law not to be ceremonial1 proves the same of the day4 ,did the ,sabbath law originate in ,paradise1 when man was innocent1 and had no need of a ,redeemer8 ,so did the day4 ,it was then sanctified and blessed4 ,does the ,sabbath law take cognizance of the relation on which all the precepts of the moral law are founded1 viz4 the relation we sustain to ,god as creatures to ,creator8 ,so does the day4 ,it is a memorial of this relation1 and of the rest entered into by ,god after he1 by his work1 had established the relation4 ,it appears1 then1 that neither the ,sabbath law1 nor the day it enjoins1 was of a ceremonial character4 ,true1 it is not moral1 in the strictest sense1 but rather positive4 ,nevertheless1 by divine appointment it is in the same category with the moral law1 and must be considered a part of it4 ,if this reasoning is correct--and if it is not1 we hope you will point it out--it would not follow that the old ,sabbath is done away1 because ,christ and his apostles sabbatized on the first day of the week2 but only that there are two ,sabbaths instead of one4 ,but could ,christ or his apostles consistently alter the law of the ,sabbath8 ,in all his ministry1 ,christ acted under the appointment of the ,father1 and according to such restrictions as were contained in the law and the prophets4 ,by those restrictions1 no laws were to be set aside at his coming1 except such as were peculiar to the ,jewish economy2 such as meats1 and drinks1 and divers washings1 and carnal ordinances1 imposed until the time of reformation4 ,heb4 #i3aj4 ,to set aside these1 the law gave the ,messiah an express grant4 ,heb4 #aj3i4 ,but the very moment he should attempt to go beyond the limits of that grant1 he would destroy all evidence of his being the ,messiah promised and appointed4 ,for it was by his exact conformity to the law1 that his claims were established4 ,hence1 early in his ministry1 he declared that he came not to destroy the law or the prophets4 ,matt4 #e3ag4 ,most cheerfully do we recognize him as ,god over all1 and blessed forever2 yet we are well satisfied that1 even in virtue of his divinity1 he could not consistently set aside any laws except those which were a shadow of things to come4 ,otherwise we should have ,god denying himself--,god contradicting himself6 ,the ,new ,testament records not a single instance of his claiming a right to do so4 ,when he avowed himself ,lord of the ,sabbath1 he only claimed to determine what was the proper method of keeping it--what were breaches of it1 and what were not4 ,the ,sabbath was made for man1 and consequently it was his prerogative to decide what acts and duties answered to the nature and design of the institution4 ,therefore1 the ,son of ,man is ,lord of the ,sabbath4 ,mark #b3bh4 ,in regard to the obligation resulting from apostolic example1 it appears to us that you have fallen into some errors4 ,we are not convinced that the example of the apostles can be justly pleaded for any thing else than the order and arrangement of the church4 ,however proper it may be to imitate them in other respects--in the duties of the moral law1 for instance--yet1 if it were not known to be proper1 independent of their example1 we cannot suppose their example would make it so4 ,we must first ascertain1 by some settled and infallible rule1 whether their practice is worthy of imitation4 ,in regard to the ordering of church affairs1 there can be no doubt1 for they were sent upon this very errand1 with the promise of the ,holy ,spirit to qualify them for the work4 ,but the ,sabbath is not a church ordinance4 ,it is not an institution for the church as such1 but for all mankind4 ,all reasoning with reference to it1 from apostolic example1 must therefore be very inconclusive4 ,even if we should admit that the church is bound by such example to regard the first day of the week1 yet this is the utmost extent to which our admissions can go4 ,we cannot see how the institution becomes binding upon the world at large4 ,consequently1 we are compelled to maintain1 that an institution which was originally given for all mankind1 remains unaltered4 ,we are willing that the example and practice of the apostles should regulate the church as to its ordinances and government1 and herein we claim to follow them as strictly as you do2 but when they are pleaded for any thing more1 we want first to know whether they conform to the express law of ,god4 ,otherwise we must consider them as no more binding than an apostle's quarrel with ,barnabas4 ,acts #ae3ci4 ,if this argument is well founded1 we are led to a very satisfactory disposal of a question often proposed1 viz41 ,why do we never read in the ,new ,testament of ,christian assemblies being convened as such on the ,sabbath8 ,for if the ,sabbath be not a church ordinance1 but an institution for mankind at large1 it can be of no importance for us to know what ,christian assemblies as such did with regard to it4 ,all that is of real importance for us to know1 is the precise bearing of the institution upon man as man--upon man as a rational and accountable creature4 ,on this point the information is clear and decisive4 ,the controversy between us and you appears to be brought down to a very narrow compass4 ,did the ,apostles and primitive ,christians sabbatize on the first day of the week8 ,and1 ,is it the duty of all men to imitate their example1 or only the ,,church8 ,if1 upon a solemn and prayerful consideration of this subject1 you are persuaded that there is no proof that the early ,christians regarded the first day as a ,sabbath1 7substituted in place of the seventh17 and will honestly avow your conviction1 we have no fear that the controversy will be prolonged4 ,for1 should you still be of opinion that some sort of notoriety was attached to the day1 and that ,christians met for worship1 we shall not be very solicitous to dispute the point4 ,the apostolic rule1 ,let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind1 will then govern us4 ,see ,rom4 #ad3e1 #f4 ,our concern is not that you keep the first day of the week1 but that you keep it in place of the ,sabbath1 thus making void the commandment of ,god4 ,if once you discover1 that ,sunday is not the ,sabbath by divine appointment1 and therefore cannot be enforced upon the conscience1 we are persuaded that your deep sense of the necessity of such an institution1 will soon bring you to the observance of the one originally appointed4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,ii4 ,but we proceed to address those of you who regard the sabbatic law as having been nailed to the cross1 and consider the first day of the week as an institution entirely new1 regulated as to its observance wholly by the ,new ,testament4 ,you1 whom we now address1 are exempt from some of the inconsistencies which we have exposed2 but your theory labors under very serious difficulties1 and is to be regarded1 on the whole1 as more obnoxious to the interests of religion1 than the one we have been considering4 ,according to your position1 the ,new ,testament recognizes no ,sabbath at all4 ,do not start at this charge4 ,that it is repugnant to your feelings1 we allow4 ,you have never thought of any thing else than entire abstinence from labor on the first day of the week4 ,it is your day of rest1 as well as worship4 ,but on what ground do you make it a day of rest8 ,what example have you for doing so8 ,what law of the ,new ,testament requires you to lay aside all your secular business8 ,as sin is the transgression of the law1 and where no law is there is no transgression--#a ,john #c3d1 ,rom4 #d3ae--;how do you make it appear to be sin to work on the day in question8 ,it is by the commandment that sin becomes exceeding sinful4 ,rom4 #g3ac4 ,by what commandment do you make it appear sinful to work on ,sunday8 ,these are questions of the highest importance4 ,now suppose one of your brethren attends public worship on the first day of the week1 and--to make his conformity to what is supposed to be apostolic example as perfect as possible--participates in the breaking of bread4 ,he then goes home1 and labors diligently till the day is closed4 ,by what law will you convince him of sin8 ,not the law of the ,sabbath as contained in the ,decalogue1 for that1 you hold to be abolished4 ,not any law of the ,new ,testament which says1 ,keep the first day of the week holy2 in it thou shalt not do any work1 for there is no such law4 ,not the law of apostolic example1 for there is no proof that the apostles ever gave such example4 ,the very utmost that you can with any show of reason pretend of their example is1 that they met together for worship and breaking of bread4 ,to this example your brother has conformed to the very letter--who can say he has not in spirit also8 ,what now will you do with him8 ,the ,bible1 and the ,bible only1 is the religion of ,protestants4 ,the ,bible1 therefore1 is the ,rule by which he is to be tried4 ,convict him of sin by this ,rule1 if you can4 ,but the case becomes still more difficult1 when you come to apply it to those who are without the pale of the church4 ,we have already seen1 that apostolic example concerns merely the ordering and arrangement of the church4 ,attempt now to convince the unbeliever of sin in working on the first day of the week4 ,in order to do this1 charge apostolic example upon him4 ,what is his reply8 ,i know not1 says he1 that ,i am bound to imitate them in this matter4 ,how does it appear that ,i am8 ,i will admit1 for argument's sake1 that they celebrated the resurrection on ,sunday by religious worship2 but they also broke bread and partook of it by way of celebrating his death4 ,if their example binds me in one particular1 why not in the other8 ,prove to me1 says he1 that any but the church assembled on the first day for worship1 and ,i will do so too4 ,but in the absence of all such proof1 ,i must conclude that their example has nothing to do with me2 unless1 indeed1 you can make it appear1 that their example and practice were in conformity to some law1 which commanded them as rational creatures1 independent of their relation to ,christ and his church4 ,when you can produce that law1 then ,i shall feel bound to obey it1 and imitate the apostles in their obedience to it2 but not till then4 ,such is the reasoning by which an unbeliever may set aside all your attempts to charge sin upon him4 ,where1 brethren1 is your law which1 like a barbed arrow1 pierces the very soul1 and fastens guilt upon the conscience8 ,where is that law which speaks out its thunders1 saying1 ,thus saith the ,almighty ,god1 the ,lord1 the ,maker of heaven and earth1 ,it is the ,sabbath day2 in it thou shalt not do any work8 ,to throw aside the law1 which cuts and flames every way1 reaching soul and spirit1 joints and marrow1 in order to deal with the ungodly by mere apostolic example1 is like muffling the sword1 lest it should give a deadly wound4 ,apostolic example is indeed powerful with those whose hearts have been made tender by the ,spirit of ,god1 but with others powerless4 ,we are persuaded1 brethren1 that your conscientious scruples about laboring on the first day of the week1 never resulted from the mere contemplation of apostolic example4 ,such example1 it is true1 is all the law you acknowledge2 but this is the theory you have adopted since you came to maturity1 and began to think for yourselves4 ,your scruples have an earlier and different origin4 ,they commenced with your childhood1 when you were taught to consider the day as holy time4 ,it was then carefully instilled into your mind1 that ,god had1 by express law1 forbidden you to desecrate the day1 and that you would incur his displeasure in case you should do so4 ,the idea was then imbibed1 that if you did not keep the day1 you would violate the fourth commandment4 ,this idea has grown with your growth1 and strengthened with your strength4 ,it has obtained such commanding influence over your feelings1 that you cannot comfortably forbear keeping a day of rest1 though your theory does not require it4 ,even to this day a strong impression rests upon your minds1 that the fourth commandment contains much of moral excellence--too much to be thrown altogether away1 notwithstanding your system of theology teaches its abrogation4 ,such is the true secret of your tenderness of conscience4 ,apostolic example has in reality nothing to do with it4 ,following the secret monitions of conscience1 your prosperity is promoted in spite of your theological system4 ,but sound reason discovers1 that your experience and your theory are in opposition to each other4 ,some of the more thinking ones among you are aware of this1 and are continually aiming at such a modification of their theory1 that their experience will harmonize with it4 ,but be assured1 that there will be an everlasting conflict1 till you are brought to acknowledge fully and heartily the claims of the sabbatic law4 ,we are aware of that system of theology which regards the ,new ,testament as furnishing the only code of laws by which men are bound since the death of ,christ4 ,we have looked at this doctrine with attention2 and so far as the order1 government1 and ordinances of the church are concerned1 we admit its truth4 ,as the laws and ordinances of the ,jewish church were determined by the ,old ,testament1 so the laws and ordinances of the ,christian church are determined solely by the ,new ,testament4 ,therefore1 we should say at once1 the argument is yours1 if the ,sabbath were a church ordinance4 ,in such case1 however1 none but the church has a ,sabbath4 ,but the question is not concerning church ordinances4 ,in these we follow the ,new ,testament as closely as yourselves4 ,the question is concerning an institution which has respect to mankind at large--to man as man2 for the ,saviour teaches us that the ,sabbath was made for man4 ,now1 it will be a very hard matter to prove1 that when men as rational creatures are concerned1 the only code of laws by which they are bound is the ,new ,testament4 ,let us put the matter to the test4 ,how will you prove that it is unlawful for a man to marry his sister1 his daughter1 or any other of near kin8 ,the ,new ,testament utters not a word on the subject4 ,it is not enough to say1 ,it is implied in the law which forbids adultery2 for it must first be proved to be a species of adultery to do so4 ,nor will it do to say1 ,the common sense of mankind is a sufficient law on the subject2 for the moment we suppose that its unlawfulness is to be determined in this way1 we abandon the argument that the ,new ,testament is the only code of laws1 and resort to the common sense of mankind as furnishing a part of the code4 ,but if the common sense of mankind shall furnish a part of the code by which we are bound1 who shall undertake to say how large a part8 ,besides1 on this principle1 the book of divine revelation is not complete and perfect4 ,it is a lamp to our feet only in part1 and the common sense of mankind makes out the deficiency6 ,you are1 therefore1 driven to take your stand again upon the ,new ,testament4 ,finding you there again1 we repeat the question1 ,how do you prove by your code that a man may not marry his sister8 ,it is impossible4 ,you must1 of necessity1 look to that division of the ,scriptures usually called the ,old ,testament2 for the ,new says not one word about it4 ,let us turn now to the #ahth chapter of the book of ,leviticus1 and we shall find a collection of laws exactly to the point4 ,none of you shall approach to any that is near of kin to him1 c4 v4 #f4 ,the degrees of kindred are then expressly marked4 ,will it be objected1 that these laws were given particularly to the ,jews1 and to no other people8 ,we admit they were given to the ,jews1 as indeed was the whole system of revelation in that age2 but we cannot admit that they concerned no other class of people4 ,for it is expressly shown in that chapter1 that the matters of which they took cognizance1 were regarded as abominations in the ,gentiles4 ,because of such things1 the fierce wrath of ,jehovah came down upon the ,canaanites1 and they were cast out from the land as loathsomeness4 v4 #bd1 #cj4 ,if these things were viewed as abominable in the ,canaanites1 they surely were not ceremonial pollutions4 ,they were not mere ,jewish laws4 ,the fallacy of the doctrine is therefore sufficiently exposed4 ,we think you have fallen into error concerning the nature and design of that division of the ,scriptures commonly called the ,new ,testament4 ,we regard it not as the ,law ,book of mankind1 in the strict and proper sense2 but rather as a ,treatise on ,justification1 or an ,expose of the ,way of ,salvation1 in which are contained such references to the law1 and such quotations from it1 as are necessary to the complete elucidation of the subject4 ,the preparation of this treatise was of necessity delayed until the great ,sacrifice for sin had been offered1 and our ,high ,priest had entered into the holy place4 ,for1 as the sacrifice and intercession of our ,high ,priest constitute the sole foundation of our justification1 so the way into the holiest of all was not yet made manifest1 while the first tabernacle was yet standing4 ,heb4 #i3h4 ,so much of the plan of salvation was illustrated to the people1 as could be by means of the ritual service2 and that1 together with the prophecies1 laid a foundation for them to believe that1 in some way or other1 they would be just before ,god4 ,so that by faith the patriarchs were justified4 ,heb4 #aa4 ,they knew it was to be somehow through the work of ,him who was typified and promised as the great ,redeemer4 ,but they could not understand the plan until the ,redeemer came and died for them4 ,because this expose of the way of salvation could not be made until after the death of the ,high ,priest1 therefore it was not proper to organize gospel churches4 ,the only church that was suitable for that age was found in the ,jewish nation1 and from its very nature was unfit for the world at large4 ,it was1 therefore1 confined to that people4 ,moreover1 because it was not proper to organize gospel churches until the way of salvation was fully laid open1 it was also not proper to lay down the laws and ordinances of the church until that time4 ,this accounts for the laws of the church being found only in the ,new ,testament4 ,now1 if the ,new ,testament is to be regarded as an exhibition of the way of salvation1 with such references to the ,old as are necessary for the elucidation of the subject1 rather than as the ,law ,book for mankind at large1 the idea that the ,sabbath ought not to be looked for in the ,old ,testament falls to the ground4 ,nevertheless1 to some minds it appears strange1 that while the ,new ,testament writers mention all the other duties of the ,decalogue1 this of ,sabbath keeping is apparently omitted4 ,in speaking of the sins of which ,christians were guilty before their conversion1 not one word is said about ,sabbath breaking1 though upon other sins they dwell with emphasis4 ,but this admits of a very easy solution4 ,those writers addressed two classes of converts--those from among the ,jews1 and those from among the ,gentiles4 ,as to the former1 they were already rigid to an extreme in keeping the ,sabbath4 ,all that was necessary to do in their case1 was to vindicate the institution from ,pharisaic austerities1 and determine what was lawful to be done1 and what was not lawful4 ,this was done by ,christ4 ,but as for the ,gentile converts1 to charge them with having been guilty of the sin of ,sabbath breaking in their state of heathenism1 would have been manifest impropriety4 ,for the ,sabbath being for the most part a positive rather than a moral precept1 it could not be known without a revelation4 ,but as the ,gentiles had no revelation1 this is a good reason why the apostle dwelt not upon this sin to charge it upon them1 but only upon those which were more obviously breaches of the ,moral ,law4 ,thus it appears1 there was no necessity for any more particular mention of the ,sabbath to be made in the ,new ,testament than what is made4 ,but it is not our object in this ,address to cover the whole field of argument4 ,we design simply1 by presenting some of the strong points1 and exposing your inconsistencies1 to stir up your attention to the subject4 ,we are sure that the great majority of you have never given it a thorough investigation4 ,for a complete discussion of the whole ground1 we refer you to our publications4 ,will you read them8 ,will you anxiously inquire1 ,what is truth8 ,will you pray over the matter1 saying1 ,lord1 what wilt thou have us to do8 ,or1 will you sleep over it1 as if it were of no great practical importance8 99 99 99 99 99 ,,iii4 ,but we must address that class of ,baptists who consider neither the ,old nor the ,new ,testament to impose any obligation to observe a day of rest1 and advocate one merely on the ground of expediency4 ,in some sections of our country1 ,baptists would consider it almost a slander upon their denomination to intimate that there were persons among them of such anti-sabbath principles4 ,but any one who is conversant with the order at large1 knows very well that it is true4 ,there are those who boldly avow such doctrine1 and many others who do not deny that it is their real sentiment1 though they are not forward to proclaim it upon the house-tops4 ,whether this class embraces a very large proportion of the denomination1 it is not necessary to inquire4 ,it is our impression1 that the proportion is sufficiently large to justify an effort for their conversion to right views of ,divine ,truth4 ,if there is no day of rest enjoined by divine authority1 and the observance of one rests wholly upon expediency1 we see no reason1 except that the voice of the multitude is against it1 why you cannot as well observe the seventh as the first day of the week4 ,there would be no sacrifice of conscience in so doing1 while it would be a tribute of respect to those who feel that the keeping of the seventh day is an indispensable part of duty4 ,but it is not on this principle1 particularly1 that we desire you to change your ground4 ,feeling that it is not our party that must be honored1 but rather divine truth1 and our party only for the sake of the truth1 we would much rather correct your doctrinal views4 ,of course1 you do not deny that a day of rest was once enjoined upon ,god's chosen people4 ,it is only under the gospel that you suppose all distinction of days to be annihilated4 ,if1 then1 it is expedient that a day of rest should be observed1 it follows irresistibly1 that the annihilation of all distinction in days1 by the gospel1 was very ,,inexpedient6 ,and thus1 whatever blessings the gospel dispensation brings to the human race1 a strict following out of its principles would be ,,inexpedient6 ,and1 farther1 that the law1 which enjoined a day of rest1 had more of an eye to expediency than the gospel has6 ,consequently1 that the gospel1 though declared to be faultless1 and capable of perfecting those who believe1 must nevertheless1 ,,for ,,expediency',s ,,sake1 borrow a little help from the abrogated rites of the law6 ,in other words1 ,god1 in setting aside a day of rest1 committed an oversight1 and left his work for man to mend6 ,brethren1 we see not how it is possible for you to escape such monstrous conclusions4 ,they are the legitimate result of your principles--principles which you must have adopted without considering where they would land you4 ,for we are not disposed to believe you so completely destitute of piety1 as willingly to abide by the result of them4 ,we entreat you to reconsider them1 and adopt such as are more in accordance with the spirit of our holy religion4 ,when you advocate the observance of a day of rest on the ground of expediency1 we are persuaded that you do so in view of the bearing you perceive it to have upon the well being of mankind4 ,but still the question will arise1 ,has the gospel less regard to the well being of mankind than the law had8 ,look at the humanity of the sabbatic institution4 ,how necessary that both man and beast should rest one day in seven4 ,how evident that they cannot endure uninterrupted toil4 ,how perfectly well established1 that1 if doomed to constant labor1 they sink under the premature exhaustion of their powers4 ,so well is this established1 that we cannot put such a low estimate upon your judgment as to suppose it necessary to enter upon any proof of it4 ,but the question returns1 ,does the gospel breathe less humanity than the law8 ,or1 consider the bearing of the institution upon the interests of religion4 ,it affords opportunity for men to be instructed in the great things which pertain to their salvation2 and if there were no ,sabbath to call them away from their labors1 it would be impossible to bring religious instruction into contact with their minds4 ,does the gospel afford less advantage in this respect than the law did8 ,did the law provide a season for instructing the people in religion as it then stood8 and does the gospel provide no season for instructing them in religion as it now stands8 ,must they be instructed in types1 but not in the substance8--in prophecy1 but not in the fulfillment of prophecy8 ,no one will be responsible for the affirmative of these questions4 ,if the ,new ,dispensation actually has abrogated the ,sabbath1 we do not believe that it is expedient to observe it4 ,we cannot believe1 however1 that an institution so important to the civilization1 refinement1 and religious prosperity of mankind1 has been abrogated4 ,we refer you to our publications1 and to the publications of those who have1 in common with us1 defended the perpetuity of the sabbatic law2 and we entreat you to reconsider your ground4 ,the doctrine of expediency6 ,what a fruitful source of corruption has it been to the church of ,god6 ,there is not an anti-christian1 popish abomination1 but what pleads something of this kind4 ,do1 dear brethren1 let it be expunged from your creed4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,brethren ,,of ,,the ,,baptist ,,denomination3 ,you are a great and growing people4 ,your influence is felt throughout the length and breadth of our land4 ,we rejoice in your prosperity4 ,may the ,lord make you to increase and abound in love one towards another1 and toward all men4 ,in your prosperity we behold1 in a measure1 our own4 ,your baptism is our baptism4 ,your church government is our government4 ,your doctrinal principles are ours2 and there is nothing which constitutes any real ground of separation1 except the great and important subject we now urge upon your attention4 ,the popularity you have gained as a denomination1 however1 is not owing to your ,sabbath principles4 ,it is founded entirely on your views concerning the initiating ordinance of the gospel4 ,these views are characterized by that perfect simplicity which marks every divine institution4 ,hence you have won the affections of the common people1 while1 if you had attempted to operate on them by a more complicated theory1 failure would have been the result4 ,this induces us to urge upon your notice the exceeding simplicity of the ,sabbatarian argument1 compared with all those theories which stand in opposition to it4 ,it is adapted to persons of weak capacities1 of whom there are thousands in the kingdom of ,christ4 ,any illiterate person can open the ,bible1 and point to chapter and verse1 saying1 ,the seventh day is the ,sabbath of the ,lord thy ,god4 ,this is plain2 he can understand it4 ,but tell him that redemption was a much greater work than creation2 that redemption was finished by the resurrection of ,christ2 that an event so important ought to be commemorated2 and that1 in order to do this1 the day of the ,sabbath was changed from the seventh to the first day of the week2 for all which there is not a single thus saith the ,lord2 nothing but the uncertain deductions of human reason4 ,can he understand it8 ,no4 ,it requires an elevation of intellect which ,god has not given him4 ,the inferences and deductions are beyond his capacities4 ,how then is he to render an intelligent obedience8 ,if he conform his practice to the theory thus set before him1 it will not be because he understands it1 but because he is willing to trust the guidance of his mind to those who1 he thinks1 know more than he does himself4 ,this1 therefore1 is strong internal evidence that the keeping of the first day is not of ,god4 ,for ,god's ,book is adapted not only to those of elevated intellect1 but to the ignorant and rude4 ,every thing concerning our practice is plain even to wayfaring men4 ,were it otherwise1 we should conclude that the ,bible is not an inspired production4 ,if it did not come down to the capacities of all1 we should infer that it was not made by ,him who made all minds4 ,indeed1 it would not1 in such case1 be a revelation to all1 but only to the more talented4 ,but it is a revelation to all2 and he that obeys ,god1 must do it for himself2 he that repents and believes1 must do so for himself2 and at the great day1 every one of us shall give account for himself unto ,god4 ,it is of the highest importance1 therefore1 that every one know for himself the foundation of his faith and practice4 ,in thus urging the simplicity of the argument for the ,sabbath1 we are but doing what you do in regard to ,baptism4 ,compare the cases4 ,a man of considerable intellect can reason from the ,abrahamic covenant1 lay propositions together1 and draw inferences and deductions1 until1 finally1 he makes it pretty clear to his own mind1 that the children of the flesh1 these are the children of ,god2 ,paul to the contrary notwithstanding4 ,but how is it with some good old ,baptist sister1 who can hardly join two ideas together1 and draw a logical inference from them8 ,why1 she cannot tell about this reasoning from the ,abrahamic covenant4 ,it is something she does not understand4 ,but she can open her ,bible1 and point to chapter and verse for believer's baptism4 ,she puts her finger upon something that is just adapted to her capacities4 ,as she has a soul to save1 an obedience to render1 and an account to give1 all for herself1 her practice is accordingly4 ,brethren1 think this matter over1 and see whether your reasoning on the ,sabbath is not very much akin to that of those who reason from the ,abrahamic covenant to ,baptism4 ,think seriously1 whether it does not render intelligent obedience impossible to vast numbers of ,christians4 ,think whether a course of reasoning which darkens a very simple subject1 is not more specious than solid4 ,again1 your children are to be early instructed in this matter1 ,how do you succeed in making them understand it8 ,is your little child capable of comprehending all this argument1 which you found upon the finishing of redemption by the resurrection of ,christ8 ,can you point him to any plain passage1 where ,christ authorizes a change of the ,sabbath8 ,how do you feel when the little creature says1 in the simplicity of his heart1 ,father1 mother1 does not the fourth commandment require the observance of the seventh day of the week8 ,but do we not keep the first day8 ,i should think this is not keeping the commandment4 ,one would think you would be forcibly reminded of that scripture1 ,out of the mouths of babes and sucklings thou hast ordained strength4 ,ps4 #h3b4 ,the extensive operations in which you are engaged for the conversion of the world1 render it in the highest degree important that you should not err on a question like this4 ,if you are right1 you ought to be very certain of it4 ,among the heathen1 you are extending the observance of ,sunday as a sacred day4 ,if you are thus sowing the seeds of error instead of truth1 the evils who can calculate8 ,hence you cannot too early begin to review your ground4 ,consider the difficulties your missionaries already have to encounter1 because of unscriptural sentiments propagated among the heathen by those who nevertheless loved their souls4 ,the poor1 perishing idolaters are witnesses of the clashing of doctrine between ,jesus ,christ's men1 and they ask1 ,why is this8 ,you have come to give us a gospel which professes to make its followers 'perfect in one1' and yet you yourselves are divided4 ,you cannot in conscience abandon your principles1 however1 nor dare you1 in your translations1 give to a sentence or a particle one single turn1 which will not fully express the mind of the ,holy ,spirit4 ,dare you1 then1 without feeling the most entire certainty1 teach them that ,god says1 ,remember the first day of the week to keep it holy8 ,the responsibility of the missionary1 in this respect1 is not less than where his translation is concerned4 ,does he feel the same awful sense of responsibility8 ,from the heathen turn to the contemplation of the ,jewish nation4 ,the time cannot be far distant1 when those who1 as touching the election1 are beloved for the fathers' sakes1 shall be called to behold the glory of ,god1 in the face of ,him they have so long rejected4 ,but in order to this1 a voice from the divine word cries1 ,cast ye up1 cast ye up1 prepare the way1 take up the stumbling block out of the way of my people4 ,have ,christians seriously considered what this stumbling-block is8 ,for our own part1 we are persuaded that nothing can be more justly called by this name1 than the general abandonment1 on the part of ,christians1 of the ,sabbath of the ,lord4 ,the ,jews1 taking it for granted1 without examination1 that this abandonment is really taught by the ,christian religion1 suppose that its author cannot be the true ,messiah4 ,they have seen1 through every period of their nation's history1 that ,god has put signal honor upon this institution4 ,they have seen its sacredness elevated high above that of the ceremonial institutions4 ,they have heard their prophets dwell upon the profanation of it as the crying sin of the land1 on account of which the sore judgments of ,heaven came down upon it4 ,it is true1 some teach that the whole ,mosaic system was clothed with as much sacredness as the ,sabbath2 and that it was not for the sin of ,sabbath breaking1 any more than for a disregard of the ritual service in general1 that they suffered the wrath of ,jehovah4 ,but such persons must have paid only a superficial attention to the subject4 ,the attentive reader cannot fail to be struck with the fact1 that while in the prophets the ,sabbath is exalted as of vast importance to the nation1 and all its prosperity1 and the favor of ,god1 seemingly1 suspended on the proper keeping of it1 ceremonial usages are comparatively depreciated4 ,since the ,sabbath holds such a sacredness throughout the ancient oracles of ,god--since the ,israelites have taken their lessons of obedience to it under the rod of his wrath--since no grant was given to the ,messiah to set it aside1 nor the least intimation ever made to the ,jews that it would be set aside--can we wonder that they think that teacher to be an impostor who should break this commandment1 and teach men so8 ,but there is a crisis approaching--the day is near1 and it hasteth greatly--when it will be indispensable that all those who truly love the ,lord ,jesus ,christ1 have their loins girt about with truth4 ,popery is preparing for another desperate struggle4 ,the great principle of the ,reformation1 that the ,scriptures are the only rule of faith1 is to be discussed anew4 ,in the ,church of ,england1 this discussion has already commenced4 ,rome has opened her sluices1 and anti-christian corruption again threatens to flood the church of ,god4 ,as the water naturally seeks such channels as may be already prepared1 so will it be with this doctrine4 ,what branch of ,zion will be next troubled8 ,probably that which makes the next widest departure from the great ,protestant principle4 ,then that which is next in order2 and so on4 ,for it can not reasonably be expected to stop1 until it reach that order of people which is governed by the ,bible alone4 ,upon all others the desolation must be more or less extensive4 ,for those who acknowledge the principle of departing from the ,bible in ever so small a degree1 may be expected to exemplify it to an indefinite extent1 when the circumstances of the times are so modified as to give occasion for it4 ,as for yourselves1 you do not avow the principle of departing from the ,scriptures1 but profess to hold it in abhorrence4 ,the language of your creeds is explicit on this point2 and we know of no denomination so forward to plead a strict conformity to this principle as yourselves4 ,yet it is impossible for you to pretend1 with any show of modesty1 that the ,scriptures expressly enjoin the keeping of ,sunday as a ,sabbath to the ,lord4 ,you cannot say1 from ,scripture authority1 that the apostles observed it as such4 ,nevertheless1 your creed declares that it ought to be so observed2 and your practice accords with your creed4 ,wherefore1 it is as evident as mathematical demonstration1 that you do depart from the great ,protestant principle4 ,consequently1 if our views be correct in regard to the crisis which is at hand1 the time cannot be far distant1 when your own denomination will in some modified form be affected with the deprecated evil1 and you will be compelled to abandon every principle and practice which can give it the smallest advantage4 ,do you think1 brethren1 that in your present position you are prepared for the great struggle8 ,when the ,puseyite1 replying to those who contend for the ,protestant maxim1 refers to the observance of ,sunday1 and says1 ,here we are absolutely compelled to resort to the aid of ancient usage1 as recorded1 not by the inspired1 but by the uninspired writers1 are you ready for the issue8 ,can you confute what he says8 ,when another one says1 ,the seventh day is the ,sabbath of the ,lord thy ,god2 we celebrate the first4 ,was this done by divine command8 ,no4 ,i do not recollect that the ,saviour1 or the apostles1 say we shall rest on the first day of the week instead of the seventh2 and then concludes1 ,the same reasons which urge you to dissent from the observance of the three grand festivals of the ,church of ,england1 ought to operate with you respecting the ,sabbath2--are you prepared to join issue with him8 ,can you justify yourselves on your own principles8 ,if you can1 we will confess our short-sightedness4 ,but indeed we fear1 we tremble1 in view of the crisis which is approaching1 when we look at the traditional usages prevailing among ,christians1 and consider with what a tenacious grasp they are held4 ,o ,lord ,god ,almighty6 thou who hast sworn that 'thy kindness shall not depart from thy church1 nor the covenant of thy peace be removed1' let not thy truth fall in the contest4 ,we mean not to goad your feelings1 by charging upon you any of the abominations of ,popery4 ,we are sure you would not cherish one of them1 if you were conscious of it4 ,but we take it for granted1 that those who are forward to take the mote out of their brother's eye1 are willing to have the beam taken out of their own4 ,you have charged pedobaptist denominations1 over and over1 with upholding popery's chief pillar4 ,you have told them1 that their zeal against the man of sin would avail them but little1 until they first rid themselves of his traditions4 ,you have talked feelingly of the sin of encumbering the ordinances of ,god with human inventions4 ,you have read the church of ,christ many a good lesson on the importance of holding the truth in its purity4 ,in all this you have1 doubtless1 been sincere4 ,we have no fault to find with you2 for you have only followed the ,bible direction1 ,cry aloud1 spare not1 show my people their transgression4 ,in conformity with this direction1 we would endeavor to act our part as faithful reprovers4 ,yet our desire is1 to do it with meekness1 considering ourselves1 lest we also be tempted4 ,it may be--we know not--that some of the abominations of the man of sin are cleaving to us4 ,if so1 let the righteous smite us1 it shall be a kindness2 let them reprove us1 it shall be an excellent oil1 which shall not break our head4 ,turn1 brethren1 to the seventh chapter of the prophecy of ,daniel1 and twenty-fifth verse4 ,you there find one spoken of who shall speak great words against the ,most ,high1 and shall wear out the saints of the ,most ,high1 and think to change ,,times and ,,laws4 ,you have had no difficulty in finding in this prophecy a reference to the law of baptism1 as one of the laws which this great power has changed2 but you have not shown satisfactorily what are the times4 ,you have usually referred them to the numerous festivals and holy-days1 which have been multiplied by the church of ,rome4 ,but these were times ,,established2 not times ,,changed4 ,will you please to expound this passage a little more clearly8 ,will you tell us whether1 under the gospel1 there is any sacred time except the ,sabbath8 ,we will not be unreasonably confident1 but we are much mistaken1 if you can give any clear and satisfactory construction to this prophecy1 without finding that something of ,rome still cleaves to you4 ,suffer us here to declare our conviction1 that you could take no more effectual step toward converting the ,christian world to right views about baptism1 than to embrace the ,sabbath of the ,bible4 ,in your discussions with ,pedobaptists1 you are constantly referred to the change of the ,sabbath1 as proof that some things may be binding which the ,scriptures do not expressly enjoin4 ,you have never met this argument fairly and fully4 ,to be sure1 you always make an attempt to meet it4 ,but how do you do it8 ,by proving that ,christ expressly enjoined his followers to sabbatize on the first day of the week8 ,by showing from express ,scripture testimony1 that the apostles did actually rest from their labors on that day8 ,no4 ,neither of these things have you ever shown2 nor can you show them4 ,the whole head and front of your proof--if proof it may be called--amount only to this2 that the apostles and primitive ,christians met together for worship on that day4 ,it is true1 by such a course you have generally talked your opponents into silence1 because by exposing fully the defect of your reply1 it would only render their own transgression the more glaring4 ,but while you silenced them1 you did not convince them4 ,while they saw that for one of your own customs you could not plead a thus saith the ,lord1 they felt comparatively easy under all your rebukes1 and naturally enough thought it not very important1 that they should have a thus saith the ,lord for the sprinkling of babes4 ,but a most important consideration1 in view of this subject1 is the influence of your large and powerful denomination upon an unconverted world4 ,whatever your theory about the perpetuity of the sabbatic law--whatever your doubts and scruples about the use of the term ,sabbath under the gospel--you cannot rid yourselves of a deep sense of the importance of a day of rest to the world at large4 ,hence the resolutions of your churches and conventional bodies1 with regard to the profanation of what you call the ,lord's day4 ,hence your plain1 out-spoken censures of running cars1 stages1 steamboats1 and other public conveyances1 on this day4 ,hence your griefs and lamentations over those who make it a day of recreation or mirth4 ,hence your readiness to coperate with those bodies which are organized to suppress1 if possible1 the violation of what is called the ,sabbath4 ,we admire the principle which governs you in all this2 but we lament that it is not regulated by a better understanding of the subject4 ,if you would promote right principles1 you must be careful that your proofs1 and examples for illustration1 are pertinent and free from all uncertainty4 ,we are fully persuaded1 that your ,recommendations and ,pledges1 your ,resolutions and ,associational ,acts1 will always meet with defeat1 until you can fortify them by a law of ,god1 so clearly expressed1 that it will urge and goad the violator's conscience wherever he may go4 ,the consciences of guilty men cannot be reached by the method you are pursuing4 ,you behold them desecrating the ,sunday1 and1 in order to make them lay it to heart as a sin1 you bring down upon them--what8 ,apostolic example8 ,new ,testament intimations1 and far-fetched inferences8 ,no4 ,none of these do you think of employing4 ,but the ,law1 the all-searching1 sin-rebuking ,law of ,god1 is the only means you think of in such a case4 ,nothing else suits your purpose1 be your theory what it may4 ,but hear their reply4 ,is the law of the commandment upon us ,,to-,,day8 ,that it was ,,yesterday1 we allow2 for it says1 'the seventh day4' ,that the law of the commandment lies against us every day1 you will not pretend2 but only one day in seven4 ,if that one day was yesterday1 you are yourselves as guilty as we2 and we1 therefore1 feel comparatively comfortable4 ,to be sure1 some sense of the necessity of keeping the ,sabbath holy1 does at times rest upon our minds2 and our consciences1 for the moment1 reproach us2 but when we see you1 and all the ,christian world1 living in the neglect of it1 we feel quite easy again1 and think our sin to be but a light one4 ,such may not be their precise language1 but it is the exact expression of their hearts' feelings4 ,thus even the ,law fails in your hands1 because you attempt to make it speak what it will not speak4 ,if you ask us1 ,do you meet with success in attempting to reach the consciences of guilty1 unbelieving men8 we reply1 that we have no difficulty1 except so far as you1 and the whole body of observers of the first day1 stand in the way4 ,we bring them to admit1 openly and honestly1 the claims of ,god's law1 and a sense of guilt momentarily rests upon them4 ,but immediately they turn to contemplate your practice1 and their hearts become hardened4 ,we do1 therefore1 affectionately1 but earnestly1 invite you to consider1 how tremendous is your influence toward perpetuating ,sabbath profanation in the land4 ,your numbers1 your learning1 your talents1 your wealth1 your general respectability1 all combine to operate with overwhelming effect in this matter4 ,our observations1 if correct1 go to show what a source of danger the ,sunday heresy is to the ,moral ,law4 ,the ,sabbath is a most important precept of this law2 the golden clasp1 as an old writer quaintly observes1 which joins the two tables together2 the sinew in the body of laws1 which were written with ,god's own finger2 the intermediate precept1 which participates of the sanctity of both tables1 and the due observance of which is the fulfilling of the whole law4 ,this important precept is either set aside entirely1 or its edge and keenness so muffled by a transfer to another day1 that the united efforts of the church can do little or nothing toward impressing it on the conscience4 ,here1 then1 is a relaxation of the standard of morality2 and while the standard is relaxed with regard to this one precept1 in vain do we look for the ,law1 as a whole1 to appear glorious in the eyes of men4 ,this remark will be strengthened1 if we consider to what inconsistencies the advocates of ,sunday are driven4 ,some1 in their zeal to defend it1 even go so far as to deny the ,moral ,law to be a rule of conduct to ,christians4 ,others1 though they admit the ,law to be a rule of conduct1 cannot relieve themselves of at least seeming to undervalue it4 ,when the ,sabbath discussion is out of sight1 they speak out clearly1 and without equivocation1 giving the fullest proof that they regard the ,law as the unchangeable standard of obedience4 ,but at other times they reason from the ,new ,dispensation in a manner so vague and indefinite1 that one is puzzled to tell whether they regard the ,gospel as enforcing strict obedience to the ,law or not4 ,now he that is established in the clear truth1 is hampered with no such difficulties4 ,there is1 with him1 not only the naked and abstract admission1 that the ,moral ,law is unchangeably binding1 but there appears such a beautiful and perfect conformity between this admission and the principles he inculcates1 that the most common minds are struck with it1 and every doubt is scattered4 ,while you are fettered by such difficulties1 is there no danger that the ,law will lose its sacredness in the eyes of the people8 ,surely there is4 ,there is danger1 also1 that your system of theology will be corrupted in other particulars4 ,error goes not alone4 ,could an opinion exist in the mind1 circumscribed and isolated1 without affecting any of our other principles1 it would be comparatively harmless4 ,but it is not more a truth1 that a man who utters one falsehood is obliged to tell twenty more to hide it1 than that he who supports one error is obliged to forge numberless others to give consistency to his creed4 ,it is also a truth1 which reflection and daily observation will confirm1 that nearly if not quite all the heresies which ever infested the church of ,god1 are traceable to some loose notions concerning the ,moral ,law4 ,nothing1 therefore1 can be more necessary1 than that our creed give the greatest possible prominence to the ,law as a standard of holiness2 and that our customs be in perfect conformity with our creed4 ,brethren1 can we hope that the subject on which we have addressed you will receive your prayerful attention8 ,almost your entire denomination has slumbered over it2 but may we not hope1 that you will now awake8 ,may we not hope1 that it will be discussed in your private circles1 and in your public assemblies2 in your ,bible classes1 and in your ,sunday schools2 that it will be studied by your ministers1 and by the people in general2 and that every one will1 in the deep desire of his soul1 pray1 ,lord1 open thou mine eyes1 that ,i may discern wondrous things out of thy ,law4 ,but if1 on the other hand1 we see a disposition to pass it by with cold neglect--an unwillingness to look the question in the face--an attempt1 on the part of your teachers and leaders1 to hush it up as a matter of no importance--a studied effort to lead the people away from it1 when they are disposed to examine--or teaching them that it is the spirit1 rather than the letter of the law that ,god requires--we shall be constrained to apply the language of ,him who spake as never man spake--,,every ,,one ,,that ,,doeth ,,evil ,,hateth ,,the ,,light1 ,,neither ,,cometh ,,to ,,the ,,light1 ,,lest ,,his ,,deeds ,,should ,,be ,,reproved4 ,john #c3bj4 ,,the ,,royal ,,law ,,contended ,,for3 ,,or1 ,some brief ,grounds serving to prove that the ,ten ,commandments are yet in full force1 and shall so remain till ,heaven and ,earth pass away3 ,,also1 ,the ,seventh ,day ,sabbath1 proved from the beginning1 from the ,law1 from the ,prophets1 from ,christ1 and his ,apostles1 to be a duty yet incumbent upon ,saints and ,sinners4 ,,by ,a ,,lover ,,of ,,peace ,,with ,,truth1 ,,edward ,,stennet4 ,they that forsake the ,law praise the wicked1 but such as keep the ,law contend with them4 ,prov4 #bh3d4 ,let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter1 ,fear ,god and keep his commandments1 for this is the whole duty of man4 ,ecc4 #ab3ac4 ,the ,sabbath was made for man1 and not man for the ,sabbath2 therefore the ,son of man is ,lord even of the ,sabbath4 ,mark #b3bg1 #bh4 ,then shall ,i not be ashamed1 when ,i have respect to all thy commandments4 ,ps4 #aai3f4 ,london1 ,printed in the ,year #afeh4 ,,new-,,york3 ,,republished ,,by ,,the ,,american ,,sabbath ,,tract ,,society4 ,,preface ,,by ,,the ,,tract ,,society4 ,the friends of the ,sabbath will doubtless receive this little volume as a valuable relic of the past--as a word from one of the tried and faithful friends of the truth1 one who not only loved the day of ,god's weekly rest1 but greatly delighted in the promise of a future and glorious sabbatism with the people of ,god4 ,edward ,stennet1 the author1 was the first of the series of ,sabbatarian ministers of that name1 who for four generations continued to be among the foremost of the ,dissenters in ,england1 and whose praise is still in all the churches4 ,he was an able and devoted minister1 but dissenting from the ,established ,church1 he was deprived of the means of support2 and1 his family being large1 he applied himself to the study of medicine1 by the practice of which he was enabled to give his sons a liberal education4 ,he suffered much of the persecution which the ,dissenters were exposed to at that time1 and more especially for his faithful adherence to the cause of the ,sabbath4 ,for this truth1 he experienced tribulation1 not only from those in power1 by whom he was a long time kept in prison1 but also much distress from unfriendly dissenting brethren1 who strove to destroy his influence1 and ruin his cause4 ,he wrote several treatises upon the subject of the ,sabbath besides this1 but they are very rare1 and perhaps cannot all be found in a perfect state of preservation4 ,it would be well1 no doubt1 to revive all of them1 and1 if practicable1 republish them in the same form as this1 that they might be bound together1 and placed1 as they deserve to be1 in every ,sabbath-keeper's library4 ,they all breathe the genuine spirit of ,christianity1 and in their day were greatly conducive to the prosperity of the ,sabbath-keeping churches4 ,,new-,,york1 ,july1 #ahdh ,,the ,,royal ,,law ,,contended ,,for ,,some ,,brief ,,grounds1 ,,serving ,,to ,,prove ,,that ,,the ,,ten ,,commandments ,,are ,,yet ,,in ,,full ,,force1 ,,and ,,shall ,,so ,,remain ,,till ,,heaven ,,and ,,earth ,,pass ,,away4 #a4 ,the matter of the ten commandments was written in the heart of ,adam before his fall1 as doth appear in ,gen4 #a3bg1 ,god created man in his own image1 in the image of ,god created he him2 also in ,eccl4 #g3bi1 ,god hath made man upright1 but they have sought out many inventions4 ,and the ,apostle plainly asserts1 that the gentiles1 which had not the law1 7in the letter of it17 did by nature the things contained in the law1 which showeth the work of the law written in their hearts4 ,rom4 #b3ad1 #ae4 ,now if the gentiles had the word of the law written in their hearts in their sinful state1 doubtless they had it in more perfection in their state of innocence1 as considered in ,adam2 for the letter of the law was added because of transgression4 ,gal4 #b3ai4 ,now if there was transgression before the letter of the law was added1 that implies that there was a law before then2 in that the letter of the law is said to be added1 it implies that the matter of it was in being before1 but much worn by sin2 and that is one reason why the ,lord was pleased to add the letter4 ,let it be considered1 how it can stand with ,scripture or right reason1 that ,jesus ,christ should abrogate this law4 ,did ,christ blot out this law from the hearts of all men by his death8 ,then all men have not the law of nature to guide them2 for we cannot be so gross as to imagine that the law is put into their hearts upon a new account1 for that were to bring all men under the new covenant4 #b4 ,god spake all these commandments unto the people1 and they heard his voice1 7,deut4 #e3bb-bd17 with great majesty and glory1 and he added no more2 and he wrote them upon two tables of stone1 and delivered them unto ,moses--all of which holds forth their perpetuity2 they are spoken by ,god1 they are written by him in tables of stone2 so was never any ceremony4 ,job desired that his words might be graven with a pen of iron and lead in a rock of stone forever4 ,job #ai3bd4 #c4 ,afterward the first tables were broken1 which ,i suppose did signify the ,israelites' breaking of the first covenant2 for ,moses broke them on account of their having made a golden calf1 and so had broken the covenant4 ,whereupon ,moses was then commanded to hew two tables like the first1 and ,god wrote the same words again upon them1 7,deut4 #aj3a-d17 and they only of all the laws were put into the ark1 and when the ark is set in its proper place between the cherubim there is nothing in it but the two tables4 #a ,kings #h3i4 ,now the ark was a type of ,christ1 and the putting of the law into it did signify the putting of it into the heart of ,christ1 7,psalm #dj3f-h1 ,thy law is in my heart17 and from thence they are transcribed into the hearts of the seed of ,christ4 ,see ,jer4 #ca3cc1 where ,god promises to put his law in their inward parts1 and write it in their hearts4 ,now what law is this that must be put into the heart1 when the law of sacrifice is abolished8 ,compare ,heb4 #aj3f-i1 with the fore-mentioned ,psalm4 ,that this is the law that is here spoken of is manifest if we consider how proper and suitable it is for the heart of a believer4 ,paul calls it the law of his mind in ,rom4 #g3bc1 and in verse #bb he professeth he delights in the law of ,god after the inward man2 and ,god saith he will put the law in his heart and write it there2 both which phrases hold it forth to be the same law that was written by ,god and put into the ark4 ,man's heart is the tables1 and ,god himself is the writer2 the matter written is the law4 ,hear what ,wisdom saith to this3 ,my son1 keep my words1 and lay up my commandments within thee2 keep my commandments and live1 and my law as the apple of thine eye2 bind them upon thy fingers1 write them upon the table of thy heart4 ,prov4 #g3a-c4 ,now what laws are these but the table laws8 ,and ,wisdom's son is to have them written upon the fleshy tables of his heart4 #d4 ,when ,god promiseth to exalt his first-born higher than the kings of the earth1 and that his covenant should stand fast with him1 and that his seed should endure forever1 and his throne as the days of heaven1 7,psalms #hi3bh1 #bi17 yet he saith1 ,if his children forsake my law1 and walk not in my judgments2 if they break my statutes1 and keep not my commandments2 then will ,i visit their transgression with a rod1 and their iniquity with stripes4 ,nevertheless1 my loving kindness will ,i not utterly take away1 nor suffer my faithfulness to fail4 ,verses #cj-cb4 ,mark it1 this covenant was with ,christ1 7though with ,david in the type17 in behalf of all the seed2 and the chastisements must be the portion of the seed if they break the law of ,god1 though his covenant stand fast4 ,now as this covenant reaches all the seed1 so doth the law and the punishments for the breach of it2 and if so1 then what law is it that reaches all the seed1 if not the law of the ten commandments1 with those laws which are comprehended in them4 #e4 ,these commandments are eminently distinguished and marked out from all the ceremonial laws1 both to show their eminency and perpetuity3 they are said to be the work of ,god1 in ,exod4 #cb3af2 and the ,psalmist saith1 ,the works of his hands are verity and judgment4 ,and these works are called1 all his commandments1 in ,psalm #aaa3g1 and they are ten4 ,deut4 #d3ac4 ,and therefore ,i conceive ,wisdom's son is to bind them upon his fingers1 to show the number of them1 there being for each finger one1 and that both hands might be active in them4 ,and ,zacharias and ,elisabeth were said to walk in all the commandments and ordinances of the ,lord4 ,luke #a3f4 ,they are distinguished from the ceremonial ordinances1 and called all the commandments1 to set forth their number1 as before said1 and their eminencey2 and therefore they are so frequently called in the ,scripture1 the commandments of ,god1 distinct from the other laws1 which were shadowy in the time of the law of shadows1 7as these places of ,scripture1 besides many others1 do show1 viz41 ,deut4 #e3ca1 #f3aa1 #g3aa1 #h3aa1 #aa3a1 #cj3af1 #a ,kings #b3c1 #h3eh1 #b ,chron4 #ai3aj1 ,neh4 #a3g1 and #aj3bi1 c417 and distinct from the testimony of ,jesus in clear gospel times4 ,in ,rev4 #ab3ag1 note that the dragon's war is with the remnant of the woman's seed which kept the commandments of ,god and the testimony of ,jesus4 ,and again1 here are they that keep the commandments of ,god and the faith of ,jesus4 ,rev4 #ad3ab4 ,and when the man would know what he should do to be saved1 ,christ told him that he knew the commandments4 ,a cloud of witnesses would come in1 if need were1 for the confirmation of them4 ,but farther observe what the ,scripture saith to their duration4 ,the ,psalmist saith1 ,all his commandments are sure1 they stand fast for ever and ever1 and are done in truth and uprightness4 ,psalm #aaa3g1 #h4 ,note it2 all his commandments1 which are the works of his hands1 as aforesaid1 stand fast for ever and ever2 that is1 not only in the time of the ministration of the letter1 which was in a sense for ever1 but for ever and ever1 that is1 under both ministrations1 that of the letter and that of the spirit1 in ,old ,testament times and in the ,new4 ,search and see if you can find any word that doth speak of any thing that is said to abide or stand fast for ever and ever1 which comes short of the time aforesaid4 ,and when ,god hides his face from the house of ,jacob1 then is the time that the testimony is bound up and the law is sealed among the disciples1 7,isa4 #h3af1 #ag17 clearly relating to the time that the ,jews rejected the gospel1 and the disciples are commanded to make use of the law as well as the testimony to try the doctrines of others by4 ,isa4 #h3bj4 ,all which shows the perpetuity of this law of ,god1 which will farther appear if we consider ,deut4 #g3i4 ,our ,lord saith in ,matt4 #e3ag1 #ah1 ,think not that ,i am come to destroy the law or the prophets2 ,i came not to destroy1 but to fulfill4 ,but the question will be1 what law this is8 ,to me it appears to be the law of the ten commandments2 for these reasons3 #ast4 ,because this comes in as the motive to provoke his disciples to let their light shine in the world1 that men might see their good works and glorify their ,father which is in heaven4 ,matt #e3af4 ,therefore it must be such a law as the doing of it holds forth good works to public view4 #b;d4 ,it is such a law as ,christ professes he came not to destroy2 but the ceremonial law he destroyed in this very sense1 so that none are to be in the practice of it2 he blotted out the hand-writing of ordinances that was against us1 and contrary to us1 and took it out of the way1 nailing it to his cross4 #c;d4 ,destroying of the law is here put in direct opposition to fulfilling of it2 to destroy is to take out of the way or to blot out as before2 but to fulfill the law is to do that which is contained in the law2 therefore saith ,christ to ,john1 when he went to be baptized1 ,it becometh us to fulfill all righteousness1 7that is1 to perform it47 ,matt4 #c3ae4 ,and the ,apostle saith1 that love is the fulfilling of the law4 ,what law8 ,why this1 ,thou shalt not commit adultery1 ,thou shalt not kill1 ,thou shalt not steal1 c4 ,love worketh no ill to his neighbor2 therefore love is the fulfilling of the law4 ,rom4 #ac3h-aj4 ,so that1 to fulfill the law of the ten commandments1 is not to blot them out or make them void2 that were to destroy them1 which ,christ came not to do1 but1 on the contrary1 to do the things contained in them1 which he did exactly in his life1 and so was offered up a ,lamb without spot4 #dth4 ,this is such a law as must stand in force1 every jot and tittle of it1 till heaven and earth pass away4 ,matt4 #e3ai4 ,but heaven and earth are not yet passed away2 therefore this law stands firm4 ,but because it is said in the text1 ,till all be fulfilled1 hence some affirm that all was fulfilled at the death of ,christ1 and this fulfilling of it holds forth the abrogating of it4 ,but did heaven and earth pass away then8 or did ,christ1 by his taking upon him all that guilt which was due to us1 and by his perfect fulfilling of it in his walk1 take us from our obedience8 ,god forbid4 ,because ,christ fulfilled the righteousness of the law1 must we not fulfill it8 ,the ,apostle saith that for this end ,christ died4 ,for what the law could not do1 in that it was weak through the flesh1 ,god sending ,his own ,son in the likeness of sinful flesh1 and for sin condemned sin in the flesh2 that the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us1 who walk not after the flesh but after the spirit4 ,rom4 #h3c1 #d4 ,but what is the fulfilling of the righteousness of the law1 but to do the righteous things contained in the law8 ,and in this sense every true believer doth fulfill the law1 though his completeness be in ,christ2 for love is the fulfilling of the law1 7,rom4 #ac3aj17 so that the commanding power of the law is such a just measure1 that every one that loves acts his part towards the fulfilling of it4 #eth4 ,it farther appears to be the ten commandments1 by the use ,christ makes of what he had before asserted3 ,whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments1 and shall teach men so1 shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven4 ,matt4 #e3ai4 ,that is1 forasmuch as that law must stand till heaven and earth pass away1 and ,i came not to destroy it1 therefore beware of breaking it1 for whosoever you are that break any part of it1 and shall teach men so1 you shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven2 but whosoever shall do and teach them1 the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven4 ,to prevent farther mistake1 he repeateth the law in many particulars1 and gives the sense1 showing how far their righteousness should exceed the righteousness of the scribes and pharisees4 ,by all of which it plainly appears1 that this law1 which ,christ came not to destroy1 is the law of the ten commandments1 or the laws that were comprehended in them4 #f4 ,the ,apostle confirmeth and establisheth this law after the death of ,christ1 as plainly appears in the third chapter of ,romans1 the drift of which is to set ,jews and ,gentiles in a like condition by nature--all breakers of the law of ,god1 and so become guilty before him1 7verse #ai17 and that therefore no flesh could be justified by the deeds of the law1 the law being for another purpose--to convince of sin1 7verse #bj17 or to bring sin to their knowledge4 ,he proves that ,jews and ,gentiles1 circumcised and uncircumcised1 are justified by and through faith1 and not by the law of works4 ,verses #bg-cj4 ,but lest the ,gentiles should think1 because they could not be justified by the works of the law1 that therefore they might look upon the law as a thing done away or made void1 he puts this question to the uncircumcised ,gentiles1 ,do we then make void the law through faith8 ,god forbid2 yea1 we establish the law4 ,he settles this question1 whether the law be in force to believing ,gentiles or no1 with a ,god forbid2 which shows the greatness of his zeal against such a persuasion1 it being the same answer which he gives to another gross question1 whether we should continue in sin that grace might abound2 and1 as if that were not enough1 he adds to it1 ,yea1 we establish the law4 #g4 ,this same ,apostle doth prove that the law was in force at the time of his conversion4 ,he saith he had not known sin but by the law2 he had not known lust except the law had said1 ,thou shalt not covet4 ,rom4 #g3g4 ,he was alive without the law once1 but when the commandment came1 sin revived1 and he died1 7verse #i17 that is1 not without the letter of it1 for that he had1 and did in a great measure conform to1 but without powerful convictions for sin by the law2 and in this sense then the commandment came1 sin revived1 and he died that before was alive in his own apprehension4 ,for without the law sin was dead1 7verse #h17 and by the law is the knowledge of sin2 and sin1 taking occasion by the commandment1 deceived him1 and slew him4 ,wherefore the law is holy1 and the commandment is holy1 just and good1 7verses #aa1 #ab27 not that the holy and just law was made death unto him--,god forbid--but sin1 that it might appear sin1 by this good law wrought death in him1 that by the commandment sin might appear exceeding sinful4 ,verse #ac4 ,and if so1 then this law did not die with the body of ,christ2 though we are dead to the law by the body of ,christ1 that we should serve in newness of spirit1 and not in the oldness of the letter1 and that we should be married to another1 even him who is raised from the dead2 we being dead to that spirit of bondage in which we were held1 that we set our obedience to the law no longer in the room of ,christ as our head and husband2 ,christ by his blood having purchased us from that power that the law had over us by reason of sin4 ,so that our service is not to satisfy the law1 as a woman serves to please her husband that she is bound to2 but we are not dead to serving in newness of spirit in obedience to ,christ as our husband4 ,rom4 #g3d-f4 ,in this sense the ,apostle delights in the law of ,god after the inward man1 7verse #bb17 though the other law in his members stood in great opposition to it4 ,verse #bc4 ,mind this chapter well1 and it will appear so plain that he that runs may read1 that the ,apostle intends no such thing as to take us from our obedience to the law1 nor yet the abrogating of the law1 but the contrary4 #h4 ,the same ,apostle urges the law1 in the very letter of it1 to the ,ephesians4 ,he saith1 in chapter #f3a-c1 ,children1 obey your parents1 for this is right2 honor thy father and thy mother1 which is the first commandment with promise4 ,he proves his exhortation to be right from the commandment1 and he takes notice of the order of the commandments2 it is the first commandment of that second table1 and it hath a promise annexed to it4 ,he speaks in the present tense2 he does not say it was the first commandment1 but it is the first with a promise1 that thy days may be long on the earth4 ,he urges the promise to them for their encouragement2 and to prevent mistakes1 he shows the extent of it1 that it was not only to the ,jews1 that they should live long in the land of ,canaan1 but to the ,gentiles also2 therefore the interpretation says1 that thy days may be long on the earth4 #i4 ,james gives a full confirmation to what ,i am treating of4 ,he convinces them of sin by this law1 in having the faith of ,jesus ,christ with respect of persons1 as appears by chapter #b3aj1 #aa1 ,for whosoever shall keep the whole law1 and yet offend in one point1 he is guilty of all4 ,he shows what law he means1 and how it is that he who offends in one point is guilty of all2 because1 ,he that saith1 ,do not commit adultery1 saith also1 ,do not kill2 now if thou commit no adultery1 yet if thou kill1 thou art become a transgressor of the law4 ,and ,john saith1 ,whosoever committeth sin transgresseth the law1 for sin is the transgression of the law1 7#a ,john #c3c1 #d27 and in the next verse he explains what law he means1 and saith1 it was such transgression that ,christ was manifested to take away4 ,now if this law of ,god was done away by the death of ,christ1 sin could not be a transgression of it so long after2 neither could any be convinced of sin by it1 because it was not4 ,but the ,apostle saith1 ,whosoever commiteth sin transgresseth the law2 which shows it was in force then1 and not only so1 but that likewise it should so remain4 #aj4 ,let it be considered whether this opinion that the law is done away doth not clash with redemption itself4 ,the ,apostle states that all men were under the law1 and by breaking of it they came under the curse4 ,gal4 #c3aj4 ,and ,christ was made under the curse1 to redeem his people from under the curse of the law1 that the blessing of ,abraham might come upon the ,gentiles through faith4 ,verses #ac1 #ad4 ,now if we were not under the commanding power1 we could not be under the curse1 7for that follows disobedience17 and if so1 then ,christ was not made a curse for us2 neither can the blessing of ,abraham come upon the ,gentiles upon that account1 if the ,jews only were under the law1 and under the curse of it4 ,christ's dying to redeem them from the curse1 could not bring the blessing of ,abraham upon the ,gentiles4 ,and again1 the ,apostle saith1 that ,christ was made under the law1 to redeem them that were under the law1 that we might receive the adoption of sons4 ,gal4 #d3d1 #e4 ,now if we were not under the law1 we could not be redeemed by ,christ's being under the law1 nor receive the adoption of sons thereby2 but it is manifest that every one is under the commanding power of the law1 and by nature under the curse2 and ,christ hath only redeemed his people from the curse1 but they are not redeemed from their obedience to the law of ,god4 ,i find no ,scripture that saith so2 but the contrary4 #aa4 ,god complaineth of the blindness of his servants1 and of the deafness of his messengers that he sent1 7,isa4 #db3ai1 #bj17 and their blindness and deafness appears in this1 that they did not hear nor understand ,god's design in the gift of his ,son1 that it was not to destroy the law or to slight it1 but to magnify it and make it honorable4 ,verse #b4 ,previously it was in tables of stone1 but now in the fleshy tables of the heart2 service was then done from a spirit of bondage1 but now from a spirit of adoption4 ,and in this sense ,i conceive the law to be magnified and made honorable1 and upon this account ,god is well pleased for his righteousness' sake1 that is1 ,i conceive1 for his ,son's sake4 #ab4 ,this opinion1 that the whole law is abolished1 doth pull up true magistracy by the roots1 the office of rulers being for the punishment of evil doers1 and for the praise of them that do well4 ,but if the statutes and judgments be not in force1 there is no corporeal punishment to be inflicted upon any1 though thieves1 murderers1 or the like2 and so there is no room for the magisterial power at all1 but men are left in this respect as the beasts of the field1 to shift one among another as well as they can4 ,but the ,apostle saith1 ,the law is made for the lawless and disobedient1 for ungodly and for sinners1 for unholy and profane1 for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers1 for man-slayers1 c4 #a ,tim4 #a3i1 #aj4 ,now that this is the law of penalties1 is manifest1 in that it is said it was not made for a righteous man2 but the ten commandments were for the righteous1 for the ,psalmist saith1 ,make me to go in the path of thy commandments1 for therein do ,i delight4 ,o how love ,i thy law6 ,it is my meditation all the day4 ,psalm #aai3ce1 #ig4 ,and how shall we have governors as at the first1 and counsellors as at the beginning1 7,isa4 #a3bf17 if they have no law to govern by8 ,if any say we shall have laws from ,christ1 and shall not need those laws that were for the commonwealth of ,israel1 ,i answer1 ,i know no word of ,god that doth give us ground to hope for any other laws of ,scripture then what we have4 ,and suppose that ,god should revive his work and bring his enemies under1 and put opportunity into the hands of men fearing ,god and hating covetousness to rule the nation1 and to make laws according to ,scripture1 what could they do if the ,scripture were not their statute-book1 if they should turn law-makers8 ,would not that be their sin1 there being no warrant in the ,scripture for it8 ,and would it not bring all into confusion again1 and make another ,babel8 ,for the great question which is to be resolved in the latter days1 will be1 ,who is our statute-maker8--which the saints put out of question in ,isa4 #cc3bb1 ,the ,lord is our ,judge1 the ,lord is our ,statute-maker1 the ,lord is our ,king1 he will save us1 7and not king ,omri with his statutes47 ,mich4 #f3af4 ,and when the saints come to own this truth in good earnest1 their opponents' tacklings will be loosed2 they shall neither strengthen their masts1 nor spread their sails4 ,and ,malachi tells us what laws our ,king hath made1 which the saints are to own when the day of the ,lord shall burn as an oven all the proud1 and the ,sun of ,righteousness arise upon all that fear him2 when they shall tread down the wicked with so much ease that they shall be as ashes under the soles of their feet1 so that it shall be counted the ,lord's doings4 ,and in the day that the ,lord shall do this1 ,remember ye the law of ,moses1 my servant1 which ,i commanded unto him in ,horeb for all ,israel1 with the statutes and judgments4 ,mal4 #d3c1 #d4 99 99 99 99 99 ,i shall now endeavor to answer some objections which are usually brought against this truth1 though several of them are partly answered in the grounds before mentioned4 ,i shall therefore say the less1 and begin to speak something to that ,scripture in #b ,corinthians1 third chapter1 on which the objectors chiefly build their persuasion2 and indeed at the first glance thereon1 without comparing it with other ,scriptures1 it hath more color for such a purpose than all the ,scriptures that ever ,i heard brought2 from which ,scripture this is objected1 that the ten commandments were the ministration of death and the letter1 and are done away4 ,answer4 ,that they were the ministration of death and of the letter is granted1 for the ,scripture saith so2 but the ,scripture doth not say that they are done away1 as will appear1 if we consider the drift of the ,apostle4 ,he endeavoreth to show the difference between the ministration of the spirit and of the letter1 the one being a bare reading of the law1 from which no life was communicated to those that heard it4 ,the ,apostle calls it the ministration of condemnation1 that is1 it lays open sin1 and the curse for sin1 but it is the gospel ministration which holds forth justification and strength against sin2 not that the ten commandments in themselves were death to any--,god forbid6 as the ,apostle saith in ,rom4 #g3ac2 but sin1 when it is finished1 bringeth forth death2 and the commandments preach death to the transgressors of them1 so that they are called the ministration of death and condemnation1 because man hath broken them1 and so is under the curse of them1 which ,christ hath delivered believers from1 7,rom4 #c3ac27 and the ministration of it is really done away1 that is1 as ,i said before1 the reading of the law by a typical priesthood1 which the ,jews would have set up in the room and place of the ministration of the spirit4 ,and whereas they lived under the hearing of the bare letter of the law1 which gave no strength to perform1 we live under the hearing of the gospel1 which is spirit and life4 ,john #f3cf4 ,but that the matter of the law1 or commanding power of it1 should be done away1 this ,scripture doth not in the least prove1 but it is used in the hand of the ,spirit to convince of sin4 ,this the same ,apostle proves in ,rom4 #g3g1 where he saith1 ,i had not known sin but by the law2 ,i had not known lust except the law had said1 ,thou shalt not covet4 ,this will appear evident if we consider the same chapter from verse #h to verse #ad4 ,obj4 #b4 ,another ,scripture is frequently urged from ,acts #g3cg--;,a prophet shall the ,lord your ,god raise up unto you of your brethren1 like unto me2 him shall ye hear4 ,from which it is concluded1 that we are to hearken only to ,christ and not to ,moses4 ,ans4 ,if by hearing of ,christ you mean hearing only what he spake with his own lips when he was on earth1 then we are not to hear his apostles4 ,but if you mean1 by hearing of him1 to hear what he spake upon earth and what he spake by his ,spirit in his apostles1 then why are we not to hear what he spake by his ,spirit to his prophets1 seeing we are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets1 ,christ being the chief corner-stone4 ,eph4 #ba3bj4 ,and if those who are of this persuasion would be true to their principle to hear ,christ1 hear him what he saith in ,luke #af3ca--,they have ,moses and the prophets1 let them hear them2 for if they will not believe ,moses and the prophets1 neither will they be persuaded1 though one rose from the dead4 ,and he counsels to keep the commandments1 7,matt4 #ai3ag1 #ah17 and reproves for the breach of them1 as also for the making them void by traditions1 7,matt4 #ae3f17 as might be made to appear by many other ,scriptures4 ,therefore there is nothing of weight in this objection to shake the thing asserted4 ,but for a more full answer to this objection and the former1 ,i must needs entreat the reader to see my other book on the ,sabbath4 ,obj4 #c4 ,moses was faithful over his house as a servant1 so ,christ is faithful over his house as a son4 ,now1 if ,christ hath not given us all the laws that we are to observe1 this is to make ,christ less faithful than ,moses4 ,ans4 ,doubtless ,christ as a son is faithful over his house1 as ,moses was faithful over his house as a servant4 ,but we are to consider1 what was ,moses' house1 and what is ,christ's house4 ,moses' house1 ,i conceive1 was the ,tabernacle2 his faithfulness did appear in that he did all things according to the pattern showed him in the ,mount4 ,christ's house is the saints1 the true tabernacle which the ,lord hath pitched and not man1 7,heb4 #h3b1 #e17 of which the other was a shadow4 ,and as ,moses as a servant gave forth ordinances for his house1 so ,christ as a son has given out ordinances for his house4 ,but the ten commandments are a law which belongs to men as they are men1 though they be no part of ,christ's house1 it being1 as before proved1 the law written in their very hearts4 ,obj4 #d4 ,but when certain of the sect of the pharisees arose and said it was needful to be circumcised and keep the law of ,moses1 the ,apostle proves them to be tempters of ,god1 in putting a yoke upon the neck of the disciples1 which neither they nor their fathers were able to bear4 ,acts #ae3e1 #aj4 ,ans4 ,are the ten commandments such a yoke as is not to be borne8 ,is it a yoke to have no other ,god but ,jehovah1 and to abstain from murder1 theft1 adultery1 and the like8 ,for so it must be1 if you judge that the whole law is here slighted4 ,but the thing under discussion here is1 whether such and such laws are to be kept or not1 and the stress that is laid upon the keeping of them1 namely1 the pressing of them as things without which they could not be saved1 as in ,acts #ae3a2 and therefore the ,apostle1 in answer to this1 shows that the ,gentiles had received the gospel and did believe1 ,god having given to them the ,holy ,ghost1 and put no difference between them and the ,jews1 purifying their hearts by faith1 7verses #g-i17 and that through the grace of ,jesus ,christ both ,jews and ,gentiles should be saved1 7verse #aa27 and as the ,apostle opposeth the keeping of these laws for such a purpose as to be saved thereby1 so the bare keeping of them is forbidden4 ,and therefore ,james saith1 7verses #ai1 #bj17 ,my sentence is1 that we trouble not them which from among the ,gentiles are turned unto ,god1 but that we write unto them that they abstain from pollutions of idols1 from fornication1 from things strangled1 and from blood4 ,so that the ,apostle's judgment is1 that the ,gentiles should keep some part of the law4 ,and therefore the question was not1 whether any part of the law should be kept2 and the reason why they would write no more seems to be in verse #bj1 ,for ,moses of old time hath in every city them that preach him1 being read in the synagogues every ,sabbath day4 ,so the apostles and elders write1 in verse #bd1 ,forasmuch as we have heard that certain men that went out from us have troubled you with words1 subverting your souls1 saying1 ,ye must be circumcised and keep the law1 to whom we gave no such commandment4 ,now can we be so gross as to think1 that it is subverting men's souls1 and contrary to the commandments of the apostles and elders1 to bid them love the ,lord their ,god with all their hearts and with all their strength1 and to worship him alone1 and not to take his name in vain1 and the like8 ,this is to keep the law4 ,but the difference was about other laws as well as circumcision1 and they are as really forbidden to keep them1 as they are forbidden circumcision2 and therefore it cannot be the law of the ten commandments1 but the law of shadows1 as is manifest by chapter #ba4 ,when ,paul came to ,jerusalem1 the brethren told him that it was reported that he taught all the ,jews which were among the ,gentiles to forsake ,moses1 saying1 that they ought not to circumcise their children1 neither to walk after the customs1 7verse #ba27 therefore they counseled ,paul to purify himself1 with some others1 that it might be seen that he walked orderly and kept the law4 ,verse #bd4 ,but as touching the ,gentiles which believe1 we have written and concluded that they observe no such things4 ,verse #be4 ,so that it is very clear1 that it is circumcision and the customs that is here called the law of ,moses1 which the ,gentiles were commanded not to keep4 ,but to think that the ,gentiles should be forbidden to keep the law of ,god that was written in their natures is abominable1 and contrary both to ,scripture and reason4 ,obj4 #e4 ,but the ,scripture saith1 ,cast out the bond-woman and her son1 for the son of the bond-woman shall not be heir with the son of the free-woman2 which bond-woman was an allegory of the covenant from ,mount ,sinai1 and therefore to be cast out4 ,ans4 ,the ,apostle is here showing how impossible it is for works and grace to stand together in point of justification2 for this people were seeking to be justified by the works of the law4 ,he shows the difference betwixt the two covenants1 one of works gendering to bondage1 the righteousness of the law being this1 that the man that doeth these things should live in them1 7,rom4 #aj3e27 the other of grace or free promise1 without any respect to man's righteousness4 ,he shows that the sons of the covenants are like unto their mothers2 the sons of the one covenant are born after the flesh1 the sons of the other by promise2 and those that are born after the flesh persecute those that are born after the ,spirit4 ,nevertheless1 what saith the ,scripture8 ,cast out the bond-woman and her son1 for the son of the bond-woman shall not be heir with the son of the free-woman2 that is1 the covenant of works with those that seek to be justified thereby1 ,christ being the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth4 ,rom4 #aj3d4 ,but if we should understand the ten commandments in themselves to be the bond-woman1 then it is impossible for them that keep them to be heirs or children of the promise1 but they must be cast out as children of the bond-woman1 which is very erroneous1 and contrary to the current of the ,scriptures4 ,for the doers of the law are justified before ,god1 7,rom4 #b3ac17 though not for doing4 ,and mark how the ,apostle forbids this notion in ,romans #c3ca--;,do we then make void the law through faith8 ,god forbid6 ,shall we continue in sin1 or transgress the law1 that grace may abound8 ,god forbid6 ,rom4 #f3a1 #b4 ,is the law sin8 ,god forbid6 ,rom4 #g3g4 ,was the law1 which was good1 made death unto me8 ,god forbid6 ,verse #ac4 ,shall we transgress the law because we are not under the condemning power of it1 7,christ having redeemed us from it87 ,god forbid6 ,rom4 #f3ae4 ,certainly the ,scripture did foresee how apt men would be to slight and make void the law of ,god under specious pretences1 as their being believers1 and ,gentiles which had not the law given to them1 but that they are under grace1 and the like4 ,if the uncircumcision keep the righteousness of the law1 shall not his uncircumcision be counted for circumcision8 ,rom4 #b3bf4 ,consider these queries--#a4 ,if the whole law was done away by the death of ,christ1 why did the ,apostle spend so much time to prove that by the works of the law none could be justified1 7,gal4 #c17 seeing there was no law to work upon8 ,would it not have been a nearer way to have told them that the law was abolished8 #b4 ,if the whole law was done away at the death of ,christ1 how can any part of it be now in force8 ,if it be said it is upon a new account1 show me any one law that ,christ hath once destroyed and again revived1 seeing the ,apostle saith1 if he should build again the things that he destroyed1 he should make himself a transgressor4 ,gal4 #b3ad4 #c4 ,what ,scripture proves that we have any one of the ten commandments given out on a new account8 #d4 ,if the whole law be done away1 what law is there for the punishment of evil-doers1 thieves1 murderers1 and the like8 #e4 ,if the ten commandments are to be abolished1 how is it that the ,lord hath annexed so many great and precious promises to the keeping of them and delighting in them1 as in ,psalms #a3a-d1 and many other places1 which do of right belong to such as keep the commandments8 ,rev4 #bb3ad4 #f4 ,how is it that the ,apostle saith1 the law is good if a man use it lawfully1 7#a ,tim4 #a3h17 if at the same time there be no law8 #g4 ,if the law was done away at the death of ,christ1 when was it given again upon a new account8 ,if it was given before his death1 7in the #eth chapter of ,matthew17 then how is it that the law that was given on ,sinai stood in force till that time8 ,could they both stand in force at once8 ,if not till after the death of ,christ1 then when was it given out1 seeing that we find not any of the commandments so much as mentioned for a long time after the death of ,christ8 ,can we think the saints and the world were left without a law8 #h4 ,how is it that we contend for governors as at the first1 and counsellors as at the beginning1 seeing there is no law for them to rule and govern by1 if this doctrine be true1 that the whole law is done away8 ,thus ,i have endeavored in a measure to prove1 that the ten commandments are not only in force to unbelievers1 but also to believers4 ,but believers are not under the law so as to be justified or condemned by it2 not under it as a covenant of works and ministration of death1 but under it as a righteous rule of life--a holy1 just1 and good law2 so they are under it1 and do delight in it4 ,rom4 #g3bb2 ,psalms #aai3gj1 #gb1 #ig2 #a ,cor4 #i3ba4 ,it is time for thee1 ,lord1 to work2 for they have made void thy law1 7,psalms #aai3abb47 ,therefore ,i esteem all thy precepts concerning all things to be right1 and ,i hate every false way1 7,verse #abh47 ,,the ,,seventh ,,day ,,is ,,the ,,sabbath4 ,if the ten commandments be in force1 every jot and tittle of them1 it must necessarily follow that the seventh day is the ,sabbath1 and is to be observed according to the commandment4 ,but because there is much opposition against this truth1 ,i shall offer something in particular to it1 which may tend to the clearing of it4 #a4 ,it was instituted by ,god before the fall of man1 as appears in ,gen4 #a3ca--;,and ,god saw every thing that he had made1 and behold it was very good4 ,but when man sinned1 ,god changed his voice1 and then the ground was cursed for his sake4 ,gen4 #c3ag4 ,farther1 ,god was six days upon his work of creation1 and rested not until the seventh day4 ,now1 betwixt the end of the sixth day and the beginning of the seventh day1 there is no interval or space of time1 7chap4 #a3ca1 #b3b27 then why should it be thought that the ,sabbath was a shadow to hold forth rest by faith1 and why should we run into such imaginations concerning the cause of ,god's instituting the ,sabbath1 seeing ,god so plainly declared it himself1 namely1 that he blessed the seventh day and sanctified it1 because that in it he rested1 from all his works which ,god created and made4 ,gen4 #b3c4 #b4 ,the reason that the ,lord gave when he commanded the observance of the seventh day1 was as before1 because that in six days the ,lord made heaven and earth1 the sea1 and all that in them is1 and rested the seventh day1 wherefore the ,lord1 blessed the ,sabbath day and hallowed it1 7,exod4 #bj3aa27 and it is as a motive to provoke man to follow the ,lord's example from the beginning1 both in work and rest4 ,six days1 saith the ,lord1 thou shalt labor and do all thy work1 but the seventh day is the ,sabbath of the ,lord thy ,god2 in it thou shalt do no manner of work4 ,and if thou wouldest know a reason why thou shouldest do so1 it is because ,i the ,lord thy ,god did so4 ,and truly1 to me it is clear1 that one main reason why the ,lord took so much time as six days to create all things in1 and rested the seventh day1 was to show man an example1 and what he ought to do4 ,doubtless ,god could have made all things in a moment2 but six days he works1 and rests the seventh day1 that man might do the same1 and thereby not only hold forth the creating power of ,god1 and the method that he was pleased to take in the creation1 but also his great mercy in instructing and commanding man to work six days and rest the seventh1 that he might be refreshed4 #c4 ,it plainly appears1 that this institution was in force and to be observed from the beginning1 though no mention is made of the patriarchs observing it1 no more than of their sacrificing and doing many other things1 which it is judged that they did1 notwithstanding we hear nothing of them4 ,but consider1 ,god rested the seventh day and sanctified it4 ,now to profane that which ,god sanctifies doubtless is a sin2 and had they done servile work upon the ,sabbath1 they had profaned it4 ,neh4 #ac3af1 #ag4 ,and what the ,lord said to ,peter1 in another case1 may be rightly said in this1 namely1 ,what ,god hath sanctified1 that call not thou common or unclean4 ,acts #aj3ae4 ,and the ,lord1 when he gave forth this command1 saith1 ,remember the ,sabbath1 to note the importance of it1 and the antiquity of it1 it being no new thing1 but from the beginning2 and that the ,lord urges1 in verse #aa1 as the cause why it was to be observed4 ,israel observed the ,sabbath before the giving of the law on ,mount ,sinai1 as appears in ,exod4 #af3bc1 #be1 #bf4 ,but mark what ,nehemiah saith to this in1 chapter #i3ac1 #ad1 ,thou camest down also upon ,mount ,sinai1 and spakest with them from heaven1 and gavest them right judgments and true laws1 good statutes and commandments1 and madest known also unto them thy holy ,sabbath4 ,mark1 this commandment is singled out from all the rest1 and is said to be made known to them1 which shows that it was in being before1 though probably they might lose the observation of it1 by reason of their hard bondage in ,egypt4 ,however1 it is plain that they had need of the knowledge of the ,sabbath1 and ,god makes it known unto them4 ,and ,christ leads us plainly to the first institution of it when he saith1 ,the ,sabbath was made for man1 and not man for the ,sabbath4 ,he points to the making of it1 and for whom it was made1 not for the ,jews only as ,jews1 but for man1 before there was any such distinction as ,jew and ,gentile2 and in that it was made for man1 which was the public person or representative of the whole of mankind1 it was made for all men1 ,adam standing as a public person before his fall4 #d4 ,our ,lord ,jesus doth show the true end of ,god's giving the ,sabbath1 and also how it ought to be kept1 and shows the pharisees their mistake in the observation of it1 they being so rigid that they would not suffer good works and works of mercy to be done1 though there were necessity for the doing of them1 as will appear if we consider the following ,scriptures3 ,the pharisees asked ,christ if it was lawful to heal on the ,sabbath day1 that they might accuse him1 7,matt4 #ab3aj17 and his answer was this1 ,what man is there among you that shall have one sheep1 and if it fall into a pit on the ,sabbath day1 will he not lay hold on it and lift it out8 ,how much then is a man better than a sheep8 ,wherefore it is lawful to do good on the ,sabbath day4 ,matt4 #ab3aj-ab4 ,again1 the pharisees told ,christ that his disciples did that which was not lawful1 because they pulled the ears of corn upon the ,sabbath day4 ,but mind the answer of ,christ1 ,have ye not read what ,david did when he was a hungered and had need1 how he entered into the house of ,god1 and did eat the shew-bread1 which it is not lawful for any to eat but the priests8 ,mark #b3bd-bf4 ,have ye not read in the law1 that the priests in the temple profane the ,sabbath day and are blameless8 ,matt4 #ab3e4 ,it was not unlawful to pluck the ears of corn when they went through their neighbor's field1 for that they might do by the law of ,god1 7,deut4 #bc3be17 and that the pharisees knew very well2 but they thought it was unlawful because they did it upon the ,sabbath day4 ,but mark the answer of ,christ1 how he cleared the disciples2 it was unlawful for ,david to eat the shew-bread1 but he was a hungered and had need1 and therefore to be excused4 ,if the disciples had pulled the ears of corn when they had no need1 upon the ,sabbath day1 it had been doing of needless work1 and so had been unlawful4 ,but the text saith they were a hungered1 therefore they might do it1 it being a work of mercy as ,david's was4 ,and the same may be said of the priests' profaning the ,sabbath1 who1 notwithstanding1 are said to be blameless4 ,their preparation of the sacrifices was allowed1 which work in itself would have been counted servile work1 but that it was for such a merciful end1 namely1 the sins of the people2 therefore saith ,christ1 ,had ye known what this meaneth1 ,i will have mercy and not sacrifice1 ye would not have condemned the guiltless4 ,matt4 #ab3g4 ,clearly proving that the ,sabbath was to be observed1 7but not so as to break another command1 to neglect mercy1 which the pharisees would do17 and that his disciples1 in having mercy on their bodies1 were no ,sabbath-breakers4 ,farther1 observe what ,christ saith in ,mark #b3bg1 ,the ,sabbath was made for man1 and not man for the ,sabbath4 ,the pharisees made themselves slaves and bond-men by making the ,sabbath a yoke1 7whereas it should have been a delight1 ,isa4 #eh3ac17 by superstitious outside performances1 as though man had been made for the ,sabbath4 ,but ,christ tells them1 it was made for man1 that is1 for the good and benefit of man1 that he might rest from his labors and be refreshed1 as they were in ,exod4 #ca3ag4 ,and thus you see how clearly our ,lord hath given the sense of this law4 ,it is lawful to do well upon the ,sabbath day1 to visit the sick and to heal them1 and to do works of mercy to our own and others' bodies1 the ,sabbath being made for man4 #e4 ,jesus ,christ declares himself to be ,lord even of the ,sabbath day1 7,matt4 #ab3h17 and he takes his title thus3 ,the ,sabbath1 saith he1 was made for man1 and not man for the ,sabbath2 therefore the ,son of ,man is ,lord even of the ,sabbath day4 ,here seems to be two things from whence ,christ takes this title4 ,first1 the ,sabbath was made for man1 that is1 as before was said1 for ,adam1 and so for all men1 being made for him before his fall4 ,now1 ,christ being the ,son of ,man1 the chief man1 or second ,adam1 the man of ,god's right hand1 the heir of all things1 is of right ,lord even of the ,sabbath day4 ,second1 the ,sabbath was made for man1 that is1 for the good of man1 and in mercy to man1 as is said before4 ,therefore1 ,christ being the author of all good1 the giver of all mercy1 he is ,lord of it2 and1 therefore1 ,christ doth not slight the ,sabbath 7as some do imagine7 by saying he is ,lord of it1 as though he were not to keep it1 or that his intent was to change it4 ,that were to strip himself of his title1 or else to entitle himself ,lord of that which was not4 ,but in that it is said ,christ is ,lord of the ,sabbath1 it proves the ,sabbath to be in force4 ,as ,christ proves the resurrection1 in ,mark #ab3bf1 #bg--;,i am the ,god of ,abraham1 the ,god of ,isaac1 the ,god of ,jacob2 ,i am not the ,god of the dead1 but of the living--so ,christ is ,lord of the ,sabbath day4 ,he is not ,lord of the dead types and shadows1 or of that which is not in being1 but he is ,lord of the lively oracles1 of which ,i consider the ,sabbath to be one4 ,acts #g3ch4 ,objection4 ,but did not ,christ break the ,sabbath1 and teach men so to do1 in bidding the impotent man take up his bed and walk1 it being unlawful to carry a burden upon the ,sabbath day8 ,answer4 ,the scribes and pharisees said so1 indeed1 and that his bed was a burden2 but they were very unfit judges1 they being ignorant of the right manner of observing the ,sabbath1 and seeking likewise to take advantage against ,christ in his words and actions4 ,their saying the man's bed was a burden1 and that it was unlawful for him to carry it1 doth prove no more that was it so1 than their saying that the disciples did break the ,sabbath in plucking the ears of corn1 and ,christ in healing the diseased4 ,but was not this a work of mercy1 the man having been lame so long in the porch now being cured8 ,was it not meet that he should be released from the place1 and take his bed with him to lay on at night8 7for it is likely he had no other47 ,and who can say that it was a burden8 ,in some countries that which they call a bed is no heavier than a good cloak or coat4 ,but consider what gross wickedness naturally flows from this opinion4 ,the objectors themselves1 and all1 must acknowledge that the whole law was in force till the death of ,christ--the very shadows1 till he nailed them to his cross2 then the fourth commandment doubtless was in force4 ,now1 to say that ,christ broke it1 and taught men so1 is to say that ,christ sinned1 and taught men to sin1 7for sin is the transgression of the law17 and this roots up redemption by ,christ2 for if ,christ was a sinner1 he could not be a ,saviour4 ,he had not been a meet offering for the sins of others2 he had been a sinner himself4 ,but he was offered up a ,lamb without spot1 7,heb4 #g3bf1 #a ,peter #a3ai17 and was made sin for us1 that knew no sin1 7#b ,cor4 #e3b27 and therefore this objection is made so gross1 that every sincere heart that sees the tendency of it will not touch it2 and indeed ,i had not mentioned it here1 but that many through weakness have taken it up as a sufficient ground to prove the making void of the ,sabbath1 for want of looking into the bottom of it4 #f4 ,another ground to prove the ,sabbath yet to be in force1 may be taken from the words of ,christ to his disciples in ,matt4 #bd3bj--;,but pray ye that your flight be not in the winter1 nor on the ,sabbath day2 which is part of the answer ,christ gave them when they came privately to him to ask him when the destruction of the temple should be1 the signs of his coming1 and the end of the world4 ,it is generally conceived that this part of ,christ's answer relates to the destruction of ,jerusalem2 and1 indeed1 that is the shortest time that can be thought it relates to1 as appears by the question which was asked him4 ,but suppose it to be so2 doth it not plainly appear from hence1 that the ,sabbath was to remain in full force after the death of ,christ8 ,the destruction of ,jerusalem was about forty years after the death of ,christ1 and yet he commands his disciples to pray that their flight be not in the winter1 neither on the ,sabbath day4 ,now1 can we think that ,christ would lay such a foundation for superstition1 as though the ,sabbath was to be at the ruin of ,jerusalem1 when it was to cease at his death8 ,or can we think that ,christ would teach his disciples to pray false1 or to pray that their flight should not be on the ,sabbath1 when indeed there was to be no ,sabbath8 ,this is gross to imagine2 for as sure as winter was to remain winter1 so the ,sabbath was to remain the ,sabbath4 ,and if their flight had been upon it1 it would have been the more tedious1 it being a day of rest and refreshment to them1 wherein they used to rejoice and praise the ,lord1 as appears by that song for the ,sabbath day1 in ,psalm #ib4 ,but although this ,scripture looks to the destruction of ,jerusalem1 yet ,i conceive that it looks farther1 even to that distress that ,jerusalem shall be in at the second coming of ,christ1 and that for these reasons3-- #ast4 ,those things that ,christ spake of were accomplished in a measure in the apostles' days2 and yet they are not completely fulfilled4 ,for instance1 ,christ told his disciples that they should be delivered up to be killed1 and they should be hated of all nations for his name's sake4 ,this was in the apostles' days1 and hath been since2 and false prophets did arise then1 and so they have since4 ,so that those things which ,christ spake looked to several times1 and therefore1 ,i conceive1 he saith1 ,verily ,i say unto you1 this generation shall not pass till all these things be fulfilled4 ,so ,i judge that what he spake concerning ,jerusalem had not only respect to that destruction that came upon it during that generation1 but also to that great calamity that should be upon it in the last days4 #b;d4 ,this will more plainly appear1 if we consider the words of ,christ1 ,but pray ye that your flight be not in the winter1 nor on the ,sabbath day2 for then shall be great tribulation1 such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time1 no1 nor ever shall be4 ,matt4 #bd3bj1 #ba4 ,now1 with this compare ,zech4 #ad3b1 ,for ,i will gather all nations against ,jerusalem to battle1 and they shall be taken1 and the houses rifled1 and the women ravished4 ,and in the third and fourth verses it is said1 ,then shall the ,lord go forth and fight against those nations1 as when he fought in the day of battle1 and his feet shall stand in that day upon the ,mount of ,olives4 ,with which compare ,dan4 #ab3a1 #b1 ,and at that time shall ,michael stand up1 the great ,prince1 which standeth for the children of thy people2 and there shall be a time of trouble1 such as never was since there was a nation1 even to that same time2 and at that time thy people shall be delivered1 every one that shall be found1 written in the book4 ,and many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake1 some to everlasting life1 and some to shame and everlasting contempt4 ,now1 if that great destruction of ,jerusalem produced such great trouble as never was1 nor ever should be again1 how is it that there shall be such great trouble as never was since there was a nation1 when ,michael stands up to deliver the people1 every one that is written in the book1 and ,jerusalem is taken1 and the houses rifled1 and the women ravished1 when the ,lord comes forth to fight against those nations1 and his feet shall stand upon the ,mount of ,olives1 according to that text in ,acts #a3aa1 ,so shall he come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven2 and when the seventh angel pours out his vial1 7,rev4 #af3ag1 #ah17 which time ,i conceive is one and the same with that in ,zechariah and ,daniel--and the angel is ,michael1 the great prince which ,daniel speaks of1 whose feet shall stand upon the ,mount of ,olives--then is the time of great trouble1 and such an earthquake as was not since men were upon the face of the earth1 so mighty an earthquake and so great4 ,so that to me it appears1 that these three ,scriptures do correspond with the words of ,christ1 pointing out the same time2 and if so1 then the ,sabbath shall remain till the coming of ,christ1 and so shall stand till heaven and earth pass away1 according to the passage in ,matt4 #e3ah2 and for ever and ever1 according to that in ,psalm #aaa3h2 and the destruction of ,jerusalem seems to be a type of that great destruction that shall be at ,christ's appearance4 ,and1 as ,jerusalem was taken when some from all nations were gathered together1 as history reports1 and on the ,sabbath day it was destroyed1 so it appears that the strength of the saints will be gathered together at ,jerusalem1 because all nations will gather against it1 and ,jerusalem's strait will be upon the ,sabbath day1 as seems to appear by the words of ,christ1 for then1 saith he1 shall be great tribulation1 such as never was2 7then6 when8 why1 when their flight shall be upon the ,sabbath day27 and this great tribulation is when ,jerusalem shall be taken1 the houses rifled1 and the women ravished1 as was said before2 at which time ,michael shall stand up and fight against these nations1 as when he fought in the day of battle2 and the slain of the ,lord shall be many1 even from one end of the earth to the other1 7,jer4 #be3ca-cc17 and the ,mount of ,olives shall cleave in the midst thereof1 and there shall be a very great valley1 into which the saints shall flee1 7,zech4 #ad3e47 ,then shall the ,sabbath be swallowed up in the great ,sabbath of a thousand years1 that glorious and holy rest which the saints shall enter into1 and live and reign with ,christ4 ,rev4 #bj3d4 #g4 ,another ground is taken from the practice of ,christ's disciples after his death1 as recorded in ,luke #bc3e1 #f1 ,and they returned and prepared spices and ointments1 and rested the ,sabbath day according to the commandment4 ,some say1 that if we do observe the ,sabbath1 we must do all those sacrifices which the ,jews did upon it4 ,but at this time the veil of the temple was rent in twain from top to bottom1 and the shadows were done away by the body of ,christ1 and yet they kept the ,sabbath1 not through fear or ignorance1 but according to the commandment1 which is to rest from their labors2 and so they did1 for the text saith1 they returned and rested4 ,there is no sacrifice expressed in the commandment1 ,the stranger and the cattle were to rest on the ,sabbath4 ,exod4 #bj3aj4 ,so that the ,sabbath was commanded and observed before any of those sacrifices were commanded to be offered upon it4 ,but because the ,jews did such a service upon the ,sabbath day1 as they were a typical people1 it doth not follow that this was any part of the commandment2 and therefore we are to rest1 as those disciples did1 according to the commandment4 ,it is remarkable1 that the ,holy ,ghost should leave this thing upon record1 which would not have been1 ,i am persuaded1 had the ,sabbath then been abolished4 ,he doth not only say1 they returned and rested on the ,sabbath day1 but1 to prevent all mistakes1 lest it should be thought they did it ignorantly or superstitiously1 or for fear of the ,jews1 he saith they did it groundedly1 that is1 according to the commandment4 ,obj4 ,but the disciples were met together upon the first day of the week1 and ,christ appeared unto them4 ,john #bj3i4 ,ans4 ,it is true1 they were assembled together upon the same day at even1 being the first day of the week1 with the door shut2 and the cause is laid down why they were so1 namely1 for fear of the ,jews4 ,some of the disciples1 as ,i said before1 kept the ,sabbath the day before1 and ,i think we can not reasonably imagine but that those did who were together on the first day1 for they did frequently correspond together1 that is manifest4 ,but what doth their being together on the first day evening1 and ,christ's appearing to them1 prove for the observation of the first day1 more than his appearing to them eight days after1 and appearing to them the third time early in the morning when they were fishing1 7,john #ba3d1 #e17 for the observation of those days8 ,it was necessary that ,christ should appear to his disciples on the first day of the week1 that his word might be fulfilled of his rising the third day1 so that they might boldly witness the same4 ,obj4 ,but the disciples came together on the first day of the week1 and did break bread1 and ,paul preached unto them4 ,acts #bj4 ,ans4 ,this is all the meeting or preaching that ever we find held upon the first day1 except the disciples being together for fear of the ,jews1 mentioned before1 at evening4 ,so this seemed to be1 because when they came together ,paul preached with them1 continuing his speech until midnight4 ,it is not likely1 then1 that they observed the day and came together in the morning1 seeing he continued his speech so long4 ,and1 as we have the cause of the disciples being together with their doors shut1 so we have the cause of this meeting4 ,paul was ready to depart on the morrow upon an extraordinary occasion1 and he had many things to communicate to them1 as appears by his discoursing with them till midnight1 and talking till break of day4 ,but that which makes the objectors lay such stress upon this text1 is because the disciples came together to break bread1 which they judge to be the ,lord's ,supper4 ,suppose it were so1 what doth this make for the observation of the first day1 more than ,christ's first instituting the ,supper upon the fifth day of the week1 7as is generally conceived17 doth make for the observation of it8 ,but we have no proof that this was the ,supper of the ,lord that they came to partake of1 but it seems to be such breaking of bread as the margin of some ,bibles refers to4 ,acts #b3df4 ,they continued daily with one accord in the temple1 and breaking bread from house to house1 and did eat their meat with gladness of heart4 ,so in ,luke #bd3cj1 #ce4 ,and it is explained what kind of breaking of bread it was1 where it is said1 when he was risen up again1 and had broken bread and eaten1 and talked a good while1 till break of day1 he departed4 ,here is eating and talking2 it is not solemnized as the ,lord's ,supper4 ,some would have this common breaking of bread1 and the other in verse #g1 to be the ,lord's ,supper2 but it is very unlikely that there should be two sorts of breaking of bread at one time1 by the same persons1 and yet nothing spoken distinctly by which we might know the one from the other4 ,the most that can be said1 is but a supposition2 it can not be proved that this was the ,lord's ,supper4 ,how weak a ground this is for the observation of this day as a ,sabbath1 or more than any other day1 or to limit the administration of the ,lord's ,supper to this day1 ,i leave to the truly wise in heart to judge4 ,obj4 ,but the church had their gatherings upon the first day of the week1 by which it appears that it was the day that they met together upon4 #a ,cor4 #af3b4 ,ans4 ,the words are these1 ,upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store1 as ,god hath prospered him1 that there be no gatherings when ,i come4 ,here is no proof of their meeting together1 but rather the contrary1 every one was to lay by him in store as ,god had prospered him2 no public gathering1 but private laying up4 ,but because the ,apostle saith1 in the close of the verse1 that there be no gatherings when ,i come1 therefore it is thought the ,scripture can not be so understood1 because it would not prevent gatherings4 ,but is this fair1 when a text of ,scripture stands alone1 to put such a sense upon it as doth contradict the very letter of it--when it saith1 let every one of you lay by him in store1 then to say the meaning is to have public gatherings and but one store8 ,and would not the end of the ,apostle be fully answered1 namely1 to have no gatherings1 if each of them did lay by in store1 as ,god had prospered them in the world1 ready against the ,apostle came1 they knowing of his coming8 ,and when he came1 was it not as easy to carry it with them to him1 as for us to carry our ,bibles to a meeting2 and what need would there be then of gatherings8 ,and this way of giving would not be pharisee-like1 but according to the words of ,christ1 in ,matt4 #f3a-d1 ,take heed that ye do not your alms before men1 to be seen of them2 otherwise ye have no reward of your ,father which is in heaven4 ,but when thou doest thine alms1 let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth2 that thine alms may be in secret2 and thy ,father which seeth in secret1 himself shall reward thee openly4 ,obj4 ,but ,john was in the spirit on the ,lord's day1 7and had the various revelations upon it17 which is conceived to be the first day of the week4 ,rev4 #a3aj4 ,ans4 ,it is true1 ,john was in the spirit on the ,lord's day4 ,but the question will be1 what day that was4 ,if any particular one of the seven1 it must have been the ,sabbath1 for no other day is so called but that4 ,god calls it his holy day in ,isa4 #eh3ac1 and ,christ saith he is ,lord even of the ,sabbath day4 ,and if so1 then it is his day1 for he is ,lord of it1 and that by way of eminence2 not1 as some would have it1 to show that he is ,lord of every day1 but as it is the ,sabbath2 for so it is said the ,son of ,man is ,lord even of the ,sabbath day4 ,so that this notion that the ,lord's day is the first day1 is merely taken up on trust one from another1 without one word of ,scripture to prove it4 ,obj4 ,but it will be yet objected1 by those that are for no ,sabbath1 in the words of the ,apostle in ,col4 #b3af1 #ag1 ,let no man therefore judge you in meat1 or in drink1 or in respect of an holy-day1 or of the new-moon1 or of the ,sabbath-days1 which are a shadow of things to come1 but the body is of ,christ2 whence it is concluded that the ,sabbath was but a shadow1 and none are to be judged for not observing it4 ,ans4 ,there were holy-days and ,sabbaths besides the seventh-day ,sabbath1 or the ,sabbath of the ,lord thy ,god1 for so it is called in the commandment1 as doth appear in ,lev4 #bc3ci4 ,now1 because it is implied by the words of the ,apostle1 that ,sabbaths were shadows1 to be done away by the body of ,christ1 doth it therefore follow that all ,sabbaths were so1 any more than the words of the ,apostle that men shall be saved1 prove that all men shall be saved8 ,and if we consider the verses before1 it will plainly appear1 that the ,apostle was not speaking of any of the ten commandments4 ,in verse #ae1 the ,apostle is speaking to the ,gentiles1 showing how they were dead in sins1 and in the uncircumcision of their flesh1 but are now quickened by ,christ1 and all their trespasses forgiven them4 ,in verse #ad1 he shows what farther benefit they had by the death of ,christ1 ,blotting out the hand-writing of ordinances1 which was against us1 and contrary to us1 he took it out of the way1 nailing it to his cross2 and the ,scripture on which the objection is founded hath its dependence upon that which comes in with1 ,therefore let no man judge you in meats1 and drinks1 c42 as though the ,apostle had said1 ,forasmuch as ,christ hath blotted out and nailed to his cross those ordinances which are against the ,gentiles1 you are not to be judged for the non-performance of them4 ,now the ten commandments were never against the ,gentiles1 nor contrary to them2 for the same ,apostle saith the matter of them was written in their hearts1 as was said before1 and they did by nature the things contained in them1 and therefore they were not contrary to them4 ,but circumcision and other ordinances stood as a wall against the ,gentiles1 which ,christ broke down1 by taking them out of the way and nailing them to the cross1 having abolished in his flesh the enmity1 even the law of commandments contained in ordinances1 for to make in himself of twain one new man1 so making peace that he might reconcile both unto ,god in one body by the cross1 having slain the enmity thereby4 ,eph4 #b3ae4 ,so that it is clear1 that the ,apostle is speaking of such commandments as were contained in ordinances1 and not those commandments that were eminently distinguished from ordinances2 but those ordinances which were against the ,gentiles1 and made them and the ,jews two1 as did drinks1 new-moons1 holy-days1 and ,sabbath-days1 ,christ by his blood having taken these away1 hath made them one4 ,that the ten commandments should be struck at1 there is no cover in this ,scripture for1 or that the ,sabbath should only be taken from them and nailed to the cross with new-moons1 meats1 and other shadows and ordinances which were against man4 ,but ,christ saith1 ,the ,sabbath was made for man4 ,so that in this place there is no proof for the abrogation of this command of ,god4 ,but for a more full answer see my other book4 ,obj4 ,how is it that the ,apostle saith1 in ,rom4 #ad3e1 #f1 that one man esteemeth one day above another1 another esteemeth every day alike1 and yet he does not reprove either of them8 ,ans4 ,i make no doubt but if the controversy here alluded to had been about the ,sabbath1 whether it were to be observed or not1 it would have been plainly expressed1 and not passed over so slightly4 ,but the ,apostle is speaking of indifferent things1 which men were not to be judged for their doing or not doing1 and not of commandments4 ,because it is said that some esteem every day alike1 therefore some conclude that this takes away the ,sabbath day2 but we must compare ,scripture with ,scripture1 adopt such a sense as may bring them into harmony1 and sometimes explain general terms by restrictive ,scriptures4 ,for instance1 ,christ says to his disciples1 ,go preach the gospel to every creature2 we must understand it to mean to every creature that is in a condition to hear the gospel4 ,the ,apostle saith1 that every creature of ,god is good1 and nothing to be refused4 ,but some are poison1 and are to be refused4 ,so is every day alike1 that is1 every working day1 which ,god hath made alike2 but the seventh day he hath sanctified and made a ,sabbath of rest1 and so not like the others4 ,this interpretation is according to that ,scripture in ,exod4 #af3d1 ,behold1 ,i will rain bread from heaven for you1 and the people shall go out and gather a certain rate every day2 and in verse #ab1 ,they gathered every morning every man according to his eating1 yet on the ,sabbath day there was none to gather4 ,and in our common speech it is so2 we call the six days every day4 ,men say1 we work every day1 or we travel so far every day1 when they mean only the six days that they count working days4 ,so the ,apostle1 speaking to them that kept the ,sabbath1 speaks in the same language1 and we have no ground to think otherwise2 for there is no ,scripture that we find before this that hath any seeming dislike against the observation of the ,sabbath1 but the contrary4 ,obj4 ,ye observe days1 and years1 and times1 and months2 ,i am afraid of you1 lest ,i have bestowed upon you labor in vain4 ,gal4 #d3aj1 #aa4 ,ans4 ,this cannot be understood that the ,apostle here strikes at the mere observation of days1 a thing of such dangerous consequence1 for he would not have them judged that observed one day above another4 ,in ,rom1 #ad3e1 #f1 and in this place1 he himself judges these as persons that had so far degenerated1 that he was afraid he had bestowed upon them labor in vain2 but it is manifest that these ,galatians were gone back to circumcision1 and so were debtors to the whole law1 seeking justification thereby4 ,gal4 #e3b-d4 ,so they observed days and years1 according to the law that was a shadow of good things to come1 solemnizing the days1 and months1 and years1 with those things that were appointed for them1 as burnt-offerings1 meat-offerings1 the waving of the sheaf1 the ,passover1 and ,feast of ,unleavened ,bread1 and the like1 as may be seen at large in ,lev4 #bc3h-aa2 for they could not be said to observe times1 and months and years1 according to the law1 except they did such service4 ,and this gave the ,apostle just ground to fear that he had bestowed on them labor in vain4 ,but to imagine that to observe the ,sabbath according to the commandment1 or to observe a day voluntarily to the ,lord1 is so dangerous1 is contrary both to ,scripture and reason4 ,obj4 ,we who believe are entered into rest1 of which the ,sabbath was but a type1 as appeals by the words of the ,apostle in ,heb4 #d3c4 ,ans4 ,if eternal rest by faith be the antitype of the ,sabbath1 the ,sabbath ceased to be in force to every man so soon as he believed2 which is ridiculous to think1 and contrary to the current of ,scripture4 ,but the ,apostle saith1 ,we who believe do enter into rest2 for he that is entered into his rest is ceased from his own works1 as ,god did from his4 ,let us labor therefore to enter into that rest1 lest any man fall after the example of unbelief4 ,heb4 #d3aj1 #aa4 ,mind this chapter well1 and ,i am persuaded you will see that the drift of the ,apostle1 in mentioning the seventh day here1 is but to amplify and set forth that perfect rest which they that believe do and shall enjoy1 of which the land of ,canaan was but a type2 and to show that ,god's rest was before the ,land of ,canaan1 and that there yet remains a rest to the people of ,god4 ,as ,god did rest the seventh day from all his works1 so they that enter into rest do cease from their own works1 as ,god did from his4 ,and this is not as soon as men believe1 for the ,apostle provokes himself and others which were believers to labor to enter into it4 ,and therefore1 if you will have the ,sabbath1 a type from this ,scripture1 though it is nowhere so called1 it must be a type of eternal rest1 which saints do enter into when they cease from their own works1 as ,god did from his4 ,and that will not be till they lay down this tabernacle1 which will not affect the thing asserted4 ,and indeed ,i cannot deny but the ,sabbath is an earnest of that rest1 and saints that are spiritual in the observation of it find it so1 and of great use to put them in mind of that glorious rest1 as the bread and wine in the ,lord's ,supper put us in mind of the sufferings of ,christ2 so this being a day of rest and delight1 being striped of all worldly incumbrances1 and devoted to the ,lord1 to pray unto him1 and to praise his holy name1 to meditate upon heaven and heavenly glory4 ,obj4 ,but many say1 ,if the ,sabbath be in force1 then the penalty must needs be so1 and then those that do not keep it must be stoned2 therefore this opinion is dangerous1 and will lead saints to destroy one another4 ,ans4 ,this is a very showy objection1 but indeed it is a very weak one4 ,i do not find that any more than one was stoned1 and it was for presumptuous breaking of the ,sabbath4 ,but suppose that penalty be in force2 every saint is not a magistrate to put it in execution4 ,if a saint should kill a man1 saints as they are saints are not to execute him2 all that they can do is to endeavor his repentance1 but it belongs to the true magistrate to inflict the punishment4 ,the penal laws of ,god take hold of presumptuous sinners1 not for sins of ignorance1 and therefore it is not to be thought that any punishment will be inflicted upon any for a breach of the ,sabbath till it be universally acknowledged4 ,so then1 if ,god hath annexed the penalty of death to the breaking of it1 doubtless it will be just4 ,but we find in ,nehemiah's time1 that although they had made a market-day of the ,sabbath1 treading of wine-presses1 lading of asses1 and selling of all manner of provisions upon it1 yet he doth but contend with them4 ,he contends with the ,jews of ,jerusalem1 the nobles of ,judah1 and the men of ,tyre1 but inflicts no punishment on either4 ,neh4 #ac3ae-ag1 #ba4 ,but what a strange thing is this1 that men should count it a dangerous opinion1 to hold that the ,sabbath is in force1 because of the penalty6 ,suppose it be so2 the same may be said of the rest of the commandments4 ,for instance1 the first commandment is1 ,thou shalt have no other gods before me2 he that worshiped a strange god was to be put to death4 ,now1 shall we not own this commandment1 because the breakers of it were so punished8 ,again1 ,he that sheddeth man's blood1 by man shall his blood be shed4 ,now1 is there any danger in the owning of this commandment1 ,thou shalt do no murder1 because the punishment is in force8 ,again1 the fifth commandment is1 ,honor thy father and thy mother1 but he that cursed father or mother was to be put to death4 ,now1 shall we not honor father and mother1 and so shall we break this commandment1 because this punishment belongs to the breakers of it8 ,so this objection is of no weight or use at all1 except it be as a bear-skin put upon the truth to frighten children away1 lest they should look into it4 ,obj4 ,but we do not find any of the apostles urge this commandment in any of their epistles1 namely1 that the ,sabbath day should be observed4 ,ans4 ,neither do we find the apostles urging the first1 second1 or third commandment in particular1 as laid down in the table1 but they are frequently urged in the general1 as in ,rom4 #g3ab1 #ac3h-aj1 and generals comprehend particulars4 ,james saith1 ,whosoever shall keep the whole law1 yet offend in one point1 is guilty of all2 and he proves it thus1 ,because he that said1 ,do not commit adultery1 said also1 ,do not kill2 now1 if thou commit no adultery1 yet if thou kill1 thou art become a transgressor of the law4 ,the same argument may be drawn from the thing in hand4 ,he that saith1 ,do not commit adultery1 saith also1 ,keep the ,sabbath2 now1 if thou commit no adultery1 yet if thou break the ,sabbath1 thou art become a transgressor of the law4 ,james #b3aj1 #aa4 ,and ,paul saith1 ,circumcision is nothing1 and uncircumcision is nothing1 but the keeping of the commandments of ,god4 #a ,cor4 #g3ai4 ,john saith1 in his first epistle1 chapter #e3b1 #c1 ,by this we know that we love the children of ,god1 when we love ,god and keep his commandments2 for this is the love of ,god1 that we keep his commandments1 and his commandments are not grievous4 ,and if the apostles had not spoken a word to this commandment1 in general or in particular1 it is no ground for us to lay it by1 except the observation of it were forbidden1 because it is so plainly commanded by ,god1 explained by ,christ1 observed by his disciples1 both before and after his death1 as was said before1 and will farther appear by and by4 ,obj4 ,but we do not find that any of the churches kept the ,sabbath4 ,ans4 ,that is no proof that they did not keep it4 ,but it is clear that the church of ,jerusalem kept it1 though it is not plainly expressed1 for they were so zealous for the very customs1 that ,paul is counseled to purify himself1 lest they should be offended at him4 ,acts #ba3ba1 #bd4 ,now1 if they were for the observation of those things that were but shadows1 there is no doubt but they were very strict for the observation of the ,sabbath4 ,and there was such offence taken against ,paul for preaching against circumcision and the customs1 that we need not question1 if the ,sabbath had been preached against1 but we should have heard a great noise of it in the ,scriptures1 and seen strong convincing reasons why it was abolished4 ,and it is as clear that the apostles kept the ,sabbath after the resurrection of ,christ as before4 ,paul went into the synagogue on the ,sabbath day1 and sat down1 and after the reading of the law preached the gospel1 and told them of the ignorance of those that dwelt at ,jerusalem of the voice of the prophets which were read every ,sabbath day4 ,and the ,gentiles besought him that these words might be spoken to them the next ,sabbath4 ,and the next ,sabbath came almost the whole city together to hear the word of ,god4 ,acts #ac3ad1 #ae1 #db1 #dd4 ,so that it is clear1 that the ,sabbath was ,paul's resting-day and preaching-day1 both to the ,jews and ,gentiles1 that being the day that the ,gentiles used to hear2 and though they had a desire to hear the same words again1 yet it must be next ,sabbath2 and ,paul fulfills their desire1 and preaches to them the next ,sabbath1 and almost the whole city came to hear4 ,can we think1 if there had been no ,sabbath1 that ,paul would have countenanced them so in their ignorance8 ,or1 if the first day had been a day that was observed1 would he not have told them so1 that they might have heard the word before the next ,sabbath4 ,and when ,paul came to ,philippi1 a ,gentile city1 mind what is said in ,acts #af3ab1 #ac1 ,we were in that city abiding certain days1 and on the ,sabbath day we went out of the city by a river side1 where prayer was wont to be made1 and we sat down and spake unto the women that resorted thither4 ,the seventh day hath its title still1 as is said by the ,spirit in ,acts2 speaking of certain days1 this is singled out and called the ,sabbath day1 with an account how they spent it1 and the blessing they received upon it2 they resorted to the place of prayer1 and there they preached1 and the ,lord opened ,lydia's heart to attend to the words of ,paul4 ,and in ,acts #ag3b1 it is said1 ,that ,paul1 as his manner was1 went in unto them1 and three ,sabbath days reasoned with them out of the ,scriptures4 ,and when ,paul came to ,corinth1 which was a ,gentile city1 and found ,aquila1 a ,jew1 and his wife ,priscilla1 and because they were of the same craft1 he abode with them1 and wrought1 for by occupation they were tent-makers1 he reasoned in the synagogue every ,sabbath day1 and persuaded the ,jews and ,greeks4 ,acts #ah3b-d4 ,so that it is manifest1 that the ,greeks kept the ,sabbath as well as the ,jews1 and that though ,paul wrought at his trade and made tents1 yet he rested every ,sabbath day2 and as we have an account how he spent his time1 namely1 in working at his trade1 so we have an account how he spent his time on the ,sabbath4 ,now1 if it be such a strong argument for the observation of the first day1 because ,paul preached upon it once2 what is this for the observation of the seventh day1 that ,paul did not only preach constantly upon it1 but wherever the ,spirit speaks of it he calls it the ,sabbath day1 without the least hint that he did so out of condescension to the weakness of others8 ,and let it be shown by the ,scriptures that the apostles did countenance and own any shadow that was done away1 as they owned and countenanced the keeping of the ,sabbath1 and we may follow the apostles as they followed the ,lord in this matter1 though we have no express word that the churches kept it4 ,and1 indeed1 ,i think ,i may say in this case1 as the ,apostle said in another1 that it would have been superfluous for the apostles to have told any people in their time that such and such a church kept the ,sabbath2 it being a truth not so much as questioned1 that we hear of1 but ,jews and ,gentiles both observed it4 ,but now ,i cease answering objections1 as ,i have spoken to those that are the most material of them that ,i have heard1 and ,i shall proceed to another ground4 #h4 ,consider the bondage and slavery that both man and beast would be in if this doctrine were received for truth4 ,would it not now1 however have the tendency to bring the world more to atheism8 ,some men would not allow themselves nor their servants time to rest1 or hear the word of ,god1 if they were persuaded that there was no ,sabbath2 yea1 and the greater part of saints are left to the mercy of merciless men1 most of them being children1 and wives1 and servants2 and they cannot challenge a day in seven1 or a day in seventy1 as their right to rest upon1 and to worship the ,lord in1 from any commandment of ,god1 if this doctrine be true1 that the ,sabbath is abolished4 ,and were this but to bring a yoke of bondage upon us1 that neither we nor our fathers were able to bear1 we should not so much as take notice at this time how it goes in probability1 for the way of numbering is by sevens4 ,but some will say1 ,it is good to observe one day in seven1 though it be not a constant day4 ,this will be confessed1 for one to observe one day1 and another to observe another day1 while others are for a seventh day to be constantly observed4 ,but why not the seventh day which ,god hath commanded1 for the seventh day is the ,sabbath8 ,it plainly appears1 that there is something of the table-law yet upon the table of the hearts of most men1 though worn by much transgression2 for men generally plead to have one day in seven to rest in1 and yet because of custom they contend against this holy1 just law of ,god1 that was made in mercy for man4 ,i am persuaded in my very heart1 and that not without good ground1 that if the seventh day had been observed as the first day is1 no man that owns the ,scriptures would have questioned whether it ought to be observed or not1 or at least no opposition would have been made against it2 and when all is said1 custom and worldly interest are the two great things that stand in opposition to it4 #i4 ,and lastly1 consider those great and precious promises made to them that keep the ,sabbath according to the inside and spirituality of it2 not that we are so to spiritualize it as to make void the letter1 but according to the letter1 as ,christ doth4 ,for instance1 he saith1 ,ye have heard that it hath been said of old time1 ,thou shalt not commit adultery2 but ,i say unto you1 ,whosoever looketh on a woman and lusteth after her1 hath committed adultery with her in his heart4 ,now1 if it be adultery to lust1 doubtless it is to act1 and this is forbidden in the commandment1 for the commandment is1 ,thou shall not commit adultery2 but ,christ unfolds this commandment1 and gives such a sense of it as the scribes and pharisees understood not4 ,again1 the sixth commandment is1 ,thou shalt do no murder2 and ,john saith1 ,whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer4 ,john #c3ae4 ,now1 all murder was forbidden in the commandment1 yet this was not understood to be murder2 but ,john obeyed the spirituality of the commandment4 ,and the same may be said of the fourth commandment1 ,remember the ,sabbath day to keep it holy2 all servile work is forbidden in it1 and that the pharisees understood2 but they did not understand that works of mercy1 as curing the sick1 and healing the diseased1 might be done upon it4 ,neither did they understand that inward and spiritual rest that was held out in the commandment1 as appears by the words of the ,lord in ,isa4 #eh3ac1 #ad1 ,if thou turn away thy foot from the ,sabbath1 from doing thy pleasure on my holy day1 and call the ,sabbath a delight1 the holy of the ,lord1 honorable1 and shalt honor him1 not doing thine own ways1 nor finding thine own pleasure1 nor speaking thine own words4 ,so that the saints are not only to cease from outward work in their callings1 but also from works that are inward and spiritually wicked1 that so the ,sabbath may be a delight unto them1 the holy of the ,lord1 honorable4 ,and mark the promise that is to such ,sabbath-keepers1 in the fourteenth verse1 ,then shalt thou delight thyself in the ,lord1 and ,i will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth1 and will feed thee with the heritage of ,jacob thy father2 for the mouth of the ,lord hath spoken it4 ,first1 they shall delight themselves in the ,lord1 and that will make the ,sabbath a delight4 ,second1 they shall ride upon the high places of the earth2 the high places of the earth holding forth1 as ,i conceive1 the great opposition1 whether of great and mighty men1 or great walled cities1 according to that in ,deut4 #a3bh1 which hath an allusion to ,israel's subduing the land of ,canaan4 ,deut4 #cb3ac4 ,thou shalt ride upon them1 that is1 subdue and conquer them4 ,psalm #de3d1 #ff3ab4 ,they shall tread upon their high places4 ,deut4 #cc3ci4 ,they shall be as ashes under the soles of their feet4 ,mal4 #d3c4 ,now1 when did the ,lord's people do such work as this since this prophesy8 or1 is it yet to be fulfilled8 ,again1 consider what the ,lord saith in ,isa4 #ef3f1 #g1 ,also the sons of the stranger that join themselves to the ,lord1 to serve him1 and to love the name of the ,lord1 to be his servants1 every one that keepeth the ,sabbath from polluting it1 and taketh hold of my covenant1 even them will ,i bring to my holy mountain1 and make them joyful in my house of prayer2 their burnt offerings and their sacrifices shall be accepted upon mine altar1 for mine house shall be called an house of prayer to all people4 ,by the sons of the stranger1 ,i understand is here meant ,gentiles1 who were strangers to the commonwealth of ,israel and afar off1 but are now made nigh by the blood of ,christ1 and so they join themselves to the ,lord1 and serve him1 and love the name of the ,lord2 these are such as keep the ,sabbath1 and take hold of ,god's covenant1 and it is such a ,sabbath as may be polluted1 and therefore not ,christ's1 as some would have it4 ,now1 the promises that are made to these strangers1 do look at clear gospel times4 ,they shall be brought into ,god's holy mountain1 and there be made joyful1 when it is so mountainous that it is the house of prayer for all people1 or for all nations1 as ,christ saith in ,matt4 #aa3ag4 ,blessed is the man that doeth this1 and the son of man that taketh hold on it1 that keepeth the ,sabbath from polluting it1 and keepeth his hand from doing any evil4 ,thus saith the ,lord unto the eunuchs that keep my ,sabbath1 and choose the things that please me1 and take hold on my covenant1 even unto them will ,i give a name and a place better than of sons and daughters2 ,i will give them an everlasting name1 that shall not be cut off4 ,isa4 #ef3b1 #d1 #e4 ,the eunuchs are such as care for the things that please the ,lord1 when the married careth for the things that please his wife4 ,cor4 #g3cb1 #cc4 ,and when two parts shall be cut off and die1 the eunuchs that keep the ,sabbath shall have an everlasting name1 which shall not be cut off4 ,now1 let us not think it incredible that the ,sabbath should be yet in force1 because it hath been so long laid aside2 it hath been so with other truths1 and so with this1 before now4 ,it seemed to be so out of knowledge with ,israel in the wilderness1 that when the people had gathered twice as much manna on the sixth day1 they did not understand the meaning of it2 but the nobles came and told ,moses1 and he told them what the ,lord had said1 that to-morrow should be the rest of the holy ,sabbath4 ,and also1 after their coming out of ,babylon1 when they had built the house of ,god1 and set it in order1 placing the priests and ,levites1 and had chosen faithful men to distribute the maintenance to their brethren4 ,neh4 #ac3aj1 #ac4 ,in a word1 their reformation was much about the light of ours1 and it is confessed by the enlightened that it was a type of this reformation that the ,lord hath begun amongst us in these isles1 namely1 in bringing his people out of ,babylon1 and building up of ,zion2 and1 indeed1 as their sins and ours are alike in many things1 so in this1 namely in breaking the fourth commandment2 for ,nehemiah saith1 in chap4 #ac3ae1 that in those days he saw in ,judah some treading wine-presses on the ,sabbath1 and lading asses1 and bringing in sheaves1 as also wine1 grapes1 and figs1 and all manner of burdens1 which they brought into ,jerusalem upon the ,sabbath day2 and he testified against them in the day wherein they sold victuals4 ,notwithstanding all the reformation1 yet this was seen in ,judah4 ,they had laid by the observation of the ,sabbath1 and had made it a common working1 market day1 as may be seen at large in that chapter4 ,it was not in vain1 therefore1 that the ,lord said1 ,remember the ,sabbath1 he foreseeing how it would be slighted and forgotten1 not only by those that were brought out of literal ,babylon1 but also by those that should be brought out of spiritual ,babylon in the latter days2 and when the day of the ,lord burns as an oven1 it will be remembered to some purpose4 ,mal4 #d3d4 ,in the mean time1 the ,lord is stirring up some of his poor babes and sucklings4 ,such he is pleased usually to discover truth unto at the first breaking out of it1 and they are to contend for it1 though in much weakness4 ,but a word to the beginning and ending of the ,sabbath4 ,there are various apprehensions about it1 which1 for brevity's sake1 ,i shall omit4 ,the ,scripture is plain1 that from evening to evening is the set time1 or from the going down of the sun to the going down of the sun4 ,this is clear from the beginning1 according to ,gen4 #a3e1 ,the evening and the morning was the first day4 ,the evening and morning make a complete natural day1 and the evening goeth before the morning1 because the darkness was before the light4 ,obj4 ,but some will say1 ,it is not said the evening and the morning was the seventh day4 ,ans4 ,if the evening and the morning be the sixth day1 the evening and the morning must needs be the seventh day1 unless we should think that the seventh day hath no night belonging to it4 ,some think that the reason why no mention is made of the evening of the seventh day1 is1 because the ,sabbath is a day of joy and delight1 or an earnest of the new ,jerusalem state1 wherein shall be no night4 ,rev4 #ba3be4 ,night doth frequently1 in the ,scripture1 hold forth a state of affliction1 but the ,sabbath is a holy1 sanctified time2 on it the ,creator rested and was refreshed1 and commanded the observation of it that his creatures might be refreshed4 ,nehemiah's practice is sufficient proof for the beginning of the ,sabbath at evening1 7chap4 #ac3ai17 who1 when the gates of ,jerusalem began to be dark1 commanded them to be shut till after the ,sabbath4 ,and if you would know when the evening begins1 the evangelist ,mark doth inform you in chapter #a3cb1 ,at even1 when the sun did set1 they brought unto him all that were diseased4 ,when the sun doth set1 then begins the evening1 then begins the holy rest or seventh-day ,sabbath4 ,so the disciples of ,christ began the ,sabbath2 and so the ,lord's ancient people celebrate the ,sabbath unto this day4 ,but what confusion are they in who say the ,sabbath was changed from the seventh day to the first day1 and yet observe neither1 but part of the first day and part of the second day2 for they begin their ,sabbath at midnight1 when a good part of the first day is spent1 and they end at midnight1 when a good part of the second day is spent2 and yet they will have this to be a ,sabbath1 yea1 and a first day ,sabbath1 and will highly charge a man to be an offender if he work one hour upon the first day1 though themselves work five2 and thus we see how anti-,christ hath changed times as well as laws2 a first-day ,sabbath instead of a seventh-day ,sabbath2 instead of from even to even1 from midnight to midnight1 when most are fast asleep1 being insensible of the beginning of their ,sabbath1 or the ending of it4 ,but1 blessed be the ,lord1 that he hath revealed this his ancient1 useful1 and honorable truth1 to wit1 the holy seventh-day ,sabbath1 notwithstanding all the inventions of anti-,christ to bury it in oblivion1 and that he is pleased to separate a remnant1 that are resolved to search and try their ways1 and to turn unto him1 to follow him in the ways of his precepts1 7notwithstanding the dragon's wrath17 who will not take things upon trust1 nor go upon the legs of men1 but will try all things1 and hold fast that which is good1 for they are virgins1 and they will follow the ,lamb1 though their company be small and their charge great4 ,they will not be afraid of the ,sabbath because it was given to the ,jews1 any more than they are afraid of the adoption1 and the glory1 and the promises1 and the other nine lively oracles1 which were all given to the ,jews4 ,rom4 #i3d4 ,and this ,i may modestly say1 to the praise of the ,lord of the ,sabbath1 and without boasting1 that if the saints did know how the ,lord delights to meet with his people in this way of obedience in celebrating the ,sabbath1 they would soon call the ,sabbath a delight1 the holy of the ,lord1 honorable1 and honor him by ceasing from their own works1 as ,god did from his1 and doing those works which are suitable for the blessed season4 ,but ,i shall say no more at present1 save only this1 that whoever they are that would follow the ,lord in this appointment of his1 they must labor much in the strength of his ,spirit to get this world under them1 for it stands in direct opposition to earthly men1 and earthly principles2 therefore pray with the ,psalmist1 ,incline my heart unto thy testimonies1 and not to covetousness4 ,,vindication ,,of ,,the ,,true ,,sabbath ,,in ,,two ,,parts3 ,,part ,,first1 ,narrative of ,recent ,events2 ,,part ,,second1 ,divine ,appointment of the ,seventh ,day4 ,,by ,j4 ,w4 ,,morton1 ,,late ,,missionary ,,of ,,the ,,reformed ,,presbyterian ,,church4 ,,new-,,york3 ,,published ,,for ,,the ,,author1 ,,at ,,the ,,sabbath ,,recorder ,,office1 ,no4 #i ,spruce ,street4 ,,part ,i4 ,,narrative ,,of ,,recent ,,events ,,chapter ,i4 ,on the #acth of ,december1 #ahdg1 ,i landed with my family in ,port-au-,prince1 ,hati1 the first ,foreign ,missionary of the ,reformed ,presbyterian ,church in the ,united ,states4 ,i began my labors soon afterwards1 and continued them1 without serious interruption1 till the #bast of ,april1 #ahdi1 when a train of circumstances1 to which ,i am about to advert1 made it necessary that ,i should return home4 ,in the latter part of ,december1 #ahdh1 ,i was unexpectedly called upon to defend the practice of keeping holy the first day of the week1 in place of the seventh4 ,i had been taught from my infancy1 that the moral law1 summarily comprehended in the ten commandments1 is the only rule of moral conduct2 and ,i had supposed1 that it required me and everybody else to keep the ,christian ,sabbath on the first day of the week4 ,on examination1 however1 ,i was forced to the conclusion1 that the fourth commandment enjoins nothing else than the sanctification of the seventh day4 ,of course1 then1 ,i must either renounce this precept1 as a part of the rule of my life1 or endeavor to keep holy the seventh day of the week4 ,the former ,i might not dare to do2 the latter ,i knew ,i might attempt1 without offending ,god1 or insulting the majesty of his law4 ,the question then came up1 ,is there any scripture authority for keeping holy the first day8 ,does ,god require it8 ,i knew very well1 that if ,god does not require it1 ,i could not1 as a ,reformed ,presbyterian1 bind my conscience to it4 ,i took up the ,bible1 resolved on a prayerful and thorough search4 ,i wished to assure myself of the divine authority of the first day1 even after ,i was satisfied that the claims of the seventh are indisputable4 ,but how was it possible to gain this object8 ,every text to which ,i was referred for proof seemed to lack the very thing that ,i most wanted1 a certain testimony to the institution of a ,christian ,sabbath4 ,i reasoned thus3--,the fact that ,christ appeared once or twice to his disciples on the first day of the week1 and the fact that the disciples met once on that day to break bread1 and the fact that ,paul commanded the ,corinthians and ,galatians to 'lay by them in store' on that day1 as ,god had prospered them--these facts1 with a few others1 might shed light on the institution1 if one single text could be found1 to prove its existence4 ,but if this can not be found1 they do not touch the question at issue4 ,and how ,i did long for that one text6 ,how ,i chided with the ,apostles for not having made known more clearly what ,i had determined to be the will of ,god6 ,never did ,rachel mourn for her children1 as ,i mourned for that one text2 but1 like her1 ,i could not be comforted1 because it was not6 ,i was thus driven to the conclusion1 that1 should ,i make conscience of keeping holy the first day of the week1 ,i would offer to ,god a service that he did not require1 and could not accept at my hands4 ,but what was ,i to do8 ,this was the great practical question4 ,could ,i1 with my then present views1 continue to preach the gospel1 as ,i had done before1 in that land of darkness1 and of the shadow of death8 ,could ,i teach the children in the school1 as ,i had taught them before1 that ,god had changed the ,sabbath to the first day of the week8 ,could ,i proclaim to the benighted heathen1 that they might habitually break the fourth commandment with impunity8 ,could ,i1 as a ,protestant missionary1 become the partizan of him who thought to change times and laws1#ad by assuring his blinded devotees1 that his changes had been made by divine authority8 ,or1 on the other hand1 could ,i carry out my convictions of truth and duty1 declaring the whole counsel of ,god1 as ,i then understood it1 and retain1 at the same time1 my connection with my brethren at home8 ,would they grant me this privilege1 and1 if they would1 could ,i accept it8 ,a little reflection served to convince me1 that all these questions must be answered in the negative4 ,it was no small matter1 to resolve upon breaking those bonds of ecclesiastical fellowship that had so sweetly bound me to the ,reformed ,presbyterian ,church4 ,a struggle1 painful indeed1 but not protracted1 ensued4 ,i resolved at once to keep the ,sabbath in my family1 though ,i feared it would not be honest to make any public exhibition of my views1 while ,i continued to minister by the authority of the ,synod4 ,i know not what ,i should have done1 had not my change of sentiments brought with it the needed consolations4 ,whatever were the vexing thoughts with which my heart was oppressed1 during the first six days of the week1 ,i found invariably1 in the quiet retreat of my little family1 on the seventh1 that peace of ,god that passeth all understanding4 ,yes1 ,hati1 when the recollection of thy brilliant skies1 thy evergreen mountains1 and thy sweet clear rivers1 shall have ceased to awaken joy in my bosom1 the memory of thy ,sabbaths shall be my songs in the house of my pilgrimage6 ,,chapter ,,ii4 ,convinced as ,i was1 that something must be done immediately to bring the subject of my change to the attention of the rulers of our church1 before the next meeting of ,synod1 ,i prepared the following ,circular ,letter1 which ,i transmitted to more than seventy ministers and elders1 in different parts of the ,united ,states4 ,,circular4 ,,port-,,au-,,prince1 ,hati1 ,jan4 #ag1 #ahdi4 ,,my ,,dear ,,brother1--,the mutual relation existing between us1 as members of the same ,synod1 the glory of our common ,lord1 the interests of our ,mission1 and a sacred regard for personal character1 all require1 that the following statement be transmitted to you and my other co-presbyters1 with as little delay as possible4 ,if ,i am not actuated herein by a desire to promote ,god's glory and the salvation of men1 may the ,lord rebuke and forgive me1 and let the righteous smite me1 it shall be a kindness6 ,may the ,head of the ,church grant to you1 and to all the other members of ,synod1 a disposition to hear1 with patience and candor1 a narration of my recent experience1 in which perhaps you may find things both new and old4 ,my sentiments in relation to the ,sabbath of the ,lord our ,god1 have undergone an important change2 to which ,i now wish to call your attention4 ,our ,confession of ,faith1 ,catechisms1 and ,testimony1 all teach that the first day of the week is1 and has been ever since the resurrection of ,christ1 the ,christian ,sabbath4 ,this doctrine alone1 of all those contained in our ,standards1 though ,i did believe it till lately1 ,i can no longer receive4 ,as to the manner of sanctifying the ,sabbath1 ,i believe all that you and ,i have always contended for2 but1 for the present1 ,i am constrained to believe1 that the seventh day of the week is the only weekly ,sabbath that ,god has ever appointed4 ,my attention was first called to this subject by ,rev4 ,w4 ,m4 ,jones1 ,missionary of the ,baptist ,church1 who has recently abandoned his earlier views and practice in regard to the ,sabbath4 ,he not only argued the question with me at length1 but gave me some publications of the ,american ,sabbath ,tract ,society1 which1 as they seemed to breathe a spirit of ardent piety and zeal for ,god's law1 ,i read with attention4 ,both in my discussion with him1 and in the reading of those tracts1 ,i struggled with all my might to convince myself1 from the ,scriptures1 of the divine appointment of the first-day1 or ,christian ,sabbath4 ,but though ,i did not then doubt it1 ,i was astonished to find how hard it is to prove it4 ,i searched all the books ,i could find1 bearing on this question1 and discovered1 what ,i had never noticed before1 that the early ,french and ,genevan ,reformers1 with ,calvin at their head1 had taught the abrogation of the fourth commandment1 as a ceremonial institution2 and that they contended for a ,sabbath1 or stated day of worship1 under the gospel1 only as a wise and necessary human arrangement4 ,i found that even ,turretin1 at a later period1 had taught that the fourth commandment is partly ceremonial1 and that it was necessary to change the ,sabbath from the seventh day1 in order to put a difference between ,jews and ,christians4 ,i found also1 in my books1 quotations1 containing similar sentiments1 from the celebrated ,augsburg ,confession4 ,the only authors ,i could find who had attempted to prove1 from the ,scriptures1 that the ,sabbath has been changed from the seventh to the first day of the week1 by divine authority1 were1 ,turretin1 and the framers of our ,standards4 ,those authors appeared to depend mainly for proof upon three texts of ,scripture3--,acts #bj3g2 #a ,cor4 #af3a1 #b2 and ,rev4 #a3aj4 ,when ,i came to examine these texts1 ,i was surprised and mortified1 to find that they contain neither the word ,sabbath1 nor any other synonymous with it4 ,true1 ,i had always thought that the ,lord's day1 ,rev4 #a3aj1 was the first day of the week2 but my opponents contended that the terms refer more properly to the seventh1 which ,god styles my holy day1 ,is4 #eh3ac2 and when ,i remembered his challenging a special propriety in the seventh1 ,i could not well deny it4 ,moreover1 ,i could not find a single passage asserting that the first is holier than any other day of the week1 or that ,christians were1 in the ,apostles' days1 in the habit of holding religious meetings regularly on that day4 ,neither could ,i discover that ,christ or his ,apostles had ever spoken1 directly or indirectly1 of keeping a day holy in honor of his resurrection2 nor that that event1 which is always held up as the occasion of the change of the ,sabbath1 is even once mentioned in connection with the first day1 unless where it is recorded as a historical fact4 ,on the other hand1 ,i observed that ,christ and his ,apostles were accustomed to enter into the synagogue on the seventh day1 or ,sabbath1 for public worship4 ,luke #d3af2 ,acts #ag3b1 and elsewhere4 ,thus1 my dear brother1 ,i saw at this critical moment all ,scripture evidence forsaking me1 while every inch of ground on which ,i could set my foot was trembling4 ,it seemed as if the thunders of ,sinai were uttering anew their awful threatenings1 while the still small voice of ,him that dwelt in the bush was whispering in my ears1 ,the seventh day is the ,sabbath of the ,lord thy ,god4 ,ex4 #bj3aj4 ,i am ,jehovah1 ,i change not4 ,mal4 #c3f4 ,verily1 ,i say unto you1 till heaven and earth pass1 one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law1 till all be fulfilled4 ,matt4 #e3ah4 ,still ,i hesitated4 ,for a moment ,i thought of going down to ,egypt for help4 ,the ,fathers1 thought ,i1 have fixed the interpretation of these texts in favor of the observance of the first day4 ,but immediately ,i heard a voice within me1 saying1 ,would you then observe a holy-day1 whose appointment cannot be proved from the ,bible1 without the aid of human tradition8 ,could you admit the 'testimony of the ,fathers1' to set aside one of the plainest injunctions of the moral law1 that law that was written upon tables of stone1 'by the finger of ,god1' and styled1 by way of preminence1 'the ,testimony8' ,no6 ,i replied1 with an involuntary shudder2 and another flood of ,scriptures came rushing in1 like deep waters1 to the very soul4 ,the law of the ,lord is perfect4 ,ps4 #ai3g4 ,forever1 ,o ,lord1 thy word is settled in heaven4 ,ps4 #aai3hi4 ,thy righteousness is an everlasting righteousness1 and thy law is the truth4 ,ps4 #aai3adb4 ,all his commandments are sure2 they stand fast forever and ever1 and are done in truth and uprightness4 ,ps4 #aaa3g1 #h4 ,think not that ,i am come to destroy the law or the prophets2 ,i am not come to destroy1 but to fulfill4 ,matt4 #e3ag4 ,do we then make void the law through faith8 ,god forbid2 yea1 we establish the law4 ,rom4 #c3ca4 ,o my brother1 the word of ,god is quick and powerful1 and sharper than any two-edged sword4 ,you have now my reasons for embracing a doctrine which is confessedly at variance with our ,standards4 ,what ,i entreat of you is1 that you will once more examine this subject for yourself1 and see whether those ,standards are consistent1 on this point1 either with the ,scriptures1 or with themselves4 ,you perhaps think that ,i have forsaken the footsteps of the flock1 and that testimony which has been sealed with the blood of martyrs4 ,but tell me candidly1 was there ever a martyr who died in defense of the first-day ,sabbath8 ,or1 could you1 my brother1 collect from the ,scriptures evidence of its divine appointment1 clear enough to solace your soul in the midst of the flames8 ,from my inmost soul ,i pity that ,covenanter who may be called to testify1 at the stake1 to the change of the ,sabbath from the seventh to the first day of the week4 ,remember1 too1 that ,i am now in the path that was trodden by the saints for more than four thousand years2 and it is for you to show that that path was ever stopped up1 unless by the presumption and inexcusable neglect of man4 ,truly1 ,i am compassed about by a great cloud of witnesses4 ,i would follow the example of ,jehovah himself1 who blessed the seventh day and sanctified it1 and by whom the ,sabbath was made for man2 the example of ,adam1 ,enoch1 and ,noah2 of ,abraham1 ,isaac1 ,jacob1 and the twelve patriarchs2 of ,moses1 ,aaron1 and those millions of ,pilgrim ,covenanters who united in its observance in the wilderness2 the example of ,samuel1 ,david1 and a host of other prophets2 of ,jesus ,christ1 our ,divine ,mediator1 and ,lord of the ,sabbath2 and of the ,apostles of our ,lord1 together with the churches established and watered by them2--in one word1 the example of all the saints1 from ,adam to the last ,apostle2 all of whom kept and honored the seventh day as the ,sabbath of the ,lord their ,god1 and1 having finished their course with joy1 are entered into that heavenly rest1 of which that ,sabbath was1 and still is1 an emblem4 ,i intend1 if the ,lord will1 to be present at the next meeting of our ,synod1 and meet my brethren face to face4 ,i expect1 of course1 nothing less than to be excluded from the privileges of the church2 but ,i rejoice that ,i have learned to respect the discipline of the ,lord's house4 ,i desire1 therefore1 with a willing heart to approach the altar1 and1 if the ,head of the ,church require it1 to be offered upon the sacrifice and service of your faith1 that ,god may be glorified in my salvation1 and not in my destruction4 ,god forbid1 that either prejudice1 willful ignorance1 passion1 or personal resentment1 should fan the flames of that altar6 ,in conclusion1 rest assured of my continued and unabated attachment to the cause of the ,reformation1 in general1 and to the interests of the ,reformed ,presbyterian ,church1 in particular2 and allow me to repeat what ,i have already intimated1 that with every other doctrine contained in our ,standards ,i am1 so far as ,i understand my profession1 entirely satisfied2 nor have ,i abandoned this one1 but from a firm conviction that it is not taught in ,god's ,word4 ,i know well1 that trials sore and many await me4 ,god doth know1 that my heart delighteth not in contention2 but1 my brother1 have we not all entered into a curse1 and into an oath1 to walk in ,god's law1 which was given by ,moses1 the servant of ,god1 and to observe and do all the commandments of the ,lord our ,god8 ,neh4 #aj3bi4 ,your ,brother in ,gospel bonds1 ,j4 ,w4 ,,morton1 ,missionary of the ,ref4 ,presb4 ,church ,,chapter ,,iii4 ,on the #bast of ,april1 #ahai1 ,i set sail1 with my family1 from ,port-au-,prince1 bidding farewell to ,hati and her children1 whom perhaps we shall never see again in this vale of tears4 ,we arrived at ,boston1 all in good health1 on the first ,sabbath in ,may4 ,on the evening of ,tuesday1 ,may #bb1 the ,synod was convened in ,philadelphia2 and the next morning ,i appeared and took my seat with the other members4 ,after noon1 the same day1 ,rev4 ,david ,scott stated to ,synod1 that ,i had made known a change of views in relation to the ,sabbath1 and moved that a committee of three be appointed to confer with me1 and report what farther action should be taken in the case4 ,while this motion was pending1 ,i stated1 in substance1 that1 as ,i was alone in a ,synod of more than sixty members1 without a single man to plead my cause1 ,i thought ,i had a right to demand that the proceedings should be instituted in strict accordance with the letter of the law4 ,i was here interrupted by the ,moderator1 who1 having informed me that ,i had no right to dictate to the ,court the method of proceeding with its own business1 peremptorily ordered me to take my seat4 ,i obeyed1 of course1 though ,i could not see what dictation there was in demanding a legal trial1 according to the printed rules of ,synod4 ,the motion was carried1 and the committee appointed4 ,next morning1 ,may #bd1 ,i had a conference of half an hour with this committee1 and at noon another1 that lasted about the same time4 ,their principal object seemed to be1 to ascertain whether ,i was ready to recant1 and submit to censure for my past errors1 ,i assured them1 that while ,i had not the slightest wish to withdraw from the communion of the ,reformed ,presbyterian ,church1 ,i adhered to every word in my ,circular1 and must continue to do so1 till convinced of error by the infallible scriptures4 ,the committee quoted several texts1 and advised me to read several authors1 after which our conference was closed4 ,after noon they presented their report1 recommending that the following ,libel be preferred against me by ,synod3-- ,,libel ,,preferred ,,against ,j4 ,w4 ,,morton4 ,whereas1 denying that the first day of the week is the day on which the ,christian ,sabbath should be kept1 is a heinous sin and scandal1 contrary to the ,word of ,god1 and the ,profession of the ,reformed ,presbyterian ,church1 founded thereon--,acts #bj3g1 ,and upon the first day of the week1 when the disciples came together to break bread1 c42 ,shorter ,catechism1 ,from the beginning of the world to the resurrection of ,christ1 ,god appointed the seventh day of the week to be the weekly ,sabbath1 and the first day of the week ever since1 to continue to the end of the world1 which is the ,christian ,sabbath4 ,yet true it is1 that you1 ,rev4 ,j4 ,w4 ,morton1 are guilty of the scandal above stated1 in so far as you1 the said ,j4 ,w1 ,morton1 at ,port-au ,prince1 ,hati1 #agth of ,january1 #ahdi1 did publish a ,circular1 in which you oppugned and denied that the first day of the week is the ,christian ,sabbath1 which being found relevant1 and proved against you1 you ought to be proceeded against by the censures of the ,lord's ,house4 ,a true copy4 ,by order of the ,synod4 ,signed ,,john ,,wallace1 ,ass't ,clerk4 ,after some discussion1 the above ,libel was decided to be relevant1 and the ,clerk was directed to serve a copy on me1 with citation to appear for trial the next day1 after noon4 99 99 99 99 99 ,i went to my lodgings that evening with a heavy heart1 ,i was convinced1 from the spirit of determined opposition that had been manifested by many of the brethren1 when the ,libel was under consideration1 that the majority had already determined that ,i should not be permitted to speak for myself4 ,true1 ,i knew very well that the ,apostle ,paul had once enjoyed this liberty1 through the cool civility of a ,roman ,governor1 and afterwards1 through that of a ,roman ,king2 but ,i knew just as well1 that ,felix and ,aggrippa were heathens1 while my brethren are ,christians2 and that the dignity of a court1 composed of worms of the dust1 has been much better understood1 since the famous ,diet of ,worms1 than ever before4 ,still1 ,i could not forbear asking myself1 ,why is there now such bitter opposition to an ,institution that was once the delight of both ,god and man8 ,why do men hate with such perfect hatred what ,jehovah made1 and blessed1 and sanctified1 before sin had entered into the world8 ,why should this daughter of ,innocence be spurned1 from every door1 and loaded with the damning reproach of ,judaism1 while her twin sister1 ,marriage1 sucks the breasts1 and is dandled upon the knees of ,orthodoxy8 ,why should ,i be ranked with thieves and murderers1 for believing that the seventh day is the ,sabbath of the ,lord my ,god8 ,bitter were the tears that flowed2 and more bitter still was the reflection1 that when ,i wept1 that was to my reproach4 ,i was hedged in round about1 and what could ,i do8 ,i could only exclaim1 with the sweet ,singer of ,israel1 ,let not them that wait on thee1 ,o ,lord ,god of ,hosts1 be ashamed for my sake2 let not those that seek thee be confounded for my sake1 ,o ,god of ,israel4 ,because for thy sake ,i have borne reproach2 shame hath covered my face4 ,i am become a stranger unto my brethren1 and an alien unto my mother's children4 ,for the zeal of thy house hath eaten me up2 and the reproaches of them that reproached thee are fallen upon me4 ,never shall ,i forget the sensation experienced while the last sentence was passing through my mind3 ,and the reproaches of them that reproached thee are fallen upon me4 ,i know not how often1 during that night1 ,i repeated these words1 and compared them with the exhortation of the ,apostle3 ,let us go forth therefore unto him without the camp1 bearing his reproach4 ,these were the comforts1 that1 in the multitude of my thoughts within me1 then delighted my soul4 ,i was about to go forth without the camp2 and it was indeed refreshing1 in that hour of trial1 to believe1 that ,i was bearing a portion of the same burden that had once bowed down the ,man of ,sorrows4 ,,chapter ,,iv4 ,my trial came on after noon1 ,may #beth4 ,the following extract from the published ,minutes of ,synod is1 ,i believe1 a correct1 and sufficiently full1 account of the final issue2 only it makes no mention of the fact that ,i protested against the proceedings1 and appealed to the head of the ,church1 for reasons to be given in afterwards4 ,why this fact was not recorded1 ,i have not been able to ascertain4 ,,extract ,,from ,,minutes ,,of ,,synod4 ,order of the day1 viz41 the case of ,mr4 ,morton1 called for4 ,the libel was then read by the ,clerk2 when ,mr4 ,morton having1 in reply to the ,moderator1 answered that he was prepared for trial1 the substance of the libel was again stated in his hearing4 ,mr4 ,morton was then called upon1 according to the rule provided for in such cases1 either to confess the charge or put himself upon his trial4 ,mr4 ,morton in return acknowledged that he had denied that the day commonly called the ,christian ,sabbath is so by ,divine appointment1 and then proceeded to plead the irrelevancy of the charge by endeavoring to prove the perpetuity of the law for the observance of the seventh day4 ,while so doing1 he was arrested by the ,moderator1 who informed him that the charge contained in the libel was such that ,mr4 ,morton could only prove its irrelevancy to censure by proving that the appropriation of the first day of the week1 known as the ,christian ,sabbath1 to secular employments1 or teaching so to do1 is not relevant to censure1 which attempt the ,moderator would consider disorderly1 and would not allow4 ,from this decision ,j4 ,m4 ,willson appealed1 when the ,moderator's decision was unanimously sustained4 ,upon this ,mr4 ,morton declined the authority of the court4 ,resolved1 ,that ,mr4 ,morton's appointment as missionary to ,hati be revoked4 ,resolved1 ,that inasmuch as ,mr4 ,morton has now publicly declined the authority of this court1 he be suspended from the exercise of the ,christian ministry1 and from the privileges of the ,reformed ,presbyterian ,church4 ,the ,moderator then publicly pronounced the sentence of suspension on ,mr4 ,morton1 agreeably to the above resolution4 ,not long afterwards ,i presented to the ,moderator the following ,reasons of ,protest and ,appeal1 with a request that he would allow them to be laid before the court1 which he utterly refused to do4 ,,reasons ,,of ,,protest ,,and ,,appeal4 ,i do respectfully protest against the action of ,synod in my case1 on the #bdth of the present month1 and appeal therefrom to the ,lord ,jesus ,christ1 the ,king and ,head of the ,church1 for the following reasons3-- #ast4 ,because ,i was not allowed to prove the irrelevancy of the charge made against me1 by an appeal to the ,bible1 the only rule of faith and manners4 #bnd4 ,because ,i believe that the statements1 on the subject of the ,sabbath1 set forth in our subordinate standards1 are inconsistent with one another1 and in part contrary to the ,word of ,god3 yet it was by these unscriptural portions1 that ,i was tried and condemned4 ,brethren1 ,i entertain no hard feelings towards you4 ,my daily prayer to ,god is1 that you may be saved1 and led into all truth4 ,i did hope that you would hear and consider the claims of the ,lord's holy ,sabbath1 when presented in a mild and affectionate manner4 ,but either ,i have failed to present the question with sufficient tenderness1 or you have determined to avoid all discussion in regard to it4 ,it grieves me to the soul to bid you farewell4 ,both ,god and man will bear witness1 in the day of final reckoning1 that you have trampled down1 by the resistless force of an overwhelming majority1 one who was endeavoring with both hands to hold up the standard of the great ,covenant ,god of our fathers4 ,but though for the present cast down1 ,i am not dismayed4 ,the ,sabbath of the ,lord ,god is a richer treasure than the richest you can either give or take away4 ,rejoice not against me1 ,o mine enemy2 when ,i fall1 ,i shall arise2 when ,i sit in darkness1 the ,lord will be a light unto me4 ,i will bear the indignation of the ,lord1 because ,i have sinned against him1 until he plead my cause1 and execute judgment for me2 he will bring me forth to the light1 and ,i shall behold his righteousness4 ,brethren1 ,i shall meet you before the judgment seat of ,christ1 on that day when he shall come with ten thousand of his saints4 ,behold1 he cometh with clouds2 and every eye shall see him1 and they also which pierced him2 and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him4 ,even so1 amen4 ,j4 ,w4 ,,morton ,,philadelphia1 ,,may #bith1 #ahdi4 ,,reflections4 ,i did believe1 and believe yet1 that1 had ,i been sustained by twenty ministers and as many congregations1 ,i should have had leave to defend myself to my heart's content4 ,but it was very evident to the ,synod1 that ,i stood alone4 ,they knew that ,i could do them no harm1 by fomenting discord2 and--may ,i not add8--they knew that ,i was not the man to be found employed in such a work4 ,the only loss they could sustain1 in cutting me off1 with all my adherents1 was that of two adults and as many little children4 ,indeed1 many of the members seemed to regret the trouble far more than the necessity of executing the law2 and one aged father has remarked to me since1 that till then he never witnessed a trial1 before a church court1 in which there was not one atom of mercy4 ,now1 is there not a reason for all this8 ,unquestionably there is4 ,the loose and unpresbyterial doctrine1 that a majority has a right to determine what is1 and what is not truth1 and that the greater the majority in favor of any dogma1 the more firmly its truth is established1 has leavened1 sadly and extensively1 even the ,reformed ,presbyterian ,church4 ,this is the reason why one who represents a lean minority cannot be heard1 even in defense of ecclesiastical life4 ,the majority have said1 that the first day is the ,sabbath1 and who dare call in question the assertion8 ,a man may be denounced as a covenant-breaker2 yet1 because he belongs to a small minority1 he may not attempt to prove his innocence of the crime4 ,thus the right of the minority to vindicate themselves from the ,scriptures1 in defense of which many of the old ,covenanters bled1 is practically denied by their descendants4 ,o ,lord1 how long6 ,brethren1 are you really so wedded to this majority principle8 ,know1 then1 that ,god is a majority2 and that those that are with me are more than those that are with you4 ,god's testimony is worth more than that of all men4 ,what though millions have affirmed1 that the seventh day is ,,not the ,sabbath8 ,he hath left us this imperishable testimony3 ,the seventh day ,,is the ,sabbath of the ,lord thy ,god4 ,and this is the testimony of the greatest majority that ever gave utterance to truth4 ,but ,god hath not left himself without other witnesses4 ,where are those myriads of angels who were present when the ,sabbath was made for man8 ,where are those morning stars who sang together1 and those sons of ,god who shouted for joy1 when our ,father laid the foundations of the earth8 ,they are not now present with us1 'tis true1 to bear their testimony2 but they will be present1 when you and ,i shall appear before the judgment seat of ,christ1 to hear the decision of this controversy4 ,and do you think that you will then dare1 on the authority of what is said in ,acts #bj3g1 to lift up your hands1 and swear by ,him that liveth forever and ever1 that the ,sabbath has been changed into the first day of the week--and that1 too1 in presence of those who saw the foundations of the ancient ,sabbath1 like those of the earth itself1 laid and balanced upon ,god's eternal decree1 and inwrought with the very stones of the everlasting hills8 ,no6 ,no66 ,the ,sabbath was one of those pillars of the ancient earth1 which ,christ1 the ,mediator1 seized with the hand of his omnipotence1 and bare up1 when the earth and all its inhabitants were sinking into nothing4 ,i repeat it--and who dare gainsay it8--the ,lord of ,hosts is an overwhelming majority6 ,but this is not all4 ,there is1 indeed1 no greater witness than these2 but there is other witness4 ,look into your own hearts1 ye children of ,god1 redeemed by the blood of the ,lamb1 and you will find recorded there3 ,the seventh day is the ,sabbath of the ,lord thy ,god2 in it thou shalt not do any work4 ,for this is the covenant that ,i will make with the house of ,israel1 after those days1 saith the ,lord2 ,i will put my laws into their mind1 and write them in their hearts4 ,here there is not the least hint of any exception4 ,the same moral law that was written with the finger of ,god1 on tables of stone1 is now written by the ,spirit of the living ,god1 on the fleshly tables of your hearts4 ,yes1 brethren1 turn your eyes inward1 and you will read1 ,the seventh day is the ,sabbath of the ,lord thy ,god2 in it thou shalt not do any work4 ,if you say1 ,we have sought this law1 but find it not--,o brethren1 you have not sought it carefully with tears4 ,it is hidden among the rubbish1 and you will never find it1 till that be removed4 ,but ,i speak what ,i do know1 when ,i assure you1 that it is recorded there2 and in the day of the ,lord ,jesus1 if not sooner1 you will find it there1 to your unspeakable joy and satisfaction4 ,o ,lord1 open thou our eyes1 that we may behold wondrous things out of thy law4 ,,part ,,ii4 ,,divine ,,appointment ,,of ,,the ,,seventh ,,day ,,introduction4 ,the following pages1 containing a brief discussion of a small but intensely interesting portion of the ,sabbath controversy1 are designed especially for the perusal of those ,christians1 styled orthodox1 who do not keep holy the seventh day of the week4 ,dear brethren1 this is a subject of fearful importance4 ,if the views herein advocated are correct1 you are guilty both of breaking and of teaching men to break one of ,god's holy commandments2 if they are incorrect1 ,i am no less guilty4 ,need ,i say any thing more to convince you that you ought to give this subject a candid and prayerful examination8 ,ye are the light of the world2 take heed1 brethren1 that your light be not darkness6 ,you know--you cannot but know--that there is much1 very much1 said in the ,bible about the ,sabbath1 and that men are very often commanded to keep it holy4 ,you must know1 also1 that ,god has said in the fourth commandment1 ,the seventh day is the ,sabbath of the ,lord thy ,god2 in it thou shalt not do any work2 and that1 for more than four thousand years1 no other day of the week ever claimed to be holy4 ,moreover1 you cannot but know1 if you have read the ,bible carefully1 that the first day of the week1 which you call the ,christian ,sabbath1 is very seldom mentioned2 that there are only six passages in which the name occurs1 and that four of these may be viewed as one1 being the records of the same events1 by different ,evangelists2 and how can you have failed to notice the fact1 that in not one of these six passages are we1 or any of our fellow-creatures1 commanded to keep the first day holy8 ,yet you are convinced that the first day of the week is the very ,sabbath-day1 while among all those ,scripture commands1 before referred to1 you find nothing to sustain the claims of the seventh4 ,o brethren1 you put darkness for light1 and light for darkness4 ,let us bow before the mercy-seat of ,him who is the ,author of life and light1 and1 renewing our personal covenant with him1 plead his precious promise3 ,if ye continue in my word1 then are ye my disciples indeed2 and ye shall know the truth1 and the truth shall make you free4 ,i shall endeavor1 in the following pages1 to establish the truth of the following proposition3-- ,that the seventh day of the week is the only weekly ,sabbath of ,god's appointment4 ,i intend to present and enforce four reasons for believing this proposition3-- ,first--,because the original ,sabbath law requires the sanctification of no other day4 ,second--,because ,adam and all his posterity have solemnly covenanted to keep holy the seventh day4 ,third--,because ,christ and his ,apostles honored this day2 and did not intimate that it would ever cease to be the ,sabbath1 but the contrary4 ,fourth--,because ,god has never blessed and sanctified any day of the week but the seventh4 ,as the discussion is limited by design to a narrow range1 you will please to bear in mind1 that the following points are assumed as true3-- ,first--,the ,sabbath was instituted before the fall of man4 ,second--,adam represented all his posterity in the covenant of works4 ,third--,the ,sabbath law is perpetual1 binding all men in all ages4 ,fourth--,the seventh day was the only weekly ,sabbath for at least four thousand years4 ,lord1 sanctify us by thy truth4 ,may the ,holy ,ghost1 the ,comforter1 whom thou sendest in the name of thy ,son our ,lord1 abide in us and preside in this controversy4 ,may he teach us all things1 and bring all things to our remembrance4 ,may all bitterness1 and wrath1 and malice1 and evil-speaking1 be far from us2 and may we love one another with pure hearts fervently--for ,christ's sake4 ,amen4 ,,chapter ,i4 ,,proposition4 ,that the seventh day of the week is the only weekly sabbath of ,god's appointment4 ,first ,reason4 ,my first reason for believing this proposition is1 ,that the original ,sabbath law1 referred to in ,genesis #b3b1 #c1 and embodied in ,exodus #bj3h-aa1 requires the sanctification of no other day4 ,genesis #b3b1 #c4--;,and on the seventh day 7on day the seventh7 ,god ended his work which he had made2 and he rested on the seventh day 7on day the seventh7 from all his work which he had made4 ,and ,god blessed the seventh ,,day 7the day the seventh17 and sanctified it3 because that in ,,it he had rested from all his work which ,god created and made4 ,exodus #bj3h1 #aa4--,remember the ,sabbath-,,day1 7the day of the rest1 or ,sabbath17 to keep it holy4 ,six days shalt thou labor1 and do all thy work2 but the seventh day 7day the seventh7 is the ,sabbath 7rest7 of the ,lord thy ,god3 in it thou shalt not do any manner of work1 thou1 nor thy son1 nor thy daughter1 thy man-servant1 nor thy maid-servant1 nor thy cattle1 nor thy stranger that is within thy gates3 for in six days the ,lord made heaven and earth1 the sea1 and all that in them is1 and rested the seventh day 7on day the seventh27 wherefore the ,lord blessed the ,sabbath-,,day 7the day of the rest1 or ,sabbath17 and hallowed ,,it4 ,the only object1 direct or indirect1 of this commandment1 is the day4 ,what are we commanded to remember8 ,the day4 ,what are we required to keep holy8 ,the day4 ,what did the ,lord bless and hallow8 ,the day4 ,in what are we forbidden to work8 ,in the day1 ,now let us inquire-- #a4 ,what day8 ,not the day of ,adam's fall2 nor the day ,noah went into the ark2 nor the day of the overthrow of ,sodom2 nor the day of the ,exodus2 nor the day of the ,provocation2 nor the day of the removal of the ark2 nor the day of ,christ's birth2 nor the day of his crucifixion2 nor the day of his resurrection2 nor the day of his ascension2 nor the day of judgment4 ,it may be1 and certainly is1 proper1 that we should remember all these2 but we are not told to do so in this commandment4 ,neither is it some one day of the week1 but no one in particular2 for how could we remember the day1 that is no day in particular8--how could we keep holy the day that has not been specified8--and how could we say that ,god had blessed and hallowed the day1 that was no one day more than another8 ,what day1 then8 ,god says1 ,remember the ,sabbath-day1 or the day of the ,sabbath2 ,keep holy the day of the ,sabbath2 ,the ,lord blessed and hallowed the day of the ,sabbath4 ,he also says1 ,the seventh day is the ,sabbath of the ,lord thy ,god2 in it thou shalt not do any work4 ,this day1 therefore1 is the seventh day1 or the day of the ,sabbath4 #b4 ,what ,sabbath8 ,not a ,sabbath1 or any ,sabbath that man may invent1 or that ,god may hereafter keep2 for that would be some ,sabbath1 but no one in particular4 ,not some institution yet undetermined1 that ,god may require man to observe weekly2 for the command is not1 ,remember the ,sabbath institution1 but1 ,remember the day of the ,sabbath2 not1 ,keep holy the ,sabbath institution1 but1 ,keep holy the day of the ,sabbath4 ,the ,lord did not bless and hallow the ,sabbath institution1 but the day of the ,sabbath4 ,we are not forbidden to do work in the ,sabbath institution1 but in the seventh day4 ,in fact1 the phrase the ,sabbath1 in this commandment1 means neither more nor less than the rest4 ,it is not here the name of any institution at all1 though it is often thus used in other parts of the ,bible4 ,hence1 this ,sabbath is the ,sabbath or rest of the ,lord thy ,god4 #c4 ,which day of the week is the day of the ,sabbath8 ,no other than that day on which the ,lord rested2 for the command refers to ,god's ,sabbath1 ,on which day of the week did he rest8 ,and he rested on the seventh day4 ,genesis #b3b4 ,therefore1 the day of the ,sabbath is the same day of the week on which ,god rested from the work of creation2 and as he rested on the seventh day of the first week1 and on no other1 the seventh and no other day of every other week must be the only day of the ,sabbath4 ,let it be particularly observed1 that ,god does not say1 ,remember the ,sabbath1 or1 ,remember the ,sabbatic institution1 though this is necessarily implied in the command2 but1 ,remember the day of the ,sabbath--the day on which ,i have ordained that the ,sabbatic institution be observed4 ,as if he had said1 ,there is little danger1 comparatively1 that you will forget the fact of my having kept ,sabbath2 nor is it likely that you will altogether neglect to observe some day of rest from your arduous toils1 for you will be driven to this by the ever returning demands of your exhausted bodies2 but you are1 and always will be1 in especial danger of forgetting the proper day of the week for honoring me in my own institution4 ,satan1 who takes infinite delight in all kinds of will-worship1 while he hates with a perfect hatred every act of strict obedience to my law1 will do all he can to persuade you that some other day will do just as well1 or even better4 ,remember1 therefore1 the day of my ,sabbath1 and keep the same day holy in every week2 for--mark the reason--,i have myself rested on the seventh day1 and on that account ,i have blessed and sanctified that and no other day of the week1 that you may observe it1 and keep it holy1 not because it is in itself better than any other day1 but because ,i have blessed and sanctified it4 ,but you say that the phrase1 the ,sabbath-day1 or the day of the ,sabbath1 does not mean any particular day1 but one day in seven1 or some one of the days of the week4 ,you alledge that the day of the ,sabbath1 like the ,pope of ,rome1 the ,emperor of ,russia1 or the ,king of ,denmark1 is a generic term1 alike applicable to all the members of the same class4 ,the phrase1 the ,emperor of ,russia1 you say1 refers alike to ,peter1 to ,alexander1 and to ,nicholas1 though only one of them could be ,emperor at any given time2 so the day of the ,sabbath refers alike to the seventh and to the first day of the week1 though there never was but one ,sabbath at any one time4 ,this is a very ingenious and plausible method of evading the force of the ,divine testimony2 but1 as the reasoning by which it is sustained appears to be entirely sophistical1 ,i cannot but look upon the whole thing as a fabrication4 ,i believe that any man1 possessing the requisite qualifications1 may become ,emperor of ,russia1 but deny that any day but one can be the day of ,god's ,sabbath1 inasmuch as ,god had never kept1 at that time1 but one ,sabbath1 and that occupied only one day4 ,there is only one day of ,american ,independence2 only one day of the ,resurrection of ,christ2 only one day of the birth of any one man2 and only one day of ,judgment4 ,and why8 ,because ,american ,independence was declared on but one day2 ,christ rose on but one day2 the same man cannot be born on two different days2 and ,god hath appointed only one day in which he will judge the world4 ,now1 on the same principle1 there can be but one day of the ,sabbath of the ,lord our ,god4 ,if ,i should say that the day of ,christ's ,resurrection is not any particular day of the week1 but only one day in seven1 you would not hesitate to call me a fool1 while my ignorance would excite your deepest sympathy2 but when you say that the day of the ,sabbath does not mean that particular day on which the ,lord's ,sabbath occurred1 but only one day in seven1 you expect me to receive your assertion as the infallible teaching of superior wisdom4 ,i cannot1 however1 so receive it1 for the following reasons3-- #a4 ,if ,god had meant one day in seven1 he would have said so4 ,his first and great design1 in writing his law on tables of stone1 was to be understood by his creatures2 but1 for more than two thousand years after he gave the law1 no human being ever suspected that the day of the ,sabbath meant anything else than the seventh day of the week1 because it was commonly known that that day alone was in reality the day of the ,sabbath4 ,indeed1 this one-day-in-seven doctrine is known to have been invented within a few hundred years1 with the pious design of accounting for a change of ,sabbath1 without the necessity of repealing a portion of the moral law4 ,it is matter of great surprise1 that those pious theologians1 who first substituted one day in seven for the day of the ,sabbath1 did not shudder at the thought of presuming to mend the language of the ,holy ,ghost4 ,the words of the ,lord are pure words2 as silver tried in a furnace of earth1 purified seven times4 ,ps4 #ab3f4 ,brethren1 are you prepared to enter into judgment1 and answer for the liberties you have taken with ,god's word8 ,in substituting the vague and indefinite expression1 one day in seven1 for the definite and unequivocal terms1 the ,sabbath-day1 and the seventh day1 you have as truly taken away from the words of the prophecy of this book1 as if you had blotted the fourth commandment from the ,decalogue2 while your leading object has been1 to make way for the introduction of a new command that1 for aught the ,scriptures teach1 it never entered into the heart of the ,almighty to put into his law4 ,a faithful witness will not lie1 and when the world asks1 ,which day of the seven hath ,god appointed to be the weekly ,sabbath8 ,god expects that you1 as faithful witnesses1 will not only not lie1 but that you will not equivocate1 or give with the gospel trumpet an uncertain sound4 ,he does not expect that you will quote a text from the ,acts of the ,apostles1 that says not one word about ,sabbath-keeping1 to prove that the fourth commandment enjoins the keeping holy of one day in seven1 but of no day in particular4 #b4 ,god never blessed one day in seven1 without blessing a particular day4 ,he either blessed some definite object1 or nothing4 ,you may say1 indeed1 without falsehood1 that ,god blessed one day in seven2 but if you mean that this act of blessing did not terminate on any particular day1 you ought to know1 that you are asserting what is naturally impossible4 ,as well might you say of a band of robbers1 that they had killed one man in seven1 while in reality they had killed no man in particular4 ,no1 brethren1 yourselves know very well1 that ,god had not blessed and sanctified any day but the seventh of the seven1 prior to the giving of the written law4 ,you know1 that if ,god blessed any day of the week at all1 it was a definite day1 distinct from all the other days of the week4 ,but this commandment says1 that the ,lord blessed the ,sabbath-day4 ,therefore the ,sabbath-day must be a particular day of the week4 ,therefore the ,sabbath-day is not one day in seven1 or an indefinite seventh part of time4 ,therefore it is not one day in seven that we are required to remember1 and keep holy1 and in which we are forbidden to do any work2 but the seventh day of the week1 which was then1 is now1 and will be till the end of time1 the day of the ,sabbath of the ,lord our ,god4 #c4 ,no day of the week but the seventh was ever called the day of the ,sabbath1 either by ,god or man1 till long since the death of the last inspired writer4 ,search both ,testaments through and through1 and you will find no other day called the ,sabbath1 or even a ,sabbath1 except the ceremonial ,sabbaths1 with which1 of course1 we have nothing to do in this controversy4 ,and long after the close of the canon of inspiration1 the seventh day1 and no other1 was still called the ,sabbath4 ,if you can prove that any one man1 among the millions of ,adam's children1 from the beginning of the world till the rise of anti-,christ1 ever called the first day of the week the ,sabbath1 you will shed a light upon this controversy1 for which a host of able writers have searched in vain4 ,but1 farther2 the first day of the week was not observed by any of the children of men1 as a ,sabbath1 for three hundred years after the birth of ,christ4 ,do you ask proof8 ,i refer you to ,theodore de ,beza1 who plainly says so4 ,if you are not satisfied with the witness1 will you have the goodness to prove the affirmative of the proposition8 ,i infer1 therefore1 that the day of the ,sabbath1 or the ,sabbath-day1 is the proper name of the seventh day of the week1 as much so as the day of ,saturn2 and that to attach this proper name now to some other day of the week1 and to affirm that ,god meant that other day1 as much as he did the seventh1 when he wrote the law on tables of stone1 is as unreasonable as it is impious4 ,if you say1 that when ,god speaks of the ,sabbath-day1 he means one day in seven1 but no day in particular1 you are as far from the truth as if you said that1 when he speaks of ,moses1 he does not mean any particular man1 but some one of the ,israelites4 ,moses was one of the ,israelites1 just as the ,sabbath-day is one day in seven4 ,but when ,god says ,moses1 he means ,moses the son of ,amram2 and when he says the ,sabbath-day1 he means the seventh day of the week4 ,you may give different names to the same object1 without interfering with its identity2 but to apply the same name to two different objects1 and then to affirm that these two objects are identically the same1 so that what is predicated of the one must be true of the other1 is as though a navigator should discover an island in the ,southern ,ocean1 and call it ,england1 and then affirm that the late work of ,mr4 ,macaulay1 entitled ,the ,history of ,england1 is a veritable and authentic history of his newly-discovered empire4 ,which would you wonder at most1 the stupidity or the effrontery of that navigator8 ,i cannot close this chapter without reminding you that1 in attempting to refute the above reasoning1 the main thing you will have to show is1 that the ,sabbath-day1 or the day of the ,sabbath1 is an indefinite or general expression1 applicable alike to at least two different days of the week1 and that it is used indefinitely in this commandment4 ,if it has been proved1 that the day of the ,sabbath refers1 and can refer1 only to the seventh day of the week1 then it is true1 and will remain forever true1 that the original ,sabbath law requires the sanctification of no other day4 ,this is the truth which ,i undertook to exhibit in this chapter1 and is my first reason for believing the proposition under consideration4 ,,chapter ,,ii4 ,second ,reason4 ,my second reason for believing this proposition is1 ,that ,adam and all his posterity have solemnly covenanted to keep holy the seventh day4 ,genesis #b3ae-ag--;,and the ,lord ,god took the man1 and put him into the ,garden of ,eden1 to dress it1 and to keep it4 ,and the ,lord ,god commanded the man1 saying1 ,of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat2 but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil1 thou shalt not eat of it2 for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die4 ,romans #e3ab1 #ai--,wherefore1 as by one man sin entered into the world1 and death by sin1 and so death passed upon all men1 for that all have sinned4 ,for as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners2 so by the obedience of one many shall be made righteous4 ,galatians #c3aj--;,for as many as are of the works of the law1 are under the curse3 for it is written1 ,cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them4 ,on these passages it may be remarked-- #a4 ,god gave to ,adam a law1 as a covenant of works1 by which he bound him1 and all his posterity to personal1 exact1 entire1 and perpetual obedience4 #b4 ,this law1 after his fall1 continued to be a perfect rule of righteousness2 and1 as such1 was delivered by ,god upon ,mount ,sinai in ten commandments1 and written in two tables4 ,therefore1 the fourth commandment and the ,sabbath law of the covenant of works are one and the same law2 and all believers in ,christ are now bound by this law1 as a rule of life1 to remember and keep holy the same ,sabbath-day that ,adam and all his posterity covenanted to remember and keep holy4 #c4 ,you admit that ,adam1 and all his posterity1 pledged themselves to keep holy the seventh day of every week1 and no other4 ,therefore1 we are all born under a solemn obligation1 our own obligation in ,adam1 to keep holy that same seventh day of every week as long as we remain on earth3 ,neither doth ,christ in the gospel any way dissolve but much strengthen this obligation4 #d4 ,it is now too late to alter the covenant of works1 by substituting some other day of the week for the seventh1 for the following reasons3-- ,first--,because the whole transaction was finished1 in the person of our representative1 nearly six thousand years ago4 ,the covenant was made1 the obligation assumed1 the deed of transgression consummated1 the curse pronounced1 and the bitter death experienced1 in kind1 though not in degree1 and all this before the first revelation of the mercy of ,god in ,christ4 ,we are1 therefore1 all of us1 the very moment we are born1 accursed of ,god1 for not having kept holy the seventh day of the week1 according to our covenant4 ,and all who are not redeemed therefrom by ,christ1 remain forever under this curse4 ,from which it is plain1 that to substitute some other day for the seventh1 since the fall of man1 is as impossible as it would be to substitute some other tree for the tree of knowledge4 ,to all who admit that ,god made a covenant of works with all mankind in ,adam1 these truths ought to be self-evident4 ,brethren1 we acknowledge that we are all guilty before ,god of having eaten of the fruit of the tree of knowledge1 while we disclaim any guilt whatever in regard to the fruit of every other tree2 so are we guilty of violating the rest of the seventh day of the week1 while we are not by nature guilty of polluting any other day4 ,second--,because such substitution would destroy an integral part of the moral law4 ,the law written on the heart of man said nothing about keeping holy any other day than the seventh2 for all admit that1 had ,adam not fallen1 there never would have been any other holy day4 ,if1 then1 this law does not now require the sanctification of the seventh day1 the fourth commandment must have been annihilated2 and if another day is now the ,sabbath1 a new commandment1 requiring for a new reason the sanctification of a different day1 must have been substituted in its place4 ,but this new law can be no part of the moral law1 because it was not written on man's heart1 nor did any human being know of its existence till thousands of ,god's people had been taken home to glory4 ,god gave to ,adam free permission to labor and do work on every day but the seventh1 and he1 as a free moral agent1 accepted the proffered boon4 ,therefore1 to labor on any one of the first six days of the week is1 under the covenant of works1 as innocent in itself as to pray to the ,creator of the ,universe4 ,it is as much a natural and inalienable right1 as life1 liberty1 and the pursuit of happiness4 ,now1 if there is a law that requires the keeping holy of some other day1 it must have its origin in the new-covenant grace of ,god2 and if that other day1 and not the seventh1 is now the ,sabbath1 men are now no more under a natural obligation to keep a ,sabbath than to be baptized1 or to celebrate the ,lord's ,supper4 ,the obligation to keep it must1 on your principle1 grow out of their new-covenant relation to ,god in ,christ4 ,let us now look for a moment at the consequences flowing from the doctrine1 that some other day--the first1 for example--has been substituted for the seventh4 ,try the spirits4 ,by their fruits ye shall know them4 #a4 ,if this doctrine be true1 the doctrine that ,adam represented all his posterity1 must be false2 for1 if ,adam covenanted1 as you admit he did1 to keep holy the seventh day of every week1 and we are not bound to do so1 he certainly did not represent us1 neither in that nor in any other part of the covenant2 for1 if we did not promise in ,adam to keep holy the ,sabbath-day1 we did not promise to keep any thing else4 #b4 ,if this doctrine be true1 there is now no such thing as original sin4 ,this follows as a matter of course2 for1 if ,adam did not represent us1 we are not born sinners4 ,the fact might be proved in another way1 but this is enough4 #c4 ,if this doctrine be true1 and the law of the new ,sabbath bind all men1 as you say it does1 it must bind the heathen1 who are a part of all men4 ,but if there is a new ,sabbath instituted1 it can only be made known through the written word of ,god1 of which the heathen can know nothing4 ,this new ,sabbath has never been made known to them1 nor to any of their ancestors4 ,nevertheless1 you say that they are bound to observe it1 according to the written word1 and that they shall be punished to all eternity for breaking it2 which is contrary to the teaching of the ,apostle1 7,rom4 #b3ab17 that the heathen shall be judged and condemned1 not by the written word1 but by the law of nature1 which you know can reveal no ,sabbath but that of the seventh day2 for ,adam1 who understood the law of nature better than any other mere man1 never thought of keeping holy any other day4 ,and1 moreover1 the heathen have1 on your principle1 only nine commandments to obey or disobey2 for they are under the law of nature1 which says1 ,keep holy the seventh day3 but you say that ,god does not now require this3 therefore they are released from the obligation4 ,and1 what is stranger still1 the heathen have no means of knowing that to keep the seventh day is a work of supererogation4 ,these are a few of the consequences of your doctrine of a change of ,sabbath4 ,what must be the character of that tree which yields such fruits6 ,let us now attend for a moment to your objections4 ,do you say1 ,those who believe in ,christ are redeemed1 not only from the curse of the ,sabbath law1 but also from the obligation to obey it in future8 ,if so1 who can tell but we are redeemed from every other moral obligation8 ,or1 do you alledge1 that ,christ makes a new contract with the sinner1 saying1 ,if you keep holy the first day1 ,i will release you from the obligation to sanctify the seventh8 ,do we then make void the law through faith8 ,god forbid3 yea1 we establish the law1 ,rom4 #c3ca4 ,but perhaps you say1 ,to change the ,sabbath from one day to another is not to make void the law2 it is only to vary its application4 ,i reply1 ,it is to make void1 to annul1 to annihilate1 one tenth part of that law that ,god wrote on ,adam's heart2 for1 as has been shown already1 that law required him to keep no day holy but the seventh4 ,or1 do you plead that1 as ,god has substituted the ,lord ,jesus ,christ for the sinner1 without violating the moral law1 so he may have substituted some other day for the seventh8 ,i reply1 ,the cases are not parallel2 for-- #a4 ,the substitution of ,christ does not render a change of any part of the law necessary2 but the other does4 ,christ came not to destroy the law1 but to fulfill it2 and in fulfilling it1 he honored the seventh day3 but the substitution of some other day for the seventh1 had it taken place before ,christ came1 would have released him1 as well as us1 from the obligation to obey a part of the law of the covenant of works4 #b4 ,a change of ,sabbath is not1 like the substitution of ,christ1 necessary to the salvation of sinners2 for ,god had saved thousands before this change is alledged to have taken place4 #c4 ,the substitution of ,christ changes the moral condition of the church only2 but the change of ,sabbath would affect the moral relations of all men2 for the ,sabbath was made1 not for the church1 but for man4 #d4 ,the evangelical doctrine of the substitutionary sacrifice of ,christ1 of itself1 proves the impossibility of a change of ,sabbath4 ,all evangelical ,christians hold1 that believers are delivered1 through ,christ1 from the curse of the law--the law of the covenant of works--but not from the obligation to obey it4 ,if1 therefore1 that law required ,adam and his posterity to keep holy the seventh day of the week1 ,christ has never redeemed them from the obligation to render exact obedience1 in this particular1 as in every other4 ,do you plead1 as a last resort1 that1 as the command not to eat of the fruit of the tree of knowledge has passed away1 so it may be with the law of the seventh-day ,sabbath8 ,i reply1 ,the cases are not parallel2 for that command never was a part of the moral law4 ,it was never written1 either on man's heart1 or on tables of stone2 but this was4 ,besides1 the tree of knowledge has been destroyed from the face of the earth1 so that to eat of its fruit is now impossible2 but the seventh day will continue to return while the earth remaineth4 ,brethren1 you bewilder yourselves and others1 by adopting1 as a moral axiom1 the false principle1 that whatever is in its nature positive1 is for that reason1 changeable4 ,there is no principle more deadly than this4 ,do you not know1 that all our hopes1 as ,christians1 for time and for eternity1 are suspended on the immutability of that positive arrangement between the ,father and the ,son1 which we call the covenant of grace8 ,are not the decrees of ,god all positive1 yet1 at the same time1 immutable8 ,so1 also1 the ,sabbath law1 though in its nature positive1 has been made unchangeable1 by a solemn covenant arrangement1 in which it was impossible for ,god to lie4 ,if ,god had not made the law1 requiring the sanctification of the seventh day1 an essential part of the covenant of works1 your doctrine of a change of ,sabbath would not be so preposterous4 ,as it is1 how can serious1 thinking men1 help viewing it as a monstrous and impious absurdity6 ,,chapter ,,iii4 ,third ,reason4 ,my third reason for believing this proposition is1 ,that ,christ and his ,apostles honored this day2 and did not intimate that it would ever cease to be the ,sabbath1 but the contrary4 #a4 ,christ honored this day4 ,luke #d3af--;,and he came to ,nazareth1 where he had been brought up3 and1 as his custom was1 he went into the synagogue on the ,sabbath-day1 and stood up for to read4 ,luke #d3cj1 #ca2 7,see also ,mark #a3ba7--;,but he1 passing through the midst of them1 went his way1 and came down to ,capernaum1 a city of ,galilee1 and taught them on the ,sabbath-days4 ,luke #ac3aj--;,and he was teaching in one of the synagogues on the ,sabbath4 ,mark #c3a1 #b--;,and he entered again into the synagogue2 and there was a man there which had a withered hand4 ,and they watched him whether he would heal him on the ,sabbath-day4 ,mark #f3b--;,and when the ,sabbath-day was come1 he began to teach in the synagogue4 #b4 ,the ,apostles honored this day4 ,read carefully the following passages and their contexts4 ,acts #ac3ad--;,but when they departed from ,perga1 they came to ,antioch in ,pisidia1 and went into the synagogue on the ,sabbath-day1 and sat down4 ,acts #ac3dd--;,and the next ,sabbath-day came almost the whole city together to hear the word of ,god4 7,that is1 to hear ,paul and ,barnabas preach47 ,acts #ad3a--;,and it came to pass in ,iconium1 that they 7,paul and ,barnabas7 went both together into the synagogue of the ,jews1 and so spake1 that a great multitude1 both of the ,jews1 and also of the ,greeks1 believed4 ,acts #af3bc--;,and on the ,sabbath we went out of the city by a river side1 where prayer was wont to be made2 and we sat down1 and spake unto the women which resorted thither4 ,acts #ag3b--;,and ,paul1 as his manner was1 went in unto them1 and three ,sabbath-days reasoned with them out of the ,scriptures4 ,acts #ah3d--;,and he 7,paul7 reasoned in the synagogue every ,sabbath1 and persuaded the ,jews and the ,greeks4 ,brethren1 if you produce one solitary apostolic example of unnecessary labor performed on the seventh day1 ,i will at once give up the argument in its favor4 #c4 ,neither ,christ nor his ,apostles intimated that the seventh day would cease to be the ,sabbath4 ,this being a negative assertion1 ,i am not bound to prove it1 of course4 ,if you assert that they did1 ,i demand the proof of it4 #d4 ,christ has very plainly intimated the contrary4 ,matthew #bd3bj--;,but pray ye that your flight be not in winter1 neither on the ,sabbath-day4 ,the flight here spoken of was to take place about the time of the destruction of ,jerusalem2 and the ,saviour admonishes his disciples to pray that it might not happen on the ,sabbath-day4 ,now1 if he knew that the ,sabbath-day would be changed into the ,lord's day1 forty years before the event he had just alluded to1 why did he speak of it as a thing that would be then in existence8 ,many are the efforts that have been made to evade the force of the argument from this text2 but they are all unavailing4 ,matthew #e3ag1 #ai--,think not that ,i am come to destroy the law1 or the prophets3 ,i am not come to destroy1 but to fulfill4 ,for verily ,i say unto you1 ,till heaven and earth pass1 one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law1 till all be fulfilled4 ,whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments1 and shall teach men so1 he shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven3 but whosoever shall do and teach them1 the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven4 ,it is almost universally admitted1 that the ,saviour1 in these verses1 refers principally to the ten commandments1 which were then1 as now1 called1 by way of preminence1 the law4 ,that he may have referred also to the ceremonial code1 which he came to fulfill1 we do not deny4 ,but this has nothing to do with our present purpose4 ,that the fourth commandment enjoins the sanctification of the seventh day of the week1 no man in his senses denies4 ,but you alledge that that part of it has been taken away1 so that it does not now bind us4 ,now1 in making this assertion1 you either affirm what is positively denied in the above quotation1 or you make this commandment at least partly ceremonial1 and peculiar to the ,jews4 ,this will appear evident from the following considerations3-- ,first--,the command to keep holy the seventh day of the week1 is far more than one jot or one tittle of this law4 ,it could be no less1 but it is much more4 ,indeed1 it is very certain1 that ,adam considered it a very important part of the law2 and so did ,christ1 when he uttered those words1 for he kept the ,sabbath as devoutly as ,adam ever did4 ,second--,heaven and earth have not yet passed away2 but you say that this seventh-day law has2 therefore1 much more than one jot or one tittle has passed from the law--which is contrary to ,christ's assertion4 ,third--,if you say that ,christ has fulfilled this law1 and so taken it away1 you make it a ceremony1 like the ,passover4 ,you know that ,christ never fulfilled1 so as to take away1 any law but those that he nailed to his cross1 and that he never nailed to his cross any law that bindeth all men in all ages4 ,if1 then1 the law requiring the sanctification of the seventh day of the week has been nailed to the cross of ,christ1 it must have been a ceremony peculiar to the ,jews1 and to which the ,gentiles were never bound4 ,was ,adam a ,jew8 ,was ,enoch a ,jew8 ,were ,noah and his sons ,jews8 ,but these all kept the seventh day1 and no other4#ae ,brethren1 it has been proved1 in the first chapter of this treatise1 that the fourth commandment requires simply the observance of the seventh day of the week4 ,i will not repeat what is there said4 ,i now ask you1 as candid inquirers after truth1 to place this commandment and our ,saviour's declarations1 quoted above1 side by side1 and see if your conduct is not at war with both4 ,you neglect the only day that ,god's law requires you to remember1 while ,christ assures you1 in the most solemn manner1 that one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law1 till heaven and earth pass1 or till time shall be no more4 ,there is a little commandment in that law that says1 ,the seventh day is the ,sabbath of the ,lord thy ,god2 in it thou shalt not do any work4 ,christ says1 that whosoever doeth and teacheth this commandment shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven4 ,but this hath been my only crime4 ,god knows1 and you know1 that the only thing ,i have done to offend you is1 that ,i endeavor to refrain from doing work on the seventh day1 and to teach men so4 ,yet for this ,i am declared to be the least in the kingdom of heaven1 and no longer worthy of a seat at the table of ,him who said1 that one jot or one tittle should in no wise pass from the law4 ,blessed be ,god6 it is a light thing to be judged of man's judgment4 ,but ,i confess that sometimes my blood runs cold1 when ,i think of this solemn declaration of the same ,lord of the ,sabbath1 7,john #ab3dh17 ,he that rejecteth me1 and receiveth not my words1 hath one that judgeth him3 the word that ,i have spoken1 the same shall judge him in the last day4 ,never man spake like this man4 ,o1 brethren1 are you ready for that awful judgment day8 ,nothing but ,god's word will avail you there4 ,if you are determined to go on1 appropriating the seventh day to secular purposes1 and teaching men so1 ,i cannot help it2 but ,i call heaven and earth to witness1 that1 in regard to every reader of these pages1 my skirts are henceforth clear4 ,on your own souls will rest the responsibility of rejecting these solemn words of ,christ4 ,and you who are ministers--how will you answer for the wanderings of those lambs of ,christ's fold1 whom you are leading into strange pastures8 ,,chapter ,,iv4 ,fourth ,reason4 ,my fourth reason for believing this proposition is1 ,that ,god has never blessed and sanctified any day of the week but the seventh4 ,in sustaining this reason1 as ,i occupy negative ground1 ,i shall simply defend it against your usual scripture arguments in defense of your favorite doctrine1 that ,god blessed and sanctified the first day of the week1 in commemoration of the resurrection of ,christ4 ,in arguing this doctrine1 you do not pretend to offer positive1 but only inferential proof4 ,you quote certain texts1 and say1 ,hence we infer that the first day of the week is the ,sabbath4 ,now1 as there are many possible1 and even plausible1 inferences1 that are not necessarily true1 ,i intend to be governed1 in the examination of your scripture proofs1 by the following rule of interpretation3-- ,the whole counsel of ,god1 concerning all things necessary for his own glory1 man's salvation1 faith1 and life1 is either expressly set down in scripture1 or by good and necessary consequence may be deduced from scripture4 ,brethren1 ,i intend1 with ,god's help1 to show that1 according to the above rule1 which you admit to be correct1 all your inferences in favor of a first-day ,sabbath are unnecessary1 and some of them wholly inadmissible4 ,,your ,,first ,,proof4 ,hebrews #d3i1 #aj--,there remaineth1 therefore1 a rest 7sabbatism7 to the people of ,god4 ,for he that is entered into his rest1 he also hath ceased from his own works1 as ,god did from his4 ,your premises consist of four assertions3--,first1 ,that the rest1 or sabbatism1 that remaineth1 is something different from the ancient ,sabbath4 ,second1 ,that the person who hath ceased from his own works1 as ,god did from his1 is the ,lord ,jesus ,christ4 ,these two assertions ,i most cheerfully admit4 ,third1 ,that ,christ entered into his rest on the day of his resurrection4 ,fourth1 ,that the sabbatism of ,god's people is enjoyed in this life4 ,these last two assertions ,i utterly deny4 ,your inference is1 ,that the first day of every week1 that being the day of the week on which ,christ rose1 is the sabbatism of ,god's people4 ,of course1 if ,i prove that the last two assertions are false1 your inference will be shown to be inadmissible4 ,i assert1 then1-- #a4 ,that ,christ did not enter into his rest on the day of his resurrection2 for the following reasons3--,first1 ,because the ,scriptures do not say so4 ,second1 ,because this earth is not the place of his rest4 ,he was1 to the last day he spent here1 a pilgrim and a stranger in the earth1 and had not therein where to lay his head4 ,but his resurrection took place on earth1 and he continued on earth for forty days afterwards4 ,third1 ,because the scriptures plainly teach1 that the ,mediator did enter into his rest1 when he sat down on the right hand of the ,majesty on high4 ,heb4 #a3c4 ,arise1 ,o ,lord1 into thy rest2 thou and the ark of thy strength4 ,ps4 #acb3b4 ,this was the prayer of ,david and the congregation of ,israel1 when they removed the ark from the house of ,obed-,edom to the place that ,david had pitched for it4 ,when ,solomon and the ,elders of ,israel brought up the ark from the city of ,david1 and placed it in the holy of holies1 in the temple made with hands1 they prayed in like manner1 ,now therefore arise1 ,o ,lord ,god1 into thy resting-place1 thou1 and the ark of thy strength4 #b ,chron4 #f3da4 ,now the ark was a type of ,christ1 while heaven itself is the true holy of holies1 whither the forerunner is for us entered1 even ,jesus1 made a high priest forever after the order of ,melchizedek4 ,heb4 #f3bj4 ,if1 then1 the ark entered into its rest1 when it was placed in the holy of holies1 ,jesus ,christ1 the anti-typical ark1 entered into his rest when he sat down on the right hand of ,god1 in the anti-typical holy of holies4 ,fourth1 ,because the ,apostle's great design1 in this epistle1 was to convince the church1 and especially the ,hebrews1 that ,christ1 having by himself purged our sins1 as they all admitted he had done1 sat down on the right hand of the ,majesty on high1 7ch4 #a3c17 as our ever-living ,intercessor4 ,yes1 the one idea1 that runs through the whole ,epistle1 is to illustrate and magnify the doctrine of the glorious intercession of ,christ the ,mediator1 who1 after he had offered one sacrifice for sins1 forever sat down on the right hand of ,god4 ,do you ask proof8 ,take1 then1 the apostle's own assertion1 7ch4 #h3a17 ,now1 of the things which we have spoken1 this is the sum3 ,we have such a high priest1 who is set on the right hand of the throne of the ,majesty in the heavens2 a minister of the sanctuary1 and of the true tabernacle1 which the ,lord pitched1 and not man4 ,all that is said in the third and fourth chapters1 about the rest of ,christ and the sabbatism of the people of ,god1 is included in this summary2 so that it is to ,christ's eternal rest in the heavens that the verses under consideration refer4 ,indeed1 we have evidence of this fact1 satisfactory enough1 in the immediate context1 7ch4 #c3d17 ,wherefore1 holy brethren1 partakers of the heavenly calling1 consider the ,apostle and ,high ,priest of our profession1 ,christ ,jesus--compared with ch4 #d3ad--,seeing1 then1 that we have a great ,high ,priest1 that is passed into the heavens1 ,jesus the ,son of ,god1 let us hold fast our profession4 ,fifth1 ,because there is not1 in this epistle1 one solitary reference to the resurrection of ,christ1 except in the concluding benediction2 but it abounds in references to his ascension and intercession4 #b4 ,if ,i have reasoned correctly above1 your assertion1 that the sabbatism of ,god's people is enjoyed in this life1 scarcely needs refutation4 ,as ,christ entered into his rest1 when he received the crown of glory from the ,father2 so believers shall enter into his rest1 when they shall be glorified with him4 ,moreover1 as ,christ did not enter into his rest on the first day of the week1 your inference1 that that day is the ,sabbath1 is not only unnecessary1 but wholly inadmissible4 ,bear in mind also1 brethren1 that1 if ,christ did not enter into his rest on the first day of the week1 then your great philosophical argument for the first-day ,sabbath1 founded upon the fact1 that the work of redemption is greater than that of creation1 vanishes at once into smoke1 or1 at least1 becomes useless for your purpose4 ,,your ,,second ,,proof4 ,psalm #aah3bb1 #bd--,the stone which the builders refused is become the head-stone of the corner4 ,this is the day which the ,lord hath made1 we will rejoice and be glad in it4 ,acts #d3aj1 #aa--;,be it known unto you all1 and to all the people of ,israel1 that by the name of ,jesus ,christ of ,nazareth1 whom ye crucified1 whom ,god raised from the dead1 even by him doth this man stand here before you whole4 ,this is the stone which was set at nought of you builders1 which is become the head of the corner4 ,you premise1 that the day which the ,lord hath made is the day of the resurrection of ,christ4 ,whence you infer1 that the first day of the week is the ,sabbath4 #a4 ,if what you premise were true1 the inference does not follow4 ,the prophet does not say1 ,we will rejoice and be glad in the same day of every week2 but1 ,we will rejoice and be glad in it1 that is1 in that day1 whatever it may be4 ,now ,christ did not rise on the first day of every week1 but on one single day2 and we may very well rejoice and be glad in that one day1 without keeping any ,sabbath in connection with it4 ,abraham rejoiced and was glad in the day of ,christ2 but he kept no ,sabbath in honor of it4 ,so1 doubtless1 you rejoice and are glad in the day of his crucifixion1 though you do not celebrate it on any particular day of the week4 ,but-- #b4 ,you are evidently mistaken in referring this language of the ,psalmist to the resurrection of ,christ--for the following reasons3-- ,first--,because the day which the ,lord hath made is the same in which ,christ went in by the gates of righteousness4 ,verses #ai and #bj4 ,open to me the gates of righteousness3 ,i will go into them1 and ,i will praise the ,lord4 ,this gate of the ,lord1 into which the righteous shall enter4 ,now1 though ,christ did come up from the gates of death on the day of his resurrection1 he did not formally enter by the gates of righteousness1 till that day when he ascended from ,mount ,olivet1 which was not the first day of the week4 ,his almighty power and eternal ,sonship were declared most gloriously on the day of his resurrection2 but it was on the day of his ascension that his mediatorial righteousness was formally approved by the ,father2 while it was visibly manifested1 in the presence of the universe1 that the door of heaven had been opened to all true believers4 ,then shouted the seraphim1 and all the host of heaven1 while the door-posts of the ,new ,jerusalem trembled at the voice1 ,arise1 ,o ,jehovah1 into thy rest1 thou1 and the ark of thy strength4 ,let thy priests be clothed with righteousness2 and let thy saints shout for joy6 ,therefore1 this is not the day of ,christ's resurrection1 but that of his ascension4 ,second--,because the day which the ,lord hath made is the same in which the stone which the builders refused became the head-stone of the corner1 7verse #bb47 ,christ did not become the head of the corner1 till he sat down on the right hand of ,god4 ,you assert that he did1 and refer to ,acts #d3aj1 #aa1 quoted above1 as proof4 ,from what the apostle there sets forth1 you draw the inference1 that1 as he was set at nought by the builders1 when he was crucified1 so he became the head of the corner1 when ,god raised him from the dead4 ,the apostle does not say1 however1 that this took place on the same day that he rose from the dead2 and all that we must necessarily infer from what he does say1 is1 that he became the head of the corner since his resurrection1 which is cheerfully admitted4 ,but whether it was on the same day1 or two1 or ten1 or forty days after1 the apostle saith not4 ,still your inference would be entirely natural and proper1 if it were not contrary to the analogy of faith1 and to the teachings of the same spirit in other parts of the ,scriptures4 ,i suppose it will be admitted1 that when ,christ became the head of the corner1 he became the head over all things to the church1 and that then all things were put under his feet4 ,now the apostle clearly teaches1 that these things took place when he sat down on the right hand of ,god1 as appears from the following texts3-- ,ephesians #a3bj-bb--,which he wrought in ,christ1 when he raised him from the dead1 7or1 having raised him from the dead17 and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places1 far above all principality1 and power1 and might1 and dominion1 and every name that is named1 not only in this world1 but also in that which is to come3 and hath put all things under his feet1 and gave him to be head over all things to the church4 ,hebrews #b3h1 #i--;,but now we see not yet all things put under him 7man27 but we see ,jesus1 who was made a little lower than the angels1 for the suffering of death1 crowned with glory and honor4 ,observe1 that the ,apostle's great object in this epistle is1 to show that ,christ is in heaven1 forever interceding for the church4 ,now1 is it not manifest from these texts1 that ,christ became the head of the corner when he ascended to his ,father and our ,father1 to his ,god and our ,god8 ,nor is there any thing in ,acts #d3aj1 #aa1 that contradicts this idea4 ,brethren1 the glorious building of grace has its foundation1 not on earth1 where we are pilgrims and strangers1 but in heaven1 where ,jesus1 the corner-stone1 elect and precious1 sitteth at the right hand of ,god1 and is constantly occupied in gathering from afar the lively stones of the glorious edifice4 ,blessed forever be his holy name6 ,,your ,,third ,,proof4 ,john #bj3ai1 #bf--,then the same day at evening1 being the first day of the week1 when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled for fear of the ,jews1 came ,jesus and stood in the midst1 and saith unto them1 ,peace be unto you4 ,and after eight days again his disciples were within1 and ,thomas with them2 then came ,jesus2 the doors being shut1 and stood in the midst1 and said1 ,peace be unto you4--,see also ,luke #bd3bf4 ,you premise1 that the disciples1 on the two days referred to above1 one of which certainly was1 and the other may have been1 the first day of the week1 had met together for public or social worship1 when ,christ appeared to them4 ,whence you infer1 that the first day of the week is the ,sabbath4 ,now1 what you premise seems to be a mere assumption1 for which there is not a shadow of proof1 either in the text or context4 ,no one of the ,evangelists says that they met for worship2 nor did they worship1 so far as we know1 when met together4 ,in regard to the first of those occasions1 we are told1 that they were assembled for fear of the ,jews2 and1 as to the second1 we are simply informed1 that they were within1 which means1 probably1 that they were at home2 for ,luke tells us1 that1 on the day of the ascension1 the eleven abode in an upper room4 ,acts #a3ac4 ,again1 your inference is not necessary2 for the matter may be explained thus3 ,on the day of the resurrection1 the eleven1 having procured a common lodging-room1 assembled for fear of the ,jews2 and ,christ appeared to them before the close of the same day1 in order that they1 who were to be witnesses of his resurrection1 might have ocular demonstration of the fact1 that he rose according to the scriptures4 ,on the other occasion1 after eight days1 he met them1 probably1 as they sat at meat1 7,mark #af3ad17 because ,thomas1 who had not seen him since his resurrection1 was then with them4 ,these reasons are surely sufficient to account for his appearing on those occasions4 ,but why demand reasons at all8 ,had he not a right to meet his disciples on any day of the week that he chose1 without telling us why8 ,can you tell us why he appeared to the brethren when they were fishing8 ,christ has done many things for which the only reason we can give is1 that it seemed good to him4 ,,your ,,fourth ,,proof4 ,acts #b3a--;,and when the day of ,pentecost was fully come1 they were all with one accord in one place4 ,your premises are--#a4 ,that the ,feast of ,pentecost fell that year on the first day of the week4 #b4 ,that the disciples were1 for that reason1 with one accord in one place4 ,whence you infer1 that the first day of the week is the ,sabbath4 ,i reply-- ,whether the ,feast of ,pentecost fell that year on the first day of the week1 or not1 the disciples did not meet to keep the ,sabbath1 but to celebrate ,pentecost4 ,they would have been1 in like manner with one accord in one place1 if it had been the fourth day of the week1 because it was the day of ,pentecost4 ,therefore1 your inference is not only unnecessary1 but wholly inadmissible4 ,,your ,,fifth ,,proof4 ,acts #bj3g--;,and upon the first day of the week1 when the disciples came together to break bread1 ,paul preached unto them1 ready to depart on the morrow2 and continued his speech until midnight4 ,you premise1 that the disciples came together1 in this instance1 to celebrate the ,lord's ,supper1 and to hear the word4 ,whence you infer1 that the first day of the week is the ,sabbath4 ,what you premise is very uncertain2 for-- #a4 ,there is no evidence that they met to hear the word4 ,the object of the meeting was to break bread2 and the preaching of ,paul seems to have been incidental1 and not by appointment4 #b4 ,it is not certain that to break bread means to partake of the ,lord's ,supper4 ,the ,greek word1 translated1 to break1 is used very often in the ,new ,testament in reference to ordinary meals4 ,an instance occurs in ,luke #bd3ce--;,and they told what things were done in the way1 and how he was known of them in breaking of bread4 ,but if what you assert were true1 your inference is not necessary2 for-- #a4 ,it is entirely proper1 for aught we know to the contrary1 to celebrate the ,lord's ,supper and hear preaching on any day of the week4 #b4 ,perhaps this meeting was held at that particular time1 because the ,apostle and his company were ready to depart on the morrow4 ,it was probably a farewell meeting1 as many learned men think1 and the text itself seems to hint4 #c4 ,there is not one word said in the text about ,sabbath-keeping2 nor is there the least intimation1 either in the text or context1 that the disciples were accustomed to meet on the first day of the week for any purpose whatever4 ,but you say1 ,paul waited there seven days1 and we have no account of his preaching till the last night of his stay1 which was the first of the week4 ,we reply1 ,this is no evidence that he did not preach during the other six days4 ,luke tells us1 in this same chapter1 verses #b and #c1 that he came into ,greece1 and there abode three months2 and he does not say that he preached once during that time4 ,but a small part1 indeed1 of the doings of the ,apostles is recorded4 ,it is a remarkable fact1 that this text1 which is the only one in the ,new ,testament that speaks of public religious exercises on the first day of the week1 is1 at the same time1 the only one in the ,bible that directly proves1 that this day is not the ,sabbath4 ,i have already proposed to give up the argument in favor of the seventh day1 if you produce one apostolic example of unnecessary labor performed therein4 ,will you give up your argument for the first day on the same condition8 ,i believe this verse furnishes such an example4 ,the text proves nothing for you1 if ,paul's sermon and the breaking of bread were not on the first day4 ,the sermon was preached between evening and midnight1 and the bread was broken between midnight and break of day1 and then ,paul set out on his journey4 ,according to the ,roman method of computing time1 the breaking of bread1 at least1 was in the morning of the same day in which ,paul traveled from ,troas to ,assos1 and thence to ,mitylene2 and1 according to the ,jewish method1 the sermon1 the breaking of bread1 and the journey from ,troas to ,mitylene1 were all within the compass of the same first day of the week4 ,that ,luke should follow the unnatural ,roman method1 is so unlikely as hardly to be supposable4 ,now1 if ,paul traveled unnecessarily from ,troas to ,mitylene1 as it seems he did1 on the first day of the week1 surely that day was not then the ,sabbath of the fourth commandment4 ,this text1 therefore1 proves positively that the first day is not the ,sabbath1 on which account it is of no little value in this controversy4 ,,your ,,sixth ,,proof4 #a ,corinthians #af3b--,upon the first day of the week1 let every one of you lay by him in store1 as ,god hath prospered him1 that there be no gatherings when ,i come4 ,your premises are--#a4 ,that the ,apostle here commands the ,corinthians to make public collections on the first day of the week4 #b4 ,that1 therefore1 public assemblies were accustomed to be held on that day4 ,whence you infer1 that the first day of the week is the ,sabbath4 ,i deny both your premises4 ,the apostle simply orders1 that each one of the ,corinthian brethren should lay up at home some portion of his weekly gains on the first day of the week4 ,the whole question turns upon the meaning of the expression1 by him2 and ,i marvel greatly how you can imagine that it means in the collection box of the congregation4 ,greenfield1 in his ,lexicon1 translates the ,greek term1 by one's self1 i4 e4 at home4 ,two ,latin versions1 the ,vulgate and that of ,castellio1 render it1 apud se1 with one's self1 at home4 ,three ,french translations1 those of ,martin1 ,osterwald1 and ,de ,sacy1 chez soi1 at his own house1 at home4 ,the ,german of ,luther1 bei sich selbst1 by himself1 at home4 ,the ,dutch1 by hemselven1 same as the ,german4 ,the ,italian of ,diodati appresso di se1 in his own presence1 at home4 ,the ,spanish of ,felipe ,scio1 en su casa1 in his own house4 ,the ,portuguese of ,ferreira1 para isso1 with himself4 ,the ,swedish1 nr sig sielf1 near himself4 ,i know not how much this list of authorities might be swelled1 for ,i have not examined one translation that differs from those quoted above4 ,now1 if your premises are false1 your inference is not only unnecessary1 but wholly inadmissible4 ,,your ,,seventh ,,proof4 ,revelations #a3aj--;,i was in the spirit on the ,lord's day4 ,you premise1 that the ,lord's day is the first day of the week4 ,whence you infer1 that the first day of the week is the ,sabbath4 ,you here assume the principal point in dispute1 namely1 that ,god has appointed the first day of every week to be kept in commemoration of the resurrection of ,christ4 ,is every ,friday the ,lord's day1 because he was crucified on ,friday8 ,you answer1 ,no4 ,is every ,thursday the ,lord's day1 because he ascended on ,thursday8 ,you answer1 ,no4 ,so1 when you ask1 ,is every first day of the week the ,lord's day1 because he rose on the first day8 ,i answer1 ,no4 ,and is it too much that ,i should ask you to prove your assumption8 ,i have never yet met with an attempt to prove it4 ,but1 were this even proved1 your inference would not be necessary4 ,the first day might be the ,lord's day1 and yet not the ,sabbath4 ,would the bare mention of this day by the ,apostle ,john1 even if it were certain that he referred to the first day of the week1 repeal or alter the fourth commandment8 ,certainly not4 ,but you ask1 ,what day did he mean8 ,i reply1 ,most probably he meant the seventh1 since we know from several scriptures that this is in fact the ,lord's day4 ,see ,nehemiah #i3ad1 and ,isaiah #eh3ac4 ,but you ask again1 ,why did he not say the ,sabbath1 if he meant it8 ,i reply by asking you1 ,why did he not say the first day1 if he meant it8 ,brethren1 who can say1 that1 from any or all of the texts commented upon above1 the inference is necessary1 that the first day of the week is1 and that the seventh is not1 holy8 ,but this is precisely what you infer from them4 ,on the sole authority of these passages1 together with that one in which ,christ says1 that he is ,lord of the ,sabbath1 you have no hesitation in affirming that the first day of the week is the very ,sabbath day spoken of in the fourth commandment1 and that the seventh day of the week is not now more holy than any other2 or1 in other words1 that the blessing which ,god put upon it in the beginning1 7,gen4 #b3ba17 has been taken from it1 and given to another day4 ,what6 because there remaineth a sabbatism to the people of ,god1 therefore the seventh day must have ceased to be the ,sabbath6 ,because we will be glad and rejoice in the day which the ,lord hath made1 therefore the seventh day must have ceased to be holy6 ,because ,christ showed himself to his disciples once or twice on the first day of the week1 therefore the seventh day cannot be the ,sabbath6 ,because the ,pentecostal effusion of the ,holy ,ghost happened on the first day of the week1 as is clearly demonstrated by arithmetical calculation1 therefore the seventh day cannot claim to be the ,sabbath6 ,because the disciples met once to break bread on the first day of the week1 therefore ,god must have unsanctified the seventh day6 ,because the ,corinthian and ,galatian ,christians were commanded to lay by them in store on the first day of the week1 for the relief of the poor saints1 therefore the seventh day can be nothing more than a working day6 ,because ,john was in the spirit on the ,lord's day1 therefore the seventh day cannot be the ,lord's day1 as it used to be6 ,because ,jesus ,christ is ,lord of the ,sabbath1 and has the right to change it1 or even to annihilate it1 787 therefore the seventh day must have ceased to be a day of rest6 ,o brethren1 you dare not say1 that any of these inferences flow from the ,scriptures as necessary consequences4 ,but if they are not necessary--if there is any way of avoiding them1 without doing violence either to the text or context--how can you ask me to believe that the first day is1 and that the seventh is not1 holy8 ,,conclusion4 ,the ,sabbath was made for man4 ,i am a man2 therefore1 the ,sabbath was made for me4 ,god has blessed and sanctified the seventh day of the week1 and commanded me to keep it holy for that reason2 therefore1 as long as the seventh day continues to be divinely blessed and sanctified1 ,i am bound to keep it holy4 ,but it is nowhere said in the ,bible that ,god has removed the blessing from this day1 or that he has unsanctified it4 ,you say so1 indeed2 but you are neither the authors nor the finishers of my faith2 nor will your unsupported assertion1 a thousand times repeated1 amount to a divine revelation4 ,if you assert that it is the will of ,god that ,i should cease to regard the seventh day as holy1 ,i ask1 ,where is this revealed8 ,what ,prophet or ,apostle has said so1 directly or indirectly8 ,it is not enough for you to answer1 that the first day has been blessed and sanctified1 as a memorial of the work of redemption4 ,that assertion1 if it were true1 would not prove that the seventh day is not holy4 ,no1 brethren1 your own conscience must tell you1 that there is not one syllable in the ,bible on which to ground the doctrine that ,god has unsanctified the seventh day of the week4 ,but one of your ministers has told me1 that ,god did not bless and sanctify any particular day of the week1 but only the ,sabbath ,institution4 ,to this ,i have only to say1 ,let ,god be true1 and every man a liar4 ,the ,holy ,ghost says1 7,gen4 #b3b17 ,and ,god blessed the seventh day1 and sanctified it2 and again1 7,exod4 #bj3aa17 ,wherefore the ,lord blessed the ,sabbath ,,day1 and hallowed it4 ,now1 if you assert1 with these scriptures staring you in the face1 that ,god never blessed and sanctified any particular day1 but only the ,sabbath ,institution1 do you not make ,god a liar1 in order to excuse your own rebellion8 ,o brethren1 ,i perceive that these texts are an eye-sore to you1 and that in your hearts you wish they were out of the ,bible4 ,if you loved them you would not flatly contradict them4 ,i appeal to your own consciousness1 is it not your great effort1 when you take up the fourth commandment1 to convince yourselves and others1 that ,god's ,spirit does not mean what he says1 in as plain language as any ,sabbatarian could employ2 that is1 that 'the seventh day is the ,sabbath of the ,lord thy ,god4' ,and1 when you take up these passages in the ,new ,testament1 which have been considered above1 do you not labor to convince yourselves1 that the same ,spirit does mean what he does not say2 that is1 that the first day is the ,sabbath8 ,you do not believe that what ,god says a dozen times1 or more1 can be true2 but you are sure1 that what he does not say even once is infallibly true2 and that nothing but stupidity or scepticism would presume to doubt it4 ,when you are told that the seventh day is the ,sabbath1 and the testimony of ,god's ,spirit1 plainly uttered in one dozen passages1 together with the uniform practice of the church as long as we can trace the inspired history of the ,sabbath1 is offered in proof of the assertion1 you shut your eyes1 and declare that you can see nothing1 and that all this proves nothing4 ,but when you tell me1 that the first day is1 and that the seventh is not1 the ,sabbath1 and quote1 as proof1 ,acts #bj3g1 and a few other passages1 not one of which says one word about the ,sabbath1 or the seventh day1 or a day of rest1 or holy time1 or exercises which are proper only on the ,sabbath1 you affirm1 that you have proved your position beyond all doubt1 and that the only reason why ,i cannot see the evidence is because the vail of ,judaism is over my eyes4 ,the moral law says1 ,the seventh day is the ,sabbath2 but you say1 ,no1 the seventh day is not the ,sabbath2 you do not understand the law2 you mistake its meaning4 ,neither that law1 nor any other in the ,bible1 says1 ,the first day is the ,sabbath4 ,notwithstanding1 you dare to lift up your hands1 and swear by the living ,god1 that the first day is the ,sabbath4 ,but this is not all4 ,oh6 that it were6 ,the ,holy ,ghost has said1 not only in the record that ,god made on ,adam's heart1 and in the covenant of works1 but also in the written law given at ,mount ,sinai1 and in several other passages of ,scripture1 ,the seventh day is the ,sabbath of the ,lord thy ,god4 ,but you have repeatedly sworn by the infinite1 eternal1 and unchangeable ,jehovah1 that this assertion is not true--that the seventh day is not the ,sabbath of the ,lord our ,god--that it is a common working day4 ,because ,i can no longer join you in this heaven-daring oath1 you have declared me unworthy of the confidence of a ,christian people1 and forbidden me to perform any longer the functions of a missionary of the cross4 ,you have told the church1 that1 having violated my ordination vows1 ,i have forfeited my ministry1 and that my seat at the ,lord's table is vacant4 ,you have thus flung upon the heedless winds the mad-dog cry of suspended minister1 covenant-breaker1 and disturber of the church's peace4 ,but think not1 brethren1 beloved in the ,lord1 that the treatment which ,i have received at your hands shall deter me from proclaiming what ,i believe to be ,god's truth1 as ,god may give me utterance4 ,that you wish to do what is right1 ,i do not doubt4 ,that you believe you do ,god service in thrusting me from your ,christian embraces1 is evident enough4 ,that many of you love me yet1 and pray for me1 ,i can but hope4 ,but that you all sin in not searching the ,scriptures daily to see whether these things are so1 ,i do firmly believe4 ,and now1 brethren1 ,i cannot close this treatise without uttering a word of warning to every one of you1 which will1 ,i fear1 be very generally disregarded by you4 ,yet wo is me if ,i utter it not6 ,do not1 ,i beseech you1 be angry at any thing ,i have written1 or refuse to hear my parting words because ,i am a suspended minister4 ,you have loaded me with reproach1 not because ,i have committed any crime1 but because ,i have plead for the integrity and immutability of the moral law4 ,i am neither a thief1 nor a murderer1 nor a robber of churches1 but ,i do most firmly believe1 that the seventh day is the ,sabbath of the ,lord my ,god1 and that you1 and all others who do not keep it holy1 are guilty before ,god of a gross violation of the moral law4 ,and can ,i1 under those circumstances1 regard your reproaches as a legitimate expression of the ,divine displeasure8 ,no4 ,that ,i am really unworthy of the gospel ministry1 ,i confess4 ,that ,i am not sufficient for these things1 ,i know4 ,but1 after having been regularly called to this responsible work1 ,i will not be driven from it1 for such a cause4 ,know then1 ye rulers in the house of ,god1 that ,i am still a minister of ,jesus ,christ1 sent forth to proclaim the terrors of ,god's law to the rebellious and impenitent1 and to promise the grace of the gospel to the penitent and believing4 ,know also1 ye professors of the ,christian religion who neglect the sanctification of the seventh day1 and especially ye ministers of ,jesus who teach men so1 that you make dark what ,god has made plain2 that you pluck out of the hand of ,god's schoolmaster one of those rods wherewith he would lash the carnal heart2 that you hide one of ,god's candles under a bushel1 and compass yourselves about with sparks1 and a fire of your own kindling2 that you provoke the ,holy ,spirit1 in rejecting his testimony1 and teaching for doctrine the commandments of men4 ,yes1 brethren1 though my words fall upon your ears as an idle tale that you believe not1 ,i declare to you1 in the name of ,him whom your doctrine dishonors and your philosophy insults--in the name of that suspended ,minister1 to whom all the ends of the earth shall look for salvation--that1 if you repent not1 the ,holy ,ghost will bear witness against you1 in the awful day of retribution1 that you have refused his words1 and that you have put darkness for light1 and light for darkness6 ,think not that ,i am your enemy1 because ,i thus speak4 ,think not that ,i have no confidence in your piety1 because ,i rebuke you sharply4 ,think not that ,i am proud1 boastful1 and self-confident1 because ,i dare to approach you1 who are vastly my superiors in knowledge1 and remind you of your duty4 ,i would gladly have avoided this public exhibition of my sentiments4 ,had it been possible to withhold my testimony1 you would never have seen these pages4 ,but necessity is laid upon me4 ,and think not1 ,i beseech you1 that ,i am against the church of our ,redeemer1 or would hinder her prosperity1 because ,i oppose a human institution which ,christians very generally observe4 ,if ,i forget thee1 ,o ,jerusalem1 let my right hand forget her cunning4 ,if ,i do not remember thee1 let my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth2 if ,i prefer not ,jerusalem above my chief joy4 #ad ,i believe1 that the prophecy in ,dan4 #g3be1 refers mainly to the change of ,sabbath-time1 and ,sabbath-law4 ,what time1 of divine appointment1 it may be asked1 was ever changed1 except the time of the ,sabbath8 #ae ,some of my ,reformed ,presbyterian brethren appear to be as far from believing the whole doctrine of the ,westminster ,confession of ,faith as myself1 only they are a little more guarded in the choice of words4 ,that ,confession says1 7ch4 #ba1 sec4 #g17--so1 in his word1 by a positive1 moral1 and perpetual commandment1 binding all men in all ages1 he hath particularly appointed one day in seven for a ,sabbath1 to be kept holy unto him4 ,but ,rev4 ,andrew ,stephenson1 in a letter to me1 speaking of the seventh-day ,sabbath1 styles it1 ,this relict of ,judaism2 and ,rev4 ,james ,milligan1 in a recent letter1 asks me1 ,why has not the ,lord's day as good a right to take the place of the seventh day1 as the ,lord's ,supper has to take the place of the ,passover8 ,query--,are ,reformed ,presbyterians1 who hold such sentiments1 any better qualified to judge their brethren for ,sabbath-breaking1 than ,i would be to judge them for a like offense8