A critical history of the Sabbath and the Sunday in the Christian church

K CRITICAL HISTORY

— OF —

IN THE

CHRISTIAN CHURCH.
BY A. Hi LEWIS, D. D.,

Author of ^Sabbath and Sunday ; ArgunwitandHtitoiy,

-Biblical Teachings Concerning the .^athcrndthe

Sunday ; " Editor of '* The Ou look, and Sabbath

Quarterly" and of " The Light of Home.'

THE AMERICAN SABBATH TBAC7 ftyF^J -
Alfred Centre, N. ^Y. ;;";';

-A

2>J

< "l'vuionT, 1886, by A. H. Lewis.

PRE F AC E

Questions, like apples, have their time to ripen.
When they are ripe, the harvest must be gathered.
Wishing cannot hasten this time, nor fear delay it.
The Sabbath question is ripe for re-examination and
restatement. It is at the front. It has come to stay.
We and our children must grapple with the prob
lem. The first key to its solution is the authority of
(rod's Word, the Bible. The facts of history form
the second key. Time itself is an attribute of God.
The aggregate results in history are the decisions of
God. In testing theories and practices, the historic
argument is ultimate: It is the embodiment of
Christ's words: "By their fruits ye shall know
them." Theorizing can never go back of this test,
nor set aside its decisions.

No department of church history has been less
thoroughly worked than the history of the Sabbath
and the Sunday. They both antedate Christianity
and Judaism. Their fountains are back of Calvary
and Sinai. The chief interest centers in the New

IV PREFACE.

Testament, and in the Patristic period. The former
is usually treated polemically, while the latter is al-
most an unknown region to the average Christian.
Few, at the present time, have more than a confused
knowledge of the Sabbath question since the Puri-
tan movement of three hundred years ago. That
movement has been forced to seek some support for
itself in earlj7 church history. In seeking this,
many quotations have been claimed from the Fathers,
which subsequent investigations have shown to be
notoriously incorrect. These have been passed from
hand to hand, apparently without examination or
question. Forged writings have been treated as
genuine. Unknown dates have been assumed to be
definite. Important expressions, such as "Chris-
tian Sabbath " and " Dominicum servasli," have been
manufactured and interpolated. In this way facts
have been perverted, or withheld, and good men
have been misled. Few American writers have at-
tempted any careful survey of this field, and the
most valuable European works are out of print.
Most of the books in defense of Sunday, within the
last fifty years, have been hastily written to meet
the demands of some convention, or some emergen-
cy in the decline of the Puritan theory, and the sec-
ularization of the " Anglo-American Sabbath. " This

I'ERFACE. V

has forbidden patient and efficient original research.

Still stronger reasons have sat at the elbow of
every writer in defense of the Puritan, or the Anglo-
American Sunday. The facts of the first four cent-
uries destroy the foundation on which Puritanism
rested its " Sunday Sabbath." We express no judg-
ment concerning the men who have written thus im-
perfectly. The difficulty of obtaining the facts, and
the seeming necessity of saving Christian worship,
by attempting to save the Sunday, have been pow-
erful causes. We only state the facts.

Because these things are so, this book has been
written. It is the product of twenty years search.
It is written in the interest of the church universal,
and of the preservation of the Sabbath, without
which Christianity is shorn of one of its chief ele-
ments of power, and humanity is robbed of one of
its chief blessings. We have given our authorities,
willing to burden our pages with copious references,
that who will may follow, and test our work. As
these pages are not the product of yesterday, so they
are not written for to-morrow alone. We know full
well that they must make their way against the
prejudice of creed and the power of popular cus-
tom. We know they must take their way, with all
else, between the upper and nether millstones of

Vi PREFACE.

eternal verities. Nothing less than sifted facts can
abide as the foundation for hope, or faith, or practice.
Men build pleasant theories and indulge in beauteous
fancies concerning what they think ought to be, but
the relentless hand of history gathers all which is not
in accord with eternal verity, for the dust heap of
the past.

Conscious that every page must die which is not
born of verity, and equally conscious that every page
thus born will live in spite of creed or custom, this
book goes forth, willing to await the broader knowl-
edge and the calmer judgment of coming years.

A. H. L.

Plainkiei.d, N. J., February, 1886.

p

ONTENTS

Chapter I. Introductory.

Chapter II. History of the Sabbath iu the Gos-
pels.

Chapter III. History of the Sunday iu the Gos-
pels.

Chapter IV. History of the Sabbath in the Book
of Acts.

Chapter V. History of the Sunday in the Book
of Acts.

Chapter VI. The Apostolic Fathers.

Chapter VII. Pliny's Letter to Trajan, and a Fa-
mous Falsehood.

Chapter VIII. Justin Martyr ; the First Refer-
ence to Sunday ; and the Rise of No-sabbath -
ism.

Chapter IX. Other Writers, and the Develop-
ment of No-sabbathism.

Chapter X. Tertullian and his Followers.

Chapter XI. Wednesday and Friday as Fasts.

Chapter XII. Post- Apostolic History of the Sab-
bath, to the Fourth Century.

Chapter XIII. Constantine the Great, and the be-
ginning of Legislation.

Vlll CONTENTS.

Chapter XIV. Sunday from the time of Gon-
stantine to the close of the Fifth Century.

Chapter XV. Sunday in the Church Councils.

Chapter XVI. The Sabbath from Constantine to
the Dark Ages.

Chapter XVII. Sunday during the Dark Ages.

Chapter XVIII. The Sabbath in the Western
Church during the Dark Ages.

Chapter XIX. The Sabbath in the Eastern
Church.

Chapter XX. Sunday in the German Reforma-
tion.

Chapter XXI. Sunday in the Swiss Reforma-
tion.

Chapter XXII. Sunday in the English Reforma
tion.

Chapter XXIII. Puritanism and the Sunday in
England.

Chapter XXIV. The Sabbath in Europe since the
Reformation.

Chapter XXV. The Sunday in America ; Colo-
nial Period.

Chapter XXVI. The Sabbath in America.

Chapter XXVII. Sunday in the Creeds of the
Churches.

Chapter XXVIII. Observance of Sunday in the
United States.

Chapter XXIX. Elements of Agitation now at
work in the United States.

Chapter XXX. The Verdict of History.

CHAPTER I.

Introductory.

History is an organic development. The phenom-
ena which appear on the surface, are the result of
underlying principles, true, or false. Nothing in
history comes by chance. If human choices did
not lead men to disobedience of God's laws, and to
a disregard for truth, there would be no discord, but
rather a continuous, straightforward advancement.
What men call the " power of truth," " the logic of
events," and the " guiding hand of Providence," is
but another way of saying that truth, God's ideas,
his eternal laws concerning right and wrong, are
stronger than any or all human choices and will ulti-
mately prevail. It is the unfolding of God's ideas in
history that gives to it organic power and irresistible
force. Human disobedience, designed or undesigned,
may cheek or deflect the progress of truth. This is
always possible where freedom of choice is granted
to the finite intelligence, under the general limitation
of the Infinite. All such checking or deflection
must be temporary. Disobedience is the conflict of
the less with the greater. It may go so far as to de-
stroy the less, as an individual, but it can never at-

2 SABBATH AND SUNDAY.

tain a permanent triumph in the general /jeld of
moral government. It is the dam of rushes across
the swollen stream; the barricade of straw before
the locomotive. Evil and error have thus limited
lease of life. "Truth is mighty and will prevail/'
is an adage which voices the deeper philosophy of
history. Every page of the past is filled with con-
firmation of this general truth. The invisible hand
of Jehovah touches the current of evil and it Hows
backward like the parting waters of the Red Sea.
As the granite sea wall'says to the waves, " Thus far
and no farther,*' so, in the fullness of God's own
time, right and righteousness prevail. The times
when God thus vindicates himself and his cause we
call great epochs in history. But the greatest epoch
is only the result of silent forces which are constant-
ly at work. The currents of influence, good or bad,
often run deep, are sometimes wholly out of sight
for a long time. The thoughtless and faint-hearted
say, "They are gone forever." Those who listen
more carefully, are always assured that God still
lives.

In view of these truths, the history of a great
question, like that of which the following pages
treat, is of vital importance. "We can never judge
correctly of the present except in the light of the
past. To-day is the product of one or all of the
days that have gone before. Things' are neither
right nor wrong because they are. Human majori-
ties, as such, are not right. They are likely to be
thoughtless and self-reliant, and hence wrong.

SABBATH AND SUNDAY. 3

The Sabbath question has had a prominent place
in the religious history of our race. The week,
measured by the Sabbath as its closing day, is the
oldest division of time. It is found wherever histo-
ry reaches. The question comes closer to human
life than any other so-called practical question. So-
cial life, business life, religious worship and culture
are all blended with it, and are dependent on it. It is
a question that has never been kept in abeyance, for
any great length of time, however much it may have
been ignored. It was prominent in the Jewish
Church and State. It claimed early attention in the
history of Christianity. It came to the front in the
Reformation. It was a central figure in our own
early national history. It is to-day, though much
ignored by some, and treated vigorously with nar-
cotics by others, one of the "burning questions"
which still demands recognition and solution. The
real history of the Sabbath question is not well un-
derstood. The earlier centuries have not been care-
fully explored by the masses, or even by the relig-
ious teachers. Much has been taken for granted,
where the facts are unknown. Under such circum-
stances, the writer is glad to lay before the reader
the results of twenty years careful investigation in
the field of Sabbath history. He only asks that the
final judgment of the reader be founded not upon
the opinions or suppositions with which he comes to
the perusal of these pages, but upon the facts pre-
sented. The ultimate facts in the whole field will
appear, and be marshaled. The issue may be de-

4 SABBATH AND SUNDAY.

layed, but cannot be avoided. These pages are
sent forth, prayerfully, to contribute their part to-
ward the final settlement of the question. The per-
sonal opinions of the author appear in the last chap-
t>r, the "Verdict of History."

OHAPTEK II.
wlstory of the sabbath in

the New Testament.

TEE GOSPELS.

The Bible is the ultimate authority upon the Sab-
bath question. The facts therein form the source of
obligation, and of history. It is therefore pertinent
to begin our historic investigation by placing before
the reader whatever of history there is in that book
which is the Christian's especial charter. Sabbath-
keeping is a matter of doing, rather than of theoriz-
ing; hence the history we seek must be found in
what Christ and his apostles did, more than in what
they said. If either the Sabbath or the Sunday has
a history in the New Testament it will be found in
the actions and customs of Christ and his apostles.
Before examining the record of these actions it is
well to remember some important facts, which, be-
ing disregarded, lead to wrong conclusions, since we
thus fail to consider the circumstances under which
Christ spoke and acted. These facts are:

(]) During the centuries immediately preceding
Christ's coming, Sabbath-keeping had become a
prominent mark of distinction between the Jews and
the surrounding nations. It was a peculiar "sign"

6 SABBATH AND SUNDAY.

of loyalty toward Jehovah, and became a distin-
guishing mark of exclusiveness.

(2) As their spirituality decreased, unscriptural
formalism increased, and since Sabbath-keeping gave
a wide field for acting or not acting, the Sabbath be-
came the central figure in their formalism. It was
the stronghold of Phariseeism. And since Christ's
mission was to remove rubbish and restore Gods law
to its primitive purity, while he fulfilled it by a sin-
less obedience, the Sabbath was a necessary point of
controversy. Remembering, then, that Christ's aim
was not the destruction or removal of the Sabbath,
but rather to set it free from Judaistic taint and mis-
conception, we shall be able to comprehend the real
nature of the incidents which form its history in the
Gospels. Taking up these incidents in their order,
we come first to the following :

' ' At that time Jesus went on the Sabbath-day
through the corn, and his disciples were a hungered,
and began to pluck the ears of corn, and to eat. But
when the Pharisees saw it, they said unto him, Be-
hold, thy disciples do that which is not lawful to do
upon the Sabbath-day. But he said unto them,
Have ye not read what David did when he was a
hungered, and they that were with him. How he
entered into the house of God, and did eat the shew-
bread, which was not lawful for him to eat, neither
for them which were with him, but only for the
priests? Or have ye not read in the law how that on
the Sabbath-days the priests in the temple profane
the Sabbath, and are blameless? But I say unto you,
that in this place is one greater than the temple. But
if ye had known what this meaneth, I will have
mercy, and not sacrifice, ye would not have con-

SABBATH AND SUNDAY. 7

demned the guiltless. For the Son of man is Lord
even of the Sabbath-day. And when he was depart-
ed thence, he went into their synagogue. And be-
hold, there was a man which had kin hand withered.
And they asked him, saying. Is it lawful to heal on
the Sabbath-cays? that they might accuse him. And
he said unto them, What man shall there be among
you, that shall have one sheep, and if it fall into a
pit on the Sabbath-day, will he not lay hold on it,
and lift it out? How much then is a man better than
a sheep? Wherefore it is lawful to do well on the
Sabbath-days. Then saith he to the man. Stretch
forth thine hand. And he stretched it forth : and it
was restored whole, like as the other."*

Here we have two incidents occurring, probably,
on successive Sabbaths, which illustrate two import-
ant points: works of necessity, and works of mercy.
There is nothing in Christ's acts or teachings which
even intimate that he designed to abolish the Sab-
bath, or to disregard it. On the contrary it is fully
recognized as a day of rest and worship, but not a
day of false and burdensome restrictions.

Tbe parallel accounts of these incidents, as given
by Mark and Luke, differ in some points, but in
nothing essential. Mark writes as follows, concern-
ing the second event :

"And it came to pass, that he went through the
corn fields on the Sabbath-day; and his disciples be-
gan, as they went, to pluck the ears of corn. And
the Pharisees said unto him, Behold, why do they
on the Sabbath-day that which is not lawful? And
he said unto them, Have ye never read what David
did, when he had need, and was a hungered, he and

* Matt. 12 : 1-18.

8 SABBATH AND SUNDAY.

they that -were with him ? How he went into the
house of God, in the days of Abiathar the high
priest, and did eat the shew-bread, whieh is not law-
ful to eat, but for the priests, and gave also to them
which were with him? And he said unto them, The
Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the
Sabbath. Therefore, the Son of man is Lord also
of the Sabbath."*

Luke's history is in these words :

" And it came to pass on the second Sabbath after
the first, that he went through the corn fields ; and
his disciples plucked the ears of corn, and did eat,
rubbing them in their hands. And certain of the
Pharisees said unto them, Why do ye that which is
not lawful to do on the Sabbath-days? And Jesus
answering them, said, Have ye not read so much as
this, what David did, when himself was a hungered,
and they which were with him; how he went into
the house of God, and did take and eat the shew-
bread, and gave also to them that were with him,
which it is not lawful to eat but for the priests alone?
And he said unto them, That the Son of man is
Lord also of the Sabbath. And it came to pass also
on another Sabbath, that he entered into the syna-
gogue, and taught, and there was a man whose right
hand was withered: And the scribes and Pharisees
watched him, whether he would heal on the Sabbath-
day; that they might find an accusation against him.
But he knew their thoughts, and said to the man
which had the withered hand, Rise up, and stand
forth in the midst. And he arose, and stood forth.
Then said Jesus unto them, I will ask you one thing:
Is it lawful on the Sabbath days to do good, or to do
evil? to save life, or to destroy it? "And looking
round about upon them all, he said unto the man,
Stretch forth thy hand. And he did so : and his

* Mark 2 : 23-28.

SABBATH AND SUNDAY. 9

hand was restored whole as the other. And they
were filled with madness ; and communed one with
another what they might do to Jesus."*

A careful comparing of these three accounts shows
that they agree perfectly in the fact that Christ's ac
tions and words are all aimed at the false notions,
and extravagant claims made by the Pharisees, and
not at the Sabbath. They form the clear starting
point of the history of the Sabbath in the New Tes-
tament, as an institution honored by Christ, and by
him shorn of false notions, that it might be brought
into accord with his Christian dispensation.

The history of Christ's life, as given by Mark,
notes first a Sabbath scene in Capernaum:

" And they went into Capernaum ; and straight-
way on the Sabbath-day he entered into the syna-
gogue and taught. And they were astonished at
his doctrine; for he taught them as one that had
authority and not as the scribes. And there was in
their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit ; and
he cried out, saying, Let us alone : what have we to
do with thee, thou Jesus of Nazareth ? art thou
come to destroy us? I know thee who thou art, the
Holy One of God. And Jesus rebuked him, saying,
Hold thy peace and come out of him. And when
the unclean spirit had torn him, and cried with a
loud voice, he came out of him/'f

Luke tells of this occurrence in these words :

" But he passing through the midst of them went
his way, and came down to Capernaum, a city of
Galilee, and taught them on the Sabbath-da}Ts. And
they were astonished at his doctrine : for his word

* Luke 6:1-11. t Mark 1 : 21-26.

10 SABBATH AND SUNDAY.

was -with power. And in the synagogue there was
a man which had a spirit of an unclean devil, and
cried out with a loud voice, saying, Let ns alone;
what have we to do with thee, thou Jesus of Nazareth?
art thou come to destroy us ? I know thee who
thou art, the Holy One of God. And Jesus re-
buked him, saying, Hold thy peace, and come out
of him. And when the devil had thrown him in the
midst, he came out of him, and hurt him not."*

Christ's habit of preaching on the Sabbath is told
by Luke as follows :

"And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit
into Galilee : and there went out a fame of him
through all the region round about. And he taught
in their synagogues, being glorified of all. And he
came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up :
and, as his custom was, he went into the synagogue
on the. Sabbath-day, and stood up for to read. And
there was delivered unto him the book of the proph-
et Esaias. And when he had opened the book, he
found the place where it was written, The Spirit of
the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me
to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to
heal the broken-hearted, to preach deliverance to
the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to
set at liberty them that are bruised, to preach the
acceptable year of the Lord. And he closed the
book, and he gave it again to the minister, and sat
down. And the eyes of all them that were in the syna-
gogue were fastened on him. And he began to say
unto them, This day is this scripture fulfilled in
your ears. And all bare him witness, and wondered
at the gracious words which proceeded out of his
mouth.'f

The following is a similar instance :

" And when the Sabbath-day was come, he began
* Luke 4 : 30-35. t Luke 4 : 14-22.

SABBATH AND SUNDAY. 11

to teach in the synagogue ; and many hearing him
were astonished, saying, From whence hath this
man these things; and what wisdom is this which is
given unto him, that even such mighty works are
wrought by his hands ?"*

It will be seen that Christ was accustomed to unite
works of mercy with his teaching and worship at
the Sabbath services.

Luke gives another instance as follows :

"And he was teaching in one of the synagogues
on the Sabbath. And behold, there was a woman
which had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, and
was bowed together, and could in no wise lift up
herself. And when Jesus saw her, he called her to
him, and said unto her, TVToman, thou art loosed
from thine infirmity. And he laid his hands on her:
and immediately she was made straight, and glori-
fied God. And the ruler of the synagogue an-
swered with indignation, because that Jesus had
healed on the Sabbath-day. and said unto the peo-
ple, There are six days in which men ought to work:
in them therefore come and be healed, and not on
the Sabbath-day. The Lord then answered him,
and said, Thou hypocrite, doth not each one of you
on the Sabbath loose his ox or his ass from the stall,
and lead him away to watering ? And ought not
this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom
Satan hath bound, lo, these eighteen years, be loosed
from ibis bond on the Sabbath-day ? And when he
had said these things, all his adversaries were
ashamed : and all the people rejoiced for all the glo-
rious things that were done by him."f

John recounts a scene in which the Jews were es-
pecially enraged because Christ commanded a healed

* Mark 6 : 2. t Luke 13 : 10-17.

12 SABBATH AND SUNDAY.

man to carry bis mattress with him after he was
healed :

"And a certain man was there, which had an in-
firmity thirty and eight years. When Jesus saw
him lie, and knew that he had been now a long time
in that case, he saith unto him, Wilt thou he made
whole ? The impotent man answered him, Sir, I
have no man, when the water is troubled, to put me
into the pool : but while I am coming, another step-
peth down before me. Jesus saith unto him, Rise,
take up thy bed, and walk. And immediately the
man was made whole, and took up his bed, and
walkerl : and on the same day was the Sabbath.
The Jews therefore said unto him that was cured,
It is the Sabbath-day ; it is not lawful for thee to
carry thy bed. He answered them, He that made
me whole, the same said unto me, Take up thy bed,
and walk. Then asked they him, What man is
that which said unto thee, Take up thy bed and
walk ? And he that was healed wist not who it
was : for Jesus had conveyed himself away, a mul-
titude being in that place. Afterward Jesus findeth
him in the temple, and said unto him, Behold, thou
art made whole : sin no more, lest a worse thing
come unto thee. The man departed, and told the
Jews that it was Jesus which had made him whole.
And therefore did the Jews persecute Jesus, and
sought to slay him, because he had done these
things on the Sabbath-day. But Jesus answered
them, My Father worketh hitherto, and I work.
Therefore the Jews sought the more to kill him,
because he not only had broken the Sabbath, but
said also, that God was his Father, making himself
equal with God."*

On another occasion at a temple service, Christ
* John 5 : 5-18.

SABBATH AND SUNDAY. 13

defends his acts with reference to the Sabbath, from
the custom of the Jews concerning the rite of cir-
cumcision. Speaking in the temple, he said :

" Did not Moses give you the law, and yet none
of you keepeth the law ? Why go ye about to kill
me? The people answered and said, Thou hast a
devil : who goeth about to kill thee V Jesus an-
swered and said unto them, I have done one work,
and ye all marvel. Moses therefore gave unto you
circumcision (not because it is of Moses, but of the
fathers ;) and ye on the Sabbath-day circumcise a
man. If a man on the Sabbath-day receive circum-
cision, that the law of Moses should not be broken;
are ye angry at me, because I have made a man
every whit whole on the Sabbath-day ? Judge not
according to the appearance, but judge righteous
judgment..' *

Still another case is recorded by John in the fol-
lowing words :

" And as Jesus passed by, he saw a man which
was blind from his birth. And his disciples asked
him, saying, Master, who did sin, this man, or his
parents, that he was born blind ? Jesus answered,
Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents : but
that the works of God should be made manifest in
him. I must work the works of him that sent me,
while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can
work. As long as I am in the world, I am the light
of the world. When he had thus spoken, he spat
on the ground, and made clay of the spittle, and he
anointed the eyes of the blind man with 1he clay,
and said unto him, Go, wash in the pool of Siloam,
(which is by interpretation, Sent). He went his
way therefore, and washed, and came seeing. The
neighbors therefore, and they which before had

* John 7 : 1&-24.

14 SABBATH AND SUNDAY.

seen him that he was blind, said, Is not this he that
sat and begged ? Some said, This is he : others
said, He is like him : but he said, I am he. There-
fore said they unto him, How were thine eyes
opened ? He answered and said, A man that ia
called Jesus, made clay, and anointed mine eyes,
and said unto me, Go to the pool of Siloam, and
wash : and I went and washed, and I received sight.
Then said they unto him, Where is he ? He said, I
know not. They brought to the Pharisees him that
aforetime was blind. And it was the Sabbath-day
when Jesus made the clay, and opened his eyes.
Then again the Pharisees also asked him how he
had received his sight. He said unto them, He put
clay upon mine eyes, and I washed, and do see.
Therefore said some of the Pharisees, This man is
not of God, because he keepeth not the Sabbath-
day. Others said, How can a man that is a sinner
do such miracles ? And there was a division among
them."*

Such is the history of the Sabbath in the Gos-
pels. Viewed in the light of the facts suggested at
the opening of this chapter, relative to the false
notions of the Jews concerning it, the history
shows unmistakably that Christ labored only to
correct abuses and misconceptions, but never to
destroy or annul the Sabbath. This history shows,
not only the continual recognition of the Sabbath,
but also what it ought to be from the Christian
stand-point. Through this example of Christ the
Sabbath law of the Fourth Commandment has a
more prominent place, and more copious history,
than any other one of the laws of the Decalogue.

*John 9: 1-16.

SABBATH AND SUNDAY. 15

This history accords fully with Christ's plain decla-
ration wherein he says :

"Think not that I am come to destroy the law or
the prophets, I am not come to destroy but to fulfill.
For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth
pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from
the law till all be fulfilled. Whosoever therefore
shall break one of these least commandments, and
shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the
kingdom of heaven ; but whosoever shall do and
teach them, the same shall be called great in the
kingdom of heaven."*

* Matt. 5 : 17-19.

CHAPTER III.

j^istory of Sunday in the

Gospels.

Only one first day of the week is spoken of, defi-
nitely, in the Gospels, that is the day which followed
the resurrection of Christ. (For a discussion of the
time when Christ arose, namely, "late in the Sab-
bath," i. e., before sunset on the Sabbath, see " Bib-
lical Teachings concerning the Sabbath and Sun-
day, p 60, seq.) Each of the Evangelists refers to
the day, and the scenes of the early morning when
the resurrection was reported. The more sanguine
supporters of the Sunday attempt to begin its histo-
ry with John's account of what Christ did on the
evening after that day, and Luke's account of cer-
tain occurrences on the afternoon of that day. The
latter comes first in order a3 being the earlier:

' ' And behold, two of them went that same day to
a village called Emuiaus, which was from Jerusalem
about threescore furlongs. And they talked together
of all these things which had happened. And it came
to pass, that, while they communed together, and
reasoned, Jesus himself drew near, and went with
them. But their eyes were holden, that they should
not know him. And he said unto them, What man-
ner of communications are these that ye have one to
another, as ye walk, and are sad? And the one of

SABBATH AND SUNDAY. 1?

them, whose name was Cleopas, answering, said un
to him. Art thou only a stranger in Jerusalem, and
hast not known the things which are come to pass
there in these days? And he said unto them. What
things? And they said unto him, Concerning Jesus
of Nazareth, which was a prophet mighty in deed
and word before God, and all the people: And how
the chief priests and our rulers delivered him to be
condemned to death, and have crucified him. But
we trusted that it had been he which should nave
redeemed Israel: and besides all this; to-da}' is the
third day since these things were done. Yea, and
certain women also of our company made us aston-
ished, which were early at the sepulchre. And when
they found not his body, they came, saying, that
they had also seen a vision of angels, which said
that he was alive. And certain of them which were
with us, went to the sepulchre, and found it^ven so
as the women had said: but him they saw not. Then
he said unto them, O fools, and slow of heart to be-
lieve all that the prophets have spoken ! Ought not
Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter in-
to his glory? And beginning at Moses, and all the
prophets, he expounded unto them in all the script-
ures the things concerning himself. And they
drew nigh unto the village whither they went;
and he made as though he would have gone
farther. But they constrained him, saying, Abide
with us; for it is toward evening and the day
is far spent. And he wTent in to tarry with them.
And it came to pass, as he sat at meat with them, he
took bread, and blessed it, and brake, and gave to
them. And their eyes were opened, and they knew
him: and he vanished out of their sight. And they
said one to another, Did not our heart burn within
us while he talked with us by the way, and while he
opened to us the Scriptures? And they rose up the
same hour, and returned to Jerusalem, and found
the eleven gathered together, and them lhat were with

(2)

18 SABBATH AND SUNDAY.

them, Saying, The Lord is risen indeed, and hath
appeared to Simon. And they told what things were
done in the way, and how he was known of them in
breaking of bread. And as they thus spake, Jesus
himself stood in the midst of them, and saith unto
them, Peace be unto you. But they were terrified
and affrighted, and supposed that they had seen a
spirit. And he said unto them, Why are ye troubled?
and why do thoughts arise in your hearts? Behold
my hands and my feet, that it is I myself: handle
me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as
ye see me have. And when he had thus spoken, he
shewed them his hands and his feet. And while
they yet believed not for joy, and wondered, he said
unto them, Have ye here any meat? And they gave
him a piece of a broiled fish, and of an honey-comb.
And he took it, and did eat before them. And he
said unto them, These are the words which I spake
unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things
must be fulfilled which were written in the law of
Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, con-
cerning me. Then opened he their understanding,
that they might understand the Scriptures, And said
unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behooved
Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third
day."*

John's account takes in only the scene of the even-
ing after the day. It runs as follows:

" Then the same day at evening, being the first
day of the week, when the doors were shut where
the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews,
came Jesus and stood in the midst, and saith unto
them, Peace be unto you. And when he had so said,
he shewed unto them his hands and his side. Then
were the disciples glad, when they saw the Lord.
Then said Jesus to them again. Peace be unto you:

* Luke 24: 13-46.

SABBATH AND SUNDAY. 19

as my Father bath sent me, even so send I you. And
when he had said this, he breathed on them, and
saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost: Whose-
soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them;
and whosesoever sins ye retain, they are retained."*

We have given the foregoing in full in order that
the reader may see that all the events took place for
one definite purpose, namely, to prove to the doubt-
ing disciples that Christ had really risen. The day
and the events are in no way related only by the fact
that on the morning of that day the resurrection had
been reported: in the afternoon and evening Christ
appeared to them as detailed above, in order to con-
vince them of the fact. The day has no other his-
tory, and the absence of all evidence that it was
even mentioned for any other reason, precludes the
claim that this bit of history teaches, even in any
way, the doctrine of the Sabbath as transferred
to the Sunday.

Because this, the only direct reference to the first
day, is so meager, modern theorists have sought to
prove that Christ met with his disciples on the
next Sunday, also, and so instituted some sort of ob-
servance of it. This claim is based upon the follow-
ing words:

" But Thomas, one of the twelve, called Didymus,
was not with them when Jesus came. The other
disciples therefore said unto him, We have seen the
Lord. But he said unto them, Except I shall see in
his hands the print of the nails, and put my finger
into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into

* John 20: 19-23.

20 SABBATH AND SUNDAY.

his side, I will not believe. And after eight days
again his disciples were within, and Thomas with
them; then t-une Jesus, the doors being shut, and
stood in lln> midst, and said, Peace he unto you.
Then saith he to Thomas, behold my hands; and
reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side;
and be not faithless, but believing. And Thomas an
Bwered and said unto him, My Lord and my God.
Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast
seen me, thou hast believed; blessed are they that
have not seen, and yet have believed."*

The trouble with making an}' history for Sunday
out of this passage, is:

(i) There i^ no evidence that it was the next first
day. If the language be taken exactly, then " after "
eight days must have been the ninth day at least.
If it be an indefinite expression the case is equally
bad. since the day would b ' wholly unknown.

(2) The reason for mentioning the event is that
Thomas being present . was convinced.

(3) The utter absence of any mention of a new or
specific reason for the meeting at that time forbids
even the supposition that auy reason was intended
beyond the one which the facts detailed indicate.

Only one conclusion is possible, viz., the first
day of the week has no history in the C4ospels ex-
cept the single day which succeeded the resurrection
of Christ, and during which, and in the evening
after which, he appeared to his disciples to prove his
resurrection. As a day of rest or worship, it has no
history whatever.

* John 20; 3G-29.

CHAPTER IV.

WlSTORY OF THE jSABBATH IN
THE j30OK OF yA:CTS.

The Book of Acts constitutes the second depart-
ment of New Testament history. It details the do-
ings, sermons, etc., of the apostles during the first
thirty years after Christ's ascension. It is the
inspired source of apostolic, church history. What
we know concerning the example of the apostles
during the first generation after Christ, we learn
from Acts. Let us inquire what it contains of his-
tory concerning the Sabbath. Be it remembered
that the Book from the ioth chapter forward, is
not the history of merely Jewish converts, but large-
ly of Gentiles. We find the thread of Sabbath his-
tory appearing in the record of the public mission-
ary labors of Paul and Barnabas, as follows:

"And when they were at Salamis, they preached
the word of God in the synagogues of the Jews. And
they had also John to their minister, . . . But when
they departed from Perga, they came to Antioch in
Pisidia, and went into the synagogue on the Sabbath-
day, and sat down. And after the reading of the
law and the prophets, the rulers of the synagogue
sent unto them, Baying, Ye men and brethren, if ye
have any word of exhortation for the people, say
on. Then Paul stood up, and beckoning with his

22 SABBATH AND SUNDAY.

hand said, Men of Israel, and ye that fear God, g;ve
audience. The God of this people of Israel chose
our fathers, and exalted the people when they dwelt
as strangers in the land of Egypt, and with a high
arm brought he them out of it. And about the time
of forty years suffered he their manners in the wil-
derness. And when he had destroyed seven nations
in the land of Chanaan, he divided their land to
them by lot. And after that he gave unto them
judges about the space of four hundred and fifty
years, until Samuel the prophet. And afteiward
they desired a king: and God gave unto them Saul
the son of Cis, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, by
the spice of forty years. And when he had removed
him, he raised up unto them David to be their king;
to whom also he gave testimony, and said, I have
found David the son of Jesse, a man after mine own
heart, which shall fulfill all my will. Of this man's
seed hath God, according to his promise, raised unto
Israel a Saviour, Jesus: When John had first preached
before his coming the baptism of repentance to all
the people of Israel. And as John fulfilled his course
he said, Whom think ye that I am? I am not he.
But. behold, there comethone after me, whose shoes
of Ms feet I am not worthy to loose. Men and
brethren, children of the stock of Abraham, and
who- never among you feareth God, to you is the
word of this salvation sent. For they that dwell at
Jerusalem, and their rulers, because they knew him
not, nor yet the voices of the prophets which are
read every Sabbath-day, they have fulfilled tlwm in
condemning him. And though they found no cause
of death in him, yet desired they Pilate that he
should be slain. And when the}7" had fulfilled all
that was written of him, they took him down from
the tree, and laid him in a sepulchre. But God raised
him from the dead: And he was seen many days
of them which came up with him from Galilee to
Jerusalem, who are his witnesses unto the people.

SABBATH AND SUNDAY. 23

And we declare unto yon glad tidings, how that the
promise which was made unto the fathers, God hath
fulfilled the same unto us their children, in that he
hath raised up Jesus again; as it is also written in
the second psalm, Thou art my Son, this day have
I begotten thee. And as concerning that he raised
him up from the dead, now no more to return to cor-
ruption, he said on this wise, I will give you the sure
mercies of David. Wherefore he saith also in an-
other psalm, Thou shalt not suffer thine Holy One
to see corruption. For David, after he had served
his own generation by the will of God, fell on sleep,
and was laid unto his fathers, and saw corruption:
But he, whom God raised again, saw no corruption.
Be it known unto you therefore, men and brethren,
that through this man is preached unto you the for-
giveness of sins: And by him all that believe are
justified from all things, from which ye could not be
justified by the law of Moses. Beware therefore,
lest that come upon you, which is spoken of in the
prophets; Behold, ye despisers, and wonder, and
perish: for I work a work in your days, a work
which ye shall in no wise believe, though a man de-
clare it unto you. And when the Jews were gone
out of the synagogue, the Gentiles besought that
these words might be preached to them the next Sab-
bath. Now when the congregation was broken up,
many of the Jews and religious proselytes followed
Paul and Barnabas; who, speaking to them, persuad-
ed them to continue in the grace of God. xlnd the
next Sabbath-day came almost the whole city to-
gether to hear the Word of God. But when the
Jews saw the multitudes, they were filled with envy,
and spake against those things which were spoken
by Paul, contradicting and blaspheming. Then Paul
and Barnabas waxed bold, and said,' It was necessary
that the Word of God should first have been spoken
to you; but seeing ye put it from you, and judge
yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, lo, we turn

24 SABBATH AXD SUNDAY.

co the Gentiles. For so hath the Lord commanded
us, saying, I have set thee to be a light of the Gen-
tiles, that thou shouldest be for salvation unto the
ends of the earth. And when the Gentiles heard
this, they were glad, and glorified the word of the
Lord: and as many as were ordained to eternal life,
believed."*

Here is the continual and habitual recognition and
observance of the Sabbath and the gathering of the
nuclei of churches, by Sabbath-keeping apostles.
Paul's sermon which is woven into the history was
of such a nature, and was so connected with the
question of Christ's Messiahship and resurrection,
that it must have discussed the "Sunday question,"
had there been any to discuss. The 42d and 44th
verses show that the Gentiles separately besought
that they might hear more of the truth on the fol-
lowing Sabbath. — not on the next day, Sunday.
The apostles complied with their request, and on the
next Sabbath, "almost the whole city" came out to
hear the Word. Had this occurred in a strictly
Jewish quarter, like Jerusalem there might be some
shadow for thinking that this was done to meet a
Jewish prejudice. A>, it is, such a conclusion is not
deducible from the history. Passing to the next
chapter, we find this same history continued:

" And it came to pass in Iconium, that they went
both together into the synagogue of the Jews, and
so &pake that a great multitude., both of the Jews,and
also of the Greeks, believed. But the unbelieving
Jews stirred up the Gentiles, and made their minds

* Acts 13: 5, 14-48.

SABBATH AND SUNDAY. 25

evil-affected against the brethren. Long time there-
fore abode they speaking boldly in the Lord, which
gave testimony unto the word of his grace, and grant-
ed signs and wonders to be done by their hands."*

Note that this is not a temporary act. They abode
there a long time, teaching thus. We next find
Paul at Philippi in Macedonia, some ten years later,
observing the Sabbath and seeking a place of worship
even where there was no synagogue:

" And from thence to Philippi, which is the chief
city of that part of Macedonia, and a, colony: and we
were in tbatcity abiding certain days. And on the
Sabbath we went out of the city by a river side,
where prayer was wont to be made; and we sat down
and spake unto the women which resorted thither.
And a certain woman named Lydia, a seller of pur-
ple, of the city of Thvatira, which worshiped God,
heard us: whose heart the Lord opened, that she at-
tended unto the things which were spoken of Paul.
And when she was baptized, and her household, she
besought us, saying, If ye have judged me to be
faithful to the Lord, come into my house, and abide
there. And she constrained us."f

In the 17th chapter the history of Sabbath runs
on as follows:

"Now when they had passed through Amphipolis
and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where
was a synagogue of the Jews: And Paul, as his
manner was, went in unto them, and three Sabbath-
days reasoned with them out of the Scriptures, open-
ing and alleging, that Christ must needs have suf-
fered, and risen agaio from the dead; and that this
Jesus, whom I preach unto you, is Christ. And

* Acts 14: 1-3. t Acts 16: 12-15.

26 SABBATH AND SUNDAY.

some of them believed, and consorted with Paul and
Silas; and of the devout Greeks a great multitude,
and of the chief women not a few."

* * * * * *

" Now while Paul waited for them at Athens, his
spirit was stirred in him, when he saw the city wholly
given to idolatry. Therefore disputed he in the
synagogue with the Jews, and with devout persons,
and in the market daily with them that met with
him. Then certain philosophers of the Epicureans,
and of the Stoics, encountered him. And some said,
What will this babbler say? other some, He seemeth
to be a setter forth of 'strange gods: because he
preached unto them Jesus, and the resurrection."*

Let the reader not fail to note that Paul is here
preaching far from Jerusalem, at Athens, among
the Gentiles, par excellence, and preaching about
" Jesus and the resurrection," as a Sabbath-keeper
with no hint or word about a " resurrection day," or
a transferred Sabbath.

Passing to the next chapter, the Holy Spirit takes
pains to tell us of the continued habit of Paul in Cor-
inth, the heart of Gentiledom, as a Sabbath-keeper:

" And he reasoned in the synagogue every Sab-
bath, and persuaded the Jews and the Greeks."

* * * * * *

" And he continued there a year and six months
teaching the "Word of God anions: them."

* * * * " * *

" And Paul after this tarried there yet a good while,
and then took his leave of the brethren, and sailed
thence into Syria, and withhim Priscilla, and Aquila;
having shorn h is head inCenchrea: for he had a vow.
And he came to Ephesus, and left them there: but

* Acts 17: 1-1. 16-19.

SABBATH AND SUNDAY. 27

he himself entered into the synagogue, and reasoned
with the Jews. When they desired him to tarry long-
er time with them, he consented not: But bade them
farewell, saying, I must by all means keep this feast
that cometh in Jerusalem: but I will return again
unto you, if God will. And he sailed from Ephesus. "*

Before returning to Ephesus Paul visited Csesarea,
Antioch, and " all the country of Galatia and
Phrygia." Returning to Ephesus, we find him still
observing the Sabbath as shown by the following:

' ' And he went into the synagogue, and spake
boldly for the space of three months, disputing and
persuading the things concerning the kingdom of God.
But when divers were hardened, and believed not,
but spake evil of that way before the multitude, he
departed from them, and separated the disciples, dis-
puting daily in the school of one Tyrannus. And
this continued by the space of two years; so that
all they which dwelt in Asia heard the word of the
Lord Jesus, both Jews and Greeks.' f

Following the chronology of the common version,
these references bring us down to 55 or 56 A. D.
They include a period of ten years at least, com-
mencing after the work was begun among the
Gentiles, and most of the occurrences being entirely
outside of Palestine and immediate Jewish influence.
These facts give the Sabbath a distinct, definite his-
tory in the Book of Acts, in which it has the highest
sanction of continued apostolic example in its favor.
As a fact in history every church or congregation
which is noticed in the Book of Acts, was founded
by Sabbath-keeping apostolic, missionaries.

* Acts 18: 4. 11, : 8-21 . t Acts 19: 8-10.

CHAPTER V.

MlSTORY OF jSlJNDAY IN THE

Book of ^cts.

The first day of the week is mentioned but once
in the Book of Acts. We give that reference in
full:

' And we sailed away from Philippi after the days
of unleavened bread, and came unto them to Troas
in five days; where we abode seven days. And upon
the first day of the week, when the disciples came
together to break bread, Paul preached unto them,
ready to depart on the morrow; and continued his
speech until midnight. And there were many lights
in the upper chamber, where they were gathered to
gether. And there sat in a window a certain young
man named Eutychus, being fallen into a deep sleep:
and as Paul was long preaching, he sunk down with
sleep, and fell down from the third loft, and was
taken up dead. And Paul went down, and fell on
him, and embracing him said, Trouble not your
selves: for his life is in him. When he therefore was
come up again, and had broken bread, and eaten,
and talked a long while, even till break of day, so he
departed. And they brought the young man alive,
and were not a little comforted."*

Analyzing this bit of history the following facts
appear:

* Acts 20: 6-12.

SABBATH AND SUNDAY. 29

1 . The occasion for mentioning the day of the
week is found in the fact that at its beginning, on
what is now called " Saturday evening," a farewell
meeting was held, preparatory to the leaving of Paul
on the following morning. This fact, and the mi-
raculous restoration of the young man Eutychus,
are the only ones which appear, or are implied, as
marking the time or the occasion. On the other
hand, the theory that this was the Sabbath by a trans-
fer of the law and the customs of rest and worship
from the seventh day, is positively forbidden
by the facts relative to the Sabbath and its ob-
servance, by the fact that this is the only time
when the first day is mentioned in the entire book,
and by the still more significant fact that in this
mention there is no hint, even remote, of anything
Sabbatic or commemorative about the day, or the
meeting; and farther still, by the fact that this meet-
ing must have been on the evening before Sun-
day, and that Paul and his party pursued their
journey on that day. Still farther; in the sev-
enth verse the best manuscripts give ' ' we" instead of
" disciples," showing that the "breaking of bread,"
was probably the ordinary evening meal of the trav-
eling party. If, in order to put something into this
history, it be insisted that this was the Lord's Sup-
per, and that the meeting was on the evening after
Sunday, then all the occurrences were on the second
day of the week, according to the prevalent mode of
reckoning, and the breaking of bread, was on the
second day, even according to the modern reckon-

30 SABBATH AND SUNDAY.

ing, since it was past midnight. The first day of the
week, therefore, has no history in the Book of Acts,
as it has none in the Gospels. In a word, the most
careful and honest search finds no history of Sunday
in the Bible, either as a Sabbath, a prayer day, or
a resurrection festival. The sources of its history
are not found in the Word of God.

But lest some one shall say that 1he non-histcric
writings of the New Testament contain references
which are fairly historic, we will notice what is
said of the first day, outside of the Gospels and of the
Acts. Looking through all of the

EPISTLES,

our search is well nigh fruitless, for the first day of
the week is mentioned bat once, in them all. Here it
is:

"Now concerning the collection for the saints, as
I have given order to the churches of Galatia, even
so do ye. Upon the first day of the week let every
one of you lay by him in store, as God hath prospered
him, that there be no gatherings when I come. And
when I come, whomsoever ye shall approve by your
letters, them will I send to bring your liberality un-
to Jerusalem."*

Analyzed as an historic statement, the above gives
us the following:

1. Certain help is needed for the poor at Jerusa-
lem, and Paul gives certain directions concerning it.

* 1 or. 16: 1-3

SABBATH AND SUNDAY. 31

It is only a temporary arrangement for a specific
purpose.

2. The order is that every man shall " put aside
at home," on the fiist day of the week what God
has enabled him to give for this purpose.

This interpretation is supported by Alford, Schaff,
Meyer and others. Neither the historian nor the
exegete can find anything in this to indicate a pub-
lic assembly, or any recognition of the day except
as a proper one on which to set aside, each man by
himself, his benefaction for the poor. To begin the
business of the week thus, was an excellent way to
insure a careful consideration of the claims of benev-
olence and a systematic training in well doing.

These considerations are all that appear in the
text, or the circumstances, and they are quite suffi-
cient for the order given.

Polemists quote one passage from the

REVELATION,

from which they seek to infer an argument for the
observance of Sunday. They presumptuously assert
that the passage fopins the source of the use of the
term " Lord's-day," as applied to the first day of the
week. It reads thus:

" I was in the Spirit on the Lord's-day, and heard
behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet, Saying, I
am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last: and,
What thou seest. write in a book, and send it unto
the seven churches which are in Asia," etc.*

Granting, for sake of theargument, thattheexpres-
*Rev. 1: 10.

32 SABBATH AND SUNDAY.

sion is correctly rendered, which, however, is fairly
questioned on philological grounds, there are seri-
ous objections against using it as a source of history.

i. The expression does not occur elsewhere in the
New Testament.

2. The Revelation was, probably, written a quar-
ter of a century before the Gospel of John, and the
absence of the term " Lord's-day " or any similar
term from the gospel in which the first day is dis-
tinctly mentioned, (See John 20,) is against every
natural conclusion. If Sunday was so sacred as to
be called Lord's-day twenty-five years before John\>
Gospel was written, it is utterly unhistoric to suppose
that the term would not appear in the subsequent writ-
ing- of John and others. This idea is strengthened by
the fact that the term does not appear in the post-
apostolic writings until about 170 A. D. The pas-
sage, therefore, cannot be made a foundation for the
history of Sunday as the Lord's-day, because of what
it contains; and the circumstances, viewed in the
light of the philosophy of histoiy, forbid any. appli-
cation of the term to Sunday.

Thus our survey of the Epistles and of Revelation
reveals no history of the first day of the week in the
Bible.

For the analysis of the arguments adduced in con-
nection with these passages see, "Biblical Teachings
Concerning the Sabbath and Sunday," by A. H. Lew-
is, pp. 76-105.

CHAPTER VI.
The ^Apostolic Fathers.

The material for history during the century im-
mediately succeeding the apostolic period is meager
and imperfect. The earlier post-apostolic writings
are fragmentary. In many instances neither the date
of the treatise nor the name of the author is known.
Forgeries abound and real literary ability is sadly
wanting. Apociyphal Gospels, Epistles, and the
like meet the investigator at every step leading the
unwary and over-credulous astray. The stream of
written Christian history which runs clear, through
the Gospels and the Book of Acts, drops out of sight
like a "lost river," for a time, and when it reappears it
is not a little polluted by the influences which it has
gathered in its under-ground wanderings. Modern
scholarship has selected a few things from the mass
of material that has come to us claiming to be the
product of the immediate post-apostolic age, which
are called, ' ' The writings of the Apostolic Fathers. "
A momentary comparison of these with the genuine
shows that they fall infinitely below the apostolic
standard. There is "a great gulf between them."
Since Sunday has no history in the New Testament,
its Puritan and semi-Puritan advocates have labored
strenuously to find some support for it in the earlier
(3)

34 SABBATH AND SUNDAY.

post-apostolic productions. Willing to grant unto
it all that can be found we will examine these in
their order.

THE EPISTLE OF CLEMENT OF HOME, TO THE COR-
INTHIANS.

This was, probably, written about the year 97 A.
D. It is attributed to the companion of Paul
spoken of in Phil. 4: 3. A few defenders of Sunday
have referred to, or quoted from the fortieth and
forty-first chapters, seeking therefrom inferential
argument in favor of their theories. The passage
with its context is as follows:

"Seeing then these things are manifest unto us,
it will behoove us to take care that, looking into the
depths of the divine knowledge, we do all things in
order whatsoever our Lord has commanded us to do;
and particularly, that we perform our offerings and
service to God at their appointed seasons; for these
he has commanded to be done, not by chance and
disorderly, but at certain determinate times and
hours; and therefore he has ordained, by his supreme
will and authority, both where, and by what persons,
they are to be performed; that so, all things being
piously done unto him well-pleasing, they may be
acceptable unto him. They, therefore, who make
their offerings at the appointed seasons are happy
and accepted; because that, obeying the command-
ments of the Lord, they are free from sin. And the
same care must be had of the persons that minister
unto him ; for the chief priest has his proper serv-
ices; and to the priests their proper place is appoint-
ed; and to the Levites appertain their proper ministries;
and the layman is confined within the bounds of
what is commanded to laymen.

" Let every one of you, therefore, brethren, bless
God in his proper station, with a good conscience,

SABBATH AND SUNDAY. 85

and with ail gravity, not exceeding the rule of his
service that is appointed to him. The daily sacrifices
are not offered everywhere, nor the peace-offerings,
nor the sacrifices appointed for sins and transgress-
ions, but only at Jerusalem; nor in any place There,
but only at the altar before the temple; that which
is offered being first diligently examined by the high
priest and the other ministers we before mentioned.
They therefore who do anything which is not agree-
able to his will are punished with death. "'*

The foregoing evidently refers to the temple wor-
ship. Certainly it contains nothing relative to any
change of the Sabbath, abrogation of the Sabbath
law, or introduction of Sunday. Neither is there
any reference or hint relative to any such thing in
any other part of the epistle. More; a writer who
is thus particular concerning the ceremonies of an
outgoing system would not fail to note so prominent
a feature of the new system as Sunday observance
would have been.

Next in order is a long allegory, which is attribu-
ted to the

HERMA8

who is mentioned in Romans 16: 14. This allegory
makes no allusion to the Lord's-day or to the Sun-
day. Its date is placed by the editors of Clark's edi-
tion of 1879, during the reign of Hadrian or Antonius
Pius, i. e., between 117 and 161 A. D.
Next comes the epistle of

POLYCARP TO THE PHILIPPIANS,

which is attributed by some to a disciple of St. John.

* Clement to the Corinthians, ehaps. 40, 41. Wake's Trans.;
also, Pat mm Apostolicorum Opera, Dressel, Leipsic, 1857;
also Apostolic Fathers, T. & T. Clark, Edinburg, 1879. the
latter being somewhat preferable as a translate n.

3b' SABBATH AND SUNDAY.

This is evidently incorrect since the best authorities
give its probable date as about the middle of the sec-
ond century. This is also silent concerning Sunday.

PAPIAS.

Fragments of writings attributed to Papias, who
is said to have been martyred about 163 A. D., con-
tain no reference to Sunday. Thus three out of five
of these "Fathers," Clement, Hernias, and Papias,
are found to be wholly silent concerning the ques-
tion at issue. The two remaining ones we shall find
to be spurious productions which possess no value as
authorities.

BARNABAS.

First of these two comes the Catholic Epistle of
Barnabas. This has been attributed to the com-
panion of St. Paul in his missionary labors, and
dated as early as A. D. 71. The following, from
standard authorities, will show that such claims are
false. Neander speaks as follows:

" The writings of the so-called Apostolic Fathers
are, alas! come down to us, for the most part, in a
very uncertain condition; partly, because in early
times writings were counterfeited, under the name
of these venerable men of the church, in order to
propagate certain opinions or principles; partly, be-
cause, those writings which they had really pub-
lished were adulterated, and especially so, to serve a
Judao-hierarchical party, which would fain crush
the free evangelical spirit. We should here, in the
first place, have to name Barnabas, the well known
fellow traveler of St. Paul, if a letter, which was
first known in the second century, in the Alexandrian
church, under his name, and which bore the in-
scription of a Catholic epistle, was really his com-

SABBATH AND SUNDAY. 37

position. But it is impossible that we should ac-
knowledge this epistle to belong to that Barnabas
who was worthy to be the companion of the apos-
tolic labors of St. Paul, and had received his name
from the power of his animated discourses in the
churches. . . . We find, also, nothing to induce us
to believe the author of the epistle was desirous of
being considered Barnabas. But since its spirit and
its mode of conception corresponded to the Alexan-
drian taste, it may have happened, that as the author's
name was unknown, and persons were desirous of
giving it authority, a report was spread abroad in
Alexandria, that Barnabas was the author."*

Mosheim says:

' ' The Epistle of Barnabas was the production of
some Jew, who most probably lived in this (the sec-
ond) century, and whose mean abilities and supersti-
tious attachment to Jewish fables, show, notwith-
standing the uprightness of his intentions, that he
must have been a very different person from the true
Barnabas who was St. Paul's companion. ''+

Also, this from the same author:

"For what is suggested by some of its having
been written by that Barnabas who was the friend
and companion of St. Paul, the futility of such a
notion is easily to be made apparent from the letter
itself. Several of the opinions and interpretations
of scripture which it contains, having in them so
little, either of truth, or dignity, or force, as to
render it impossible that they ever could have pro-
ceeded from the pen of a man divinely inspired. "±

Eusebius says:

" Take these which follow for forged works — The
Acts of Paul, the book called Pastor, the Revelation

* Hist, of the Christian Church of the First Three Centuries
pp. 407, 408, Rose's Trans.

t Church history, Vol. 1, p. 113, Maclaine's Trans.
% Historical Commentaries, Century 2, Sec. 53.

38 SABBATH AND SUNDAY.

of Peter; moreover, the Epistle fathered upon Bar-
nabas, and the Doctrine called The Apostles."*

Prof. Hackett says:

" The letter still extant, which was known as that
of Barnabas, even in the second century, can not be
defended as genuine, "f

Milner says:

" Of the apostle Barnabas, nothing is known, ex-
cept what is recorded in the Acts. There we have
an honorable encomium of his character, and a par-
ticular description of his joint labors with St. Paul.
It is a great injury to him, to apprehend the epistle
which goes by his name to be his."±

Kitto says:

"The so-called epistle of Barnabas, probably a
forgery of the second century. "%

Sir William Domville, after an exhaustive exami-
nation of the whole question, concludes as follows:

"But the epistle was not written by Barnabas; it
is not merely ' unworthy of him,' it would be a dis-
grace to him, and, what is of much more conse-
quence, it would be a disgrace to the Christian re-
ligion, as being the production of one of the author-
ized teachers of that religion in the time of the
apostles, which circumstance would seriously dam-
age the evidence of its divine authority."!

Prof. W. D. Killen, a prominent representative of
the Presbyterian Church in Ireland, bears testimony
as follows :

* Hamner's translation of Eusebius' Hist. Ecc, liber 3,
chap. 23, p. 49, London, 1650.
t Commentary on Acts, p. 251.
} Vol. 1, p. 126, Church History.
§ Cyclopedia Biblical Literature, article Lord's-day.
I An Examination of the Six Texts, p. 833.

SABBATH AND SUNDAY. 39

" The tract known as the 'Epistle of Barnabas,'
was probably composed in A. D. 135. It is the pro-
duction, apparently, of a convert from Judaism,
who took special pleasure in allegorical interpreta-
tions of Scripture.''*

Rev. Lyman Coleman says:

"The Epistle of Barnabas, bearing the honored
name of the companion of Paul in his missionary
labors, is evidently spurious. It abounds in fabu-
lous narratives, mystic allegorical interpretations of
the Old Testament, and fanciful conceits: and is
generally agreed by the learned to be of no authority.
Neander supposes it to have originated in the Alex-
andrian school; but at what particular time he does
not define, "f

Dr. Schaff rejects the theory that the Epistle is
genuine, and says:

' ' The author was probably a converted Jew from
Alexandria, (perhaps by the name of Barnabas, which
would easily explain the confusion), to judge from
his familiarity with Jewish literature, and, ap-
parently, with Philo, and his allegorical method of
handling the Old Testament, In Egypt his Epistle
was first known and most esteemed, and the Sinaitic
Bible which contains it was probably written in Al-
exandria or Csesarea in Palestine. The readers were
chiefly Jewish Christians in Egypt, and the East,
who overestimated the Mosaic traditions and cere-
monies."^:

The Encyclopedia of Religious Knowledge, (arti-
cle Barnabas' Epistle), speaking of Barnabas the
companion of Paul, says:

* History of the Ancient Church, p. 307, New York, 1859.
t Ancient Christianity Exemplified, chap. 2, sec. 2, p. 47,
Philadelphia, 1852.
X History Christian Church, Vol. 2, p. 677, New York, 1883.

40 SABBATH AND SUNDAY.

"He could not be the author of a work so full of
forced allegories, extravagant and unwarrantable
explications of Scripture, together with stories con-
cerning beasts, and such like conceits, as make up
Ihe first part of this epistle."

In the presence of the foregoing evidence, but one
conclusion is possible, viz. , the Epistle of Barnabas
is a vague, fanciful production of some dreamer,
forged at an uncertain date in the second century.
If the reader cares to look into it, he will find por-
tions of it to be unfit for a respectable page. The
passage quoted in favor of Sunday observance reads
as follows:

" Even in the beginning of the creation he makes
mention of the Sabbath: ' And God made in six days
the works of his hands, and he finished them on the
seventh day, and he rested the seventh day and sane -
titled it,' Consider, my children, what that signifies.
He finished them in six days. The meaning of it is
this : that in six thousand years the Lord God will bring
all things to an end, for with him one day is as a
thousand years; as himself testifieth, saying, 'Be-
hold this day shall be as a thousand years.' There-
fore, children, in six days, that is, in six thousand
years, shall all things be accomplished. And what
is that he saith, 'And he rested the seventh day?'
He meaneth this: that when his Son shall come, and
abolish the season of the wicked one, and judge the
ungodly, and shall change the sun, and the moon,
and the stars, then he shall gloriously rest on that
seventh day. . . . Lastly, he saith unto them,
' Your new' moons and your sabbaths, I cannot bear
them.' Consider what he means by it. 'The sab-
baths,' says he, 'which ye now keep, are not accept-
able unto'me, but those which I have made.' When
resting from all things, I shall begin the eighth day.

SABBATH AND SUNDAY. 41

that is the beginning of the other world. For which
cause we observe the eighth day with gladness, in
which Jesus rose from the dead; and having mani-
fested himself to his disciples, he ascended into heav-
en."*

It is to be regretted that many writers in favor of
Sunday have quoted only the last clause of the fore-
going, beginning with the words, " For which cause,"
etc. They have thus perverted the meaning, and
sought to make it appear that the "resurrection"
was the main reason assigned for ' ' observing the
eighth day with gladness." Whereas, the fanciful
notions concerning the creation and the millennium
constituted the main reason for such notice of the
eighth day. Hence, another conclusion must be ad-
ded, viz. : If any persons joined with the forger of
this epistle in observing the eighth day, their action
was predicated on grounds very far removed from
common sense, and from the Word of God.

IGNATIUS.

One production which is classed with the "Apos-
tolic Fathers " remains to be examined — the Epistle
of Ignatius to the Magnesians. This production, like
that attributed to Barnabas, is a forgery, and the
passage adduced in favor of Sunday is caricatured
into a seeming reference only by interpolating the
word day. In support of these statements, we offer
the following testimony. First, the passage in full,
with its contexts. It is as follows:

* Apostolic Fathers, Epistle Barnabas, chap. 15, Wake's
Translation; also, Latin Edition, Dressel, Leipsic, 1857; also
Clark's Edition Apostolic Fathers, p. 127.

42 SABBATH AND SUNDAY.

" Be not deceived with strange doctrines, nor with
old fables, which are unprofitable; for if we still
continue to live according- to the Jewish law, we do
confess ourselves not to have received grace. For
even the most holy prophets lived according to
Christ Jesus; and for this cause were they persecut-
ed, being inspired by his grace to convince the un-
believers and disobedient that there is one God who
has manifested himself by Jesus Christ his Son. . .

" Wherefore, if they who were brought up in
these ancient laws, came nevertheless to the newness
of hope, no longer observing Sabbaths, but keeping
the Lord's-day," in which also our life is sprung up
by him, and through his death, whom yet some deny,
by which mystery" we have been brought to believe,
and therefore wait that we may be found the disci
pies of Jesus Christ, our only Master: how shall we
be able to live different from him, whose disciples
the very prophets themselves being, did by the Spirit
expect him as their Master. And therefore, he whom
they justly waited for, being come, raised them up
from the dead."*

Without noting the grammatical construction of
the sentence, the reader will see that the passage as
it reads is untruthful, since it asserts that the ' ' most
holy prophets" ceased to keep Sabbaths, and kept
the Lord's-day. The discussion concerning this pas-
sage in Kitto's Encyclopedia of Biblical Literature
(article Lord's-day) is so complete, that it is here
quoted somewhat at length, as follows:

"But we must here notice one other passage of
earlier date than any of these, which has often been

* Ignatius to the Magnesians, sees. 8, 9, Wake's Trans.; for
the Latin, see Pat. Apos., Dressel; also, Clark's Edition Apos-
tolic Fathers, p. 180. Clark gives also the longer text, into
which the word " day " is not put.

SABBATH AND SUNDAY. 43

referred to as bearing on the subject of the Lord's-
day, though it certainly contains no mention of it.
It occurs in the Epistle of Ignatius to the Magnesi-
ans (about A. D. 100). The whole passage is con-
fessedly obscure, and the text ma}' be corrupt. It
has, however, been understood in a totally different
sense, and as referring to a distinct subject; and such
we confess appears to us to be the most obvious and
natural construction of it.
" The passage is as follows:

Ei ovv 01 €v naXaioiG 7tpayjia6iv ava-
o~Tpa(p£VTeo~ eiff naivonpoc iXnidoa r}X-
6 or — jAtpiiri aaftfSariQovrsa aXXd Hard
nvpiaurv Cgd?)v Zgdvteg — iv r) xai ?} Qgotj
v/.iwv avereiXev 6V avroC uai rov dava-
rov av'rov [or riveo~ apvovvrai], oY ov
HV6Tripiov e'Xa/Sojusv, . . . 7Tg3o~ ?)fxeia
6vvi]Go\xtda QrjGai x°°P^ avrov. . . .*

"Now, many commentators assume (on what
ground does not appear) that after xvpianrfv
the word ?jpiepa v is to be understood. On this

hypothesis they endeavor to make the rest of the
sentence accord with a reference to the observance
of the Lord's-day, by further supposing iy r) to re-
fer to rfpiepa understood, and the whole to be put
in contrast with Q'afifiaTiCovTSO'yiK the former
clause. For opinions in support of this view, the
reader is referred to the Notes in Jacobson's edition,
P- 324.

* Ignatius ad Maqnestas, sec. 9, Jacobson's Pat res Apost. 2.
322, Oxford, 1840.

44 SABBATH AND SUNDAY.

"Let us now look at the passage simply as it
stands. The defect of the sentence is the want of a
substantive to which avrov can refer. This de-
fect, so far from being remedied, is rendered still
more glaring, by the introduction of rj)j.epa.
Now, if we take Kvpiaurf Coorj as simply ' the life
of the Lord,' having a more personal meaning, it
certainly goes nearer to supplying the substantive to
avrov. Again, ev ff may well refer to Cgqt},
and Kvpiaxrf Caor/, meaning our Lord's life, as
emphatically including his resurrection, (as in Rom.
5: 10, etc.,) presents precisely the same analogy to
spiritual life of the Christian as is conveyed both in
Rom. 5, Coloss. 3: 3, 4, and many , other passages.
Thus, upon the whole, the meaning might be given
thus:

" ' If those who lived under the old dispensation
have come to the newness of hope, no longer keep-
ing Sabbaths, but living according to our Lord's life,
(in which, as it were, our life has risen again, through
him, and his death, [which some deny], through
whom we have received the mystery, etc. , . . .) how
shall we be able to live without him? ' etc.

' ' In this way (allowing for the involved style of
the whole) the meaning seems to us simple, consist-
ent, and grammatical, without any gratuitous intro-
duction of words understood; and this view has
been followed by many, though it is a subject on
which considerable controversy has existed. On
this view, the passage does not refer at all to the
Lord's-day; but even on the opposite supposition, it
cannot be regarded as affording any positive evidence
to the early use of the term ' Lord's-day ' (for which
it is often cited) since the material word r}}xkpa
is purely conjectural. It however off ers an instance
of that species of contrast which the early fathers

SABBATH AND SUNDAY. 45

were so fond of drawing between the Christian and
Jewish dispensations, and between the new life of
the Christian and the ceremonial spirit of the law, to
which the Lord's-day (if it be imagined to be referred
to) is represented as opposed."

The foregoing rendering and interpretation are
fully sustained by a late writer of high authority
concerning Sunday, James Augustus Hessey, D.
C. L. Relative to the passage under consideration,
he says:

' ' Here is a passage from his Epistle to the Mag-
nesians, containing, as you will observe, a contrast
between Judaism and Christianity, and, as an ex-
emplification of it, an opposition between sabbatiz-
ing and living the life of the Lord. ... If they,
then, who were concerned in old things, arrived at a
newness of hope, no longer observing the Sabbath,
but living according to the Lord's life, by which our
life sprung up by him, and by his death, . . . how
can we live without him," etc.*

Sir William Domville, makes the following just
criticism:

' ' It seems not a little strange that the Archbishop
should so widely depart from the literal translation,
which is this: 'No longer observing Sabbaths, but
living according to the Lord's life, in which also our
life is sprung up.' For there is no phrase or word
in the original which corresponds to the phrase, 'the
Lord's-day,' or to the word 'keeping.' In a note re-
ferring to this word, the Archbishop saj's: ' Or liv-
ing according to;' so that he acknowledges this trans-
lation would be correct, but the consequence of his
throwing it into a note is to lead the reader to sup-
pose that, though the original may be so translated.

* Bampton Lectures, preached before the University of
Oxford, in the j-ear 18G0, p. 41.

46 SABBATH AND SUNDAY.

the probable- translation is that which is given in the
text, when in truth, so far from being a preferable
translation it is no translation at all."*

This examination of the passage has been made
thus full in order to show that there is no reference
to Sunday-keeping except by a fraudulent and un-
scholarly translation, and by interpolation. The
examination has also proceeded upon the supposition
that the epistle is genuine. That it is not genuine will
fully appear from the following testimony:

Dr. Killen, gives the following history of the epis-
tles ascribed to Ignatius:

"In the sixeenth cetntury, fifteen letters were
brought out from beneath the hoary mantle of an-
tiquity, and offered to the world as the productions
of the pastor of Antioch. Scholars refused to re-
ceive them on the terms required, and forthwith
eight of them were admitted to be forgeries. In the
seventeeth century, the seven remaining letters, in
a somewhat altered form, again came forth from
obscurity, and claimed to be the works of Ignatius.
Again discerning critics refused to acknowledge their
pretensions; but curiosity was aroused by this second
apparition, and many expressed an earnest desire to
obtain a sight of the real epistles. Greece, Syria,
Palestine, and Egypt were ransacked in search of
them, and at length three letters are found. The
discovery creates general gratulation; it is confessed
that four of the epistles, so lately asserted to be gen-
uine, are apocryphal, and it is boldly said that the
three now forthcoming are above challenge. But
truth still refuses to be compromised, and sternly
disowns these claimants for her approbation. The
internal evidence of these three epistles abundantly

* Sabbath, etc., p. 242.

SABBATH AND SUNDAY. 47

attests that, like the last three books of the Sibyl,
they are only the last shifts of a grave imposture."*

In a note, Doctor Killen adds that " Bunsen rather
reluctantly admits that the highest literary authority
of the present century, the late Dr. Neander, de-
clined to recognize even the Syriac version of the
Ignatian Epistles."

Rev. Lyman Coleman, testifies in the following
words:

' ' Certain it is that these epistles, if not an entire
forgery, are so filled with interpolations and forgeries
as to be of no historical value with reference to the
primitive Christians and the apostolic churches."!

John Calvin says:

"Nothing can be more absurd than the imperti-
nences which have been published under the name of
Ignatius.":}:

Rev. Roswell D. Hitchcock, D. D., Professor of
Church History in Union Theological Seminary,
New York, in an article on the " Origin and Growth
of Episcopacy," sums up the case as follows:

1. " Killen. the Irish Presbyterian, thinks these
Ignatian epistles all spurious, but is of the opinion
that the Syriac three were the first to be forged in
the time of Origen [185-254 A. D.], soon after which
they were translated into Greek, and others were
added before the time of Eusebius, who is admitted
to have had the seven.

2. " Baur and Hilgenfeld think them all spurious,
but are of the opinion that the seven of the shorter
Greek recensions were the first to be forged after 150

* Ancient Church, sec. 2, chap. 3.

t Ancient Christianity Exemplified, chap. 1, sec 2.

X Institutes, Book 1, chapter 13.

48 SABBATH AND SUNDAY.

A. D., and that the Syriac three are simply frag-
mentary translations from the Greek.

3. " Cureton, Bunsen, Ritschel, and Lipsius, con-
tend for the genuineness of the Syriac three. This,
as the matter now stands, appears to be the weakest
position of all.

4. "A strong array of the ablest and soundest
critics, both Roman Catholic and Protestant, such
as Moehler and Gieseler, Hefele and Uhlhorn, may
still be found on the side of the shorter Greek re-
cension."*

The following conclusions seem to be just and
imperative:

1 . The Epistle of Ignatius to the Magnesians is a
forgery, made long after the death of Ignatius.

2. It makes no mention of the Sunday or Lord's-
day.

3. To interpolate the word day in the oft-quoted
passage perverts the meaning, and destroys the gram-
matical arrangement of the sentence.

Thus it appears that there is absolutely no explicit
testimony in favor of Sunday, or the Lord's-day as
referring to Sunday, by any of the "Apostolic Fa-
thers." This conclusion, so at variance with the
popular notion, invites criticism. It is based on the
authorities quoted above, and is not the simple con-
clusion of the author of these pages. The popular
view has been accepted by those who have not ex-
amined the case critically, as much else is accepted
which comes to us dust covered and surrounded by
the shadows of the past. It will not bear the day-
light of careful examination.

* American Presbyterian and Theological Bexiew, Januarv,
1867.

CHAPTER VII.

Pliny's Letter to Trajan, and
a Famous Falsehood.

Early in the second century, Pliny the Younger,
then governor of Bythinia, wrote to the Emperor
Trajan (about 107 A. D.) asking advice concerning
the complaints which were made to him relative to
the Christians in his province. After stating the
points on which he desired counsel, he says:

" In the meanwhile, the method I have observed
towards those who have been brought before me as
Christians is this: I interrogated them whether they
were Christians? If they confessed, I repeated the
question twice again, adding threats at the same time;
when, if they still persevered, I ordered them to be
immediately punished; for I was persuaded, whatever
the nature of their opinions might be, a contumacious
a ndinflexible obstinacy certainly deserved correction.
There were others also brought before me possessed
withthe same infatuation, but being citizens of Home,
I directed them to be carried thither. But this crime
spreading (as is usually the case), while it was actu-
ally under prosecution, several instances of the
same nature occurred. An information was present
ed to me without any name subscribed, containing a
charge against several persons, who upon examina-
tion denied they were Christians, or ever had been.
They repeated after me an invocation to the gods,
and offered religious rites with wine and frankin-
cense before a on r statue (which for this purpose 1

(4)

50 SABBATH ANJJ SUNDAY.

had ordered to be brought, together with those of the
gods), and even reviled the name of Christ; Where
as there is no forcing, it is said, those who are really
Christians, into a compliance with any of these arti -
cles; I thought proper, therefore, to discharge them.
Some among those who were accused by a witness
in person, at first confessed themselves Christians,
but immediately after denied it; while the rest
owned indeed that they had been of that number
formerly, but had now, (some above three, others
more, and a few above twenty years ago) forsaken
that error. They all worshiped your statue and the
images of the gods, throwing out imprecations at
the same time against the name of Christ.

'They affirmed that the whole of their guilt or
error was, that they met on a certain si ated day be
fore it was light, and addressed themselves in a form
of piayer to Christ, as to some God, binding them-
selves by a solemn oath, not for the purposes of any
wicked design, but never to commit any fraud, theft,
or adultery; never to falsify their word, nor deny a
trust when they should be called upon to deliver it
up; after which it was their custom to separate, and
then reassemble to eat in common a harmless meal.
From this custom, however, they desisted after the
publication of my edict, by which, according to
your orders, I forbade the meeting of any assem
blies."*

The claim which is made concerning this extract,
is, that the certain "stated day," was Sunday. But
when it is remembered that the Bythinian churches
were probably organized by Peter at a time when
the observance of the Sabbath, was a common practice
of the apostles, it is practically certain that the" stated
day " was the seventh day. This view is supported

* Pliny*s Letters^ B. x.. Epistle 97, Melmoth's Translation.

SABBATH AND SUNDAY. 51

by natural inferences, and general facts, relative to
the observance of the seventh day which continued
in the church for some centuries after the date of
Pliny's letter. Bohmer,(as quoted by Holden, p. 292,)
takes this view. Gesner in his notes on Pliny con
curs with this view.*

"DOMINICUM SERVASTI."

Such use has been made of a certain spurious
claim, concerning the questions put to ihe early
martyrs, that it demands special attention at this
point. Mr. Gilfillan, Mr. Gurney, and others have
used the claim to support the idea that the ' ' stated
day" of Pliny, was the Sunday, or that Sunday
keeping was a cause for martyrdom at a very early
period. Mr. Gilfillan asserts that the enmity be
tween the early Christians and the Jews, arose from
the change of the "Sabbatic-day." This assertion
is followed by these words:

" The Romans, though they had no objection on
this score, punished the Christians for the faithful
observance of their day of rest, one of the testing
questions put to the martyrs being, Dominieum ser-
oasti? — Have you kept the Lord's day? Such, how-
ever, was the success of truth, and of the example of
these good men, that the Lord 's-day soon passed from
being an object of opprobrium into a law of a great
empire. And Julian himself was so impressed with
the power of its arrangement of rest and instruction
as to contemplate the adoption of a similar provision
for reviving and propagating heathen error, "f

This statement has been termed "a famous false

* See Hessev, Sunday, p. 370, and Cox, Sabbath Literature.
Vol. l. p. 297. * \ Sabbath, etc., p. 7.

52 SABBATH AND SUNDAY.

hood." We are not ready to assume that Mr. Gil
fillan, and others who have repeated the statement,
so under>tood, or designed it. But the facts given
below, show that anxiety to find support for Sunday
in the early times, and incomplete knowledge, or
both, have ltd them into a great error. Mr. Gilfillan
gives as authority, {"Baron, An Eccles, A.D. 303,
Num. 35," etc.), which will be examined. Mr.
Gurney shapes his effort as follows:

" But what was the stated day when these things
took place? Clearly, the first day of the week; as is
proved by the very question which it was customary
for the Roman persecutors to address to the martyrs,
viz., Dominicum servastil — 'Hast thou kept the
Lord's-day ? ' To which the answer usually returned
was, in substance, as follows: Christianus sum, inter-
mittere non possum — ' I am a Christian, I can not
omit it."'*

In a foot note Mr. Gurney gives his authority as
follows: "Acts of Martyrs in Bishop Andrews on
the Ten Commandments, p. 264." Concerning this
reference we have made careful examination and
found the following facts. The full title of the
work to which Mr. Gurne}r evidently refers is as fol-
lows: " The Pattern of Catechistical Doctrine at large;
or a learned and pious Exposition of the Ttn Com-
mandments." In this work, at the place cited, there
is made an effort to prove that the term " Lord's-
day," Rev. 1: 10, means Sunday. In connection
with that discussion the following passage appears:

" A thing so notorious, so well known even to the
* Brief Remarks on the History, etc. of the Sabbath, p. 36.

SABBATH AND SUNDAY. 53

heathen themselves, as it was (in the Acts of the
Martyrs) ever an usual question of theirs (even of
course) in their examining; what? Dominicum ser-
rasti? — 'Hold you the Sunday?' and their answer
known; they all aver it. Christianus sum, inter-
mittere non possum — ' I am a Christian; I can not in-
termit it, not the Lord's-day in anywise.' These are
examples enough."

Thus we reach the exact words referred to by Mr.
Gurney. But we find also another important fact.
This " Pattern, of Catechistical Doctiine" was a post-
humous work. The manuscript was not complete
when Bishop Andrews died, and the editor made
such additions as he deemed best from the material
left by the Bishop. The passage above is taken from
a printed speech made by the Bishop against Thraske,
an English Seventh-day Baptist, who was tried be-
fore the "Star Chamber" Court for maintaining
that Christians were bound to keep the seventh day
Sabbath, etc. The Bishop died in 1626. and his
speech against Thraske was not published until 1629.
It was, therefore, as well as the "Pattern of Cate-
chistical Doctrine," a "posthumous publication." It
is probable that it was printed from some rough out-
line of his speech, found among his papers; for it is
one of several tracts attributed to the Bishop, and
collected in a small volume entitled, " Opuscula quae-
dam posthuma."

On pages 131 and 132 of a work in favor of Sunday,
written by William Twisse, D. D., of the English
Church, and published at London in 1641, about ten
or twelve years after the publication of Andrews'

54 SABBATH AND SUNDAY.

work, is the same quotation, which Twisse says is
from Andrews' speech against Thraske in the court
of the Star Chamber. In the history of the trial of
Thraske as given by a contemporary,* the same
passage is quoted from Bishop Andrews' speech
against him.

In this speech, the Bishop labors to prove that the
seventh day was early changed for the first by
Christians. In the course of that discussion, he
makes the statement quoted above. (The passage
from the speech against Thraske and hence the ref-
erence to Dominicum servasti does not appear in the
Parker Edition of Andrews' "Works," — Oxford
1846— nor in the Revised Catechetical Doctrine pub-
lished in 1852. Thus does the myth vanish which
has been so long used as a foundation for the claim
that the " stated day " of Pliny was Sunday.)

But the case is made still more unsatisfactory
when we search for the authority on which Bishop
Andrews made his loose statement. He refers to
the Acts of the Martyrs only in a general way, citing
no instance wherein such a question was asked. Care-
ful search reveals the fact that no such question is
anywhere recorded. Domville states the result of
his researches as follows :f

"The most complete collection of the memoirs
and legends still extant relative to the lives and suf-
ferings of the Christian martyrs, is that of Ruinart,
entitled, ' Acta primorv m Martyrum, sincera et selec-

* Paggit Herisiography. p. 20, London, 1661.
t For Domville's entire discussion, see Examination of the
Six Texts, pp. 251-273.

SABBATH AND SUNDAY. 55

ta.' I have myself carefully consulted that work,
and I take it upon myself to affirm, that among the
questions there stated to have been put to the mar-
tyrs, in and before the time of Pliny, and for nearly
two hundred years afterwards, the question, Domin-
icum sermsti? does not once occur, or any equivalent
question, such, for instance, as Dominicum celebrasti?

' ' It can not be expected that I should quote in
proof of my assertion all the questions put to the
martyrs in all the martyrdoms, (above one hundred
in number) recorded in Ruin art; but I will do this, I
will state all the questions that were put to the mar-
tyrs in and before Pliny's time."

Having stated these questions, Domville continues:

' ' This much may suffice to show that Dominicum
servasti? was no question in Pliny's time, as Mr.
Gurney intends us to believe it was. I have how
ever still other proof to offer of Mr. Gurney 's unfair
dealing with the subject, but I defer stating it for
the present, that I may proceed in the inquiry, what
may have been the authority on which Bishop An
drews relied when stating that Dominicum servasti?
was ever a usual question put by the heathen perse-
cutors. I shall with this view pass over the martyr-
doms which intervened between Pliny's time and the
fourth century, as they contain nothing to the pur-
pose, and shall come at once to that martyrdom, the
narrative of which was, I have no doubt, the source
from which Bishop Andrews derived his question,
Dominicum sermsti? ' Hold you the Lords-day? '
This martyrdom happened A. D. 304. (Baronius puts
it one year earlier. — a. h. l.) The sufferers were
Saturninus and his four sons, and several other per-
sons. They were taken to Carthage and brought
before the proconsul Amulinus. In the account giv-
en of their examination by him, the phrases ' Cele-
brare dominicum,'1 and ' agere dominicum, ' frequently
occur, but in no instance is the verb servare used in

56 SABBATH AND SUNDAY.

reference to dominicum I mention this chiefly to
show that when Bishop Andrews, alluding, as no
doubt he does, to the narrative of this martyrdom.
sa}s the question was Dominicum sercasti? it is very
clear he had not his author at hand, and that, in
trusting to his memor}r, he coined a phrase of his
own."

After quoting the questions put at this trial, in
which the term Dominicum is used, and the answers
which were made hy the martyrs, Domville adds:

" The narrative of the martyrdom of Saturninus
and his fellow sufferers being the only one which has
the appearance of supporting the assertion of Bishop
Andrews that 'Hold you the Lord's day?' was a
usual question to the martyrs, what if I should
prove that even this narrative affords no support to
that assertion. Yet nothing is more easy than this
proof; for Bishop Andrews has quite mistaken the
meaning of the word dominicum, in translating it
' the Lord's-day.' It had no such meaning. It was a
barbarous word, in use amongsome of the ecclesiastical
writers in and subsequent to the fourth century, to
express, sometimes a church, and at other times the
Lord's Supper; but never the Lord's-day. My au-
thorities on this point are: 1. Ruinart, (the compiler
of the work entitled. 'Acts of the Martyrs,' etc.,)
who. upon the word dominicum. in the narrative of
the martyrdom of Saturninus, has a note in^ which
he sa} s it is a word signifying the Lord's Supper,
{Dominicum vero design/it sacra mysteria,) and he
quotes Tertullian and Cyprian in support of this in-
terpretati >n. [This te&t'imony from Kuinart is con-
clusive concerning the meaning of the term domin-
icum. In another note upon a passage in which the
word occurs, he also says that some manuscripts
have Dominica mcramenta.'] 2. The editors of the
Benedictine edition of St. Augustine's works. They
state that the word has the two meanings of a church

SABBATH AND SUNDAY. O?

and the Lord's Supper. For the former they quote
among other authorities a canon of the council of
Neo-ucesarea. For the latter meaning they quote
Cyprian, and refer also to St. Augustine's account
of his conference with the Donatists in which allu-
sion is made to the narrative of the martyrdom of
Saturninus.* 3. Gesner who, in his Latin Thesau-
rus published in 1749, gives both meanings to the
word dominicum. For that of the Lord's Supper
he quotes Cyprian; for that of a church he quotes
Cyprian and also Hillary."

In addition to the foregoing it may be added
that dominicum is not an adjective of which diem is
the understood substantive. In the narrative of the
trial of Saturninus it is used as a neuter substantive
as the following sentence shows: Quia non potest in-
termitti dominicum.

From the foregoing facts, the following conclu-
clusions are legitimately drawn :

1. Bishop Andrews, in his speech against Thraske
before the court of the Star Chamber in 1618, made
a general reference to the " Acts of the Martyrs," as
authority for a loosely made statement relative to the
question Dominicum servastif A careful examina-
tion of the best edition of that work shows that no
such question was ever used; that one somewhat
similar was used at a trial long after the time when
Pliny wrote his statement concerning a " stated day,"
in which quotation the Lord's Supper and not the
Lord's day is referred to.

2. Mr. Gurney, Dr. Dwight, and others, have re-
ferred to Bishop Andrews' speech and to Pliny's let-

*Vol.5, pp. 116, 117, Antwerp, 1700.

58 SABBATH AXD SIX DAY.

ter in such a way as to lead their readers into a very
grave error concerning the whole matter.

We now come to Mr. Gilfillan's statements,
which be it remembered, have been published since
Sir Domville made such a complete exposure in re-
gard to the passage. Read again what he says above.
(Cardinal Baronius was a Romish Annalist, who
wrote about the beginning of the seventeenth cen-
tury. Bingham, in Antiquities of the Christian Chuich,
refers to an edition published at Antwerp, in 1610.)
Thus by a change of tactics, Mr. Gilfillan attempts
to evade the force of the exposure made by Sir Dom-
ville, relative to Bishop Andrews' reference to the
•Acts of the Martyrs," and so to save the much-
loved Dominicum servastif By noting the date, A.
D. 303, the reader will see that he is obliged to ad-
mit the main item, namely, that the question was
not put until the fourth century, and hence can have
no bearing upon the "stated day " referred toby
Pliny. But worse than this is the fact that Baronius
does not support Mr. Gilfillan's claim, and so leaves
him liable to very grave charges as to honesty, or
carelessness. The account given by Baronius shows
that he copied from the " Acts of Martyrs," from
which abundant testimony has been given, showing
that Dominicum was used to indicate the Lord's Sup-
per. Baronius, in the place referred to by Gilfillan,
and its contexts, gives the history of the martyrdom
of Saturninus and his companions, evidently the
same account which Domville has so carefully sifted,
Baronius gives the representative questions which

SABBATH AND SUNDAY. 59

were put to the prisoners, whose arrest was made
because they"had celebrated the Lord's Supper against
the command of the Emperor. Dominicum and Col-
lectam are used as equivalent in these questions, and
always in such connections as indicate a rite per-
formed in Christian assemblies. But the case is
rendered still plainer by the fact that Baronius de-
fines these terms when he records the account of this
trial, in which they were used. He says: "By the
words, Gollectam, Collectionem, and Dominicum, the
author always understands the sacrifice of the Mass."*
In concluding the account of the martyrdom of this
company, he says:

' ' It has been shown above, in relating these things,
that the Christians were moved, even in the time of
severe persecution, to celebrate the Dominicum. Ev-
idently, as we have declared elsewhere in many
places, it was a sacrifice without bloodshed, and of
divine appointment, "f

We should not have discussed this extract from
Pliny at such length, except for the necessity of ex-
posing the mistake into which many writers have
fallen in seeking to prove that the ' ' stated day "
mentioned was Sunday. The only positive knowl-
edge that can be obtained is found in the text itself,
which shows that in Bythinia the Christians met on
some "stated day," weekly, or otherwise; and that
on the order from the governor, they desisted from
the practice.

* Baronius, Tome 2, A. D. 303, No. 29, p. 884, Venetii, 1738.
t lb, Id., No. 82, p. 897.

60 SABBATH AXD SUNDAY.

"TEACHING OF THE APOSTLES."

Lest we be charged with ignoring the latest dis-
coveries, we must here note the " Teaching of the
Apostles," which has lately come to light. When
it appeared, a few proclaimed triumphantly, that
the early observance of the " Lord's day" was now
settled. The facts do not support any such conclu-
sion.

When the document first appeared, after a careful
study of it and its surroundings, we spoke of it as
follows:

' ' Some general facts need to be remembered as a
preface to all investigation concerning the ' Teach-
ing.'

"(a) The few meager references to it by early.
writers, and the long obscurity which has covered
it, show that it was never widely known, and never
held a prominent place in the post-apostolic period.

"(b) So far as genuineness is concerned, it is
foun i in bad company. Its associations are against
it. By genuineness we mean, a compilation of real
Scripture teachings made by some competent hand,
previous to 120 or 160 A. D.

"(c) It claims neither date nor author. 'Leon.
Notary and Sinner,' Jute, 6564, i. e., 1056 A. D , is
the only clue we have to any one connected with it.
All conclusions must therefore be based upon inter-
nal characteristics, and collateral testimoby. Tak-
ing up the matter of internal evidence, we venture
a theory which will form at least a working hypoth-
esis for farther investigations. It is this:

" The Teaching consists of two distinct parts. The
first, which is earliest and more nearly pure, con-
sists of the tirst six chapters, which are wholly di-
dactic. These represent the genuine ' Teaching '

SABBATH AND SUNDAY. 61

The second portion, chapters 7-16, are made up of
fragments from other writings, and of leferences to
practices and notions of later and in definite dale,
and not necessarily contemporaneous. The grounds
on which we base this hypothesis are as follows:

"1. The work has two titles. The first appears
to be an abridgment of the second, and from anoth-
er hand. Even the second refers not to the whole
book, but to the first six chapters. This fact alone
must continue to constitute a definite argument
against the unity of the book, and against the gen-
uineness of the second part. Comparison of the
two portions with each other, and with the New
Testament will also show certain interpolations in
the earlier portions, made to bring it into more ap
parent harmony with the latter.

" 2. The internal evidence is strongly in favor of
this theory. The first six chapters are purely didac
tic. They are made up almost wholly of truths
which are drawn directly from the Gospels and the
Decalogue, the latter, and its summary by Christ,
being very prominent. Dr. Smyth says of it as a
catechism:

••'ilovv supreme its law of righteousness, and
pure its standard of morals. Like all sound cate-
chisms, this one goes back to the Decalogue. It
takes the form of precept and injunction. It pro-
hibits absolutely. There can be no evangelical
training of the young with the law omitted.'*

" These six chapters are also complete within
themselves. They stand related to practical Chris-
tian Life, and to the rest of the chapters, like a high
fertile plateau of rich pasture land, swept by the
pure breezes of heaven. If these had come to us
alone, with 'heir appropriate title, no one woi.l I
have thought of them as fragmentary or incomph te.
They would have shone amid the Patristic writings

* Andover Review, April, 1884, p. 435.

62 SABBATH AND SUNDAY.

like a single rare diamond among less precious
stones.

' '3. The additions which follow the sixth chapter are
such as a later and more corrupt age would naturally
make. Undoubtedly the catechism was designed as,
and understood to be the antecedent to baptism, not
as a 'confession of faith,' but as a guide to life.
Apostolic and sub-apostolic Christianity consisted of
a life, not a creed. To do, not to believe, was the
absorbing thought. As ritualism became more
prominent and the church passed into the transition
period wherein apostolic Christianity was changed
to Patristic, in which philosophy did much abound,
— under such circumstances compiling fingers would
itch to add to the simple catechism the developing
notions and theories concerning Christian life. Nat-
urally, therefore, the seventh chapter opens with
baptism, the event for which the catechism was the
preparation. The change bstween the sixth and
subsequent chapters is more than the change from
the simple didatic to the ritual. The didactic por-
tion is mainly Scriptural; the ritualistic is not. In-
ferences aside, and the second part of the Teaching
will not bear comparison with the New Testament
on many points. Baptism, fasting, the eucharist,
and forms of prayer form the themes for four chap-
ters— 7-10; none of these are treated with reference
to their higher and spiritual significance, but rather
from the stand-point of a growing ritualism. The
Lord's Prayer, with the Doxology in part, is or-
dered 'three times' in each day This certainly
marks a point later than the middle of the second
century.

" The 11th and 12th chapters give directions for
the reception and treatment of apostles and proph-
ets, such as indicate a period decidedly post-apostol-
ic. Chri»t directed his disciples to abide where
they first entered during their indefinite stay in any
city. Paul labored weeks, months, and years in

SABBATH AND SUNDAY. 63

specific fields, as the work demanded. But this
11th chapter forbids an apostle to remain more than
one day unless necessity compel; in that case he
may stay two days ' But if he remain three days
he is a false prophet. ' 1 1 also orders that when he
departs he shall be given only bread enough to last
until he lodge again, and assures us that if he asks
for money he is a false prophet. This is puerile.
The same chapter has the following unmeaning sen
tence: 'And no prophet who orders a meal in the
spirit, eateth of it, unless indeed he is a false proph-
et.' This is as senseless as some of the vagaries of
Barnabas and points to a date much later than 120
A. D. . or to a degeneracy so rapid as to challenge
credulity,' etc.*

When we thus wrote, so far as we knew, no critic
had taken that ground. A little later the opinion of
Hilgenfeld appeared, as follows:

' ' I seem to myself to have found the original
'Teaching of the Apostles' in chapter 1: 1, to 6: 2,
(that is, from the beginning to the words ' But con-
cerning food, etc.,') but here and there a little al-
tered, and with a second title (' The Teaching of the
Lord through the Twelve Apostles ')., conformed to
the example of the Apostolic Constitutions. But
the matters that we read therein savor of a certain
Montanistn rather than oppose it. That which fol-
lows the original ' Teaching of the Apostles' (chap-
ters 6: 3, to 16: 6), which is directed not to the cate-
chumecs but to the 'faithful,' (even to clergy, 7: 2)
seems to be a later addition, ultimately shaped for
the use of Montanisui."f

A few months later, the following appeared,
which is sufficient to settle the question in the mind

♦Outlook and Sabbath Quarterly, July, 1884, pp. 17, 18.
i-The Independent, June 26. 1884.

64 SABBATH AND SUNDAY.

of every one, not blinded by prejudice, or incapaci-
tated by ignorance:

"Bryennios on the 'Teaching/"

" BY PROF. E. A. GROVENOR, ROBERT COLLEGE
CONSTANTINOPLE."

"I have recently enjoyed two interviews with
Bishop Bryeimios. The first interview lasted more
than two hours, the second not so long. Both were
devoted almost entirely to conversation concerning
the 'Teiehing.'

" The Bishop expressed himself very f reel v. With
interesting minuteness, he dwelt upon his discovery
of the manuscript and upon its subsequent history
in his connection with it.

•The subject which h-v evidently deemed the
most import int, he discussed with special emphasis.
This was concerning the relative value of different
portions of the 'Teaching.' What he said concern-
ing it will be of interest to thv reader.

" Everybody knows that the ' Teaching,' as pub-
lished in the Constantinople edition of Bryennios,
contains sixteen short chapters. Tne first six com-
prise enforcement of duties and prohibition of sins
;.nd crimes; the last ten, commencing with the
seventh, consist mainly of liturgical and ecclesiasti-
cal prescriptions and ordinances. Now the Bishop
Bays the ' Teaching of the Twelve Apostles' is limi
ted entirely to those first six chapters and, inas
much as it is derive I through them from the Lord,
each word therein is of binding force But, he
says, the last ten chapters are entirely distinct, and
have no authority whatever, except so far us the
writer happens to be correct in his injunctions.
How far he was correct in these injunctions the
Bishop says we cannot know. Their only weight is
found in the fact that they are the expression of

SABBATH AND SUNDAY. 65

opinion of one person "who was presumably a good
man. To quote as exactly as I can the Bishop's
language: 'In the year 100, 120, 140 — we are not
sure what year — a man says to himself, " I will write
down just what the apostles have taught and what
they learned from the Lord. I will write down
what they said about special duties and sins. I
will write down just what they said about the two
way-i of virtue and vice." So he goes to work and
writes it down just as well as he ran remember, and,
doubtless, he has in it the aid of God's Spirit. All
he has written down is from Christ; it is just what
the ipostles said; it is addressed only to Christians,
and this is what should bear the inscription of
" Teaching of the Twelve Apostles." All this occu-
pies just six exceedingly brief chapters. But when
lie has done that, the writer is not satisfied. All he
has done is that he has been a sort of amanuensis in
writing down teachings for the practical guidance of
the sainis. But the heathen are being converted
and pouring into the church. In the manner of re
ceiving them vastlv different customs exist. There
is no manual of directions on the subject. In one
place they do this; in another place they do that.
The variety of procedure is becoming a scandal.
Christ did not formulate a system, ila gave only a
faith; and the apostles did hardly more. "Now,"
says he man, whom we will call the transcriber, in
asmuch as nothing in the six chapseis was original
to 1dm, "I will do something more. I will write
what shall be good for tho^e coming into the chinch,
and what shall be a sort of guide or manual to the
clergy in dealing with them." We may suppose
'hat, after great study and iuvestigaion and retire-
t:on, or, possibly, with but little of such study, in-
vestigation, and r« flection, the man makes up his
mind as to what ought to be the course of pr< ced-
ure. or as to what is the course of procedure in the
majority of cases, and then, without inspiration, he

(5)

66 SABBATH AND SUNDAY.

writes it down. It is possible, even, that his opin
ion may be in opposition to that of the vast majority
of other believers. Hence the last ten chapters, as
authority, have no value whatever. (Atv i'xovv
ovdejAiav a£,iav.) Possibly the r 01 a e'Svsffiv
was then put here at the beginning of the seventh
chapter, aud preceded by the words: "Teaching of
the Lord through the Twelve Apostles," thus mak-
ing it in the original as distinct, and yet the wtiter
honestly believing it the Teaching of the Lord be-
cause it seemed so wise and so clear to him. Possi-
bly the inscription was simply (roiff i'SvEGiv)
and, at last, with the title, " Teaching of the Twelve
Apostles" prefixed, all was transported to the be-
ginning of the book. But the sum of it is. these ten
chapters have no authority save as the opinion of
the unknown writer. There may have been a hun-
dred men more capable than he of expressing an
opinion, only he wrote down his opinion, and oth-
ers did not. The first six chapters have upon us
the binding force of the word of God. The

AiSax^J is, properly speaking, the first six chap-
ters and no more.'

"'How would Your Holiness prove this distinc-
tion of the sixteen chapters into two distinct parts
of unequal authority and obligation?' I asked.

'•'First,' he replied, 'by reading the first six
chapters by themselves, and then the last ten chap-
ters by themselves. There is all the difference be-
tween them of inspiration on the one side, and of
human compilation and contrivance on the other.'

Then the learned Bishop, who is profoundly versed
in all the intricacies and subtleties of apostolic and
ecclesiastical histoiy, made a remark which, for its
ingeniousness and ingenuousness, I must quote.
' We know that many of these rules and directions
had no authority save in ihe mind of the writer.

SABBATH AND SUNDAY. 67

from the fact that, during the first and second cen-
turies after Christ, the observance and customs of
the church, in many respects, were different from
what the writer approves and lays down in the last
ten chapters. At the same time, we know that the
teachings of the first six chapters are exactly the
eame as those of Christ and his apostles.'

" 'It is also a fact,' he said, ' that, in the Epistle
of Barnabas, no quotation is made from the " Teach-
ing" except from the first six chapters. Possibly
there may be from the sixteenth chapter; but it
seems rather like a coincidence than quotation.
Now if the writer of that epistle recognized all the
"Teaching" as equal, why does he quote only from
the first six chapters?'

"'But,' said I, 'is this fully in harmony with
Your Holiness's discussion of the writer of the

A id ax*] on certain pages of last year's Constanti
nople edition.'

"He replied: 'It is at variance with nothing
which I said then, and it is in accordance with, and

fortified by, my constant study of the Aidaxv ever
since it was published, and it is all to be set forth in
the book I am now writing. There are other con-
siderations, too, which I shall there bring cut fully.
Altogether it amounts to this: Six chapters, divine
and obligatory; ten chapters, human, possibly good,
but resting on one individual man's individual judg-
ment of what was best.' "*

We have treated of this document thus at length,
for the sake of many readers who may not have
had the opportunity to become familiar with it, and
also to show that the second portion, in which oc-
curs the refereuce that is claimed in support of Sun-
day, is of a later date, and of less worth than the
"' * The Independent, Oct. 15, 1884.

€8 SABBATH AND SUNDAY.

earlier. This reference is in the fourteenth chapter,
and is translated by Hitchcock and Brown, as fol-
lows:

" But on the Lord's day do ye assemble and break
bread and give thanks, after confessing your trans-
gressions, in order that your sacrifice may be pure."

This passage, like the one from Ignatius, lacks
the very important word day. The Greek is as
follows:

"Kara KVpiaurfv 6s Kvplou 6vvax~£v-
TS(T H\a6arz aprov xai svxcxpwri']Gaxs
7tpoffs$o/AoXoy}jffa/A8voi roc 7tapa7troDjAa-
ra VfAcbv, 07tGj<y KaSapa ?} Bvffia v/JGjy

>}■"

It will be seen that the structure of the opening
clause is more than "pleonastic;" it is awkward.
If the word day be supplied, or if the adjective be
used for the substantive, we should have, "On the
Lord's (day) of the Lord," etc. Dr. Potter suggests
another meaning to the passage, which is certainly
worthy of ca:eful consideration, for while it does
not relieve the imperfect construction of the clause,
it accords perfectly with the meaning of the chap-
ter. He says:

"The wo-d day in the translation is entirely gra-
tuitous. The word y^iepav, is not in the text, and
other words are as much entitled 1o the place as
this. The chapter is devoted to the Lord's hupper
and the qualin cations necessary to enable one to be-
come a partaker thereof. Should the word tpane-

SABBATH AND SUNDAY. 69

Cav, table, be supplied instead of ?}^€pcxv} unity
would be maintained and the sense complete, read-
ing as follows: ' Coming together to the Lord's ta-
ble, break the bread and give thanks, after confess-
ing your transgressions,' etc."*

Whatever meaning may be given to the imperfect
clause, nothing is gained for the cause of Sunday
observance. The portion of the "Teaching" in
which it occurs, is certainly later than the time of
Justin Mart)T, and likely to be contemporaneous
with the Apostolic Constitutions. The words of
Justin (p. 71,) show how and why Sunday was ob-
served as an eucharist day, in the latter half of the
second century. The history of "Sunday," as the
resurrection festival, begins there. "Lord's day"
comes in later.

* Outlook and Sabbath Quarterly, July, 1884, p. 14.

CHAPTER VIII.

Justin /VLartyr. the First Di-
rect Reference to Sun-
day, AND THE ^JSE OF

No-Sabbathism.

The middle of the second century marks the be-
ginning of a new era in the Sabbath question. The
first direct and indisputable reference to any form
of Sunday observance by Christians, is made at this
time, and simultaneously and by the same man, the
No-Sabbath theory is propounded. Up to this time,
Monotheism and the Scriptures had held the better
part of the church to the Sabbath, as taught in the
Decalogue. Polytheism and heathen philosophy
ignored this idea, and openly proclaimed a type of
no-lawism and absolute no-Sabbathism. It was a
part of the fruitage which came from the corrup-
tion of the Apostolic Church and the gospel by ad-
mixture with heathen fancies and speculations. Un-
der the sway of these loose ideas, Sunday, already a
festival among the heathen, found gradual welcome
at the hands of the semi- Christianized leaders in the
church, and final recognition by a still less Christian-
ized form of civil government during the third and

SABBATH AXI) SIXDAY. 71

fourth centuries. Justin Martyr stands as a promi-
nent representative of this no-Sabbathism, and also
as an apologist for Christianity, who sought to soft-
en the fury of the heathen Persecutors, by claiming
a similarity between Christianity and heathenism.
The entire passage concerning Sunday is as follows;
only a part of it is usually quoted by writers who
support the theory that Sunday is the Sabbath:

"On the day which is called Sunday, there is an
assembly in one place of all who dwell either in
towns or in the country ; and the Memoirs of the Apos-
tles, or the writings of the Prophets are read, as long
a3 the time permits. Then, when the reader hath
ceased, the President delivers a discourse in which
he reminds and exhorts them to the imitation of all
these good things. We then all stand up together
and put forth prayers. Then, as we have already
Slid, when we cease from prayer, bread is brought,
and wine, and water; and the President in like man-
ner offers up prayers and praises with his utmost
power; and the people express their assent by say-
ing, Amen. The consecrated elements are then dis-
tributed and received by every one, and a portion is
sent by the deacons to those who are absent.

"Each of i hose also who have abundance, and
are willing, according to his choice, gives what he
thinks fit; and what is collected is deposited with
the President, who succors the fatherless and the
widows, and those who are in necessity from disease
or any other cause; those also who are in bonds, and
the strangers who are sojourning among us; and in
a word takes care of all who are in need.

" We all of us assemble together on Sunday, be-
cause it is the first day in which God changed dark-
ness and matter and made the world. On the same
day also Jesus Christ our Saviour rose from the
dead. For he was crucified the day before that of

72 SABBATH AND SUNDAY.

Saturn: and on the day after that of Saturn, which
is the day of the Sun, he appeared to his apostles and
disciples and taught them what we now submit u>
your consideration."*

The foregoing extract will be better understood
if the reader remembers that the author was a Gre-
cian philosopher who accepted — we dare not say
was converted to — Christianity, after reaching the
age of manhood, and who retained many of his
heathen notions and sympathies through life. The
days referred to, Saturn's and the Sun's, are desig-
nated only by their heathen names, and the reasons
which are given for meeting on Sunday are at once
fanciful and unscriptural. The passage shows Justin
in his true place as an Apologist, who sympathized
with both parlies, and sought to soften the leelings
of the emperor by indicating those points in which
Christianity and heathenism agreed. The following
extracts from the same author show that he could
not entertain any idea of the Sun's day as being in
any sense the Sabbath, or even a Sabbath. In his
Dialogue With Trypho the Jew, the differences be
tween Justin's theories of Christianity, and Judaism,
are strongly set forth, and the Sabbath is frequently
referred to. In the 23d section of the Dialogue, he
says:

"If we will not acknowledge ihis, we must neces-
sarily fall into notions that can not be admitted,
either that there was not the same God in the days

* Apologv for the Christians to Antonius Pius, sections
87-89, Chevalier's translation, pp. 224-5; also Clark's Ante -
Nicene Library, Vol. 2, pp. 05, 66.

SABBATH AND SUNDAY. 73

of Enoch, and all the rest, who did not practice cir-
cumcision according to the flesh, and keep the Sab
baths, and those other rites and ceremonies which
are enjoined by the law of Moses, or that he did not
care that all mankind should always perform the
same righteous acts, which suppositions are absurd
and ridiculous. We must therefore confess that it was
for the sake of sinful men, that he who is always
the same, commanded these same things to be ob-
served, and can pronounce him friendly to man, pos-
essed of foreknowledge, needing nothing, just and
good. If this be not so, tell me sir, what are your
opinions on the subject? When none of them made
any reply, I continued, I will then repeat to you,
Trypho, and to Ihose who wish to become proselytes,
that divine doctrine which I myself heard from the
man of whom I spoke. Do you not see that the
elements stay not from working, nor do thev keep
any Sabbaths. Remain as you were born. For if
circumcision was not needful before Abraham, nor
Sabbath feasts, nor sacrifices before Moses, neither
are they so now, when according to the will of God,
Jesus Christ His Son has been born without sin, of
the Virgin Mary, who was of the race of Abraham."*

In another place, he says:

" The new law commands you to keep a perpetu-
al Sabbath, and you rest on one day and think that
you are religious, not considering why that com
mandment was given you. Again, if you eat un-
leavened bread, you say that you have fulfilled the
law of God, but it is not by such means that the
Lord our God is pleased. If any one of you is guilty
of perjury or theft, let him sin no more. If any be
an adulterer let him repent, and 1 hen he will have kept
a true and pleasant Sabbath of God "f

* Library of the Fathers, Vol. 40, p. 98. Oxford edition; also
Ante-Nieene Library. Vol. 2, pp. 115, 116.

t Library of the Fathers. Vol. 40, p. 85; also Ante-Nicene,
Vol. 2, p. 101.

74 SABBATH A XI) SUNDAY.

Be it here remembered that the Sabbath is often
referred to in Justin's Dialogue, and that in the pas-
sage just quoted he is answering a charge which
Trypho brings against Christians, who. he declares,
"differ in nothing from the heathen in their manner
of living, because they neither observe festivals, nor
Sabbaths, nor the rite of circumcision."*
Justin's reply seeks to defend himself against the
charge by showing that such things were not re-
quired of men under the gospel. In this way, Jus-
tin shows that he did not predicate any observance
of Sunday upon the fourth commandment, or upon
any transfer of the " Jewish " to the " Christian "
Sabbath. He does not link Sunday with the former
dispensation by any such claims. In the forty-first
section of the Dialogue he gives another fanciful
reason in addition to those given in the Apology for
giving Sunday a religious pre-eminence. This rea-
son he expresses in the following words:

"The command of circumcision, again, bidding
[them] always to circumcise the children on the
eighth da}', was a type of the true circumcision, by
which we are circumcised from deceit and iniquity
through Him who rose from the dead on the first
day after the Sabbath, [namely through] our Lord
Jesus Christ. For the first day after the Sabbath,
remaining the first of all the days, is called, however,
the eighth, according to the number of all the days
of the" cycle, and [yet] remains the first, "f

Thus it appears that Justin is at once the first of
the "Fathers" who makes any authentic mention

* Dialogue, chap. 10. + Ante-Nicene Lib. Vol. 2, p. 139.

SABBATH AND SUNDAY. 75

of the pre-emiDence of Sunday among Christians,
and the first exponent of absolute no-Sabbathism.
It is also pertinent to note, as Dr. Hessey has done,*
that Justin always uses " 6afifiaTiC,£iv " "with
exclusive reference to the Jewish law," and that " he
carefully distinguishes Saturday, the day after which
our Lord was crucified from Sunday upon which
he rose from the dead." In the face of these facts,
it is manifestly unjust to claim Justin as an advo-
cate of the sacredness of Sunday, either as the
'* Puritan," the " Christian," or the 'Anglo-Ameri-
can" Sabbath. It were better to let him stand in
his true place as the exponent of semi-pagan no-
Sabbathism.

What we do learn from Justin, inferences and
suppositions aside, is this: At the middle of
the second century, certain Christians held some
form of religious service on Sunday. All that
Justin says is compatible with the idea that the
day was not regarded as a Sabbath, and his silence
concerning any Sabbatic observance, is strong neg-
ative proof of the absence of any such idea.
His no-Sabbatkism is added proof of this. It is
further apparent that since he undertook to de-
scribe the things which were done on Sunday, and
to give the reasons therefor, that had anything like
the modern theory of a Sunday Sabbath then ob-
tained, he must have mentioned the fact. Domville
sums up the case as follows:

* Sunday, p. 43, sec. 11.

76 SABBATH AND SUNDAY.

"This inference appears irresistible when we
further consider that Justin, in this part of his
Apology is professedly intending to describe the
mode in which Christians observed the Sun-
day. . . . He evidently intends to give all infor-
mation requisite to an accurate knowledge of the
subject he treats upon. He is even so particular as
to tell the Emperor why the Sunday was observed;
and he does, in fact, specify every active duty be-
longing to the day, the Scripture reading, the ex-
hortation, the public prayer, the Sacrament, and the
alms-giving: why then should he not also inform the
Emperor of the one inactive duty of the day, the
duty of abstaining from doing in it any manner of
work? ... If such was the custom of Christians in
Justin's time, his description ot their Sunday duties
was essentially defective. . . . But even were it prob-
able he should iutend to omit all mention of it in his
Apology to the Emperor, it would be impossible to im-
agine any sufficient cause for his remaining silent on
the subject in his Dialogue with Trypho the Jew; and
this whether the Dialogue was real or imaginary, for if
the latter, Justin would still, as Dr. Lardner has
observed, 'choase to write in character.' . . . The
testimony of Justin, therefore, proves most clearly
two facts of great importance in the Sabbath con-
troversy; the one, that the Christians in his time ob-
served the Sunday as a prayer day, the other that
they did not observe it as a Sabbath-day."*

Such is the summary of the case at the year 150
A. D. No-Sabbathism, and some form of Sunday
observance were born at the same time. Trained
ia heathen philosophies until manhood, Justin ac-
cepted Christianity as a better philosophy than he

* Sabbath. Examination of the Six Texts; p. 274, seq.,
London, 1849.

SABBATH AND SUNDAY 77

bad before found. Sucb a man, and tbose like him,
could scarcely do otber tbau build a sj-stein quite
unlike apostolic Christianity. That wbicb they did
build was a paganized rather than an apostolic
type.

CHAPTER IX.

Other Writers, and the De-
velopment of No-jSab-

BATHISM.

The advocates of Sunday scan the pages of his-
tory, subsequent to Justin's time, for every faint
trace which refers to Sunday in any way. Trac-
ing in chronological order the writers that are quoted
we find them as follows:

DIONYSIUS.

Dionysius, Bishop of Corinth, stands next upon
the list of writers, who are claimed as mentioning
Sunday. (We shall discuss the expression " Lord's
day " in another place.) The passage quoted is said
to be from a letter addressed to Soter, Bishop of
Rome. Only a fragment of the letter is extant, be-
ing found in Eusebius.* A Latin volume of Euse-
bius, published in 1570, gives chap. 22. The pas-
sage is usually translated liberally as follows:

" To day we have passed the Lord's holy day, in
which we read your letter, which we shall hereafter
read continually, as we do that of Clemens, that we
may be replenished with precepts and wholesome
instructions." The passage as found in the Latin

* Ecc Hist., Book 4, chap. '23.

SABBATH AND SUNDAY. 79

edition of Eusebius. noted above, is as follows:
" Sanctam liodie Dominicam diem per egimus, in wna
vestram legimus epistolam, quam semper admonitionis
gratia legemus, sicut et priorem nobis per Clementem
scriptam ." Routh* gives " transegimus " instead of
of " peregimus," and in the Greek text gives.
" SirjyayofAev"

Such a fragment, if genuine, can not be made the
foundation of an argument or a theory. It is dated
A. D. 170. Allowing that " Lord's-day " refers to
Sunday, it only shows a slight growth of the idea
and practice referred to by Justin in his apology
twenty or thirty years before. It does not show a
Sabbatic observance; "have passed," or "gone
through," the day is all that the text can be made to
express; and to say "have kept," as Mr. Giltillau
does in a parenthesis, is a perversion.

MELITO.

Testimony in favor of Sunday is also sought
from Melito, Bishop of Sardis, who wrote a book
" on the Sabbath," some say; "on the Lord's-day,"
say others. The basis on which these and similar
statements rest is this: None of the books written
by him are extant. Eusebiusf pretends to give a list
of works written by him. Routh \ gives the
title of this one as fO lie pi Kvpiauf/(j Aoyoo.
Thus we have simply a book or discourse " concern-
ing the Lord's ." Evidently an imperfect title,

with no clue concerning the important word to be
supplied. There were many other themes concern-

* Reliquiae Sacra?, Vol. 1, p. 180. t Ecc. Hist. Book 4.
chap. 25. X Reliquiae Sacra?, Vol. 1, p. 120.

80 SABBATH AND SUNDAY.

Ing which one might write besides the Lord's day.
It is not surprising that Eusebius should supply the
ellipsis with the word " day." He wrote one hun-
dred and fifty years after the time of Melito, and
evidently had no authority except a mutilated cata-
logue, or tradition. He was a great admirer of Con-
stantiue, and an earnest supporter of his " Sunday
legislation." His comments upon some of the Psalms
evince an unwarrantable effort to give a religious
character to the Sunday. "With such tendencies and
under such circumstances, Eusebius would naturally
be tempted to claim Melito as a " Sunday author."
In the same chapter, Eusebius states that Melito
wrote a discourse concerning " Easter," in the pre
face to which he says that it was written at a time
when " there was a great stir at Laodicea concern-
ing the Sabbath, which in tLose days, by reason of
the time.-, was broken up." (Motaest Laodio&B mag-
na qiURStio Sabbato, quod in diebus Mis pro rations
temporw, inciderat.) In this statement, there is,
clearly, a reference to the flood of no-Sabbathism
which found its first prominent advocate in Justin a
quarter of a century before the time of Melito. It
also shows that the distinctively Christian element
in the church withstood this semi-Pagan apostasy,
and hence a "groat stir was made."

IRENJ3US.
Irenseus, Bishop of Lyons, flourished during the
last quarter of the second century. Positive dates
concerning him and his writings are wanting. Prob-
ably ihe most of his writings which have come down

SABBATH AND SUNDAY. 81

to us were written after 180 A. D. One brief pas-
sage ascribed to him has been quote:! and paraphrased
by several modern writers in sucb a way as to
Indicate inexcusable carelessness, to say the least,
Dr. Justin Edwards, says:

" Hence Irenrcus, Bishop of Lyons, a disciple of
Polycarp, who had been the companion of the apost-
les, A. D. 167. says that the Lord's-day was the
Christian Sabbath. His words are, ' On the Lord's-
day every one of us Christians keeps the Sabbath,
meditating on the law and rejoicing in the works
of God.,,;*

Mr. Gurney and others among English writers
have used similar language. Mr. Gilfillan is some-
what more guarded in his use of Irenseus, though not
less deceptive as to his real teachings, and the facts
relative to the foregoing quotation. The important
fact to be considered is this: The writings of Irenceus
contain no sack passage. In support of this state-
ment we offer the following testimony from the pen
of Sir William Domville:

" Mr. Gurney, in speaking of the Christians of the
second century, says: ' Irenseus. Bishop of Lyons,
A. D. 167. expressly asserts that the Lord's day was
their Sabbath.' * On the Lord's-day. every one of
us Christians keeps the Sabbath, meditating on the
law, and rejoicing in the works of God.' In a note,
Mr. Gurney adds, as his authority, ' Quoted by
I) wight, Theology, Vol. 4, p. 26.'

'• Wrho is Dwighl? And why should Mr. Gurney
in this ca-c. and, as [ believe, in this case only, quote
one of the Fathers at second hand? For Mr. Gur-

* Sabbath Manual, p. 114.
(6)

82 SABBATH AND SUNDAY.

ney, it is evident from his Brief Remarks, is well
versed in the original writings of the Fathers; and
if so, he ought not to rely on any person but him-
self for faithful quotations Irom them.

" Now T find, by a biographical memoir prefixed
to D wight's Theology, that the author, Dr. Dwight.
was a minister of the gospel in America, and Presi-
dent of a college there, and that he was born in
1752, and died in 1817. He had the misfortune to
be afflicted with a disorder in his eyes from the early
age of twenty-three; ' a calamity,' says his biogra-
pher. * by which he was deprived of the capacity
for reading and study. . . . During the greater part
of forty years, he was not able lo read fifteen min-
utes in the twenty-four hours. . . . The knowledge
which he gained from books after the period above
mentioned, [by which the editor must mean his age
of twenty three] was almost exclusively at second
hand by the aid of others,' . . . (pp. 84,85.) Hav-
ing been driven by necessity to pursue his many
avocations without the use of his eyes, his memory,
naturally strong, acquired a power of retention un-
usual and surprising. It was not the power of rec
ollecting words, or dates, ornumbers of any kind; it
was the power of remembering facts and thoughts,
especially his own thoughts, (p. 86.) . . . His work
consists of a series of sermons, in five volumes, pub-
lished after his death from the manuscript of an
amanuensis, to whom he had dictated them.'

' ' The quotation from Irenaeus occurs in one of
these sermons, (Vol. 4, p. 28, ed. 1819.) The orig-
inal passage in Irenaeus is not given in the edition
which I have seen; we only have his English version
of it, nor is the place where it is to be found in the
works of lremeus pointed out."*

We have thus quoted from Domville, because of
*Sabbath, Examination of the Six Texts, p. V27. et-, seq.

SABBATH AND SUNDAY. 83

his unquestioned authorit}' as an author. (Robert
Cox, Sabbath Literature, Vol. 1, supports Domville
on this point). We have also verified his statements
by comparing them with the American edition of
Dr. D wight's Theology It may be well also to re-
mark here, that the original sources of information
concerning the writings of Iremeus are very meager,
and hence the greater difficulty which one afflicted
as Dr. Dwight was would labor under in quoting
from him. This will appear in the following state
ment from very high authority:

" There is nothing now remaining of Irenseus be-
sides his five books against heresies, and fragments
of some other pieces; and those five books, which
were written by him in Greek, are extant only in an
ancient Latin version, excepting some fragments
preserved by Eusebius, and other Greek writers who
have quoted them."*

Careful research shows that these writings of
Irenaeus contain no such passage as the one referred
to by Dr. Dwight. and quoted with such confidence
by Mr. Gurney, Dr. Edwards, and others. In sup-
port of this statement, we quote again from Dom
ville:

"But, although not found in Irenaeus, there are
in the writings ascribed to another Father, namely,
in the interpolated Epistle of Ignatius to the Magne-
sians, and in one of its interpolated passages, ex-
pressions so closely resembling those in Dr. Dwight's
quotation, as to leave no doubt of the source from
which he quoted. . . Unwilling to rely merely up

* Lardner, Credibility of the Gospel History, Vol. 'J. pp-
292, 293. London. 1347.

84 SABBATH AND SUNDAY.

on the identity of the passage in Ignatius, with the
quotations made as from Irenseus by Drs. Dwight
and Paley, I have carefully searched" through all the
extant works of Irenseus, and can, with certainty,
state that no such passage, or any one at all resemb-
ling it, is there to be found. The edition I consult-
ed was that by Missuet, (Paris, 1710); but to assure
myself still further, I have since looked to the edi-
tions by Erasmus, (Paris, 1563.) andGiabe, (Oxford,
1702,) and in neither do I find the passage in ques-
tion."*

We have carefully verified the statement made
above by Sir William Domville, and do not hesitate
to repeal that Irenseus contains no such passage as
the one attributed to him.

Nor is the passage from the interpolated Epistle of
Ignatius given in full; why, we do not know, unless
it be that when the vclwU passage is given it over-
throws the claim which is made concerning a part
of it when standing alone. That our readers may
see the whole, we insert the passage whieh is as fol-
lows:

"Let us therefore no longer keep the Sabbath
after the Jewish manner, and rejoice in days of idle-
ness; for ' he that does not woik, let him not eat.'
For, say the [boiy] oracles, 'In the sweat of thy face
shait thou eat thy bread.' But let every one of you
keep the Sabbath after a spiritual manner, rejoicing
in meditation on the law, not in relaxation of the
body, admiring the workmanship of God, and not
eating things prepared the day before, nor using
lukewarm drinks, and walking within a prescribed
spate, nor fir ding delight in dancing and plaudits

* Examination of the Six Texts, pp. 131, 132; also Cox, Sab.
Lit., "Vol. 1, supplement, p. 329.

SABBATH AND SUNDAY. 85

which have no sense in them. And after the observ-
ance of the Sabbath, let every friend of Christ keep
the Lord's day as a festival, the resurrection day,
the queen and chief of all the days [of the week].
Looking forward to this, the prophet declared, ' To
the end, for the eighth day.' on which our life both
sprang up again, and the victory over death was ob-
tained in Christ," etc. (Chapter 9.)*

Thus it is shown that the oft-quoted passage from
Irenseus must be placed upon the list of "things
wanting;" and its use by those who have thus in-
correctly predicated an argument upon it must be
called, putting it mildly, a serious mistake. A (-ingle
passage from the more authentic writings of Irenseus
and the only one in which he discusses the Sabbath
question, at length, will show the reader his theory
concerning the matter of Sabbath keeping. Giving
this, we will dismiss him from the witness stand:

"It is clear, therefore, that he loosed and vivified
those who believe in him as Abraham did. doing
nothing contrary to the law when he healed upon
the Sabbath day. For the law did not prohibit men
from being healed upon the Sabbaths; [on the con-
trary] it even circumcised them upon that day, and
gave command that ihe offices should be performed
by the priests for the people; yea, it did not disallow
the healing even of dumb animals. Both at Si loam
and on frequent subsequent occas;ons, did he per-
form cures upon the Sabbath; and for this reason
many used to resort to him on the Sabbath-days.
For the law commanded them to abstain from every
servile work, that is. from all grasping after wealth

* Those wishing to examine this passage will find that it is
exeludoil from Wakes' edition of the Fathers. It is given in
the "Longer" form of the epistle, which is the most com-
plete, in Ante-Nicene Library— Apost. Fathers, p. 181.

86 SABBATH AND SUNDAY.

which is procured by trading and by other worldly
business; but it exhorted them to attend to the ex
ercises of the soul, wbh h consist in reflection, and
to addresses of a beneficial kind for their neighbor's
benefit. And therefore the Lord reproved those who
unjustly blamed him for having healed upon the
Sabbath days. For he did not make void, but ful-
filled the law, by performing the offices of the high-
priest, propitiating God for men, and cleansing the
lepers, healing the sick, and himself suffering deal Ji,
that exiled man might go forth from condemnation,
and migh t return without fear to his own inheritance.
And again, the law did not forbid those who were
hungry on the Sabbath-days to take food lying ready
at hand; it did, however, forbid them to reap and to
gather into the barn."*

In another place Irenseus declares the binding nat-
ure of the Decalogue, in these words:

"They (the Jews) had therefore a law. a course of
discipline, and a prophecy of future things. For
God at the first, indeed warning them by means of
natural precepts, which from tbe beginning he had
implanted in mankind, that is, bjr means of the Dec-
alogue (which if any one does not observe, he has
no salvation) did then demand nothing more of
them. |

* Against Heresies, Library of the Fathers, B. 4, ehap. 8;
also Ante-Nieene Library. Vol. 5, pp. 397. 398-

1 Against Heresies. B. 18, chap. 15.

CHAPTER X.

Tertullianand his Followers.

The following, from the pen of Neander, will fair
ly introduce the next writer to be examined:

"Quintus Septimus Tertullianus was born in the
later }-ears of the second century, probably at Car-
thage, and was the son of a centurion in the service
of the Proconsul at Carthage. He was at first an
advocate or rhetorician, and arrived at manhood be-
fore he was converted to Christianity; and he then
obtained, if the account given by Jerome is correct,
the office of a Presbyter. . . . He was a man of ar-
dent mind, warm disposition, and deeply serious
character, accustomed to give himself up with &11
his soul and strength to the object of his love, and
haughtily to reject all which was uncongenial to
that object. He had a fund of great and multifari-
ous knowledge, but it was confusedly heaped up in
his mind, without scientific arrangement. His depth
of thought was not united with logical clearness and
judgment; a warm ungoverned imagination that
dwelt in sensuous images, was his ruling power."*

Tertullian wrote extensively concerning almost all
points of Christian doctrine. The following ex
tracts will show what his opinions were relative to
the Sunday. The quotations here made are care-
fully translated from the Latin ».'dition of Gersdorf,

* Church History, First Three Centuries, p. 4,'.r>.

88 SABBATH AND SUNDAY.

Leipsic, 1839, and compared with the EngMsh trans-
lation found in Library of the Fathers, Oxford,
1842.

" It follows therefore, that inasmuch as the aboli
tion of carnal circumcision aud of the old law has
been proved, so also the observation of the temporal
Sabbath lias been demonstrated. For the Jews say
that God from the beginning, sanctified the seventh
day by resting from all his works; and that Moses
t aid to the people, Remember the Sabbath-day to keep
it holy, in it thou shalt do no sirvile work, but only
that work which concerns the soul, by which we
know more, namely: that we should always sabba-
tize from all servile work, not only on the seventh
day alone, but through all time. And we must now
require which Sabbath God wishes us to keep, for
ihe Scriptures speak of an eternal, and of a temporal
Sabbath. For Isaiah the prophet says: 1: 14, 'Your
Sabbaths my soul hateth;' and in another place,
' Ye have profaned my Sabbaths:' from which we
learn that the temporal Sabbath is to be considered
human, the eternal S ibbath divine. For th is is fore-
told through Isaiah 66: 23. He says: 'From one
moon to another, and from one Sabbath to another
shall all flesh come to worship before me saith the
Lord;' which we understand to have been fulfilled
in the time of Christ, when all flesh — that is all men
— came to Jerusalem to adore God Ihe Father through
his Son Jesus Christ, as was foretold by the prophet
— Isaiah 4: 9 — ' Behold proselytes shall come to thee
through me.' Hence as there was a spiritual, before
the carnal circumcision, there was also an eternal
Sabbath pre-existing, and predicated before the tem-
poral Sabbath. So they may say, as we have before
said, that Adam sabbatized; or that Abel, when he
offered the holy sacrifice, pleased God by the observ-
ance of ihe Sabbath; or that Enoch when he was
translated, was an observer of the Sabbath; or that

SABBATH AND SUNDAY. S(.>

Noah observed the Sabbath in buildinsr the Ark on
account of the greatdeiuge; or that Abraham offered
his son Isaac in the observance of the Sabbath; or
that Melchizedek received the law of the Sabbath
in his priesthood. But the Jews say that the Sab-
bath must be observed because it was commanded
by Moses.

" It is therefore clear that the precep! was not
eternal nor spiritual, but temporal, and might at
some time cease. Hence I add that the solemnities
of the Sabbath, that is the seventh day, are not to
be celebrated by idleness, as Joshua showed in the
time when he destroyed the cUy of Jericho. A corn-
man.! was given him from God, that he should di-
rect the people to carry the ark of the testimony
around the city seven days, and when the seven days
were ended the walls would fall of their own accord,
and so it happened when the seven days w^re ended
the walls fell. Now it is very evident that the Sab-
bath occurred on one of these days. For seven days
wherever you begin to reckon must include the Sab-
bath; upon whicJi day not only the priests worked,
but the city was taken at the edge of the sword by
the whole people of Israel. Also in the time of Mac-
cabea the people fought bravely on the Sabbath; or
in their attack upon AUophyles; and they thus re-
stored the law to its pristine erudition. Nor do I
believe that they have defended any law except that
whi 'h they remembered to have been given concern-
ing the Sabbath. Whence it is clear that precepts
of this nature were applicable to the necessities of
the time, and that God did no give the law to be
perpetually observed."*

The reader can judge for himself concerning the
souudness of the foregoing effort at argument, and

* " Against the Jews." chap. 4, Lib. Fathers, Vol. 10; also
Ante-Nicene Library, Vol. 18, pp. 811, 818.

90 SABBATH AND SUNDAY.

its agreement with the \V'ord of God. It shows
plainly that Tertullian was a warm advocate of the
no-Sabbath theory. His views reveal a fuller de-
velopment of that no-lawism which " cropped out"
fift. years before, in the writings of J,,stin. Ter
tullian's ardent rature accepted and proclaimed the
full fruitage of this theory, as is shown by the fol-
lowing from another work:

' The Holy Spirit reproacheth the Jews for their
feast days. Your Sabbaths, says he, and your new
moons, and your ordinances my soul hateth. And
do we, to whom these Sabbaths belong not; nor the
new moons; nor the feast days once beloved of God,
celebrate the feasts of Saturn and of January, and
of the winter solstice, and the feast of Matron's'
For us shall offerings flow in, presents jingle, sports
and feasts roar? Oh truer fealty of the heathen to
their own religion which taktth to itself no rite of
the Christians! No Lord's-day; no Pentecost; even
had they have known them, would they have shared
with us. For they would be afraid lest they should
betho.i.ht Christians. We are not afraid lest we
be openly declared to be heathen! If thou must
needs have some indulgence for the flesh too, thou
hast it. and thou hast not only as many days as they,
but even more. For the heathen festival is on but
one day in every year, thine upon every eighth day.
Gather out the several solemn feasts of the heathen
an . set them out in order; they will not be able to
make up a Pentecost."*

Here we have the native character of the Sunday
truly set forth. "If thou must needs liave some in-
dulgence to the flesh, thou hast it every eighth day."

* De Idolitria, chap. 14, Vol. 10, Lib. Fathers; also Ante-
Niceue Lib., Vol. 11, pp. 162, 163.

SABBATH A XI) SIX DAY. 91

Such was the legitimate, the unavoidable fruitage of
this semi-pagan festivalism, a fruitage which poi-
soned the church as fast as it ripened.

Certain other passages from Tertullian are much
sought after by writers in favor of Simday, among
them is the following, only apart of which is usu-
ally given:

" As touching kneeling, also prayer is subject to
a variation in its observance, though there are cer-
tain ones, a scanty few, who keep from their knees
on the Sabbath, which disagreement being exceed-
ingly criminated in the churches, the Lord will give
grace that they may either yield, or hold their own
opinions without offense to others. (Here Tertul-
lian quotes his authority as follows: ' On all Sab-
baths, Lord's-days and likewise during the days
from Easter to All-saints, not to kneel in prayer.
Joann Monach Canonarium apud Morinus de Poe
nit.') But we, as we have received, ought, on the
day of the Lord's resurrection alone, to keep from
not only that, but every posture of painfulness, and
to forbear all offices, deferring even our business,
that we aire noplace to the devil. Equally in the
season of Pentecost also, which is expended in the
same solemnities of rejoicing. But on every day,
who would hesitate to prostrate himself before God
at least in that first prayer with which we enter up-
on the dawn-' But on the Fasts and Stations, no
prayer must be observed without kneeling, and the
other usual modes of humiliation. . For we are not
only praying, but deprecating, and making satis
faction to God our Lord."*

In order to understand the foregoing, the reader
will need to remember that "kneeling " was deemed

* " Concerning Praver," chap. 23, Vol. 10, Lib. Fathers; also
Ante-Nicene Lib., Vol. 11, p. 199.

92 SABBATH AND SUNDAY.

an expression of sorrow not suited to the joyful festi-
vals, but rather befitting to the sorrowful faxts. The
suggestion relative to " derf erring even our busi-
ness," is made to impress the idea that nothing
should be allowed to interrupt the joys of the day.
The expression is far from denoting a sabbatic rest,
especially since the whole "season of Pentecost"
was to be spent in this manner, with the same im
munity from kneeling and from care. In another
place Tertullian says:

" On the Lord's-day we account it unlawful to fast,
or to worship upon the knees. We enjoy the same
freedom from master day even unto Pentecost."*

Bishop Kaye has summed up the testimony of
Tertullian concerning the question before us in the
following statements:

"From incidental notices scattered over Tertul-
lian's works, we collect that Sunday, or the Lord's-
day, was regarded by the primitive Christians as a
day of rejoicing, and that to fast upon it was unlaw-
ful. The word Sabbat urn is always used to desig-
nate, not the first, but the seventh day of the weelv,
which appears in Tertulliau's time to have been als.o
kept as a day of rejoicing. . . . The custom of ob-
serving every Saturday as a fast, which became gen-
eral throughout the Western Church, does not ap-
pear to have existed in Tertulliau's time. That men
who, like our author, on all occasions contended
that the ritual and ceremonial law of Moses had
ceased, should observe the seventh day of the week

*De Corona, chap. 3, Vol. 10, Library Fathers ; also Ante-
Nicene, Vol. 11, p. 336.

SABBATH A]STD SUNDAY. 93

as a festival is, perhaps, to be ascribed to a desire
of conciliating the Jewish converts."*

The foregoing suggestion of Bishop Kaye con-
cerning the consistency of Terlullian's positions and
statements leads us to say, in passing, that "consist-
ency" was not TVrtullian's forte. He often contra-
dicts himself,asserting in one treatise that which he
denies in another. The first quotation which we pre-
sented t > the reader is full of no Sabbatbism. In
other places he asserts the perpetuity of the Sabbath,
at least in a spiritual sense. Note the following:

"You do not, however, consider the laAV of the
Sabbath: they are human works, not divine, which
it prohibits. For it. says, ' Six days shalt thou labor
and do all thy work; but the seventh day is the Sab-
bath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do
any work.' What work? Of course your own.
The conclusion is, that from the Sabbath-day he re
moves those works whicli he had bef *re enjoined
for the six days, that is, your own works; in other
words, human works of daily life. Now, the car-
ry ing around of the ark is evidently not an ordinary
daily duty, nor yet a human one; but a rare and a
sacred work, and, as being then ordered by the di-
rect precept of God, a divine one. . . . Thus, in the
present iustauce, there is a clear distinction respect
ing the Sabbath's prohibition of human labors, not
divine ones. Accordingly, the man who went and
g; i he red sticks on the Sabbath-day, was punished
with death. For it was his own work whicli he did;
and tli is the law forbade. They, however, who on
the Sabbath carried the ark round Jericho, did it
with impunity. For it was not their own work, but

*Kccl. Hist, of the Second and Third Centuries. Illustrated
from the writings of Tertullian, p. .%tf, London; 1845.

94 SABBATH AND SUNDAY.

God's, which they executed, and that, too, from his
express commandment."*

A late writer, J. N. Andrews, aptly describes the
position and character of Tertullian in the following
words:

" This writer contradicts himself in the most ex-
traordinary manner concerning the Sabbath and the
law of God. He asserts that the Sabbath was abol
ished by Christ, and elsewhere emphatically declares
that he did not abolish it. He says that Joshua vio-
lated the Sabbath, and then expressly declares that
he did not violate it. He says that Christ broke the
Sabbath, and then shows that he never did this. He
represents the eighth day as more honorable than
the seventh, and elsewhere states just the reverse.
He asserts that the law is abolished, and in other
places affirms its perpetual obligation. He speaks
of the Lord's day as the eighth day, and is the sec-
ond of the early writers who makes an application
of this term to Sunday, Clement of Alexandria, A.
D. 194, being the first. But though he thus uses the
term like Clement he also like him teaches a perpet-
ual Lord's-day, or. like Justin Martyr, a perpet
ual Sabbath in the observance of every day. And
with the observance of Sunday as the Lord's day he
brings in ' offerings for the dead' and the perpetual
use of the sign of the cross. But he expressly af-
firms that these things rest, not upon the authority
of the Scriptures, but wholly upon that of tradition
and custom. And though he speaks of the Sabbath
as abrogated by Christ, he expressly contradicts this
by asserting that Christ ' did not at all rescind the
Sabbath,' and that he imparted an additional sanctity
to that day which from the beginning had been con-
secrated by the benediction of the Father. This

* Against Marcion, B. 2, chap. 21, Lib. Fathers, as above ;
also Ante-Nicene Library, Vol. 7, pp. 100, 101.

SABJ5ATH AM) SUNDAY. 95

strange mingling of light and darkness plainly in-
dicates the age in which this author lived. He was
not so far removed from the time of the apostles but
that maay clear rays of divine truth shone upon
him; and he was far enough advanced in the age of
apostasy to have its dense darkness materially affect
him. He stood on the line between expiring day
and advancing night. Sometimes the law of God
was unspeakably sacred; at other times tradition was
of higher authority than the law. Sometimes divine
institutions were alone precious in his estimation;
at others he was better satisfied with those which
were sustained only by custom and tradition."*

(Mr. Andrews evidently refers to book 4, chap. 12,
" Against Marcion," in which Tertullian with many
strange twistings and turnings, discusses the question
as to whether Christ broke or annulled the Sabbath.
As the passage makes no reference to Sunday, our
pages do not yield it space. It will be found in
Ante-Nicene Library, Vol. 7, pp. 215-220.)

The lesson which is taught in the writings of Ter-
tullian, and which is especially pertinent to our pres-
ent inqiry is this, told in a single sentence. Under
the influence of no-Sabbathism, at the close of the
second century, the observance of the Sabbath
was declining, and the semi-pagan Sun's day
had become a festival for ' ' indulgence to the
flesh." The "mystery of iniquity" was rapidly
working, preparing the way for a corrupt and cor-
rupting union of church and state with the attend-
ant evils which swarmed in upon the spiritual life

* Testimony of the Fathers, p. 68.

96 SABBATH AND SUNDAY.

of Christianity when the " Man of Sin "began to
change times and laws.

CLEMENT, OF ALEXANDRIA,

comes next in the order of our examination. He
died about the beginning of the third century. The
quotations from this author are generally made from
fragmentary writings called Stromata, Patch irork of
Miscellaneous Discourses. By ingenious paraphrasing
and by interpolating here and there a word, careless
ami prejudiced authors have attempted to draw direct
evidence from Clement in favor of a transfer of the
Sabbath from the seventh to the first day of the
week. (M. A. A. Phelp's "Perpetuity of the Sab-
bath," Boston, 1841; and Mr. James' "Four Ser-
mons," London, 1830, are prominent examples of
misuse of Clement's words.) An eminent critic and
commentator upon the writings of Clement, confutes
this claim in the following words:

" I dtem it scarcely necessary to observe that
Clement never applies the name Sabbath to the first
day of the week, which he calls the Lord's-day."*

We select a passage or two from the mystical ref-
erences which Clement makes to the Sabbath and
Sabbath-keeping, to illustrate his theories. Of the
fourth commandment, he says:

" And the fourth word is that which intimates
that the world was created by God, and that he gave
us the seventh day as a rest, on account of the trouble
that there is in life. For God is incapable <>f weari-

* Some Account of the writings and Opinions of Clement
of Alexandria, by John, Bishop of Lincolon, p. 413, London.
1835.

SABBATH AND SUNDAY. 97

ness, and suffering, and want. Butwe who bear flesh
need rest The seventh day, therefore, in proclaimed a
rest — abstraction from ills — preparing for the primal
day, our true res';; which, in truth, is the first crea-
tion of light, in which all things are viewed and
possessed. From this day the first wisdom and
knowledge illuminate us."*

His theory concerning the observance of days and
times is clearly set forth in the following:

" Now, we are commanded to reverence and to
honor the same one, being persuaded that he is Word,
Saviour, and Leader, and by him, the Father, not em
spec in,], days (' selected times '). ns some others, but
doing this continually in our whole life, and in every
way. Certainly the elect r*ce, justified by the pre-
cept, says, ' seven times a day have I praised thee.'
Whence not in a specified place, or selected temple,
or at certain, festivals, and on appointed days, but
luring his whole life, the Gnostic in everyplace, even
ifit be alone by himself, and whenever he has any of
those who have embraced the like faith, honors God;
that is acknowledges his gratitude for the knowl-
edge of 'he way to live. Tf the presence of a good
in in, by his reverential and decorous behavior, con-
tinually improves them who associate with him,
how mueh rather, in all reason, shall not be, who,
by knowledge, and manner of life, and Eucharist, is
ever present with God. be continually improving in
every particular, in his actions, and bis wrrds, and
his disposition. Such is he, who is persuaded that
G'xl is everywhere present, and fancies not that he
is shut up in certain definite places, so that, suppos-
ing himself ever out of his presence, he may e:ive
way to licentiousness by night or by day. We, then,

* Stromata, Book 6, chap. 16, Library of the Fathers, Vol.
in: also Ante-Nicene. Vol 12,p.3H6. The whole of chapter 16 is a
vague an<1 fanciful discussion of the properties of tlu'inim) er
seven, of which we have quoted the most sensible pait.

(7)

98 SABBATH AND SUNDAY.

making our whole lives a festival, persuaded that
God is everywhere present, praise him as we toil in
the field?, praise him as we sail on the sea, in any
other mode of life have our conversation according
to rule."

Again he states that "one, having fulfilled the
command according to the gospel, makes that day
the Lord's-day, on which he casts off evil thoughts,
and takes those which are according to knowledge.
glorifying the Lord's resurrection as wrought in him-
self."*

Thus the reader finds Clement teaching the same
no-Sabbathism, and making the same analogies and
contrasts between the old and new dispensations,
and between sin and holiness, which abound in the
representative writings of his time. A passage in
which, as Bishop Kaye remarks, Clement is trying
to bring out " the properties and virtues of the num-
bers six, seven, and eight, the hidden meanings of
which numbers he frequently speaks of," has been
so "paraphrased and interpolated, as to make it ap-
pear that a contrast is being ]drawn between the sev-
enth and eighth days. It is as follows:

"Having reached this point, we must mention
these things by the way; since the discourse has
turned on the seventh and the eighth. For the eighth
may possibly turn out to be the seventh, and the
seventh manifestly the sixth, and the latter properly
the Sabbath, and the seventh a day of work. For
the creation of the world was concluded in six days.
For the motion of the sun from sohtice to solstice is
completed in six months — in the course of which

* Stromata, b, 7. chaps. 7 and 12. library of the Fathers :
also Ante-Nicene Lib.. Vol. 12, pp. 481, -432 and 4R1.

SABBATH AND SUNDAY. 99

time the leaves fall, and at another plants bud and
seeds come to maturity."*

The passage goes on thus fancifully, through sev-
eral paragraphs, some of which could not appear here
without the charge of impropriety. Comment U not
necessary to show that Clement belongs to the ultra
school of no-Sabbathists.

.ORIGEN.

Origen was born A. D. 185, died A. D. 253. He
was a pupil of Clement of Alexandria, the effects of
whose teachings are clearly seen in his ideas con-
cerning the question under consideration. Neander
says that "the influence which Clement had exerted
on his theological development is undeniably shown
most conspicuously. We find in him the predomi-
nant ideas of the latter systematically developed "
The passage which is more frequently quoted from
Origen by writers in favor of Sunday, is from his
Twenty-third Homily on Numbers. Concerning the
authenticity of this Homily, Robert Cox speaks as
follows:

" That the Sabbath was kept by the Jewish mem
bers of the church is not only probable in itself, but
would be certain from a passage in Origen's Twenty-
third Homily on Numbers, if we could confidently
assume that Homily to be a genuine record of one
of his discourses. Not only have Origen's writings
been more than usually corrupted, but his Homilies
having been taken down from his mouth by report
ers, and there being no certainty that he ever revised
them, our confidence in the accuracy of any partic-
ular passage cannot be very great. Of the Twenty -

* Stromata, book 6, chap. 1G, Ante-Nicene Lib., Vol. 12.
p. 886

100 SABBATH AND SUNDAY.

third Homily, moreover, only a Latin translation is

extant."*

The passage as usually translated is as follows:

"Leaving the Jewish observances of the Sabbath,
let us see how the Sabbath outrht to be observed by
a Christian. On the Sabbath-day all worldly labors
ought to be abstained from. If, therefore, you cease
from all secular works, and execute nothing worldly,
but give yourselves up to spiritual exercises, repair
ing to church, attending to sacred reading and in-
struction, thinking of Celestial things, solicitous for
the future, placing the judgment to come before
your eyes, not looking to things present, and visible
but to those which are future and invisible, this is the
observance of the Christian Sabbath."

The especial phrase " Christian Sabbath" as it is
rendered is applied to Sunday. The remarks of
Dr. Hessey, concerning it, are subjoined as the fh>t
evidence against it. He says:

" In quoting as Origen's opinion, in the text, 'As
for the Sabbath it has passed away as a matter of
obligation (as every thing else purely Jewish has
passed away.) though its exemplary and typical les-
sons are evident still,' 1 had in mind his Twenty-
third Homily on Numbers, f 1 did not cite it in the
first and second editions, because I conceived ir. im-
possible that any one could so far mistake its mean-
ing as to imagine that Origen's words Sabbati Ghris-
tiani were to be taken as equivalent to wbat has
sometimes been termed the Christian Sabbath, viz.:
the Lord's-day. But as this mistake has occum d, I
now give a sort of Analysis of the Homily. '*+

* Sab. Lit., Vol. 1, p.1348. 1 Tome ii. p. 358, seq.

t Bampton Lectures on Sunday, Note 120, p. 287. London,
1866.

SABBATH AND SUNDAY. 101

Mr. Hessey goes on to show that Origen in this
Homily is seeking to explain nine different Jewish
festivals (festivitatex) as being symbols of the Chris
tian life, according to the style of allegorical inter-
pretation, which was then prevalent. The Sabbath
(Festivitas Sabbat i) is the second on the list, and is
made a type of holy living under the Gospeh In
the words of Dr. Hessey:

" It is perfectly evident that Origen is here draw-
ing a transcendental picture of the life of a Chris-
tian, which he sets forth under (he allegory of the
keeping of the Jewish Sabbath. He who lives in
the manner which is described, realizes the Sabbaiu-
mus mentioned in the Hebrews, and by thus em-
bracing the exemplary meaning of the Jewish Sab-
bath, Christianizes it, or draws a Christian moral
from it. So Sabbati Ghri&tiani does not mean 'Chris-
tian Sabbath,' or Lord's day, a phrase not in use un-
til the twelfth century, but the Jewish Sabbath with
a Christian moral or meaning deduced from it. No
one who has read the whole of the Homily can at-
tach any other meaning to the passage. I may add
that if Origen is not s\ mbolizing the Sabbath, but
advocating its continuance in the Lord's day, he
must be supposed to be advocating the literal con-
tinuance of the other Festivitates also." . . . '"In all
this there is not the remotes allusion to the Sabbath
b ing either inden'ical with, or continued in the
Lord's-day. The passage is intended to exhibit the
form in which the ' Sabbatismus' which remaineth
for the people of God may be realized here, and
Origen goes on to intimate, will be more perfectly
realized hereafter."

We were at first inclined to dissent from the fore-
going exegesis by Dr Hessey. but after carefully

102 SABBATH AND SUNDAY.

examining the whole chapter as found in the Origi-
nal,* we are certain that such is the meaning, that
Origen is contrasting a life-rest in well doing, with
the weekly Sabbath rest of the former dispensation.
In full keeping with this view are his words in an-
other place,! where he is trying to evade the charge
that Christians were not consistent, since, by observ-
ing festivals they ignored the teachings of Paul in
Gal. 4: 10. He says:

" But if any one should object to that which takes
place among us on the Lords-day, or the Prepara-
tion days, or on the days of the Passover or of Pente-
cost, the answer is, that the perfect Christian who
continually, by words, works, and thoughts, lives
in accordance with the Word of God, his natural
Lord, is ever in his days, and daily keeps a Lord's-
day. He also who continually prepares himself to
live in accordance with truth, and abstains from the
pleasures of lite, by which many aie deceived, who
does not feed the desires of the flesh; but keeps his
bodv under, he is always keeping a Preparation
day."*

Thus does Origen surpass his predecessors, oppos-
ing even the idea of any specific time for public
worship, as a religious duty. He teaches a mixture
of uo-Sabbathism and of higher S[ i ritual Sabbath-
ism, which ignores specific time as sacred, and makes
all time sacred in a certain degree. Judging by the
then present state of the church and the s-ubse-

* Origensis Opera Omnia, etc., Liber second, p. 358, Paris,
1733.

t Contra Celsum, Lib. viii. chap. 22.

t Opera. Liber I. p. 753. Edition above quoted; also, Ante-
Nicene Lib. Vol. 23, p. 509.

SABBATH AND SUNDAY. 103

quent results, Origen's teachings helped to swell the
tide of practical no-Sabbathism.

CYPRIAN.

Cyprian was Bishop of Carthage. He died A. D.
258. His views concerning the Sunday were pat-
terned after those of Tertullian. Neander states
that "the study of the writings of Tertullian had
plainly a peculiar influence on the doctrinal develop-
ment of Cyprian. Jerome relates, after a tradition
supposed to come from the secretary of Cyprian,
that he daily read some part of Tertullian's writings,
and was accustomed to call him by no other name
than that of Master." The passage usually quoted
in favor of the Sunday is from his Epistles. He is
considering the proper time for the baptism of in-
fants, and says:

"For in that in the Jewish circumcision of the
flesh the eighth day was observed, a mystery was
given beforehand, in a shadow, and in a figure; but
when Christ came it was accomplished in reality.
For because the eighth day, that is the first after the
Sabbath, was to be that whereon our Lord would
rise again and quicken, and give us the spiritual
circumcision, this eighth day, that is the first after
the Sabbath, and the Lord's-day, was promised in a
figure. Which figure ceased when the reality after-
wards came, and when the spiritual circumcision
was given to us. On which account we think that
no one should, by that law which was before or-
dained, be hindered, from obtaining grace. Nor
should the spiritual circumcision be hindered by
the circumcision of the flesh, but every one
is to be by all means admitted to the grace of
Christ, inasmuch as Peter also, in the Acts of the

L04 SABBATH AND SUNDAY.

Apostles, speaks and says, ' The Lord hath showed
me that I should not call any man common or un-
clean.'" Acts 10: 28.*

Such vague, unmeaning mysticism needs no c 'la-
ment. Instead of showing that these writers deemed
the Sunday to be either a Sabbath, or the Sabbath,
it rather shows how much the works of these lead-
ing men of the third cen'ury are marred by their
efforts to find a hidden meauing in all ceremouies,
numbers, and days.

conclusions.

The foregoing are all of the important witnesses
in favor of the Sunday for the first three centuries.
Collating their testimony, the following conclusions
are unavoidable:

1. No traces of the observance of the Sunday are
fou .d until about 'he middle of the second century.
Those appear first in Justin Martyr's First Apology.
The leading reason assigned by him for its observ-
ance is founded on a mystical interpretation of cer-
tain pa-sages supposed to refer to the millennium.
The supposed^ resurrection of Christ on tliar day is

* Epistles, chap. 64, sec. 4, Oxford Edition of Lib. of the
Fathers, but numbered as 58 in Ante-Nicene Lib. Vol. 8, p.
190.

tWe say " supposed.*' because the New Testament makes

no definite statement that Christ rose on Sunday. Sofaras

the Sal bath que stion is < oj cerm d. \\ e are willing to grant

that lie did. But the Gospels do not explicitly state this.

For discussion of the time of the resurrection, see Sabbath
and Sunday. Vol. I., pp. .V2-56.

SABBATH AND SUNDAY. L05

mentioned incidentally as a secondary reason. About
the close of the second century, the idea of com-
memorating the resurrection by Ihe observance of
the Sunday increases, and the term " Lord's d;iy "
begins to be applied to i'.

2. During the third century, no-lawism and the
no-Sabbath theory gain the ascendency in the theo-
ries of the leaders. The representative writers of this
century teach that there is no sacred time under the
gospel dispensation. That no days are holy, and no
observance of specific times religiously landing.
That the true idea of the Sabbath c >nsists in rest
from sin. That the true idea of the Lord's day and
its associate festivals consists in communion with
Christ, and obedient life. The fancies of Cyprian
concerning circumcision as a type of the "eighth
day" appear toward the close of the third cen-
tury.

3. The observance of the Sunday which then pre
vaih-d was not sabbatic. In the second century there
is no trace of the sabbatic idea connected with it. Tt
is a day, some part of which is used f »r the purpose
of pu die religious instruction. In the third century,
the celebration of the Lord's Supper < n Sunday
seems to have become quite general. This was also
done regularly on at least three other days in each
week. The interdiction of "bu9inessand kneeling"
on that day, which appears during the last half of
the third century, was made because business cares
interrupted the festd enjoyment of the day. and not

106 SABBATH AND SUNDAY.

because any true idea as of a Sabbath was enter
tained. This is shown from the language of those
passages in which such interdiction appears, and in the
fact that these same writers plead strenuously for
the Sabbath as a life-rest from sin, and not as a week-
ly rest from labor. Dr. Hes^ey, in speaking of the
''Lord's-day " at this period, says:

" It was never confounded with the Sabbath, but
was carefully distinguished from it as an institution
under the law of liberty, observed in a different way
and with diffeient feelings, and exempt from the
severity of tbe provisions which were supposed to
characterize the Sabbath."*

Robert Cox, speaking of the close of the thi:d
century, gives the following:

" But although Christian theology had not at this
time assumed the systematic form which it after-
wards attained, there is no ground for saying that
the Fathers, or 'the Church ' represented by them, had
formed no theory, Sabbatarian or dominical, of the
Lord's-day. Often did the question occur to them,
Why do we honor the first day of the week and as-
semble for worship upon it? And to this question
not one of them wh) lived before the reign of Con-
stantine has either answered, with Mr. Gilfillnn,
' Because the fourth cornmindment binds the Chris-
tian Church as it did the Jews, and the Sabbath-day
was changed by Christ or his apostles from Satur-
day to Sunday,' or replied, with Dr. Hessey, 'Be
cause the apostles, who had a divine commission,
appointed the Lord's day to be observed as a Chris-
tian festival.' On the contrary, they give sundry
other reasons of their own, fanciful in most cases,
and ridiculous in some. The best of them is that

* Lectures on Sunday, p. 49, London, 1866.

SABBATH AND SUNDAY. 107

on the first day the Saviour had risen from the dead;
and the others chiefly are, that on the first day God
changed darkness and matter, and made the world;
that on a Sunday Jesus Christ appeared to and in-
structed his disciples; that the command to circum-
cise children on the eighth was a type of the true
circumcision, by which we were circumcised from
error and wickedness through our Lord, who rose
from the dead on the firsr day of the week; and that
manna was first given to the Israelites on a Sunday.
From which the inevitable inference is, that they
neither had found in Scripture any commandment —
primeval, Mosaic, or Christian — appointing the
Lord's day to be honored or observed, nor knew
from tradition any such commandment delivered
by Jesus or his apostles."*

* Sabbatli Literature, Vol. 1; p. 3§3.

OHAPTEE XL

Other Days of Worship.

Before considering the next era in the Sabbath
question, which Mas ushered in through civil legis
lation, it is well to notice certain other days of wor
ship, which sprang up previous to the fourth cen-
tury.

WEDNESDAY AXD FRIDAY.

The fourth and the sixth days of the week as semi-
religious fasts were made prominent among the pub-
lic days of the church during the third century. Jo-
seph Bingham speaks of them as follows:

"However, it was not long after Justin Martyr's
time, before we are sure the church observed the
custom of meeting solemnly for divine worship on
Wednesdays and Fridays which days are commonly
called stationary days, 'because they continued their
assemblies on these days to a great length, till three
o'clock in the afternoon. . . . Tertullian assures us,
that on these days they always celebrated the com-
munion, from whence we may infer, that the same
service was performed on these days as on the Lord's
day. unless, perhaps, the sermon was wanting. Some
there were, he says, who objected against receiving
the communion on these days, because they were
scrupulously afraid they should break their 'fast by
eating and drinking the bread and wine in the Eu-
charist; and therefore they chose rather to absent
themselves from the oblation prayers, than break

SABBA3H AKV SUNDAY. 109

their fast, as they imagined, by receiving the Eu-
charist. Whom he undeceives by telling them that
to receive the Eucharist on such days would be no
infringement of their fast, but bind them closer to
God; their station would be so much the more sol-
emn for their standing at the altar of God; they
might receive the body of the Lord and preserve
their fast too, and so both would be safe, whilst they
both participated of the sacrifice and discharged
their other obligation. Since, therefore, they re-
ceived the Eucharist on these days, we may con-
clude they had all the prayers of the communion of-
fice, and what other offices were wont to go before
them, as the psalmody and reading of the Scriptures.
and prayers for the catechumens and penitents,
which, together with the sermons, were the whole
service for the Lord's day. But, because even all
this could not take up near so much time, as must
needs be spent in these stations, it seems most prob-
able, that in two particulars, they enlarged their ser-
vice on these days, tint is, in their psalmody, and
private prayers, and confession of sins. The Psalms,
u< we shall see hereafter, were sometimes length-
ened to an indefinite number, twenty, thirty, forty.
fifty, or more, as the occasion of a vigil or a fast re-
quired, and between every psalm they had liberty to
meditate and fall to their private prayers; and bv
these two exercises, so lengthened and repeated, it is
easy to conceive how the longest stati n might be
employed. ... St. Basil agrees with Tertullian, in
making these days not only fasts, but communion
days; for, reckoning up how many days in the week
they received the communion, he makes Wednesday
and Friday to be two of the number. Yet. still it is
hard to conceive what business they could have to
detain them so long in the church since their collects
and public prayers were but few in comparison, and
therefore it seems most probable that a competent
share of this time was spent in psalmody, and as I

110 SABBATH AND SUNDAY.

find a learned person* inclined to think, in private
devotion, which always had a share in their service,
and was generally intermixed with their singing of
psalms, as shall be showed in their proper places."!

A careful study of the foregoing will show that
religious worship was more full}" attended to on the
Wednesday and 1 he Friday than on the Sunday, and
an extended comparison between the " Fasts " and the
"Festivals" of the second and third centuries, will
show that the former contributed far more to the re-
ligious life of those times than the latter did. This
was especially true in the Western Church. It is
certain, from Tertullian and others, that the Sunday
was the great weekly festival of " Indulgence for the
flesh." As such, it was more popular, but less con-
ducive to true spiritual growth and Christian devel-
opment. There is further testimony, which, though
it carries us over into the next century, serves to cor-
roborate what has already been said concerning Wed-
nesday and Friday. Eusebius, after speaking of the
laws which Constantine made relative to Sunday,
adds:

" He also ordered that they should reverence those
days which immediately precede the Sabbath, be-
cause, as it seems to me, of the memorable acts of
our Saviour upon those days. "%

Sozomen, who wrote about 450 A. D. , speaking of
Constantine, says:

"He also enjoined the observance of the day

* Stillingfleet, Orig., Britan, p. 221.
t Antiquities of the Christian Cnurcn, Hook 13. chap. 9.
Also Bo^k 14, chap. 1, and Book 15, chap. 1, sec. 1.
X Be Vita C'onstantini, Liber 4. chap. 18.

SABBATH AND SUNDAY. Ill

termed the Lord's-day which the Jews call the first
day of the week and which the Greeks dedicate to
the sun, as likewise the day before the seventh,
and commanded that no judicial or other business
should be transacted on those days, but that God
should be served with prayers and supplications. He
honored the Lord's day because on it Christ arose
from the dead, and the day above mentioned because
on it he was crucified."*

Heylyn, having quoted Eusebius and Sozomen as
above, adds:

' ' For I do not conceive that they met every day in
these times to receive the Sacraments. Of Wednes-
day and Friday it is plain they did, (not to say any-
thing of Saturday until the next section). S. Basil
(Epist. 289) names them all together. ' It is,' saith
he, ' a profitable and pious thing, every day to com-
municate and to participate of the blessed body and
blood of Christ our Saviour, he having told us in
plain terms, that whosever eateth his flesh and drink-
eth his blood, hath eternal life. We, notwithstand-
ing, do communicate but four times weekly, on the
Lord's-day, the Wednesday, the Friday/ and the
Saturday, unless on any other days the memory of
some martyr be perhaps observed. Epiphanius go-
eth a little further and deriveth the Wednesday's
and the Friday's service even from the apostles,
ranking them in the same antiquity and grounding
them upon the same authority that he doth the Sun-
day. Only it seems the difference was, that whereas
formerly it had been the custom not to administer
the Sacrament on these two days (being both of them
fasting days, and so accounted long before) until to-
ward evening; it had been changed of late, and they
did celebrate in the mornings, as on the Lord's-day
was accustomed. Whether the meetings on these

: Eoo. Hist., Book 1, Chap. 8.

112 SABBATH AND SUNDAY.

days were of such antiquity as Epiphanius saith they
were.. I will not meddle. Certain it is, that they
were very ancient in the Church of God, as may ap-
pear by that of Origen and Tertullian before men-
tioned."*

Coleman says:

"It appears, however, from his (Origen's) observa-
tions, that at Alexandria, Wednesdays and Fridays
were then observed as fast days, on the ground that
our Lord was betrayed on a Wednesday and cruci-
fied on a Friday. The custom of the Church at the
end of the fourth century may be collected from the
following passage of Epiphanius: ' In the whole
Christian Church, the following fast days through-
out the year are regularly observed. On Wednes-
days and Fridays we fast until the ninth hour, (*. e.,
three o'clock in the afternoon,) except during the in-
terval of fifty days between Easter and Whitsuntide,
in which it is usual neither to kneel or to fast at
all.' "f

Neander says:

"And further, two other days in the week, Fri-
day and Wednesday, particularly the former, were
consecrated to the remembrance of the sufferings of
Christ, and of the circumstances preparatory to them,
congregations were held on them, and a fast till three
o'clock in the afternoon. But nothing was positive-
ly appointed concerning them; in respect to joining
in these solemnities every one consulted his own con-
venience or inclinations. Such fasts, joined with
prayer, were considered as the watches of the ' \lil-
ites Christi' on their part as Christians, (who com-
pared their calling to a warfare — the Militia Christi,

* Hist. Sab . Pari 2, ('hap. 3, Sec. 4.
1 Ancient Christianity, etc., pp. 552, 553.

SABBATH AND SUNDAY. 113

and they were ' stationes ' — and the days on which
they took place were called dies stationum."*

Similar testimony might be continued were it nec-
essary. But tbat already adduced is sufficient to es-
tablish the conclusion that the weekly "fasts," Wed-
nesday and Friday, and the Sabbath were each de-
voted more to worship and spiritual culture than the
Sunday was. The foregoing testimony also shows
that when men assert that Sunday was the only day
for public religious worship and rest after the resur-
rection of Christ, they are either ignorant or careless
or dish nest. Sunday was more popular than either
Wednesday, or Friday, or the Sabbath, because it
was more festal, "a day of indulgence for the flesh."
Indeed, the Sunday at the close of the third century
stood related to the lives of the people much as it
now stands in those European lands where no-Sab-
bat hism has long held sway and borne its legitimate
fruit.

Before passing to the next chapter, it will be well
to recapitulate the facts already gathered concerning
the rise of no-Sabbathism and Sunday. This is
the more important since otherwise the reader is
easily led into tie mistaken idea that the stream of
Apostolic Christianity came down the centuries, unpol-
luted, and developed no-Sabbathism and the Sunday
festival, as C//'m<M/unstitulions. The ultimate facts
show that they were the product of Pagan influen-
ces. We have seen that there is no definite and au-
thentic mention of Sunday until the middle of the

* Hist Ch., First Three Cen., p. 186.
(S)

114 SABBATH AXI) SUNDAY.

second century, by Justin Martyr, and also that he is
the first to promulgate a broad unscriptural no-Sab-
bathism. We Lave seen that the first mention of
Sunday by him is in an "apology " to a Pagan Em-
peror whom he is seeking to placate toward Chris-
tians. These facts cannot appear in their true light
unless we know the general state of the church, es-
pecially west of Palestine, at this lime. It is
well known that in the Apostolic Age there was
no distinct organization nor specific separation of
those who accepted Christ, from the Jewish
Church. They were still held as members, or at
least, as a party in that Church. The first con-
verts were Jews, and a sharp struggle took place
before the gospel could be carried to the Gentiles, or
Gentile converts admitted to the fellowship of the
believers in Christ. Even as late as the time of the
earlier persecutions, these were waged against the
followers of Christ as a sect of the Jews. There was
no definite line of distinction organically between the
Christian and the Jewish Churches, until the opening
of the second century. We offer the following tes-
timony from high authority:

" With the beginning of the second century there
came a great change in the situation of the Chris-
tians. The separation of Christianity from Judaism
was completed so as to be recognized even by hea-
then eyes. The destruction of Jerusalem put an end
to the outward existence of the Jewish nationality.
The temple fell, the sacrifices ceased. . . . Spread
abroad over the earth, without a local center, or the
bond which had existed hitherto in the temple serv-

SABBATH AND SUNDAY. 115

ice, Judaism henceforth was united only by the com-
mon law, and by the common doctrine contained in
the newly collected Talmud. Thus it became com-
pletely separated from Christianity. Talmudic Ju-
daism severed all the connections which had hither-
to hound it to Christianity. Henceforth three times
every day in the synagogues was invoked the awful
curse on the renegades, the Christians. It came to
he a rare exception for a Jew to go over to Chris-
tianity, while the heathen thronged into the church
in ever increasing numbers. The remainder of the
Jewish Christians dwindled away or disappeared
entirely in the churches of heathen Christians, or
turned heretics and were cut off from the church.
The church now found the field for its work and
growth almost exclusively in the heathen world, and
became composed entirely of Gentile Christians. It
was therefore no longer possible to confound the
Christians with the Jews."*

These facts referred to by Dr. Uhlhorn have a
much deeper bearing on the question of Sunday ob
servance than may at first appear. There is no men-
tion of any form of Sunday observance in the church,
until nearly or quite fifty years after the time when
the church was thus crowded with what he calls the
heathen Christians. Even Pliny's letter, so often
quoted for the sake of its "stated day," was written
after that time; and Justin's Apology was not writ-
ten until these "heathen Christians" had held pos-
session of the Western Church for more than a gener -
ation. It was this influx of Pagan converts which
brought in Sunday, their " venerable day," and grad-
ually, though slowly, displaced the Sabbath. The

* Conflict of Christianity with Heathenism, hv Dr. Gerhar<l
Uhlhorn, Hanover, Germany, pp. 258, 254.

116 SABBATH AND SUNDAY.

changes which followed during the second and third
centuries, strengthened this heathen element in the
church, and at length revived the sun worship at
Rome. A strong tendency to religious syncretism
prevailed, and the Egyptian and Oriental gods were
much honored. Speaking of this, Uhlhorn says:

"Even the Persian Mithras, the last in the series
of the gods who constantl}" migrated to Home from
farther and farther east, now had numerous worship-
ers. He was a god of light, a sun god; as god of
the setting sun, he Mas also god of the nether world;
also as the invincible god, (the invincible compan-
ion, as he was often called,) he became the patron of
warriors, and as such thoroughly fitted for those
times in which the whole world was filled with war.
His worship was always held in a cave. In Rome
the cave penetrated deep into the Capitoline Hill.
Emperors were numbered among his adorers, and
every vi here where Roman armies came (on the Rhine
for instance) there images and caves of Mithras have
been found. This religious syncretism reached its
culmination when Elagabalus, a Syrian priest of the
Bun, becoming Emperor, had the sun god, after
whom he was named, brought from Emesa to Rome*
in the form of a conical black stone. In Rome a
costly temple was built, and great sacrifices were of-
fered to him."*

This was A. D. 218-222. It shows how, by the
growth of sun worship, Sunday was naturally ex-
alted in the Roman Empire, and necessarily in the
church which was being steadily crowded by heathen
converts, many of whom, like Justin Martyr, ac-
cepted Christianity as a superior philosophy in keep-

* Conflict, etc., pp. 314, 315.

SABBATH Atfl) SUNDAY. 117

ing with the prevailing tendency to religious syncre-
tism. This same Elagabalus made room for a chapel
for Christianity in his temple for all the gods,
and offered "Christ a place in the Roman Pan-
theon, by the side of Jupiter, Isis, and Mithras."*
During the last half of the third century the influx
of the Pagan converts was still greater, and although
Christianity was thus steadily preparing for the po-
litical victory under Constantine, during the first
quarter of the next century, yet that was gained only
at a cost to the purity of the church which made the
victory a sad defeat, in many respects. The truths
of Christianity could not be destroyed, but the church
became so corrupted by the Pagan influences, that it
was no longer the counterpart of the apostolic mod-
el. So the third century closes with the European
branch of the Christian Church filled with "Pagan
Christians." Its literature is full of undisguised and
unscriptural no-Sabbath theories. The Sunday has
become a popular weekly festival, which formed a
sort of common ground for all, by uniting the Pagan
elements of popular sun worship, with the idea of a
resurrection festival, at the time when festivals of al*
kinds formed a characteristic feature of the age. Up
to this time not a word appears in any of the litera-
ture which indicates the transference of the Sabbath
to the Sunday, or the making of Sunday a Sabbath
according to the fourth commandmeut. On the con-
trary we have found so noted a man as Tertullian
seeking to draw professed Christians away from oth-
* Uhlhorn. p. 334. ~~

118 SABBATH AND SUNDAY.

er Pagan festivals by reminding them that they had,
in the Sunday, a day of " indulgence for the flesh."
Well does Uhlhorn call the leading men of these
times "Pagan Christians."

Before entering upon the fourth century, we stop
to note the history of the Sabbath during the period
from the close of the New Testament history to
that century.

CHAPTER XII.

Post-Apostolic Wistory of

the Sabbath to the

Fourth Century.

In chapters II and IV we have shown that
the current of Sabbath history runs full and clear
through the Gospels and the book of Acts. Those
post-apostolic writings which are assigned the earli-
est place, show no trace of any practice or teaching
opposed to the doctrine and practice of Christ and
his apostles, on this point. The first traces of any
form of Sunday observance, or of no-Sabbathism,
appear simultaneously, and in the same man, Justin,
about the middle of the second century. These
teachings, so antagonistic to the teachings of Christ
and the apostles, did not and could not appear until
the heathen element gained control of the church.

Since the Sabbath was a prominent feature in the
Jewish creed and practice, the bitter prejudice
wh'ch grew up between the heathen and the Jew'sh
elements in the church, bore heavily upon it; and
when the heathen element gained control of the
church, it set about the development of theories and
practices which would efface, if possible, this so-
called feature of Judaism from the church. The
fact that Justin and his successors pressed their no-

120 SABBATH AND SUNDAY.

Sabbath philosophy shows that the Sabbath was yet
vigorous in its hold upon the church, even after the
Jewish element had been driven out. The strong
weapon with which no Sabbathism fought the Sab-
bath during the last half of the second century, and
the third, fourth, and fifth centuries, was, thai the
observance of the Sabbath was Judaistic. It is
clear that if the Sabbath had died during the New
Testament period, as some claim, it could not have
been resurrected, and restored to such vigor by the
Pagan element in the church, as to make it necessa
ry for that same element to introduce its no-Sabbath
philosophy as a defense against the Sabbath. The
urgency with which the no Sabbath doctrine was
pressed, from the time of Justin forward, shows
that the Sabbath had a strong hold even on Gentile
Christians, which could not be broken except by
continued appeal to man's natural love for lawless-
ness, and his desires for a weekly festival for " in-
dulgence to the flesh," as Tertullian calls Sunday.
Viewed in the light of the philosophy of history, the
fact that the Sabbath was so persistently oppost d,
and at length legislated against, in that portion of the
church which had been for stveial generations un
der the control of the Gentile Christians, is more than
an answer to the loosely made assertion that the Sab-
bath ceased to be observed during the apostolic pe
riod.

Another important fact must be remembered here,
namely, the authors of the no-Sabbath theories,
which began with Justin, were men of Pagan, not

SABBATH AND SUNDAY. 12]

Apostolic culture. The doctrine was the residuum
of Pagan philosophy. There was a modicum of
Christian truth in that part of the theory which
some propounded, that the true Christian made
every day a Sabbath. But that statement is rather
a description of certain results in high spiritual cult-
ure which can never be attained except through the
agency of the Sabbath in lifting men to that high
standard. Another element of truth was that the
Sabbath should not be kept by merely foimal idle-
ness as the Jews were charged with doing. But the
fundamental misconception lay in teaching that the
law was abrogated, that men were free from restraint,
and might give themselves up to festival indulgences.
These elements of truth gilded the theor}' To eyes
which looked whh bitter prejudice on all things as
sociated with Judaism, while the fundamental, prac-
tical lawlessness of the theory was regarded as its
great merit by the low spiritual culture of the pre
vailing Paganism. Men whose gods had been,
hitherto, only enlarged editions of themselves, rev-
eling on Olympus, and delighting in sensuous in
dulgences, were not ready to embrace the new re-
ligion until the rigidness of the fourth command
meuthad been so softened ihat the Sabbath could be
put aside, and a weekly festival put along side of it,
and at length in its place. But the facts show that
in spite of this abrogation of the Sabbath in the
theories of the philosophers, the influence of Apostolic
Christianity was so strong that the people contin-
ued to keep ihe Sabbath long after the philoso-

122 SABBATH AND SUNDAY.

pliers bad decried it. Keep in mind the fact that
neither the Sunday festival nor the doctrine of no-
Babbaihism appears in history until a halt* a century
after the time when Uhlhorn says the western wing
of the church was ruptured from the Jewish element,
and filled with Pagan converts.

But evidence is not wanting to show that the no-
Sabbathism of Justin and his successors was not
universally accepted, and that it was definitely op-
posed by some whose theories were tar more apos-
tolic than Justin's philosophic vagaries were.
Irenseus, who was Bishop of Lyons, France, during
the latter part of the second century, wrote
his noted work Against Heresies, about 18o A. D.,
about twenty years after the death of Justin. lie
treats the idea that Christ abolished the Sabbath as
a Heresy, as it was, from the apostolic standpoint.
These are his words:

" For the Lord vindicated Abraham's posterity by
loosing them from bondage and calling them to sal-
vation, as he did in the case of the woman whom he
healed, saying openly to those who had not faith
like Abraham, '}e hypocrites, doth not each one of
you on the Sabbath-days loose his ox or his acs, and
lead him away to watering? And ought not this wom-
an, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan hath
bound these eighteec years, be loosed from this bond
on the Sabbath-days? ' It is clear, therefore, that he
loosed and vivified those who believed in him, as
Abraham did. doing nothiug contrary to the law
when he healed upon the Sabbath-day. For the
law did not prohibit men from being healed upon
the Sabbaths: [on the contrary,] it even circumcised
them upon that day, and gave command that the

SABBATH AND SUNDAY. 123

offices should be performed by the priests for the
ptople; yen it did not disallow the healing even of
dumb animals. Both at Siloarri and on frequent
subsequent occasions, did he perform cuns upon the
Sabbath; and for this reason many used to resort to
him on the Sabbath-days. For the law commanded
them to abstain from every servile work, that is
from all grasping a tier wealth which is pro-
cured by trading and by other worldly busi-
ness; but it exhorted them to attend to the exercises
of the soul, which consist in refleclion, and to ad-
dresses of a beneficial kind for their neighbors bene-
fit. And, therefore, the Lord reproved ihose who
unjustly blamed him for having healed upon the
Sabbath-days. For lie did not make void, but ful-
filled the law. by performing the offices of the high
priest, propitiating God for man, and cleansing the
lepers, healing the sick, and himself suffering death,
that exiled man might go forth from condemna-
tion, and might return without fear to his own in-
heritance."*

We have also certain "Remains "of one Arche
laus, a Bishop who also wrote against Heresies. His
Disputation irith Manes, dates probably from 280
A. D. In this he speaks as follows :f

"Again, as to the assertion that the Sabbath has
been abolished, we deny that he has abolished it
plainly i plane). For he was himself also Lord of
the Sabbath. And this, the law's relation to the
Sabbath, was like the servant who has charge of the
bridegroom's couch, and who prepares the same
with all carefulness, and does not sutler it to be (lis
turbed or touched by any stranger, but keeps it in-
tact against the time of the bridegroom's arrival; so

* IrenaMis Against Heresies, Book 4, chap. 8, Ante-Nicene
Library, Vol. 1, p. 3'J7.

t Sec. 42.

124 SABBATH AND SUNDAY.

that when he is come, the bed may be used as it
pleases himself, or as it is granted to those to use it
whom he has bidden along with him.'*

Tertullian is more noted as a voluminous writer
than as a consistent one. He sometimes advocates
no Sabbathism undisguisedly; but at other times he
taught a far more Scriptural doctrine. The exact
date of his writings against the heresies of Marcion
is unknown, although the first book, is fixed at 208 A.
D. The fourth book came at a later period. Bishop
Kaye supposes his death to have occurred about 220
A. D. We may safely conclude that the fourth book
against Marcion, appeared during the firs-t quarter
of the third century. Chapter 12 of that book is
"Concerning Christ's authority over the Sabbath,"
etc. His conclusions are as follows:

" Thus Christ did not at all rescind the Sabbath.
He kept the law thereof, and both in the former
case did a work which was beneficial to the life of
his disciples (for he indulged them with the relief of
food when they were hungry), and in the present in
stance cured the withered hand , in each case inti-
mating by facts: ' I came not to destroy the law but
to fulfill it '; although Marcion has gagged his mouth
by this word. For even in the case before us he
fulfilled the law, while interpreting its condition.
[Moreover.] He exhibits in a clear light the differ-
ent kinds of work, while doing what the law excepts
from the sacredness of the Sabbath, [aud] while im-
parting to the Sabbath day itself, which from the
beginning had been consecrated by the benediction
of "the Father, an additional sanctity by his own
beneficent action. For he furnished to this day di

* Ante-Nicene Library, Vol. 20, p. 373.

SABBATH AND SUNDAY. 125

vine safeguards, — a course winch his adversary
would have pursued for some other days, to avoid
honoring the Creator's Sabbath, and restoring to the
Sabbath the works which were proper for it. Since,
in like manner, the prophet Elisha, on this day re-
stored to life the dead son of the Shunammite wom-
an, you see, O Pharisee, and vou too O Marcion,
how that it was [proper employment] for the Crea-
tor's Sabbaths of old to do good, to save life, not to
destroy it; how that Christ introduced nothing new,
which was not atfer the example, the gentleness, the
mercy, and the prediction also of the Creator. For
in this very example he lulfills t'ie prophetic an-
nouncement of a specific healing: ' The weak hands
are strengthened,' as were also, ' the feeble knees,'
in the sick of the palsy."*

If Tertulltan, in the above, contradicts his own
words in other places, the ultimate test is not be-
tween his inconsistencies, but between his theories
and the facts of the Bible. Judged by this standard
the foregoing is essentially correct. Incidental
proof that the Sabbath, in its proper character, and
under its proper name, continued through the cen-
turies, while no Sabbathism was developing, is found
in the fact that Anatolius, Bishop of Laodicea who
was a mathematician of repute, prepared a Chronol-
ogy of Banter, evidently to aid in the settlement of
that much discussed question. The date of the
work is placed in the latter part of the third cen
tury. This "Easter table" uses the terms Sab
bath and Lord's-day in their regular order, showing
how the names and the days were then held.f

* Ante-Ni<*ne Library, Vol. 7. pp. 219, 220.
+ Ante-Nicene Library, Vol. 14, p. 423.

126 SABBATH AND SUNDAY.

The foregoing extracts show that no-Sabbathism
did not come in unchallenged, but that it was op-
posed as a heresy, and that the truth was defended
on good and Scriptural grounds. There is no rea-
son to believe that Sunday gained any pre-eminence
over the Sabbath, even though it did appeal to the
lower elements of men's nature by its festal charac-
ter, until after the time of Constandne, when it was
exalted through civil legislation. No one chums
that the "Longer" form of the Epistle of Ignatius
to the Magnesians, is genuine. Its date is unknown;
but we deem it to belong to the last half of the
fourth century, or to the fifth. But we are willing,
for sake of the argument, to grant it an Ante-Nicene
place, that is, before 325 A. D. Whenever it was
written, it shows that at that time, the writer taught
a just and Scriptural view of Sabbath observance,
and asked for Sunday only a festal character. It
was to him the " Queen," of the days because it was
a, feast as opposed to the Sabbath, the Friday, and
the "Wednesday which were held to be sorrowful
fasts. In chapter 9, — long-form, speaking of
Christ, the writer says:

'' The prophets were his servants, and foresaw him
by the Spirit, and waited for him as tbeir Teacher.
and expected him as their Lord and Saviour, say
ing. ' He will come and save us.' Let us therefore
no longer keep the Sabbath after the Jewish man
ner, and rejoice in days of idleness; for 'he that
does not work, let him not eit.' For say the [holy]
oracles, ' In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat thy
bread.' But let every one of you keep the Sabbath

SABBATH AND SUNDAY. 127

after a spiritual manner, rejoicing in meditation on
the law, not in relaxation of the body, aimiring the

workmanship of God. and not eating thing's prepared
the d,-iy before, nor using lukewarm drinks, and
walking within a prescribed space, nor rinding de-
light in dancing and plaudits which have no sense
in them. And after the observance of the Sabbath,
let every friend of Christ keep the Lords-day as a
festival, the resurrection dav, the queen and chief
of all the days [of the week]."*

The foregoing from authors who wrote previous
to the fourth century, is fully sustained by the state-
ments of both earlier and later historians.

Socrates sa}*s:

" Such as dwell at Rome, fast three weeks before
Easter, except the Sabbath and Sunday. . . . Again
touching the communion, there are sundry customs,
for although all the churches throughout the whole
world do celebrate and receive the holy mysteries
each returning week upon the Sabbath, yet the peo-
ple inhabiting Alexandria and Rome, from an old
tradition, refuse thus to do. The Egyptians, who
are neighbors to the Alexandrians, together with the
Thebians, celebrate the communion on the Sab-
bath."

Again he says:

"Therefore, when the festivals of each week oc-
curred, namely, the Sabbath, and dominical day, in
which they (Christians) were wont to assemble in
the churches, they (the Arians) congregating in the
porches of the gates of the city, sung such songs as
were fitted to the opinions of Arius.' f etc.

Sozomen, a contemporary of Socrates, writing

* Ante-Nicene Library, Vol. 1. p. 180.
tEcc. Hist., Book 5, chap. 21; ami Book 0, chap. 8. Latin
Edition, 1570.

128 SABBATH AND SUNDAY.

probably ten or fifteen years later, (about A. D.
460.) lias the following:

" The Sabbath, from the evening forward, for a
suitable time, is used iu vigils and prayers; and the
day following there is a public meeting of all in
common, when each partakes of the mysteries."*

The phrase " From the evening foricard," shows
that these vigils were kept on Sixth day night, and
the meeting on the following day wras upon the Sab-
bath. It can not mean the evening after the Sab-
bath, for at sunset the Sabbath closed.

Again Sozomen says:

" Likewise some meet both upon the Sabbath and
upon the day after the Sabbath, as at Constantino
pie, and among almost all others. At Rome and
Alexandria they do not. Among the Egyptians
likewise, in many cities and villages, there is also a
sacred custom among all of meeting on the evening
after the Sabbath, when the sacred mysteries are
partaken of."f

The reader will readily see why the Sabbath was
not observed at Rome and Alexandria. Sozomen
wrote nearly one hundred and fifty years after the
passage of the first " Sunday Law " by Constantine,
and the subsequent enactments against the Sabbath.

Thus men living in the fifth century, and having
access to all the existing material, bear testimony
to the fact that it was the almost universal custom
of the church at that time, to observe the Sabbath.

* Liber 7, chap. 18. t Liber 7, chap. 19.

SABBATH AND SUNDAY. 129

Corresponding with this is the testimony of modern
writers.
Lyman Coleman, says:

" The observance of the Lord's day, as the first day
of the week, icas at first introduced as a separate in-
stitution. Both this and the Jewish Sabbaih, were
kept for some time; finally, the latter passed wholly
over into the former, which now took the place of
the ancient Sabbath of the Israelites. But their
Sabbath, the last day of the week, was strictly kept,
in connection with that of the first day, for a long
time after the overthrow of the temple and its wor-
ship. Down even to the fifth century, the observ-
ance of the Jewish Sabbath was continued in the
Christian church, but with a rigor and solemnity
gradually diminishing; until it was wholly discon-
tinued. . . . Both were observed in the Christian
church down to the fifth century, with this differ-
ence, that in the Eastern church both days were re-
garded as joyful occasions; but in the Western, the
Jewish Sabbath was kept as a fast."*

Heylyn, after giving the words of Ambrose, that
he fasted when at Rome on the Sabbath, and when
away from Rome did not, adds:

"Nay, which is more, St. Augustine tells us, that
many times in Africa, one and the self- same church,
at least the several churches in the self -same prov
ince, had some that dined upon the Sabbath, and
some that fasted And in this difference it stood a
long time together, till, in the end, the Roman
church obtained the cause, and Saturday became a
fast, almost through all parts of the Western world;
and of that alone; the Eastern churches being so
far from altering their ancient custom, that, in the

X Ancient Christianity Exemplified, chap. 26, sec. 2.

(9)

130 SABBATH AND SUNDAY.

sixth Council of Constantinople, Anno, 692, they
did admonish those of Rome to forbear fasting on
that day, upon pain of censure."*

King says:

"For the Eastern churches, in compliance with
the Jewish converts, who were numerous in those
parts, pei formed on the seventh day the same pub-
lic religious services that they did on the first day,
observing both the one and the other, as a festival.
Whence Origen enumerates Saturday as one of the
four feasts solemnized in his time, though, on the
contrary, some of the Western churches, tbat they
mighl not seem to Judaize, fasted on Saturday. So
that, besides the Lord's-day, Saturday was an usual
season whereon many churches solemnized their re-
ligious services. "f

An old work on the "Morality of the Fourth
Commandment," by William Twisse, D. D., has
the following:

" Yet, for some hundred years in the primitive
church, not the Lord's-day only, but the seventh
day also, was religiously observed, not by Ebion
and Cerinthus only, but by pious Christians also, as
Baronivs writeth, and Gomarvs confesseth, and
Rivert also.":J:

" A Learned Treatise of the Sabbath " by Edward
Brerewood, Professor in Gresham College, London,
has the following:

" And especially because it is certain (and little do
you know of the ancient condition of the church if
you know it not,) that the ancient Sabbath did re-

* Hisfory of the Sabbath, part 2, chap. 2, sec. 3.

t" Primitive Church," first published 1691, pp. 126, 127.

JP. 9, London, 1641.

SABBATH AND SUNDAY. 131

main and was observed (together with the celebra-
tion of the Lord's-day,) by the Christians of the East
Church, above three hundred years after our Sa-
viour's death."*

The learned Joseph Bingham, says:

" We also find in ancient writers frequent men
tion made of religious assemblies on the Saturday,
or seventh day of the week, which was the Jewish
Sabbath. It is not easy to tell the original of this
practice, nor the reasons of it, because the writers
of the first ages are altogether silent about it. In
the Latin churches, (excepting .Milan,) it was kept
as a fast; but in all the Greek churches, as a festival;
I consider it here only as a day of public divine ser-
vice. . . . Athanasius, who is one of the first that
mentions it, says: They met on the Sabbath, not
that they were infected with Judaism, but to wor-
ship Jesus, the Lord of the Sabbath. And Timo-
theus, one of his successors in ihe See of Alexandria,
says, the communion was administered on this day.
. . . Socra es is a little more particular about the
service; for he says: In their assemblies on this day
they celebrate the communion; only the churches
of tigypt and Thebias differed in this from the rest
of the world, and even from their neighbors at Al-
exandria, that they had the communion at evening
service. In another place, speaking of the churches
of Constantinople, in the time of Chrysostom, he
reckons Saturday and Lord's-day, the two great
weekly festivals, on which they always held church
assemblies. And Cassian takes notice of the Egyp-
tian churches that among them the service of "the
Lord's day and the Sabbath, was always the same;
tor they had the lessons then read out of the New
Testament, only one out of the Gospels; and the
other out of the Epistles or the Acts of the Apostles;

* P. 77, London, 1630.

132 SABBATH AND SUNDAY.

whereas, on other days Ihey Lad them partly out of
the Old Testament, and partly out of the Kew. In
another place he observes that in the monasteries of
Egypt and Thebias, they had no public assemblies
on other days, besides morning and evening, except
upon Saturday ard the Lord's-day, when "ihey met
at (three o'clock,) that is nine in tie morning, to
celebrate the Communion."*

William Cave, D. D., in a work entitled Primi-
tive Christianity testifies as follows:

"The Sabbath, or Saturday, for so the word Sab-
batum is constantly used in the writings of 1he fa
thers when speaking of it as it relates to Christians,
was held by them in great veneration, and especially
in the Eastern parts, honored with all the public
solemnities of religion. For which we are to know,
that the Gospel in those parts mainly prevailing
amongst the Jews, they being generally the first
converts to the Christian faith, they still retained a
mighty reverence for the Mosaic in-titutions. and
especially for the Sabbath, as that which had been
appointed by God himself as a memorial of his rest
from the woik of creation, settled by their great
master Moses, and celebrated by their ancestors for
so many ages as the solemn day of their public wor-
ship, and were therefore very loth that it should be
whe>lly anti uated and laid aside. . . . Hence they
usually had most parts of divine service performed
upon that day; they met together for public prayers,
for reading the Scriptures, celebration of the Sacra-
ments, and such like duties. This is plain, not only
from some passages in Ignatius, and Clement's Con-
stitutions, but from writers of more unquestionable
credit anel authority. Athanasius, bishop of Alex-
andria tells us that they assemble on Saturdays, not

* Antiquities of the Christian Church, Book 13, chap. 9.
sec 3.

SABBATH AND SUNDAY. 133

that they were infected with Judaism, but only to
worship Jesus Christ, the Lord of the Sabbat n; and
Socrates, speaking- of the usual times of their public
meeting, calls the Sabbath and the Lord's-day, the
weekly festivals on which the congregation was
woDt to meet in the church for the performance of
divine services. Therefore the council of Laodicea
amongst other things decreed,* that upon Saturdays
the gospels and other scriptures should be read.
Upon this day also, as well as upon Sunday, all fasts
were severely prohibited, (an infallible argument
they counted it a festival day) one Saturday in the
year only excepted, viz. : that before faster day,
which was always observed as a solemn fast; things
so commonly known as to need no proof. . . . Thus
stood the case in the Eastern church; in those in the
West we find it somewhat different. Amongst them
it was not observed as a religious festival, but kept
as a constant fa3t. The reason whereof, (as it is
given by Pope Innocent, in an epistle to the Bishop
Eugubium, where he treats of this very case,) seems
most probable. ' If [says he) we commemorate
Christ's resurrection, not only at Easter, but every
Lord's day, and fast upon Friday, because it was
the day of his passion, we ought not to pass by Sat-
urday, which is the middle time between the days
of grief and joy; the apostles themselves spending
those two days, viz.: Friday and the Sabbath, in
great sorrow and heaviness; and he thinks no doubt
ought to be made, but that the apostles fasted upon
those two days; whence the church had a tradition,
that the sacraments were not to be administered on
those days, and therefore concludes tha every Sat-
urday, or Sabbath, ought to be kept a fast. To the
same purpose the council of Illiberis ordained that
a Saturday festival was an error that ouirht to be re-
formed, and that men ought to fast on every S:.b-

* Can. 16.

134 SABBATH AND SUNDAY.

bath. But, though this seems to have been the gen-
eral practice, yet it did not obtain in all places of
the West alike. In Italy itself, i" was otherwise at
Milan, where Saturday was a festival; and it is said
in the life of Saint Ambrose, who was bishop of
that See, that he constancy dined as well upon
Saturday as upon the Lord's-uay, and used also up
on that day to preach to the people."*

Dr Charles Hase says:

" The Roman church regarded Saturday as a fast
day in direct opposition to tho^e who regarded it as
a Sabbath."!

Rev. James Cragie Robertson, states that:

" In memory of our Lord's betrayal and crucifix-
ion the fourth and sixth days of each week were
kept as fasts, by abstaining from food until the hour
at which he gave up the Ghost, the ninth hour, or
3 P. M. In the manner of observing the seventh
day the Eastern church differed from the Western.
The Orientals, influenced by the neighborhood of
the Jews, and by the ideas of Jewish converts, re
garded it as a continuation of the Mosaic Sabbath,
and celebrated it almost in the same manner as the
Lord's-day; while th ir brethren in the west — al
though not until after the time of Tertullian, ex
tended to it the fast of the preceding day. "X

Rev. Philip Schaff bears the following testimony.

" The observance of the Sabbath among the Jew-
ish Christians, gradually ceased. Yet the Eastern
churcn to this day marks the seventh day of the
week, (excepting only the Easter Sabbath.) by omit-

* P. 83, Oxford, 1840.
t History of the Christian Church, p 67. paragraph «!».
New York. 1855.

% History of the Church, p. 158. London. 1854.

SABBATH AND SUNDAY. 135

ing fasting, and by standing in prayer; while the
Latin church, in direct opposition to Judaism, made
Saturday a fast day. The controversy on this point
began as early as the end of the second century.
Wednesday, and especially Friday, were devoted to
the weekly commemoration of the sufferings and
death of the Lord, and ob-erved as days of penance,
or watch days, with worship and half fasting, till
three o'clock in the afternoon."*

Neander recognizes the observance of the Sabbath
by the church in general, during the first three cen-
turies:

' ' In the Western churches, particularly the Ro-
man, where opposition to Judaism was the prevail-
ing tendency, this very opposition produced the cus
torn of celebrating the Saturday in particular as a
fast day. This difference in customs would of course
be striking where members of the Oriental church
spent their Sabbath-day in the Western church, "f

Gieseler beirs the following testimony:

" While the Christians of Palestine, who kept the
whole Jewish law, celebrated of course all the Jew-
ish festivals, the heathen converts observed only the
Sabbath, and, in remembrance of the closing scenes
of our Saviour's life, the Passover, though without
the Jewish superstitions. Besides these, the Sunday,
as the day of our Saviour's resurrection, was devoted
to religious worship."!

If this be carefully studied, two important facts

* History of the Christian Church, p. 372, New York and
Edinburtf, 1864.

+ History of the Christian relijrion and Church, during the
first three centuries, j). 186, Hose's translation. Nearly the
same lanjruajje is used in his general history, Vol. 1, p. 298,
Torrey's translation.

X Church History. Apostolic ageto A. D. 7i>, sec. 39

136 SABBATH AND SUNDAY.

will appear. 1. There is no indefiniteness in the
statement concerning the fact that all Christians
kept the Sabbath. 2. With reference to the keep-
ing of the Sunday, Gieseler gives the passages upon
which such an idea is founded, thus throwing upon
the reader the responsibility of deciding for himself
whether the evidence is sufficient to support the
claim. It is a significant fact that the learned his-
torian does not commit himself to the popular theo-
ry, but leaves each to judge for himself. We ask
the reader to refer the question to the New Testa-
ment, and to abide by its decision.

Thus appears an unbroken chain of evidence
showing that the Sabbath was generally observed by
the Christian church as late as the fourth century.
The Western church had by this time come to re-
gard it as a fast, and its true character had been
largely set aside. The Eastern church less corrupt-
ed by Romish influence, observed it more nearly in
the true Christian spirit, and without extreme
Pharisaic rigidity. With such facts within the reach
of every careful student of history, it is difficult to
understand how so many men can venture to assert
that the Sabbath was not observed by Christians
after the time of Christ. Bear in mind too that the
foregoing evidence is, mainly, concerning the West-
ern branch of the church, which was much more
corrupted by the Sunday influences than the East-
ern; and that the writers referred to in this chapter
all wrote after the rupture between the Jewish
and the Pagan elements in the church, at the open-

SABBATH AND SUNDAY. 137

ing of the second century. Any effort to deny the
fact that the Sabbath remained in the entire church
until the fourth century, and later, is a perversion
of history. The only essential modification in the
character of its observance was a justifiable laying
aside of Pharisaic formalism, and the changing it in-
to a fast in the Western church. We shall present
hereafter evidence that the Sabbath continued to be
observed for a century or two after the changes
which were inaugurated by the civil legislation of
Constantine, which is to be considered in the next
chapter.

noN.

CHAPTER XIII.
CONSTANTINE AND THE BeGIN
OF L]

The fourth century opens a new era in the history
of the Church, and of the Sabbath question. In the
West, through a union of Church and State, the
disastrous work of civil legislation concerning re-
ligion begins. Constantine the Great is the repre
seniative man during the first quarter of the century.
At the death of his father in the year 306, he be
came an associate ruler in the Roman Empire, and
gained full power in the year 323. He died at Con-
stantinople, A. D. 337. Constantine first began to
favor Christianity as an element of social and politi-
cal power. He shrewdly seized upon it as the most
vigorous element in the decaying Empire. He
neither appreciated nor loved the truth for its own
sake. A modern historian speaks of him in these
words:

"He reasoned, as Eusebius reports from his own
moutb, in the following manner: ' My father served
the Christians ' God, and uniformly prospered, while
the emperors who worshiped the heathen gods, died
a miserable death; therefore, that I may enjoy a
happy life and reign. I will imitate the example of
my father and join myself to the cause of the Chris
tians who are growing daily, while the heathen are

SABBATH AND SUNDAY. 139

diminishing ' This low utilitarian consideration
weighed heavily in the mind of an ambitions cap-
tain, who looked forward to the highest seat of pow
er within the gift of his age."*

Dr. Schaff says again:

" He was distinguished by that genuine political
wisdom, which, putting itself at ihe head of 'he age.
clearly saw that idolatry had outlived itself in the
Roman Empire, and that Christianity alone could
breathe new vigor into it, and furnish it moral sup-
port.

"But with the political, he united also a religious
motive, not clear and deep indeed, yet honest, and
strongly infused with the superstitious disposition
to judge a religion by its outward success, and to
ascribe a magical virtue to signs and ceremonies.
. . . Constantine first adopted Christianity as a
superstition, and put it by the side of his heathen
superstition, till, finally, in his conviction, the Chris-
tian vanquished the Pagan, though without itself
developing into a pure and enlightened faith. At
first, Constantine, like his father, in the spirit of the
Neo-Platonic syncretism of dying heathendom, rtv-
erenced all the gods as mysterious powers; especially
Apollo, the god of the sun, to whom, in the year
308, he presented munificent gifts. Nay, so late as
the year 321, he enjoined regular consultations of
the soothsayers in public misfortunes, according to
ancient heathen usage; even, later, he placed his new
residence, Byzantium, under the protection of the
god of Martyrs, and the heathen goddess of Fortune,
and down to the end of his life, he retained the title
and dignity of pontifex maxim us, or high priest of
the heal hen hierarchy. . . . With his every victory
over his Pagan rivals, Galerius, Maxentius, and
Licinius, his personal leaning to Christianity, and

* Philip Schaff, Church History. Vol. 2, p. 19.

140 SABBATH AND SUNDAY.

his confidence in the magic power of the cross in-
creased; yet he did not formally renounce heathen-
ism, and did not receive baptism, until, in 337, he
was laid upon the bed of death. ... He was far
from being so pure and so venerable as Eusebius,
blinded by his favor of the Church, depicts him in
his bombastic and almost dishonestly eulogistic
biography, with the evident intention of setting him
up as a model for all future Christian princes. It
must with all regret be conceded, that his progress
in the knowledge of Christianity was not a progress
in the practice of its virtues. His love of display
and his prodigality, his suspiciousness and his des-
potism, increased with his power. The very bright-
est period of his reign is stained with gross crimes,
which even the spirit of the age, and the policy of an
absolute monarch, can not excuse. After having
reached, upon the bloody path of war, the goal of
his ambition, the sole possession of the Empire; yea,
in the very year in which he summoned the great
council of Mcsea, he ordered the execution of his
conquered rival and brother in-law, Licinius, in
breach of solemn promise of mercy. (324.) Not
satisfied with this, he caused, soon afterward, on
political suspicion, the death of the young Licinius,
his nephew, a boy of hardly eleven years. But the
worst of all is the murder of his eldest son, Cris
pus, in 326, who had incurred suspicion of political
conspiracy, and of adulterous and incestuous pur
poses toward his step mother, Fausta, but is generally
regarded as innocent.

" At all events, Christianity did not produce in
Constant ine a thorough moral transformation. He
was concerned more to advance the outward social
position of the Christian religion, than to further its
inward mission. He was praised and ctnsuredin
turn by the Christians and Pagans, the Orthodox
and the Arums, as they succ.s-ively experienced his
favor or dislike. . . . When, at last, on his death

SABBATH AND SUNDAY. 141

bed be submitted to baptism, with tbe remark.
'Now let us cast away all duplicity ,' be bonestly ad-
mitted tbe conflict of two antagonistic principles
wbicb swayed bis private character and public life."*

Uhlhorn says of bim:

"At Ihe beginning of A. D. 312, beseemed, to say
the least, cool and non-committal. He bad issued
tbe edict of Galerius, and tbe orders concerning its
execution whi^h, as we have seen, were but little
favorable to Christianity. He was no doubt even
then a Monotheist; but the one God whom he wor-
shiped was rather the sun god, the ' Unconquered
Sun ' than the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. But
at the beginning of A. D. 313 he issued the edict of
Milan, which was extraordinarily favorable to the
Christians, and took the first decisive steps towards
raising Christianity to the position of a dominant re-
ligion."!

Knowing thus the character and antecedents of
the man, the reader is better prepared to judge con-
cerning the motives which led to the passage of his
" Sunday Edict," the first act of legislation which
directly affected the Sabbath question. The edict
runs as follows:

" Omnes Judices urbaneeque plebes. et cunctarum
artium oflicia venerabili die Solis quiescant. Ruri
tamen positi Agrorum culturae liber licenterque in-
servfont: quoniam frequenter evenit, ut non aptius
alio die frumenta sulcis, aut vinea? scrobibus man
dentur, ne occasione momenti pereat commoditus
ca>lesti provisione concessa."

" Let all judges, and all city people, and all trades-
men, rest upon the venerable day of the Sun. But

* Church History, Vol. 2, p. 13.
t Conflict Between Heathenism and Christianity, p. 427.

142 SABBATH AND SUNDAY.

let those dwelling in the country freely and with
full liberty attend to the culture of their fields; since
it frequently happens, that no other day is so fit for
the sowing of grain, or the planting of vines; hence
the favorable time should not be allowed to pass,
lest the provisions of heaven be lost.' -

This was issued on the seventh of March, A. P.
321. In June of the same year it was modified so
as to allow the manumission of slaves on the Sunday.
The reader will notice that this edict makes no ref-
erence to the day as a Sabbath, as the Lord's-day,
or as in any wTay connected with Christianity.
Xeither is it an edict addressed to Christians. Nor
is the idea of any moral obligation or Christian duty
found in it. It is merely the edict of a heathen
emperor, addressed to all his subjects, Christian and
heathen, who dwelt in cities, and were tradesmen,
or officers of justice, to refrain from their business
on the "'venerable day" of the god whom he most
adon d, and to whom he loved in his pride to be
compared. There are three distinct lines of argu-
ment which prove that this edict wras a Pagan, rath-
er than a Christian document.

1 . The language ust d. It speaks of the day only
as the ''venerable day of the Sun,' a title purely
heathen. It does not even hint at any connection
between the day and Christianity, or the practices of
Christians.

2. Similar laws concerning many other ht athen
festivals were common Joseph Bingham bears the

* Cod. Justin. III. Tit. 12. L. 3.

SABBATH AND SUNDAY. 143

following testimony, when speaking of the edict un
der consideration:

"This was the same respect as the old Roman
laws had paid to their ferice, or festivals, in times of
idolatry and superstition. . . . Now, as the old Ro-
man laws exempted the festivals of the heathen from
all judicial business, and suspended all processes and
pleadings, except in the fore-mentioned cases, so
Constantine ordered that the same respect should be
paid to the Lord's day, that it should be a day of
perfect vacation from all prosecutions, and plead-
ings, and business of the law, except where any case
of great necessity or charity required a juridical
process and public transaction."*

Bingham states here clearly the fact, that such
prohibitions were made by the Roman laws in favor
of their festivals, but adds, incorrectly, lhat Con
stantine made the same in favor of the Lord's-day;
for we have seen that it was not the Lord's day, but
the '• venerable day of the Sun," which the edict men
tions; and it is impossible to suppose that a law,
made by a Christian prince, in favor of a Christian
institution, should not in any way mention that iu
stitution, cr hint that the law was designed to apply
to it.

Millman corroborates this idea as follows:

"The earlier laws of Constantine, though in their
effect favorable to Christianity, claimed some defer-
ence, as it were, to the ancient religion, in the am-
biguity of their language, and the cautious terms in
which they interfered with Paganism. The re-
script commanding the celebration of the Christian

* Antiquities of the Christian Church, Book 20 chap. 2.
see. 2.

144 SABBATH AND SUNDAY.

Sabbath, bears no allusion to its peculiar sanctity as
a Christian institution. It is the day of the sun
which is to be observed by the general veneration:
the courts were to be closed, and the noise and tu-
mult of public business and legal litigation were no
longer to violate the repose of the sacred day. But
the believer in the new Paganism, of which the solar
worship was the characteristic, might acquiesce with-
out scruple, in the sanctity of the first day of the
week."*

In chapter four of the same book Millman says:

"The rescript, indeed, for the religious observ-
ance of the Sunday, which enjoined the suspension
of all public business and private labor, except that
of agriculture, was enacted, according to the appar
ent terms of the decree, for the whole Roman Em-
pire. Yet, unless we had direct proof that the decree
set forth the Christian reason for the sanctity of the
day, it may be doubted whether the act would not
be received by the greater part of the empire as
merely adding one more festival to the fasti of the
empire, as proceeding entirely from the will of the
emperor, or even grounded on his authority as su-
preme pontiff, by which he had the plenary power
of appointing holy days. In fact, as we have before
observed, the day of the sun would be willingly hal-
lowed by almost all the Pagan world, especially
that part which had admitted any tendency toward
the oriental theology."

Stronger still is the testimony of an English Bar-
rister, Edward V. Neale. These are his words:

" That the division of days into juridici, et feri-
ati, judicial and nonjudicial, did not arise out of the
modes of thought peculiar to the Christian world
must be known to every classical scholar. Before

* History of Christianity, Book 3, chap. 1.

SABBATH AND SUNDAY. 145

the age of Augustus, the number of clays upon which,
out of reverence to the gods to whom they were
consecrated, no trials could take place at Home, had
become a resource upon which a wealthy criminal
could speculate as a means of evading justice; and
Suetonius enumerates among the praiseworthy acts
of that emperor, the cutting off irom the number,
thirty days, in order that crime might not go un-
punished nor business be impeded."*

After enumerating certain kinds of business which
were allowed under these general laws, Mr. Neale
adds, ' ' Such was the state of the laws with respect
to judicial proceedings, while the empire was still
heathen." Concerning the suspension of labor, we
learn from the same author that:

" The practice of abstainiog from various sorts of
labor upon days consecrated by religious observance,
like that of suspending at such seasons judicial pro-
ceedings, was familiar to the Roman world before
the introduction of Christian ideas. Virgil enumer-
ates the rural labors, which might on festal days be
carried on, without entrenching upon the prohibi-
tions of religion and right; and the enumeration
shows that many works were considered as forbid-
den. Thus it appears that it was permitted to clean
out the channels of an old water course, but not to
make a new one; to wash the herd or flock, if such
washing was needful for their health, but not other-
wise; to guard the crop from injury by setting snares
for birds, or fencing in the grain; and to burn un-
produc ive thorns, "f

These facts show how the heathen training and be-
lief of Constantine give birth to the (i Sunday edict. "

* Feasts and Fasts, p. 6.
\ Feasts and Fasts, p. 86. et. seq.

(10)

146 SABBATH AND SUNDAY.

That he was a heathen is also attested by the fact
that the edict of the 7th of March, 321, in favor of
Suuday, was followed by another, published the
next day, which is so purely heathen, that no doubt
can be entertained as to the character of the man
who was the author of both edicts.* The edict of
March 8th, commanded that in case of public calam-
ity, like the striking of the imperial palace or public
builvlings by lightning, the heathen ceremonies for
propitiatiug the gods were to be performed, and the
meaning of the calamity should be sought from the
Sia ni spices. The haruspices were soothsayers, who
gave their answers from watching the movements
of the entrails of slain beasts, and the smoke from
burning certain portions. This was a proceeding
purely heathen, and no Christian prince could have
made such a law. There is an evident connection
between the two edicts, as we shall see when we
remember that Apollo, who was honored as the god
of the sun, was the patron deity of these soothsayers.
He was also the patron deily of Constantine, and
the one to whom he, in his pride, loved to be com-
pared. Thus the Sunday edict, from its associations
as well as its language, is shown to be the emana-
tion of a heathen, and not a Christian religion. Re-
member, too, that at least nine years laler than this,
Constantine placed his new residence at Byzantium
under the protection of the heathen goddess of For-
tune; that he never gave up the title of high priest

* See Rose's Ind. of Dates, p. 380, Gibbon's Decline and
Fall of the Roman Empire, etc.

SABBATH AND SUNDAY. 147

of the heathen religion, that he did not formally
embrace Christianity, and sumbit to baptism, until
he lay upon his death bed, sixteen years later; and
you can do5 fail to see that whatever he did to favor
Christianity, and whatever claims he made to con-
version, were the outgrowth of a shrewd policy,
rather than of a converted heart. And when the
impartial historian can say of him, "The very bright-
est period of his reign is stained with crimes, which
even the spirit of the age, and the policy of an ab-
solute monarch, can not excuse,"* we can not well
claim him as a Christian prince.

If he made any general laws against heathenism,
they were never executed; for it was not suppressed
in the empire until A. I). 890 — seventy-nine years
after his Sunday edict, and fifty-three years after his
death. f The few abuses against which he enacted
law?, were those which had been condemned before
by the laws of the heathen rulers who had preceded
him, such as the obscene midnight orgies, etc.
Millman speaks as follows on this point:

" If it be difficult to determine the extent to which
Constantine proceeded in the establishment ot Chris-
tianity, it is even morepeiplexing to estimate how far
he exerted the imperial authority in the abolition of
Paganism. . . . The Pagan writers, w'ho are not
scrupulous in their charges against the memoiy of
Constantine, and dwell with bitter resentment
on all his overt acts of hostility to the ancient relig-
ion, do not accuse him of thesedirect encroachments

* Schaff.
t See Gibbon, Vol. 3, chap. 2$, Decline and Fall of Roman
Empire.

148 SABBATH AND SUNDAY.

on Paganism. Neither Julian nor Zosimus Jay this
to his charge Lihanius distinct!} asserts that the
temples were left open and undisturbed during his
reign, and that Paganism remained unchanged.
Though Constantine^advanced many Christians to
offices of trust, and no douht many who were ambi-
tious of such offices conformed to the religion of the
emperor, probably most of the high dignities of the
State were held by the Pagans. . . . Inlhecapitol
there can be but little doubt that sacrifices were
offered in the name of the senate and the people of
Rome till a much later period."*

The whole matter is tersely told by a late English
writer, who, speaking of the time of the Sunday
edict, says:

"At a later period, carried away by the current of
opinion, he declared himself a convert to 1he church.
Christianity then, or what he was phased to call by
that name, became the law of the land, and the edict
of A. D. 321, being unrevoked, was enforced as a
Christian ordinance."!

The following words of the learned Niebuhr. in
his lectures on Roman history, as quoted by Stan-
ley, aie to the same effect:

"Many judge of Constantine by too severe a stand-
ard, because they regard him as a Christian; but I
can not look at' him in that light. The religion
which he had in his head, must have been a strange
jumble indeed. . . . He was a superstitious man,
and mixed up his Christian religion with all kinds
of absurd and superslitious opinions. AYhen certain
oriental writers call him equal to the apostles, they

* Historical Commentaries, Book 4, chap. 4.
t Sunday and the Mosaic Sabbath, p. 4.

SABBATH AND SU5TDAY. 149

do not know what thev are saying; and to speak of
him as a saint is a profanation of the word."*

It is a curious and little known fact, that markets
were expressly appc inted by Constantine to be held
on Sunday. This we learn from an inscription on
a Slavonian bath rebuilt by him, published in Grat-
er's Inscriptiones A ntiqum totius Orbis Roma ni, CLXI V.
2. It is there recorded of the emperor, that " pro-
visione pietatis suae nundinas dies solis perpeti anno
constituit;" 'by a pious provision he appointed
markets to be held on Sunday throughout the 3 ear."
His pious object doubtless was to promote the at
tendance of the country people at churches in towns.
"Thus," says Charles Julius Hare, "Constantine
was the author of the practice of holding markets
on Sunday, which, in many parts of Europe, pre-
vailed above a thousand years after, though Char-
lemagne issued a special law (cap. CXL,) against
it."f In "Scotland, this practice was first forbid-
den on holy days by an Act of James IV., in 1503,
and on Sundays in particular by one of James VI.,
in 1579. "J

Before dismissing the Constantinian period, it is
pertinent to notice Eusebius, the church historian,
and the "dishonestly eulogistic," biographer of
CoEstantine. He was a great partisan, and sought
by all means to induce men to favor and honor his
patron, the emperor As a commentator on the

* History of the Eastern Church, p. 292.

t Philological Museum, i.. 30,

; Robert Cox, Sabbath Literature. Vol. I, p. 359.

150 SABBATH AND SUNDAY.

Scriptures, his characteristic tendency to make un-
warrantable statements is clearly seen. Prof. Moses
Stuart made especial effort to jeproduce the ideas of
Constantine and to show that he taught the " puri
tan" theory of a transfer of the Sabbath from the
seventh to the first day. The important passages in
support of this claim are from Eusebius*s Com-
mentary on the 93d Psalm. The Commentary
ah 'unds in unsupported statements, of which the
following is the key note:

"And all thins s, whatsoever that it was duty to
do on the Sabbath, these we have transferred to the
Lord's day, as more appropriately belonging to it,
because it has a precedence and is first in rank, and
more honorable than the Jewish Sabbath. For on
that day, in making the world, God said, Lei there
be light; and there w^as ligbt; and on the same day,
the Sun of righteousness arose upon our souls
Therefore it is delivered to us that we should meet
together on this day, and it is ordered that we should
do those things announced i.i this Psalm."

This and similar passages are construed to mean
that Christ gave authority for such a transfer of the
Sabbath. But the reader will note that Eusebius
says, " We have transferred " etc. The question is
fairly summed up in the following, from Cox:

" But supposing Eusebius to have meant that our
Lord, by an express command, put Sunday in the
place oi Saturday, invested it with all the authority
which the Sabbath bad possessed, and laid upon his
followers the duty of observing it as the Jews were
required to observe the Sabbath— supposing Eusebi
us to say all this, of what value are his opinions to
us? Tne Scripture is our rule, as it was also his;

SABBATH AXJ) .SUNDAY. 151

and if the command is recorded there, or by good
and necessary consequence may be deduced there-
from, suiely we can profit but little from knowing
that a bishop in th(j fourth century found 01 de-
duced it, as every intelligent Christian may on the
supposition do. If, on the contrary, it is not in the
Bible, or to be well and necessarily deduced from
anything recorded therein, are we bound, or even at
liberty, to believe an assertion made for the first
time by a writer in the fourth century — a writer, too,
that was obviously under a strong temptation to
recommend, in every possible way. the Sunday Sab
bath of Constantine to the Christians of his time?
When Eusebius declares that the Sabbath began
with Moses, neither his thorough researches into the
usages and antiquities of the Christian church, nor
the enlightenment and vigor of his mind, have
the smallest effect in inducing Mr. Stuart, or any
other Sabbatarian, to disbelieve in a universal, pri-
meval Sabbath law and its recognition by the early
Gentile Christians. Are not all men equally entitled
to reject his supposed interpretation of Scripture as
to the transference of the Sabbath to the first day of
the week; and also to believe that when he finds in
certain Psalm — allusions to and prophecies of the
Eucharist, and the morning assemblies of Christians
on the Lords-day. he displays a puerile fancy, rather
than that soundness of judgment which an interpre-
ter of Scripture stands greatly in need of?"*

The foregoing testimony relative to the Sunday
under Constantine is given thus atleng'h in order
to show that it gained supremacy through his pagan
legislation, and not through Christian influence, nor
by the authority of the Word of God. The adul-
terous union between Christianity and heathenism,

* Sabbath Literature, Vol. 1 p. 364.

152 SABBATH AND SUNDAY.

thus consummated through civil legislation, brought
forth the Papacy. Sunday became one of its petted
children. One word describes the course of the
"Church" from the time of Constantine along the
succeeding centuries until history, full of shame and
sadness, hides it under the pall of the dark ages;
that word is, downward. The leading features of
that down-going will be given in the next section.

Before dismissing the question of Constantine's
legislation, it is pertinent to add that the theory of
civil legislation in religious matters is wholly op-
posed to the spirit of the Christianity of Christ and
the Apostles. Christ taught very clearly: "My
kingdom is not of this world." Paganism made the
emperor Pont? f ex Maximus in matters of religion.
Constantine held this title &s great high priest of the
State Paganism, to the day of his death. When,
therefore, he determined to adopt Christianity as a
State religion, he naturally assumed, according to
his Pagan theories that he was the head of the
church, and was at liberty to legislate as he would.
The Sunday was sacred to his Patron Deity ; the
conquering, and unconquered Sun. It was also the
resurrection festival of the Christians, held in
favor because it was a festive day. It was therefore
a stroke of political sagacity, quite in keeping with
Constantine's character, to issue the edict he did.
Pagan in its terms and spirit, and yet applicable to
all parties in his empire. But it was the beginning
of weakness and ruin in the history of the church,
and its rehtiors *o ihe civil pow< r.

CHAPTER XIV.

Sunday From the Time of Con-
stantine to the close of
the Fourth Century.

In tracing the history of Sunday subsequent to
the time of Constantine, it is befitting, first, to note the
theories which were put forth by representative
ecclesiastical writers, and second; the civil laws
which were modified or enacted from time to time.

ATHANASTUS,

who died 373, A. D., left very little which bears up-
on the question. He speaks of the first and seventh
days as not being " fasts " even in the time of Lent.*
He also refers to the fourth day of the week, as one
on which Christians usually assembled in the church-
es, f

CYRIL,

Bishop of Jerusalem, who died 386, A. D., has the
following exhortation in his Catechetical Lectures:

"And fall not into Judaism, nor into the sect of
the Samaritans, for henceforth hath Jesus Christ
ransomed thee. Abstain from all observance of
sabbaths, and from calling an indifferent meat ' com
mon or unclean.' Especially abhor all the assem-
blies of the wicked heretics; and in every way make

* Festal Epistles, p. 54. •»■ Historical Tracts, p. 3(58.

154 SABBATH AND SUNDAY.

thine own soul safe, by fastings, by prayers, by
alms, by reading of the divine orachs."*

Again he sajs:

" This Holy Spirit, who in unison with the Fa-
ther ami Son, has established the New Testament in
the church Catholic, has set us free from the griev-
ous burdens of the law — those ordinances, I mean,
concerning things common and unclean, and meats,
and sabbaths, and new moons, and circumcision,
and sprinklings, and sacrifices, wrhich were given 1 or
a season, and had the shadow of good things to come,
but which, when the truth had come, were rightly
abrogated, "f

CHRYSORTOM.

The most important testimony which marks the
beginning of the fifth century, is from the " golden-
tongued" Chrysostom, Patriarch of Constantinople,
who died 492, A. D. In his commentary on Gala-
tians 2: 17, he sajs:

"For though few are now circumcised, jet by
fasting and observing the Sabbath with the Jews,
they equally exclude themselves from grace. 11
Christ avails not to those who are already circum-
cised, much more is peril to be feared where fasting
and sabbatizing are observed, and thus two com-
mandments of the law are kept instead of one. . . .
Wherefore dost thou keep the Sab! ath, and fast with
the Jews? Is it that thou fearest the law and aban-
donment of the letter? But thou wouldst not enter-
tain tttis fear, didst thou not disparage faith as weak,
and by itself powerless to save. A lear to omit the
Sabbath plainly shows that you fear the law as still
in force; and if the law is needful, it is so asa whole,

* Lecture 4. sec. 37, p. 51, Oxford, 1839.
t Lecture 17, sec. 29.

SABBATH AND SUNDAY. 155

not in part, nor in one commandment only; and if
as a whole, the righteousness which is by faith, is,
little by little, shut out. If thou keep the Sabbat b,
why nor also be circumcised? And if circumcised,
why n« t also offer sacrifices? If the law is observed,
it must be observed as a whole, or not at all."*

In treating of the distinction between what he calls
natural and positive laws, he gives utterance to the
following:

"How was it, tben, when he said, 'Thou shalt
not kill,' that he did not add, ' because murder is a
wicki d ihing? ' The reason was tbat conscience had
taught this beforehand; and he speaks thus as to
those who know and understand the point. Where
fore when he speaks to us of another commandment,
not known to us by the dictate of conscience, he
not only prohibits but adds the reason. When, for
instance, he gave commandment respecting the Sab-
bath. ' On the seventh day thou shalt do no work,'
he subjoined also thn reason for this cessation. . . .
For wiiat purpose, then, I ask, did he add a reason
respecting the S;ibl ath, but did no such thing in re-
gal d to murder? Because this commandment was
not one of the leading ones — tgov 7tpoijyoimey-
gov. It was not one of those which were ac-
curately denned of our conscience, but a kind of
partial and temporary one; and for this reason it
was abolished afterwards. "|

In another place, Homily on Matthew, aftei re-
viewing the history of the acts of Christ, in healing
the sick on the Sabbath, and the act of the disciples
in plucking the ears of corn, he notes the arguments

* Library of the Fathers, Vol. 6, p. 42, Oxford, 1810.
i Homily on the Statutes, Library, etc.. pp. 208, 809.

156 SABBATH AND SIX DAY.

by which the accusing Jews were silenced, and
draws the following conclusions:

' ' For it was time for them to be trained in all
things by the higher rules, and it was unnecessary
that his hands should be bound, who was freed from
wickedness, winged for all good works; or that men
should hereby learn that God made all things; or
that they should so be made gentle, who are called
to imitate God's own love to mankind, or that they
should make one day a festival who art commanded
to keep a feast all their life long. ... So now, why
is anv Sabbath required by him who is always keep-
ing the feast, whose conversation is in heaven? Let
us keep the feast then continually, and do no evil
thing, for this is a feast, and let our spiritual things
be intense, while our earthly things give place."*

In these extracts, the same no-Sabbath theories
appear, which vitiated the doctrines of the leading
men in the Latin Church during the century prec< d-
ing 'he time of Constantine. Not less unscriptural
are the following teachings from the pen of the re-
nowned

ATJGUSTTNE,

Bishop of Hippo, who died 430, A. D., He says:

" Read the Old Testament, and you will see that
so far as precepts are concerned, the very same pre-
cepts were given to a people still carnal, which are
given to us. For to worship one God, we are
commanded. ' Thou shalt not take the name of the
Lord thy God in vain,' which U ihe s cond com-
mandment. This we are commanded too, ' ubserve
the Sabbath-day.' This commandment concerns us
still more than it concerned them; because it is com-

* Library, etc., pp. 557, 563

SABBATH AND SUNDAY. 15 7

mand?d to be observed spiritually. For the Jews
observe the Sabbath in a servile way, spending it in
rioting, in drunkenness. How much better would
their women be employed at the distaff, than danc-
ing on that day, in the balconies. Let us not say
for a moment, my brethren, that these observe the
Sabbath. The Christian observes that Sabbath
spiritually, abstaining from servile work. For what
is from servile work? From sin. How prove we
this? Ask the Lord. 'Whosoever committeth sin
is the servant of sin.'* So that on us likewise is en-
joined, spiritually, the observance of the Sabbath, "f

Augustine brings out the idea suggested above
more fully, in his remarks on the Ninety-second
Psalm. He says:

" The title of the Psalm, is ' Psalm or song for
the Sabbath day.' This day on which I address you
is a Sabbath-day, which the Jews honor by an ex-
ternal rest, and by slothful idleness. For they in-
termit their usual occupations only to indulge in
trifling pursuits; and although the Sabbath Avas ap-
pointed by God, they nevertheless spend the day in
doing what God has forbidden. Our Sabbath con
sists in abstaining from every evil work; that of the
Jews consists in abstaining from every good work.
It would be much better to till the ground than to
dance. They abstain from doing good works, and
do not abstain from doing others which are puerile.
God commands us to observe the Sabbath; but what
is the Sabbith which he commands to us? Look,
in the first place, where it is observed It is within
us, it is in our heart that our Sabbath is. Some ap-
pear externally to be at rest when their conscience
is troubled and disturbed. No wicked man can ob

* John 8: 34.
I- Homily on John. Lib., &o., p. 44, oxford, 1848.

158 SABBATH AND SUNDAY.

serve this internal Sabbath. His conscience is never
in peace. He must necessarily pass his life in con-
tinual agitation. The good conscience, on the con-
trary, is always tranquil; and it is that tranquillity
which is the Sabbath of the heart. He who tastes
that internal repose expects firmly the promises
which God has made to him. If be now suffer af-
flictions, hope of the future transports him already
to heaven, and all the clouds of his sorrow are dis-
persed, according to the words of St. Paul, ' Rejoice
in hope/* That joy which we taste in the peace of
our hope, is our Sabbath. It is that to which we
are exhorted; it is that which is sung in this P.-alm.
The Christian is there taught to dwell continually in
peace, in the Sabbath of his heart; that is to say,
never to be troubled, but to be steadfast in repose,
in tranquillity, and in the serenity of his conscience.
It is for this reason that the ordinary trouble of man
is here marked, to enable us by avoiding it to cele-
brate the Sabbath of the heart, "f

In another place, 1 Augustine places the " Sabbath
and circumcision and sacrifices " among those pre-
cepts of the law which Christians are not allowed
to use. In his commentary on the 150th Psalm, he
has a mystical and vague exposition of the meaning
of the number one hundred and fifty, in which the
following references occur:

" This number fifteen, I say, signifieth the agree-
ment of the two testaments. For in the former is
observed the Sabbath, which signifieth rest, in the
latter the Lord's-day, which signifieth resurrec-
tion. The Sabbath is the seventh day, but the

* Roin. 12: 12.

t Homily on 9-,'d Psa., Lib. Fathers. Vol. 6, pp. 569-271.

% Short Treatise, p, 5HG, Oxford, 1847.

SABBATH AND 8UXDAY. 159

Lord's-day coming after the seventh must
needs he the eighth, and is also to be reckoned the
first. For it is called the first day of the week, and
so from it are reckoned the second, third, fourth,
and so on to the seventh day of the week, which is
the Sabbath. But from Lords-day to Lord's-day is
eight days, wherein is declared the revelation of the
New Testament, which in the Old was, as it were,
veiled under earthly promises."'*

The foregoing are the representative references to
the Sabbath in the writings of Augustine. A pas-
sage has been quoted from the treatise entitled Ue
Tempore, which is sometimes ascribed to Augustine;
but the evidences against the auth. nticity of the
work are such as to preclude the conclusion
that it came from the pen of Augustine. The
passage is to the effect that, "The holy doctors
of the church decreed to transfer the glory of the
Jewish rest to the Lord's-day." This sentiment cor-
responds to the Pharisaical Churchism which pre-
vailed during the latter part of the middle ages. Con-
cerning the sermon from which this passage is taken.
Doctor Pusey, as quoted by Hessey, remarks: "It
is later than the eighth century since it incorporates
a passage from Alcuin."f Robert Cox supports, by
abundant testimony, the idea that the sermon is
falsely ascribed to Augustine.

IJy these representative quotations, the reader will
see that the Sunday had no true sabbatic diameter
in the theories of the church at the close of the fifth

* Lib. Ac. p. 4-49.
t Hessoy: Led. on Sunday. Note 802; and <.'<>x: Sab. Lit.,
Vol. 1, p. 123.

160 SABBATH AND SUNDAY.

century. The Pan-Sabbath theory of rest from sin did
not reach the lives of the people. Indeed, it could
not, for the means by which men come into those
relations with God which develop the higher spirit-
ual life were taken away from the people by no-
Sabbathism. The absence of all sacred time, is, in
effect, separation from God. Men, like Augustine.
seem to have apprehended the true idea of the Sab-
bath, in some degree, but to have been blind to the
fact that the Sabbath idea can not be preserved with-
out the Sabbath-tfa#. Thus Sabbathless, and hence,
separated from God, the church continued to drift
away into self -created darkness. Mean while com-
memorative days grew in numbers and importance.
Many of them, like the Sunday, were transferred
from Paganism, while the Pagan idea of "hero
worship" gave birth to many which were before un-
known. Bingham testifies concerning them as fol-
lows :

" The feriai cestivm, or thirty days of harvest, and
the ferice autumnales, or thirty days of vintage, three
days under the common name of calends of January,
one day in memory of the founding of Rome, and
another in memory of the founding of Constantino-
ple, and four days in memory of the birth and in-
auguration of the Emperors, were exempt from ju-
dicial pleadings in the courts. All these, together
with the fifteen days of Easter, and all Sundays
throughout the year, were exempted by a law of
Theodosius and Valentian, Junior, about the year
390; and afterward (560) there were added to tbese,
by Justinian, the days of the passion of the apostles;
and all public shows and games upon any of them
prohibited. Most of these were of long standing

SABBATH AND SUNDAY. 161

among the Romans, and were retained after the in-
troduction of Christianity."*

Heylyn thus sums up the testimony on this point:
" For the imperial constitutions of this present
age, (latter part of the fourth century,) they strike,
all of them, on one and the self same string with
that of Constantine before remembered, save that
the Emperors, Gratian, Valentinian, and Theodosius,
who were all partners in the empire, set out an edict
to prohibit all public shows upon the Sunday. . . .
The other edicts which concern the business now in
hand, were only additions and explanations unto that
of Constantine, one in relation to the matter, and
the other in reference to the time. First, in relation
to the matter; whereas all judges were forbidden by
the law of Constantine from sitting on that day in
open court, there was now added a clause touching
arbitrators, that none should arbitrate any litigious
cause, or take cognizance of any pecuniary business,
on the Sunday, a penalty being inflicted upon them
that transgressed herein. This, published by the
same three Emperors, Honorius and Euodius being
that year consuls, which was in anno 384, as the
former was, afterward Valentinian and Valens, Em-
perors, were pleased to add, that they would have
no Christians upon that day brought before the of-
ficers of the exchequer. In reference to the time, it
was thought good by Valentinian, Theodosius, and
Arcadius, all three Emperors together, to make some
other festivals capable of the same exemptions. For,
whereas, formally, all the time of harvest and of
autumn had been exempted from pleadings, and the
calends of January (" New year's") also, these ad-
ded thereunto the days on which the two great cities
of Rome and Constantinople had been built, the sev-
en days before Easter day, and the seven that fol-
lowed, together with every Sunday in its course;

* Antiquities, Book 20, chap. 1.
(ID

162 SABBATH AXD SUNDAY.

yea, and the birthdays of themselves, with those on
which each of them had begun his empire. So that,
in this regard, the sacred day had no more privilege
than the civil, but were all alike, the Emperor s-day
as much respected as the Lord's."*

In this equality, concerning matters of business,
the Sunday, and numerous other festivals, continued
to stand, until more than eighty years after. In
469, A. D., the Emperor Leo made a statue prohibi-
ting the obscene shows in the theaters, and the com-
bats with wild beasts, upon the Sunday; more, how-
-ever, because of the extreme obscenity of the shows,
and their interruption of the public services, than of
any sacredness of the day. f Even these prohibitions
were not confined to the Sunday; for, in the language
of Bingham:

' ' He not only restrained the people from celebra-
ting their games on the Lord's-day, but on all other
solemn festivals, Christmas, Epiphany, Easter, and
Pentecost, obliging both Jews and Gentiles, over all
the world, to show respect to those days, by putting
a distinction between days of supplication and days
of pleasure, and this became the standing law of the
Roman Empire."

Again Heylyn says:

" Thus do we see on what grounds the Lord's-day
stands; on custom first, and voluntary consecration
of it to religious meetings, that custom countenanced
by the authority of the church of God, which tacitly
approved the same, and finally confirmed and ratified
by Christian princes throughout their empires. And
as the day, so the rest from labor, and the restraint

* History. Sabbath, Part 2, chap. 3, see. 10.
+ See Heylyn, Hist. Sab., part 2. chap. 4, sec. 2; also Bing-
ham, book 20, chap. 5, see. 4.

SABBATH AND SUNDAY. 163

from business upon that, received its greatest strength
from the supreme magistrate, as long as he retained
that power, which to him belonged, as after, from
the canons and decrees of councils, and the decretals
of popes and orders of particular prelates, when the
sole managing of ecclesiastical affairs was commit-
ted to them. . . . The Lord's-day had no such (di-
vine) command that it should be sanctified, but was
left plainly to God's people to pitch on this or any
other for the public use. And, being taken up
amongst them and made a day of meeting in the
congregation for religious exercise, yet for three
hundred years there was neither law to bind them
to it, nor any rest from labor, nor from worldly busi-
ness, required upon it. And when it seemed good
to Christian princes, the nursing fathers of God's
church, to lay restraints upon their people, yet, at
first, they were not general, but only thus, that cer-
tain men in certain places should lay aside their or-
dinary aud daily works to attend God's service in
the church; those whose employments were most
toilsome and most repugnant to the true nature of a
Sal) bath, being allowed to follow aud pursue their
labors because most necessary to the Commonwealth.
And in the following times when the princes and
prelates, in their several places, endeavored to re-
strain them from that also, which formerly they had
permitted, and interdicted almost all kinds of bodily
labor upon that day, it was not brought about with-
out much struggling and opposition of the people,
more than a thousand years being passed after
Christ's ascension, before the Lord's-day had at-
tained that state in which now it standeth."*

Doctor Hessey, after referring to the legislation of
( tonstantine, adds:

About sixty years later, the transaction of business

* History Sabbath, Part 2, chap. 3 sec. 12.

164 SABBATH AND SUNDAY.

(negotiorurn inientio) was forbidden by Theodosius

the Great, A. D. 386, who, in the words of canon
Robertson, also abolished the spectacles in which
the heathen had found their consolation when the
day had been set apart from other secular uses by
Constantine. Theodosius the j'ounger, A. D. 425,
in legislating on the subject, stated that the honors
due to the Emperor were less important than the
observance of the Lord's-day, and of certain other
sacred seasons which he specifies. Leo and Anthe-
mius, A. I). 469, held yetstronger language. If the
Emperor's birthday fell on that day, "the acknowl-
edgement of it, which was accompanied by games,
was to be put off. It does not however appear that the
Christians, now greatly increased in number, so much
objected to the Emperor that all relaxation on the
Lord's day was unlawful, as that these games, being
idolatrous, indecent, and cruel, and so unfit for a
Christian to attend on any day, were especially unfit
to engage his thoughts or attract his attention on the
Lord's-day. In particular, the weaker brethren were
likely to be led away by them. A few notices as to
legal proceedings may conclude this portion of our
subject. Constantine qualified his general prohibi-
tion of law-business on the Lord's-day, by soon af-
terwards permitting the acts of conferring liberty
and equal rights, {manumissio, for instance, or giv-
ing freedom to the slave, and emcmeipatio, or setting
the son free from the paternal power). This law was
followed, under Yalentinian and Valens, A. I). 368,
by one prohibiting exacting on that day, from any
Christian, the payment of any debt. . . . Theodosius
ihe Great,* confirmed all this, but made his prohibi-
tion include not merely the Dies Solis qui repetio in
se calculo rexoluntur, but such a number of other
days as to constitute one hundred and twenty-four
judicial holidays in the course of the year, "f

* Cod. ThtM rt. ii. 8, ~. t Lectures ob Sunday, p. 83.

SABBATH AND SUNDAY. 165

Thus it is seen that the Sunday was by no means
the most important and sacred festival of these
times, in a civil point of view.

1. The civil legislation in favor of Sunday, down
to the close of the fifth century, differed but little, if
at all, from the civil legislation relative to a large
number of other festivals.

2. The ecclesiastical action both advisory and leg-
islative sought to discourage " Judaism," and to in-
troduce that false liberty which has ever been the
legitimate attendant of no-Sabbathism. At best, the
Sunday had little or no pre-eminence over days made
sacred to saints, emperors, martyrs., and cities. It
did not approach the modern idea of the " Christian
Sabbath." Doctor Hessey groups these facts in the
following words:

" But with all this, in no clearly genuine passage
that I can discover in any writer of these two cen-
turies, or in any public document, ecclesiastical or
civil, is the fourth commandment referred to as the
ground of obligation to observe the Lord's-day. In
no passage, too, is there anything like a reference to
the Creation words, as the ground of the obligation
to observe it, with the exception, perhaps, of that
one passage in Chrysostom in which the command
for the seventh day is made, aiviy fxaroodd)? to
shadow forth the command for the first. In no pas-
sage is there anything like the confusion between
' the seventh day ' and ' one day in seven,' of which
we have heard so much in England since A. D.
1595. In no passage is there any hint of the trans-
fer of the Sabbath to the Lord's-day, or of the plant-
ing of the Lord's-day on the ruins of the Sabbath,
those fictions of modern times. If the Sabbath ap-

166 SABBATH AND SUNDAY.

pears, it appears as a perfectly distinct day. And
what is still more to our purpose, looking at the mat-
ter as a practical one, though law proceedings are
forbidden, and labors for gain (at any rate in towns)
are forbidden, and amusements unseemly for a Chris-
tian on any day are forbidden, no symptom is as yet
discoverable of compulsory restrictions of, or con-
scientious abstinence from such recreations and
necessary duties, (other than trades and professions )
as are permissible on other days, so long as they do
not interfere with divine worship, and things con-
nected with it, and appropriate to the Lord's-day.
... In fact, we may at least say, that though to a
certain extent formalized, and to a certan extent di-
vested of its unique claims to the Christian regard,
the Lord's-day at the end of the fifth century is not
transformed into anything like the Sabbath as the
Jews had it."*

Thus the facts of history demolish, step by step,
the modern fictions of Puritanism relative to the
early observance of Sunday.

* Lectures on Sunday, p. 86.

CHAPTER XV.

Sunday in the Church Coun-
cils.

Certain writers assert that the early church,
through its Councils, set the Sabbath aside, and put
the Sunday in its place. The nature of this depart-
ment, " The Councils," is fairly set forth in the fol-
lowing:

" It is not till after the middle of the second cen-
tury that we find the example of Jerusalem followed,
and councils called to solve questions that threatened
the unity and well-being of the Christian church and
community. The earliest councils, historically at-
tested, are those convened in Asia Minor against the
Montanists; though it is by no means unlikely that
at a much earlier period the Christian Greeks gave
scope, in ecclesiastical affairs, to their instinct for
organization, for taking common action in regard to
matters affecting the public good. Near the end of
the second century again, varying views as to the
celebration of Easter led to councils in Palestine, at
Rome, in Pontus, Gaul, Mesopotamia, and at Ephe-
sus. These councils were all specially called to con-
sider particular questions. But before the middle of
the third century, it seems that in Asia Minor at
least, the councils or synods had become a standing
institution, and met yearly. About the same time
we find councils in the Latin church of North Africa.
Before the end of this century there were councils

168 SABBATH AND SUNDAY.

meeting regularly in almost every province in Chris-
tendom, from Spain and Gaul to Arabia and Mesopo-
tamia, and by extension and further organization,
there was soon formed a system of mutually corres-
pondent synods that gave to the church the aspect of
a federative republic."*

One would naturally expect to find much concern-
ing Sunday in the records of these councils, if the
day was adopted by the apostles, or even the earlier
church, instead of the Sabbath. We have made care-
ful examination of their history previous to the mid-
dle of the fifth century, and give below every refer-
ence to Sunday or its observance. It will be seen
that the "Easter" question is the prominent cause
for the few references which are made. The period
covered by these investigations includes the first two
"Ecumenical," or general councils, and not less
than eighty local and provincial ones. They cover
the time to 429 A. D. There seem to have been no
rules concerning Sunday as a Sabbath. The refer-
ences to it are of an incidental character rather than
of a systematic consideration. The Synod of Elvira,
Spain, 305 or 306, A. D., Canon 21, decrees that if
one lie staying in a city, and shall be absent from
church on three Sundays, he shall be deprived of the
communion for a " little time." We have given the
earliest date for this council, although there are
strong reasons in favor of a later one, and the exact
date is not known. f

* Ency. Brit., Vol. VI., p. 453, 9th ed.
+ History Church Councils, Hefele, Vol. 1, p. 145, Edinburg,
1872.

SABBATH AND SUNDAY. 169

The 11 th Canon of the Council of SwrOka; (343-
347, A. D.,) makes reference to the above action as
follows:

" Remember that our fathers have already directed
that a layman who is staying in a town, and does not
appear at divine service, {celebrasset conventum), for
three Sundays, shall be excommunicated; and if
this is ordered with regard to the laity, no bishop can
be allowed to absent liimself for a longer time from
his church, or leave the people entrusted to him, ex-
cept from necessity, or for some urgent business."*

The penalty of " excommunication " was added to
many other acts besides staying from service for three
weeks. In the collection of Canons attributed to the
"Fourth Synod of Carthage," which collection was
evidently compiled during the sixth century, we find
the following decrees:

" 24. Whoever leaves the church during the ser-
mon of the priest shall be excommunicated."

' ' 88. He who neglects divine service on festivals,
and goes instead to the theatre shall be excommuni-
cated."

In the Fifth " Carthagenian Synod," (fifth cen-
tury), canon 5th declares:

■• On Sundays and feast days no plays may be per-
formed, "f

It will thus be seen that the act of "excommuni-
cation," was not ordered because Sunday stood above
the other festivals in sacredness, but rather that this
was a common punishment. Indeed it is attached
to an almost endless catalogue of acts and omissions.

* Canon 11. Hefele, Vol. 2, p. 145.
+ Hefele. Vol. 2, pp. 418, 417, 423.

170 SABBATH AND SUNDAY.

At the Council of Nice, the first Ecumenical
council, 325 A. D., there was much discussion con-
cerning the time of holding what is now called the
Easter festival. In that discussion the Sunday is
referred to several times as the time for the specific
Easter celebration. But the references throw no light
upon the character of the Sunday, per se. The 20th
Canon of that Council is as follows:

' ' As some kneel on the Lord's-day , and on the
days of Pentecost, the holy S}Tnod has decided that,
for the observance of a general rule, all shall offer
their prayers to God standing."*

The Synod of Laodicea— 343-381 A. D.— furnishes
an oft quoted decree as follows:

" Christians shall not Judaize and be idle on Sat-
urday, but shall work on that day; but the Lord's-
day they shall especially honor, and as being Chris-
tians, shall, if possible, do no work on that day. If,
however, they are found Judaizing, they shall be
shut out from Christ, "f

The 16th Canon of the same council shows that
this restriction could have applied to only a part of
the Sabbath, for it shows that it was a day of public-
religious service like Sunday. It is as follows:

"On Saturday (Sabbath) the Gospels and other
portions of the Scriptures shall be read aloud. "\

Hefele says of Canon 16:

" Neander remarks that this canon is open to two
interpretations. It may mean that on Saturday, as
on Sunday, the holy Scriptures shall be read aloud

* Hefele, Vol. 1, p. 434. t Hefele, Vol. 2, p. 31G.

Jib. Id. p. 310.

SABBATH AND SUNDAY. 171

in the church, and therefore, solemn public service
shall be held; and canon 49, is in favor of this in-
terpretation. It was also the custom in many prov-
inces of the ancient church to observe Saturday as
the feast of the creation."

Canon 49, reads as follows:

" During Lent, the bread shall not be offered, ex-
cept on Saturday and Sunday."

Canon 51, says:

"During Lent no feasts of the Martyrs shall be
celebrated, but the holy Martyrs shall be commemo-
rated on the Saturdays and Sundays of Lent,"

To this canon Hefele adds:

' ' For the obvious reason that on these days there
was full and solemn service."*

The English translator of Hefele has incorrectly
used Saturday for " the Sabbath," in the foregoing
paragraphs.

The foregoing extracts constitute the testimony of
the councils, local and general, down to the close of
the first quarter of the fifth century. They show:
(a) That little attention was paid to the Sunday ques-
tion by the councils, aside from its relation to the
contest relative to the time of observing Easter, (b)
These extracts show that the Sunday had no pre-
eminence in point of sacredness over the Sabbath, or
over other festivals. Indeed the order not to rest on
the Sabbath indicates that the custom of abstaining
from labor on that day still continued in force, and
thai cessation from labor on Sunday, was not yel an

* Hefele, Vol. 2, p. 320

172 SABBATH AND SUNDAY.

established custom. These facts relative to what
was said by the councils, show that after the time of
Constantine the civil law was the stronghold of the
Sunday. Its gradual elevation into the place of the
Sabbath resulted from the seeds of Paganism from
which legislation began, and not from the religious
experiences of the church.

CHAPTER XVI.

The Sabbath From Constan-
tine to the dark ages.

We have also valuable testimony showing that the
Sabbath survived for some time the new-born oppo-
sition which arose with the civil legislation of Con-
stantine and his successors, i. e., after 321 A. D.
This too, in the body of the Western, Romanized
church; saying nothing here of the dissenters, who,
at a later period, withdrew from the Romanized
branch, nor of the Eastern wing of the church, which
never gave up the Sabbath. Certain writings once
accepted as genuine, but now known to be spurious
have an historic value, by showing what ideas and
practices obtained as late as the sixth century. Prom-
inent among these are

CONSTITUTIONS OF THE HOLY APOSTLES

The question of their date, authorship, etc., is stat-
ed by the Encyclopedia Britannica, as follows:

" According to some authors, they are first quoted
in the Acts of the Synod of Constantinople, in 394
A. D., and in those of the Synods of Ephesus and
Chalcedon, in 481 and 431 A. D. Some have said
that they are mentioned in the Decretum de libris
veci'piendis, issued by Pope Gelasius, (492-496 A. D.)
while others have pointed out that the name occurs
in those manuscripts only which have the decree of

174 SABBATH AND SUNDAY.

Hormisdas, (514-523). Perhaps the soundest decis-
ion is, that the collection is not mentioned in history
until about the end of the 5th century; it is un-
doubted that it was in existence before the beginning
of the sixth, for the Latin translation of the first
fifty Canons dates from the year 500 A. D."*
Dr. Hessey speaks of the Constitutions as follows:
" I have delayed until now the consideration of
the remarkable document called the ' Apostolic Con-
stitutions.' It is impossible, for many reasons to sup-
pose that it was written by Clemens Romanus, and its
whole tone, and its preceptive manner, and the state
of things to which it alludes, make the notion of its
being even an Ante-Nicene collection, very question-
able It is probably to be relegated to the latter part
of the fourth or the earlier part of the fifth century, "f

In his note 203, Hesse}' quotes Lardner in favor of
the date as given by him.

In Ante-Nicene Library, Vol. 17, Introductory
Notice of the Constitutions, we find this.

" Modern critics are equally at sea in determining
the date of collections of canons given at the end of
the eighth book. Most believe that some of them be-
long to the Apostolic Age, while others are of a com-
paratively late date."

The safest conclusion seems to be this. The Con-
stitutions describe a state of things which came about
gradually, between the third and sixth centuries, and
are of some value as collateral historic evidence; as
such, the references to the Sabbath question are giv-
en below. Book I, which is " Concerning the Laity, "
does not refer to the question. Book II treats of,

* Vol. 2, p. 170, American Reprint, 9th edition.
t Sunday Lectures, 3d, p. 76.

SABBATH AND SUNDAY. 175

" Bishops, Presbyters and Deacons." In this are the
following references to the question under considera-
tion. Chapter 36 treats of the ten commandments
as follows:

" Have hefore thine eyes the fear of God, and al-
ways remember the ten commandments of God, — to
love the one, and only Lord God with all thy strength,
and to give no heed to idols, or any other beings, as
being lifeless gods, or irrational beings or demons.
Consider the manifold workmanship of God, which
received its beginning through Christ. Thou shalt
observe the Sabbath, on account of him who ceased
from his work of creation, but ceased not from his
work of providence; it is a rest for meditation of the
law, not for idleness of the hands."*

Nothing is said in this chapter about any observ-
ance of Sunday. In accepting the idea that Chris-
tians should not go to law before unbelievers, there
seen is to have been a custom by which the Bishop,
Presbyters and Deacons, heard and decided questions
of difference between brethren. Several chapters are
occupied in giving directions concerning such ad-
judications. The 47th chapter indicates that such
courts were held on the Sabbath and on the Lord's-
day. The instructions are as follows:

" Let your judicatures be held on the second day
of the week, that if any controversy arise about your
sentence, having an interval till the Sabbath, you
may be able to set the controversy right, and to* re-
duce those to peace who have the contests one with
another, against the Lord's-day,"f

* Ante-Nicene Lib., Vol. 17, pp. 65, 6(j.
t Ante-Nicene Lib., Vol. 17, p. 75.

176 SABBATH AND SUNDAY.

( 'hapter 59 gives directions concerning public as-
semblies in the following words:

"When thou instructest the people Oh, Bishop,
command and exhort them to come constantly to
church morning and evening every day, and by no
means to forsake it on any account, but to assemble
together continually. ... Be not careless of youi-
selves, neither deprive your Saviour of his own mem-
bers, neither divide his body nor disperse his mem-
bers, neither prefer the occasions of his life to the
Word of God; but assemble yourselves together every
day, morning and evening, saying psalms and pray-
ing in the Lord's house, in the morning singing the
sixty-second Psalm, and in the evening the hundred
and fortieth, but principally on the Sabbath-day.
And on the day of our Lord's resurrection, which is
the Lord's-day, meet more diligently, sending praise
to God that "made the universe by Jesus and sent
him to us, and condescended to let liirn suffer, and
raised him from the dead. Otherwise what apology
will he make to God who does not assemble on that
day to hear the saving word concerning the resurrec-
tion, on which day we pray thrice standing, in mem-
ory of him who arose in three days, in which is per-
formed the reading of the prophets, the preaching
of the gospel, the oblation of the sacrifice, the gift
of the holy food. *

Book III, " Concerning WTidows ; " and Book IV,
"Concerning Orphans," are silent on the Sabbath
question. Book Y, Sec. 3, is "On Feast Days and
Fast Days; " chapter 18 is as follows:

"Do you, therefore, fast on the days of the pass-
over, beginning from the second day of the week
until the preparation, and the Sabbath, six days,

* Ante-Nieene, Lib. Vol. 17, pp. 87, 88.

SABBATH AND SUNDAY. 177

making use of only bread, and salt, herbs and water for
your drink ; but do you abstain on those days from
wine and flesh, for they are days of lamentation and
not of feasting. Do ye who are able fast the day of
the preparation and the Sabbath-day entirely, tast-
ing nothing till the cock-crowing of the night ; but
if any one is not able to join them both together, at
least let him observe the Sabbath-day ; for the Lord
says somewhere, speaking of himself: ' When the
bridegroom shall be taken away from them, then
shall they fast.' In these days, therefore, he was
taken away from us by the Jews, falsely so named,
and fastened to the cross, and was numbered among
the transgressors." . . . Chap. 20. — "We enjoin
you to fast every fourth day of the week, and every
day of the preparation, and the surplusage of your
fast bestow on the needy; every Sabbath-day ex-
cepting one, and every Lord's-day, hold your solemn
assemblies, and. rejoice; for he will be guilty of sin
who fasts on the Lord's-day, being the day of the
resurrection, or during the time of Pentecost, or, in
general, who is sad on a festival day of the Lord.
For on them we ought to rejoice.*

Book VI, treats of "Heresies," etc., and contains
nothing pertinent to our subject, Book VII, chap-
ter 23, discusses the time for fasting in nearly the
same language already quoted from Book V. It is
as follows:

" But let not your fasts be with the hypocrites, for
they fast on the second and fifth days of the week.
But do you either fast the entire five clays, or on the
fourth day of the week, and on the day of prepara-
tion, because on the fourth day the condemnation
went out against the Lord. Judas then promising
to betray him for money; and you must fast on

* Ante-Nicene Lib., VoL 17. pp. 138, 143.
(12)

178 SABBATH AND SUNDAY.

the day of the preparation, because on that day the
Lord suffered the death of the cross under Pontius
Pilate. But keep the Sabbath and the Lords-day
festival; because the former is the memorial of the
creation, aid the latter of the resurrection. But there
is one only Sabbath to be observed by you in the
whole year, which is that of the Lord's burial, on
which men ought to keep a fast, but not a festival.
For inasmuch as the Creator was then under the
earth, the sorrow for him is more forcible than the
joy for the creation; for the creator is more honora-
ble by nature and dignity than his own creatures."*

Chapter 36 gives a form of prayer in which Sab-
bath and Lord's-day appear as follows:

" Oh Lord Almighty, thou hast created the world
by Christ, and hast appointed the Sabbath in mem-
ory thereof, becau-e that on that day thou hast made
us rest from oar works, for the meditation upon thy
laws. Thou hast also appointed festivals for the re-
joicing of our souls, that we might come into the
remembrance of that wisdom which was created by
thee; how he submitted to be made of a woman on
our account. He appeared in life, and demonstrated
himself in his baptism; how he that appeared is both
God and man. He suffered for us by thy permission,
and died, and rose again by thy power; on which ac-
count we solemnly assemble to celebrate the feast of
the resurrection on the Lord's-da}-, and rejoice on ac-
count of him who has conquered death, and has
brought life and immortality to light." . . . "Thou
didst enjoin the observation of the Sabbath, not af-
fording them an occasion of idleness, but an oppor-
tunity "of piety, for their knowledge of thy power.
and the prohibition of evils, having limited them as
within a holy circuit for the sake of doctrine, for the
rejoicing upon the seventh period. ... On this ac-

* Ante-Mcene Lib., Vol. 17. p. Ib6.

SABBATH AND SL'SDAY. 179

count Lie permitted men every Sabbath to rest, that
so 110 one might be willing to send one word out of
his mouth in anger on the day of the Sabbath. For
the Sabbath is the ceasing of the creation, the com-
pletion of the world, the inquiry after laws, and the
grateful praise to God for blessings he has bestowed
upon men. All which the Lord's-day excels, and
shows the Mediator himself, the Provider, the Law-
giver, the cause of the resurrection, the First-born of
the whole creation, God the Word, and man, who
was born of Mary alone, without a man, who lived
holily, who was crucified under Pontius Pilate, and
died and rose again from the dead. So that the Lord's-
day commands us to offer unto thee O Lord, thanksgiv-
ing for all. For this is the grace afforded by thee,
which on account of its greatness has obscured all
other blessings."*

Book VIII, chapter 33 presents a law said to have
been made by the apostles, Peter and Paul, in the
following words:

■' I Peter and Paul do make the following Consti-
tution, Let the slaves work five days, but on the
Sabbath and the Lord's-day let them have leisure to
go to church for instruction in piety. We have said
that the Sabbath is on account of creation, and the
Lord's-day of the resurrection. Let slaves rest from
their work all the great week, and that which fol-
lows it for the one in memory of the passion, and the
other of the resurrection; and there is need that they
should be instructed who it is that suffered and rose
again, and who it is permitted him to sutler, and
raised him again. Let them rest from their work on
the ascension, because it was the conclusion of the
dispensation by Christ Let them rest at Pentecost
because of the coming of the Holy bpirit, which was
given to those that believed in Christ. Let them rest

* Ante-Nicene Lib., Vol. 17, pp. 196 7.

180 SABBATH AND SUNDAY.

on the festival of his birth, because on it the unex-
pected favor was granted to men, that Jesus Christ,
the Logos of God, should be born of the virgin Mar v.
for the salvation of the world. Let them rest on the
day of the Epiphany, because on it a manifestation
took place of the divinity of Christ, for the Father
bore testimony to him at the baptism, and the Para-
clete, in the form of a dove, pointed out to the by-
standers him to whom testimony was borne. Let
them rest on the days of the Apostles; for they
were appointed your teachers [to bring you] to Christ,
and made you worthy of the Spirit. Let them rest
on the da}' of the first martyr, Stephen, and of tin-
other holy martyrs who preferred Christ to their own
lives."*

When we are told that Paul and Peter wrote or
taught such things as the above, we can easily judge
as to the character of the " Constitutions " in point
of genuineness. But the above is of worth as indi
eating the "array of holidays," which had grown up
at the beginning of the Dark Ages. Book VIII
closes with,

THE ECCLESIASTICAL CANONS OF THE SAME APOSTLES.

There are eight}' -five of these. They treat mainly of
the duties of the clergy. The 64th canon says:

' ' If any one of the clergy be found to fast on the
Lord's-day, or on the Sabbath-day, excepting one
only, let him be deprived; but if he be one of the
laity, let him be suspended."

The 69th canon says:

" If any bishop or presbyter, or deacon, or reader,
or singer, does not fast the fast of forty days, or the
fourth day of the week, and the day of the prepara

* Ante-Nicene Lib.. Vol. 17. pp. 246, 247.

SABBATH AND SUNDAY. 181

tion, let him be deprived, except he be hindered by
weakness of body. But if he be one of the laity, let
him be suspended."

ANCIENT SYRIAN DOCUMENTS.

A group of Syrian documents " attributed to the
first three centuries, presents several characteristics
in common with the " Constitutions " quoted above.
Neither the date nor the authors are known. One
of them contains the correspondence between king
Agbar and Christ, which is so manifestly spurious as
to provoke rejection rather than criticism. The doc-
ument which deals with the Sabbath and Sunday
question is equally patent as a forgery. Its tone
is of the fifth century, rather than the third.
The document claims to be made up of rules laid
down by the apostles while under the influence of
the Pentecostal outpouring of the Spirit. After a
brief preface concerning the matter, the document
opens in these words:

"And by the same gift of the Spirit which was
given to them on that day, they appointed Ordinances
and Laws, such as were in accordance with the
gospel of their preaching, and with the true and faith-
ful doctrine of their preaching: —

1. "The apostles therefore appointed: Pray 3re to-
ward the East, ' because as the lightning which
lighteneth from the east and is seen even to the west,
so shall the coming of the Son of man be, [which
was said] that by this we might know and under-
stand that he will appear from the east Suddenly."

2. " The apostles [urther appointed: On the first
[day] of the week let there be service, ana the read-
ing of the Holy Scriptures, and the oblation; because
on the first day of the week our Lord rose from the

182 SABBATH AND SUNDAY.

place of the dead, and on the first day of the week
he rose upon the world, and on the first day of the
week he ascended up to heaven, and on the first day
of the week he will appear at last with the angels of
heaven."

3." The apostles further appointed: On the fourth
day of the week let there be service; because on that
[day] our Lord made the disclosure to them about
his trial and his suffering-, and his crucifixion, and
his death, and his resurrection; and the disciples
were on account of this in sorrow."

4. " The apostles further appointed: On the eve
[of the Sabbath] at the ninth hour, let there be serv-
ice, because that which had been spoken on the fourth
day of the week about the suffering of the Saviour
was brought to pass on the eve [of the Sabbath] the
worlds and [all] creatures trembling, and the lumi-
naries in the heavens being darkened."

* * * * * *

6. " The apostles further appointed: Celebrate the
day of the Epiphany of our Saviour, which is the
chief of the festivals of the church, on the sixth
day of the latter Canon in the long number of the
Greeks."*

In this way the document proceeds with twenty-
seven ordinances on all sorts of subjects. Evidently
an ordinance was forged to fit every notion and cus-
tom, which needed support. The likeness between
many of these ordinances and many of the constitu-
tions, is very marked. It was a similar spirit if not
the same hand that gave utterance to them. With
such tendencies in the church, such a mixture of
Pagan and Christian and Jewish notions, with such
dishonesty in forging in the name of Christ and his

* Ante-Nicene Lib.. Vol. 20, pp. 38, 39

SABBATH AND SUNDAY. ] 83

apostles, with the Church and State united, and
hence the church much corrupted, the world was
ripe for the Dark Ages that were hurrying on.

There are incidental notices and references scattered
over the period between Constantine and the sixth
century which show that the Sabbath was a day of
regular public worship.

Chrysostom, about the year 388 A. D. in his " Hom-
ilies on the Statues," says:

"To-day, and on the former Sabbath it had be-
hooved us to enter on the subject of fasting; nor let
any one suppose that what 1 say would have been
unseasonable."*

Again he says :

" There are many of us now who fast on the same
day as the Jews, and keep the Sabbath in the same
manner. . . . For though few are now circumcised
yet by fasting and observing the Sabbath with the
Jews they equally exclude themselves from grace."!

On page 238 of the same volume, Chrysostom ear-
nestly opposes sun worship as a prevalent evil, thus
showing that the struggle was still going on, and
that the observance still continued among the people
in spite of the semi-pagan theories of ihe leaders,
late in the fourth century. Still later Augustine
(died 430 A. D.) speaks of public worship on the
Sabbath, as follows:

" The title of the Psalm is ' Psalm or Song for the
Sabbath-day.' This day on which 1 address you is
a Sabbath-day, which the Jews honor by an exter-
nal rest, and by slothful indulgence."

* Homily, 15.,
t Homilies on Gal. and Eph., Lib. of the Fathers, pp. 15, 48.

184 SABBATH AND SUNDAY.

This shows that the practice of holding services on
the Sabbath still continued in spite of no-Sabbath
theories, during the first half of the fifth century.
In another place Augustine uses the following lan-
guage:

" The Sabbath is the seventh day, but the Lord's-
day coming after the seventh must needs be ihe
eighth, and is also reckoned the first. For it is called
the first day of the week, and so from it are reckoned
the third, fourth and so on to the seventh day of the
week, which is the Sabbath."*

Considering the facts set forth in this chapter, ig-
norance alone can excuse men for asserting that the
Sabbath was unknown in the early church, or that
it was not observed for a long time even after the
Western church was Romanized. Indeed, ignorance
is not a valid excuse, for if men do not know the
fads they have no right to indulge in assertions.
No prominent feature of apostolic practice continued
in the apostatizing church longer than did Sabbath-
keeping.

* short Treatise, p. 586.

CHAPTER XVII.
Sunday During the Dark

A

GES,

Church-appointed festivals and holy days had be-
come so numerous at the opening of the sixth cen-
tury, that some new influence was demanded to give
them imoortance, and to enforce their observance.
This end was sought by claiming an analogy between
the God-appointed days under the Jewish dispensa-
tion, and the church-appointed days under the gos-
pel. It was assumed that the church, being left to
legislate for herself, had power to appoint and en-
force in the matter of holy days, as God had done
under the Mosaic system. The people 1 ad become ac-
customed to yield, in unquestioning obedience, to the
dictation of the church; and hence, a Pharisaical
churchocraoy was the more easily established. Re-
ligion was made to consist mainly in outward forms
and ceremonies, — the outgrowth of vague, mystical,
semi-pagan notions and theories. Sunday, in com-
mon with the other festivals, shared in these influen-
ces; and thus, a more rigid observance of it began to
prevail. Note carefully the fact that there was no
claim that the Sunday had taken the place of the
Sabbath, by any change or transfer of the fourth

186 SABBATH A XI) SUNDAY.

commandment; it was only by analogy, that this
pseudo-Sabbathism was introduced. As the dark-
ness of the Middle Ages increased, ecclesiastical for-
malism grew more rigid and lifeless, and the pre-
vailing ignorance and superstition became more gall-
ing and cruel. Dr. Hessey groups the facts togeth-
er in the following words:

"But a more serious change is at hand. In the
centuries ranging from the sixth to the fifteenth, we
find civil rulers and council?, and ecclesiastical writ-
ers by degrees altering their tone. Holy days are
multiplied more and more. Then, as the church has
established so many that it is impossible to observe
them all, and as her authorily, from being exercised
so often and in a manner so difficult to be complied
with, begins to be thought lightly of, holy days must
be distinguished, and some sanction, which shall
vividly reach the conscience, must be found for days
of special obligation. The Old Testament has been
already referred to for the analogy of many of her
festivals. The step from analogy to identification is
not a startling or a violent one. Thus, a gradual
identification of the Lord's-day with the Sabbath sets
in. This naturally leads to the fourth command
ment. The fourth commandment once thought of,
vexatious restrictions follow, thwarting men in their
necessary employments or enjoyments by an appli-
cation of its terms either strictly literal or most in-
geniously refined. Councils condescend to notice
whether oxen may or may not be yoked on the Lord's-
day; and not unfrequently contradict each other.
The second Council of Macon, A. D. 585, enjoins
' that no one should allow himself on the Lord s-day,
under plea of necessity, to put a yoke on the necks
of his cattle; but all be occupied with mind and body
in the hymns and praise of God. For this i3 the day
of perpetual rest; this is shadowed out to us by the

SABBATH AND SUNDAY. 18 7

seventh day in the law and the prophets.' It then
goes on to threaten punishments for profanation of
the holy day, either by pleading causes or by other
works. ' Offenders will displease God,' and besides
will draw upon themselves the ' implacable aimer of
the clergy.' Lawyers will lose their privilege of
pleading causes. Clerks or monks will be shut out
for six months from the society of their brethren.
' Riisticus aut serwus gravi tribu* fustium ictibus ver
bertiMlnr.' Still, even in this Council, there is a rec
ognition of the true origin of the Lord's-day. 'Keep
the Lord's day, whereon we were born anew and
freed from all sins.'

"Things go on much in this way. Clothaire,
King of France, issues an edict prohibiting all servile
labors on the Lord's-day,— assigning as a reason,
' Quia lex prohibit, et suc'a script urn in omnibus con
tradicit.' ... In the East, the exemption grained to
agricultural labors by Constantine, which had been
embodied in the code of Justinian, was repealed by
the Emperor Leo Philosophus, A. D. 910, who ani-
madverted in somewhat severe terms on the law of
his great, predecessor. . . .

" A few more instances, taken almost at random,
may conclude this part of our subject. At the end
of the eighth century, we find Alcuin asserting
that the observation of the former Sabbath had been
transferred very fitly to the Lord's-day, by the cus-
tom and consent of Christian people. ... In Eng-
land again, A. I). 1201, in the time of King John,
Eustace, Abbot of Flay, preaches the observance of
the Lord's-day with a strictness eminently Jndaical.
and descending to the most ordinary occupations.
He professes to confirm his doctrine by a letter, pur
porting to be from our Saviour, and miraculously
found on the altar of St. Simeon at Golgotha. Vari
ous apocryphal judgments overtook persons trans
gressing, in the slightest degree, the commands set
forth in this document. It had said that from the

188 SABBATH AND SUNDAY.

ninth hour of the Sabbath (Saturday) to sunrise on
Monday, n > work was to be done; and it is curious
to find that the instances of punishment seem to
cluster about the profanation of the later hours of
Saturday. At length, the church, almost as a rule,
though still asserting that the Lord's-day and all oth-
er holy days were of ecclesiastical institution (not in-
deed in the high sense of that word, for they are not
de Jure Divino, but de Jure Humano Can&nico), had
erected a complete Judaic superstructure upon an
ecclesiastical foundation. . . . The most perfect de-
velopment, however, of this ecclesiastical Sabbatari-
anism is displayed by Tostatus, Bishop of Avila, in
the fourteenth century, in his Commentary on the
twelfth chapter of Exodus. . . . ' If a musician
(says Tostatus) wait upon a gentleman to recreate his
mind with music, and they' are agreed upon certain
wages, or he be only hired for a present time, he sins
in case he play or sing to him on holy days (includ-
ing the Lord's-day); but not, if his reward be doubt-
ful or depend only on the bounty of the parties who
enjoy his music' 'A cook that, on the holy days,
is hired to make a feast or to dress a dinner, com-
mits a mortal sin;' but not, ' if he be hired by the
month or year. Meat majr be dressed upon the
Lord's-day or the other holy days, but to wash dish-
es on those days, is unlawful.— that must be deter-
red to another day. A man that travels on holy
d tys to any special shrine or saint, commits no sin;
but he commits sin if he returns home on those da} s.
Artificers which wrork on these days for their own
profit only, are in mortal sin, unless the work be very
small (quia modicum non faeii solemmtatem dissolri),
because a small "thing dishonoreth not the festival. '
But I forbear to proceed with this catalogue of
puerilities."*

Heylyn treats very fully of that which Dr. Hessey

* Hessey. Lectures on Sunday, Leet. 3. p. 87. seq.

SABBATH AND SUNDAY. 189

has thus outlined. In part second of his History of
tlie Sabbath, we learn that the Council of Macon, un-
der Gunthran, king of Burgundy, although very
strict in its prohibitions, still acknowledges that:

" The Lord does not exact it of us, that we should
celebrate this day in corporeal abstinence or rest from
labor, who only looks that we do yield obedience to
his holy will, by which, contemning earthly things,
he may conduct us to the heavens of his infinite
mercy." . . . " Yet notwithstanding these restraints
from work and labor, the church did. never resolve it
that any work was in itself unlawful on the Lord's-
day, though to advance God's public service it was
thought good that men should be restrained from
some kinds ol work, that so they might better attend
their prayers and follow their devotions."*

Speaking of the close of the sixth century, Heylyn
adds:

" Yet all this while, we find not any one who did
observe it as a Sabbath, or which taught others so to
do; not any who affirmed that any manner of work
was unlawful on it, further than as it was prohibited
by the Prince or Prelate, that so the people might as-
semble with greater comfort ; not any one who preached
or published that any pastime, sport, or recreations
of an honest name, such as were lawful on the other
days, were not fit for this." ..." I note it only for
the close, that it was near nine hundred years from
our Saviour's birth, if not quite so much, before re-
straint from husbandry had been first thought of in
the East; and probably being thus restrained, did
find no more obedience there than it had done before
in the Western part."f

Heylyn goes on to show that much of the rigidity
* Chapter 4. sec. 7. t Chapter 4, sec. 12.

100 SABBATH AND SUNDAY.

concerning Sunday observance, existed only in tlieo
rieft and laws. In confirmation of which, he cites the
following:

"Xor were these reservations and exceptions only
in point of business, and nothing found in point of
practice; but there are many instances, especially of
the greatest persons, and most public actions left up-
on record, to let us know what liberty they assumed
unto themselves as well on this day, as on the rest.
And such only shall I instance as being most exem-
plary, and therefore conducing most to my present
purpose. And, first, we read of a great bat tie fought
on Palm Sunday, Anno 718, between Charles Martel,
Grand Master of the household of the King of France,
and Hilpericus the King himself, wherein" the victory
fell to Charles. . . . Upon the Sunday before Lent,
Anno 835, Ludovick the Emperor, surnamed Pius,
or the godly, together with his prelates and others,
which had been present with him at the assembly
held at Thionville, went on his journey unto Metz,
nor do we find that it did derogate at all from his
name and piety. Upon the Sunday after Whitsun-
tide, Anno 844, Ludowic, son unto Lotharius the
Emperor, made his solemn entrance into Home, the
Koman citizens attending him with their flags and
ensigns, the pope and clergy staying his coming in
St. Peter's Church, there to entertain him. Upon a
Minday, Anno 1014, Henry the Emperor, environed
with twelve of the Roman Senators, came to St.
Peter's Church, and there was crowned, together
with his wife by the pope then being. On Easter
day, Conrad the Emperor was solemnly inaugurated
by Pope John, — Canute King of England, and Ro-
dolph King of the Burgundians, being then both
present; and the next bunday after, began his jour-
ney towards Germany. . . . On Passion Sunday,
Anno 1148, Lewis the King of France, afterwards
c u.onized for a saint, made his first entry into Jeru-

SABBATH AND SUNDAY. 191

saleni with his army. . . . What should I speak of
councils ou this day assembled, as that of Charles.
Tours, Anno 1146, for the recovery of the Holy
Land; and of on Trinity Sunday, as we call it now,
Anno 1164, against Octavian the pseudo-pope; that
of Perrsera, upon Passion Sunday, Anno 1177, against
Frederick the Emperor; or that of Paris, Anno 1226,
summoned by Stephen, th<m Bishop there, on the
fourth Sunday in Lent, for the condemning of cer-
tain dangerous and erroneous positions then on foot.
I have the rather instanced in these particulars, part-
ly because the}r happened about these times, when
Prince and Prelate were more and more intent on lay-
ing restraints upon their people, for the mere honor
of this day, and partly because, being all of them
public actions, and such as move not forward but by
divers wheels, they did require a greater number of
people to attend them."*

All these things accord with the spirit of an age in
which religion was a form, and men were strict only
in theory. In another place, Heylyn corroborates
the statements, that Sunday was reverenced no more
than many other holy days were, and upon the same
ground, church appointment. An example or two
will suffice:

" Photius, the Patriarch of Constantinople, Anno
858, thus reckoneth up the festivals of especial note;
viz., seven days before Easier, and seven af'er ( hrist-
m is, the feasts of the apostles, and the Lord's-day;
and. then, he adds that on those day-; they suffer
neither public shows nor courts of justice. Emanuel
Comnenus, next Emperor of Constantinople, Anno
1174: ' We do ordain,' saith he, ' thrit ihe.-c days fol-
lowing be exempt from labor;' viz., the nativity Ol
the Virgin Mary (and so he reckoneth all the rest in

* Hist, of Sal)., part 5, chap. ~', see. 9.

192 SABBATH AND SUNDAY.

those parts observed), together with all Sundays in
the year; and that in them there be no access to the
seats of judgment. . . . Now, lest the feast of
Whitsuntide might not have some respect as well
as Easter, it was determined in the council held at
Engelheim, Anno 948, that Monday, Tuesday, and
Wednesday in Whitsunweek, should no less solemnly
be observed than the Sunday was."*

Morer, speaking of the question in the sixth cen
tury, says:

" Under Clodoveus [Clovis], king of France, the
bishops met in the first Council of Orleans (A. D.
507), where they obliged themselves and their sue
cessors to be always at the church on the Lord's-day.
except in case of "sickness or some great infirmity.
And because they, with some other of the clergy in
those days, took cognizance of judicial matters, there
fore by a Council at Arragon, about the year 518, in
the reign of Theodoric, king of the Goths, it was de-
creed, that ' No bishop or other person in holy orders
should examine or pass judgment in any civil con-
troversy on the Lord's-day.' "f

The third Council of Orleans was held A. D. 538:

and Hengstenberg, speaking of its action, says:

" The third Council of Orleans says, in its twenty-
ninth canon : ' The opinion is spreading among the
people, that it is wrong to ride, or drive, or cook
food, or do anything to the house or the person, on
the Sunday. But since such opinions are more Jew-
ish than Christian, that shall be lawful in the future
which has been so to the present time. On the other
hand, agricultural labor ought to be laid aside, in
order that the people may not be prevented from at
tending church."|

* Chapter 4. sec. 12.

+ Dialogues on the Lord's-day, pp. 263, 264.

X Hengstenberg, On the Lord's-day. p. 58.

SABBATH AND SUNDAY. 193

This recognizes the well-known fact, that the per-
mission granted to agricultural labor by the first law
of Constantine, continued for many centuries. About
the middle of the seventh century, further action
was found necessary, which is related by Morer, as
follows:

' ' At Chalons, a city in Burgundy, about the year
654, there was a provincial synod which confirmed
what had been done, by the third Council of Orleans,
about the observation of the Lord's-day; namely,
that none should plow or reap, or do anything be-
longing to husbandry, on pain of the censure of the
church, which was the more minded, because backed
with the secular power, and by an edict menacing
such as offended herein; who, if bondmen, were to
be soundly beaten; but if free, had three admonitions,
and then if faulty, lost the third part of their patri-
mony, and if still obstinate, were made slaves for
the future. And in the first year of Eringius, about
the time of Pope Agatho, there sat the twelfth Coun-
cil of Toledo, in Spain, A. D. 681; where the .Jews
were forbidden to keep their own festivals, but so
far at least to observe the Lord's-day as to do no
manner of work on it, whereby they might express
their contempt of Christ or his worship." *

Sunday appears first on the statute-books of Eng-
land, about the close of the seventh century. In the
year 692, Ino, king of the West Saxons, ordered thai,

"If a servant do any work on Sunday by his
master's order, he shall be free, and the master shall
pay thirty shillings. But if he went to work on his
own head, he shall either be beaten with stripes, or
shall ransom himself with a price. A freeman, if he

* Dialogues on the Lord's-day, p. 367.
(13)

194 SABBATH AND SUNDAY.

works on this day, shall lose his freedom or pay sixty
shillings; if he be a priest, double.'* *

In A. D. 717, under Egbert, king of Kent, by a
council of the clergy,

"It was ordered that the Lord's-day be celebrated
with due veneration, and wholly devoted to the
worship of God. And that all abbots and priests, on
thi> most holy day, remain in their respective mon-
asteries and churches, and there do their duty ac-
cording to their places." f

Forty years later, Egbert, archbishop of York, to
show positively what was to be done on Sunday, and
what the laws designed by prohibiting ordinary work
to be done on such days, made this canon:

"Let nothing else be done on the Lord's-day, but
to attend on God in hymns, and psalms, and spirit-
ual songs. Whoever marries on Sunday, let him do
penance for seven days." %

But mere decrees of councils and emperors, did
not suffice. Men heard more than they heeded. Re-
course was, therefore, had to the universal weapons
of ignorant and bigoted men; and the argument of
"Divine Providence" was brought to bear with
evident effect. The same is used to-day by many
who would feel greatly wronged if they were charged
with ignorance and bigotry.

At a provincial council held in Par's, A. D. 829,
the prelates complained that people disregarded the
canons relative to Sunday, and asserted that this was

* Morer, Dialogues on the Lord's-day, p. 283,

t Morer, Dialogues, etc.. p. 2bi'

X Ibid, p. 284.

SABBATH AND SUNDAY. 195

the reason why God had sent some very remarkable
and terrible judgments upon men:

"For, say they, many of us by our own know!
edge, and some by hearsay, know that several coun-
trymen. following iheir husbandry on this day, have
been killed with lightning; others being seized with
convulsions in their joints, have miserably perished.
Whereby, it is apparent how high the displeasure of
God was upon their neglect of this day. And, at
last, they conclude that, ' in the first place, the priests
and ministers, then kings and princes, and all faith-
ful people be beseeched to use their utmost endeav-
ors and care, that the day be restored to its honor,
and, for the credit of Christianity, more devoutly
observed for the time to come.' " *

Local councils and decrees proved insufficient, even
when supported by such appeals to fear; and, at
length, in A. D. 853, a Synod was held at Rome, un
der Pope Leo IV., which took the following action:

•' It was ordered more precisely than in former
limes, that no man should henceforth, dare to make
any markets on the Lord's-day; no, not for things
that were to eat, neither to do any kind of work
which belonged to husbandry. Which canon, being
made at Rome, confirmed at Compiegne, and after-
wards incorporated, as it was, into the body of the
canon law, became to be admitted, without further
question, in most parts of Christendom; especially
when the popes had attained their height, and brought
all Christian princes to be at their devotion. For
then the people, who before had most opposed it,
might have justly said, ' Behold, two kings stood
not before him, how then shall we stand?' Out of
which consternation all men presently obeyed, trades

* Moivr, Dialogues, etc.. p. 27\\ also, Heylyn, His. of Sab.
part. 2, chap. 8, sec 7.

19fi .SABBATH AND SUNDAY.

men of all sorts being brought to lay by their labors;
and amongst those, the miller, who, though his work
was easiest, and least of all required his presence.'"'

On the establishment of the Saxon Heptarchy in
England, Alfred the Great (A. I). 876) took care to
protect Sunday. Morer says:

• ' It was not the least part of his care to make a
law that, among other festivals, this day more espe-
cially might be solemnly kept, because, it was the day
whereon our Saviour Christ overcame the devil. . . .
And whereas, before the single punishment for sac-
rilege committed on any other day, was to restore
the value of ihe thing stolen, and withal lose one
hand, he added that if any person was found guilty
of this crime done on the Lord's-day, he should be
doubly punished.'' f

Once begun, the work of excessive legislation
found ready acceptance. These laws were added to.
in one form or another, under Athelstan, A. D. 928:
and again, in 943, under the order of Otho, arch-
bishop of Canterbury. In A. D. 967, Edgar "com-
manded that the festival should be kept from three
o'clock in the afternoon on Saturday, until the dawn
of day on Monday." And under Ethelred, A. D.
1009, the demand for strict observance was renewed.
In Norway the same tendency prevailed. Heylyn %
relates the story of pious king Olaus, in the year
1028, who, in absent mindedness, having whittled a
stick on Sunday, and being told that he had thereby
trespassed upon the sanctity of Sunday, gathered the

* Morer, Dialogues, etc., p. 272; Heylyn, Hist. Sab., part 2.
chap. 5, sec. ?.

t Dialogues, etc., pp. 284, 285.
} Hist, of Sab., part 2, chap. 5, sec. 2.

SABBATH AND SUNDAY. 197

chips, and set tire to them in his hand, that he might
punish himself for breaking God's commandment.
But the crowning act of impious nonsense remains
to be noticed. In the year A. D. 1200, one Eustace,
an abbot, came from Normandy to preach in Eng-
land, who also performed many miracles. He in-
veighed against the desecration of Sunday, but was
evidently met by the reply that there was no com-
mandment from God for its observance. Returning
to the continent, he remained for a time; and in 1201,
came back to England, armed with a document
which was most befitting to his purposes. It is
worth the room it takes in our pages, as a curiosity,
although it offers a sad commentary upon the hon-
esty of the times which could produce such a forgery,
and upon the credulity of the people who could ac-
cept it. The following account of the the transac-
tion is from a contemporary author:

" In the same year (1201), Eustace, Abbot of Flay.
returned to England, and preaching therein the Word
of the Lord from city to city, and from place to
place, forbade any person to hold a market of goods
on sale upon the Lords-day. For he said that the
commandment underwritten, as to the observance of
the Lord's-day, had come down from heaven: the

BOLY COMMANDMENT AS TO THE I.OKD's DAY, which

came from heaven to Jerusalem, and was found up-
on the altar of Saint Simeon, in ( Jolgotha, where
Christ was crucified for the sins of the world. The
Lord sent down (his epistle, which was found upon
the altar of Saint Simeon: and. after looking upon
which three days and three nights, some men fell
upon the earth, imploring mercy of God. And after
the third hour, the patriarch arose, and Acharius the

LOS SABBATH AJND SUNDAY.

Archbishop, and they opened the scroll, and received
the holy epistle from God; and when they had taken
the same, they found this writing therein:

" ' t am the Lord, who commanded you to ob-
serve the holy day of the Lord, and ye have not kept
it; and have not repented of your sins, as I have said
in my gospel, "Heaven and earth shall pacs away.
but my words shall not pass away." Whereas, 1
caused to be preached unto you repentance and
amendment of life, you did not believe me, I have
sent against you the Pagans, who have shed your
blood on the earth; and yet you have not believed:
and, because you did not keep the Lord's-day holy,
for a few days you suffered hunger, but soon I gave
you fullness, and after that you did still worse again.
Once more, it is my will that no one, from the ninth
hour on Saturday until sunrise on Monday, shall do
any work, except that which is good.

" ' And if any person shall do so, he shall, with
penance, make amends for the same. And if you do
not pay obedience to this command, verily, I say un-
to you, and I swear unto you, by my seat, and by
my throne, and by the cherubim who watch my holy
seat, that I will give you my commands by no other
epistle; but I will open the heavens, and for rain I
will rain upon you stones, and wood, and hot water, in
the night, that no one may take precautions against
the same, and that so I may destroy all wicked men.

"'This do I say unto you: for the Lord's holy-
day, you shall die the death, and for the other festi-
vals of my saints which you have not kept, I will
send unto you beasts that have the heads of lions,
the hair of women, the tails of camels; and they shall
be so ravenous that they shall devour your flesh, and
you shall long to flee away to the tombs of the dead,
and to hide yourselves for fear of the beasts; and I
will take away the light of the sun from before your
eyes, and will send darkness upon you, that, not
seeing, you may slay one another, and that I may re-

SABBATH AND SUNDAY. 199

move from you my face, and may not show mercy
upon you. For I will burn the bodies and the hearts
of you, and of all those who do not keep as holy the
day of the Lord.

" ' Hear ye my voice, that so ye may not perish in
the land, for the holy day of theLord. Depart from
evil, and show repentance for your sins. For, if
you do not do so, even as Sodom and Gomorrah,
shall you perish. Now, know ye, that you are saved
by the prayers of my most holy mother, Mary, and
of my most holy angels, who pray for you daily. I
have given unto you wheat and wine in abundance;
and for the same ye have not obeyed me. For the
widows and orphans cry unto you daily, and unto
them you show no mercy. The Pagans show mercy,
but you show none at all. The trees which bear
fruit, 1 will cause to be dried up for your sins; the
rivers and the fountains shall not give water.

" 'I gave unto you a law in Mount Sinai, which
you have not kept; I gave you a law with mine own
hands, which you have not observed. For you I
was born into the world, and my festive day ye know
not. Being wicked men, ye have not kept the Lord's-
day of my resurrection. By my right hand I swear
unto you. that if you do not observe the Lord's-day,
and the festivals of my saints, I will send unto you
the Pagan nations that they may slay you. And still
do you attend to the business of others, and take no
consideration of this ? For tins will I send against
you still worse beasts, who shall devour the breasts
of your women. I will curse those who. on the Lord's-
day, have wrought evil.' " *

This farce was carried out in a befitting manner by
pretended miracles, which attended disobedience to
this " heavenly " mandate. These seem to cluster

::: Roger de Hoveden, Annals, Vol. •-', pp. 586-528 John's
Edition.

200 SABBATH AND SUNDAY.

around the later hours of the Sabbath, rather than
the hours of Sunday. These are recounted as fol
Jows:

"On Saturday, a certain carpenter of Beverly,
who, after the ninth hour of the day, was, contrary
to the wholesome advice of his wife, making a wood-
en wedge, tell to the earth, being struck with paral-
ysis. A woman also, a weaver, who, after the ninth
hour on Saturday, in her anxiety to finish a part of
the web, presisted in so doing, fell to the ground,
struck with paralysis, and lost her voice. At Raf-
ferton also, a vill belonging to Master Roger Arundel,
a man made for himself a loaf and baked it under
the ashes, after the ninth hour on Saturday, and ate
thereof, and put part of it by till the morning; but
when he broke it on the Lord's day, blood started
forth therelrom; and he who saw it bore witness,
and his testimony is true.

" At Wakerield also, one Saturday, while a miller
was. after the ninth hour, attending to grinding his
corn, there suddenly came forth, instead of Hour,
such a torrent of blood, that the vessel, placed beneath,
was nearly filled with blood, and the mill-wheel stood
immovable, in spite of the strong rush of the water;
and those who beheld it wondered thereat, saying,
•Spare us, oh Lord, spare thy people.'

"Also in Lincolnshire, a women had prepared
some dough, and, taking it to the oven after the ninth
hour on Saturday, she placed it in the oven, which was
then at a very great heat; but when she took it out
she found it raw, on which she again put it into the
oven, which was very hot; and both on the next day
and on Monday, when she supposed that she should
find the loaves* baked, she found raw dough.

" In the same country also, when a certain wom-
an had prepared her dough, intending to carry it to
the oven, her husband said to her, ' It is Saturday,
and it is now past the ninth hour, put it aside until

SABBATH AND SUNDAY. 201

Monday; ' on which the woman, obeying her husband,
did as he commanded; and so, having covered over
the dough with a linen cloth, on coming the next
day to look at the dough, to see whether it had not,
in rising, through the yeast that was in it, gone over
the sides of the vessel, she found there the loaves
ready made by the divine will, and well baked, with-
out any fire of the material of this world. This was
a change wrought by the right hand of him on
high." *

One more specimen of this blasphemous nonsense
must suffice. It is from another contemporary work.
The pretended miracle is as follows:

" About this time, a certain woman of the county
of Norfolk, despite the warnings of this man of God
(*. e., Eustace), went one day to wash clothes after
three o'clock on Saturday; and while she was busily
at work, a man of vener;\;le appearance, unknown
to her, approached her, and reproachingly inquired
the reason of her rashness in thus daring, after the
prohibition of the man of God, to wash clothes after
three o'clock; and thus by unlawful work, profane
the holy Sabbath-day. He, moreover, added that
unless she at once desisted from her work she would,
without doubt, incur the anger of God, and the
vengeance of heaven. But she, in answer to his re-
buke, pleaded urgent poverty, and said that she had
till then dragged on a wretched life by .toil of that
kind; and that if she should desist from her accus-
tomed labor, she doubted her ability to procure the
means of subsistence. After a while the man van
ished suddenly from her presence, and she renewed
her labor of washing the clothes, and diving them
in the sun, with more energy than before. Hut for
all this, the vengeance of God was not wanting: tor.

* Hoveden, Vol. 2, pp. .v.".i. 580.

202 SABBATH AXD SUNDAY.

on the spot, a kind of small pig, of a black color,
suddenly adhered to the woman's left breast, and
could not by any effort be torn away; but, by con-
tinual sucking-, drew blood, and, in a short time, al-
most consumed all the bodily strength of the wom-
an. At length, being reduced to the greatest neces-
sity, she was compelled, for a long time, to beg Iter
bread from door to door, until, in the sight of many
who wondered at the vengeance of God, she termi-
nated her wretched life by a miserable death." *

In such foolish forgeries, such impious nonsense,
did the Sunday Sabbathism of the Dark Ages culmi-
nate. Two or three years later, in 1203, this same
" Roll from heaven " was produced at a council held
in Scotland, under Pope Innocent III, and King
William, in order to further the sacred observance
of Saints' days and Sundays in that kingdom. It is
difficult to believe that such a state of things could
have existed among our ancestors, six hundred years
ago. But the facts are so well vouched for by the
contemporary historians above cpioted, and by all the
representative writers on the Sunday question at the
present time, that there is no chance to doubt them,
though we might wish that the sad truth were only
a fraudulent joke of some irresponsible scribbler.
In addition to the authorities already quoted, the
curious reader, who wishes to pursue the case further,
will find the "Roll "and the pretended judgments
referred to by the following writers: — Binnius, Coun-
cils, Vol. :3, pp. 1448, 1449; Sir David Dalrymple.

* Roger de Hoveden, Chronicles, or Flowers of History:
formerly ascribed to Matthew Paris. Vol. 2. pp. 188-192, Lon-
don, 1849

SABBATH AND SUNDAY. 203

Historical Memorials, pp. 7, 8, Edition 1769; Heylyn.
History of the Sabbath; Hessey, On Sunday; Gilfillan.
Sunday; Cox, Sabbath Literature; J. N. Andrews.
History of the Sabbath; and other modern writers.
The same " Roll," in a slightly modified form, figures
in the history of the Sabbath question among the
Armenians.

Many pages more might be filled with similar
theories, decrees, and laws, which found expression
between the close of the fifth century and the Refor-
mation. But the case does not demand it. To quote
more, would only reiterate what has been already
given. We, therefore, proceed to sum up the case:
From the opening of the sixth century forward,
there was increasing formality and much Phariseeism
in the matter of holy days. Their appointment and
the manner of their observance was placed on no
other ground than church authority, the "custom
and consent " of Christian people. The Old Testa-
ment was appealed to, not as direct authority, but on
analogical grounds. The reasons given for the ob-
servance of the Sunday are vague and varied. Some-
times, the Sabbath was said to foreshadow the Sun-
day; sometimes, circumcision was made to do a like
duty. By some, the reason for its appointment was
found in the fact that it was the first day of creation;
by others, that it was the day of the Saviour's resur-
rection. This last is the general reasc n; but some or
all of the others are usually associated with it, to
strengthen it. There is more or less talk, in a loose
way, concerning the example of the apostles and the

204 SABBATH AND SUNDAY.

early church. But this argument is used with equal
freedom in support of many other holy days, and of
practices which all agree are wholly without such
authority. Such were the better and more sensible
reasons. The more senseless and superstitious ones,
as we have seen, were brought in to do what the
others failed to accomplish. The whole picture is
one eminently in accord with the Dark Ages.

The Sunday had no prominence over many other
cburch festivals, except that which came naturally
from the fact, that it occurred oftener. Its observ-
ance, in keeping with the general character of the
religion of the times, consisted in an outward formal-
ism, without pure spiritual life. Stringent restric-
tions were promulgated, which the people could not
and did not observe. There was no power in this
pseudo-^'abbathism to elevate the people, to draw
them toward God, or to nourish true spiritual life.
These long centuries of increasing darkness, all pre-
sent the same sad spectacle of a sinking church, try-
ing to lift itself by itself, and sinking deeper at every
struggle. How much the few saw through the rit-
ualism and darkness, we can not tell; but the mass-
es, blinded by false theories, groped painfully and
slowly downward.

CHAPTER XVIII.

The Sabbath in the Western

Church During the

Dark Ages".

Anti-Christ, in the form of the Papacy, never suc-
ceeded in driving the Sabbath wholly from its do-
minions. There is much that bears on this subject,
besides the evidence already given, showing that, as
the Romanized church gradually expelled the Sab-
bath from the "Orthodox " body, those who were
loyal to the law of God and the practices of the
apostolic church stood firm, regardless of excomnni
nication and persecution.

Dissenters who kept the Sabbath, existed under
different names and forms of organization, from the
time of the first Pope to the Reformation. They
were either the descendents of those who fled from
the heathen persecutions previous to the time of
Constantine, or else those who, when he began to
rule the church and force false practices upon it, re-
fused submission, and sought seclusion, and freedom
to obey God, in the wilderness in and around the
Alps. In their earlier history they were known as
Nazarenes, Cerinthians, and Hypsistarii, and later,
as Vaudois, Cathari, Toulousians, Albigenses, Petro-

206 SABBATH AND SUNDAY.

brusians. Passagii, and Waldenses. We shall speak
of them in general, under this latter name. They
believed the Romish church to be the " Anti Christ''
spoken of in the New Testament. Their doctrines
were comparatively pure and Scriptural, and their
lives were holy, in contrast with the ecclesiastical
corruption which surrounded them. The reigning
church hated and followed them with its persecu-
tions. In consequence of this unscrupulous opposi-
tion, it is difficult to learn all the facts concerning
them, since the only available accounts have come
to us through the hands of their enemies, garbledand
distorted. Before the age of printing, their books
were few; and from time to time these were destroyed
by their persecutors, so that we have only fragments
from their own writers. At the beginning of the
twelfth century they had grown in str< ngth and
numbers to such an extent as to call forth earnest
opposition and bloody persecution from the Papal
power. This and the increasing facilities for pre-
serving history have given them a prominent place
in the annals of the church, and its reforms since
that time. Their enemies have made man}- unreason-
able and false charges concerning their doctrines and
practices, but all agree that they rejected the doc-
trine of "church authorit}'," aod appealed to the
Bible as their only rule of faith and practice. They
condemned the usurpations, the innovations, the
pomp and formality, the worldliness and immorality
of the Romish hierarchy. If their close adherence
to God's Word sometimes led them to adopt ex-

SABBATH AND SUNDAY. 207

treme views, it is not wonderful. Even their bitter
enemies have not denied that which all accord to
them, viz.: moral excellence and holiness of life far
in advance of their times and surroundings.

There are three lines of argument which show
that these dissenters, as a class, were Sabbath-keep-
ers.

1. Apriori argument, founded upon the following
statements, which are confirmed by the subsequent
quotations. They accepted the Bible as their only
standard. They were very familiar with the Old
Testament, and held it in great esteem. They ac-
knowledged no custom or doctrine as binding upon
Christians which was not established before the as-
cension of Christ. Such a people must have rejected
those feasts which the church had appointed, and
must have observed the Sabbath. But there is di-
rect testimony showing their antiquity, their high
moral character and piety, and their special
character as Sabbath -keepers. It is pertinent to
preface these quotations with the following from
the pen of Mr. Benedict, by which it will be seen
that it is almost a miracle that any information con-
cerning them has come down to this time:

"As scarcely any fragment of their history re-
mains, all we know of them is from the accounts of
their enemies, which were always uttered in a style
of censure and complaint; and without which we
should not have known that millions of them ever
existed. It was the settled policy of Koine to oblit-
erate every vestige of opposition to her decrees and
doctrines, everything heretical, whether persons or

208 SABBATH \Sl) SUNDAY.

writings, by which The faithful would be liable to be
contaminated and led astray. In conformity to this
their fixed determination, all books and records of
their opposers were hunted up and committed to the
tlames. Before the art of printing was discovered,
in the fifteenth century, all books wTere made with a
pen; the copies, of course, were so few that their
concealment was much more difficult than it would
be now, and if a few of them escaped the vigilance
of the inquisitors, they would be soon worn out and
gone. None of them could be admitted and pre-
served in the public libraries of the Catholics from
the ravages of time, and the hordes of barbarians,
with which all parts of Europe were at different
times overwhelmed." *

Again Mr. Benedict speaks as follows:

" We have alread}' observed from Claudius Seyssel,
the popish archbishop, that one Leo was charged
wTith originating the Waldensian heresy in the valleys,
in the days of Constantine the Great. When those
severe measures emanated from the Emperor Hono-
rius against re-baptizers, the Baptists left the seat of
opulence and power, and sought retreats in the
country, and in the valleys of Piedmont; which last
place, in particular, became their retreat from im-
perial oppression." f

Dean Waddington bears testimony as follows:

" Rainer Sacho, a Dominican, says of the Wal
denses: ' There is no sect so dangerous as the Leon-
ists, for three reasons: first, it is the most ancient;
some say it is as old as Sylvester, others, as the
apostles themselves. Secondly, it is very generally
disseminated; there is no country where it has not
gained some footing Third, while other sects are

* History of the Baptists, p. 50.
t lb, p. 23.

SABBATH AX!) SUNDAY. 209

profane and blasphemous, this retains the utmost
show of piety; they live justly before men, and be-
lieve nothing- concerning God which is not good.' "*

This same writer, Sacho, admits that they flour-
ished at least five hundred years before the time of
Peter Waldo. Their great antiquity is also allowed
by Gretzer, a Jesuit, who wrote against them. Crantz,
in his " History of the United Brethren," speaks of
this class of Christians in the following words:

"' These ancient Christians date their origin from
the beginning of the fourth century, when one Leo,
at the great revolution in religion under Constantino
the Great, opposed the innovations of Sylvester,
Bishop of Rome. Nay, Rieger goes further still,
taking them for the remains of the people of the
valleys, who, when the Apostle Paul, as is said,
made a journey over the Alps into Spain, were con-
verted to Christ, "f

Jortin bears the toll owing testimony:

' ' In the seventh century, Christianity was preached
in China by the Nestorians and the Valdenses who
abhorred the papal usurpations, and are supposed to
have settled themselves in the valleys of the Pied-
mont."!

President Edwards says:

"Some of the popish writers themselves own thai
lhat people never submitted to the Church of Rome.
One of the popish writers speaking of the Waldenses,
says: The heresy of the Waldenses is the oldest in
the world. It is supposed that this people first be-
took themselves to this desert, secret place among

*. Church History, chap. 22. sec. 1.
t Latrobe's Trans., p. 16, London, 1780.
Eocl. Hist., Vol. 2. sec. 38.

(14,

210 SABBATH AND SUNDAY.

the mountains to bide themselves from the severity
of the heathen persecutions, which were before Con-
stantine the Great, and thus the woman fled into the
wilderness from the face of the serpent. Rev. 12:
6-14. And the people being settled there, their
posterity continued there from age to age afterward;
and being, as it were, by natural walls as well as
God's grace, separated from the rest of the world,
never partook of the overflowing corruption "...
" Theodore Belvedere, a popish monk, says that the
heresy had always been in the valleys. In the preface
to the French Bible the translators sa}- that they
(the Valdenses) have always had the full enjoyment
of the heavenly truth contained in the Holy Script-
ures ever since they were enriched with the same by
the apostles, having preserved, in fair manuscripts
the entire Bible in their native tongue from genera-
tion to generation." *

Thus history furnishes full and explicit testimony
concerning the antiquity of these pure Christians,
showing that their separation began very early, and
that they never submitted to the Papal power, nor
accepted its false teachings. Their number is a
matter of no less interest than their antiquity. Jones
bears the following testimony:

"Even in the twelfth century their numbers
abounded in the neighborhood of Cologne in Fland-
ers, the south of France, Savoy, and Milan. They
were increased, says Egbert, to great multitudes
throughout all coutries, and although they seem not
to have attracted attention in any remarkable degree
previous to this period, yet, as it is obvious they
could not have sprung up in a day, it is not an un-
fair inference that they must have long existed as a

* History vf Eedemption, pp. 293. 294.

SABBATH A^D SUNDAY. 211

people wholly distinct from the Catholic church,
though, amidst the political squabbles of the clergy,
it was their good fortune to be entirely overlooked."
..." Toward the middle of the twelfth century,
a small society of the Puritans, as they were called
by some, or Waldenses as they are termed by others,
or Paulicians, as they are denominated by our old
monkish historian, William of Newburg, made their
appearance in England. This latter writer speaking
of them, sa3rs: ' They came originally from Gascoyne,
where, being as numerous as the sand of the sea,
they sorely infested France, Italy, Spain and Eng-
land."*

Benedict says:

"In the thirteenth century, from the accounts of
Catholic historians, all of whom speak of the Wal-
denses in terms of complaint and reproach, they had
founded individual churches, or were spread out in
colonies in Italy, Spain, Germany, the Netherlands,
Bohemia, Poland, Lithuania, Albania, Lombardy,
Milan, Roinagna, Vicenza, Florence, Velepenetine,
Constantinople, Philadelphia, Sclavonia, Bulgaria,
Diognitia, Livonia, Sarmatia, Croatia, Dalmatia,
Briton, and Piedmont, "f

It is not claimed that there was perfect agreement
in sentiment on all points among all these different
sects, in all the different localities. That they agreed
on the fundamental point of rejecting the Romish
Hierarchy, and appealing to the Bible as the only
standard of faith and practice, is undeniable. The
following testimonies will show what they were in
these respects. Allix speaks as follows:

" They can say a great part of the Old and New

* Hist, of the Waldenses, Vol. 1, chap. 4, sec. 3, London,
1816.

1 Hist, of the Baptists, p. 31.

212 SABBATH AXD SUNDAY.

Testaments by heart. They despise the decretals,
and the sayings and expositions of holy men. and
only cleave to the text of Scripture." . . . "They say
that the doctrine of Christ and his apostles is suffi-
cient to salvation, withoul any church statutes and
ordinances. That the traditions of the church are
no better than the traditions of the Pharisees; and
that greater stress is laid on the observation of
human traditions than on the keeping of the law of
God. 'Why do you transgress the law of God by
your traditions?' They contemn all approved ec-
clesiastical customs which they do not read of in the
gospel, as the observation of Candlemas, Palm Sun-
day, the reconciliation of penitents, the adoration
of" the cross on Good Friday. They despise the
feast of Easter and all other festivals of Christ and the
Saints, because of their being multiplied to that vast
number, and say that one day is as good as another,
and work upon holy days where they can do it
without being taken notice of." . . . " They declare
themselves to be the apostles' successors, to have
apostolic authority, and the keys of binding and
loosing. They hold the church "of Rome to be the
Whore of Babylon, and that all who obey her are
damned, especially the clergy that are subject to
her since the time of Pope Sylvester." . . . "They
hold that none of the ordinances of the church that
have been introduced since Christ's ascension ought
to be observed, being of no worth; the feasts, fasts,
orders, blessings, offices of the church and the like,
they utterly reject."*

This is said of them in Bohemia. As late as the
time of Erasmus these Bohemians continued to keep
the Sabbath with great strictness, as will be seen by
the following.

* Ecc. Hist, of the Ancient Piedmont Church, pp. 316, 217,
209, London, 1690.

SABBATH AND SUNDAY. 213

An old German historian, John Sleidan, speaking
of a sect in Bohemia called " Picards," says:

"Thej' admit of nothing but the Bible. They
choose their own priests and bishops; deny no man
marriage, perform no offices for the dead, and have
but very few hoi}* days and ceremonies."*

These are the same people to whom Erasmus refers,
representing them as extremely strict in observing
the Sabbath. Robert Cox, in his " Sabbath Litera-
ture," quotes from Erasmus and comments as fol-
lows:

"With reference to the origin of this sect (Sev-
enth-day Baptists ), I find a passage in Erasmus, that
at the earl}* period of the Reformation when he
wrote, there were Sabbatarians in Bohemia, who not
only kept the seventh day, but were said to be so
scrupulous in resting on it, that if anything went
into their eyes they would not remove it till the
morrow. He says:* ' Nunc audimus apud Bohemos
e.voriri novum Judoeorum genus Sabbatarios appellant,
qui tanta superstitione servant Sabbatum, ut si quid
eo die incident in oculum, nolint eximere; quasi non
snfficiat eis pro Sabbato Dies Dominicus qui Apostolis
ctiameratsacer, aut quasi Christ us non satis e.rpresserit
quantum tribuendum sit Sabbati.,,,\

" Hospinian of Zurich, in his treatise Be Festis
Judoeorum et Ethnicorum, Cap. iii, (Tiguri. — 1592.)
replies to the arguments of these Sabbatarians."!

The story concerning their extreme strictness on
the Sabbath is doubtless a mistake. But inasmuch
as they accepted the Bible as their only guide, it is

* History of the Reformation, etc., p, 53, London, 1689.
t De Amabili fieclesia* Concordia, Op. torn., V, p. 50(5: Lugd
Bat., 1704.

X Vol. 2, pp. 201,202.

'2U SABBATH AND SUNDAY.

not wonderful that they refused to place the " Dies
Dominicus before the Sabbath," since the Bible gives
no authority for such a course. Doctor Hessey re-
fers to these same Sabbatarians as the origin of the
present Seventh-day Baptists. A voluminous work
by Alexander Ross, speaking of these people at the
beginning of the Reformation, says:

"Some only will observe the Lord's-day; some
only the Sabbath; some both, and some neither."*

In his history of the Waldenses, Jones gives their
"confession of faith," article tenth of which is as
follows:

■ • Moreover, we have ever regarded all the inven
tions of men (in affairs of religion) as an unspeakable
abomination before God; such as the festival days
and vigils of the saints, and what is called holy wa-
ter, the abstaining from flesh on certain days, and
such like things, but above all. the Masses." f

In section four of the same chapter, Jones quotes
from book first, chapter five, of Perrin's History of
the Vaudois, as follows:

"Their heresy excepted, they generally live a
purer life than the Christians. They never swear
but by compulsion, and rarely take the name of God
in vain. They fulfill their promises with punctuality,
and living for the most part in poverty, they profess
to preserve the apostolic life and doctrine. They
also profess it to be their desire to overcome only by
the simplicity of faith, by purity of conscience, and
by integrity of life; not by philosophical niceties, and
theological subtleties.-' And he very candidly ad-

* A View of All Religions in the World, etc.. p. 237, Lon-
don, 1653.

1 Chapter 5, sec. 3.

SABBATH AND SUNDAY. 215

niits that, " In their lives and morals they are per-
fect, irreprehensible, and without reproach among
men, addicting themselves with all their might to
observe the commandments of God. Lielenstenius.
a Dominitian, speaking of the Waldenses of Bohe-
mia, says: 'I say that in morals and life they are
good, true in words, unanimous in brotherly love,
but their faith is incorrigible and vile, as I have
shown in * my Treatise. ' " . . . " Louis XII. , king of
France, being informed by the enemies of the Wal-
denses, inhabiting apart of the province of Provence,
that several heinous crimes were laid to their ac-
count, sent the Master of Requests, and a certain
doctor of the Sorbonne, who was confessor to his
majesty, to make inquiry into this matter. On their
return, they reported that they had visited all the
parishes where they dwelt, had inspected their places
of worship, but that they had found there no images,
nor signs of ornaments belonging to the Mass, nor
any of the ceremonies of the Romish church; much
less could they discover any traces of the crimes
with which they were charged. On the contrary,
they kept the Sabbath-day, observed the ordinance
of baptism, according to the Primitive church, and
instructed their children in the articles of Christian
faith, and the commandments of God."

Eccolampadius, Luther, Beza, Bullinger, De-
Vignaux, Chassagnon, Milton, and others among
modern writers unite in bearing testimony to their
uprightness and faithful adherence to the Word of
God. Their observance of the Sabbath is also fur-
ther attested as follows. Jones says:

"Because they would not observe saints' day they
were falsely supposed to neglect the Sabbath also,
and called Inzabbatati, or Insabbathists." *

Bennedict has the following:

* Hist. Waldenses, chap. 5, sec 1.

216 SABBATH AND SUNDAY*.

" We find that the Waldenses were sometimes
called Insabbatlios, that is regardless of Sabbaths.
Mr. Milner supposes this name was given to them
because they observed not the Romish festivals and
rested from their ordinary occupations only on Sun-
days . A Sabbatarian would suppose that it was be-
cause they met for worship on the seventh day. and
did not regard the first day sabbath." *

Nor only must a "Sabbatarian" thus conclude,
but every thinking man must agree; since no fact is
better established than this, viz., that the Sunday
was understood to be purely a church festival, one
of the very things which they rejected. Blair's his-
tory of the Waldenses gives the following:

" Among the documents we have by the same
peoples is an explanation of the ten commandments,
dated by Boyer, 1120. It contains a compendium
of Christian morality. Supreme love to God is en-
forced, and recourse to the influence of the planets
and to sorcerers is condemned. The evil of worship-
ing God by images and idols is pointed out. A sol-
emn oath to confirm anything doubtful is admitted.
but profane swearing is forbidden. Observation of
the Sabbath, by ceasing from worldly labors and
from sin, by good works, and by promoting the edi-
fication of the soul, through prayer and hearing the
word, is enjoined. Whatever is preached without
Scripture proof, is accounted no better than fables. " f

From a historical work of the early part of the
seventeenth century, entitled " Purchase's Pilgrim-
ages," a sort of universal history, we learn that
the Waldenses, in different localities,

"Keep Saturday holy, nor esteem Saturday fasts

* Hist. Baptists, Vol. 2. p. 412. Ed, 1831.
+ Vol. 1. pp. 216, 220, Edinburs, 1833.

SABBATH AND SUNDAY. 217

lawful. But on Easter, even, they have solemn ser-
vices on Saturdays, eat flesh, and feast it bravely,
like the Jews."*

During the twelfth century, they were known in
some parts of France and Italy as Passaginians. Of
these Mosheim has the following:

" Like the other sects alread^y mentioned, they
had the utmost aversion to the dominion and disci-
pline of the church of Rome; but they were, at the
same time, distinguished by two religious tenets,
which were peculiar to themselves. The first was a
notion that the observation of the law of Moses, in
everything except the offering of sacrifices, was ob-
ligatory upon Christians, in consequence of which
they circumcised their followers, abstained from
those meats, the use of which was prohibited under
the Mosaic economv, and celebrated the Jewish Sab-
bath." f

The charge of circumcision is made only by their
enemies, the Romanists, and is not well sustained;
but if it were true, they were not Jews, but, even as
their enemies admit, were most blameless and wort by
Christians. Concerning this charge, Benedict says:

' ' The account of their practicing circumcision is
undoubtedly a slanderous story, forged by their ene-
mies, and probably arose in this way: Because they
observed the seventh day, they were called, by way
of derision, Jews, as the Sabbatarians arc frequently
at this day; and if they were Jews, they either did,
or ought to, circumcise their followers. This was
probably the reasoning of their enemies. Bui that
they actually practiced the bloody rite is altogether
improbable.*" %

* Vol. 2, p, 12G0, London, 1625.

tEccl. Hist., Vol. 2, p. 127, London, 1810.

i Hist. Baptists, Vol. 2, pp. 112 U8, Ed. 1818.

218 SABBATH AND SUNDAY.

Another direct and important testimony is found
in a "Treatise on the Sabbath," by Bishop White.
Speaking of Sabbath-keeping as opposed to the prac-
tice of the church and as heretical, he says:

" It was thus condemned in the Nazarenes and in
the Cerinthians, in the Ebionites and in the Hypsis-
tarii. The ancient Synod of Laodicea made a decree
against it, chap. 29; also Gregory the Great affirmed
it was Judaical. In St. Bernard's days it was con-
demned in the Petrobrussians. The same, likewise
being revived in Luther's time, by Carlstadt, Stern-
berg, and by some secretaries among the Anabaptists,
hath both then, and ever since, been condemned as
Jewish and heretical. " *

The various and slanderous charges of corruption
and religious excesses which certain Romish writers
have made against the Waldenses, are truthfully and
fairly disposed of by Mr. W. S. Gully, in a work en-
titled, "Valdenses," etc.:

"We may. therefore, consider that all the licen-
tious tales which have been told at the expense of
Valdo and his disciples, were the inventions of after
times. That individuals among them ma}' have
broached some extravagant and fanatical dogmas is
not improbable, but Ave have no contemporary evi-
dence in proof of their having departed from the
strictest rules of moral and religious purity, or of
their having been guilty of any other than the un-
pardonable offense of disobeying a spiritual authority
which had become as tyrannical in the exercise of its
powers as it wasremiss in the discharge of the sacred
trusts committed to it. ' The worst thing that can be
said of them,' said the inquisitor Reiner, whose busi-

* P. 8. London. 1635.

SABBATH AND SUNDAY. 219

ness it was to accuse and hunt them down, ' is that
they detest the Romish Church.' "*

Other testimony might be added, but the case does
not demand it. It is already clear that when the
great apostasy began, which culminated in the estab-
lishment of the Papacy, and the union of Church
and State, there were those who refused to join with
the apostate throng, or recognize its unscriptural
doctrines. That they rejected the false dogma of
church infallibility, and adhered to the Bible, Old
and New Testaments, as the only Christian authori-
ty, and rule of Christian living. As a result of this,
their lives were holier and purer than those of the
apostate church. Being driven from the central
arena of ecclesiastical and civil strife, they increased
in strength and numbers until they came to be feared
by their enemies, when they were eagerly hunted,
relentlessly condemned, and slaughtered without
mere}'. In common with the other truths of the
Bible they obej-ed the law of the fourth command-
ment and kept God's Sabbath. Their history forms
a strong link in the unbroken chain of Sabbath-keep-
ers which unites the years when the ' ' Lord of the
Sabbath" walked upon the earth, with these years
in which he is marshaling his forces for its final vin-
dication.

;: P. .IT, Edinburg edition.

Jhe £

CHAPTER XIX.

ABBATH IN THE ^ASTERN
HURCH.

P-

Having- followed the Sabbath and the Sunday
down to the close of the Dark Ages, in the Western,
Romanized church, it is pertinent to turn attention
to the Eastern church, which is even yet a terra in-
cognita to many readers.

In the changes of the first four centuries after
Christ, the Eastern church, which was really the
Mother Church, and the home of primitive Christian-
ity,* was left unaffected by the influences which
started the strong current of empire westward by
way of Rome. The Eastern world grew quiet rather
than active, and passed into a sort of general and
gradual petrifaction of thought, which its isolation
from the westward currents served to perpetuate, f
No general revival of thought and theology, in the
Eastern church, has yet taken place. Mohammedan-
ism overwhelmed large portions of the field, per-
verting, and preventing reform. In the 16th cent-
ury Papacy made some strong inroads, and by the
fires and dungeons of the Inquisition, and the bland-

* See Stanley, Eastern Church, Lect 1, p. 87, seq.
+ See Life and Times of St. Gregory, p. 28 and p. 49, of
LoDdon Edition. 1850.

SABBATH AND SUNDAY. 221

ishnients of its emissaries, turned many into its ranks.
Protestant missions began at different points about
the opening of the present century, but have not yet
gone far enough to create any general awakening.
For this reason little interest has been felt in the
Eastern church, and many have deemed that all of
church history, is involved in the Western branch,
out of which our own ecclesiastical currents have
come. But the truth is that a very large factor of
church history is the Eastern current, and especially
so in regard to the earliest ideas and practices, those
of the Apostolic Period. Dean Stanley notices this
feature of the case as follows:

" I have said that the field of Eastern Christendom
is a comparatively untrodden field. It is out of
sight, and therefore out of mind. But there is a wise
German proverb which tells us that it is good, from
time to time, to be reminded that ' Behind the mount-
ains there are people to be found. ' ' Hinter dem
Bcrge, sind auch Leule. This, true of all large bodies
of the human family, from whom we are separated
by natural or intellectual divisions, is eminently
true of the whole branch of the Christian family.
that lies in the far East. Behind the mountains of
our knowledge, of our civilization, of our activity, —
behind the mountains, let us also say, of our igno-
rance, of our prejudice, of our contempt, is to be
found nearly a third pari of Christendom. One
hundred millions of souls professing the Christian
faith. Even if we enter no further into their history
it is important to remember that they are there. No
theory of the Christian church can be complete which
does not take some account of their existence. . . .

"But the Oriental church has claims to be con-
sidered, over and above its magnitude and its OD

222 SABBATH AND SUNDAY.

scurity. By whatever name we call it — 'Eastern,'
'Greek,' or 'Orthodox,' — it carries us back, more
than any other existing Christian institution, to the
earliest scenes and times of the Christian religion.
Even though the annals of the Oriental Patriarchates,
are, for the most part, as regards the personal history
of their occupants, a series of unmeaning names, the
recollections awakened by the seats of their power
are of the most august kind. Jerusalem, Antioch,
Alexandria, are centers of local interest, which none
can see or study without emotion. And the church-
es which have sprung up in those regions, retain
the ancient customs of the East, and of the primi-
tive age of Christianity, long after they have died
out everywhere else." *

There are three groups of these Eastern Christians
which we shall consider in the order of their nation-
ality. First comes

THE ABYSSYNIAN CHURCH.

The following extract from the pen of Rev. Sam-
uel Gobat, is a befitting preface to what may be
said concerning this branch of the church:

"It is generally admitted that Christianity was
first introduced into Abyssinia about the year of our
Lord 330, at the time when Athanasius was patriarch
of Alexandria in Egypt," . . . " It is from this date
that the Abyssinian church assumes importance in
the annals of ecclesiastical history. Through all
succeeding ages, from that period to the present, she
has received her superior ecclesiastic, or Abuna (lit-
erally our Father,) by the appointment of the Patri-
arch of Alexandria, and has continued with little in-
terruption to maintain an intimate connection with
the Coptic church of Egypt." . . . "During the
seventh century, when the Mohammedans of Arabia,
spurred on hj their religious enthusiasm, made an

* Hist. Eastern Church, pp. 88, 89. New York, 1862.

SABBATH AND SUNDAY. 223

irruption into Egypt, and nearly crushed the church
then existing in that country, the strong ties which
had hitherto bound together the Eastern and West-
ern churches were almost entirely sundered; and
the Abyssinian church, suddenly becoming obscured,
retired for several ages from the pages of history.
But ere she passed behind the cloud, she encountered
a fearful struggle with the Arabians, a circumstance
which evinced the reality of her vital energies. The
Arabians were a crafty foe; skillful in device, and
unscrupulous as to means, they employed alike
strategem and force to induce her to submit to their
sway, and to adopt the new religion. But, steadfast
in her religious principles, the Abyssinian church re-
mained unshaken as a rock amid the dashing billows.
Covering her with his shield, God preserved her
from the galling yoke of Mohammedan tyranny, and
permitted her to keep feebly burning the flame of
Christian faith which she had received as a rich in-
heritance from her fathers." *

From the seventh century to the opening of the
sixteenth century, the church of Abyssinia was al-
most entirely shut out from the church of Europe.
During the seventeenth century repeated and violent
attempts were made by the Jesuits, under the patron-
age of Portugal, to convert or subdue it. Artful in-
trigue and bloody war were alike unsuccessful, and
the Jesuits were fi nail}' driven from the field. Touch-
ing the Sabbath as an issue in this struggle, Gobat
speaks as follows:

" The flame of discord might easily have been ex-
tinguished, by the death of the Viceroy and that of
the Abuna, had not the Emperor, regarding his late

* Journal of three years' residence in Abyssinia, p. .V).
New York. 1850.

324 SABBATH AND SUNDAY.

success as a decisive victory, issued a decree forbid
ding the people longer to celebrate the Jewish Sab-
bath, which, from time immemorial, they had been
accustomed to hallow with the same strictness and
solemnity as the Lord's-day. " *

Against this decree made by the Emperor, under
the promptings of the Pope's emissaries, the people
protested with voice and sword,- and the war raged
anew. Mr. Gobat describes it in the following words:

" This unhappy war continued to rage with una-
bated fury, trembling in the balance between alternate
successes and reverses until the Emperor felt the
imperious necessity, in consideration of the interest
of his throne, and the tranquillity of his subjects, of
requesting the patriarch to negotiate a treaty between
the Pope and his royal highness, in which it should
be stipulated, that the Abyssinian church might re-
tain their ancient liturgy, celebrate the same festival
days that they formerly observed, and enjoy the
privilege of hallowing not less the Jewish Sabbath
than the Lord's-day, in agreement with their uniform
practice previous to the introduction of the Catholic
faith." f

But this was not enough. The people " claimed
nothing less than the entire re-establishment of the
ancient constitution of their church, and the total ex
pulsion of the strangers from the kingdom." The
Emperor was too much under the control of the
Jesuit emissaries to grant this at once. Another
bloody battle took place between his own troops and
his insurgent people. Though temporarily victori-
ous in this encounter, he finally yielded.

* Journal, etc., p. 93.
1 Journal, etc . p. 83.

SABBATH AND SUNDAY. 225

" An imperial herald was accordingly sent through
the streets .of the Capitol, proclaiming, 'Hear!'
' Hear! ' I formerly recommended to your acceptance
the Catholic faith, because I believed it to be true;
but as great numbers of my subjects have sacrificed
their lives in defence of the religion of our fathers.
I hereby certify that the free exercise of this religion
shall be hereafter guaranteed to all. Your priests
are hereby authorized to take possession of their
churches, and worship without molestation the (rod
of their ancestors."

" It is impossible, adequately to describe the de-
monstration of joy, evinced by the gushing tears of
gratitude which accompanied this public declaration.
Voices, echoing the praises of the emperor, floated on
every breeze; the people threw from their houses
the rosaries and chaplets of the Jesuits and burnt
them in bonfires; satisfaction and delight were ex-
pressed in every countenance, gladness sparkled in
every eye."*

Gibbon describes this incursion of the Portugues,
at length, and tells the story of the demands made
by the emissaries of the Pope, in the following
words:

" After the amusement of some unequal combats
between the Jesuits and his illiterate priests, the
Emperor declared himself a proselyte to the Synod
of Chalcedon, presuming that his clergy and people
would embrace, without delay, the religion of their
prince. The liberty of choice was succeeded by a
law, which imposed, under pain of death, the belief
of the two natures of Christ; the Ahyssinians were
enjoined to work and to play on the Sabbath; and

I tobat, Abvsinia. p. 97.

(15)

226 SABBATH AND SUNDAY.

Segved, in the face of Europe and Africa, renounced
his connection with the Alexandrian church."*

Such strength of character andlenacity of purpose
have ever marked this branch of the chinch. Inci-
dental remarks, scattered through the work of Mr.
Gobat, show that the Abyssinian church still keeps
the Sabbath. Turning to other authority the reader
will learn that:

"The Abyssinians do hold the Scriptures to be
the perfect rule of Christian faith; insomuch that
they deny it to be in the power of a general council
to oblige the people to believe anything as articles of
faith without an express warrant from them. " f

" Tran-substantiation and the adoration of the con-
secrated bread in the sacrament were what the Abys-
sinians abhorred. They deny purgatory, and know
nothing of extreme unction; they condemn graven
images; they keep both Saturday and Sunday." %

This author, Geddes, gives a detailed account of
their doctrines and practices, as given by one Zaga
Zabo, the ambassador of the king of Ethiopia, at
Lisbon, Spain, in 1534, as follsws:

" We are bound by the Institutions of the Apos-
tles to observe two days, to wit: the Sabbath and
the Lord's day, on which it is not lawful for us to do
any work, no, not the least. On the Sabbath-day,
because God, after he had finished the creation of
the world, rested tbereon; which day, as God would
have it called the Holy of Holie*, so the not celebrat-
ing thereof with great honor and devotion seems to

* Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, Vol. 4, chap. 47,
p. 565. Harper's edition. 18h3.

+ Church History of Ethiopia, by Michael Geddes. p. 31,
London, 1696.

% Ibid, pp. 34, 35.

SABBATH AND SUNDAY. 227

be plainly contrary to God's will and precept, who
will suffer heaven and earth to pass away sooner
than his word; and that especially, since Christ came
not to dissolve the law, but to fulfill it. It is not,
therefore, in imitation of the Jeics, but in obedience
to Christ and his holy apontles, that we observe that
day, the favor that was showed herein to the Jews,
being transferred to us. Christians; so that, excepting
Lent, we eat flesh every Saturday in the year. But
in the kingdoms of Barnagaus, Tigre and Mahon,
the Jhristians, according to ancient custom, do eat
flesh on all Saturdays and Sundays, even in Lent.
We do observe the Lord's-day after the manner of
all other Christians in memory of Christ's resurrec-
tion." *

More intelligent, scriptural, and truly Christian
views of the Sabbath could scarcely be given. Nor
is there in all the account any hint of authority for
the Sunday, beyond tradition. The " History of
the Eastern Church," by Arthur P. Stanley, informs
the reader that:

" The church of Abyssinia, founded in the fourth
century, by the church of Alexandria, furnishes the
one example of a nation, savage, yet Christian, show-
ing us, on the one hand, the force of the Christian
faith in maintaining its superiority at all against such
immense disadvantages, and, on the other hand, the
utmost amount of superstition with which a Chris-
tian church can be overlaid without perishing alto-
gether. One lengthened communicaiion it has hith-
erto received from the West — the mission of the
Jesuits. With this exception, it has been left almost
entirely to itself. Whatever there is of Jewish, or
of old Egyptian, ritual preserved in the Coptic church
is carried 10 excess in the Abyssinian. The likeness

* Church History of Ethiopia, pp. 34, c5.

228 SABBATH AND SUNDAY.

of the sacred ark, called the ark of Zion, is the cen-
ter of Abyssinian devotion. To it gifts and prayers
are offered. On it the sanctity of the whole church
depends. Circumcision is not only practiced, as in
the Coptic church, but is regarded as of equal neces-
sity with baptism. There alone the Jewish Sabbath
is still observed, as well as the Christian Sunday.
They (with the exception of a small sect of the Sev-
enth-day Baptists) are the only true Sabbatarians in
Christendom."*

Thus has the Abyssinian church stood tirm on the
fundamental truth of God's Word, and clung to his
Sabbath through all the vicissitudes and cruel op-
position of fifteen hundred years, as Christians too,
and not as Judaizers, their own words being witnesses
It is not wonderful if they are to-day below the high-
est Christian standards of religious life; it is rather
wonderful that they have not been wholly corrupted
and overrun. When we remember the fierce attacks
of Mohammedanism, the craft and cruelties of Ro-
manism and the continued encroachments of surround-
ing Pagansim, their present purity in doctrines and
in life seems almost miraculous. Gobat testifies that,
though he had " sometimes overheard conversation
of a very improper and, indeed, debasing character,''
nevertheless he had " never witnessed so much lewd-
ness or indecency of conduct in the Capitol of Abys-
sinia, as is sometimes witnessed in the Capitol of
Egypt, France or England."!

The time may not be distant when this branch of
the church will spring to new life and become, under

* P. 96, New York, 1862.

• Journal, etc.. p. 159.

SABBATH AND SUNDAY. 229

(Jod, instrumental in converting the nations around
it to him, and to his Sabbath.

THE ARMENIAN CHURCH.

Here is another example, similar to the one just
presented. According to Stanley, this church was
founded A. D. 302. It was the central Christian in-
fluence in Asia, and during its early history pushed
its missionary enterprises even to China. In the fifth
century a translation of the Bible was made into the
Armenian tongue, which is so perfect as to have
been called the " queen of versions." Their general
character at the present time is described by Mr.
Stanley as follows:

'• The Armenians are by far the most powerful,
and the most widely diffused, in the group of purely
Oriental churches of which we are now speaking,
and as such exercise a general influence over all of
them. Their home is in the mountain tract that en-
circles Ararat. But, though distinct frohn the sur-
rounding nations, they are yet scattered far and wide
through the whole Levant, extending their episco-
pate, and carrying on at the same time the chief
trade of Asia. A race, a church, of merchant princes,
they are in quietness, in wealth, in steadiness, the
'Quakers' of the East, the 'Jews,' if one may so
call them, of the Oriental church."*

Rev. Lyman Coleman speaks of the observance of
the Sabbath among the Armenians in the following
casual manner:

•• There are at leas! fourteen great least-days in
the cour«-e of the year, on which all ordinary labor

Hist. Eastern Church, i>. !>-2.

"230 SABBATH AND SUNDAY.

is suspended, and the day is observed more strictly
than the Sabbath."*

J. W. Mossie, f as quoted by Andrews, thus de-
scribes them:

" The creed which these representatives of an an-
cient line of Christians cherished was not in con-
formity with Papal decrees, and has with difficulty
been squared with the thirty-nine articles of the
Anglican Episcopacy. Separated 1 rom the world for
one thousand years, they were naturally ignorant of
many novelties introduced by the councils and de-
crees of the Lateran; and their conformity with the
faith and practices of the first ages, laid them open
to the unpardonable guilt of heresy and schism, as
estimated by the church of Rome. ' We are Chris-
tians, aod not idolaters,' was their expressive reply,
when required to do homage to the image of the Vir-
gin Mary." . . . "La Croze states them at fifteen
hundred churches, and as many towns and villages.
They refused to recognize the pope, and declared
they had never heard of him ; they asserted the purity
and primitive truth of their faith, since they came,
and their bishops had for thirteen hundred years
been sent from, the place where the followers of
Jesus were first called Christians." . . . "Remote
from the busy haunts of commerce, or the populous
seats of manufacturing industry, they may be re-
garded as the Eastern Piedmontes, the Vallois of
Hindoostan, the witnesses prophesying in sack cloth
through revolving centuries, though indeed their
bodies lay as dead in the streets of the city they had
once peopled.":}:

Yeates inform <* us that Saturday " amongst them

* Ancient Christianity Exemplified, pp. 561, 562. Phila..
1852.

t Continental India. Vol. 2. pp. 116, 117. 120.
X History of the Sabbath.

SABBATH AND SUNDAY. 231

is a festival day agreeable to the ancient practice of
the church."*

But the following testimony from the pen of Rev.
Claudius Buchannan, presents the case still more
clearly. He says:

" Next to the Jews, the Armenians will form the
most generally useful body of Christian missionaries.
They are found in every principal city of Asia; they
are the general merchants of the East, and are in a
state of constant motion from Canton to Constanti-
nople. Their general character is that of a wealthy,
industrious, and enterprising people. They are set-
tled in all the principal places of India, where they
arrived many centuries before the English. AVhere-
ever they colonize, they build churches, and observe
the solemnities of the Christian religion in a decorous
manner." . . . "The history of the Armenian
church is very interesting. Of all the Christians in
Central Asia, they have preserved themselves most
free from Mohammedan ana Papal corruptions. The
Pope assailed for a time with great violence, but
with little effect. The churches in lesser Armenia
indeed consented to a union, which did not long con-
tinue; but those in Persian Armenia maintained their
independence, and they retain their ancient Script-
ures, doctrines, and worship to this day." . . . "The
Bible was translated into the Armenian language in
the fifth century, under very auspicious circumstan-
ces, the history of which has come down to us. It
has been allowed, by competent judges of the lan-
guage, to be a most faithful translation. La Croze
calls it the ' Queen of Versions.' This Bible has
ever remained in the possession of the Armenian
people, and many illustrious instances of genuine
and enlightened piety occur in their history." . . .

* En st India Church History, p. 184 quoted bj \ndrews,
Sab. Hist. p. 314.

:i 3 2 SABBATH AND SUNDAY.

•• The Armenians in Hindoostan are our own subjects.
They acknowledge our government in India, as they
do that of Sophi in Persia, and they are entitled to our
regard. They have preserved the Bible in its purity,
and their doctrines arc. as far as the author knows,
the doctrines of the Bible. Besides, tJiey maintain
tin solemn observance of Christian worship throughout
our empin on tJu seventh day; and they have as
many spires pointing to heaven among the Hindoos
as ourselves. Are such a pepple then entitled to no
acknowledgement on our part, as fellow Christians?
Are they forever to be ranked by us with Jews,
Mohammedans, and Hindoos?"*

NESTORIAN OR CHAJLDEAN CHRISTIANS.

Stanley states that:

•• The Chaldean Christians, called by their oppo-
nents, Nestorians, are the most remote of these old
■ Separatists.' Only the first two councils, those of
Nicsea and Constantinople, have weight with them.
The third— of Ephesus— already presents the stum-
bling block of the decree which condemned Nestorius.
Living in the fastnesses of Kurdistan, they represent
the persecuted remnant of the ancient church of
Central Asia. They trace their descent from the
earliest of all Christian missions — the mission of
Thaddseus to Abgarus." . . . " In their earlic days
they sent forth missions on a scale exceeding those of
any Western church, except the See of Rome in the
sixth and sixteenth centuries, and for the time re-

* Researches in Asia, pp. 206, et seq.
The above is from a Boston edition of 1811. It will not
be found in some, if any. of the later editions, from which it
lias been expunged, i. e.\ the passage relative to their observ-
ance of the Sabbath. A similar instance of corrupting the
text of history is found in a late edition of " Grant's History
of the Nestorians," in which the word " Christian " is often
thrown in before " sabbath.'* thus Leading the reader to sup-
pose that Sunday is observed by the Nestorians. instead of
the Sabbath.

SABBATH AND SUNDAY. 233

deeming the Eastern church from the usual reproach
of its negligence in propagating the gospel. Their
chief assumed the splendid title of Patriarch of Baby-
lon, and their missionaries traversed the whole of
Asia, as far eastward as China, and as far southward
as Ceylon."*

Coleman speaks of their Sabbath-keeping doctrines
and practices as follows, quoting from their authori-
ties:

•' These eight festivals of our Lord we observe,
and we have many holy days and the Sabbath-day,
on which we do not labor." . . . " The Sabbath day
we reckon far — far above the others." . . . "The
worship of the Sabbath does not differ materially
from that of other days, except that an extra service
for preaching the gospel is now extensively intro-
duced under the influence of the missionaries." . . .
• Incense is burned in the churches of the Nestorians
on the Sabbath and on feast-days." f

Doctor Hessey quotes from Grant's History of the
Nestorians, as follows:

" The Sabbath, he says, is regarded with a sacred-
ness among the mountain tribes, which 1 have seen
among no other Christians in the East. I have re-
peatedly been told by Nestorians of the plain, that
their brethren in the mountains would immediately
kill a man for traveling or laboring on the Sabbath;
and there is abundant reason to believe that this was
formerly done, though it has ceased since the people
have become acquainted with the practice of Chris-
tendom on this subject. While in the mountains, 1
made repeated inquiries concerning the observance
of that remarkable statute of the Jews, which re-
quired that • whosoever doeth any work on the Sab-

* Hist. Eastern Church, p. 91.
• Ancient Christianity Exemplified, ]>. 578,

234 SABBATH AND SUNDAY.

bath-day he shall surely be put to death; ' and I was
everywhere told that this statute had formerly been
literally executed. Nor does there appear to be any
motive for deception, since the practice is now dis-
approved by all. There are said to be Nestorians
now in Tiyary who will not kindle a tire on the Sab-
bath to cook their food: but their cold Winters
oblige them to do it for necessary warmth.''*

Such is the passage as quoted by Dr. Hessey, and
referred to page 171 of the edition of " Grant's
Nestorians," used by him. On pp. 214, 215 of an
edition of 1853, New York, the same passage occurs,
except that before the second use of the word Sab-
bath, the word " Christian" is inserted. This is
such an evident inconsistency, and so out of harmony
with the surroundings, that there can be no doubt
that the edition quoted from by Dr. Hessey, is the
correct one. The sentence referring to the general
desecration of " the Lord's-day on the plains,'' seems
to have led Dr. Hessey to suppose that Grant
meant to refer to Sunday in the whole para-
graph. On the contrary, it seems to us that he wTas
drawing a contrast between the loose observance of
the Sunday on the plains, and the strict observance
of the Sabbath in the mountains, to emphasize his
theory that the Xestorians were of Jewish origin,
and that the purest stock clung tenaciously to the
Sabbath, while those who were more Romanized yet
held Sunday in light esteem. This latter fact appears
throughout Dr. Grant's work.

Rev. Justin Perkins gives the following from an

* Lectures on Sunday, p. 309.

SABBATH AND SUNDAY. 235

order of church service among the Nestorian Chris-
tians of the present day:

" 1. Alternate prayers for each day in two weeks."
" 2. Prayers for every day in the year except the
Sabbath-day and festivals."

"3. Prayers for the Lord's-day and festivals.'"

This makes a definite distinction between the Sab-
bath and the Lord's-day.

Mr. Perkins also reports the existence of a " Rom-
ish Legend of the Epistle on the Sabbath," which
custom demanded should be read every Sabbath, and
which severely denounced Sabbath-breaking. He
also states that reciting prayers constitutes a very
considerable part of the daily church service of ihe
Nestorians. The gospels are also read, particularly
on the Sabbath, and on festivals. *

Neale, writing concerning the church calendar of
the Armenians, says:

"The observation of Saturday is, as every one
knows, a subject of bitter dispute between the Greeks
and Latins; the former observing it as a festival, the
latter as a day of abstinence. That primitive author-
ity is on the side of the Oriental church none I im-
agine, will deny." . . . "Among both Greeks and Arme-
nians, Saturday is viewed in the light of a second
Sunday. The liturgy is then celebrated even when
on other days of the'week it is not; communions art-
more frequent, and, as we shall see, the Troparia,
etc., as for a day of peculiar solemnity."

Under the head of "The Armenio-Gregorian Cal-
endar," Neale adds:

* A Residence of Eight Y»'ui-s in Persia among the Nes-
torian Christians, p. 15. Andover, 1848.

236 SABBATH AND SUNDAY.

"There is in truth no great difficulty in the Ar-
menian fasts; at the same "time there are great diffi-
culties in the calendar arising from the Saturday
commemorations, fixed as such, and the translation
of festivals from a fast to a following Saturday."*

Another modern author testifies as follows:

"It must not be forgotten that throughout the
East, Saturday is looked on as a second Sunday.
The Armenians keep Saturday as a day in honor of
Almighty God the Creator of all things* and Sunday
in commemoration of the new creation, brought
about by the resurrection of our blessed Lord, Jesus
Christ,"!

Thus it is clear that with all that modern Papal
and Protestant influence has been able to do, the
Armenians down to this time keep the Sabbath for
the reasons given in the fourth commandment.

It is also evident that these branches of the church
which have never been subject to the "man of sin"
who has "changed times and laws," have never
ceased to observe the Sabbath. It is also shown by
their own words that they do this as a Christian duty,
after the example of him who was "Lord of the Sab-
bath." These branches of the church continue to
do accoi ding to the words of Athanasius, when he
said: " We meet upon the Sabbath, not because we
are affected with Judaism, but to worship Christ,
the Lord of the Sabbath;'." for they were colonized
about the time he wrote those words. Thus is an-
other link added to the chain of proof in favor of the

* History of the Holy Eastern Church, Vol, '2, pp. 131, 795-
t The Armenian Church, by E. E. K. Fortescue, p. 53, Lon-
don, is?--'.

SABBATH AND SUNDAY. 23?

observance of the Sabbath as a Christian institution,
by the early church.

CHRISTIANS OF ST. THOMAS.

Another branch of the Eastern church called Chris-
tians of St. Thomas, Syrian Christians, Christians of
Malabar, etc., presents the same picture of Sabbath-
keepers.

Early in the ministry of the apostles, St. Thomas
is said to have preached the gospel in the south of
Arabia, and then, crossing the Arabian Sea, in the
southern part of India, where large numbers wen-
converted to the gospel. Claudius Buchanan, D. D.,
in his " Christian Researches in Asia," says:

"The Syrian Christians inhabit the interior of
Travancore and Malabar, in the south of India, and
have been settled there from the early ages of Chris-
tianity. The first notices of this'ancient people in
recent times are to be found in the Portuguese his-
tories. When Vasco de Gama arrived at Cochin, on
the coast of Malabar, in the year 1503, he saw the
sceptre of the Christian king; for the Syrian Chris-
tians had formerly regal power in Malay — ala. The
name or title of their last king was Beliarte; and he
dying without issue, the dominion devolved on the
king of Cochin and Diamper.

" When the Portuguese arrived, they were agree-
ably surprised to find upwards of a hundred Chris
tian churches on the coast of Malabar. But when
they became acquainted with the purity and Sim
plicityof their worship, theyAvere offended. ' These
churches,' said the Portuguese, 'belong to the pope.'
Who is the pope?' said the natives, 'we never
heard of him.' The European priests were yet more
alarmed when they found thai these Hindoo Chris-
tians maintained the order and discipline of a regular

238 SABBATH AND SUNDAY.

church under Episcopal jurisdiction; and that for
1,300 years past they had enjoyed a succession of
bishops appointed by the Patriarch of Antioch.
* We,' said they, ' are of the true faith, whatever you
from the west may be; for we come from the place
where the followers of Christ were first called Chris-
tians."

* * # * * *

"The doctrines of the Syrian Christians are few
in number, but pure, and agree in essential points
with those of the church of England, so that al-
though the body of the church appears to be igno-
rant, arid formal, and dead, there are individuals who
are alive to righteousness, who are distinguished
from the rest by their purity of life, and are some
times censured for too rigid a piety." . . .

•• All must confess that it was (is) Christ's church
in the midst of a heathen land. The church of Eng-
land would be happy to promote its welfare, to re-
vive its spirit, and to use it as a means of future
good in the midst of her own empire.

'• I took occasion to observe that there were some
rites and practices in the Syrian church, which our
church might consider objectionable or nugatory."*

The efforts of the emissaries of the Papal church
to reduce these primitive Syrian Christians to the
Romish faith were carried forward by the power of
the Inquisition. Dellon, one of the victims of that
bloody tribunal, who escaped, wrote an account of
its workings, and of the charges upon which men
were tried, in which we find Sabbath- keeping a prom-
inent one. AVitness the following from his book.
His arrest occurred in 1673:

"Amongst the crimes cognizable in the Inquisition
* pp. 85, 99, 103, Armstrong, Boston, 1811.

SABBATH AXI) SUNDAY. 239

there are some which may be committed by one per-
son alone, as blasphemy, impiely, etc., . . . and
others again which require several, as assisting at
the Jewish Sabbath." f

In chapter 20, on " The injustice committed in
the Inquisition toward those accused of Judaism."
he says:

"But when the period of the Auto da Fe ap-
proaches, the Proctor waits upon him and declares,
that he is charged by a great number of witnesses,
of having Judaized; which means, having conformed
to the ceremonies of the Mosaic law, such as not
eating pork, hare, fish without scales, etc., of hav-
ing attended the solemnization of the Sabbath, hav-
ing eaten the Pascal Lamb, etc. He is then conjured
' by the bowels of the mercy of our Lord Jesus
Christ,' (for such are the terms affected to be used
in this Holy House,) voluntarily to confess his crimes,
as the sole means of saving his life; and the Holy
Office desires, if possible, to prevent his losing it.
The innocent man persists in denying what he is
urged to confess; he is, in consequence, condemned
as ' couvicto ntgativo, (convicted, but confessing
not,) to be delivered over to the secular power, to be
punished according to law, that is, to be burnt."' ±

"He, perhaps, then concludes, that he shall be
discharged; but he has other things to perform,
which are intinently less easy than what he has hith-
erto done; for the Inquisitors, by degrees, begin to
urge him in this way — ' If thou hast observed the
law of Moses, and assembled on the Sabbath-day as
thou sayest, and thy accusers have seen thee there,
as appears to have been the case; to convince us of
the sincerity of thy repentance, tell us who are thine

t P. 83. \ P. 56.

240 SABBATH AND SUNDAY.

accusers, and those who have been with thee al these

assemblies."*

There can be no doubt thai the charge of " Juda-
ism," as opposed to Christianity was false. The
Inquisition was never noted for the justness nor the
accuracy of its charges. But the fact that assem-
bling on the Sabbath was a prominent crime in the
eyes of the Inquisitors shows that these Christians,
like their compeers, the Abyssiuiansand Armenians,
kept the Sabbath as they received it from the apos-
tles.

SABBATH-KKKPIXO LS CHINA.

One other field remains to be noticed before we
take leave of the Eastern church, — China. Enough
has been recovered from its ancient records to show
that the primeval Sabbath was known in Chinese
traditions, and that Sabbath-keeping Christianity
existed there, in common with the rest of the East-
ern church. The Chinese Repository, for March,
1849, page 156, of Vol. 1, published at Canton,
contains an extract from a sermon by a native preach-
er, relative to the Sabbath in the "Book of Changes; '*
the date of this book is supposed to be contempora-
neous with the time of Noah. The preacher said:

" The Scriptures say that in six days God made
heaven, earth, the sea, and all things therein, and
rested on the seventh; therefore we hallow the sev-
enth day as a sacred time, as is required in the com-
mandment 'Remember the Sabbath-day to keep it

* P. 58; Dellon's Account of the Inquisition at Goa, trans-
lated from the French. Paris. 1684, — Hull, England. 1812.
pacres as above.

SABBATH AN I) SUNDAY. 241

holy,' etc. Thus we sec that the Sabbath began at
the time of the creation, and was instituted by the
Lord of all nations; at that time there was only one
man who was the ancestor of all people, and thus
became the chief of all; and this day was set apart
that through the first father of all nations it might
be handed down. Proper, therefore, it is for all
lands to know it, for all people to observe it. But
now there are people in many countries entirely igno-
rant of the name of ihe Sabbath. This is the cause;
mens hearts are continually treacherous, and the
heart of rectitude is ever small, so that the longer
the world exists, the more it forgets the commands
of God. If we trace the matter up it will be found
that there is no country which did not know the
Sabbath, and even the Chinese speak of it. The
diagram Fv.lt, in the ' Book of Changes,' sa}^s: ' this
rule goes and returns; in seven days it comes again.' '
. . . "The Chinese use the phrase, ' Heaven and
Earth,' to indicate the Supreme Ruler, and he insti-
tuted the Sabbath with no other reason than to bene-
fit the bodies and souls of men, as the Scriptures
say: ' The Sabbath was made for man.' Do we not
again see in this the love of God for man ! Truly
these words are trustworthy. In respect of the ex-
pression: 'The ancient kings ordered that on that
day the gate of the great road should be shut, and
the traders not permitted to pass, nor the princes to
go and examine their states,' it is plainly to be seen
that in the time of the ancient kings, on the day of
the Sabbath, all classes kept at rest, and observed
it."

This interpretation of their ancient books agrees
with Humboldt's testimony, relative to the week, he
says:

' " It (the week) is in use among the Chinese, who
seem also aborigines of the elevated plain of Tartary.

(16)

242 SABBATH AXD SUNDAY.

but who have long had intimate communication
with Hindostan and" Thibet."*

The existence of the Eastern or Nestorian type of
Christianity, in China, during the earlier centuries,
is well attested; as is also the fact, that it was a Sab-
bath-keeping Christianity. Gieseler says:

"The Nestorians not only maintained themselves
in Persia, where they enjoyed the exclusive favor of
the king, but spread their doctrines on all sides, car-
rying them into Arabia and India, and it is said, in
the year 636, even as far as China, "f

The evidences of this occupancy of China by the
Xestorian Christians is fully attested by the follow-
ing " Nestorian Inscription:"

" In 1665, Chinese workmen engaged in digging a
foundation for a house, outside the walls of the city
of Si Gnau-Fou, the capital of the province of Chen-si,
found buried in the earth a large monumental stone,
resembling those which the Chinese are in the habit,
of raising to preserve to posterity the remembrance
of remarkable events and illustrious men. It was a
dark-colored, marble tablet, ten feet high and five
broad, and bearing on one side an inscription in an-
cient Chinese, and also some other characters quite
unknown in China. The discovery excited much
attention among the Mandarins and the population
of the country. The stone was publicly exhibited,
and visited by crowds of curious persons: and amongst
others, some Jesuit missionaries, who were at that
time scattered about China in various missions, went
to examine it. Several exact tracings of the stone
were sent to Europe by the Jesuits, who saw it. The
library of their house at Rome had one of the first.

* Researches, Vol. 1. p. 285.
• Church History, Second Period, chap. 6.

SABBATH AND SUNDAY. 24o

and it attracted numerous visitors; subsequently an-
other authentic copy of the dimensions of the tablet
was sent to Paris, and deposited at the library of
Reu Richelieu, where it may still be seen in the
gallery of manuscripts. At the news of this curious
discovery, the government of Pekin sent to demand
a copy of the inscription, and the Emperor gave or-
ders that the original should be placed in a celebrat-
ed pogoda, about one fourth of a league from Si-
Gnau-Fou, where doubtless it may still be found."*
" This monument, discovered by chance, midst
rubbish, in the environs of an ancient capital of the
Chinese Empire, excited a great sensation; for on
examining the stone, and endeavoring to interpret
the inscriptions, it was with surprise discovered that
the Christian religion had had numerous apostles in
China at the beginning of the seventh century, and
that it had for a long time flourished there. The
strange characters proved to be those called eftran-
f/ellos, which were in use among the ancient inhab-
itants of Syria, and will be found in some Syriac
manuscripts of earlier date than the eighth century."

The inscription gives a very fair compendium of
Christian doctrines, from the Nestorian stand-point.
[t would occupy ten or fifteen pages of this book,
hence we give only certain portions, which bear on
the theme in hand:

4. " Our ministers allow their beards to grow, to
show that they are devoted to their neighbors. The
tonsure that ihey wear at the top of their heads in-
dicates that they have renounced worldly desires. In
giving liberty to slaves we become a link between
the powerful and the weak. We do not accumulate
riches, and we share with the poor that which we

* During our residence at Pekin, several Chinese friends
assured us that they had seen the inscription in the above
mentioned pagoda.

244 SABBATH AN I) Sl'XDAY.

possess. Fasting strengthens the intellectual pow
ers, abstinence and moderation preserve health. We
worship seven times a day, and by our prayers we
aid the living and the dead. On the seventh day we
offer sacrifice, after having purified our hearts and
received absolution for our sins. This religion, so
perfect and so excellent, is difficult to name, but it
enlightens the darkness by its brilliant precepts. It
is called the Luminous Religion ."

5. "Learning alone, without sanctity, has no
grandeur. Sanctity, without learning, makes no
progress. When learning and sancity proceed har-
moniously, the universe is adorned and resplendent. "

21. "This stone was raised in the second year of
the Kein-Tchoung, of the great dynasty of Thang
(A. D. 781), on the seventh day of* the moon of the
great increase. At this time the devout Ning-Chou.
lord of the doctrine, governed the luminous multi
tude in the Eastern country." *

The history of the finding of this monument may
also be found in, " China and the Chinese," by Hen-
ry Charles birr, an English Barrister, Vol. 2, chap
10, p, 187, seq. See also, "Ten Great Religion's.*"
by James Freeman Clarke, p. 71, seq.

THE GREAT CHINESE INSURRECTION AND THE
SABBATH.

An Epoch in modern Chinese history is of special
interest as connected with the Sabbath.

The Ti-Ping, i. e., Universal Peace, Revolution, in
China, was one of the most wonderful developments
of the power of the Bible over heathenism during

* Christianity in China, Taratary and Thibet, by M. L'Abbe
Hue. Vol 1, ehap. 2, p. 45, seq., London, 1857.

SABBATH AND SUNDAY. 245

this century of marvelous results in the work of
foreign missions.

In 1833, a young man, son of a peasant, received
a tract, composed of extracts from the Bible, from a
tract distributor, in the streets of Canton. He glanced
at it carelessly and laid it aside. Soon after, being-
sick, he saw in a vision a man who said to him, " 1
am the Creator of all things, go and do my work."
A few years later, when war broke out between Eng-
land and China, this young man, Hung-sen-tseuen,
deeming it a national disaster on account of the sins
of the people, re-read his Christian books, and wras
converted to Christianity thereby. From the Bible
he drew his system of theology as follows: God is our
Creator and supreme Father, Christ is our elder broth-
er and heavenly teacher, Idolatry ought to be abol-
ished, and virtue and righteousness ought to be prac
ticed according to the Decalogue and the teachings
of the New Testament. Hung-sen-tseuen sought
baptism at the hands of an American missionaiy in
Canton, but was refused, it is said, through false
charges. He then taught his followers to baptize
themselves. Many flocked to him, and the movt-
raent became a Chinese Puritan Reformation. The
Ti-Pings were called "God worshipers." At this
time there was universal unrest among Chinamen
against the ruling Tartar dynasty, and a party of in-
surgents tied to the Ti-Pings for protection, and be
came associated with them. Thus the movement
assumed a political character about 1850. It was
Cromwellian. The soldiers knelt in prayer on the

246 SABBATH AND SUNDAY.

eve of battle, and rose from their knees to fight
The cntiie Bible was printed and circulated among
the people. The Lord's Prayer and the ten com-
mandments were printed on cards and taught to the
children in every household. Opium, whisky, to-
bacco, prostitution and similar evils were prohibited.
Learning their religion from the Bible, they knew
nothing of the modern theories concerning the change
or abrogation of the Sabbath, and hence accepted it
as a part of Christianity. One of their religious pub-
lications was made up of the ten comma udments..
wiih remarks and a hymn, one stanza to each com-
mand. From that we extract as follows:

"THE FOURTH COMMAND."

" (Ja the sere nth day, the day of worship, you
should praise the great God for his goodness."

"Remark. In the beginning, the great God made
heaven and earth, land and sea, men and things, in
six days; and having finished his work on the sev-
enth day, he called it the day of rest (or Sabbath);
therefore all the men of the world who enjoy the
blessings of the great God, should, on every seventh
day especially, reverence and worship the great God
and praise him for his goodness."

The hymn says:

• ' All the happiness enjoyed in the world comes

from heaven;
It is also reasonable that men give thanks and sing;
At the daily morning and evening meal there should

"be thanksgiving:

SABBATH AND SUNDAY. 24?

But on the seventh day the worship should be more
intense."*

Rev. N. Wardner, D. D., who was a missionary in
Shanghai during the Ti-Ping movement, writes as
follows:

"But the question naturally arises: How came
they to adopt the seventh day of the week instead of
the first, as their Sabbath, since all their instruction
from Christians was by those who taught that the
first day is the Sabbath? This was a mystery to all
who learned of that fact. But when they took Nan-
King, and Europeans had opportunity to visit them,
they were told that it was first, because the Bible
taught it, and second, because their ancestors ob
served it as a day of worship.

In 1847, the writer formed the acquaintance of the
Rev. Dr. Gutzlaff , a German missionary, then locat-
ed at Hong-Kong, who informed him that he had re-
cently seen an essay written by a very scholarly
Chinaman, in which he proved conclusively, by ji
large array of quotations from ancient Chinese his-
tory, that they once kept the seventh day of the wTeek
as the Sabbath."

These facts unite to show that the Christianity
of the different branches of the Eastern church was
a Sabbath-keeping Christianity, until it became Ro-
manized. In this it was like that in the West pre-
vious to its Romanization. Whatever place Sunday
might have gained as a resurrection festival, and the
counterpart of the Wednesday and Friday fasts, it
never could have taken the place of the Sabbath, had

* History of the Ti— spelled both Tae and Ti— Ping Revo
lution, by Lin-Le ; Vol. 2, Appendix A., p. 824, London, 1866
Also. History Ti-Ping, etc., bv Commander Lindeay Brine.

R. N., p. 368, London, 1862.

248 SABBATH AND SUNDAY.

not Pagan philosophy ostracized the Sabbath in the-
ory, and pagan-born civil law gradually foisted the
Sunday into its place, urged on by an unwarrantable
anti- Jewish prejudice.

CHAPTER XX.

Sunday in the German Refor-
mation,

Reforms center around one representative idea.
Great reforms usually begin at the point where great
evils begin to die, by the law of reaction. Each
stage of the reformation must come in its own order.
Error grows tyrannical with age. It imposes bitter
experiences, before its victims rise up in determined
rebellion. The Lutheran movement began when the
burden of " Church authority," became intolerable.
Fainting humanity longed to come to God for rest
and salvation, without the false intervention of
church and priest and pope. The blasphemous
system of " Indulgences" was the lowest point pos-
sible, in the Papal apostasy. Here Luther made the
attact. Thus, salvation through faith, without the
intervention of the church, or the sanction of its
authority, became the central idea, in the first stage
of the reformatoiy movement. Mere protestation
in words had failed. New ground had to be as-
sumed, through courageous struggle. Under such
circumstances, all outside issues were forgotten, and
the battle raged around the question of man's right

250 SABBATH AXD SUNDAY.

to read God's Word, and to believe in Christ, with
out ecclesiastical intervention.

Aside from these general principles of reform,,
(here were special reasons why the Sabbath question
did not find a prominent place in the earlier stage of
the Reformation. The theory which had been held
so long, that the Sabbath was Jewish only, was ac-
cepted by the Continental Reformers with little
questioning. The flagrant evils which had come in
with the Romish doctrine of Church-appointed holy
days led to its rejection, and nothing was left but
the nc-Sabbath platform. Thus, prejudice against
Judaism and hatred for the Papacy set the Sabbath
quesiion aside. Keeping this fact in view, the read
er will not wonder at what follows. We aim to
give " Sunday authorities," rather than our own
conclusions; and so begin the testimony by a quota-
tion from Doctor Hessey. Speaking of Luther's
" Larger Catechism," he says:

" The comment which it offers on the fourth com
mandment begins by explaining the word Sabbath,
with reference to its Hebrew meaning, to be a " Feier
tag, dies feriandi sen vacandi a labore."

It then goes on to speak thus:

' ' This precept, so far as its outward and carnal
meaning is concerned, does not apply to us Chris-
tians. The Sabbath is an outward thing, like other
ordinances of the Old Testament which were bound
to certain modes and persons and times and places,
but are now all of them made free by Christ. But
still, in order that we may gather for simple people
some Christian meaning from this precept, under-
stand what God requires of us therein, in the follow-

SABBATH AND SUNDAY. 251

ing manner. We celebrate festivals, not for the sake
of intelligent and instructed Christians (for these
have no need of them), but first, even for the sake of
the body. Nature herself teacbes the lesson that the
working classes, servants and maids, are to be con-
sidered; they have spent the whole week in laborious
employment, and require a day on which thev may
take breath from their work and refresh themselves
and restore their exhausted frames by repose. The
second reason, and indeed the chief one, is this: that
on such day of rest (an, dem nolehem Ruhetage — die
tSabbali), leisure and time may be obtained for divine
worship (a duty for which, otherwise, no opportunity
could be found); so that we may come together to
hear and handle the Word of God, and further, that
we may glorify God wiih hymns and psalms, with
songs and prayers.

" It is, however, to be observed, that with us, this
is not so tied to certain times, in the way it was with
the Jews, as that this or that day in particular should
be ordered or enjoined for it, No day is better or
more excellent tban another. These duties ought to
be performed every day. But the majority of man-
kind are so cumbered with business that they could
not be present at such assemblies. Some one day,
therefore, at least, must be selected in each week for
attention to these matters. And seeing that those
who preceded us (mapores noxtri) chose the Lords-
day {>So/i)<t<tf/ — dies domtnica) for them, this harmless
ancl admitted custom must not be readily changed;
our objects in retaining it are, the securing of unan-
imity and consent of arrangement, and the avoidance
of the general confusion which would result from in-
dividual and unnecessary innovation."*

The following, from other sources, coincides fully
with that just quoted:

Sunday, Leoture 0. p. 167.

>.V2 SABBATH AND SUNDAY.

' As for the Sabbath or Sunday, there is no neces
sity for its observance; and if we do so, the reason
ought to be, not because Moses commanded it. but
because nature likewise teaches us to give ourselves,
from time to time, a day's rest, in order that man
and beast may recruit their strength, and that we
may go and hear the Word of God preached." *

Again Luther says:

• The gospel regardeth neither Sabbath nor holi-
days, because they endured but for «, time, and were
ordained for the sake of preaching, to the end that
God's Word might be tended and taught " f

And again:

" Keep the Sabbath holy, for its use both to body
and soul; but if anywhere the day is made holy for
the mere day's sake; if anywhere anyone sets up its
observance upon a Jewish foundation, then I order
you to work on it, to dance on it, to feast on it, to
ride on it, to do anything that shall remove this en-
croachment on the Christian spirit of liberty," X

And again:

' ' According to Luther the Mosaic law was imposed
on the Jews alone, and even upon them ceased to be
obligatory at the coming of Christ. The ten com-
mandments, says he: 'do not apply to us Gentiles
and Christians,' but only to the Jews. If a preacher
wishes to force you back to Moses, ask him whether
sou were brought by Moses out of Egypt. If he
says no, then say: How then do^s Moses concern me,
since he speaks to the people that have been brought
out of Egypt? In the New Testament Moses comes

* Michelefs Life of Luther. Hazlitt's Translation, p. 271,
TxDndon, 184G.

t Luther's Table Talk, Bell's Translation, chap. 31, p. 357,
1/ondon, 1652.

$ Quoted in Christian Sects in the Nineteenth Century, p.
•■5), London. 1840.

SABBATH AND SUNDAY. 258

to an end, and his laws lose their force. He must
bow in the presence of Christ. We must stop the
mouths of the factious spirits who say: Thus says
Moses. Then do you reply: Moses does not concern
us. If I accept Moses in one commandment, I must
accept the whole Moses. In that case I should be
obliged to be circumcised, and to wash my clothes in
a Jewish manner, and to eat and drink and dress,
and do everything of this kind, in the manner in
which the Jews are commanded to do them in the
law. Therefore we will not obey Moses, or accept
him. Moses died and his government terminated
when Christ came." *

Again Luther says:

" The words of the Scripture prove clearly to us,
that the ten commandments do not affect us; for
God has not brought us out of Egypt, but only the
Jews. We are willing to take Moses as a teacher,
but not as our law-giver, except when he agrees with
the New Testament and with the law of nature.". .
" No single point in Moses binds us." . . . "Leave
Moses and his people alone. I listen to the word which
concerns me. We have the gospel." f

The " Augsburg Confession," which was drawn
up by Melancthon, and is still recognized as the
standard of faith in the Lutheran church, is equally
plain in its unqualified no-Sabbathism. It speaks ae
follows:

"Concerning ecclesiastical rites and ceremonies,
we teach that those may be kept and performed
which can be attended to without sin, and which

* Luther on the Ten Commandments, quoted by Hengs
tenberg, On the Lord's-day, p. 62.

t Instructions to Christians. How to make use of Moses,
quoted bv Hen^stenber ;-, p. 61. This treatise may be found
in the Latin of Luther's Works 111, 68. Jena. 100.3. See Cox.
Sabbath Literature, Vol. 1. pp. 383, 384.

254 SABBATH VXD SUNDAY.

promote peace and good order in the church, such
as certain holy days, festivals, etc. Concerning mat-
ters of this kind, however, caution should be ob-
served, lest the consciences of men be burdened, as
though such observances were necessary to salva-
tion."!

The twenty-eighth article, treating of the power
of the church, takes up the question directly, and
says, speaking of the traditions of the Romish
Church:

" Likewise the authors of traditions act contrary
ro the command of God, when they place sin in meats,
days and "such like things; and burden the church
with the bondage of the law; as if there ought to be
among Christians, for the meriting of righteousness,
a worship of God like unto that of which we read in
Leviticus, the ordering whereof God committed, as
they say, to the apostles and bishops. And the pon-
tiffs appear to be deceived by the example of Moses's
law; hence those burdens, that certain meats defile
and polute the conscience, and that it is deadly sin
to do any manner of work on the holy days and on
Sunday, ox to leave unsaid the Horse Septa; that
fastings deserve remission of sins, and that they arc
necessary to the righteousness of the New Testament;
that sin, in a case reserved, cannot be forgiven with-
out the authority of the reserver, where, indeed, the
canons themselves speak only of the reservation of
the canonical penalt}^, and not of the reservation of
sin. From whence, and of whom, have the bishops
the power and authority to impose these traditions
upon the church, to wound consciences? For St.
Peter forbids the yoke to be laid upon the disciples'
necks.* And St. Paul to the Corinthians says, that

* Unaltered Augsburg Confession, Art, 15, New York,
1850.

* Acts 15.

SABBATH AND SUNDAY. 255

the power was given them to improve, and not to
destroy. Why then do they multiply sin by such
precepts? We have clear texts of Divine Writ, for-
bidding the institution of such precepts, thinking
thereby to merit grace, or as if the same were neces-
sary to salvation." ..." For it is necessary that
the doctrine of Christian liberty be kept still in the
churches, which is, that the bondage of the law is
not necessary to justification, as it is written,! ' Be
not again entangled in the yoke of bondage.'
The pre-eminence of the gospel must still
be retained, which declares that we obtain re-
mission of sins and justification freely by faith in
Christ, and not for certain observations or rites de-
vised by men.

" What shall we think, then, of the Lord's-day,
and church ordinances and ceremonies? To this our
learned men respond, that it is lawful for bishops or
pastors to make ordinances that things be done or-
derly in the church; not that we should purchase by
them remission of sins, or that we can satisfy for
sins, or that consciences are bound to judge them
necessary, or to think that they sin who, without
offending others, break them. So Paul ordains, that
in the congregation women should cover their heads,
and that interpreters and teachers be heard in order
in the church. It is conv* nient that the churches
should keep such ordinances for the sake of charity
and tranquility, that so one should not offend anoth
er, thai all tilings may be done in the churches in
order, and without tumult; but yet, so that the con-
science be not charged, as to think that they are
necessary to salvation, or to judge that they sin who,
without hurting others, break them; as that no one
should say that a Avoman sins who goeth abroad
bareheaded, offending none.

"Even such is the observation of the Lord's-day.

' Gal. 5: 1.

256 SABBATH AX l> SUNDAY.

of Easter, of Pentecost, and the like holy days and
rites. For they that judge that, by the authority of
the church, the observing of Sunday instead of the
Sabbath-day, was ordained as a thing necessary, do
greatly err. The Scripture permits and grants, that
the keeping of the Sabbath-day is now free; for it
teaches that the ceremonies of Moses's law, since
the revelation of the gospel, are not necessary. And
yet, because it was needful to ordain a certain day,
that the people might know when they ought to come
together, it appears that the church did appoint Sun-
day, which day, as it appears, pleased them rather
than the Sabbath-day, even for this cause, that men
might have an example of Christian liberty, and
might know that the keeping and observance of
either Saturday, or of any other day, is not neces
sary.

" There are wonderful disputations concerning
the changing of the law, the ceremonies of the new
law, the changing of the Sabbath-day, which all
have sprung from a false persuasion and belief of
men, who thought there must needs be in the church
an honoring of God, like the Levitical law, and that
Christ committed to the apostles and bishops au-
thority to invent and find out ceremonies necessary
to salvation. These errors crept into the church
when the righteousness of faith was not clearly
taught. Some dispute that the keeping of the Sun
day is not fully, but only in a certain manner, the
ordinance of God. They prescribe of holy days:
how far it is lawful to work. Such manner of dis
putatious, whatever else they do, are but snares of
conscience." *

Under such theories, but one practical result could
come; viz., the loss of all regard for any day as sa-
cred. The fruitage of these theories is fully seen in

the Sabbathless Germany of the present time.

* As above, p. 176.

CHAPTER XXI.

Sunday in the jSwiss Refor-
mation,

Zwingle was the John the Baptist of the Reforma-
tion in Switzerland. John Calvin came to his assist-
ance, and became the leading spirit in the work, in
Switzerland, and in France. Calvin's exacting nature
led him to demand greater uniformity in practice
than was sought in Germany. But bis theories eon
cerning Sunday were the same as those promulgated
by Luther, as will be seen below. Bra bourne, an
English author who wrote a century after Zwingle.
quotes him in the following words:

"The Sabbath, in so far forth as it is ceremonial, is
abolished; and, therefore, now we arenottiedor bound
to any certain times." *

Beylyn corroborates the above as follows:

" Zwinglius avoweth it to be lawful, on the Lord's
day, after the end of divine service, for any man to
follow and pursue his labors, as commonly we do,

saitb he, in time of harvest." f

Dr. Hessey quotes Zwingle as follows:

" Now hear, my Valentinus, how the Sabbath is

* On the Sabbath, p. 277, London, 1630.
1 Hist, of the sab.. Parts, ohap. 6, sec i).

17)

258 SAD BATH AND SUNDAY.

rendered ceremonial. If we would have the Lord's-
day so bound to time that it shall he wickedness, in
aliucl tempus tramferre — to transfer it to another time —
in which resting from our labors equally as in that
we may hear the Word of God, if necessity haply
shall so require, this day so solicitously observed,
would obtrude on us a ceremony. For we are in no
way bound to time, but time ought so to serve us,
that it is lawful, and permitted to each church, when
necessity urges, (as is usual to be done, especially in
harvest time), to transfer the solemnity and rest of
the Lord's-day or Sabbath to some other day; or on
the Lord's-day itself, after finishing of the holy things
to follow their labors, though not without great ne
cessity. Libel ad Valentin, GentU."*

Zwingle's notes on Col. 2 : 16, says:

" The spirit of the law is its very marrow — to love
*God supremely, and our neighbor also. To hear
God's word, to meditate on his bounties, to give
thanks for the same, and to assemble for public wor-
ship— all this belongs to the spirit of the law; which
likewise regards the love of our neighbor, in requir-
ing that our servants and workmen be permitted to
rest from their toil. For although we are not bound to
a certain time, we are bound to set forth the glory of
God, to hear his Word, to celebrate his praise, and
to exercise charity toward our neighbors." f

CAI/VTN.

John Calvin stands in history as the representative
man in the reformatory movement in Switzerland
and France. His views relative to the Sabbath ques-
tion are fully expressed in his writings, from which
we extract the following:

* Sundav, p. 352. Note, 387.
+ Work's, Vol. 4, p. 515.

SABBATH AM) SUNDAY. 259

" Sec. 28. The end of this precept is, that, being
dead to our own affections and works, we should
meditate on the kingdom of God, and be exercised
in that meditation in the observance of his institu-
tions."

" Sec. 32. Assemblies of the church are enjoined
in the divine word, and the necessity of them is suf-
ficiently known, even from the experience of life.
Unless there be stated days appointed for them, how
can they be held? According to the apostle, 'All
things are to be done decently, and in order, among
us. But, so far is it from being possible to preserve
order and decorum without this regulation, that if it
were abolished, the church would be in imminent
danger of immediate convulsion and ruin." . . . "But
why, it may be asked, do we not rather assemble on
t very day, that so all distinction of days may be re-
moved? / sincerely wish this were practiced, and
truly, spiritual wisdom would be well worthy of
some portion of time being daily allotted to it."

" Sec. 33. I am obliged to be rather more diffuse
on this point because, in the present age, some un-
quiet spirits have been raising noisy contentions re-
specting the Lord's-day. They complain that Chris
tians are tinctured with Judaism, because they re-
tain any observance of days. But I reply, that the
Lords-day is not observed by us upon the principles
of Judaism; because in this respect the difference
between us and the Jews is very great. For we cele-
brate it, not with scrupulous rigor, as a ceremony
which we conceive to be a figure of some spiritual
mystery, but only use it as a remedy necessary to the
preservation of order in the church."

" Sec. 34. However, the ancients have, not with-
out sufficient reason, substituted what we call the
Lord's-day in the room of the Sabbath. For since
the resurrection of the Lord is the end and consum-
mation of the true rest, which was adumbrated by
the ancient Sabbath, the same day which put an end

260 SABBATH AND SUNDAY.

to the shadows admonishes Christians not to adhere
to a shadowy ceremony. Yet I do not lay so much
stress on the septenary number that I would oblige
the church to an invariable adherence to it; nor will
I condemn those churches which have other solemn
days for their assemblies, provided they keep at ;i
distance from superstition. And this will be the
case if they be only designed for the observance of
discipline and well regulated order. Let us sum up
the whole in the following manner: As the truth
was delivered to the Jews under a figure, so it is giv-
en to us without any shadows; first, in order that,
during our whole life we should meditate on a per
petual rest from our works, that the Lord may operate
within us by his Spirit; secondly, that every man,
whenever he has leisure should diligently exercise
himself in private, in pious reflections on the works
of God, and also that we should at the
same time observe the legitimate order of
the church, appointed for the hearing of the word,
for the administration of the sacraments, and for
public praj-er. Thirdly, that we should not un-
kindly oppress those who are subject to us. Thus
vanish all the dreams of false prophets, who in past
ages have inflicted the church with a Jewish notion,
affirming that nothing but the ceremonial part of
this commandment, which, according to them, is the
appointment; of the seventh day has been abro
gated but that the moral part of it. that is,
the observance of one day in seven, still remains.
But this is only changing the day in contempt of tin-
Jews, while they retain the same opinion of the holi-
ness of a day, for, on this principle, the same mys-
terious signification would still be attributed to par-
ticular days, which formerly obtained among the
Jews. . . . But the principal thing to be remembered
is the general doctrine, that lest religion decay < ir
languish among us. sacred assemblies ought dili-
gentlv to be held, and that we ought to use those ex

SABBATH AND SUNDAY, 261

ternal means which arc adapted to support the wor-
ship of God."*

Calvin is quoted by Cox as follows:

'When certain days are represented as holy in
themselves, when one day is distinguished from an-
other on religious grounds, when holy days are
reckoned a part of divine worship, then days are im-
properly observed. The Jewish Sabbath, new moons
and other festivals were earnestly pressed by the
false apostles, because they had been appointed by
the law. When we, in the present age, make a dis-
tinction of days, we do not represent them as neces-
sary, and thus lay a snare for the conscience. Wre
do not reckon one day to be more holy than another:
we do not make days to be the same thing with re-
ligion and the worship of God, but merely attend to
the preservation of order and harmony. The observ-
ance of days among us is a free service and devoid
of all superstition."!

In Calvin's sermons on the Book of Deuteronomy.
sermon 34, we have the following:

■ Yea, and we have to mark also, that it is not
enough for us to think upon God and his works up-
on the Lord's-day ever}' man b}r himself, but that we
must meet together upon some certain day to make
open confession of our faith. Indeed, this ought to
be done every day, as I have said afore. But yet,
in respect of men's rawness, and by reason of their
sloth fulness, it is necessary to have one special day
dedicated wiiolby thereunto. It is true that we be
not bound to the seventh day, neither do we (indeed)
keep the same day that was appointed to the Jews,
for that was Saturday. But to the intent to show

* Institutes of the Christian Kelhdon, Vol. 1, Book 2, chap. 8
t Sab. Lit.. Vol. 1, p. 404. See also, Calvin's Com. on Gal
t ■ to, Pringle's Trans., Edinbnrg, 1854.

262 SABBATH AND SIX DAY.

the liberty of Christians, the day was changed be-
cause Jesus Christ in his resurrection did set us free
from the bondage of the law, and canceled the obli-
gation thereof. That was the cause why the day
was shifted. But yet we must observe the same
order of having some day in the week, be it one or
be it two, for that is left to the free choice of Chris-
tians." *

Again he says:

"But some one will say, We still keep up some
observance of days. I answer that we do not by any
means observe days as though there was any sacred -
ness in holy days, or as though it were not lawful to
labor upon them, but respect is paid to order and
government, not to days." f

Hopkins bears the following testimony:

" Calvin took low ground upon this subject, speak-
ing of the Sabbath as ' abrogated,' to be used by Chris-
tians only as a remedy necessary for the preservation
of order in the church, for hearing the Word, for
breaking the mystic bread, for public prayers, and
to let servants and laborers rest. The pernicious in-
fluence of his views still infects the Continental
church. " ... "It was the custom with the Protestant
churches on the Continent — thanks in part to Calvin
— for the people, after divine service, to refresh
themselves with bowling, walking abroad, and other
innocent recreations." \

But lest some one should charge us with not fully
representing Calvin, we add his comments upon those
specific portions of the New Testament, which are
claimed in support of the "Puritan" theory of a

* Cox Sab. Lit, Vol- 1, p. 408.
t Com. on <<>]. 2 U, Edinburg, isnr.
$ Hist, otthe Puritans, Vol. 3. p. 586, Boston. 1S5<».

SABBATH AND SUNDAY. 26o

" change of day," and of Sunday as sacred on New
Testament authority. In commenting on the time
of Christ's resurrection, and the harmony of the
evangelists on that point,* he says nothing of the
" change of day," or the commemorating of the day
because of the resurrection. In his comments on
John 20, he makes no claim that " after eight days, '
was the next Sunday. On Acts 2 : 1, in treating of
Pentecost, he makes no claim that it fell on the first
day of the week. On Acts 20 : 7, the meeting at
Troas, he speaks with definiteness, but in a way
which shows that he found in it no support for Sun
day observance. He says:

"Either he doth mean the first day of the week,-
which was next after the Sabbath, or else some cer-
tain Sabbath. Which latter thing may seem to me
more probable, for this cause, that the day was more
fit for an assembly, according to custom.

" For to what end is there mention of the Sabbath,
save only that he may note the opportunity and
choice of time? Also it is a likely matter that Paul
waited for the Sabbath, that the day before his de-
parture he might the more easily gather all the dis-
ciples into one place. Therefore, I think thus, that
they had appointed a solemn day for the celebrating
of the holy supper of the Lord among themselves,
which might be com/modus for them all." f

On 1 Cor. 16 : 2, Calvin is still more plainly com-
mitted against the idea that Sunday had any recogni-
tion in the New Testament. The following are his
words :

* Matt. 28, Mark Hi, and Luke 34.
' Commentaries, Latin Edition of 1667. Act- 30:

364 SABBATH AND SUNDAY.

• " On one of the Sabbaths. The end is this that they
might have their alms ready in time. He therefore
exhorts them not to wait until he came, as an)"thing
that is done suddenly, and in a bustle, is not well
done, but to contribute on the Sabbath what might
seem good, and according as every ones ability might
enable, — that is on the day on which they held their
sacred assemblies."

"For he has an eye, first of all, to convenience:
and farther, that the sacred assembly, in which the
communion of saints is celebrated, might be an ad-
ditional spur to them. ISToram I inclined to admit the
view taken by Chrysostom, that the term Sabbath is
employed here to mean the Lord's-day,* for the
probability is, that the apostles, at the beginning, re-
tained the day that was already in use, but that af-
terwards, constrained by the superstition of the Jews,
they set aside that day, and substituted another.
Xow the Lord's-day was made choice of chiefly be-
cause our Lord's resurrection put an end to the shad-
ows of the law. Hence the day itself puts us in
mind of our Christian liberty." +

The foregoing '"comments" show that the idea of
a sacred Sunday was no part of Calvin's personal
creed, however much the Puritan notions became
associated with the " Calvinistic " theology at a later
day. The Puritan Sunday traveled northward from
England, and not Southward from Scotland. Dr.
Hessey gives audience to the tradition that Calvin
carried out his ideas of liberty in his personal prac-
tices. He says:

•'At Geneva a tradition exists that when John
Knox visited Calvin on a Sunday, he found his aus-

*Rev, 1:10.
• Calvin's Commentaries. 1 Cor. 16.

SABBATH AND SUNDAY. 265

tere coadjutor bowling on a green. At this day, and
at that place, a Calvinist preacher, after his Sunday
sermons, will take his seat at the card table."*

Such were the views of the great lights in the
Continental Reformation, Luther and Calvin. The
lesser lights, their coadjutors, followed in the same
paths. Bullinger and Beza, upon whom Calvin's
mantle fell, were true to the teachings of their pred
ecessor. In his commentary upon Rev. 1: 10, Bul-
linger asserts that "Christian churches entertained
the Lord's-day, not upon any commandment from
God, but upon their free choice." In his sermons
he discusses the question at length. In that discus-
ion he says;

• Now. as there ought to be an appointed place,
so likewise there must be a prescribed time, for the
outwrard exercise of religion, and so consequently,
an holy rest. They of the primitive church, there
tore, did change the Sabbath-day, lest, peradventure
i hey should have seemed to have imitated the Jews
and still to have retained their order and ceremonies,
and made their assemblies and holy restings to be on
the first day of sabbaths, which John calleth Sun-
day (?) or the Lord's-day, because of the Lord's glo-
rious resurrection upon that day. And although we
do not, in any part of the Apostles' writings, find
any mention made that this Sunday was commanded
us to be kept holy; yet for because in this fourth
precept of the first table we are commanded to have
a care of religion and the exercising of outwTard god
liness, it would be against all godliness and Christian

* Bampton Lectures, p. 366, note 449. As authority for
this tradition, and the accompanying statement, Hessey
a^ves Disraeli— Charles tin- First. Vol. 2, p. 16; also Strype.s
Life of Bp. Aylmer c. si

266 SABBATH AND SUNDAY.

charity, if we should deny to sanctify the Sunday,
especially, since the outward worship of God cannot
consist without an appointed time and space of holv
rest.

" I suppose, also, that we ought to think the same
of those few feasts and holy days, which we keep
holy to Christ our Lord, in memory of his nativity,
or incarnation, of his circumcision, of his passion, of
the resurrection and ascension of Jesus Christ our
Lord into heaven, and of his sending of the Holy
Ghost upon his disciples. For Christian liberty is
not a licentious power and dissolving of godly, eccle-
siastical ordinances, which advance and set forward
the glory of God and love of our neighbor. But for
because the Lord will have holy days to be kept and
solemnized to himself alone, I do not therefore like
of the festival days that are held in honor of any
creatures. This glory and worship is due to God
alone. Paul saith, ' I would not that any man
should judge you in part of an holy day, or of the
sabbaths, which are a shadow of things to come. '
And again, ' Ye observe days and months and
years and times; I fear lest I have labored in you
in vain.' And therefore we at this day, that are in
the church of Christ, have nothing to do with the
Jewish observation; we have only to wish and en-
deavor to have the Christian observation and exer
cise of Christian religion to be freely kept and ob-
served." *

Beza speaks as follows:

" Concerning the fourth commandment, I suppose
it is agreed upon among Christians, that the same is
abrogated, so far as it was ceremonial, but not in
such a manner as that theLord's-day ought to be ob-
served according to the manner of the Jewish Sab-
bath, etc.; that Christians upon that day should ab

* Sermons Second Decade, pp. '259, 260, 26]

SABBATH AND SUNDAY. Wi

stain from their daily labors, except only such time
of the day as was appointed for public assemblies
This was neither commanded in the Apostles' days,
nor yet observed, until Christian Emperors enjoined
the same to the end that people might not be abstracted
from holy meditations. Neither in those days was
f he same precisely or strictly observed."*

Hejiyn speaks of Beza's views in these words:

" Beza his (Calvin's) scholar and Achates' sings the
self-same song, that howsoever the assemblies of the
Lord's-day were of apostolic and divine tradition,
yet so that there was no cessation from work required,
as was observed among the Jews. For that, saith
he, had not so much abolished Judaism, as put it oil
and changed it to another day. And he then adds
that this cessation was first brought in by Constan
tine and afterwards confirmed with more and more re-
straints,by the following Emperors, by means of which
it came to pass, that that which was at first done for a
good intent, viz., that men being free from their
worldly business, might wholly give themselves to
hearing of the Word of God, degenerated at last into
downright Judaism [In Apocal. 1; 10]." f

Heylyn goes on, speaking of others, as follows:

" So for the Lutheran churches, Chemnitz charges
the Romanists with superstition, because they taught
the people that the holy days, considered only in
themselves, had a native sanctity. And howsoever
for his part, he thinks it requisite thai men should
be restrained from all such works as may lie any
hindrance to the sanctifying of the day, yet he ac
counts it but a part of the Jewish leaven so scrupu
lously to prohibit such external act ions as are no bin
drances to God's public worship, and man's Sabbath

* Homily 30, on tin- Sonesof Solomon.
t History Sabbath, part 2d, chap. 6, sec. .r,

268 SABBATH AND SUNDAY.

duties. Bucer goes further yet, and doth not only
call it a superstition, but an apostasy from Christ, to
think that working on the Lord's-day, in itself con-
sidered, is a sinful thing. He adds that he ' did very
well approve of the Lord's-day meetings, if men
were once dispossessed of the opinions that the day
was necessary to he kept, that it was holier in itself
than the other days, and that to work upon that day
was in itself sinful.' Lastly, the churches of the
Switzers profess, in their confession— c. 24 — that, in
the keeping of the Lord's-day, they give not the least
hint to any Jewish superstitions, ' for neither,' as
they said, ' do we conceive one day to be more holy
tban another, or think that rest from labor, in itself
considered, is any way pleasing unto God.'" . . .
" Bucer resolves the point more clearly, and saith.

The Lord's-day, by the common consent of Chris-
tian people, was dedicated unto public rest, and the
assemblies of the church.' And Peter Martyr, up-
on a question being asked, why the old seventh day
was not kept in the Christian church, makes answer,

that upon that day, and on all the rest, we ought to
rest from our own works, the works of sin.' That this
was rather chosen than that, for God's public service,

that,' saith he, ' Christ left totally unto the liberty
of the church, to do therein what should seem most
expedient, and that the church did very well, in that
she did prefer the memory of the resurrect ion before
the memory of creation.' " . . . "Gaulter speaking
more generally (says) that ' the Christians first as-
sembled on the Sabbath-day, as being then most fa-
mous and so most in use. But when the churches
were augmented, the next day after the Sabbath was
designed to those holy uses."*

IN FRANCE.

The character of the reformatory movement in
* Hist. Sab., part 2, chap. 6, sec 7.

SABBATH AXD SUNDAY. 269

France was so nearly allied to that in Switzerland,
that little need be said concerning it. It met with
but slight success until after the reformed party had
become established in Switzerland, when Calvin,
who had been exiled from his native France, re
turned, and became, as he had been in Switzerland,
the master spirit of the French Reformation. The
first Protestant congregation was formed in Paris,
in 1555, and the first Synod held there in 1559. In
1571, the General Synod at La Rochelle adopted the
Galilean Confession and the Calvanistic system of
government and discipline. Thus the same view ob-
tained as in Switzerland; and the French church was
eharacterized by the same ideas of Christian liberty.

SUMMARY.

We are therefore ready to sum up the case regard-
ing the Reformation on the Continent. We cannot
do tliis better than by quoting from Doctor Hessey

"And so it was in reference to the Lord's day
With one blow, as it were, and with one consent,
the Continental Reformers rejected the legal or Jew
ish title which had been set upon it, the more than
Jewish ceremonies and restrictions by which, in the-
ory at least, it had been encumbered; the army of
holy days, of obligation by which it had been sur-
rounded. But they did more. They left no sanc-
tion for the day itself, which could commend itself
powerfully to men's consciences. They did not per
eeive that, through the Apostles, it was of the Lord's
founding. They swept away, together with the
upper works, which were not the Lord's, the nnd< vr
works, which were the lord's. And when they dis
covered that men, that human nature, in fad. could
not do without it, they adopted the day indeed, but

270 SABBATH AND SUNDAY.

with this reservation, expressed or implied, ' The
Lord's-day is to be placed in the category of ordinances,
which, being matters of indifference, any particular
or .National Church hath power to ordain, change,
or abolish; or. which was worse still, they made it
a purely civil institution, dependent, if not for its
origin, at least for its continuance, upon the secular
power."*

On page 172, Hessey concludes in these words:

• We are now, I think, in a condition to sum up
the views of the Continental Keformers of the six-
teenth century on the subject before us. Sabbatari-
ans, indeed, those eminent men were not. They are
utterly opposed to the literal application of the fourth
commandment to the circumstances of Christians.
They scarcely touch upon that commandment, ex
cept to show that the Sabbath has passed away." . . .
• They feel it necessary to defend their practice on
grounds, sometimes perhaps of apostolic example,
(with the proviso, however, that such example is to
lie taken only for what it is worth,) but generally,
of antiquity, of the church's will, of the church's
wisdom, of considerations of expediency, of regard
to the weaker brethren, and sometimes on lower
grounds still. And neither the day itself, nor the
interval at which it recurs, is of obligation. Our
Lord's resurrection is made a decent excuse for the
day, rather than the original reason, or one of the
original reasons for its institution. We miss also in
their writings that close connection of the Lord's-day
with the Lord's Supper, which was prominently
brought forward in early times." . . . "And it seems
to me more than probable that the want of a deeper
sanction for the observance of the Lord's-day than
their teachers supplied, led the members both of the
Protestant and of the Reformed communions into a

* Sunday Lect. 6, p. 165, et seq.

SABBATH AND SUNDAY. 271

practical disregard of it, closely resembling that of
the communion which they had indignantly dis-
claimed."

Heylyn sums up the case in a similar strain:

■ • Thus have we proved by the doctrine of the
Protestants, of what side soever, and those of great-
est credit in their several churches, eighteen by
name, and all the Lutherans in general of the same
opinion, that the Lord's-day is of no other institution
than the authority of the church." ..." Nay, by the
doctrine of the Helvetian churches, if I conceive
their meaning rightly, every particular church may
designate what day they please to religious meetings,
and every day may be a Lord's-day or a Sabbath." *

The fact is thus placed beyond question, that the
'• Continental" reformers taught unmodified no-Sab-
bathism, on the broad ground of Christian liberty.
The present flood of no-Sabbathism, which is pouring
into America from the Continent of Europe, is the
logical fruitage of the theories which were thus early
taught. The correctness of these theories must be
tested, iii part at least, by their present fruitage thus
seen. But according to the philosophy of history,
we may not condemn the continent of Europe for
its present no Sabbathism. It was a no-Sabbath tree
which the reformers planted there.

Robert Cox makes the same conclusions in a criti-
cism upon a passage from the papers of the ' ' Sab-
bath Alliance," in which he states that Luther, Cal-

;: Hist. Sab., Part 2, chap. 0, sec. 8.

272 SABBATH AND SUNDAY.

vin, Melancthon, Beza, Bucer, Zwiugle and others
taught "expressly or in effect that the Sabbath was
an exclusively Jewish institution, and was never meant
for this more advanced age." *

* Sabbath Laws and Sabbath Duties, p. 4*4

CHAPTER XXII.

Sunday in the English Re-
formation.

The reformatory movement was less radical, ;ii
first, in England than in Germany. Ii sought to
correct certain abuses, without any material change
in the doctrines of the church. The personal aliena-
tion between Henry VIII. and the Pope hastened
the rupture, and gave birth to the " English Church.5
But the fickleness of Henry, and his tendency i<>
favor the Papacy, during the later years of his life,
prevented the accomplishment of much legal reform
previous to the close of his reign, in 1540. A ma-
jority of the Regents who administered the affairs of
the government during the minority of Edward VI
favored the Reformation. This brought the support
of the civil power, so that, so far as it could he ex-
pressed by civil law, the Reformation was well ad
vanced at the close of Edward's reign. Speaking
on this point. Xeale says:

" They made as quick advances, perhaps, in re-
storing religion toward its primitive simplicity as
the circumstances of the time would admit: audit
is evident that they designed to go farther, and not
make this the last standard of the Reformation. In-
deed, Queen Elizabeth thought her brother had gone
too far. by stripping religion of too many ornaments

(18)

274 SABBATH AND SUNDAY.

and. therefore, when she came to the crown, she was
hardly persuaded to restore it to the condition in
which he left it. King James I., King Charles I.,
Archbishop Laud, and all their admirers, instead of
removing farther from the superstitious pomps of the
Church of Home, have been for returning back to
them, and have appealed to the settlement of Queen
Elizabeth as the purest standard."*

The editor of Neale's work, John A. Choules, M.
A , adds a note to the above, as follows:

It is evident to the careful student of history
that the Reformation in England produced its hap-
piest effects in the days of Edward; that the church
of England has never been so pure, as soon after it.s
transition from popery; and that its subsequent al-
terations have ever been in favor of Romanism."

With this glance at the general situation, the read-
er is prepared to examine the matter in hand more in
detail. We shall first note the opinions of represen-
tative men, and then the enactments concerning the
Sunday and its observance.

TYNDALE.

William Tyndale, the translator, stands at the
head of the list. He suffered martyrdom in 1533.
In his "Reply to Sir Thomas Moore," we find the
following:

" And as for the Sabbath, a great matter, we be
lords over the Sabbath, and may yet change it into
the Monday, or any other day. as we see need; or may
make every tenth day holy clay, only if we see a cause
why. We may make two every week, if it were ex-
pedient and one not enough to teach the people.
Neither was there any cause to change it from the

* History of the Puritans, Vol. 1, p. 55, New York, 1855.

SABBATH AND SUNDAY. &?5

Saturday, than to put a difference between us and
the Jews, and lest we should become servants to the
day after their superstition. Neither needed we any
holy day at all. if the people might be taught with
out it."*

JOHN KltVTH.

Tyndale's associate, John Fryth, speaks with still
greater plainness, in the following words:

'Our forefathers who were in the beginning of
the church, did abrogate the Sabbath, to the intent
that men might have an ensample of Christian liberty,
and that they might know that neither the keeping
■ >[* the Sabbath, nor of any other day is necessary
according to Paul: 'Ye observe days, times and
months.' ' I am afraid of you, that I have labored in
vain toward you. " Howbeit, because it was necessary
that a day should be reserved, in which the people
should come together to hear the Word of God, they
ordained, instead of the Sabbath, which was Satur-
day, the next day following, which is Sunday. And.
although they might have kept the Saturday with
the Jew, as a thing indifferent, yet they did much
better to overset the day, to be a perpetual mem-
ory that we are free, and not bound to any day, but
may do all lawful works to the pleasure of God and
the profit of our neighbor. We are in manner as
superstitious in the Sunday as they were in the Sat-
urday; yea, and we are much madder. For the
Tews have the Word of God for their Saturday, sith
it is the seventh day. and they were commanded to
keep the seventh day solemn. And we have not the
Word ol God for us, but rather against us; for we
keep not the seventh day as the Jews do, but the
first, which is not commanded by God's law. But
Paul biddeth thai no man judge us, as concerning

Works of the English Roformers, William Tyndale and
fohn Fryth, Vol. 2, p. tot, London. 1881.

276 SABBATH \NI.i SUNDAY,

holy days, meats, and such other exterior n rigs
yea. and in no ways will he that we observe them,
counting them more holy than other days. For they
were instituted that the people should eoine togethei
to hear God's Word, receive the sacraments, and give
God thanks; that done, they may return unto their
houses and do their business as well as any other
day. He that thinketh that a man sinneth which
worketb on the holy day, if he lie weak or ignorant,
ought better to instruct and so to leave his hold: bul
if he he obstinate and persevere in his sentence, he is
not of God but of the devil, for he maketh sin in
such as God leaveth free. According to this ensample,
I would that our ceremonies were altered: because
(as I have said) the people seek health in them, and
what villainy more can they do to Christ's blood."*

( IB ANMKK.

Thomas Cranmer (burned in 1555), in his Cate-
chism first published 154s. has the following:

"And here note, good children, that tin-. lew sin
the Old Testament were commanded to keep the Sab
bath-day, and they observed every seventh day,
called the Sabbath, or Saturday. But we Christian
men in the New Testament are not bound to such
commandments of Moses's ]aw concerning differences
of times, days and meats, but have liberty to use
other days for our Sabbath days therein to hear the
Word of God, and keep an holy rest. And therefore,
that this Christian liberty may lie kept and main-
tained we now keep no more the Sabbath on Satur-
day as the Jews do. but we observe the Sunday, mid
certain other days, as the magistrates do judge con-
venient, whom In this thing we ought to obey

* Declaration of Baptism, p. 96.

t Catechism, p. 40. Oxford, 1829; also Cox Sab. Lit nd
Hessev. Sunday Lectures.

S \ BBATH ANIi SUKDA1 2 1 7

in another work. Cranmer reiterates the same doc-
trine in these words:

• There be two parts of the Sabbath-day,— one is
id. outward bodily rest from all manner of labor
and work; this is mere ceremonial, and was taken
away with the other sacrifices and ceremonies by

Christ at the preaching of the gospel. The other
pari of the Sabbath-day is the inward rest, or ceasing
from sin, from our own wills and lusts, and to do
only (roll's will and commandments." . . . "This
spiritual Sabbath — that is to abstain from sin, and
lo do gdod — are all men bound to keen all the days
of their life, and not only on the Sabbath-day. And
this spiritual Sabbath may no man alter nor change,
no. not the whole church."

That tin' outer observance of the Sabbath is
mere ceremonial. St. Paul writeth plainly, as that
the holy days of the new moon, and of the Sabbath-
days are nothing but shadows of things to come.'"

Jerome also, to the (ialatians IV., according to
I he same, saith, ' Lest the congregation of the people
without good order, should diminish the faith in
Christ, therefore certain days were appointed, where-
in we should come together; not that that day is
holier than the others in which we come together,
but that whatsoever day we assemble in, there might
arise greater joy by the siirht of one of us to an-
other ' " *

• 'oncerning civil enactments Heylyn speaks asfol

- after quoting the opinions of Tyndale, Fryth
and others:

Now that which was affirmed by them in theu
particulars, was not long afterwards made good by
tin general body of this church and state, the king, the
lords spiritual and temporal, and all the commons

Confutation of Unwritten Verities, Miscellaneous Writ
i , - pp. 80, 61, Cambridge, 1846

2 ? 8 s A B B A TH AND SUNDAY.

met in Parliment, anno, fifth and sixth of King Eel
ward VI., where, to the honor of Almighty God, it
was thus enacted: ' Forasmuch as men be not at all
limes so mindful to laud and praise God, so ready I i
resort to hear God's Holy Word, and to come to the
holy communion as their bounded duty doth require.
therefore, to call nun to remembrance of their duty,
and to help their infirmity, it hath been wholesomely
provided that there should be some certain times and
days appointed, wherein the Christians should cease
from all kinds of labor, and apply themselves only
and wholly unto the aforesaid holy works, properly
pertaining to true religion, which works, as they
may well he called God's service, so the timesespeci
ally appointed for the same, are called holy days
Not for the matter of the nature either of the time or
day — for so all days and times are of like holiness —
but for the nature and condition of such holy works,
whereunto such times and days are sanctified and
hallowed; that is to say. separated from all profane
uses, and dedicated, not unto any saint or creature
hut, only unto God and his true worship. Neither is
it to be thought that there is any certain time, or
definite number of days prescribed in the holy Script
tires, hut the appointment both of the time and also
of the number of days, is left by the authority of
God's Word unto the liberty of Christ's church, to
he determined and assigned orderly in every country
by the discretion of the rulers and ministers thereof,
as they shall judge most expedient, to the true set
ting forth of God's glory, and the edification of their
people.'

"Nor is it to be thought that all of this preamble
was made in reference to the holy days or saint's
days only, whose being left to the authority of the
church was never questioned; but in relation 10 the
Lord's-day, also, as by the act itself doth fully ap-
pear; for so it followeth in the act.

" Beit therefore enacted, etc., that all the days here

SABBATH A.N J) ST X DAY. 279

after mentioned shall be kept, and commanded to be

kept holy days, and none other; that is to say, all Sun
days in the year, the feasts of the Circumcision of
our Lord Jesus Christ, of the Epiphany, of the
Purification, with all the rest now kept, and there
named particularly, and that none other day shall l>e
kept and commanded lobe kept holy day. and toab-
stain from lawful bodily labor."

" Nay. which is more, there is a further clause in the
self-same act, which plainly shows that they had no
such thought of the Lord's-day. as that it was a Sab
bath, or so to be observed, as the Sabbath was. and
therefore did provide it. and enact by the authority
aforesaid, 'that it shall be lawful to every husband
man. laborer, fisherman, and to all and every other
person and persons, of what estate, degree or con-
dition he or they be. upon the holy days afore
said, in harvest, or at any other time in the year,
when necessity shall so require, to labor, ride, fish.
or work any kind of work at their free will and
pleasure, any thing in this act to the contrary not-
withstanding.'

"This is the total of this act. which if examined
well, as it ought to be. will yield us all those propo
sitions or conclusions, before remembered, which we
collected from the writings of those three particular
martyrs. Nor is it to be said that it is repealed and
of no authority. Repealed, indeed, it was. in the
first year of Queen .Mary, and stood repealed in law.
though otherwise in practice, all the long reign of
Queen Elizabeth; but in the first yearof Kin- "James
was revived again. Note here that in the self-same
Parliament, the common prayer book, now in use,
being reviewed by many godly prelates, was con
firmed and authorized; wherein so much of the said
act as doth concern the names and numbers of the
holy days, is expressed, and. as it were, incorporated
into the' same. Which makes it manifest that in the

280 5ABB AT H A Sl> 81) N D A Y .

purpose of the church, the Sunday was do otherwise
esteemed of than any other holy day.' " *

Such testimony from one who was Sub-Dean <>t
Westminster, and chaplain to Charles I., and whose
History of the Sabbath was first published in 1631, is
very important. It shows plainly, and beyond ques
lion that the same no-Sabbathism which characterized
the Reformation on the Continent obtained in the
church of England

.Mary, who succeeded Edward, was an earnest and
persistenl papist. She checked the tide of reforma
lion and cursed the land with her brief but bitter
reign She was succeeded by Elizabeth in 15$8,
who at once set about restoring the desolations which
Mary had left along her bloody pathway. But the
w^rk was less radical, and moved more slowly than il
had moved under Edward. The " Act or Conformity "
finally drove the Puritan element out of the church.
This division prepared the way for the fuller devel-
opment of the Puritan movement, and left the Estab-
lished Church to sink into the stagnation which al
ways succeed- partial reform. The state of the
Sunday question is seen by the " Injunctions," pub
lished durinu the first year of Elizabeth:

All the Queen's faithful and loving subjects shall
henceforth celebrate and keep their holy day accord-
ing to Grjod's holy will and pleasure, that is. in hearing
the Word of God read and taught, in private ami
public prayers, in acknowledging their offenses unto
Cod and amendment of the same, in reconciling of
themselves charitably to their neighbors, where dis
pleasure hath been, in oft-times receiving the com
* Part 2, chap. 3, sec. 2

SABBATH A Nh SIWHA S 283

amnion of the body and blood of Christ, in visiting

the poor and sick, using ;ill soberness ;ind godly con
rersation. Yet, aotwithstanding, all Parsons, Vicars
and Curates shall teach and declaim to their parish
toners,' that they may with a safe and quiet con-
science, after their common prayer, in time of harvest
labor upon the holy and festival days, and save that
which God hath sent : and if for any seupulosity or
grudge <>f conscience, men should abstain from work-
ing on these days, that then they should grievously
offend God.

This makes it evident that Queen Elizabeth in her
own particular, took not the Lord's-day fora Sabbath
or to be of a different nature from the other holy
days. Nor was it taken so by the whole body of our
Church and Slate, in the first Parliament of her
reign, what time it was enacted: that all and even
person and persons, inhabiting within this realm and
any other of the Queen's dominions, shall diligently
and faithfully — having no lawful or reasonable ex-
cuse to be absent. — endeavor themselves to repair to
their parish church or chapel, acustomed, or, upon
reasonable let thereof, to some usual place where
common prayer shall be used in such time of let,
upon every Sunday, and other days ordained and
used lo be kept as holy days, and then and there to
abide orderly and soberly, during the time of com-
mon prayer, preaching, or other service of God, up-
on pain of punishment, etc.

This law is still in force, and stili like to be;
and by this law, the Sundays and holy days are
alike regarded. Nor by the law only, but by the pur-
pose and intent of the Holy Church, who in hei
public; liturgy is as full and large for every one of
the holy days, as for the Sunday, the liturgy onh
excepted. For otherwise, by the rule and prescript
thereof, the same religious offices are designed for
both, the same devout attendance required for both.
whatsoever else may make both equal. And

2S2 SABBATH AND SUNDAY.

therefore by this statute, and the common prayei
hook, we are bound to keep more Sabbath, than the
Lord's-day Sabbath, or else none at all." *
Doctor Hessey speaks of the reign of Elizabeth, as

follows :

"Practically, the observance of Sunday was in a
very unsatisfactory state throughout the reign oi
Elizabeth, A. D. 1558-1603. There seems to have
been great forgetfulness of its religious character
In one of the Queen's injunctions, Sunday is classed
with other holidays, and it is expressly said, that if
for any scrupulosity or grudge of conscience some
should superstitiously abstain from working on those
days, they shall grievously offend.' In fact, labor
was almost enjoined after common prayer. On the
same principle we find the Queen granting a license
to one John Seconton, to use certain plays and games
upon nine several Sundays. After a time, in A. D
1580, the London Magistracy obtained from her an
interdiction of this practice on Sunday, within the
liberties of the city. Elsewhere it was carried on .
and the pictures of the Sunday of the period which
have come down to us. though somewhat profusely
colored, indicate a low tone of feeling on the subject
of the holy day.'' f

During the latter years of the reign of Elizabeth
when, according to Mr. Hessey. "The desecration
of Sunday which prevailed seems to have been most
appalling, "t she refused to sanction a law for its
better observance, which had been carried through
Parliament by the Puritan influence. In this she
only carried out the doctrine of the church, and of the
reigning power whereby the Sunday was held as i

* Heylyn Hist. Sab., Part 2. chap- 8. sec 4
1 Sunday etc.. sec 7. p. 201
tlbiil., PP. 206, 203

SABBATH AND ST N DAT. 283

holiday only, and not as a Sabbath. Neale speaks
of these times, and this refusal on the pari of th«
Queen, in the following words :

" The Lord's-day was very much profaned by th<
encouragement of* plays and sports in the evening
and sometimes in the afternoon. The Rev. Mr
Smith, M. A., in his sermon before the University
of Cambridge, the first Sunday in Lent, maintained
the unlawfulness of these plays, for which he was
summoned before the Vice Chancellor, and upon ex
animation offered to prove that the Christian Sab
bath ought to be observed by abstinence from all
worldly business, and spent in works of piety and
charity ; though he did not apprehend we were
bound to the strictness of the Jewish precepts. Tin
Parliament had taken this matter into consideration
and passed a bill for the better and more reverent
observance of the Sabbath, which the Speaker rec
ommended to the Queen in an elegant speech. But
her Majesty refused to pass it, under pretence of not
allowing Parliament to meddle with matters of re
ligion, which was her prerogative. However, the
thing appeared so reasonable, that, without the
sanction of a law. the religious observation of tin
Sabbath grew in esteem with all sober persons, and
after a few years became the distinguishing mark oi
a Puritan."*

In another place Neale adds :

" While the bishops were thus harrassing honesl
and conscientious ministers for scrupling the ceremo
uies of the church, practical religion was at a vei\
low ebb. The fashionable vices of the times wen
profane swearing, drunkenness, reveling, gaming
and profanation of the Lord's-day ; yet there was u
discipline for these offenders, nor do I find any such
cited into tin; spiritual courts, or shut up in prisons

♦History of the Puritans, Vol. l,p 176

J84 S A BBATH A N D SUKDAY.

If men came to the parish churches and approved of
the habits and ceremonies, other offenses were over-
looked, and the court was easy. At Paris Gardens,
in Southwark, there were public sports on the Lord's-
day for the entertainment of great numbers of peo-
ple who resorted thither. But on the thirteenth of
January, being- Sunday, it happened that one of the
scaffolds, being crowded with people, fell down, by
which accidenl some were killed, and a great many
wounded. This was thought to be a judgment
from heaven ; for the Lord Mayor, in the account, he
gives of it to the treasurer, says, that it gives greai
•ccosion to acknowledge the hand of God for such
abuse of the Sabbath-day. and moveth me in con-
science to give order for redress of such contempt ot
God's service : adding, that for this purpose he had
treated with some justices of the peace in Surrey.
who expressed a very good zeal, but alleged want of
commission, which he referred to the consideration
of his lordship. But the court paid no regard to
such remonstrances, and the Queen had her ends in
encouraging the sports, pastimes and revelings of
tie- people on Sundays and holy days.""

Such were the doctrines of the Reformed English
I lunch, and such their fruits at the opening of the
seventeenth century. In 1608, James 1. of Scotland
• ame into possession of the scepter. A stricter ob-
servance of the Sunday had obtained to some extent
among those of the Puritan party who accepted the
doctrines concerning the Sabbath which had just
then been published by Nicholas Bound. These
efforts made by the Puritans caused no little com
plaint, which led to a declaration by the King, com
monly called the " Book of Sports," which was pub-

=-': Id., p. 154.

SABBATH ANIi SUNDAY .

lished in 1618. In this he declares thai for tin _
of his people it is his pleasure thai lawful recrea-
tions should be allowed, and therefore:

" After divine service, they should nol tx
turbed, hindered or discouraged from any lawful
recreations ; such as dancing, either men or women.
archery for men, leaping or vaulting or any other
<uch harmless recreation ; nor from having May
games, Whitsun-ales or Morrice-dances and setting
up of May-poles or oilier sports therewith used ; so
as the same be had in due and convenient time,
without impediment or hindrance of divine service
also, that women should have leave to carry rushes
to the church for the decorating of it. according t<<
their ancient custom ; withal prohibiting all games
unlawful to be used on the Sundays, only as bear
baiting, bull-baiting, enterludes and, at all times
prohibited among the meaner sorl of people, bowl-
ing.

•■ A declaration which occasioned much noise and
clamor; and many scandals spread abroad, as if
these counsels had been put into that prince's head
by some great prelates which were then of mosl
power about him. Bui od this point they might
have satisfied themselves that this was no court doc
trine, no new divinity which that learned prince had
been taught in England, lie had declared himself
before, when he was King of the Scots, only to the
self-same purpose, as may appear from his Basilicon
Down, published anno 1598."*

James I. was succeeded l»y his v,,],. Charles I
who took the throne in 1625, and married Marie
sister of Louis XI II. of France. She was an in-
triguing papist, and had ureal influence over her
husband. Neale says :

Heylyn's lli-t Sab., Pari v. chap. s. sec. 10

286 .SABBATH AM) SUNDAY.

The Queen was a very great bigot to her re
ligion ; her conscience was directed by her confessor,
assisted by the Pope's nuncio, and a secret cabal
i >f priests and Jesuits. These controlled the Queen,
and she the King, so that in effect the nation was
governed by popish counsels till the Long Parlia-
ment."*

Perhaps Mr. Xeale states the case too strongly ;
nevertheless, the leading tendency was toward Ro-
manism rather than Protestantism. William Laud,
Bishop of London, became Prime Minister three
years after the accession of Charles I. to the throne.
Mis character is aptly described by one of his contem
poraries. Bishop Hall, who says to him in a letter :

• I would I knew wrhere to find you ; to-day you
are with the Romanists, to-morrow with us ; our ad
versa ries think you ours; and we, theirs. Your con-
science rinds with both, and neither ; how long will
you bait in this indifference ?"

With such men at the head of affairs, it is not
wonderful that the tide beat hard against reform.
About 1633, since the Puritan element was gaining
among the people, efforts were made to surpress the
more riotous assemblies which were common upon
Sunday. Laud took affront at this so-called inva
sion of the domain of the church, and complained to
the King. The case was tried, the civil officers se-
verely reprimanded, and ordered to revoke their
enactments against the recreations. The results of
this action are stated by Mr. Xeale in the following-
words :

* Hist, Puritans, Vol. 1, p. 279.

SABBATH AND SUNDAY. 28?

To encourage these disorderly assemblies more
effectually, Archbishop Laud put the King upon re
publishing his father's declarations of the year 1618,
concerning lawful sports to be used on Sunday after
divine service, which was done accordingly, Oct.
18t,h, with this remarkable addition : After a recital
of the words of King James's declaration, his majesty
adds, ' Out of a like pious care for the service of
God. and for suppressing of those humors that
oppose truth, and for the ease, comfort and recrea-
tion of his majesty's well-deserving people, he doth
ratify his blessed father's declaration, the rather, be-
cause of late, in some of the counties of the kingdom,
his majesty finds that, under the pretense of taking
away an abuse, there hath been a general forbidding,
not only of ordinary meetings, but of the feasts of
the dedication of churches, commonly called wakes ;
it is therefore his will and pleasure, that these feasts,
with others, be observed, and that all neighborhood
and freedom, with manlike and lawful exercises, be
used, and the justices of the peace are commanded
not to molest any in their recreations, having first
done their duty to God, and continued in obedience
to his majesty's laws. Also, that publication of this
command be made, by order from the bishops,
through all the parish churches of their several dio
-I ses, respectively.' "*

The publication of the foregoing widened the
breach between the Puritans and the government.
Many clergymen were deposed for refusing to read
these declarations from their pulpits and much
trouble and persecution came upon all dissenters.
These agitations, and the ripening of other turbulent
elements, culminated in civil war in 1(542. The gov
ernmeni soon came into the hands of the Puritan

*Id. V.. I. I. p. 312.

2 8 8 S A BB A T 1 1 A N I » SVND A > .

party, and hence the civil history oi the Sunday
from 1646 to 1660 belongs to the next chapter. The
execution of the King in 1640. the establishment of
the Cromwellian Protectorate in 1658. the death of
Cromwell in 1658, the military interregnum, and the
restoration of Charles II. in 1660. are the prominenl
points in this turbulent period. The restoration of
Charles and the re-establishment of the church of
England were followed by a period of greal moral
and soeial debauchery. The King gave himself up
to a life of avowed lewdness, and great dissolu
prevailed among the baser sort of those who adhered
to the throne and to the State religion. In 1661, the
■ Savoy Conference" was called. This wasaneffort
to harmonize the Puritan party with the State-re-
ligion party. This it failed to do. Concerning tin
Sunday at thai time and since. Dr. Hessey speaks as
follows :

"The Savoy Conference, as we have said, refused
to make any alterations in our authorized documents
so far as Sunday was concerned. Since that time,
the church of England has not formally meddled
with the subject. Meanwhile, Sunday has gone
through considerable vicissitudes. What it was in
the licentious reign of Charles the II. may be sur-
mised from the mournful picture, given by Evelyn,
of the Sunday preceding the death of that king.
Puritanism had indeed died out in reference to the
Lord's-day; but I confess that the state of things
which succeeded was worse than Puritanism. In
the middle of the eighteenth century, there was a re
action. .Methodism rose up. This is not the place
to discuss either the justifiableness of that move-
ment, or the influence which it has had upon The

SABBATH AND SUNDAY, 289

church of England. Bui I may venture: to quote a

passage from Earl Stanhope which illustrates very
clearly its bearings upon the immediate subject.
'It is,' says he, 'certainly one of the ill effects of
Methodism thai it has tended to narrow the circle of
innocent enjoyments.' Then, after mentioning some
instances, he adds: ' Of one clergyman, Mr. Grim-
shaw, who joined the Methodists, and is much ex-
tolled by them, it is related by his panegyrist : ' He
endeavored to suppress the generally prevailing cus-
tom in country places during the summer, of walk-
ing in the fields on the Lord's-day, between the ser-
\ ices, or in the evening in companies. He not only
bore his testimony against it from the pulpit, but
reconnoitered the fields in person, to detect and im-
prove delinquent*. " ' How different was the saying
of good old Bishop Racket, 'Serve God and be
cheerful.' "*

The church of England has not spoken autborita
lively upon the Sabbath question since the above
extract from Hessey's work was written, and hence
ii is not needful to trace the question further. The
civil enactments, which are carefully noted in the
foregoing pages, constitute the real authority con-
cerning the Sunday and its observance in England.
The use of the len commandments in the liturgj of
the English church can not be interpreted as favor-
ing the idea of the Sabbath — Saturday— as may be
seen from the discussions ami interpretations at the
time they were first placed in the liturgy
which interpretations are sustained by modern
churchmen. I

• Sunday, Sect. 8, i> 218.
S< • I (M Sab. Lit., Vol. t. p. 189; Heylyn Hist. Sab . fan
2, Chap. s. Sec. ::. and Hessey, Sunday beet :>. p 149

(Jib

290 3ABBATH AND SUNDAY.

The " Book of Homilies," published in 1562, in
the homily on the "Place and Time of Prayer,"
presents the claim of analogy between the Sabbath
and the Sunday. This was done to conciliate the
Puritan element, which was then beginning to sepa-
rate from the church ; but the homily — which is not
authoritative — teaches nothing different from what
is shown in the foregoing extracts, concerning the
origin of Sunday observance, or the authority upon
which it is based.* Hence the case, as regards the
church of England, may be stated, briefly, thus :

The English church has always taught that the
civil and religious authorities, the state and the
church, have power to ordain and regulate the ob-
servance of Sunday. In her purest da}rs, the Sunday
is placed on a footing with the other church holi-
days. After the separation between the church and
the Puritan party, the enactments in favor of Sunday
were less strict, and the practical observance of it
was looser until the time of Cromwell. When the
church party was restored, after the civil war, there
was no improvement in theory, and none in practice,
except here and there where the Puritan element
affected the people in spite of the teachings and
laws of the ruling power. If there has been any
temporary or local effort for a more sabbatic observ-
ance of Sunday since the middle of the eighteenth
century, it has been made by " Dissenters," and not
by the church. The history of the English church

*See Cox Sab. Lit., Vol. 1, p. 412, and Morer, Dialogues on
the Lord's-day, p. 299.

SABBATH A N I > S [' N D A Y . 291

must, therefore, go in to form a par! of the history
of that ecclesiastical no-Sabbathism, which was de-
veloped with the papacy, and beyond which the
English church was uot carried by her efforts at
reformation. In further support of this thought, it
is befitting to close this chapter with the following,
from high authority :

•' The founders of the English Reformation, after
abolishing most of the festivals kept before that
time, had made little or no change as to the mode of
observance of those they retained. Sundays and
holy days stood much on the same footing as days
on which no work, except for good cause, was to
be performed ; the service of the church was to
lie attended, and any lawful amusement might
be indulged in." . . . "Those who opposed them
(the Puritans) on the high-church side, not only de-
rided the extravagance of the Sabbatarians, as the
others were called, but pretended that the command
orient, having been confined to the Hebrews, the
modern observance of the first day of the week, as a
season of rest and devotion, was an ecclesiastical in-
stitution, and in no degree more venerable than that
of the other festivals, or the seasons of Lent, which
the Puritans stubbornly despised."*

Certain writers, notably Mr. GUfiUan, have labored
to set aside the facts relative to the no-Sabbathism
of the English church and of the Reformers in gen-
eral. In the matter of civil enactments Mr. Giliillan
makes reference to a summary of Sunday legisla-
tion in England, prepared by Rev. John Bay lee, in
which a few enactments favorable to Sunday are
mentioned as follows :

* Hallam's Constitutional History of England. Works
Vol. 4, p. 227, N. Y.. 1S47.

292 SABBATH AND SUNDAY.

"The late clerical secretary of the Society for
Promoting the due Observance of the Lord's-Day
has thus summed up the Sabhath Laws enacted in

England from the year 1604: ' In the reign of James
I. , trading in boots and shoes on the Lord's-day is
prohibited by law. And by an act passed in the
tirst year of the reign of Charles I., it was found
necessary to restrain by a hoc assemblages of persons
fyom various parishes on the Lord's-day. And in the
second year of the same king traveling of carriages
is prohibited. We can easily conceive how incon-
sistent with such legislation must have appeared i<>
his subjects the re-issuing, on the part of the king, of
the Book of Sports of his father, which virtually
encouraged what the act of the first year of his reign
pronounced unlawful. The act of the 29th Ch. II.
C. 7, is a very important one. still in force, and
needing only some amendments, chiefly as regards
an increase in the amount of the penalties, to render
it efficient. It prohibits th< following of ordinary
callings, and enjoins upon all, publicly and privately
to exercise themselves in the duties of piety and true
religion. The Act 21, Geo. III. C. 40, has proved a
highly beneficial law, in preventing places of amuse-
ment being opened for payment of 'money on the Lords-
day. The Act, though stringent and efficient for its
purposes, is evaded with impunity in London, per-
sons being admitted to public gardens by means of
refreshment tickets purchased on the ordinary days
of the week. In the reign of George IV., and sub-
sequently at different times, Acts were passed regu-
lating inns, taverns, etc. on the Lords-day. It is to
he hoped the day is not far distant when the law
will require them to be closed wholly on the Lord's-
day, with such exceptions as charity may require: for
it is now an established fact, that crime increases in
the same degree in which public-houses are allowed
to be open on the Lord's-day. The Act 3 and 4, of
William IV.. is deserving of special notice. It en-

SABBATH AND SUNDAY. 293

ables the election of officers of corporations, formerly
required (>> be held >>n the Lord's-day, U> be held on
Saturday or Monday, it is the Act of the late Sir
Andrew Agnew, and was passed in 1833. The bill
was drawn up by Mr. George Rockfort Clarke ; the
preamble of ii is important, for it asserts it to be the
duty of the Legislature to remove a* much as possible
impediments to th< dm observance of the Lord's-day.
Imperfect as our legislation is on the subject of the
Lord's-day, yet it has proved a mighty barrier to
keep out the tide of profanation of the day with
which the love of gain and of pleasure, more than of
God, would otherwise have inundated us. It has
also proved highly protective to society in general,
in securing to a population, the most active, indus-
trious and hard-worked in Europe, the privilege of
one day in seven for religious instruction and rest.' "*

The foregoing is the best possible showing that
can be made concerning the existing Sunday
law- in England. That such enactments are and
have been practically in-operative and void is seen
in the facts concerning the present and past prac-
tices of the people. On this point we shall speak
further when we make a general summary of the
proent state of the Sunday question in the Christian
Church, in which we shall he obliged to array Mr.
Gilfillan against himself. Mr. Gilfiillan also makes a
great effort to prove that the Reformers, Continental
and English, were not no-Sabbathists, by refer-
ing to oi- quoting their sayings concerning the divine.
origin of the Sabbath — Saturday — and the perpetuity
of the Ten Commandments. His apparent success
in supporting such inferences comes only, if al all,

Sabbath, i>- 186, Beq. N. V- edition

294 SABBATH AND SUNDAY.

from not acknowledging that when they thus speak
it is only of the general spirit of the law. and not of its
letter. The most that can in any instance be made
to appear is a tendency in some cases to adopt a sort
of theory of "Analogy " between the Old Testament
and the New? after the manner of the Romish
writers of the Middle Ages. The very full state-
ments quoted in this chapter from unquestioned
authority, must be shown to be false before the Con-
tinental and the English Reformers can be taken
from the list of no-Sabbathists.

CHAPTER XXIII.

Puritanism and the Sunday in

f

NGLAND

The more radical and devoted ones, wbo led in the
work of reformation under Edward VI., were so re-
strained by the conservative influences during the
reign of Elizabeth, that they grew restive and evinced
a strong tendency to separate from the Established
( 'hurch. The restrictions which were imposed by the
'Acts of Conformity" increased these tendencies,
until they culminated in open separation about the
middle of the sixteenth century. At first the Puri-
tans plead for a better observance of the Sunday as a
a part of the general work of civil and religious re-
form. As they continued to seek for higher life and
greater purity, the Sabbath question grew in import-
ance. This was not fortuitous. Men never come
into closer relations with God without feeling the
sacredness of the claims which his law imposes; and
no part of that law stands out more prominently
than the fourth commandment, when the heart se< ka
to bring highest honors to him who is at once Father
and Redeemer. As these men threw off the shackles
of church authority, and stood lace to face with
God, recognizing him as their only law -giver, they

296 SABBATH AND SUNDAY.

were driven toward higher ground concerning the
Sabbath question.

Since the Puritans had no control in civil affairs
until the time of the revolution under Cromwell.
their doctrinal teachings are the only source of in-
formation previous to that period. The key note of
the Puritan theory concerning the Sabbath and Sun-
day was struck by Nicholas Bownde (or Bound), in
a hook entitled. " The Doctrine of the Sabbath, phi inly
laid forth and I soundly proven." This was first pub-
lished in l*)9o. The reader will readily discover the
strength or weakness, the consistency or inconsist-
ency of the theory, from the following copious ex-
tracts which are made from a copy of the first edi-
tion. After a preliminary discussion. Mr. Bownde
opens the case in these words ;

First of all, therefore, it appeareth in the story
of Genesis, that it was from the beginning, and that
the seventh day was sanctified at tin first, ax soon as ft
was math , insomuch that Adam and his posterity, if
they had continued in their first righteous estate.
should have kept that day holy above the rest, see-
ing the Lord sanctified it for their sakes; and though
it he so indeed that they should have been occupied
in some honest calling and work upon the six days
(according as it is said to Adam, that the Lord put
the man into the garden of Eden, that he might dress
it and keep it), yet notwithstanding, upon the sev-
enth day they should have ceased from all worldly
labor, and given themselves to the meditation of
God's glorious works, and have been occupied in
some more immediate parts of his service, according
to the former commandment. And that we might
understand indeed, that the law of sanctifying the
Sabbath is so ancient, the prophet Moses, in Genesis,

SABBATH ANT> SUNDAY. 39s)

•loth of purpose use the same words which the Lord
God himself doth in pronouncing- it (as is set down
in Exodus), namely, that he blessed the seventh day
and sanctified it, and that in it God rested from all
his work which he had made : to teach us assuredly
that this commandment of the Sabbath was no more
then first given when it was pronounced from heaven
by the Lord than any other of the moral precepts ;
nay. that it hath as much antiquity as the seventh
day hath being ; for so soon as the day was, so soon
was it sanctified, that we might kuow, that as it
came in with the first man, so it must not go out
hut with the last man, and as it was in the beginning
of the world, 80 it must continue to the ending of
the same, and as the first seventh day was sanctified
so must the last be, and as God bestowed this bless-
ing upon it in the most perfect estate of man, so
must it he reserved with it till he be restored to his
perfection again. " *

Mr. Bownde next proceeds to argue that a know-
ledge of the Sabbath existed from Adam to Moses,
basing flu- claim largely upon the fact of the recog-
nition of the Sabbath as an established institution,
before the giving of the law at Sinai, as shown in
he sixteenth of Exodus. The argument under this
head is very well sustained. The Xew Testament
argument he presents as follows.

• And thai this Sabbath-day, which hath that
commendation of antiquity and consent which we
have heard, ought to stand still in its proper force.
and that it appertaineth to us Christians now, most
evidently appeareth by the authority and credit
which it receiveth from the gospel and Xew Testa
ment also, in which it is so highly commended unto
us (that 1 might not in this place speak of the other

The Doctrine, etc., \>. 5, seq.

&98 SABBATH AND SUNDAY.

manifold testimonies that it hath in the Old). And
by name we may see bow ovir Savior Christ, and all
his apostles established it by their practice ; for they,
upon the Sabbath, ordinarily enter into the syna-
gogues and preach unto the people, doing such
things upon these days as appertain to sanctifying of
them according to the commandment."*

Mr. Bownde next goes on to show that Christ and
i lie apostles did not observe the Sabbath ceremonially.
since they observed it guided by the Holy Spirit
long after the ceremonies were abolished. He quotes
several passages from the book of Acts, and adds to
these the argument founded upon the wants of our
race, showing that perpetual, universal wants demand
a perpetual, universal Sabbath. He also argues that
if Adam needed the Sabbath before the Fall, the
world lost in sin needed it much more. This done.
Mr. Bownde answers certain common-place objec-
tions to the perpetuity of the Sabbath, and proceeds
to make a most slipshod and illogical effort at argu-
ment in support of a " change" from the Sabbath t<>
the Sunday. His words are as follows :

" Xow. as we have hitherto seen, that there ought
lo be a Sabbath-day. so it remaineth that we should
hear upon what day this Sabbath should be kept,
and which is that very day that is sanctified for that
purpose. For I do know that it is not agreed upon
among them that do truly hold that there ought to
be a Sabbath, which is that very day on which the
Sabbath should always be. Herein the Lord hath
been merciful unto his church, and succored the in-
firmities of man in this behalf, and decided the end-
less contention that might have been about this

*Jd.. p. 9.

SABBATH AND SUNDAY. X399

mutter, in that he hath told as that it is the sec* nth
day which he hath sanctified for that purpose. For
it is in express words said, in Genesis, that God
blessed the seventh day and sanctified it. And in
Exodus, The seventh day is the Sabbath of the
Lord thy God ;' and afterwards the same words be
repeated by Moses in Deuteronomy. Wherefore it
must needs be upon that day, and upon none other: for
the Lord himself sanctified that day, and appointed
it for that purpose, and none but it ; and therefore
it is truly said, by that great saint, Augustine, ' This
is found of the Sabbath alone, — God sanctified the
seventh day,' insomuch, that a man being in eon
science persuaded that he should keep holy unto the
Lord some one day or other, should ignorantly choose
out some other day, neglecting the seventh, to sanc-
tify it by resting from his labors, and wholly apply-
ing himself to God's service, he could not look for
that blessing from God, which, no doubt, the church
of God doth find at his hand, upon that day. by virt-
ue of his special promise ; for he blessed that day
and sanctified it. And as Peter Martyr alledgeth it
out of Rabbi Agnon, ' This blessing doth light upon
those who observe and sanctify the same Sabbath
which God appointed : and we do not read that he
bestowed that blessing upon any other day which we
know he did upon the seventh. So that the sub
stance of this law is natural, as .Master Junius saith.
and to be observed of all men alike, namely, that
every seventh day should be holy unto God. And
so it is true not only that of every seven days, afi
Peter Martyr saith, 'one must be reserved unto
God," and, a little after, 'it is perpetual that one day
in the week should be reserved tor the service of
God.' but that this must be upon the seventh. In
setting down which, I do not so tar forget myself,
but that I remember that some, whom with all
humility I do reverence in the Lord, and give thanks
onto him for their labors, that (I say) are otherwise

300 SABBATH AND SUNDAY.

minded, and do not think the church is necessarily
tied to the number of seven in observing the day.
Yet I do not see (be it far from me that I should ob-
stinately contend with any) where the Lord hath
given any authority to his church, ordinarily and
perpetually, to sanctify any day except that which
he hath sanctified himself. For I hold this, with
other learned men, as a principle of divinity, that it
belongeth only to God to sanctify the day as it
helongeth to him to sanctify any other thing to
his own worship/' . . . "Therefore we must needs
acknowledge it to be the singular wisdom and mercy
of God towards his church, thus by sanctifying the
s.-venth day, to end the strife. For, as we see in
God's service, when men go away from his Word,
there is no end of devising that which he alloweth
not; and they fall upon everything, saving upon
rhat they should; so in appointing the day if we be
not ruled by the Word, we shall find by experience
that every day will seem more convenient to us than
that, at leastwise we shall seem to have as good rea-
son to keep any other as the seventh."*

Continuing the subject he presses the point that
God sanctified the da}- because in it he had rested,
and that the Jews were not at liberty to change even
• the number of that day," and that they only prop-
erly worshiped God and proved their love for him
when they kept holy his day. Again he draws his
conclusion in these words :

Thus we learn that God did not only bless it,
for this cause (his resting), and so we see that the
Sabbath must needs still be upon the seventh day, as
it always hath been."

After thus surveying the field, it is difficult to
* Id., p. 30, et seq.

SABBATH AND SUNDAY. 301

understand how Mr. Bownde could be so blinded to
the legitimate deductions from his own arguments.
its to talk of a change of day. But so strong were
his prejudices against what he calls Judaism that he
clings to the Sunday, supporting his claim with the
following broken reed :

" But now concerning this very special seventh day
which we now keep in the time of the gospel, that is
well known, that it is not the same it was from the
beginning, which God himself did sanctify, and
whereof he speaketh in this commandment, for it
was the day going before ours, which in Latin re-
taineth its ancient name, and is called the Sabbath,
which we also grant, but so that we confess it must
always remain, never to be changed any more, and
that all men must keep holy this seventh day. which
was unto them not the seventh, hut the first day of
week, as it is so called many times in the New Testa
Blent, and so it still standeth in force, that we are
bound unto the seventh day. though not unto that
very seventh. Concerning the time, and persons by
whom, and when the day was changed, it appeareth
in the New Testament, that it was done in the time
of the apostles, and by the apostles themselves, and
that together with the day, the name was changed,
and was in the beginning called the first day of the
week, afterward's The Lord'8-day."

Mr. Bownde quotes only two passages of Scripture

in support of the above claim. Acts 20: 7, and '2 Cor.
16 : 0. In direct opposition to his previous proposi
tion. that the Word of God alone is authority, he
devotes several pages to quotations and remarks con-
cerning the " Doctors and Fathers' in the church,
si eking in show that the early Christians changed
the observance from the Sabbath i<> the Sundav

302 SABBATH AND SUNDAY.

These quotations are made from those who gave
most prominence to the resurrection theory as a rea-
son for the change, and so, by a sort of implication,
a degree of divine authority is hinted at The greater
part of the book is occupied in discussing the maniu r
of observing the Sunday, as regards rest from labor,
and forms of public worship. Great strictness in
the one and extreme simplicity in the other are
everywhere inculcated. The appearance or this book
caused no little commotion. It was at once adopted
by the Puritan party. By the church party it was
strongly opposed, as an encroachment upon Chris
tian liberty, and as putting an undeserved luster and
importance upon Sunday over the other festivals.
Rogers, author of the Commentary upon the Thirty
nine Articles, in his preface, boasts that it had been,
and would be until his dying day, "the comfort of
his soul," that he had been instrumental in bringing
this Sabbatarian heresy to light. Archbishop Whit-
gift and Lord-Chief-Justice Popham called in this
work and forbade its reprinting. It was much read
privately, however, and after the death of Whitgift,
reprinted with additions in 1606.

Such were the theories of the Puritans concerning
the Sunday. It now remains to trace its history in
civil legislation, and in practical life. The visible
separation between these radical reformers and the
Established Church began about 1560,' when they
were derisively called Puritans. During the re-
mainder of the reign of Elizabeth and the reign of
her successor, James I., they had but little direct

SABBATH AND SUNDAY. 303

political influence. But as all reforms find their first
welcome among the common people, Puritanic ideas
and practices gained steadily among the masses.
The spirit of liberty was demanding release from
the civil and ecclesiastical usurpations and oppres-
sions which marked the beginning of the reign of
Charles I. His Queen was an open friend of the
Papists, while he claimed to be the supporter of the
orthodox church, as founded by Elizabeth. Laud
and his co-workers were the King's advisers, and
were at the head of the church party. Against these
were arrayed the whole Puritan party, and man}
others who could not fellowship the papistic ten-
dency of the Court. In the Parliament, this in-
cluded the body of the " House of Commons," and
a party in the " House of Lords " But the " Bench
of Bishops," who were ex officio members of the
House of Lords, for a long time thwarted all efforts
fnr change or reform.

About 1040 the open struggle commenced by the
passage of a reformatory bill in the House of Com-
mons, one provision of which was for a stricter ob-
servance of Sunday. It was defeated in the House of
Lords; but the discussion and agitation did much to
arouse the people, and to disturb the security of the
throne and the church party. This would probably
have ended for the time in discussion except that,
upon the heel of the failure of the bill, there came
the insurrection of the Papists, and the massacre of
the Protestants in Ireland, on the 23d of October,
1642. Strong suspicions were entertained that the

304 SABBATH AND SUNDAY.

Court, especially the Queen, was a party to the plot,
and fears were aroused that a similar fate awaited
the English non-conformists. The failure of the
efforts of Parliament, and of the Irish Protestants,
to obtain relief for the sufferers, and punishment for
the offenders, at the hands of the Court, only
widened the breach between the two parties in the
government, and showed the complicity of the Court
with the barbarous butchery of the Irish. This led
to a rapid separation. The Bishops were soon
driven from the House of Lords. The King tied to
York, followed by his party. The Parliament hav-
ing tried in vain to obtain his co-operation to avert
the dangers to the kingdom, took the power into its
own hands. The Queen tied to Holland, from
whence, with her son-in-law, the Duke of Orange.
she forwarded supplies to the King. Each party pos-
sessed itself of as much territory and military strength
as possible, and the King, marching against London.
was met at "Edgehill, nearKeinton.in Warwickshire'*
by the Parliament forces under the Earl of Essex,
and the first battle took place on the 23d of October,
1043, just one year from the breaking out of the
Irish insurrection.

Two causes now set to workto bring about a more
religious observance of Sunday :

(a.) The Parliament was bound, by the turn mat-
ters had taken, to press the reforms for which ir had
been contending, among^which was the stricter ob-
servance of Sunday.

(b.) The calamity of civil war with all its horrors

SABBATH AND SUNDAY. 306

was upon the nation, and like all great calamities, it
tended to make the people more religious. Of the
influence of the war, in its early stages, on the re-
ligious habits of the people, Nenle speaks ;is follows :

" Though the discipline of the church was at an
end, there" was nevertheless an uncommon spirit of
devotion among the people in the Parliament quar-
ters. The Lord's-day was observed with remarkable
strictness, the churches being crowded with numer-
ous and attentive, hearers three or four times a day.
The officers of the peace patrolled the streets and
shut up all public houses. There was no traveling
on the road or walking in the fields, except in cases
of absolute necessity. Religious exercises were set
up in private families, as reading the Scriptures.
family prayer, repeating sermons and singing of
Psalms, which was so universal that you might
walk through the city of London on the evening of
the Lord's-day without seeing an idle person or
hearing anything but the voice of prayer and praise
from churches and private houses.

" As is usual in times of public calamity, so at tin-
breaking out of the civil war. all public diversions
and recreations were laid aside. B}r an ordi-
nance of September 2d, 1642, it was declared that,
■ whereas public sports do not agree with public
calamities, nor public stage-plays with the seasons of
humiliation, this being an exercise of sad and pious
solemnity, the other being spectacles of pleasure
too commonly expressing lascivious mirth and levity,
it is therefore ordained that, while these sad causes
and set times of humiliation continue, public stage-
plays shall cease, and be forborne: instead of which
are recommended to the people of this land the
profitable duties of repentance and making their
peace with God."'*

* Historj Puritans, Vol. 1, p. 484.
(20)

306 SABBATH AND SUNDAY.

The Parliament party was not at once successful.
The advantage seemed to be with the Royalists for
some time after the opening of the war. Concern-
ing this, and its effect on the observance of the Sun-
day, Neale says :

•The Parliament's affairs being low, and their
counsels divided, they not only applied to heaven by
extraordinary fastings and prayers, but went on
vigorously with their iatended reformation. They
began with the Sabbath, and on March 22d, 1642-3,
sent to the Lord Mayor of the city of London, to de-
sire him to put in execution the statutes for the due
observance of the Lord's-day. His lordship, accord-
ingly, issued his precept the very next day to the
aldermen, requiring them to give strict charge to
the church wardens and constables within their sev-
eral wards, that from henceforth they do not permit
or suffer any person or persons, in time of divine ser-
vice, or at any time on the Lord's-day, to be tippling
in any tavern, inn, tobacco shop, ale house or other
victualing house whatsoever; nor suffer any fruiters,
or herb- women to stand with fruit, herbs or other
victuals or wares in any streets, lanes oraUVvs, or any
other ways to put things for sale at auy time of that
day, or in the evening of it ; or any milk woman to
cry milk ; nor to suffer any persons to unlade any
vessels of fruit or other goods, and carry them on
shore; or to use any unlawful exercises or pastimes ;
and to give express charge to all inn keepers, taverns,
cook shops, ale houses, etc. , within their wards, not
to entertain any guests to tipple, eat, drink or take
tobacco in their houses on the Lord's-day, except,
inn-keepers, who may receive their ordinary guests,
or travelers who come for the dispatch of their
necessary business ; and if any persons offend in the
premises, they are to be brought before the Lord
Mayor or one of his Majesty's justices of the peace

SABBATH AND SUNDAY. 30?

to be punished as the law directs. This order had a
very considerable influence upon the city, which be-
gan to wear a different face of religion to what
it had formerly done. May 5th the book tolerating
sports upon the Lord's-day was ordered to be burned
by the common hangman in Cheapside and other
usual places; and all persons having any copies in
their hands were required to deliver them to one of
the sheriffs of London to be burned." x'

This fanatical spirit and the desire to gain the
blessing of God upon their cause led to a similar
observance of other days. A monthly fast had been
ordained, previous to the commencement of the war,
in view of the troubles in Ireland. Concerning this
Mr. Neale speaks as follows :

"Next to the Lords-day, they had a particular
regard to their monthly fast. April 24th, all con-
stables, or their deputies, were ordered to repair to
every house within their respective liberties, the day
before every public fast, and charge all persons
strictly to observe it according to the said ordinance.
And upon the day of the public fast, they were en-
joined to walk through therr said liberties, to search
for persons who, either by following the work of
their calling, or sitting in taverns, victualing or ale
houses, or in any other ways, should not duly ob-
serve the same, and to return their names to the
Committee for examination, that they might be pro-
ceeded against for contempt. The fast was ob-
served the last Wednesday in every month, the pub-
lic devotions continuing with little or no intermission
from nine in the morning till four in the afternoon,
and (as has been already observed) with uncommon
strictness and rigor." f

*Id., Vol. l. p. 454.
tlbid.

308 SABBATH AND SUNDAY.

Then came (be "Assembly of Divines at Wesl
minster," the 'solemn league and covenant," the
expulsion of the common prayer book of the Estate
lished Church, and the introduction of the "Di-
rector},' as the guide to worship in the Parliament
churches, the expulsion of royal professors from the
universities, etc., which brings us to the next enact-
ment concerning Sunday, made by the Parliament.
April 6th. 1H44. Neale briefly records with refer-
ence to it as follows •

'• Religion was the fashion of the age. The As
sembly was often turned into a house of prayer, and
hardly a week passed without solemn fasting and
humiliation in several of the churches of London
and Westminster. Tin.- laws against profaneness
were carefully executed, and because the former ordi-
nances for the observation of the Lord's-day had
proved ineffectual, it was ordained, April 6th, that
all persons should apply themselves to the exercise
of piety and religion on the Lords-day ; that n<>
wares, fruits, herbs, or goods of any sort, be exposed
for sale, or cried about the streets, upon penalty of
forfeiting the goods. That no person without cause
shall travel, or carry a burden, or do any worldly
labor, upon penalty of ten shillings for the traveler.
and five, shillings for every burden, and for every
offense in doing any worldly labor. That no person
shall, on the Lord's-day. use or be present at, any
wrestling, shooting, fowling, ringing of bells for
pleasure, markets, wakes, church-ales, dancing,
games, or sports whatsoever, upon penalty of five
shillings to every one above fourteen yeirs of age.
And if children are found offending in the premises,
their parents or guardians to forfeit twelve pence for
every offense. That all May poles be pulled down
and none others erected. That if the several fines

SABBATH AND SUNDAY. 309

above mentioned can not be levied, the offending
party shall be set in the stocks for the space of
three hours. That the King's declaration cone rning
lawful sports on the Lords-day be called in, sup-
pressed and burned.

"This ordinance shall not extend to prohibit dress-
ing meat in private families, or selling victuals in a
moderate way in inns or victualing houses, for the
use of such as can not otherwise be provided for ;
nor to the crying of milk before nine in the morn-
ing, or after four in the afternoon." *

Tracing the history of the Puritan party through
these years of strife, years of wide-spread anarchy in
church and state, the reader finds but few more
enactments relative to the Sunday.

In 1650, stringent laws, with severe penalties.
A<-re enacted against all the prominent vices, such
as profaneness, different forms of licentiousness, im-
pious opinions concerning God and the Bible, drunk-
enness, etc. Sunday came in with these for its share.

•' Though several ordinances had been made here-
tofore for the strict observation of the Lord's-day,
the present House of Commons thought fit to enforce
them by another, dated April 9th, 1650, in which
they ordain, ' that all goods cried, or put to sale on the
Lord's-day, or other days of humiliation and thanks-
giving appointed by authority, shall be seized. No
wagoner or drover shall travel on the Lord's-day, on
penalty of ten shillings for every offense. No per-
sons shall travel in boats, conches, or on horses, ex-
cept to church, on penalty of ten shillings. The
like penalty for being in a tavern. And where di>
tress is not to be made, the offender is to be put in the
stocks six hours. All peace officers are required to

: II.. Vol. I. P. 4«.)<).

310 SABBATH AND SUNDAY.

make diligent search for discovering offenders ; and
in case of neglect, the justice of peace is fined five-
pounds, and every constable twenty shillings."*

A few years later, in 1656, during the early part
of the Protectorate, Parliament made another effori
to enforce the strict observance of Sunday, stimu-
lated no doubt, in part, by the lawlessness of the
Quakers, who were growing numerous, and who
opened their shops, and otherwise violated the civil
laws relative to Sunday observance. The enact-
ment as given by Neale is as follows :

' ' As new inroads were made upon the ordinances
for observation of the Sabbath, the Parliament took
care to amend them. This year they ordained that
' the Sabbath should be deemed to extend from
twelve of the clock on Saturday night to twelve of
the clock on Lord's-day night,' and within that com-
pass of time they prohibited all kinds of business and
diversions, except works of necessity and mercy. No
election of magistrates is to be on the Lord's-day; no
holding of courts or return of writs, but if according
to their charters they fall upon the Lord's day, they
are to be deferred to Monday. That all persons not
having a reasonable excuse, to be allowed by a justice
of the peace, shall resort to some church or chapel
where the true worship of God is performed, or to some
meeting place of Christians not differing in matters
of faith from the public profession of the nation, on
a penalty of two shillings and six pence for every
offense. It is further ordered, that no minister shall
be molested or disturbed in the discharge of his office
on the Lord's-day, or any other day when he is per-
forming his dut}', or in going and coming from the
place of public worship. Nor shall any willful dis-

Neale, Hist. Puritans. Vol. 2. p. lis.

SABBATH AND SUNDAY 31]

turbance be given to the congregation, on penalty of
five pounds, or being sent to the workhouse six
months, provided the information be within one
month after the offense is committed. This ordi-
nance is to be read in every chapel in this nation an-
nually, the first Lord's-day in every March."*

Soon after this came the "Restoration,'' under
Charles II., and Puritanism, as a controlling power
in the government, passes out of sight. Whatever
may be said concerning the course of the Puritan
party as a political power, it is evident that the
moral character of the people was much improved
during its supremacy. Rigid and intolerant, it
nevertheless possessed much more of true religion and
vital piety than the formalists did who preceded and
followed it. Many of the corrupt elements in church
and state which could not be reformed were exiled.
But with the restoration under Charles II., these
came swarming back, and in turn harrassed and
drove out. the Puritans. Mr. Neale sums up the
case in these words :

" And here was an end of those distracted times
which our historians have loaded with all the infamy
and reproach that the wit of man could invent. The
Puritan ministers have been decried as ignorant
mechanics, canting preachers, enemies to learning,
and no better than robbers. The Universities were
said to be reduced to a mere Munster, and that if the
Goths and Vandals, and even the Turks had over-
run the nation, they could not have done more to
introduce barbarism, disloyalty and ignorance ; and
yet in these times, and by the men who then filled
the university chairs were educated the most learned

•Id., Vol. 8, p. 160.

312 SABBATH AND SUNDAY.

divines and eloquent preachers of the last age, as the
Stillingfieets, Tillotsons, Bulls, Barrows, Whitbys
and others, who retained a high veneration for their
learned tutors after they were rejected and displaced.
The religious part of the common people has been
stigmatized with the character of hypocrites ; their
looks, their dress and behavior have been repre-
sented in the most odious colors ; and yet, one may
venture to challenge these declaimers to produce any-
period of time since the Reformation wherein there
was less open profaneness and impiety and more of
the spirit, as well as the appearance of religion.
Perhaps there was too much rigor and preciseness in
indifferent matters ; but the lusis of men were laid
under a visible restraint, and though the legal consti-
tution was unhappily broken, and men were gov-
erned by false politics, yet better laws were never
made against vice, or more vigorously executed.

' ' The dress and conversation of the people were
-•ober and virtuous, and their manner of living re-
markably frugal. There was hardly a single bank-
ruptcy to be heard of in a year ; and in such a case the
bankrupt had a mark of infamy set upon him,
which he could never wipe off. Drunkenness,
fornication, profane swearing, and every kind of
debauchery were justly deemed infamous, and uni-
versally condemed. The clergy were laborious to
excess, in preaching and praying, in catechising
youth, and visiting their parishes. The magistrates
did their duty in suppressing all kinds of games,
stage plays and abuses in public houses. There was
not a play acted in an}' theater in England for almost
twenty years. The Lord's-day was observed with
unusual reverence ; and there was a set of as learned
and pious youths trained up in the University as had
ever been known.

"But when the legal constitution was restored,
there returned with it a torrent of debauchery and
wickedness. The times which followed the Restora-

SABBATH AND SUNDAY. 313

lion were the reverse of those which preceded it; for
the laws which had been enacted against vice for the
last twenty years, being declared null, and the magis-
trates changed, raensetno bounds to their licentious-
ness. A proclamation, indeed, was published against
those loose and riotous cavaliers, whose loyalty con-
sisted in drinking healths, and railing at those who
would not. revel with them. But, in reality, the King
was at the head of these disorders, being devoted to
his pleasures, and having given himself up to an
avowed course of lewdness. His bishops and chap-
lains said that he usually came from his mistresses'
apartments to church, even on sacrament days.
There were two play-houses erected in the neighbor-
hood of the court. Women actresses were intro-
duced into the theaters, which had not been known
until that time ; the most lewd and obscene plays
were brought on the stage, and the more obscene,
the King was better pleased, who graced every new
play with his royal presence. Nothing was to be
seen tit court but feasting, hard drinking, reveling
and amorous intrigues, which engendered the most
enormous vices. From court, the contagion spread
like wild fire amoug the people, insomuch that men
ihrewr off the verjr profession of virtue and piety,
under color of drinking the King's health. All kinds
of old cavalier riotings and debauchery revived. The
appearance of religion, which remained with some,
furnished matters of ridicule to libertines and scoffers.
Some wTho had been concerned in the former changes
thought they could not redeem their credit better
i ban by deriding all religion, and telling or making
stories to render their former party ridiculous. To
appear serious, or to make conscience either of words
or actions, wras the way to be accounted a schismatic,
a fanatic, or a sectarian, though, if there was any
teal religion during the course of this reign, it was
chiefly among those people. They who did not ap-
plaud the new ceremonies wen- marked out as Prea-

314 SABBATH AND SUNDAY.

byt'erians, and every Presbyterian was a rebel. The
old clergy, who had been sequestered for scandal,
having taken possession of their livings, were intoxi-
cated with their new felicity, and threw off all the
restraints of their order. Every week, says Mr.
Baxter,* produced reports of one or other clergy-
man, who was taken up by the watch, drunk, al
night, and mobbed in the streets. Some were taken
with lewd women ; and one was reported to be
drunk in the pulpit. Such was the general disso
luteness of manners which attended the deluge of
joy, which overflowed the nation upon his majesty's
restoration.'" f

For twenty-rive years (until 1683) did this profligate
libertine, surrounded by a court like himself, carry
on his ruinous rule. Sunday observance shared
largely in the general decline, especially since it had
been maintained before in a great degree by the civil
power. Popery, secretly favored by the King, grew
strong. The Puritan or Parliament party, now
known under the general name of Nonconformists,
was divided into Presbyterians, Independents, Bap-
tists, Quakers, etc., all of whom were most bitterly
persecuted. Among these, the Quakers, holding
within their number many educated and influential
men, though extremely strict in other respects, ig-
nored all ideas of a Sabbath, or any obligation to
observe days.t Thus between the reigning disso-
luteness, and the revival of the earlier doctrine of

* Life, part 2, p. 288.

1 Id., Vol. 2, p. 208.
% For their views, see Dymond's essays on the Principles
of Morality, essay 2, chap 1. and the Doctrines of Friends,
by Flisha Bates, chap. 13.

SABBATH AND SUNDAY. 315

"no sacred time," the strict observance of Sunday
was largely ignored.

It was not until the fifth year of the reign of George
I. (1719)that a complete recognition of the Non con-
formists, and a general toleration of dissenters was
obtained. There was little or no improvement in
the observance of Sunday until the middle of the
eighteenth century. The church of England retains
her old standards concerning Sunday. The English
Dissenters are now much less rigid in their observance
of it than the Puritans were. The church of Ireland
has always been too nearly allied to the church of Eng-
land on this point to need any separate notice here.
The church of Scotland has been, and yet is more
Puritanic concerning Sunday. The following, from
the .pen of Doctor Hessey, will sufficiently illustrate
its most rigid features :

"Meanwhile, in Scotland, the Sabbatarian doc-
ilities had taken deep root, and were improved into
an elaborate system. Four examples shall suffice.
In 1644 the Six Sessions ordained public intimation
to be made that 'no person, man nor woman, shall
he found vaging, walking, and going upon the streets
on the Lords-day after the afternoon's sermon, keep-
ing idle, and entertaining impertinent conferences.'
In the next year, the same court, ordained that 'the
magistrates, attended by the ministers by course,
shall go up and down the streets upon the Lord's-day .
after the afternoon sermon, and cause take particular
notice of such as shall be found forth of their houses
vaging abroad upon the streets, and cause cite them
before the Session to he rebuked and censured.' And
on the oth of April, 1058, this direction was issued
' The magistrate to cause some English soldiers go

31b' SABBATH AND SUNDAY.

along the streets, and those outparts above written,
both before sermon and after sermon, and lay hold
upon both young and old whom they find out of
their houses or out of the church.'

•' My fourth instance shall be taken from the re-
cords of the Presbytery of Strath-bogie, June 6, A.
D., 1658 : ' The said day, Alexander Cairnie, in Til
liochie was delaitit for brak of Sabbath, in bearing
ane sheep up his back from the pasture to his own
house. The said Alexander compeirit and declarit
that it was of necessitie for saving of the beasts lvfe
in tyme of storme; was rebuked for the same, and
admonished not to do the lyke.v *

Since those years, the continental no-Sabbathism
has crept, into Scotland somewhat largely, and for
some time past a war has been going on between it
ind the Puritan element, concerning " Sunday
i rains," and the like. The general tendency seema
to be to the more liberal views.

More will be said on the present state of the ques-

tion in a succeeding chapter.

* Sunday, Lect. 7, p. 216.

CHAPTER XXIV.

The jSabbath in ^urope jSince

.eformation.

HE Rl

The history of the Sabbath during the early years
of the Reformation is necessarily meager. The de-
pendents of the Waldenses in Bohemia, Holland, and
other parts of Northern Europe, seem to have formed
the material for Sabbath-keeping churches which
came to light when the rays of Reformation began
to illumine the long continued night of Papal apos
tasy. These Sabbath-keepers were Baptists, mil
hence were classed with the despised " Anabaptist^
who were made still more odious by the fanaticism
'if a tew at Minister during the early part of the six
fceenth century. Most writers have, therefore, passed
over the historj of these years by saying of Sabbath
observance, that it was "revived by some sectaries
among the Anabaptists/" or words to this effect.
When Sabbath-keepers were persons of prominence,
more definite notice is taken of them. Enough can
be gathered, however, to show that Sabbath-keepers
were not uncommon on the continent of Europe,
from the opening of the sixteenth century forward
An old German historian, John Sleidan, speaking of
n sect in Bohemia called " Picards," says :

318 SABBATH AND SUNDAY.

•• They admit of nothing but the Bible. They
< -boose their own priests and bishops ; deny no man
marriage, perform no offices for the dead and have
but very few holy days and ceremonies."*

These are the same people to whom Erasmus re-
fers, representing them as extremely strict in observ-
ing the Sabbath. Robert Cox in his " Sabbath Lit-
erature," makes them the progenitors of the Seventh-
day Baptists. He says:

'With reference to the origin of this sect, (Sev-
enth-day Baptists,) I find a passage in Erasmus, that
at the early period of the Reformation when he
wrote there were Sabbatarians in Bohemia, who not
only kept the seventh day, but were said to be so
scupulous in resting on it, that if anything went into
their eyes they would not remove it till the morrow. " f
The passage from Erasmus is as follows:
' Nunc audimus apud Bohemos exoriri novum Ju-
daeoram genus Sabbatarios appellant, qui tanta su-
perstitione servant Sabbatum, ut si quid eo die
incident in oculum, nolint eximere; quasi non suffi-
ciat eis pro Sabbato Dies Dominicus qui Apostolis
etiam erat sacer, aut quasi Christus non satis express-
erit quantum tribuedum sit Sabbati.' " \

Hospinian of Zurich in his treatise Be Festis Judceo-
rmn et Ethnicorum, Cap. iii, (Tiguri. — 1593,) replies
to the arguments of these Sabbatarians. The story
concerning their extreme strictness on the Sabbath is
doubtless a forgery. But inasmuch as they accepted
the Bible as their only guide, it is not wonderful
that they refused to place the "Dies Dominicus be-

* History of the Reformation, etc., p. 53, London, 1689; also,
French edi.ion of 1787. Vol. 1, p. 117. + Vol. 2, pp. 201, 202.

X De Amabili Ecclesiae Concordia, Op. torn. V, p. 506 ; Lugd.
Hat. 1704.

SABBATH AND SUNDAY. 319

fore the Sabbath/' since the Bible gives no authority
for such a course . Doctor Hessey* refers to these
same Sabbatarians as the origin of the present Sev-
enth-day Baptists. A voluminous work by Alexan-
der Ross, speaking of these people at the beginning
of the Reformation, says :

"Some only will observe the Lord's-day ; some
only the Sabbath ; some both, and some neither." f

Bishop White, speaking of Sabbath observance
bears this testimony :

"The same likewise being revived in Luther's
lime by Carlstadius and Sternebergius, and by some
sectaries among the Anabaptists, hath both then and
ever since been censured as Jewish and Heretical." %

Ross,§ above quoted, bears concurrent testimony
to the Sabbatarianism of Sterneberg. Carlstadt it
will be remembered was an intimate friend of Luther,
between whom and himself a separation was initiated
because of Carlstadt's extreme radicalism in his plans
of reformation.

Mr. Gilfillan quotes a writer of the year 1585,
one John Stockwood, who states that in those times
i here were " manifold disputations among- the
learned," and "a great diversity of opinion among
the vulgar people and simple sort, concerning the
Sabbath-day, and the right use of the same, some
maintaining the changed and unchangeable obliga-
tions of the Seventh-day Sabbath, etc' ||

* Lectures on Sunday, p. 374.— Note.
\ A View of all Religions in the World, etc., p. 237.— Lon-
don, 1653.

\ Treatise of the Sabbath Day, p. 8.

S View of all Religions, p. 233.

' Sabbath, p. 60.

320 SABBATH ANH SUNDAY.

Chambers* Cyclopedia refers to the Bohemian Sab
bath-keepers, and others as follows :

" Accordingly, in the reign of Elizabeth, it oc-
curred to many conscientious and independent
thinkers, (as it had previously done to some Prote^
rants in Bohemia,) that the Fourth Commandment
required of them, the observance, not of the first,
but of the specified seventh day of the week, and a
strict bodily rest, as a service then due to God. They
became numerous enough to make a considerable
figure for more than a century in England, under
the title of ' Sabbatarians "—a word now exchanged
lor the less ambiguous appellation of ' Seventh-day
Baptists.'" . . . " They have nearly disappeared in
England, though in the seventeenth century bo
numerous and active as to have called forth replies
from Bishop White. Warner, Baxter. Bunyan, Wal
lis and others." ::"

Thus it is seen that there were Protestant Sabbath
keeping Baptists in Bohemia, Holland and England,
as early as the beginning of the sixteenth century.
This link unites the past with the present, and gives
an unbroken chain of Sabbath-keepers from the day-
of Christ, the Lord of the Sabbath, to the pres-
ent hour. The church has never been without wit-
nesses for the truth concerning God's holy day.

The complete development and organization of
the Seventh-day Baptists in England, is easily traced.
In these pages this will be done first, by noting the
authors and martyrs, among them whose names ap-
pear in history, and second by giving it brief histor v
of their organized churches.

Among the first who taught the truth relative to

Article. Sabbath, Vol. 8.— London, 1836.

SABBATH A.N J) SUNDAY. 321

the Sabbath, and suffered for it, was .I<»lm Trask —
spelled also Trasque and Thraski — Ephriam Pag-
gitt, in his " Church Herisiography," devotes more
than fifty pages to the history of Trask, his wife,
and his followers. From this it appears thai he first
began to observe the Sunday according to the law of
the fourth commandment. One of Ins comrades,
Lackson, (Hessey says Jackson.) carrying the ques-
tion on to its legitimate results, taughl thai the day
mentioned in the law must be observed. Trask ac-
cepted this and many more with him. Paggitl men-
tions William Ilillyard. Christopher Sands. Mrs.
Mary Chester, who was afterwards imprisoned, Rev.
Mr. Wright and his wife. He also mentions in the
same connection. "One Mr. Hebden, a prisoner in
the new prison, that lay there for holding Saturday
Sabbath." Mrs. Chester was kepi in prison for some
time, hut was finally released upon her apparent con-
version to the church. But her tendency to the
truth was too strong, and ''twelve months after sin-
was sel at liberty, she relapsed into her former er-
rors." Paggitl charges Trask and hi-- followers with
J udaical opinions concerning Christ; but the charge
seems to have grown out of the fact thai they ob-
served the Sabbath, and no "official" charge of
this kind is made againsl them on their trials.

Mrs. Trask. before her imprisonmenl kept a pri-
vate school for children, having one assistaul teacher
who was also a Sabbath-keeper. Attention was
drawn to her Sabbatarian principles, from the fact
that -lie would not teach upon the Sabbath, and on

322 SABBATH AND SUNDAY.

the trial she was condemned to imprisonment.* Con-
cerning which Paggitt speaks as follows :

"His wile. Mistress Trask, lay for fifteen or six-
teen years a prisoner for her opinions about the Sat-
urday-Sabbath : in all which time she would receive
no relief from anybody, notwithstanding she wanted
much, alledgingtliat it is written, ' it's a more blessed
thing to give than to receive' Neither would she bor-
row" Sin- deemed it a dishonor to her head. Christ.
either to beg or borrow. Pier diet for the most pari
of her imprisonment, that is till a little before her
death was bread and water, roots and herbs. No
flesh, nor wine, nor brewed drink." . . . ,c She charged
the keeper of the prison not to bury her in church
nor church-yard, but in the tields only ; which ac-
cordingly was done. All her means was an annuity
of forty shillings a year; what she lacked more to
live upon, she had 01 such prisoners as did employ
her sometimes to do business for them. But this was
only within the prison, for out of the prison
she would not go, so she sickened and died. So
there was an end to her sect in les> than half a
generation. Tis true it begins of late to be re-
vived again ; but yet faintly. The progress it makes
is not observed to* be much ; so that of all gangrenes
of spirit, with which the times are troubled, as yet
it spreads little ; and therefore it is hoped a short ca-
veat (such as this is) may suffice against it." f

Trask was brought before the infamous "Star
Chamber " in 1618, and tried upon the following
charges, which appear in the speech of Bishop An-
drews against him.l The Bishop states that his fault
consisted in trying to make " Christian men, the peo-
ple of God, His Majesty's subjects, little better than

* See Paggitt, p. 209. I p. 196. This was written in 1661,
forty yearsafter the trial of Trask, and about the time of
Braboume. X See Paggitt, p. 199.

SABBATH AND SUNDAY. 323

Jews. This he clolh in two points, and when he
takes it in his head, he may do it in two and two.
and two more."
These are the specifications :

• One is, Christians are bound to abstain from those
meats which the Jews were forbidden in Leviticus.

The other, that they are bound to observe the
Jewish Sabbath."

Bishop Andrews labors, in a lengthy speed), to
prove both these positions heretical. There is no
argument of importance adduced in the speech. It
does however contain that somewhat noted passage,
' Dominicum Servasti," etc., which leaves no shadow
of doubt that he was the author of it, and shows also
(Jiat he gives no authority for it. This trial resulted
in the following sentence, which was executed upon
Trask :

" Set upon the Pillory in Westminster, and from
thence to be whipped to the fleet, there to remain
prisoner."

He afterwards made a recantation and was released .
whereupon he wrote a hook in 1620, as evidence of
his conversion, entitled,

• A Treatise of Liberty from Judaism, or an Ae-
knowledgcment of True Christian Liberty. Indited
and Published by John Trask, of late Stumbling,
now Happily Running in the Race of Christianity." *

Thus did the hand of persecution suppress the first
prominent development of Sabbath truth in England.
The suppression was, however, neither complete nor

*See Heylyn Hist. Sab., part 2, chap. 8. sec. 10; Cox Sab-
bath Literature, Vol. 1, p. 133, etc.

324 SABBATH AND SUNDAY.

of long duration. Eight years later Theophilus
Brabourne, of Norfolk published his first book,
entitled,

•• A Discourse upon the Sabbath-day ; Wherein
arc handled these particulars ensuing: 1. Thai the
Lords-day is not the Sabbath-day by Divine institu-
tion. '2. An exposition of ihe4ih Commandment, so
far forth ;is may give Lighl unto the ensuing Dis-
course : and particularly here it is shown :it what
time the Sabbath-day should begin and end. for the
satisfaction of those who arc doubtful on this point..
8. That tin* Seventh-day Sabbath is not abolished.

4. That the Seventh-day Sabbath is now still in force.

5. The author's exhortation and reasons that never-
theless, there be no Kent from our Church as touch-
in-- practice.— 1682, 18mo. pp. 238."*

( Jos says :

•• Brabourne is a much abler writer than Trask,
and may he regarded as the founder in England of
the sect at first known as Sabbatarians, hut now call-
ing themselves Seventh-day Baptists." . . . "Towards
the conclusion of the treatise, he thus appeals to the
prudence of his readers: ' And now let me propound
unto your choice these two days, the Sabbath-day on
Saturday, or the Lords-day on Sunday ; and keep
whether of the twain you shall in conscience find the
more safe. If von keep the Lords-day. hut profane
the Sabbath day. you walk in great danger and peril
(to say the least) of transgressing one of God's eternal
and inviolable laws, the Fourth Commandment: but
on the other side, if you keep the Sabbath-day,
though you profane the Lord's-day, yon are out of

*Cox Sab. Lit., Vol. 1. p. 157.

SABBATH AND SUNDAY. 325

all gunshot and danger, for so you transgress no law
at all, since Christ nor his apostles did ever leave
any law for it.' " *

Two years Inter Bra bourne issued a more exhaust
ive work, the first edition of which was published in
1630; and the second in 1082. A copy of the first edi-
tion is before us. wanting only the title page, which we
copy from Cox's notice of the second edition. It is
as follows :

A. defense of the most ancient and sacred Ordi-
nance of God's, the Sabbath-day." ... " Under-
taken against all Anti-Sabbatarians, both of Protest
nuts. Papists. Antinomians and Anabaptists ; and
by name mid especially against these ten Ministers :
M. Greenwood, ML Hutchinson, ML Furnace, M. Ben-
ton, ML Gallard, M. Yates, M. Chappel, M. Stinnet.
M. Johnson, and M. Warde." t

We have not space, nor is il necessary to quote
from the book to show the strength and soundness
of the work, and its necessary influence on the pub-
lic mind. Through this book the name of Bra bourne
has become inseparably connected with the true Sab-
batarianism of those times. The character and in-
fluence of the work is also shown in the fact that
Bishop Francis White, by order of the Kino-, pre-
pared an answer to it, entitled. "A Treatise on the
Sabbath-day, Containing a Defense of the Orthodoxal
Doctrine of the Church of England, against Sabba-
tarian Novelty." — London, 1635. In his dedication
to Archbishop Laud. White speaks of Bra bourne as
follows .

•lb. p. 220.
1 Sabbath Literature. Vol. 1, p. 162.

326 SABBATH AM) SUNDAY.

A certain Minister ot Xorthfolk. where I myself
of late years was Bishop, published a Tractate 01 the
Sabbath: and. proceeding after the rule of Presby-
terian principles, among which, this was principal :
That all religious observations and actions, and
among the rest, the ordaining and keeping of Holy
days, must have a special warrant and commandment
in Holy Scripture, otherwise the same is supersti
lions; concluded from thence, by necessary inference,
that the seventh day of every week, to wit. Saturday,
having an express command in the Decalogue, by :t
precept simply and perpetually moral, (as the Sabbata-
rians teach) and the Sunday or Lord's-day being not
commanded, either in the Law or in the Gospel ' the
Saturday must l>e the Christians' weekly Sabbath,
and the Sunday ought to be the working day.' "

"X<nv because his Treatise of the Sabbath was
dedicated to his Royal Majesty, and the prineipt.es
upon which he grounded all his arguments, (being
commonly preached, printed and believed, through-
out the kingdom.) might have poisoned and infected
many people, cither with this Sabbatarian error, or
with some other of like quality : it was the King, our
gracious Master, his will and pleasure, that a treatise
should be. set forth to prevent further mischief, and to
settle his good subjects (who have long time been
distracted about Sabbatarian epiestions) in the old
and good way of the ancient and Orthodoxal Catholic
Church." *

Bishop White was well qualified to write and
produced a work which, except the " History of the
Sabbath " by Peter Heylyn, was stronger than any
of the books put forth by the churchmen oi those
times. Brabourne was summoned before the " High
Commission, whose well-tempered severity herein so

* Introduction, near the close

SABBATH ANH SUNDAY. 327

prevailed upon him that, submitting himself to ;t pri-
vate conference, and perceiving the unsoundness of

his principles, he became a convert, conforminghim
self quietly to the Church of England." *

This " quiet conformity to the Church of England."
"ii the pari of Brabourne was evidently only a tem-
porary wavering, for he -wrote afterwards, and a
composition of his against Cawdivy. which came out
in 1654, gives no evidence of the sincerity of his re-
traction."!

Tt Is evident that he was for the moment overborne,
rather than permanently changed, since his "pre-
face" contained a candid and calm discussion of the
causes which impelled him to write and of the con-
sequences which might follow. On this very point
he says :

'The soundness and clearness of this my cause,
giveth me good hope that God will enlighten them
(the magistrates) with it, and so incline their hearts
unto mercy. But if not, since I verily believe and
know it to be a truth, and my duty not to smother
il, and suffer it to die with me. I have adventured to
publish it and defend it, saying with Queen Esther,

If I perish, I perish •' and with the Apostle Paul ;

neither is my life dear unto me, so that I may fulfill
my course with joy.' What a corrosive would it
prove to my conscience, on my death-bed, t«> call to
mind how I knew these thing full well, bill would
not reveal them. How could 1 say with St. Paul,
that I had revealed the whole counsel of God. had
kept nothing back which was profitable '.' What

* See Fuller's Church History, Book 10, century XVII, sec-
tion 82; also, Brook's Lives ..t Puritans, \'«>l. 'i. p. 862, ami
White, p. 305.

■ Hessey Lectures <>n Sunday, pp 878 i. note 479.

328 SABBATH AS I) SUNDAY.

hope could I then conceive that (rod would open his
gate of mercy to me, who, while I lived, would not
open my mouth for him?"*

This -Introduction," comprising an address to
the king, to the prelates, and to the reader, is far
from being the language of a mere enthusiast. If his
strength failed and Ins bewildered judgment wavered

for a moment under the pressure which was brought
to bear upon him, it is not wonderful, nor more than
many good and true men have done under similar
circumstances. There is still further evidence that
he • soon relapsed into his former errors." for Mr.
Cox f notices another book from his pen in reply to
two books against the Sabbath, one by Ives and the
other by Warner. This last work by Brabournewas
an 8mo book, published, at London, in 1659. It thus
appears that he published four looks in favor of the
Sabbath.

Next upon the list stands the name of James Ock-
ford, a follower of Brabourne, who issued a work in
1642, entitled -The Doctrine of the Fourth Com-
mandment." Something concerning its character and
history may be gleaned from a work in favor of
of Sunday by Cawdrey and Palmer, published in
1653. In part third, section thirty-three is found
the following :

•But before we conclude this chapter, we shall
take a brief survey of what a later Sabbatarian hath
written, being.it seems, unsatisfied (as well he might)

* This " Introduction " is not paged. Tins passage is from
his address to the reader.

+Sabbath Literature. Vol. 2, p. <».

SABBATH AND SUNDAY. *>'2(*

with all that hath been said by the Bishop,* and
others in his way. in answer to the Sabbatarian argu-
ments. One James Ockford (as we hinted above)
hath revived the quarrel, and makes use of his
adversaries' weapons to beat themselves withal.
There hath been a sharp confutation of his book by
fire, it being eommanded to be burnt, as perhaps it
well deserved. Vet lestheshould complain of harsh
dealing, ivo answer being given him, for his satisfac-
tion, though all his arguments are already confuted
in this present discourse, we shall give him a brief
account of our judgment concerning his whole book —
we think to a full satisfaction." f

Cawdrey and Palmer were members of the "As-
sembly of Divines,*' and wrote from the Puritan
stand point. Their review of Ockford's book, and
the book itself show that his arguments were well
sustained. About ten years later. Edward Fisher
published a book in favor of the Sabbath, entitled
■• A Christian Caveat," etc. This work passed
through at least five editions. Cox speaks of it as
'■ A pithy, clever treatise directed against the opin-
ions held by the Puritans, of whom he affirms that,
because they are neither able to produce direct Scrip
fcure nor solid reason for what they say, they labor to
support their conceits by fallacies, falsities, and
wresting of God's Holy Word, as upon scanning,
t heir proofs will be manifest to the meanest capacity. " J

The name of Edward Stennet stands next upon the

list; his first work in favor of the Sabbath was en

titled,

* Referring to Bishop White's answer to Brabourne.

t p. 446.

; Sabbath Literature, Vol. l, p. 887.

33( > SAB li A TB A X I ) 81'XD A Y .

"THE ROYAL LAW CONTENDED FOR; <>i.
Some brief Grounds serving to prove thai the Ten
Commandments are yet in full force, and shall so re
main till Heaven ami Earth pass away." etc.
By a Lover of Peace with Truth. Edward Stennet,
They that forsake the Law praise tin- wicked,
hut such as keep the Law contend with them."
Prov. 28 : 4.
"Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter,
Fear God and keep Iiis Commandments, for this is
the whole duly of man." Ecc. 1:2 : 18.
Tin- Sabbath was made for man and not man for
the Sabbath ; therefore the Son of man is Lord even
of the Sabbath." Mark 2 : 27. 28.
Then shall 1 not be ashamed, when I have respeel
to all Thv Commandments- Ps. 119 : 6.
London, 1658.

This work has been republished by the American
Sabbath Tract Society, from the preface to whose
edition we extract the following notice concerning
the author .

" 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 truth, one who not only loved the day of God "s
weekly rest, but greatly delighted in the promise of
a future and glorious Sabbathism with the people of
God. Edward Stennet, the author, was the first of
a series of Sabbatarian ministers of that name, who
for four generations continued to be among the fore-
most of the Dissenters in England, and whose praise
is still in all the churches, lie was an able and de-
voted minister, but dissenting from the Established
Church, he was deprived of the means of support ;
and. his family being large, he applied himself to
the study of medicine, by the practice of which he
was enabled to arive his sons a liberal education. ' He

SABBATH AND SUNDAY. 331

suffered much of the persecution which the Dissenl
er-s were exposed to at that time, and more especially
for his faithful adherence to the cause of the Sab
bath. For this truth, he experienced tribulation, n<>i
only from fhose in power, by whom he was kept a
long time in prison, but also much distress from un-
friendly dissenting- brethren, who strove to destroy
his influence, and ruin his cause He wrote several
treatises upon the cause of the Sabbath besides this,
but they are very rare, and perhaps cannot be found
in a perfect state of preservation. It would be well.
no doubt, to revive all of them, and, if practicable,
republish them in the same form as this, that they
might be bound together, and placed as they deserve
to be, in every Sabbath-keeper's library. They all
breathe the genuine spirit of Christianity, and in their
day were greatly conducive to the prosperity of the
Sabbath-keeping churches."

Another work from his pen, entitled 'The Seventh-
day is the Sabbath of the Lord.*' and published in

1664, is before us. It is an able reply to a book by
one Mr. Russel, entitled " No Seventh-day Sabbath
Recommended by Jesus Christ."

Next comes a book by William Sellers, published
in 1671, the title of which runs as follows :

"An examination of the late book published by
Doctor Owen, concerning a Sacred Day of Rest.
Many Truths therein, as to the morality of a Chris-
tian Sabbath, assented to. With a Brief Inquiry into
liis Reasons for the Change of it from the Seventh
day to the first, by way of denial. A.s also the con-
sent of Doctor Ileylyn and others, touching the time
and manner of the change. With an Inquiry into
the nature of the assertions about the first ami second
covenants." 4to, pp. 56.

Next in order is the name of an author whose

332 SABBATH AND SUNDAY.

works were prominently associated with the history
of the Seventh-day Baptists in England during the
last half of the .seventeenth century, Francis Bamp-
field. He wrote at least two works upon the Sab-
hath, besides others of a scientific and literary char-
acter. The first work on the Sabbath is entitled,

"The Judgment of Mr. Francis Bamplield, late
Minister of Sherbourne in Dorsetshire, for the Ob-
servation of the .Jewish or Seventh-day Sabbath ;
with his Reasons and Scripture for the same. Sent
in a letter to Mr. lien of Dorchester. Together with
Mr. lien's sober Answer to the Same, and a Vindica-
tion of the Christian Sabbath against the Jewish, Pub-
lished for the satisfaction of divers friends in the
West of England. London, 1672. 12mo, pp 86.

His Second work bears the following title :

•■ 2Za/J/iartHf) 'lliiifta Hnioa If pa. Sept una
hies Desiderabilis, Sabbatum Jehovse. The Seventh-
day Sabbath the desirable day, the closing, complet-
ing day of that first created week, which was, is.
and will be, the just measure of all succeeding weeks
in their successive courses, both for working in the
six foregoing days, and for rest in the Seventh,
which is the last day, by an unchangeable law of well
established order, both in the revealed Word and in
created Nature."— 1677, Fob, pp. 149.

The character of this man and his sufferings in be-
half of the truth, are shown in the work of an Eng-
lish author of later time, PMmund Calamy. who gives
the following account of him :

" He was descended from an ancient and honora-
ble family in Devonshire, and being designed for the
ministry from his birth, was educated accordingly ;
his own inclination concurring with the design of
his pious parents. When lie left the university

SABBATH AND SUNDAY. 333

(when- he continued seven or eight years) he was or-
dained a Deacon of the Church of England by Bp
Hall ; afterwards Presbyter by Bp. Skinner, and was
soon after preferred to a livingin 1 )orsetshire. of ab< hit
one hundred pounds per annum, where he took great
pains to instruct his people, and promote true re-
ligion among them. Having an annuity of eighty
pounds a year settled upon him for life, he spent, all
the income of his place in acts of charity among his
parishioners, in giving them Bibles and other good
books, setting the poor to work, and relieving the
necessities of those that were disabled ; not suffering
a beggar, knowingly, to be in his parish. While he
was here, he began to see that in many ways the
Church of England needed reformation, in regard to
doctrine, worship and discipline ; and therefore, us
became a faithful minister, he heartily set about it.
making the laws of Christ his only rule. But herein
lie met great opposition and trouble." *

When the Act of Uniformity was passed, in U\iV2.
being unable to conform to its requirements, Mr.
Bampfield gave up his place, and though he was
strictly loyal in all the political troubles of those
limes, he nevertheless suffered much on account of
his nonconformity. "'Soon after his ejectment la-
was imprisoned for worshiping God in his own
family." Not a little injustice and cruelty was shown
him in these minor imprisonments. But he was
doomed to much greater trials and sufferings, tor we
learn from Calamy that,

"Mr. Bampfield afterward suffered eight years im-
prisonment in Dorchester jail, winch lie bore with
greal courage and patience, being filled with the

* Non-Conformists Memorial, Vol. •-'. p. 1 1'.'. seq.

334 SABBATJB AND SUNDAY.

comfort of the Holy Ghost. He also preached in
the prison, almost every day, and gathered a church
there. Upon his discharge in 1675, he went about
preaching' the Gospel in several counties. But he
was soon taken up again for it in Wiltshire, and im-
prisoned at Salisbury ; where, on account of a fine,
he continued eighteen weeks. During this time he
wrote a letter which was printed, giving an account
of his imprisonment, and the joy he had in his suf-
ferings for Christ. Upon his release he came to
London, where he preached privately several years
with great success, and gathered a people; who, be-
in^ baptized by immersion (.Mr. Bampfield having
income a Baptist), formed themselves into a church.
and met at Pinner's Hall, which, being so public.
-"on exposed them to the rage of their persecutors."
"On Feb. 17. 1682. a constable and several men
with halberts. rushed into the assembly when Mr.
Bampfield was in the pulpit. The constable ordered
him in the king's name to come down. He answerei I
that he was discharging his office in the name of the
King of kings. The constable telling him he had a
warrant from the Lord .Mayor, Mr. Bampfield re-
plied: ' I have a warrant from Christ, who is Lord
Maximus, to go on,' aud so proceeded in his dis-
course. The constable then bid one of the officers
pull him down; when he repeated his text: Isa. 63d,
■ The day of vengeance is in his heart, and the year
of his redeemed ones is come ; ' adding, ' He will pull
down his enemies.' They then seized him, and took
him Avith six others, before the Lord Mayor, who
fined several of them £10, and bid Mr. Bampfield
begone. In the afternoon they assembled at the
same place again, where they met with a fresh dis-
turbance ; and an officer, though not without trembl-
ing, took Mr Bampfield and led him into the street ;
but the constable having no warrant, they let him
go, so he went with a great company, to his own
house, and there finished the service.'

SABBATH AND SUNDAY. 335

• On the 24th of the same month, he met his eon
gregation again at Pinner's Hall, and was again
pulled out of the pulpit, and led through the streets

with his Bible in his hand, and great multitudes after
him; some reproaching him, and others speaking in
his favor; one of whom said, 'See how he walks
with his Bible in his hand, like one of the old martyrs. '
Being brought to the sessions where the Lord Mayor
attended, he and three more were sent to prison
The next day they were brought to the bar, and
being examined were remitted to Newgate. On
March 17, 1683, he and some others, who were com-
mitted for not taking the oaths of allegiance and
supremacy, were brought to the Old Bailey, indicted,
tried, and by the jury (directed by the Judge) brought
in guilty. On March 28. being brought again to the ses-
sions to receive their sentence, the recorder, after odi-
ously aggravating their offence, and reflecting on scrup-
ulous conscienees, read their sentence, which was :

' That they were out of the protection of the King's
Majesty ; that all their goods and chattels were for-
feited, and they were to remain in jail during their
lives, or during the King's pleasure.' Upon this Mr.
Bamptield would have spoken, but there was a great
cry — ' Away with them, we will not hear them, etc.,'
and so they were thrust away; when Mr. Bampfield
said ' The righteous Lord loveth righteousness ; the
Lord be judge in this case.' They were then re-
turned to Newgate, where Mr. Bampfield (who was
of a tender constitution) soon after died in conse-
quence of the hardships he suffered, much lamented
by his fellow prisoners, as well as by his friends in
general. Notwithstanding his peculiar sentiments,
all who knew him acknowledged that he was a man
of serious piety, and deserved a different treatment
from what he met with from an unkind world. He
was one of the most celebrated preachers in the Wes1
of England, and extremely admired by his hearers,

336 SABBATH AND SUNDAY.

till he fell into the Sabbatarian notion, of which he
was a zealous asserter." *

Thus even the enemies of the Sabbath bear highest
testimony in favor of this noble martyr for the
truth.

In 1692; there appeared a work from Thomas
Bampfield, a brother of the man mentioned above.
Ik title runs as follows :

•"An enquiry whether the Lord .Jesus Christ made
the world, and be Jehovah, and gave the Moral law.
and whether the Fourth Commandment 1m- repealed
or not."

This work was answered by John Wallis, D. D,
Professor of Geometry in the University of Oxford.
which elicited a second hook in reply by Mr. Bamp-
field, entitled.

"• A Reply to Dr. Wallis, his Discourse concerning
the Christian Sabbath." — London. 1088.

An examination of these works shows that he was
a writer of no mean ability. He was a Barrister,
and being less connected writh the church and theo-
logical matters than his brother, does not appear as
prominently in history. He is however noticed by
both Calamv and Cox. Wallis wrote a second book
in reply to Thos. Bampfield's second work, which
was published in 101)4.

Passing into the next century another book comes

before the public in 1724. from the pen of George

Carlow, entitled. •Truth defended, or Observations

on Mr. Ward's expository discourses from (he 8th,

9th, 10th, and 11th verses of the 20th chapter of Exo-

*D. 151, Vol. 2d. Found also in Vol. 1. p. 408. seq., Loudon
edition, 1775!

SABBATH AXj) SUNDAY. o3<

dus, concerning the Sabbath."' This work was re*
printed in America, at Stonington, Conn., in 1802j
and again by the American Sabbath Tract Society.
in New York. The following historic notice of the
author is taken from the American edition of 1847.

Of the personal history of George Carlow, but
little is known. He was a member of the Sabbath-
keeping church which once flourished at Wood
bridge, Suffolk, Eng. Having visited London, prob-
ably for purposes connected with the publication of
his book, he was recommended to the fellowship of
the church of Mill Yard, in Goodman's Fields.
Hence his name appears upon the records of that
church as a transient member. He was evidently a
man of plain parts, not schooled in the rules of logic,
but learned in the Scriptures. From that fountain
of true wisdom, the Word of God, he had imbibed m
spirit which gives a pungency and heart-searching
character to his writings not often found in books of
controversy. The argumentative part of the subject
is not perhaps so well managed in this book as in
some more modern publications. But as the author
was well read in the controversies concerning the
Sabbath, the historical information which he pre-
sents is very valuable. The whole work is character-
ized by a spirit of evangelical piety and earnestness
which thus* make its influence powerful and salu-
tary wherever read. YYe commend ii to the diligent
perusal of every Christian.

A pastor of the -Mill Yard Seventh-day Baptisl
Church" in London, Robert Cornthwaite published
(22)

338 SABBATH AND SUNDAY.

five hooks upon the Sabbath question. The first
was published about 1733, and the last in 1740.
These are their titles in order:

1. "Reflections on Dr. Wright's Treatise on the
Religious observation of the Lord's-day. according to
the express words of the Fourth Commandment,
showing the inconclusiveness of the Doctor's reason-
ing on that subject, and the impossibility of grounding
the First -day Sabbath on the Fourth Commandment,
or any other text of Scripture produced by him for
that purpose "

2. 'The Seventh-day of the week the Christian
Sabbath." London, 1735.

3. " The Seventh-day Sabbath farther vindicated,
or a Defense of some Reflections on Dr. Wright's
Treatise on the Religious observation of the Lord's-
day, according to the express words of the Fourth
Commandment ; as. also, of the Seventh-day of the
week, the Christian Sabbath, against the exceptions
of Mr. Caleb Fleuiming."* London, 1736.

4. "A Second Defense of some Reflections on Dr.
Wright's Treatise on the Religious observation of the
Lord's-day, etc.. against the exceptions of Mr. Caleb
Flemming, in which his explication of Gen. 2 : 2, 3, is
considered, and shown to be as inconsistent as the
Doctor's Explication of the Fourth Commandment ;
and the Seventh-day Sabbath is proved to oblige all
Christians on Protestant principles." London, about
1737.

5. " An Essay on the Sabbath, or a modest attempt
towards a plain. Scriptural resolution of the following
questions . 1 . Whether the Seventh-day Sabbath was
given to Adam in Paradise. 2. Whether the same
now obliges Christians, occasioned by the following

* An Unitarian minister whose work was published the
same year.

SABBATH AND SUNDAY. 339

pieces lately wrote upon the subject, viz : Mr. Hal
lett's Discourse on the Lord's-day; Mr. Jephson's Dis-
course concerning the Religious Observation of the

Lord's-day, etc. Mr. Clmbb's Dissertation concerning
the Time of Keeping a Sabbath. Mr. Killing-worth's
Appendix to his Supplement to the sermons preached
at Salter's Hall, against Popery; Mr. Dobels Seventh-
day Sabbath not obligator}' on Christians, and his Ap-
pendix; and Dr. Watts' Holiness of Times, Places and
People. In which everything judged material, of-
fered by any of these gentlemen on the negative side
of either of the above mentioned questions, is impar-
tially considered." London, 1740.

Robert Cox* quotes largely from this work, and
says

■ Mr. Cornthwaite is one of the ablest defenders of
the positions taken up by Seventh-day Baptists.

It. will be seen by the titles that Mr. Cornthwaite's
books were mostly controversial. They were widely
circulated, and the replies to them were written by
some of the most eminent men of those times. No
tices of other Sabbatarian authors will be found in
the next chapter, in connection with the history of
churches

ORGANIZATION OF SEVENTH-DAY BAPTIST CHURCHES
IN ENGLAND.

The Seventh-day Baptists were the most rad-
ical reformers, and the most fearless dissenters
that took part in the English Reformation. Every
influence opposed the organization of such men into
churches; even their public meetings were prohibited
at times by law. Hence no churches were regularly

♦Sabbath Literature, Vol. 2, p. 198.

340 SABBATH ANH SUNDAY.

organized until about 1650. Between thai t in 1 « and
the close of ilic century, nt leasl eleven churches
were organized, and there were many unorganized
Sabbath-keepers scattered through the kingdom.
These chinches were located at Braintree, in Essex,
Chersey, Norweston, Salisbury, in Wiltshire, Sher-
bourne, in Buckinhamshire, Tewksbury, or Natton.
in Gloucestershire. Wallingford, Berkshire, Wood
bridge, in Suffolk ; and three in London, viz : the Mill
Yard Church, the Cripplegate Church, and the Pin
n-er's Hall Church. The history of these churches
may be found in detail in the Seventh -day Baptist Man-
ual by Rev. Geo. I>. Utter (Westerly, R. I.) pup-
lished in 1858; and in the bound volumes of the
Sabbath Memorial, published by the present pastor
of the Mill Yard Church, Rev. Wm. M. Jones. The
martyrdom of John James has also lately appeared
from the pen of Mr. Jones. We have space only to
say that from the English churches the Seventh-day
Baptists were planted in America, as \\ ill lie seen in
a succeeding chapter. These European Sabbath-
keepers, connecting with their Waldensian brethren,
(see Chapter 18), keep the links unbroken between
the Seventh-day Baptists of the United States, and
the Apostolic Church, as it was before the Sunday
usurpations, through the help of the civil law, and
Pagan cult, made war on (rod's Holv Day.

CHAPTER XXV.
The Sunday in ^merica — P<dl-

onial Period.

AlDouI the beginning of the seventeenth century,
certain dissenters fled from England to Holland.
Failing to succeed in propagating their views among
the Hollanders, and finding their own purity on the
decline, they determined to seek a home in the New
World. They reached America in 16'20. and settled
at New Plymouth. In 1629 a large colony from
England joined them. Thus came the birth of New
England, and the establishment of Puritanism in
America. The civil government which these nun
adopted was the direct outgrowth of their religion .
Tin- " Theocracy"' of the Hebrews under Moses fur-
nished the much approved model after which it was
patterned. The result was more than a union of Church
and State : it was. rather, a "state" in the Church
Hence, in the civil laws of those times we find tin-
practical expression of the orthodox theology; and
in the execution of those laws, an index to the vitality
and power of the prevailing religion. It is, therefore,
suited to the purposes of this chapter to collect the
laws of the early colonists concerning- Sunday, and.
as far as may be necessary, to sketch the history of

342 SABBATH AXD SUNDAY.

their execution. This will l>e done in the following
order :

1st. The laws of the Plymouth Colony up to the
time of its union with Massachusetts ; then the laws
of Massachusetts as ,-i colony, a province, and a
state.

2d. The laws of the New Haven and Connecticul
colonies in a similar order.

There were no direct statute laws concerning the
observance of Sunday during the earlier years of the
Plymouth colony. There was. however, a rigid
" Common Law."* founded on the laws of the. Jewish
Theocracy. In 1650, June 10th, the general court
enacted the following :

' Further be it enacted, thai whosoever shall pro-
fane the Lord's-day by doing any servile work, or
any such like abuse, shall forfeit for every such de-
fault ten shillings, or be whipped.''

In 1651, June 6th .

"It is enacted by the court that whatsoever per-
son or persons shall neglecl the frequenting the pub-
lic worship of God that is according to God, in the
places where they live, or do assemble themselves
upon any pretense whatsoever, contrary to God and
the allowance of the government, tending to the
subversion of religion and churches, or, palpable
profanation of God's holy ordinances, being duly
convicted, viz.. every one that is a master or dame of
a family, or any other person at their own disposing,
to pay ten shillings for every such default." ";f

It is also

Plymouth Colony Records, Vol. XI, p. 57,58.

SABBATH AND SUNDAY. 343

"Enacted by the Court, that if any in any lazy.
slothful or profane way doth neglect to come to the
public worship of God, they shall forfeit for every
such default ten shillings, or be whipped.'" *

In 1658, we have the following :

'■ Whereas, complaint is made of great abuses in
sundry places in this government of profaning the
Lord's-day by travelers, both horse and foot, by
bearing of burdens, carrying of packs, etc., upon the
Lord's day, to the great offense of the godly, well-
affected amongst us: It is therefore enacted by the
court, and the authority thereof, that if any person
or persons shall be found transgressing in any of the
precints of any township within this government, he
or they shall be forthwith apprehended by the con
stable of such town, and fined twenty shillings to the
colony's use, or else set in the stocks four hours, ex-
cept they can give a sufficient reason for their so do-
ing; and they that transgress in any of tin1 above
said particulars, shall only be apprehended on the
Lord's-day ; and on the second day following shall
either pay their fine, or sit in the stocks as afore-
said." f

The general laws concerning attendance on public
worship passed in 16.51, were repealed in 165(J. and
the following enacted, and repeated in 1(561 :

" It is enacted by the court, that whatsoever per-
son or persons shall frequently absent or neglect,
upon the Lord's day, the public worship of God that
is approved of by this government, shall forfeit for
every such default ten shillings."!.

The following " Sunday Excise Law " was enacted

in 1662 :

*Plvm. Col. Rec., Vol. XI. p. 58.
I I'lvin. <ol. Rec., Vol. XI, p. 1QD.
J Pl'vm. «'ol. Wee . Vol. XI. p. 122.

344 .SABBATH AND SUNDAY.

•• Whereas, complaint is made of souk- Ordinary
keepers, in this jurisdiction, that they do allow per-
sons to stay on the Lord's-day, drinking- in their
houses in the interims of times between the exer-
cises, especially young- persons and such as stand
nor in need thereof: It is enacted l>y the court an d
theauthority thereof, that no Ordinary keeper in this
government, shall draw any wine or liquor on the
Lord's-day, for any. except in cases of necessity, for the
relief of those that are sick, or faint, or the like, for
their refreshing, on the penalty of paying a fine of
ten shillings for every default." ••

In 1 66*2 the court urges the strict enforcement of
the laws against traveling and unlawful meetings on
Sunday. I

In 1682 the general court, sitting at Plymouth,
enacted the following : '

•• To prevent profanation of the Lord's-day by
foreigners, or any others, unnecessarily traveling-
through our towns on that day: It is enacted by
the court, that a fit man in each town be chosen, unto
whom, whomsoever hath necessity of travel on the
Lords-day in case of danger of death or such neces-
sitous occasions, shall repair, and making out such
occasions satisfyingly to him, shall receive a ticket
from him to pass on about such like occasions, which
if the traveler attend not unto it shall be lawful for
the constable or any man that meets him, to take
him up. and stop him until he be brought before
authority, or pay his tine for such transgression, as
by law in that case is provided. And if it after shall
appear that his plea was false, then may he be appre-
hended at another time, and made to pay his fine
as aforesaid." \

In 1074 :

;: Plym. Col. Rec, Vol. XI. p. 137.
t lb., p. 140. % lb-, p. 258.

SABBATH AXD SUNDAY. 345

•• It i-> enacted by the court, that as to the restrain-
ing of abuses in 'ordinaries,' that no ordinary
keeper shall sell or give any kind of drink to inhabi-
tants of the town upon the Lord's-day ; and also that
all ordinary keepers lie required to clear their houses
of all town dwellers and strangers that are there (on
a drinking account), except such as lodge in the
house, by the shuttingin of thedaylight, upon the for-
feiture of five shillings, the one-half to the informer,
and the other half to the town's use." *

In the year 1665, the following law was enacted
againsl " Sleeping in Church :"

Whereas, complaint is made unto the court, of
great abuse in sundry towns of this jurisdiction, by
persons there behaving themselves profanely, by being
without doors at the meeting house on the Lord's
days in time of exercise, and there misdemeaning
themselves by jesting, sleeping, or the like : It is
enacted by tin' court and hereby ordered that tin
constables of each township in this jurisdiction shall,
in their respective towns, take special notice of such
persons, and to admonish them ; and if notwithstand
ing, they shall persist on in such practices, that he
shall set them in the stocks, and in case this will not
reclaim them, that they return their names to the
Court."!

Four years later. .Inly. 1669, this law was further
added to as follows :

•It is enacted by the court, that the constable or

hi- deputy in each respective town of this govern-
ment, shall diligently look after such as sleep or play
about the meeting house in times of the public wor-
ship of Qcd on the Lord's-day, and take notice of
their names, and return such of them to the court
who do not. after warning given to them, reform.

Il>., p. 286.
..l. Rec., XI, p. 214.

340 SABBATH AND SUNDAY.

" As also that unnecessary violent riding on the
Lord's day; the persons that so offend, their names
to be returned to the next court after the said of-
fense.

"It is enacted by the court, that any person or
persons that shall be found smoking of tobacco on
the Lord's-day, going to or coming from the meet-
ings, within two miles of the meeting house, shall
pay twelve pence for every such default to the colo-
ny's use."*

In 1668 the matter of attendance on public wor-
ship was again taken up, and the following law
enacted :

"Whereas, the court takes notice of great neglect
of frequenting the public worship of God on the
Lord's-day : if is enacted by the court and the an
thority thereof that the selectmen shall take notice of
such in their townships as neglect, through profane-
ness or slothfulness, to come to the public worship of
God, and shall require an account of them ; and if
they give them not satisfaction, that then they return
their name to the court." f

This not having the desired effect, the following
was enacted in June, 1670 :

" For the further prevention of the profanation of
the Lord's-day. it is enacted by the court and the
authority thereof, that the selectmen of the several
towns of this jurisdiction, or any one of them, may.
or shall, as there be occasion, take with him the con-
stable or his deputy, and repair to any house or
place where they may suspect that any sloth fully do
lurk at home, or get together in companies, to neg-
lect the public worship of God, or profane the Lord-
day : and, finding any such disorder, shall return

* Plym. Col. Rec., Vol. XI, pp. 224, 825.
1 Plymouth Uolony Records, Vol. XI, pp. 217, '-'is.

SABBATH AND SUNDAY. 347

the names of the persons to the next court, and give
notice also of any particular miscarriage that they
have taken notice of. that it may he inquired into." *

In 1652 and again in 1656, laws were passed, pro-
hibiting Indians from hunting, working or playing
on Sunday, within the limits of the colony, f

In 1691 Plymouth became united to Massachu-
setts under a new charter, from which time their
histories are identical.

MASSACIirsETTS-HAY COLONY.

There were no formal statutes concerning Sunday
by the local authorities of this colony during the
first years of its existence. The "first general let-
ter** from the governor and deputy of the "Com-
pany" in England, dated April 17th, 1620. contained
the following instruction :

" And to the end the Sabbath may be celebrated
in a religious manner, we appoint that all that in-
habit the plantation, both for the general and par-
ticular employments, ma}' surcease their labor every
Saturday throughout the year, at three of the clock
in the afternoon, and that the}' spend the rest of that
day in catechising, and preparations for the Sabbath,
as the ministers may direct.*' f.

This instruction and the "common law." like that
of the Plymouth colony, formed the basis of
of the earliest customs. In the formation of
the government upon those points wherein the civil
authorities were in doubt concering any question,
the matter was referred to the "elders." Among

♦ID., p. 228.
I II... pp. fit), IHt.

; M;iss. Colony Records, Vol. l. p. 895.

348 SABBATH AN I' SUNDAY.

the •• Ajnswers oi the Reverend Elders to certain
questions propounded to them." November 13th,
1644, is the following :

" The striking of a neighbor may be punished
with some pecuniary mulct, when the striking of a
father may be punished with death. So any sin
committed with an high hand, as the gathering of
sticks on the Sabbath-day, may he punished with
death, when a lesser punishment might serve for
gathering sticks privily, and in some need."*

Concerning this point, Hutchinson, the historian,
says :

■In the firsl draught of the laws by Mr. Cotton,
which 1 have seen corrected with Mr. Winthrop's
hand, diverse other offenses were made capital, viz.,
profaning the Lord's day in a careless or scornful
neglect or contempt thereof. Numbers 15 : 30-86." f

On the 4th of November, 1646, the general court

decreed :

■That wheresoever the ministry of the \Yord is
established, according to the order of the gospel.
throughout this jurisdiction, every person shad duly
resort and attend thereunto, respectively upon the
Lotd's-days. and upon such public last days and
days of thanksgiving as are to he generally held by
the appointment of authority. And if any person
within this jurisdiction shall, without just and neces-
sary cause, withdraw himself from hearing the pub-
lic ministry of the Word, after due means of convic-
tion used, he shall forfeit for his absence from every
such public meeting five shillings.';};

Some questions having arisen concerning the mean

* lb., Vol. 2, p. 93.

' Hist. Mass., Vol. 1, p. 390.

; Mass. Col Records, Vol. 2. p. ITS.

SABBATH AXD SUNDAY. 349

ing of the passage "after due conviction vised,'' in
the above law, it was explained May 10th, 1649, as
meaning "legal conviction." A little later, a gen-
eral court, sitting at Boston, on the 30th of August,
1653, enacted the following :

" Upon information of sundry abuses and misde-
meanors committed by several persons on the Lord's-
day, not only by children playing in the streets and
other places, but by youths, maids and other per-
sons, both strangers and others, uncivilly walking
the streets and fields, traveling from town to town,
going on shipboard, frequenting common houses and
other places to drink, sport, and otherwise to mis-
spend that precious time, which things tend much
to the dishonor of God, the reproach of religion, and
the profanation of his holy Sabbath, the sanetifica-
tion of which is sometimes put for all duties imme-
diately respecting the service of God. contained in the
first table : It is therefore ordered by this court and the
authority thereof, that no children, youths, maids, or
other persons, shall transgress in the like kind, on
penalty of being reputed great provokers of the high
displeasure of Almighty God, and further incurring
the penalties hereafter expressed, namely, that the
parents and governors of all children above seven
years old, (not that we approve of younger children
in evil,) for the first offense in that kind, upon due
proof before any magistrate, town commissioner, or
selectman of the town where such offense shall be com-
mitted, shall be admonished; for a second offense, upon
due proof, as aforesaid, shall pay a tine oi' five shillings ;
for a third offense, upon due proof, as aforesaid, ten
shillings ; and if they shall again offend in tin's kind,
they shall be presented to the county courts, who
shall augment punishment, according to tin- merit of
the fact. And for all youths and maids, above four
teen years of age. and all elder persons whatsoever

350 SABBATH A XI) SUNDAY.

that shall offend and be convicted as aforesaid, either
for playing, uncivilly walking, drinking, traveling
from town to town, going- on shipboard, sporting or
any way misspending that precious time, shall, for the
first offense, be admonished, upon due proof , as afore-
said ; for a second offense, shall pay as a fine, five shil-
lings; and for a third offense, ten shillings; and if
any shall farther offend that way, they shall be
presented t<> the next county court, who* shall aug-
ment punishment according to the nature of the of-
fense ; and if any be unable or unwilling to pay the
aforesaid fines, they shall be whipped by the consta-
ble not exceeding rive stripes for ten shillings fine;
and this to be understood ot such offenses as shall
be committed during the daylight of the Lord's-
day.1'*

In volume four another record of this action may
be found with this addition.:

"This law is to be transcribed by the constables of
each town, and posted upon the meeting house door,
there to remain the space of one month, at least." \

On the 18th of October of the following year,
1654, a general court, sitting at Boston, enacted
that :

'" Whereas, experience gives us cause to complain
of much disorder in time of public ordinances, in
the meeting houses of several congregations in this
jurisdiction, through the unreverent carriage and
behavior of diverse young persons, and others, not-
withstanding the best means that have been hitherto
used in the said assemblies, for the reformation there -
of, it is therefore ordered by this court and the author.
ity thereof, that it shall be in the liberty of the officer g
of the congregation, and the selectmen of such towns

*It>. Vol. 3, pp. 316, 317.
t p. 151.

SABBATH A XI) SUNDAY. 351

together, to nominate someone or two meet persons,
to reform all such disordered persons as shall offend
by any misdemeanor, either in the congregation or
elsewhere near about the meeting house, either by
serious reproof, more private or public, or other the
like warning and meet correction of the magistrate
or commissioners of that town judge meet. And we
are not doubtful but the reverend elders of the sev-
eral congregations, according to their wisdom, will
so order the time of their public exercise, that none
shall be ordinarily occasioned to break off from the
congregation before the full conclusion of public ex-
ercises." *

At the second session of the general court for
1658, held at Boston on the 19th of October, in view
of the increase of Sunday profanation, the following-
act ion was taken :

Whereas by too sad experience it is observed.
the sun being set, both every Saturday and on the
Lords-day, young people and others take liberty to
walk, and sport themselves in the streets or fields in
the several towns in this jurisdiction, to the dishonor
of God and the disturbance of others in their re-
ligious exercises, and too frequently repair to public
houses of entertainment and there sit drinking, all
which tends, not only to the hindering of due pre-
paration for the Sabbath, but as much as in them
lies renders the ordinance of God unprofitable, and
threatens rooting out the powder of godliness, and
procuring the wrath and judgments of God upon us
and our posterity ; for the prevention whereof it is
ordered by this court, and the authority thereof,
that if any person or persons henceforth, either on
the Saturday night or on the Lord's-day night after
the sun is set, shall be found sporting in the streets
or fields of any town in this jurisdiction, drinking or

*Ib., PP- 200, 201.

352 SABBATH AND SUNDAY.

being in any houses of entertainment (unless strangers
or sojourners, as in their lodgings), and can not give

a satisfactory reason to such magistrate or commis-
sioner in the several towns as shall have cognizance
thereof, every such person found, complained of
and proved transgressing, shall pay five shillins for
every such transgression, or suffer coporal punish-
ment, as authority aforesaid shall determine." *

At a general court called by order of the council
on the 1st of August. 1665, and held at Boston the

Isl ot August, the following was enacted :

'• This court being sensible that through the
wicked practices of many persons who do profane
God's holy Sabbaths, and contemn the public wor-
ship of his house, the name of God is greatly dishon-
ored, and the profession of his people here greatly
scandalized, as tending to all profaneness and irre-
ligion, as also that by reason of the late order of Oct.
20th, 1668, remitting* the tines imposed on such to
the use of the several towns, the laws "made for re-
claiming such enormities are become ineffectual, do
therefore order and enact, that henceforth all tines
imposed according to law for profanation of the
Sabbath, contempt or neglect of God's public war
ship, reproaching the laws and authority here estab-
lished, according to his Majesty's charter, shall be to
the use of the several counties as formerly, anything
in the above said law to the contrary notwithstand-
ing; and in case any person or persons so sentenced
do neglect or refuse to pay such tine or mulct as shall
be legally imposed on them, or give security in
court, to the treasurer for payment thereof, every
such person or persons, so refusing or neglecting
to submit to the court's sentence, shall for such
his contempt be corporally punished according as
the court that hath cognizance of the case shall de-

*Mass. col. Rec, vol. 4, p. 347.

SABBATB AND SUNDAY. 35^

t ermine, and where any are corporally punished,
their fines shall be remitted."*

Three years later, October, 1668, the General
Court, sitting at Boston, took up this matter again,
and passed the following :

' ' For the better prevention of the breach of the
Sabbath, it is enacted by this court and the authority
thereof, that no servile work shall be done on that,
day, viz. such as are not works of piety, of charity, or of
necessity ; and when other works are done on that
day, the persons so doing, upon complaint or pre-
sentment, being legally convicted thereof before any
magistrate or county court, shall pay for the first of-
fense ten shillings fine, and for every offense after to
be doubled ; and, in case the offense herein be cir-
cumstanced with profaneness or high-handed pre-
sumption, the penalty is to be augmented at the dis-
cretion of the judges. As an addition to the law
for preventing profaning of the Sabbath-day by do-
ing servile work, this court doth order, that what
soever person in this jurisdiction shall travel upon
the Lord's- day, either on horseback or on foot, or by
boats from or out of their own town to any unlaw-
ful assembly or meeting not allowed by law, are
hereby declared to be profaners of the Sabbath, and
shall be proceeded against as the persons that pro-
fane the Lord's-day by servile work." f

At a general court held in Boston in 1667, the
Sunday laws were further amended by an act of the
34th of May, running as follows :

^ "This Court, being desirous to prevent all occa-
sions of complaint, referring to the profanation of
the Sabbath, and as an addition to former laws, do

* Records of the Colony of Mass. Bav. Vol. 4, p. 276.
t lb., p. 395.

(23)

354 SABBATH AND SUNDAY.

order and enact, that all the laws for sanctification
of the Sabbath and preventing the profaning thereof,
be twice in the year, viz. , in March and in September,
publicly read by the minister or ministers on the Lord's-
day in the several respective assembles within this jur-
isdiction, and all people by him cautioned to take
heed to the observance thereof. And the selectmen
are hereby ordered to see to it that there be one man
appointed to inspect the ten families of his neighbors,
which tything man or men shall, and are hereby,
have power (this language is badly arranged, but
such is the record) in the absence of the constable,
to apprehend all Sabbath-breakers and disorderly
tipplers, or such as keep licensed houses or others
that shall suffer any disorders in their houses
on the Sabbath-day, or evening after, or at any other
time, and to carry them before a magistrate or other
authority, or commit to prison as any constable may
do, to be proceeded with according to law.

" And for the better putting a restraint and secur-
ing offenders that shall any way transgress against
the laws, tittle Sabbath, either in the m« eting house
by abusive carriage or misbehavior, by making any
noise or otherwise, or during the day time, being laid
h«-ld on by any of the inhabitants shall, by ihe said
person appointed to inspect this law, be forthwiih
carried forth and put into a cage in Boston, which
is appointed to be forthwith by theselecimen, and to
be set up in the market-place and in such other
towns as the county courts shall appoint, there
to remain till authority shall examine the per-
son offending and give order for his punishment, as
the matter may require, according to the laws relat-
ing to the Sabbath." *

The same court made additional laws concerning
Quaker meetings, ordering all constables on penalty

*Eecords of the Colony of Mass. Bay, Vol. 5, p. 133.

SABBATH AND SUNDAY. 355

of the forfeiture of forty shillings, to "make diligent
search " for such gatherings, especially on the Lord's-
day, and if denied admittance, to break down the
doors and arrest the frequenters according to law.
It also ordered that persons complained of, as being
absent from public service on Sunday, who would
neither affirm that they were present nor that they
were "necessarily absent by the providence of God,"
should be thereupon adjudged as convicted, and
punished accordingly. *

October 15th, 1673, the foregoing laws were
amended as follows :

"As an addition to the law of the Sabbath, Sect,
the second, it is ordered by the court and the au-
thority thereof besides the penalty upon the persons
there offending, the public house keeper, where any
such person or persons are found so transgressing
(as in the said law is expressed), shall pay five shil-
lings to the treasury of the county where the offense
is committed."!

On the 10th of October, 1677, the general court
in session at Boston, made the following additions to
this law :

" As an addition to the late law made in May last
for the prevention of profanation of the Sabbath,
and strengthening the hands of tything men ap-
pointed to inspect the same, it is ordered that those
tything mm shall b3 and ar3 hereby appointed and
empowered to inspect public licensed houses, as well
as private and unlicensed houses, houses of enter-
tainment, as also ex officio to enter any such houses

*Ib., p. 134.
t Records of the Colony of Mass. Bay, Vol. 4, p. 562.

356 SABBATH AND SUNDAY.

and discharge their duty according to law ; and the
said ty thing men are empowered to assist one another
in their several precints and to act in one another's
precints with as full power as in their own, and yet
to retain their special charges within their own
bounds."*

Two years later, October 15th, 1679, the general
court, at Boston, enacted certain local laws, of
which the following is a copy :

"For prevention of profanation of the Sabbath,
and disorders on Saturday night, by horses and carts
passing late out of the town of Boston, it is ordered
and enacted by this court, that there be a ward,
from sunset on Saturday night, until nine of the
clock or after, consisting of one of the selectmen or
cod stables of Boston, with two or more meet per-
sons, who shall walk between the fortification and
the town's end, and upon no pretense whatsoever
suffer any cart to pass out of the town after sunset, nor
any footman or horseman, without such good ac-
count of the necessity of his business as may be to
their satisfaction ; and all persons attempting to ride
or drive out of town after sunset, without such rea-
sonable satisfaction given, shall be apprehended and
brought before authority to be proceeded against as
Sabbath-breakers ; and all other towns are empow-
ered to do the like as need shall be." f

: By the same court, the reading of the Sunday laws
was placed in the hands of the town clerks, to be
done at some public meeting of the town, instead of
l>eing done by the ministers on Sunday. %

Thus the laws stood with little or no change until
the new charter and the provincial government.

* Records of the Colony of Mass. Bay. Vol. 5. p. 155.

+ Ib.,pp. 239. 240.

$Ib..p. 243.

SABBATH AND SUNDAY. 35?

[u 1691, Massachusetts, including Plymouth col-
ony and other territories lying north and east, was
reorganized under a new charter from King William
and Queen Mary. The chaDge did not, however,
materially affect the status of the Sunday laws.

On the 22d of August, 1695, a general act was
passed which embodied the substance of all the
former colonial laws. By this, all "labor and sport-
ing " was prohibited under penalty of five shillings
fine. All "traveling" except in cases of great
necessity was punishable by a fine of twenty shil-
lings. The keepers of public houses were forbidden
to entertain any except travelers and boarders, on
penalty of five shillings fine. Any one justice of
the peace was empowered to try the cases, and on
his judgment to pass sentence, and the fines, if not
forthcoming, were to be collected by distraint, If
the offender was unable to pay the fine, he was to be
"set in the stocks," or "caged," not to exceed three
hours. These acts were in force from sunset on the
seventh day forward. All civil officers and parents
were enjoined to carefully enforce these acts.*

In 1711, this law was added to in that twelve hours
imprisonment was made one of the penalties of
transgression, and constables were especially em-
powered and instructed to labor diligently to pre-
vent profanation of the Sunday, f

* Acts and Laws of the Province of Mass.. Bay. from 1692 t<
1719, folio edition, London, 1724, pp. 15. 16.
+ Ib.,p. 277.

358 SABBATH AND SUNDAY.

Four years later, in 1715, we find Sunday desecra-
tion on the increase, since, although many laws have
been passed, it is said : ' ' Many persons do presume
to work and travel on the said day;" so that the
authorities saw fit to increase the penalty for " work-
ing or playing" to ten shillings, and that for travel-
ing to twenty shillings for the first offense. For the
second offense these fines were doubled, and the
parties made to give ' ' sureties " for good behavior
in the future. A month's continued absence from
the public Sunday services was also made finable in
the sum of twenty shillings, or "three hours in the
stocks or cage."*

In 1727, the fine for " working or playing" was in-
creased to fifteen shillings, and that for traveling to
thirty shillings for the first offense, and for the sec-
ond three pounds. If the offender failed to pay, he
was liable to the stocks or the cage for four hours,
or to imprisonment in "the county jail, not to exceed
five days. At this time, also, funerals, since they
induced "great profanation" of Sunday, by the
Traveling of children and servants in the streets,
were prohibited, except in extreme cases, and then
under license from a civil officer of the town. The
director of a funeral transgressing this was to be fined
forty shillings, and the sexton or grave digger twenty
shillings. Shops for the retailing of strong drinks were
.ilso to be searched by the proper officers, and if uny

* Acts and Laws of the Province of Mass. Bay, p. 328.

SABBATH AND SUNDAY. 359

were found there drinking, the proprietor and the
drinker were each to pay five shillings. *

In 1741, an additional act was passed against
slothfully loitering in the streets or fields, making
the penalty twenty shillings for the first offense and
forty for the second, with costs, and imprisonment
until paid. Appeal to the next court was allowed, f

In 1760, a general amendment was made by re"
pealing all former laws relative to Sunday, and enact-
ing a new code. The reasons for repealing are thus
stated :

1 ' Whereas by reason of different constructions of
the several laws now in force relating to the obser-
vation of the Lord's-day, or Christian Sabbath, the
said laws have not been duly executed, and, not-
withstanding the pious intention of the legislators,
the Lord's-day hath been greatly and frequently pro-
faned, therefore," etc.

The preface to the new law is as follows :

"And whereas, it is the duty of all persons, upon
the Lord's-day, carefully to apply themselves pub-
licly and privately to religion and piety, the profana-
tion of the Lord's-day is highly offensive to Almighty
God ; of evil example, and tends to the grief and
disturbance of all pious and religiously disposed
persons, therefore," etc.

The main features of the new code were the same
as those of the former laws. The provisions were
these :

* Acts and Resolves of the Province of Mass. Bay. Vol. 8.
p. 456.

1 IK, p. 1,071, Boston edition. 1874.

360 SABBATH AND SUNDAY.

1. Work or play, on land or water, is fined not
less than ten nor more than twenty shillings.

2. Traveling by any one except in extremity,
and then only far enough for immediate relief, is
liable to the same penalty.

• 3. Licensed public house keepers are forbidden to
entertain any except "travelers, strangers and lodg-
ers" in their houses or about their premises, for the
purpose of drinking, playing, lounging, or doing'
any secular business whatever, on penalty of ten
shillings ; the person lounging, etc., also paying not
less than five shillings. On the second conviction,
the innkeeper is made to pay twenty shillings, and
on the third offense to lose his lioense.

4. Loitering, walking, or gathering in companies
in "streets, fields, orchards, lanes, wharves," etc., is
prohibited on pain of five shillings fine ; and on a
second conviction, the offender is required to give
l >ail for future obedience.

5. Absence from public service for one month is
fined ten shillings.

6. No one is to assist at any funeral, not even to
ling a bell, unless it be a licensed funeral, on penalty
of twenty shillings fine. In Boston, however, a
funeral might be attended after sunset without a li-
cense.

7. The observance of the Sunday was to com-
mence from sunset on the seventh day.

8. Twelve wardens were appointed in each town
to execute these laws ; these were to look after all

SABBATH AND SUNDAY. 361

infringements of the laws, enter all suspected places,
examine or inquire after all suspected persons, etc.
In Boston, they were to patrol the streets every Sun-
day (very stormy or cold days excepted), and dili
gently watch and search for offenders. In case any
one convicted on any point in this code failed to pay
his fine at once, he was to be committed to the com-
mon jail, not less than five nor more than ten days.
These laws were to be read at the " March meeting"
of the towns each year. *

In 1761, this code was supplemented by another
act making it five pounds fine to give any false
answers to a warden, or to refuse him aid or inform-
ation when called upon.f These were all carried
over, in essence, to the State laws, as will be seen in
the next section.

STATE GOVERNMENT OF MASSACHUSETTS.

The State Constitution of Massachusetts went into
operation in 1780. Among the "Perpetual Laws"
we find a Sunday code, passed October the 22d,
1782, prefaced by the following preamble :

• ' Whereas, the observance of the Lord's day is
highly promotive of the welfare of the community,
by affording necessary seasons for relaxation from
labor and the cares of business ; for moral reflections
and conversations on the duties of life, and the fre-
quent errors of human conduct ; for public and pri-
vate worship of the Maker, Governor and Judge of

* Acts and Laws of the the Province of Mass. Bay, folio
edition, pp. 392 to 397.

t Acts and Laws of the Province of Mass. Bay, folio edi-
tion, pp. 397. 398.

362 SABBATH AND SUNDAY.

the world, and for those acts of charity which sup-
port and adorn a Christian society ; and whereas,
many thoughtless and irreligious persons, inattentive
to the duties and benefits of the Lord's-day, profane
the same by unnecessarily pursuing their worldly
business and recreations on that day, to their own
great damage, as members of a Christian society,
and to the great disturbance of well-disposed per-
sons, and to the great damage of the community by
producing dissipation of manners and immoralities
of life ; be it therefore enacted by the Senate and
House of Representatives," etc.

This law is much like the former provincial laws.
Its leading features are :

1. All work, all play or attendance on any public
phce of amusement is fined not less than ten nor
more than twenty shillings.

2. All traveling by any person is subject to the
same penalty.

3. Walking, loitering, or gathering anywhere out
of doors subjects to a penalty of five shillings.

4. No aid is to be given to any unlicensed f unerhl
by sexton, grave-digger, porter, bearer or bell-ringer,
on penalty of twenty shillings ; and no funeral is to
be licensed except in case of necessity.

5. All retailers of liquors, and keepers of public-
houses of entertainment, are forbidden to entertain
any one in or about their premises, or allow any
idling, playing, or doing of any secular business, on
penalty of ten shillings for the first offense, twenty
for the second, and a loss of his license ' ' forever
after'" for the third offense. The persons thus

SABBATH AND SUNDAY. 363

" lounging," etc., to pay not less than five nor more
than ten shillings.

6. The time to which the above regulations apply
is stated to be from the "midnight preceding" to the
" sunsetting of the same day."

7. All entertainments for pleasure and all loung-
ing, drinking, etc., are prohibited on the evening
preceding the Sunday.

8. Absence from public meetings for one month
without sufficient reason, is fined ten shillings, "pro-
vided there be any place of worship on which the
offender can conscientiously and conveniently at-
tend."

9. Rude or indecent behavior ' ' within the walls of
any house of public worship," is finable in " not less
than five nor more than forty shillings. " Servants,
and persons under age, whose masters, parents or
guardians refuse to pay such fine, are to be impris-
oned not less than three nor more than ten days.

10. Willful interruption or disturbance of any as-
sembly for public worship is made finable in a sum
from twenty shillings to ten pounds.

11. No civil process shall be served between mid-
night on Seventh-day and midnight on Sunday,
under penalty of being made void, and liability of
arrest for damages.

12 — 18. Twelve wardens to each town or district
were to be chosen annually. These were given very
full powers to search for, inquire after, and arrest all
offenders. When chosen they could not refuse to

364 SABBATH AND SUNDAY.

serve under a heavy fine, nor neglect any duty with
impunity. False answers or refusal to aid such
officers were severely punished. A warden's oath
alone was sufficient evidence to convict an offender.
Each warden to carry a white ' ' wand, not less than
seven feet in length, as a badge of his office," when
on duty.

19. Masters and parents were made liable for the
fines of servants and children.

30. All persons not paying their fines when levied,
to be imprisoned in the county jail, not less than five
nor more than ten days.

21. The appointment of these wardens does not
release any other officers from their usual duties in
connection with the Sunday laws.

22. Any justice of the peace to have jurisdiction
over all cases where the fine does not exceed forty
shillings. Fines not otherwise arranged for to be
applied for the support of the poor. These laws to
be publicly read at stated times, and all former laws
relative to the Sunda,y to be repealed. *

There are but few noteworthy differences between
this elaborate code and the provincial laws which
preceded it. Greater liberty of conscience is granted
to those who do not accord with the ruling orthodox
church, and corporal punishment, as a penalty, is
laid aside. But our readers are familiar with the
fact that at the present time these laws are essen-

* Perpetual Laws of the Commonwealth of Mass. from 1780
to 1789, folio edition, pp. 198 to 203.

SABBATH AND SUNDAY. 365

tially a "dead letter," and that the power of ortho-
doxy is far less in Massachusetts now than in former
times. The present statute exempts those who ob-
serve the Seventh-day from the penalties of the Sun-
day law, providing they prove that they conscien-
tiously and habitually observe the Sabbath.

NEW HAVEN COLONY.

The primary compact formed by the colonists at
New Haven shows that they took the Bible as their
guide in all things. The common law, based upon
the Sabbath laws of the Jewish theocracy, was the
accepted authority concerning the Sunday. In De-
cember, 1647, the transaction of certain ship masters
in the harbor of New Haven, on Sunday, brought
the matter before the civil court. The offenders,
after examination, were dismissed, but the case
created considerable interest, and the times seemed
to demand some definite legislation. Hence, on the
31st of January, 1647, the court took the following-
action :

"It was propounded to the court to consider
whether it were not meet to make a law for restrain-
ing of persons from their ordinary outward employ-
ments on any part of the Sabbath, and the rather,
because some have of late taken too much liberty in
that way, and have been called to answer for it in
the particular court. The court, considering that
it is their duty to do the best they can that the law
of God may be strictly observed, did therefore order
that, Whosoever shall, within this plantation, break
the Sabbath by doing any of their ordinary outward
occasions, from sunset to sunset, either upon the
land or upon the water, extraordinary cases, works

366 SABBATH AND SUNDAY.

of mercy and necessity being excepted, he shall be
counted an offender, and shall suffer such punish-
ment as the particular court shall judge meet, ac-
cording to the nature of his offense." *

The "New Haven Code." published for the use of
the colony in 1656, embraces all the general laws
which were enacted previous to the union between
New Haven and Connecticut colonies. This code
contains the following, relative to attendance on pub-
lic worship :

" And it is further ordered that wheresoever the
ministry of the Word is established within this juris-
diction, according to the order of the gospel, every
person, according to the mind of God, shall duly re-
sort and attend thereunto, upon the Lord's-day, at
least, and also upon days of public lasting or thanks-
giving ordered to be gem rally kept and observed.
And if any person within this jursidiction shall
without just and necessary cause, absent or withdraw
from the same, he shall, after due means of convic-
tion used, for every such sinful miscarriage, forfeit
five shillings to the plantation, to be levied as other
fines." f

The following statute on the "Profanation of the
Lord's-day," is worthy of careful notice :

" Whosoever shall profane the Lord's-day or any
part of it, either by sinful sevile work, or by unlawful
sport, recreation, or otherwise, whether willfully or
in a careless neglect, shall be duly punished by fine,
imprisonment, or corporally, according to the nature
and measure sin and of the offense. But if the court
upon examination, by clear and satisfying evidence,

' * New Haven Colony and Plantation Records, from 1638 to
1649, p. 358.

tNew Haven Col. Rec., p. 588.

SABBATH AND SUNDAY. 36?

tiud that the sin was proudly, presumptuously, and
with a high hand, committed against the known
command and authority of the blessed God, such a
person therein despising and reproaching the Lord,
shall be put to death, that all others may fear and
shun such provoking, rebellious courses. Numb. 15,
from 30 to 36 verse."*

In 1665, the colony of New Haven was united
with that of Connecticut under the latter name. Its
history will therefore be traced under that head from
this point forward.

THE COLONY OF CONNECTICUT.

Here, again, there were at first no special statutes
relative to Sunday. In 1650, a general code of laws
was established in which is the following proviso, as
a part of the law against burglary :

" And if any person shall commit [such burglary,
or] rob, in the fields or houses on the Lord's-day, be-
sides the former punishments, he shall, for the first
offense, have one of his ears Cut off ; and for the
second offense in the same kind, he shall lose his
other ear in the same manner, and if he fall into the
same offense the third time, he shall be put to
death/'f

. At a general court, held Sept. 8th, 1653, the fol-
lowing was enacted relative to maratime matters :

" Whereas, it is observed that many seamen divers
times weigh anchors in the harbors of several plant-
ations within these liberties, and pass out on the
Lord's-day, to the grief and offense of the beholders,

* New Haven Colonial Records, p. 605.
t Public Records of the Colony of Connecticut, prior to
1665, p. 514.

368 SABBATH AND SUNDAY.

for the preventing whereof it is ordered : That after
the publishing this order, no vessel shall depart out
of any harbor within this jurisdiction, but the mas-
ter of the boat or vessel shall first give notice of the
occasion of his remove to the head officer of the
town next the said harbor where they so anchor, and
obtain license, under the hand of the said officer,
for his liberty therein. Otherwise they shall undergo
the censure of the court." *

The law relative to the attendance on public wor-
ship is the same, in essence, as those already noticed.
It is as follows :

" It is ordered and decreed by this court and au-
thority thereof, that wheresoever the ministry of the
Word is established according to the gospel, through-
out this jurisdiction, every person shall duly resort
and attend thereunto, respectively upon the Lord's-day
and upon such public fast days and days of thanks-
giving as are to be generally kept by the appointment
of authority. And if any person within this jurisdic-
tion shall, without just and necessary cause, with-
draw himself from hearing the ministry of the Word,
after due means of conviction used, he shall forfeit
for his absence from every such public meeting five
shillings, all such offenses to be heard and determined
by any one magistrate or more, from time to time."+

Two years after the union of the colonies of New
Haven and Connecticut under one government, a law
was passed forbidding Indians to profane the Sun-
day, on penalty of five shillings fine, or one hour in
the stocks.

On the 19th of May, 1668, a general law was
enacted as follows :

* Colonial Records of Conn, prior to 1665. p. 847.
+ Tb.,p. 524.

SABBATH AND SUNDAY. 360

"Whereas, the sanetification of the Sabbath is a
matter of great concernment to the weal of a people,
and the profanation thereof is that as pulls down the
judgments of God upon that place or people thai
suffer the same : It is therefore ordered by this
court and the authority thereof, that if any 'person
shall profane the Sabbath, by unnecessary travel, or
playing thereon in the time of public worship, or
before, or after, or shall keep out of the meeting-
house during the public worship unnecessarily, there
being convenient room in the house, he shall pay
rive shillings for every such offense, or sit in the
stocks one hour ; any one assistant or commissioner
to hear and determine any such case. And the eon
stables in the several plantations are hereby required
to make search after all offenders against this law.
and make return thereof to the commissioners or as-
sistants."

In 1676, the above was strengthed by the follow-
ing :

" Whereas, notwithstanding former provisions
made for the due sanctification of the Sabbath, it is
observed that by sundry abuses the Sabbath is pro-
faned, the ordinances rendered unprofitable, which
threatens the rooting out of the power of godliness,
and the procuring of the wrath and judgments of
God upon us and our posterity ; for prevention
whereof it is ordered by this court that if any per
son or persons henceforth, either on the Saturday
night or on the Lord's-day night, though it be after
the sun is set, shall be found sporting in the streets
or fields of any town in this jurisdiction, or be drink
ing in houses of public entertainment or elsewhere, un
less for necessity, every such person so found, com-
plained of, and proved transgressing, shall pay ten shil
lings for every such transgression, or suffer corporal
punishment for default of due payment. Nor shall any
sell or draw any sort of strong drink at any time, or

CM)

370 • SABBATH A.1SD SUNDAY.

to be used in any such manner, upon the like penalty
for every default.

" It is also further ordered that no servile work
shall be done on the Sabbath, viz., such as are not
works of piety, charity, or necessity ; and no profane
discourse or talk, rude or unreverent behavior shall
be used on that holy day, upon the penalty of ten
shillings fine for every transgression hereof, and in
case the offense be circumstanced with high-handed
presumption as well [as] profaneness, the penalty to
be augmented at the discretion of the judges."*

Under date of May, 1684, is found an act referring
to the foregoing laws and their enforcement in the
following words :

" Whereas, this court, in the calamitous time of
New England's distress by the war with the Indians
in the years seventy-five and seventy-six, were
moved to make some laws for the suppression of
some provoking evils which were feared to be grow-
ing up among us, as viz. , profanation of the Sabbath,
neglect of catechising of children and servants, and
family prajer, . . . which laws (for want of due
prosecution of offenders that are guilty of the breach
of them) have little tended to the suppressing of the
growth of said evils amongst us, and have not ans-
wered that expectation of reformation which this court
aimed at ; it is therefore ordered by this court, that
the selectmen, constables, and grand jurymen in the
several plantations shall have a special care in their
respective places to promote the due and full attend-
ance of those forementioned orders of this court, by
the several inhabitants of their respective towns.
And the selectmen, constables, and grand jurymen
shall, at least once a month, make presentment of all
breaches of such laws as are come to their knowl-

* Col. Eec. Conn, from 1665 to 1677, pp. 88, 280.

SABBATH AND SUNDAY. 371

edge, to the next assistant or commissioner under
their hands."

Any failure on the part of these officers to perform
the above mentioned duties was made finable to the
amount of ten shillings for every neglect. Two years
later this act was renewed in nearly the same words.*
Thus did Sabbath desecration, so called, increase in
spite of these stringent laws, guarded by severe and
often-executed penalties.

Soon after this came the interruption of the gov-
ernment by Andros, which lasted between one and
two years. When the government was restored, the
general court declared all laws to be binding which
were in force before the interruption. After this
restoration of the colonial government in 1689,
little appears concerning the Sunday laws for several
years. In 1715, an especial act was passed concern-
ing the movements of vessels in the harbors, and a
general one requiring the officers to execute the ex-
isting law against vice and immorality, among
which the Sunday laws are mentioned. The power
of these officers to search after delinquents was also
increased, f In 1721, additional laws were passed
under the following preamble :

"Whereas, notwithstanding the libertv by law
granted to all persons to worship God in such places
as they shall for that end provide, and in such
manner «« they shall judge to be most agreeable to
the Word of God ; and notwithstanding the laws

* Colonial Records of Conn, from 1678 to 1689, pp. 148, 203.
+ Acts and Laws of Conn., folio edition, pp. 206—208, New
London, 1715 and 1737.

372 SABBATH AND SUNDAY.

already provided for the sanetification of the Lord's-
day, or the Christian Sabbath, many disorderly per-
sons in abuse of that liberty, and regardless of those
laws, neglect the public worship of God on the said
day, and profane the same by their rude and unlaw-
ful behavior: therefore.'" etc.

By this law.

1. Non-attendance on lawful public worship was
subjected to a tine of rive shillings.

•2. The same penalty was incurred by going forth
from one's place of abode for any reason except to
attend worship or perform works of necessity.

3. A fine of twenty shillings was imposed for as-
sembling in any meeting-house on Sunday without
the consent of the congregation to whom it belonged
and the minister who usually officiated in it.

4. Disturbing any meeting for public worship on
Sunday was made punishable by a fine of forty
shillings.

5. Failure to pay or secure a tine imposed for any
of these offenses, within one week was punished by
labor in the houses of correction for one month or

less.

6. No appeal from a justice's court was allowed.
?. All charges were to l>e preferred within one

month from the time of the offense. *

Other supplementary acts were also passed, relat-
ing mainly to the duties of the civil authories in ex-
ecuting these laws. In 1726, all assistant justices
of the peace were empowered, on their own "plain
view or personal knowledge " of profanity, drunk-

* Acts and Laws of Conn., folio, pp. 261, 262. New London,
1715^1737.

SABBATH AND SUNDAY. 373

eune*s, or Sabbath-breaking, to make out a judg-
ment accordingly against the offender, "any law or
custom to the contrary notwithstanding." *

In 1733, a more extensive code was established, of
wbich the following is an outline :

1. Non-attendance on public worship for a speci-
fied time, was punished by a fine of three shillings.

2. Ten shillings was made the penalty for as-
sembling in a meeting-house without the consent of
the congregation and minister for whom it was pro
vided. No persons were allowed to neglect public
worship and meet in private houses, on penalty of
ten shillings.

3. All work or play, on land or water, on Sun-
days, fast, or thanksgiving days, was prohibited
under a fine of ten shillings.

4. Disturbing public worship by rude or clamorous
behavior, in or within hearing of the assembly, was
fined forty shillings.

•). All traveling, except in great extremity, was
forbidden on pain of twenty shillings fine, and all
absence from one's house, except for church attend
ance or "necessity," incurred a fine of five shillings.

•i. Staying outside at the meeting-house (there being
ro<>m inside), or going out unnecessarily during ser-
vice, or playing or talking around places of worship,
w as finable in the sum of three shillings. Gathering
in companies in streets, or elsewhere, on the evening
before or the evening after the Sunday, or on the
evening after any fast day. was liable to a penalty of

*H)., p. 819.

374 SABBATH AND SUNDAY.

three shillings, or two hours in the stocks, religious
gatherings excepted.

7. Loitering or drinking in or about any public
place after sunset on Seventh-day night, subjected
both the offender and the keeper of the place to a
fine of five shillings.

8. No vessel was allowed to put to sea from any
harbor, river or creek within the colonial limits
without license, granted only in extreme emergency,
nor to weigh anchor within two miles of any place
of meeting, unless to get nearer to that place, under
forfeiture of thirty shillings.

9. Posting notices or publishing them in any way
was declared illegal, and the proper officers were in-
structed to destroy all such as should be put up, and
the one putting up the same was subjected to a tine
of five shillings.

10. Two "tything men" were ordered to be ap-
pointed for every parish, these were empowered and
instructed, after the usual manner, to execute these
provisions. Whipping, twenty stripes or less. vr;ts
the penalty for non-payment of a fine. *

In 1761, in spite or all that had been done, travel-
ing is declared to be a "growing evil,"' and all as-
sistant justices of the peace are empowered to arrest,
without a written warrant, any person traveling un-
necessarily, and every sheriff, constable, grand jury-
man and tything man was empowered to take such
persons into custody, ' ' upon sight, or present inform -

* Act? and Laws of Conn.. 1750 to 1772. pp. 139—14*.

SABBATH AND SUNDAY. 375

ation of others. Refusal to aid in any such arrest,
when called upon, incurred the usual penalties. *

In 1770, an act was passed allowing all sober per-
sons who conscientiously differed from the estab-
lished worship and ministry of the colony, to
meet together for worship without incurring the
penalties provided for in the preceding laws against
><uch meetings, and against absence from the recog-
nized services, f

Between the time when the colonial government
ceased, and the opening of the nineteenth century,
there were several partial or complete revisions of
the laws of Connecticut, but no material change was
made in the form or spirit of the Sunday laws. In
1808, the entire code was revised. In this revision,
the only noteworthy change consisted in a reduction
of some of the fines imposed for Sunday-breaking. %

The history of the Sunday laws in Connecticut
thus far traced, shows the same results as in Massa-
chusetts, namely, a steady increase of " Sabbath
desecration," so called, while the civil authorities
were putting forth all their power to check it. It
is a signficant fact, full of instruction. It shows that
such legislation defeats itself. The true idea of the
Sabbath is far higher than any civil law can reach,
and more spiritual than human law can express. If
the civil law be made thus stringent, it becomes more
prominent than the law of God. and so becomes

* lb., p. 259.

+ Ib., p 351.
iSee Public Statute Laws of Conn., Hartford, iK>s pp.
577— 581.

3?<5 .SABBATH AND SUNDAY.

practically the standard of action. Such a standard
has no moral power over the conscience and soon
loses its force. The Sabbath, or the day called such,
becomes a civil institution merely, and, thus per-
verted, loses its power, ceases to draw men towards
God, and becomes a failure. Added to this was the
unseriptural theory by which the Sabbath law of tin-
Fourth Commandment was applied to the Sunday,
which of itself must work ruin. Hence it is that
the "New England Sunday," with everything ap-
parently in its favor in the beginning, has steadily
sunk towards the low-ground "European Sab-
bath."

RHODE ISLAM) COLONY LAWS.

The land of Roger Williams must of necessity
have produced Sunday laws different from those of
the other New England colonies. What these laws
were will be clearly seen by the following extracts.
The General Assembly, sitting at Newport, on the
second day of September, 1678, enacted as follows ;

"Voted, this assembly considering that the King-
hath granted us that not any in the colony are to be
molested in the liberty of their consciences, who are 1101
disturbers of the civil peace, and we are persuaded
that a most flourishing civil government, with
loyalty, may he best propagated where liberty
of conscience by any corporal power is not ob-
structed, that is not to any unchasteness of body, and
not by a body doing an}' hurt to a body, neither en-
deavoring so to do, and although we know by man
not any can be forced to worship God, or for to keep
holy or not to keep holy any day ; but forasmuch as
the first days of the weeks it is usual for parents and

SABBATH AND SUNDAY. 37?

masters not to employ their children or servants, as

upon other days, and some others also that are not
under such government, accounting it as spare time
and so spend it in debaistness (debauchery) or tip-
pling, and unlawful games, and wantonness, and
most abominably there practiced by those that live
with the English, at such times to resort to towns.
Therefore, this Assembly, not to oppose or propagate
any worship, hut as by preventing 'debaistness,' al-
though we know masters or parents can not, and are
not, by violence to endeavor to force any under their
government, to any worship or from any worship,
that is not debasing, or disturbing to the civil peace,
but they are to require them, and if that will not
prevail, if they can, they should compel them not to
do what Is debasing, or uncivil, or inhuman, not to
frequent any immodest company or practices.

" Therefore, by his Majesty's authority it is enact
ed, that on the first days of the weeks, whoever he
be that doth let any have any drink, that he or any
other is drunk thereby, besides all other forfeitures
for every one so drunk, they shall forfeit six shilling-,
and for every one that entertains in gaming or tippling
upon the first day of the week, he shall forfeit six
shillings. And by his Majesty's authority, thereby
it is enacted, that for to prevent any such misde-
meanors, if any are so guilty, to discover them, that
every first day of the week, in every town in this
colony there shall be a constable's watch, for every
inhabitant fit to watch, to take his turn, that be-
longeth to the town, or pay for hiring one, so for one
or more to watch in a day as the Town Council
judge necessary to restrain any ' debaistness,' or im-
modesty, or concourse of people, tippling or gaming,
or wantonness, that all modest assemblies ma] nol
lie interrupted ; especially all such that profess to
meet for the worship of God ; if some of them will
be most false worshipers, they should only be strove
against, therefore, with spiritual weapons, if they do

378 SABBATH AND SUNDAY.

not disown thai they should not be condemned, who-
ever they be, that be unchaste with their bodies, ot
with their bodies oppress or do violence to what is
mortal of any man. but, as they should be subject to
such, to suffer for such transgressions, parents may
thereof correct their children and masters then-
servants : and magistrates should be a terror to such
evil dorrs. *

At a genera] assembly held at Newport, May 7th,
1679, the following action was taken :

'• Voted, whereas there hath complaint been made
that sundry persons being evil-minded, have pre-
sumed to employ in servile labor, more than oeces-
sity requireth, their servants and also hire other

men- servants and sell them to labor on the first day
of the week ; for the prevention whereof, be it
enacted, by this assembly and the authority thereof,
that if any person or persons shall employ his ser-
vants, or hire and employ any other man's servant
or servants and set them to labor, as aforesaid, the
person or persons so offending shall, upon proof
thereof made, pay for every offense by him or them
committed, five shillings in money, to the use of
l he poor of the town or place in which the offenses
are committed ; which said five shillings, if the
person offending refuse, upon conviction before
one magistrate, to pay. a warrant under the hand
of one magistrate, directed to the sergeant of the
town where the offense was committed, shall be
his sufficient warrant to take by distraint so much of
the estate of the offending party, together with two
shillings for his service therein.

" And be it further enacted by the authority afore-
said, that if any person or persons shall presume to
sport, game, or play at any manner of game or
games, or shooting, on the first day of the week, as

* R. I. Colonial Records. Vol. 2, pp. 508, 504.

SABBATH AND SUNDAY. 3?9

aforesaid, or shall sit tippling and drinking in any
tavern, ale house, ordinary, victualing house on the
first day of the week, more than necessity requiretJh ,
and upon examination of the fact it shall be judged
by one justice of the peace, the person offending, as
aforesaid, upon conviction before one justice of the
peace, shall, by the said justice of the peace, be sen-
tenced for every of the aforesaid offenses to sit in
the stocks three hours, or pay five shillings in money,
for the use of the town or place where the offense
was committed. " *

Various modification or simple re-enactments of
the Rhode Island Sunday laws were made in 1750
and 1784. In 1798. the laws of the State were re-
vised. The main features of the Sunday laws were
not changed. All work or play was prohibited On
penalty of one dollar for the first offense, and two
dollars for the second. In default of payment, the
offender was to suffer ten days' imprisonment, in the
county jail. The same penalty was imposed for em-
ploying others. All complaints to be made within
ten days after the offense. An appeal was allowed.
Otherwise the law of 1798 was identical with the
present law.-f

NEW YORK.

There was no representative government in what
is now the State of New York, until nearly a cen-
tury after the first settlements were made within its
limits. The records of the first half century of the
existence of the colony of New Netherlands, as it

* lb., Vol. 3, p. 31.
1 Public Laws of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations .
Providence, 1798. pp. 577 to 579.

380 SABBATH AN'D SUNDAY.

was called, are very meager. The government was
administered by officers appointed in Holland. The
religious views of the Hollanders made it impossible
that such an observance of Sunday should obtain in
New Netherlands as was common in New England.

In 1647, Peter Stuyvesant was made "Dictator"'
of the colony. According to the statements of Mr.
Broadhead* the social, civil, and religious affairs of
the colony were in a sad state of decline. The pre-
ceding administration of Kieft had been ruinous in
many respects. On the arrival of Stuyvesant, says
Mr. Broadhead.

'Proclamations were immediately issued with a
zeal and rapidity which promised to make a ' thorough
reformation.' ' Sabbath - breaking, brawling and
drunkenness were forbidden. Publicans were re-
strained from selling liquors, except to travelers, be-
fore two o'clock on Sundays, ' when there is no
preaching,' and after nine o'clock in the evening."

Stuyvesant was a member of the Reformed church
at home, and was probably more strict than the most
of his countrymen. In 1673, each town was em-
powered to make laws against Sabbath-breaking and
other immoralities. f The administration of Stuy-
vesant was the beginning of efforts at Sunday leg-
islation.

In 1601, a representative government was estab
lished under the English crown. In 1695, Oct. 22d.
the first Sunday law was passed by that government.

* History of New Netherlands, first period, p. 466
<■ Documents relating to the colonial History of New York
Vol. •,'. p. 621.

SABBATH AND SUNDAY. 381

It was prefaced by the following preamble, which
gives an idea of the state of the country at that time:

" Whereas, the true and sincere worship of God
according to his holy will and commandments, is often
profaned and neglected by many of the inhabitants
and sojourners in this province, who do not keep
holy the Lord's-day, but in a disorderly manner
accustom themselves to travel, laboring, working,
shooting, fishing, sporting, playing, horse-racing,
frequenting of tippling houses and the using many
other unlawful exercises and pastimes, upon the
Lord's-day, to the great scandal of the holy Chris-
tian faith, be it enacted," etc.

These are the provisions of the law :

1. Six shillings tine for any of the above named
crimes, or any manner of work or play.

2. Any justice of the peace might convict offend-
ers, on " his own sight," "on their confession." or
on the testimony of " one or more witnesses;" tines
were to be collected by distraint, if necessary. In
default of payment, the offender was to sit for three
hours in the "stocks." If any master refused to pay
the fine imposed upon a negro or Indian slave or
servant, said slave or servant was to be whipped
"thirteen lashes." All complaint against offenders
were to be made within one month.

3. It was lawful to travel any distance under
twenty miles, for the purpose of attending public
worship. It was also lawful to " go for a physician
or nurse." These exemptions were not good in favor
of unchristianized Indians.*

* Laws of New York from 1691 to 1773. largre folio editkn .
Vol. 1. pp, 23. 24. New York, 1774.

382 .SABBATH AND SUNDAY.

No other law concerning Sunday observance ap-
pears until after tlie establishment of the State gov-
ernment. In 1778, Feb. 23d, the following was
passed :

• ' Be it enacted by the People of the State of New
York, represented in Senate and Assembly, and it is
hereby enacted by the authority of the same. That
there shall be no traveling, servile laboring or work-
ing (works of necessity and charity excepted),
shooting, fishing, sporting, playing, horse-racing,
hunting, or freqenting of tippling houses, or any
unlawful exercises or pastimes, by any person or
persons, within this State, on the first day of the
week, commonly called Sunday , and that every per-
son being of the age of fourteen years or upwards,
offending in the premises, shall for every such offense
forfeit and pay to the use of the poor of the city or
town, where such offense shall be committed, the
sum of six shillings. And that no person shall cry
show forth or expose to sale any wares, merchan-
dise, fruit, herbs, goods or chattels upon the first day
of the week, commonly called Sunday, except small
meat, and milk, and fish, before nine of the clock in
the morning, upon pain that every person so offending
shall forfeit the same goods so cried, showed forth or
exposed for sale, to the use of the poor of the city or
town where such offense shall be committed, and if
any person offending in any of the premises shall be
thereof convicted, before any justice of the peace for
the county, or any mayor, recorder or alderman of
the city, where the offense shall be committed, upon
the view of the said justice, mayor , recorder or alder-
man, or confession of the party offending, or prooi
of any witness or witnesses upon oath, then the said
justice, mayor, recorder or alderman, before whom
such conviction shall be had, shall direct and send his
warrant, under his hand and seal, to some constable of
the citv or county where the offense shall have been

SABBATH AND SUNDAY. 363

commited, commanding him to seize and take the
goods so cried, showed forth or exposed to sale as
aforesaid, and to .sell the same, and to levy the said
other forfeitures or penalties, by distress and sale of
the goods and chattels of such offenders, and to pay
the money arising by the sale of such goods, and the
said other forfeitures and penalties, to the overseers
of the poor of the city or town, where the said of-
fense or offenses shall have been committed, for the
use of the poor thereof, and in case no such distress
can be had, then every such offender shall, by a
warrant under the hand and seal of the said justice,
mayor, recorder or alderman, be set publicly in the
stocks by the space of two hours.

' And further, that if any person shall be found
fishing, sporting, horse-racing, hunting, gunning, or
going to or returning from any market or landing,
with carts, wagons, or sleds, on the first day of the
week, called Sunday, it shall be lawful for any con-
st.il ilc or other citizen to stop every person so offend-
ing, and to detain him or her until the next day, and
then to carry or convey him or her to some justice
of the peace, to be dealt with according to law.
Provided always. That no person going to or
coming from any church, or place of worship,
within the distance of twenty miles, or going to call
a physician, surgeon or midwife, or carrying a mail
to or from any post-office, or going express by order
of an}' public officer, shall be considered as traveling
within the meaning of this act."

Section second makes the usual exception in favor
of persons actually observing the seventh day, pro-
viding they do not " disturb other persons in the ob-
servance of the first day of the week as holy linn."

Section third prohibits the service of any "civil
process " on Sunday "except in cases of treason,
felony, or breach of the peace," on penalty of the an-

384: SABBATH AND SUNDAY.

Qullmenl of the "process/' and the liability of the

officer for damages to the party thus disturbed. *

In 1798, April 3d, the above law was amended so
as to prohibit keepers of public houses or Uc/uor
stores, of any sort, from "selling or disposing" of
any "strong or spiritous liquors, ale or porter," on
Sunday, to any person or persons, 'except lodgers
and travelers tolerated by law," under penalty of t\\ o
dollars and fifty cents fine for each offense.

Persons engaged in removing their families or
household furniture were freed from the regulations
concerning traveling, when the removal, having been
commenced before Sunday, remained incomplete. }

PENNSYLVANIA.

The early Sunday laws of Pennsylvania were far
less strict than those of the NewT England States. In
1700-1, a general law was passed, John Evans being
Lieutenant Governor, under William Penn, of which
the following is the substance :

1. All general servile work on Sunday, was pro-
hibited on pain of twenty shillings fine. The excep-
tions under this provision were quite numerous.
They allowed the preparing of food in public houses,
the dressing and selling of meat by butchers and
fishermen during the months of June, July and
August, the selling of milk before nine o'clock in
the morning, and the landing of passengers by water-
men during the entire day.

* Laws of New York. Eleventh Session, 1786. chapter 4-,' ,
folio edition.

t Session Laws of New York. 1798. chap. 82.

SABBATH AND SUNDAY. 3H5

2. M o civil process was ser vable on Sunday .

3. Any person found "tippling" in public drink-
ing houses was fined one shilling and six pence. Any
dealer who allowed persons to drink and lounge
about his premises, was liable to pay ten shillings
line. "Taverns" were however allowed to sell to
regular inmates and travelers "in moderation."*

There were various changes and modifications of
this law, from time to time, up to 1786, when all
former laws were repealed and a new one enacted.
The new law imposed thirty shillings tine for work-
ing or sporting. It excepted " boatmen," " water-
men," "stage coaches (having the consent of a justice
on extraordinary occasions), " the general work of
preparing food, and the "delivery of milk and other
necessaries of life," before nine o'clock in the morn-
ing, and after five o'clock in the afternoon. Any
offender, in default of payment of his fine, was liable
to imprisonment, f

In 1794, the above law was repealed, and its place
supplied by one differing only in a few particulars.
By it the general fine was placed at four dollars, and
' ' persons removing their families " were placed upon
rhe list of exceptions under the head of traveling. %

There has been but little, if any, change in the
statute Sunday law of Pennsylvania since 1794.
There have been, however, certain decisions of the

* Acts of the Assembly of the Province of Pennsylvania,
Vol. 1, pp. 19—21, folio edition, Phila., 1762.

tLaws of Pennsylvania, Vol. 2, chap. 297, folio edition
1762.

t lb., chap. 1747, 8mo. edition, PhD., 1803.

(25)

386 SABBATH AID SUNDAY.

courts, under which there has beeu from time to
time greater infringement upon the liberty of con-
science than in any other State since the days of Puri-
tan illiberalism. The following is a specimen de-
cision :

"This act is binding on Jews and others who keep
the seventh day as their Sabbath."

VIRGINIA.

The early laws of Virginia have some resemblance
to those of New England. .

Hon. R. W. Thompson, Secretary of the Navy, in
an address delivered in Washington, May 16, 1880.
makes the following statement concerning a law
made before the organization of the regular Assem-
bly in 1619:

" The very first statute passed by the Cavaliers
of Virginia provided that he who did not attend
church on Sunday, should pay a fine of two pounds
of tobacco. This was the first law ever enacted in
the United States, and was passed in 1617, three
years before the Puritans landed at Plymouth." *

In 1623, a law was passed in these words :

' ' Whosoever shall absent himself from divine ser-
vice any Sunday without an allowed excuse, shall for-
feit a pound of tobacco ; and he that absents himself
for a month shall forfeit fifty pounds of tobacco, "f

In 1629, the authorities were ordered to take care
that the above law was carefully executed, and to
"see that the Sabbath-day be not ordinarily profaned
by working in any employments, or by journeying

from place to place." f .

* Sabbath Doc. No. 45, p. 15, New York.
t Laws of Virginia, Vol. 1, p. 123. t lb., p. 144.

SABBATH AND SUNDAY. 387

In 1642, "church wardens" are bound by their
oath of office, to present to the civil authorities all
cases of " profaning God's name, and his holy Sab-
baths." In the same year it was "enacted for the
better observation of the Sabbath, that no person or
persons shall take a voyage upon the same, except it
be to church, or for other causes of extreme neces-
sity, upon the penalty of the forfeiture for such of-
fense, of twenty pounds of tobacco."* In 1657-8,
this law was extended so as to prohibit "traveling.,
loading of boats, shooting of game, and the like,"
and the penalty was increased to "one hundred
pounds of tobacco," or a place in the " stocks." The
execution of any ordinary civil process is also for-
bidden during this year, f In 1691, the penalty was
changed to " twenty shillings," and in 1696, to
"thirty shillings or two hundred pounds of tobacco."
In 1705, the specifications of the law were increased,
and all general acts of profanation by working, play-
ing, drinking, etc., and also absence from church for
one month, were included in one class, the penalty
being "five shillings or fifty pounds of tobacco."
In default of payment, the offender was subjected to
" ten lashes." %

In 1786, a more elaborate code was passed, the
substance of which was as follows :

1. All ministers properly licensed, and faithful to
the commonwealth, were exempted from arrest on

*Ib.,pp. 240 and 261.

tlb\ pp. 434 and 457.

X lb., Vol. 3, pp. 73, 138 and 361.

388 9ABBATH AND SUNDAY.

any civil process while performing public religious
duties.

2. "Maliciously disturbing any public religious
meeting, was made punishable by fine and imprison-
ment.

3. All labor, whether performed by one's self, or
by one's employes, was made liable to a fine of ten
shillings.*

In 1792, the foregoing law was re-enacted with
little or no change. In 1801, a law was passed for
bidding any one to trade with slaves on Sunday,
without the consent of their masters, under penalty
of ten dollars fine above the usual punishment for
• ' Sabbath-breaking. " f

In 1S19. certain restrictions were placed upon the
•' excessive drinking'' on Sunday, or other days of
religious worship appointed by public authority, the
penalty of the liquor seller being the " loss of his
license, "t

ENFORCEMENT OF SUNDAY LAWS IN THE NEW ENG-
LAND COLONIES

Such was the Sunday Legislation during the Col-
onial period and in the leading colonies of the United
States. The history of that period gives ample proof
that the Sunday Laws were not a "dead letter." A
few examples relative to their enforcement are here
given. It would be tedious and useless to note every
instance in which these laws were executed. The

* lb., Vol. 12, pp. 336, 337.
t Acts of the Assembly of Virginia, Vol. 1. pp. 276. 432.
Richmond, 1803.

X Revised Code of 1819. p. 283.

SABBATH AND SUNDAY. 3&9

majority of the cases were, doubtless, disposed of by
the common magistrates, and hence do not appear
upon the records of the higher courts. A few repre-
sentative instances are given.

October 0, 1636, John Barnes was found guilty
of " Sabbath -breaking" by a jury, and fined "thirty
shillings," and "made to sit in the stocks one hour."
In 1637, Stephen Hopkins was presented for "suf-
fering men to drink at his house upon the Lord's-
day." Two years later, Web Adey was arraigned
for working in his garden on Sunday. Before the
year closes he repeats the offense and is " set in the
stocks" and "whipped at the post."*

In 1649, John Shaw was set in the stocks for "at-
tending tar pits " on Sunday, and Stephen Bryant
was arrested, and "admonished," for carrying a
barrel to the same pits on the same day. The next
year, 1650, Edward Hunt was arrested for shooting
at deer on Sunday, Go wan White and Z. Hick called
to account for " traveling from Weymoulh to Scitu-
ate on the Lord's-day." In 1651, Elizabeth Eddy was
arrested for " wringing and hanging out clothes on
the Lord's-day in .time of service." Aurther How-
land, for not attending church, and Nathaniel Basset
and Joseph Pryor, for " disturbing the church of
Duxburrow," were also called to answer the de-
mands of the law. f

In 1651-2, Abraham Pierce, Henry Clarke and
Thurston Clarke, Jr., wen arrested for lazily

* Plymouth Colony Records, Vol. 1. pp. 44, 68, 86, 92.
t Plyjnouth Oolony Records, pp. 140, r>'i, 166, 173 \.

:J9<> SABBATH AND SUNDAY.

spending Sunday, and staying away from public
service. Two or three years later, Peter Gaunt
Ralph Allen, Sen. and George Allen appeared to
a ns wer to a similar charge, and William Chase was
called to answer for having driven a pair of oxen in
the yoke "'about five miles on the Lord's-day, in
time of exercise.'' In 1058, Lieutenant James Wyatt
was " sharpely reproved " for writing a business note
on Sunday, ' ' at least in the evening somewhat too
soon." At the same time, Sarah Kirby was "pub
licly whipped " for disturbing public worship, and
Ralph Jones paid "ten shillings fine" for stay-
ing at home when the authorities thought he had
ought to have been at church, f Similar cases might
be quoted until many pages were filled, in which the
reader would see that not only ordinary manual
labor on Sunday was punished, but ' ' whipping of
servants," playing at cards," "smoking tobacco,"
etc., were sharply dealt with. Those were times
when laws were made to be executed. Duty was the
central idea in the Puritan system, and zeal was ever
on the alert to perform what conscience or law de-
manded. The "Blue Laws" which exist in tradi-
tion, though sometimes exaggerated, and facetiously
misrepresented, are a fair index to the rigid spirit of
those days. The compilations of the* " Blue Laws"
by Barber and Smucker are mainly, if not entirely
correct. At the time of the adoption of the State
Constitutions, corporal pimishment in the "stocks"
and the "cage," and at the "whipping post" was

+ Plymouth Colony Records, Vol. 3, pp. 5, 10. 52, 74. 111. 11*.

SABBATH AND SUNDAY. 391

becoming obsolete. Since the opening of the present
century, the execution of these laws has been less
frequent. The results of the test made during those
earlier times indicate that Sunday-keeping cannot
be brought about by civil legislation.

CHAPTER XXVL

Jhe Sabbath in ^merica

The same Divine Hand which guarded the Sabbath
through the dark centuries between the first great
apostasy and the Reformation, transferred it from
England to America, the last battle-ground whereon
the great reforms of modern times have been and
are being carried forward. True Sabbath reform
could not find a place among the masses until that
second great error, the "Puritan Sunday " had borne
its fruit, decayed in weakness, and crumbled from
the hands of the Church. This trial could best be
made in America. Hence, guided by that "divinity
which shapes our ends," in 1664 Stephen Mumford
emigrated from England to Newport, Rhode Island.
He brought with him the opinion that the Ten
Commandments as they were delivered from Mount
Sinai, where moral and immutable, and that it was
an anti-Christian power which changed the Sabbath
from the Seventh to the first day of the week." He
united with the Baptist Church in Newport, and
soon gained several of its members to the observance
of the Sabbath. This led to much discussion, and
finally an open separation took place, and the first
Seventh-day Baptist Church in America was organ-
ized by these Sabbath -keepers in the month of De-

SABBATH AXD SUNDAY. 393

oeinber, 1671.* "William Hiscox was chosen and
ordained their pastor which office he filled until his
death in 1704. Pie was succeeded by William Gib-
son, a minister from London, who continued to labor
among them until he died, in 1717. Joseph Crandall.
who had been his colleague for two years, was selected
to succeed him and presided over the church until he
died, in 1737. Joseph Maxson and Thomas Hiscox
were evangelists of the church about this time, the f or
iuer having been chosen in 1732, he died in 1748. John
Maxson was chosen pastor in 1754, and performed the
duties of the office until 1778. He was followed by
William Bliss, who served the church as pastor until
his death in 1808, at the age of 81 years. Henry Bur-
dick, succeeded to the pastorate of the church, and
occupied thai, post until his death. Besides its regu-
lar pastors, the Newport Church ordained several
ministers, who labored with great usefulness, both
at home and abroad. The church also included
among its early members several prominent public
men, one of whom, Richard Ward, Governor of the
State of Rhode Island, is well known to history.

• For more than thirty y§ars after its organization,
the Newport Church included nearly all persons ob-
serving the Seventh-day in Rhode Island and Cou-
nocticul : and its pastors were accustomed to hold
religious meetings at several places, for the better
accommodation of the widely-scattered membership.

,*A full and interesting account of the formation of this
Church with a complete account of the discussions and final
separation, may be found in Vol 1. of the Seventh-day Rap-
■<<t Memorial, pp 22 1<> 16

394 SABBATH AND SUNDAY.

In 1708, however, the brethren living in what was
then called Westerly, R. I., comprehending all the
south-western part of the State, thought best to form
another society. Accordingly they proceeded to
organize a church, now called the First Hopkinton,
which had a succession of worthy pastors,became very
numerous, and built three meeting-houses for the
accommodation of the members in different neigh-
borhoods." * In this last place Mr. Backus adds the
following notice in connection with his list of the
pastors of what he calls the ' ' Third Church in New
port, who keep the Seventh-day. Mr. Ebenezer
David, (who was first converted in Providence Col-
lege, and took his first degree there in 1772) belonged
to this church ; and having been a chaplain, much
esteemed, in our army, died therein, not far from
Philadelphia, a few days after Mr. Maxson."

The agitation concerning the Sabbath which the
early Seventh-day Baptists induced was not confined
to Newport. Mr. Backus saysf that the Baptists in
Boston sent a kind letter to these Sabbath-keepers
before their separation from Mr. Clarke's Church,
urging them not to chi<^. as " apostates, " certain
ones who had left the Sabbath, and not to separate
themselves from their church relations with the
First-day Baptists. In another place,! Mr. Backus
gives a long letter from Roger Williams, to Mr.
Hubbard a member of the Newport Seventh-day

* See manual of the Seventh-day Baptists, pp. 40, 41, also
Backus's History of New England, Vol. 1. p. 411, and Vol. 2,
p. 398.

+ Hist. of New England, Vol. 1. p. 411.
tVol. 1. pp. 510— 12.

SABBATH AND SUNDAY. 395

Baptist Church, who had called Mr. William's at-
tention to the claims of the Seventh-day as the only
Sabbath. Mr. Williams professes to have studied
the subject carefully, but to be unable to agree with
Mr. Hubbard's views concerning it. The following
letter from a prominent Seventh-day Baptist in Lon-
don, which was written because of the persecution of
Sabbath-keepers in Connecticut is a specimen of the
correspondence on this question at the time.

"Peter Chamberlain senior doctor. of both Uni-
versities, and first and eldest physician in ordinary
to his majesty's person, according to the world, but
according to grace, a servant of the Word of God, to
the excellent and noble governor of New England ;
grace, mercy, peace and truth, from God our Father,
and from our Lord Jesus Christ ; praying for you
that you may abound in heavenly graces and tem-
poral comforts.''

The letter goes on to say that the first design of
the men of New England was to establish a system
of civil and religious liberty, a system to " suppress
sin, but not to suppress liberty of conscience." He
argues, showing great familiarity with the Scrip
tures, that "whatever is against the Ten Command
ments is sin," and closes as follows :

" While Moses and Solomon caution men so much
against adding to or taking from — Deut. 4 : 2, Prov.
30 : 5, 6— and so doth the beloved apostle Rev. 22 :
18, 19, what shall we say of those that take away
of those ten words, or those that make them void,
and teach men so ! Nay, they dare to give the lie to
Jehovah, and make Jesus Christ not only the breaker
of the law, but the very author of sin in others, also

396 SABBATH AND SUNDAY.

causing them to break them. Hath not the ' Little
Horn' played his part lustily in this and worn out
the saints of the Most High, so that they became
' Little Horn' men also ? If you are pleased to in-
quire about these things and to require any instance*
or informations be pleased by your letters to com-
mand it from your humble servant in the Lord Jesus,
Chris! "

Peter Chamberlain.

Mr. Backus also notices a similar correspondence
between Dr. Chamberlain and one Mr. Olney, about
the same time. *

In Felt's Ecclesiastical History of New England,
is found the following under date of April 3, 1646 ;

"John Cotton writes an argument to Thomas
Sheppard to prove that the first day of the week,
and not the seventh, should be observed as the
Christian Sabbath. This subject was much discussed
by New England ministers against objectors." f

On page 614 of the same volume is a similar notice
of a letter from one Mr. Hooker to Mr. Sheppard on
the same theme. Copies of a small book on the Sab-
bath, written by this same Thomas Sheppard and pub
lished at an early day in Connecticut, are still extant.
These facts, and the one already referred to, that
many prominent and learned men, both in the colony
< »f Rhode Island and in England were Seventh-day
Baptists, show that the agitation concerning the
Sabbath was neither feeble in character, nor meager
in extent.

Such was the beginning of the Seventh-day Bap

* Ibid.
tVpl. l.p. 50,;.

SABBATH AND SUNDAY. 397

tists in New England. Those who wish to read
more concerning the foregoing points, are referred
to the different works quoted, especially the Seventh-
day Baptist Memorial. f

The second branch of the Seventh day Baptist
Church in America was also planted hy emigration
from England. About the year 1684, Abel Noble a
Seventh-day Baptist Minister from London settled
near Philadelphia. The following extract from a
late work by Rev. James Bailey f gives the follow-
ing :

"Able Noble arrived in this country about th«'
year 1784, and located near Philadelphia. He was a
Seventh-day Baptist Minister when he came. About
this time a difference arose among the Quakers in
reference to the sufficiency of what every man has
naturally within himself for the purpose of his own
salvation. This difference resulted in a separation
under the leadership of George Keith. These seced-
ers were soon after known as Keithian Baptists.
Through the labors of Able Noble, many of them
embraced the Bible Sabbath and were organized into
churches near the year 1700. These churches were
Newton, Pennepeck, Nottingham and French Creek,
and probably, Conogocheage." ..." The churches
of Pennsylvania fraternized with the churches in
Rhode Island and New Jersey, and counseled them
in matters of discipline. Some of their members also
united with these churches. Some of them, with
some members of the church of Piscataway, and
others of Cohansey, near Princeton, emigrated to the
Parish of St. Mark, S. C, and formed a church on

1 Vol. 1.
t History of the Seventh-dav Baptist General Conference,
pp. 11—15.

398 SABBATH AND SUNDAY.

Broad River in 1754. Five years later, in 1759, eight
families removed from Broad River and formed a
settlement and a church at Tuckaseeking, in Georgia.
These churches have long since become extinct." f

Speaking again of the Pennsylvania churches.
Mr. Bailey says :

"Rev. Enoch David was, for several years, con-
nected with these churches as their preacher." . . .
" He was the son of Owen David, who emigrated
from Wales. He lived some time in Philadelphia,
and labored as a tailor." ..." The churches com-
ing out from the Keithian Quakers, and known as
the Keithian Baptists and Seventh-day Baptists, re-
tained many of their former habits, and in a few
years, b}r divisions and removals, ceased to exist as
distinct chinches. They were very numerous in
their most prosperous days. There are, however,
many of their descendents in connection with our
Southern and Western churches."

The third branch of the American Seventh-day
Baptists originated from causes quite unlike those
which gave birth to the two already meutioned.
Edmund Dunham was the originator of this move-
ment. He was a member of the First-day Baptist
Church, in Piscataway, Middlesex county, New Jer-
sey. About the year 1700, he had occasion to re-
buke one Mr. Bonham for laboring on Sunday. Mr.
Bonham replied by demanding the divine authority
for the observance of Sunday as the Sabbath. Eager
to answer this demand, Dunham began to search
God's Word for that which he supposed could easily

t Traces of these Sabbath-keepers are still found in the
South.

SABBATH AND SUNDAY. 399

be found. His investigations led him to discard the
Sunday and to embrace the Bible Sabbath. Others
soon followed his example, and in 1705 the Piscata-
way Seventh-day Baptist Church was organized:
Edmund Dunham was chosen pastor and sent to
Rhode Island where he received ordination. At his
death, his son Jonathan Dunham succeeded him in
the pastorate. This church still flourishes at New
Market New Jersey ; and several other churches have
been formed directly and indirectly from it.

The Seventh-day Baptists have spread from these
three points, westward and southward, slowly but
steadily. The report of their General Conference for
1884 shows an aggregate of 94 churches, with 8,655
members in the United States, England, Holland and
China, The odds against which their existence has
been maintained has made them much stronger than
their numbers indicate. Their existence has been
perpetuated and their growth secured under the con-
viction that God has commissioned them to uphold
the doctrine of fealty to his law, until the Christian
Church through its repeated failures to establish and
maintain the sacredness of Sunday, either by the at-
tempted transfer of the Fourth Commandment, or
by the aid of the civil law, shall come to see that on
God's law alone can either the idea of the" Sabbath
.■or the day of the Sabbath be maintained. The
struggle for more than two hundred years has de-
manded much of patience and faith. The prospects
ni the present (1885) add hope to their undiminished

400 SABBATH AND SUNDAY.

patience and faith, that the redemption of the Sab

hath question from error is "at the doors."

Theologically, the Seventh-day Baptists have a!
ways been known as "thoroughly evangelical." In
matters of general reform, moral and political, they
have always been at the front. In the work of
higher education they have done more than the aver-
age of other denominations in propotion to their num-
bers. Sabbath-keeping is not the product of see-
tarian bigotry, in their case, but the fruitage of a
settled conviction that a return to the observance of
the Sabbath is the only salvation from the morass of
Sunday holidayism and dissipation. Time alone
can test their faith, and that test they patiently await.

THE SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTISTS.

This body of Sabbath-keepers has arisen during
the past thirty-eight years, and is particularly dis-
tinguished by the fact that they are believers in the
near advent of our Lord. To form a just judgment
of this people, who in several respects differ from
the Seventh-day Baptists, it is necessary to consider
their position from their own stand-point. The ad
vent movement of of 1843 — 4, as believed and cher-
ished by them, led directly to the Sabbath of the
fourth commandment. That movement was based
upon three leading ideas :

1. That the great outlines of prophecy in the books
of Daniel and Revelation, as the metallic image, the
great beasts, the seals, the trumpets, and other pro*
phetic seiies indicate the accomplishment of the long

SABBATH AXD SUNDAY. 401

period of Gentile rule, and the immediate advent of
Christ and the judgment.

2. That the signs of the times mark these as the
days of expectation of that event.

3. That the prophetic periods which relate to the
closing events of our dispensation, and especially the
2300 days of Daniel 8 : 14, point to 1843-4, as the
the year of their termination.

In studying the subject of prophetic time, they
took the ninth chapter of Daniel as the key to the
eighth. The period of 2300 days was therefore held to
begin with the seven weeks at the going forth of the
commandment to restore and build Jerusalem, B. C.
457. Ezra 7. Taking 457 from 2300 leaves 1843 for
the year of the cleansing of the sanctuary. So the
advent of Christ was expected that year, because the
sanctuary was believed to be the earth, and its
cleansing to be by fire at the coming of the Lord.

When 1844 had passed without the expected ad-
vent of Christ, the entire subject of the advent faith
was re-examined and new questions were raised. Is
the course of earthly empire as marked by Daniel
and John just ready to expire ? This appeared to
the Adventists an undoubted fact. Is the millennium
before or after Christ's advent? After that event,
said they. Have the signs of Christ's second coming
made their appearance ? So the Adventists decided.
Have the 2300 days been rightly reckoned ? Is the
earth the sanctuary ? Is the sanctuary to be cleansed
by fire? Does the Saylour cleanse the sanctuary

(26)

402 SABBATH AND SUNDAY.

when he comes the second time, or does this take place
before that event ?

The conclusion was arrived at from this re-exami-
nation that the 2300 days were ended, and that they
indicated, not the close of human probation, but the
commencement of the great work in the sanctuary
which should bring the work of mercy to a final ter-
mination.

So the advent movement led directly to the
heavenly sanctuary ; and with equal directness to the
Sabbath of the fourth commandment. For it was
seen that the heavenly tabernacle with its sacred
vessels was the great original after which Moses
copied in making the tabernacle and all the vessels
of the ministry. Ex. 25, Heb. 9. It was further
seen that the heavenly sanctuary had the same grand
central object as the earthly, viz : the ark of God's
testament. Rev. 11 : 19, Ex. 40 : 20, 21, Deut. 10 :
8, 5. The ark containing the Ten Commandments,
with the mercy seat for its top, was that over which
the typical atonement was made ; and hence the real
atonement must relate to that law concerning which
an atonement was shadowed forth. Lev. 16 : 15.
And so the heavenly sanctuary contains the ark after
which Moses patterned when he obeyed the mandate
•' see that thou make all things according to the pat-
tern showed to thee in the mount," Heb. 8 : 5 ; 9 : 23.
And in that ark is the original of that law which the
great Law-giver copied with his own finger for the
ark of the earthly sanctuary. Ex. 20 : 24, Deut. 9 :
10. And this great fact clearly indicates that the

SABBATH AND SUNDAY. 403

Ten Coniraandments constitute the moral law to
which the atonement relates ; that they are distinct
from the law of types and shadows ; that they are un-
changeable in their character, and of perpetual obli-
gation ; that our Lord, as high-priest, ministers before
a real law ; that men in the gospel dispensation
must obey the law of the Ten Commandments ; and so
the Sabbath of the fourth commandment was found
among the things which are as immutable as the
pillars of heaven.

Thus the study of the heavenly sanctuary opened
to their minds the Sabbath and the law of God.
And so the ancient Sabbath of the Bible became
with this people a part of the advent faith.

The Sabbath was introduced to the attention of
of the advent people first at Washington, N. H., by a
faithful Seventh-day Baptist sister by the name of
Preston.

A word relative to this woman may be in place.
Rachel D. Harris was born in Vernon, Vt. When
she was twenty-eight years of age she became a be-
liever in the Bible Sabbath. She was faithful to her
convictions of duty and united with the Seventh-day
Baptist Church of Verona, Oneida Co., N. Y. Her
first husband bore the name of Oaks. Her second
that of Preston. She and her daughter, Delight
Oaks, were members of the Seventh-day Baptist
Church of Verona, N. Y., at the time ot their re-
moval to Washington, N. H. These sisters were
faithful to the truth, were instrumental in raising up

404 SABBATH AND SUNDAY.

the first church of Sabbath-keeping Adventists. and
from this church the light shone forth upon those
who have been instrumental in turning thousands to

the Sabbath.

CHAPTER XXVII.

Sunday in the Creeds of the

P

HURCHES.

It is truly .said that ' ' men are often better than their
creeds." It is equally true that formulas and state-
ments remain in the written symbols of faith long
after they have become a dead letter. The reader
must be left to decide how well the practice of the
churches accords with their creeds as given below.
We give, with little or no comment., the formulated
faith of the representative denominations in the
United States.

THE ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH.

Concerning the " Rule of Faith," in general the
Catholic Church speaks as follows :

. " Q. What is the rule of our faith left us b}^ Jesus
Christ ?

A. The Christian world, as it stands at present,
is divided into two great bodies in regard to this
point. All, indeed, agree in this, that the Hol}T
Scriptures, being dictated by the Holy Ghost, are
truly the Word of God, and are, therefore, infallibly
true in what they teach, both as to what we are to
believe, and as to what we are to do in order to be
saved. But, as the divine truths contained in them
cannot be known without understanding the true

406 SABBATH AND SUNDAY.

sense of these sacred writings, hence the great ques-
tion arises : How is the true sense of the Scriptures to
be known ? One of the two great bodies of Christians,
to wit, the Protestants, affirm that the true sense of
the Scriptures may be sufficiently known in all things
necessary to salvation, by every man of sound judg-
ment who reads them with humility and attention ;
and therefore they hold, that the rule left by Jesus
Christ to man for knowing what we are to believe,
and what we are to do in order to be saved, is the
written Word alone, as interpreted by every man of
sound judgment. The other great body of Chris-
tians, namely the Roman Catholics, affirm that the
true sense of the Scriptures cannot be sufficiently
known by any private interpretation, but only by
the public authority of the Church ; and, therefore,
they hold that the rule left us by Jesus Christ, is the
the written Word as interpreted by the Church.'' *

The same writer defines the commands of the
Church as follows :

" Q. What do you mean by the commands of the
Church ?

A. The commands of the Church, in general,
signify all those laws, rules and regulations which
the pastors Of the Church have made, for the per-
fecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry,
and for the edification of the body of Christ ; but what
is meant in particular by the commands or precepts
Of the Church, are six general laws, which are of
more eminent note in the Church, both on account
of their antiquity (having been observed, as to their
substance, from the very first ages) and on account also
of their universality, as obliging every member of
the Church whom they concern, f

*The Sincere Christian Instructed, etc., by Right Rev.
Doctor George Hay, Chap. XI, pp. 119, 120, Boston edition,
tlbid.. Chap. 16, pp. 168, 169.

SABBATH AND SUNDAY. 407

Q. What is the first command of the Church ?

A. To hear mass on Sundays and holidays, and to
rest from servile work. . . .

Q. Are these holidays of God's appointment under
the old law binding upon Christians under the gos
pel?

A. By no means ; they were instituted in memory
of the particular temporal benefits bestowed on the
people of Israel, and were binding on them alone ;
and, like the rest of the exterior of their religion,
which was all a figure of the good things to come
under the gospel, they were figures of the Christian
holidays, which were to be ordained by the church
of Christ, in memory of the spiritual benefits bestowed
by him on Christians, and therefore were fulfilled
and done away when the Christian religion was es-
tablished.

Q. By whom are the Christian holidays appointed?

A. By the church of Christ ; which also, by the
authority and power given her by her divine Spouse,
ordained the Sunday or first day of the week, to be
kept holy, instead of Saturday, or the seventh day,
which was ordained to be kept holy among the Jews
by God himself. . . .

Q. In what manner does the Church command
these holidays to be kept ?

A. In the same manner as the Sundays ; by ab-
staining from all unnecessary servile works, and em-
ploying such a portion of the day in the exercises of
piety and devotion, that we maybe truly said to keep
the day holy, and particularly to assist at the holy
sacrifice of the mass.

Q. Why are the holidays commanded to be kepi
the same way as the Sundays ?

A. Because (1) the intention of instituting both
Sundays and holidays is the same. (2) God com-
manded the holidays of the old law to be kept in the
same way as the Sabbath ; and as these were only
figures of the Sundays and holidays of the new law.

40$ SABBATH AND SUNDAY.

if this was done in the figure, where only temporal
benefits were commemorated, much more ought it to
be done in the substance, which regards the great
spiritual benefits of our redemption."*

Such is the basis of Sunday observance in the Ro-
man Catholic Church. This "Ecclesiastical" theory
is prominent in all the reformed churches on the
continent of Europe, and underlies all other theories
of Sunday observance among Protestants. The
earlier laws of the Church of England made the same
classification, placing Sunday with the other holi-
days. The present theory of that church, as defined
by one of its most scholarly writers on the Sabbath
question, Dr. Hessey, is a modified form of Romish
theory, but yet resting on an ecclesiastical basis. He
Bays :

"We are warranted then, I think, in concluding
that so far as her fully authorized documents are
concerned, the Church of England does not pro-
nounce in favor either of the purely ecclesiasti-
cal, or of the Sunday- Sabbatarian view of the Lord's-
day. Not of the former, for the day is of divine in-
stitution. Not of the latter, for though she presents
the parable of the Jewish law as a reminder that the
Sunday is of divine institution, she does not assert
that the Sabbath is continued. So far as those docu-
ments are concerned we seem to be justified in
• standing in the ways and seeing, and asking for
the old paths, where is the good way, and walking
therein,' if happily thereby, we 'may find rest for
our souls.'" f

THE PEOTESTANT EPISCOPAL CHURCH.

This church in Ainerica rests upon the same doc-

* The Sincere Christian Instructed, etc., chap. 15, sec. 1, pp.
170, 1?1. t Sunday Lee. 7, pp. 195, 196.

SABBATH AND SUNDAY. 409

trinal basis as the Church of England. In a " Cate-
chism on the Doctrines, Usages and Holy Days of
the Protestant Episcopal Church," we find a number
of questions and answers which form a sort of
Puritan theory on an ecclesiastical basis. So far as
these refer to the earl}' history of Sunday, espeeialhr
during the patristic period, they are remarkable for
the ignorance they evince, concerning the latest in-
vestigations in that department, or else for their in-
difference to the results which those investigations
have reached. The following are some of the ques-
tions :

SUNDAY, OK THE LORD'S-DAY.

" Q. What day of the week does the Christian
Church keep holy ?

A. The first day of the week, called Sunday.

Q. What authority have we for the change of this
day from the seventh to the first day ?

A. The authority and practice of the Holy Apos-
tles, and the Church in all ages.

Q. Why was Sunday made the great day for
Christian rest and worship ?

A. Because the resurrection of Christ took place
on the first day of the week.

Q. Would the Apostles have changed the day if
Christ had not instructed them to do so ?

A. No, they acted under his inspiration and by
his authority.'

- Q. When did Jesus instruct his disciples ? Acts
1:2,3;

A. In the three years of his ministry, and also
during the forty days between his resurrection and
ascension, when he gave commandments to the Apos-
tles whom he had chosen, and spake of the things
pertaining to the kingdom of God.

410 SABBATH AND SUNDAY.

Q. Did Christ claim to control the Sabbath? Luke
6: 5.

A Yes, he declared ' the Son of man is Lord also
of the Sabbath.'

Q. Have Christians always kept the first day since
our Saviour's time ?

A. Yes, they have, in all ages of the Church, and
this universal observance of the first day proves that
it must have been so ordered bv Christ and his Apos-
tles.

Q. What happened on the first Lord's-day.

A, Jesus Christ arose from the dead, and on the
evening of the same day appeared to his disciples,
and gave them their commission. John 20 : 21, 22.

Q. What happened on the next Sunday ? John
20 : 27.

A. Jesus appeared to the disciples again, when he
gave St. Thomas the proof he required to confirm
his faith."

Then follow the usual references to the day of
Pentecost, Acts 2:4; also the reference to Acts 20 : 7
and Rev. 1 : 10. *

THE WESTMLNSTEK CONFESSION AND TIIE SUNDAY.

The Westminster Confession forms the basis of
the doctrines of the Presbyterian, Congregational,
and Baptist branches of the Church, which have
been developed from the Puritan stock in England,
Scotland, and America The general modifications
which have been made in the creed have not materially
affected its statements concerning the Sabbath ques-
tion. Chapter 21 treats of ' ' Religious Worship, and
the Sabbath-day." Sections 7 and 8, are as follows :

* Catechism, as above, pp. 8—11, Church and Book Society,
New York.

SABBATH AND SUNDAY. 411

"As it is of the law of nature, that, in general, a
due proportion of time be set apart for the worship
of God so, in his Word, by a positive, moral and
perpetual commandment, binding all men in all ages,
he hath particularly appointed one day in seven for
a Sabbath, to be kept holy unto him (Ex. 20 : 8, 10,
11 ; Isa. 56 : 2, 4, 6, 7), which from the beginning of
the world to the resurrection of Christ, was the last
day of the week, (Gen. 2 : 2, 3 ; 1 Cor. 16 : 1, 2 : Acts
20 : 7), and from the resurrection of Christ was
changed into the first day of the week, which in
Scripture is called the Lord's-day (Rev. 1 : 10), and
is to be continued to the end of the world as the
Christian Sabbath." (Ex. 20: 8, 10, with Matt. 5:
17, 18.)

"This Sabbath is then kept holy unto the Lord,
when men, after a due preparing of their hearts and
ordering of their common affairs beforehand, do not
only observe an holy rest all the day from their own
works, words and thoughts about their worldly
employments and recreations (Ex. 20 : 8 ; 16 : 23, 25,
26, 29, 30 ; 31 : 15-17, Isa. 58 : 13, Neh. 13 : 15-22),
but also are taken up the whole time in the public
and private exercises of his worship, and in the du-
ties of necessity and mercy." (Isa. 58 : 13 ; Matt. 12 :
1-13.)*

Those branches of the Church which have sprung
from the "Continental" stock, and have found a
home in America, are less positive and rigid in their
Sunday creeds. The Reformed Church in America
(Dutch) accepts the "Heidelburg Catechism," and
the "Canons of the Synod of Dort," as doctrinal
standards. The catechism, as issued by the Board of
Publication, New York, varies slightly from the

*Schaff, Creeds of Christendom, Vol. 3, pp. 648, 649.

412 SABBATH AND SIN DAY.

text as given by Dr. Schaff,* and adds references- to
the Scriptures which are assumed to support the
statements made in answer to the 103d question.
The following is from the American edition:

' Q. 103. What doth God require in the fourth
command ?

A. First ; that the ministry of the gospel, and the
schools be maintained ; and that I, especially on the
Sabbath, that is, on the day of rest, diligently fre-
quent the church of God, to hear his Word, to use
the sacraments, publicly to call on the Lord, and
contribute to the relief of the poor, as becomes a
Christian ; secondly, that all the days of my life I
cease from my evil works, and yield myself to the
I .oid, to work by his Holy Spirit in me ; and thus
begin in this life the eternal Sabbath."

In the "Canons of Dort." and in the " Belgic Con-
fession " as accepted by this church in America, no
reference is made to the observance of Sunda}T. f

The Lutheran Church, accepting the "Augsburg
Confession," teaches the ecclesiastical theory. Wit-
ness the following :

" What shall we think, then, of the Lord's-day and
church ordinances and ceremonies ? To this our
learned men respond, that it is lawful for bishops or
pastors to make ordinances, that things be done
< »rderly in the church ; not that we should purchase
•by them remission of sins, or that we can satisfy for
sins, or that consciences are bound to judge them
necessary, or to think that they sin who without
offending others break them." . . .

' 'Even such is the observation of the Lord's-day,

* Creeds, etc., Vol. 3, p. 345.
t lb., Vol. 3.

SABBATH AND SUNDAY. 413

of Easter, of Pentecost, and the like holy days and
rites. For they that judge that by the authority of
the Church, the observing of Sunday, instead of the
Sabbath-day, was ordained as a thing necessary, do
greatly err/ The Scripture permits and grants that
the keeping of the Sabbath-day is now free, for it
teaches that the ceremonies of Moses' law, since the
revelation of the gospel, are not necessary. And yet
because it was needful to ordain a certain day, that
the people might know when they ought to come to-
gether, it appears that the church did appoint Sun-
day, which day, as it appears, pleased them rather
than the Sabbath-day, even for this cause, that men
might have an example of Christian liberty, and
might know that the keeping and observance of either
Saturday, or any other day, is not necessary."

' ' There are wonderful disputations concerning the
changing of the law, the ceremonies of the new law,
the changing of the Sabbath-day, which all have
sprung from a false persuasion and belief of men.
who thought that there must needs be in the Church
an honoring of God, like the Levitical law, and that
Christ committed to the apostles and bishops au-
thority to invent and find out ceremonies necessary
to> salvation. These errors crept into the Church
when the righteousness of faith was not clearly
taught. Some dispute that the keeping of the Sun-
day is not fully, but only in a certain manner, the
ordinance of God. They prescribe of holy dam
how far it is lawful to work. Such manner of ais:
putations, whatever else they be, are but snares of
consciences."*

THE METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH.

The "Articles of Religion," as put forth by the
Methodist Episcopal Church in America, contain no

*The Unaltered Augsburg Confession, pp. 174, 1.75, N- Y.,
1850.

414 SABBATH AND SUNDAY.

reference to the Sunday question.* Among its de»
oominational publications are several tracts on the
Sabbath question. Two of these — one entitled, " The
Proper Observance of the Sabbath as taught in the
Scriptures, and the other, " The American Sab-
bath"— indicate that their views thus expressed, are
of the modified Puritan, or "Anglo-American"
school. Two others, put forth, one in 1878, and one
in 1880, are specially intended to defend the Sunday
against tlte Sabbath. The utterances of this church
in its various organic forms are also in favor of the
religious, orthodox observance of Sunday. So that
although the creed per se does not affirm anything
directly concerning the question under consideration,
it is just to catalogue the Methodist Episcopal Church
with those who believe in the Sabbatic observance o f
Sunday, on ths general basis of the " Westminster "
platform.

THE BAPTIST CHURCH.

The Baptist Church has already been classified with
the branches which accept the Westminster platform
concerning Sunday. The views of the "Regular"
Baptists are put forth in detail, in the following ex-
tracts from the " Directory," by Dr. Hiscox :

"the christian sabbath."

" We believe the Scriptures teach that the first day
of the week is the Lord's-day, or Christian Sabbath,
and is to be kept sacred to religious purposes; by

* See Schaff, Creeds, etc. Vol. 3, p. 807, seq.

SABBATH AND SUNDAY. 415

abstaining from all secular labor and sinful recrea-
tions, by the devout observance of all the means of
grace, both private and public ; and by preparation
for that rest that remaineth for the people of God."

"PLACES IN THE BIBLE WHERE TAUGHT."

1. "Acts 20 : 7, On the first day of the week, when
the disciples came together to break bread, Paul
preached to them. Gen. 2 : 3, Col. 2 : 16, 17, Mark
2 : 27, John 20 : 19, 1 Cor. 16 : 1,2."

2. " Ex. 20 : 8, Remember the Sabbath-day to keep
it holy. Kev. 1 : 10, I was in the Spirit on the
Lord's-day. Psa. 118 ■ 24, This is the day which
the Lord hath made, we will rejoice and be glad in
it."

3. " Isa. 58 : 13, 14, If thou turn away thy foot
from the Sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on my
holy day, and call the Sabbath a delight, the holy of
the Lord, honorable, and shalt honor him, not doing
thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor
speaking thine own words ; then shalt thou delight
thyself in the Lord, and I will cause thee to ride up-
on the high places of the earth, and feed thee with
the heritage of Jacob. Isa. 56 : 2-8."

4. "Psa. 118: 15, The voice of rejoicing and sal-
vation is in the tabernacles of the righteous."

5. " Ileb. 10 : 24, 25, Not forsaking the assembling
of yourselves together, as the manner of some is.
Acts. 11 : 26, A whole year they assembled them-
selves with the church, and taught much people.
Acts 13 : 44, The next Sabbath-day, came almost
the whole city together, to hear the Word of God.
Lev. 19 : 30, Ex. 46: 3, Luke 4 : 16, Acts 17: 2, 3,
Psa. 26: 8; 87: 3."

6. " Heb. 4 : 3-11, Let us labor therefore to enter
into that rest."*

♦Baptist Church Directory, by E. T. Hisoox, D. D., pp.
171, 172.

416 SABBATH AND SUNDAY.

Very slight analysis is needed to show that all these
theories are based on the parent theory of the Ro-
mish Church. That was the first theory promulgated
concerning Sunday observance. It was not essenti-
ally modified until the Puritan movement, at the
close of the sixteenth century. That movement add-
ed the claim that the fourth commandment had
been , or might be transferred to the Sunday. But
since candor and intelligence are forced to admit
that the Scriptures do not authorize such a transfer,
the Puritan theory only " changes the place, and
keeps the pain," and fails to lift Sunday-keeping
above the level of human authority. The battle
must still be kept in array around this vital issue,
viz.: are the Scriptures, GocVs Word, the ultimate au-
thority concerning the Sabbath, or shall tliese be set
aside, and the custom of the church, and the civil lain
be accepted in their stead f

The undeniable fact that the Sabbatic observance
of Sunday has become a thing of the past to so great
an extent in the United States, shows that the loose
and indefinite creeds given above have little or no
power over the lives of those who assert them. Such
disastrous results must always come when men cut
loose from the Word of God, or compromise between
the demands of his law and their own earth-borh
theories.

CHAPTER XXVIII.

Observance of Sunday in the

United States.

It is now pertinent to inquire what the actual state
of the case is as regards the practical observance of
the Sunday under these creeds as given in the pre-
ceding chapter, and the additional influences which
are at work. In presenting this part of the picture
we shall aim to give the opinions of representative
men who have lately spoken, rather than our own
opinions, since it is easy to charge an author with
" manufacturing facts," when he gives only his own
conclusions. The best exposition of "orthodox"
opinions, as now held is found in the late volume of
Sabbath Essays, written in 1879, which has already:
been referred to in former pages. The volume is
valuable as an embodiment of current history. First,
note the following :

"THE AMERICAN SABBATH. "

By Rev. Edward 8. Atwood of Salem, Mas».

" It needs only slight alteration of accent to change
holy-day into holiday ; and yet what practical shift
of emphasis of that sort has been effected in regard
to the American Sabbath has been wrought by a
multitude of factors working through more than a

(37)

418 SABBATH AND SUNDAY.

century of national life. That the general estimate
of the Lord's-day has undergone serious modifica-
tion is beyond question ; that the present trend of
popular thought is towards a more exhaustive denial
of its special sanctity is equally evident. There is
reason for sorrow and alarm in the fact that the na-
tion has been swept so far from its original status ;
there is ground for comfort and hope in the fact that
the drift has been so slow, in spite of the push of
almost irresistible winds and tides."

In the conclusion that the ' ' drift has been slow,"
Mr. Atwood will find many who cannot agree with
him, but who, on the contrary, will see a most rapid
change, especially during the present century. The
facts which he goes on to enumerate indicate rather
_a swift decline than a slow drifting. It is more
nearly like the fatal sinking of a fever than the
gradual advances of a chronic disease. In the next
paragraph Mr. Atwood says :

"The actual decline in Sabbath reverence is best
measured by contrasting initial and terminal facts.
In 1620 a company of Pilgrims , after a wearisome
voyage, making an exploration for a place to land,
^re driven by stress of weather to an unknown isl-
and, and, finding themselves unable to regain the
ship before the Sabbath, spend the Lord's-day un-
sheltered in the bleak, wintry air, rather than seem
to trespass on holy time. In this year of grace, great
excursion-steamers plough through the same waters
on the Sabbath, loaded with pleasure-seekers, and
the shores of Clark's Island echo back the sound of
careless laughter and the crash of bands. In 1621,
when the very existence of the colony seems to de-
pend upon friendly relations with the Indians, chief
Samoset and a company of his braves make their ap-

SABBATH AND SUNDAY. 419

pearance on Sabbath morning, and commence over-
tures of peace by a proffer of traffic; but, in spite of
the imminence of the crisis, the sturdy Pilgrim re-
fuses to desecrate the Lord's-day by business, and
the embassy retires in ill humor, leaving the aspect
of affairs more threatening than ever. In this year
of grace, on each Sabbath-day, railway trains are
thundering north, south, east and west ; metro-
politan post-offices are alive with a corps of busy work-
ers; manufactories are taking advantage of the time
to make repairs in the machinery ; steam presses are
clattering with preparation for the issue of the morn-
ing journals ; the crjr of the news boys with their Sun-
day papers dins the ears of the worshipers on their
way to church ; public pleasure resorts find it their
most profitable day for business ; restaurants and sa-
loons have a thriving trade ; and sacred (?) concerts
and a variety of entertainments fill out the last of the
hoi) hours. I am aware that this is a partial showing
of American Sabbath observance ; there is another
side to the matter ; but these things are, and must be
set in contrast with the things that were."

And this in Boston ? Let the reader remember
that it is not of Chicago, Cincinnati, New Orleans,
Paris or Berlin, that Mr. At wood writes these tren-
chant words. It is Boston, the home of Puri-
tanism and of culture ; the place yet holding the
memory of days when no man could even smoke to-
bacco within two miles of a church on Sunday, un-
punished, or stay away from the public worship
unchallenged. As a fact in history, however the
reader may look upon the merits of the case, it is a
sweeping and most significant change. It indicates
also another important feature of the subject which

420 SABBATH AND SUNDAY.

these pages are considering, viz., the Sunday Laws.
On this point Mr. Atwood says :

' ' An almost equal difference is noticeable in the
legislation of the two periods. The first codification
of the laws of the Massachusetts Bay Colony was
made in 1648, in the framing of which Bellingham
and Cotton had a large share. In the first draught
of those laws by Mr. Cotton, among the crimes pun-
ishable with death was ' Profaning the Lord's-day
in a careless or scornful neglect or contempt thereof?
This penalty was erased by Winthrop, and it was
' left to the discretion of the court to inflict other
punishment short of death. ' In Connecticut it was
enacted in 1643, that ' Profanation of the Lord's-day
shall be punished by fine, imprisonment, or corporal
punishment ; and, if proudly and with a high hand
against the authority of God, with death.' The
earlier legislation of New York, as represented by
the 'Decrees and Ordinances of Peter Stuyvesant/
1647-48, makes special provision for securing the
sanctity of the Sabbath. All of the original States of
the Union had Sabbath-laws on their statute-books,
and the same thing has been true in the growth of
the Republic. Every commonwealth in the land
makes formal recognition of the Lord's-day in its
laws ; and the general government adds the weight
of its sanction, in its provision for a rest-day for its
employes. But in this year of grace (1879) stormy
mass-meetings demand the abrogation of these laws,
and widely circulated journals and pamphlets de-
claim against this infringement of the rights of man.
The provisions still stand on the statute-book, but, as
1 inter arma silent leges;' so in this war of opposi-
tion they are not executed, and to a great extent, all
over the' land, the Sabbath-law is a dead letter so far
as its restraint upon individual conduct is concerned.

During the first century and a quarter of American
history, the shift in popular sentiment in the direc-

SABBATH AND SUNDAY. 421

tion of looseness in the matter of Sabbath observance
was exceedingly slow and comparatively insignifi-
cant. No small stress has been laid on the demoral-
izing influence of the war of the Revolution, and by
many it is thought that the first damaging blow was
then struck at the Puritan idea. It is questionable,
however, whether far more mischief was not wrought
by the epidemic of French infidelity which set in im-
mediately after the recognition of the Republic — a
sneering, mocking unfaith in every thing sacred,
which became the vogue in high circles, and num-
bered among its adherents men of brilliant talents
and foremost station, like Aaron Burr and Thomas
Jefferson. The religious criticism and disbelief of
the times were hardly likely to leave undisturbed in
the popular reverence the institution of the Sabbath,
which was one of the mightiest pilla? s of the temple
they were endeavoring to overthrow. . . .

" The second period in the history of the American
Sabbath may be loosely said to cover a period of
some forty years, commencing with the revival and
wonderful stimulation of the material prosperity of
the country after the close of the war of 1812. There
had been a previous development of industrial en-
terprise, but it seems trivial in the light of to-day.
The hum of the spindles had not yet been heard in
Lowell and Lawrence, and Manchester and Fall
River, and the great manufacturing centers of New
England. Buffalo and Chicago, and the teeming-
cities of the West, had not yet entered even into the
dreams of the most enterprising capitalists. Com-
merce crept slowly in diminutive vessels from port
to port. A ship of five hundred tons was considered
a wonder. Railways and steam-boats and telegraphs
and labor-saving machinery were yet to come. But
they came ; and between 1820 and I860 there was in
America the most amazing development, the most mag-
nificent flowering-out of industrial enterprise, which

422 SABBATH AND SUNDAY.

the world has ever seen. The financial depression
of 1837 arrested the progress for a moment, and then
the push onwards was more impetuous than before.
In the hurry and fever of that hot race sacred things
lost their sanctity. The spiritual was subordinated
to the material. * It is true that within this period re-
ligion caught something of the same spirit of enter-
prise, and concreted and crystallized its enthusiasms
in great benevolent organizations, like the American
Board, and similar corporations. At the same time,
it is undeniably true that a process of disintegration
was going on in the religious sentiment of the peo-
ple. "Spirituality was losing its hold, and business
was tightening its grip. The money -making day was
getting to be more highly esteemed than the Lbrd's-
day. But along with this, and more than this, im-
migration was introducing a vast alien element into
th(Tpopulation of the country. The ocean was turn-
ed into a vast highway, over which day and night
tramped the unending procession of those who were
seeking these shores. They came from lands where
the Sabbath is a holiday, and they brought their
Sabbath with them. The elasticity of American
laws regulating religious liberty allowed them large
license in this matter of Sabbath observance. The
coercion of the civil statute went no farther than the
restraint put upon open business, and the require-
ment of non-disturbance of worshipers, It was
nearly equivalent to no restriction. Between those
two poles there was room for a whole globe of laxity.
Sabbath pleasure-resorts began to multiply ; Sabbath
entertainments were inaugurated in the great cities.
The roads grew thick with the dust , and the harbors
were white with the sails, of the holiday seekers.
The desecration of the day was bad enough in itself,
but it was worse in its* influence. It continually
stood out as a protest, and flaunted its defiance at the
American idea of the Sabbath. More than that, bv

SABBATH AND SUNDAY. 423

contrast it had its fascination. It was attractive to
the young and thoughtless. Its freedom and sparkle
were tempting to the man whose confining labor had
indisposed him to serious thought. And so, gradu-
ally, the European theory began to color and modify
the American theory, encroaching more and more,
and striking its stain deeper and deeper, until the
panic of 1857 broke upon the country, and over the
debris of ruined fortunes and shattered business the
Spirit of God marched through the land, and through
the new-born religious enthusiasm of thousands, the
day recovered something of the old reverence of the
popular heart.

"The third period in the history of the American
Sabbath — the period in which we are now living —
commenced with the war of the Rebellion. In a
paper read before the National Sabbath Convention
at Saratoga, in 1863, Dr. Philip Schaff said, ' The
severest trial through which the American Sabbath
ever had to pass, or is likely to pass in the future, is the
civil war which has now been raging with increasing-
fury for more than two years. The desecration of the
Sabbath soon after the outbreak of the war increased at
a most alarming rate, and threatened the people with
greater danger than the Rebellion itself.' The accu-
racy of the prophecy has been abundantly proved.
Probably no great war was ever carried on in which
such strenuous endeavor was made to secure the
morality, as well as the morale, of the army. The
' orders ' of some of the commanders, conspicuous
among which are ' general orders ' of the President
himself , read like sermons eliminated of their dull-
ness. A corps of the Christian Commission marched
with every brigade and division of the grand army,
and pitched their tents or built their chapels for
Sabbath worship. Religious books and newspapers
were widely circulated. In field and hospital alike
devoted chaplains labored to keep alive reverence for

4.24 SABBATH AXD SUNDAY.

God and his laws. The postal service transmitted
thousands of letters tilled with religious counsel. The
whole atmosphere was tremulous with prayer. And
yet in a little more than a decade after all this, the out-
look is so threatening that a convention is in session
in the metropolis of New England to devise meas-
ures to re-establish and perpetuate the sanctity of the
Lord's-day.

4* History repeats itself. Just as after the war of the
Revolution, French infidelity saw and was quick to
embrace its opportunity to infatuate men with its
frivolous criticisms upon Christianity; so in the last
decade English materialism and German mysticism
have taken advantage of the relaxed condition of the
popular thought to push themselves into prominence,
and secure acceptance. Next to the Word of God
the Sabbath is the Gibraltar of the Christian system,
the imperial fortress that secures the whole Mediter-
ranean of revealed religion. It is, therefore, nothing
surprising that the assaults upon it should be so
sharp and so persistent. Materialism and mysticism
both see that it is easier to induce men to loosen their
grip upon an institution than it is to persuade them
to renounce a system, especially where their hold
iipon that institution has been relaxed by some great
strain of national history ; but materialism and mys-
ticism see with equal clearness that with the Sab-
bath swept away, or essentially modified in its ob-
servance, complete victory is only a question of time.
Happily, but none too soon, the church of God sees
it also, and is beginning to prepare itself for the
coming Armageddon of American Christianity.

' ' There are three things that at the present time
specially stand in the way of the perpetuity of the
American Sabbath :

' ' I. The impotence of the civil lair. To what ex-
tent it is wise and well to push the endeavor to se-
cure the observance of the Lord's-day by legislation

SABBATH AND SUNDAY. 425

it is not the province of this paper to discuss ; but so
long as restrictive regulations stand upon the statute-
books, and are not adjudged illegal or unjust, they
should be enforced, and their annexed penalties in-
flicted, whether the violator be an individual or a
great corporation. That they are operative, except
in a trivial and farcical way, no man pretends. Now
and then some poor beggar is under arrest for card-
playing on the Sabbath ; but the managers of great
Sunday excursions, that turn out to be perfect pan-
demoniums, cooly pocket their profits, and defy the
authorities to touch them. The inaction of the law
breeds contempt of the law and of that which the
law is set to guard. The paralysis of the civil arm
encourages outrage. The danger in this quarter is
incalculable. Few men have even read the Sab-
bath-laws of this Commonwealth, and fewer still
have urged their enforcement. It is well judged by
interested parties, that the inefficiency of the statutes
is due to the fact that there is no solid public senti-
ment that supports them ; and, where this is lacking,
the technic of the code is as powerless as the Pope's
bull against the comet.

" II. A second danger lies in the false notions of
■personal liberty that are obtaining with great masses
of the population, and which are humored, if not
fostered, by political leaders for party ends. The
clamor in Kew York and Cincinnati and Chicago,
against Sabbath-laws as an infringement upon the
rights of the individual, is not sporadic, but symptom-
atic. Communism is half-sister of republicanism ;
and those subtle and perilous theories of freedom
that privilege every man to do as he pleases under a
representative government have made surprising
headway. Restraint on what seems to be the religious
side is peculiarly obnoxious. Political fallacies
re-enforce personal preferences in the attempt to sec-
ularize the Sabbath ; and in a country like ours that

426 SABBATH AND SUNDAY.

constitutes a formidable alliance. That central truth
of State-craft, liberty under authority, imperatively
calls for re-affirmation. The subordination of indi
vidual right to the general good, the limitation of
personal privilege by the common need, are integral
elements in a stable national life ; but in some direc-
tions there is strenuous endeavor made to remand
them to obscurity ; and especially in the matter of
abrogating or neutralizing Sabbath-law, in the name
of liberty, there is surprising persistence and enthu-
siasm.

" III. The third and, perhaps, greatest peril is the
apathy of the Christian church. The assembling of
this convention might seem to refute that statement,
but at most it is only a late confession of sin. From
time to time some of the pulpits of the land have
been outspoken on the subject, and ecclesiastical
bodies have formulated their faith, and then buried
it in the sepulchre of a series of resolutions ; but the
work has too often been merely perfunctory, and sel-
dom if ever has been followed by the edge and
flame of enthusiastic effort. Our dearly -bought
rights in this matter, inherited from the fathers,
have many of them been wrested from our hands ;
and the church has made its little moan over the
theft, but has uttered no strong protest, and put
forth no mighty endeavor to recover its lost jewels .
As we contemplate the future of the American Sab-
bath, the darkest cloud that looms above the horizon
is the indifference of the nominal Christianity of the
land. The church of God is the one sovereign hu-
man instrumentality by whose efficiency or inefficien-
C3rthe position of the Lord's-day, in the estimate of the
coming generations, is to be settled ; and, since the
beginnings of Christianity, no graver responsibility
has been laid upon the disci pleship than rests upon
it at this hour and in this particular.

" It has been the peculiar boast of the Christianity

SABBATH AND SUNDAY. 427

of the land that in no country was the actual so
nearly the ideal Sabbath as in America, There have
been times when that was true. The shrewd French
observer Duponceau once said that, 'of all we
claimed as characteristic, our observance of the Sab-
bath is the only one truly national and American.'
That boast is not wholly without warrant still. The
closed doors of the Centennial Exhibition at Phila-
delphia preached a manly and eloquent sermon. The
Sabbath stillness in the halls of magistracy, in banks
and custom-houses, in great manufactories whose
din and smoke fill the air the other six days, the
church-bells that ring out in city and village, and
the thousands that gather for worship — these things
must not be forgotten or undervalued. And yet un-
deniably there is a vast drift of popular sentiment
the other way — a drift that is steadily growing in
volume and momentum, which has already gone too
far, which must be arrested soon, or it will become
irresistable."*

Such are Mr. Atwood's views. His paper is a val •
uable one. Some points in it will be considered in a
succeeding chapter, when we come to considers the
' ' Verdict of History " The decline in regard for
Sunday, which Mr. Atwood describes as being so
marked in 1879, has increased with accumulating mo-
mentum, until 1884 and 1885 have seen more wide-
spread and defiant trampling on Sunday, in Boston
and elsewhere, than any previous period has shown.
Disregard for Sunday rushes over the land like an
avalanche nearing the foot of the mountain.

In these same Sabbath Essays, Rev. Reuben

* Sabbath Essays, pp. 262-271.

428 SABBATH AND SUNDAY.

Thomas, of Brookline, Mass., presents a paper upon
""The Sabbath and Our Foreign Population." Speak-
ing of their relation to the Sunday question in Amer-
ica, he says :

"But what of Germany in regard to this question?
Probably her population^ thronging the cities of the
expansive and fertile West, will exercise here an in-
fluence for good or evil in many things, the magni-
tude of which is hardly yet perceived even by the
men of keenest vision. ' The vote of our German
population will, I fear, be adverse to any thing like
a perpetuation of the old New England ideas of the
Sabbath. We have only to visit Cincinnati, Milwau-
kee, Chicago, and other cities, to see in what direc-
tion things are moving. On Sunday Cincinnati is
little else than a huge beer-garden rapidly on its way
to become a huge bear-garden.

"I was in Chicago in July, occupying the pulpit
of the Second Presbyterian Church for three Sun-
days. The First Presbyterian Church is within a
few hundred yards. Other influential churches are
in that immediate neighborhood. But the whole of
them together are not strong enough to prevent the
opening of a huge beer hall and garden close to their
very doors. This, be it remarked, in what is con-
sidered the most respectable part of the city, where
some of the wealthiest Chicago merchants live.
This beer hall and garden is open every day of the
week, but it seems to be particularly open on Sun-
days. On the Sunday in July to which I refer it
seemed to have a patronage far in excess of the most
popular churches. And ' if these things be done in
the green tree, what shall be done in the dry ?' If
they be done in the very teeth of the most influential
religious men of a city, what will they do in those
populous parts where the poorer men and women

SABBATH AND SUNDAY. 429

congregate, and from whence too often churches
emigrate ? " *

The papers for November, 1884, say that " Sunday
theatrical performances are tolerated by law in five
of the principal cities in the United States : San
Francisco, Cincinnati, St. Louis, New Orleans, and
Chicago. Chicago has eleven regular threatres open
Sunday night." So the tide increases.

Under the head of ' ' Corporations and the Sab-
bath," Rev. W. F. Mallalieu, D. D., of Chelsea,
Mass., makes the following statements. It will be
seen that his statements assume that Boston and
Massachusetts represent the rest of the United States.
Whereas it is undoubtedly true that the "desecra-
tion " of Sunday is far greater in many other places
than in Boston and Massachusetts.

' ' The great Sabbath-breaking corporations of the
country are those controlling the railroads and steam-
boats.

"Boston and Massachusetts may serve as an exam-
ple of the manner in which the Sabbath is desecrated
all over the country.

" Twenty-five years ago such a thing as a Sunday
steam-boat excursion was unknown ; but now, all
through the summer months, the harbor of Boston
is alive with excursions. The last summer was
worse in this regard than any that has preceded it,
and the next threatens to be worse than this.

" The churches are shut, or only open a half -day ;
ministers are away, the saints are scattered or asleep,
and the devil holds high carnival. Press and pulpit
are alike silent on the open and shameless violation

* Sabbath Essays, pp. 831, 322.

430 SABBATH AND SUNDAY.

of the laws of God and men ; and some go so far in
their mawkish sympathy as mildly to apologize for
all this wickedness. So much for the religious press
and the pulpit. The secular press is utterly silent,
or approves of the Sabbath desecration.

" Bat the railroads centering in Boston are worse,
if possible, than the steam-boats. Twenty-five years
ago the running of a train of cars for any purpose
was a thing to be remarked ; but now there is not
an exception to the desecration of the Sabbath by
any road. Not only are passenger trains run on
Sunday, but also freight, and these, in some in-
stances, connecting with steam-boats, as is notably
the case with some of the lines running to New
York.

" This deplorable condition of affairs is growing-
worse and worse from year to year ; and from pres-
ent indications these great corporations will in the
future as thoroughly ignore the existence of the Sab-
bath as though there were none.

' ' Along the same line of operations we see that
the horse-railroads, especially in the summer-time,
make the Sabbath their harvest-day. Then it is that
they are thronged by pleasure-seekers and Sunday
visitors, who are thoroughly careless of the Sabbath.
These roads are run, not as a matter of necessity or
mercy, but simply and solely, for the money that is
to be made.

"These corporations, controlling the steam-boats,
steam-railroads, and horse-railroads, are the great,
shameless, audacious, defiant leaders in the sin of
public Sabbath-breaking.

"The evil consequences of this Sabbath violation
are threefold :

"I. First, there is involved the necessity of the
employment of vast numbers of men to carry on the
work that must be performed. Tens of thousands
of men are employed by these corporations every

SABBATH AND SUNDAY. 431

Sabbath ; and it is an almost impossible thing for
any man habitually to violate the law of God in the
desecration of the Sabbath, and still maintain a high
standard or morality. The universal experience and
observation of many years in this connection estab-
lish the fact that the character of workmen will de-
teriorate in morals in proportion as they negh ct the
Sabbath. The men themselves may, or may not, be
conscious — probably they are not — of the effect
produced ; but still 'it is none the less certain and de-
structive. And they seem to be equally unconscious
of the fact that the tendency of late years has been
to keep the wages of laboring men down to the very
lowest point of comfortable support ; and in many
cases they have been reduced so low that only with
the utmost exertion could the necessaries of life be
obtained, especially where growing families have
been dependent. The result has been, that by work-
ing six days in a week, and three hundred and thir-
teen days in a year, honest hard-working men have
just been able to take care of themselves and their
families. Now, the inevitable consequences of the
Sabbath-breaking so recklessly engaged in by these
corporations will be, first, the destruction of the
morals of the workmen ; and, secondly, the estab-
lishment of such conditions of labor that it will take
three hundred and sixty rive days' toil to secure the
same comforts of life as are now procured by the
labor of three hundred and thirteen days. Hence
the i>abhath-breakin(j corporations are the worst ene-
mies of the working man ; and this, equally in regard
to his social, moral, and religious interests. And it
should be added, with special emphasis, that any
system or institution which debases thus the work-
ing men affects in like manner their families. Nor
can it be doubted that the security of our national
future and the continuance of our present form of
government, to say nothing of the success of the

432 SABBATH AND SUNDAY.

Christian church, depend very largely upon the
social, moral, and religious status of our working-
men. Hence, in just so far as the corporations de-
grade the character of working men by their con-
scienceless Sabbath desecration, they are the enemies
of the Republic.

"II. Again, the great transportation corporations
under consideration constitute one of the greatest
educational forces of modern society ; and it must
be acknowledged, that, so far as they are related to
the observance of the Sabbath, their educational in-
fluence is all in the wrong direction.

"In the olden time, when good people and the
community, almost without exception, laid aside their
usual employments at the close of the week, and
carefully abstained from all labor on the Sabbath ;
when a quiet hush settled down on home and street,
on shop and farm, every child conscious at all of
what was taking place around him could but feel
that he was brought into the presence of the divine
command which'produced these results, and almost
into the presence of the divine Being who had given
the command. This influence was felt not only by
the children, but also by the youth, and, in fact, by
all classes of people. From the very necessities of
the case the minds of the people were called away
from worldly and secular concerns, and all were
compelled to feel that there were moral and religious
obligations resting upon them which had been im-
posed by the Ruler of the universe. The quiet of
the Sabbath, and the cessation of all servile and un-
necessary labor on that day, were moral forces for
the conservation of the best interests of society which
were of immeasurable consequence.

' ' How different the conditions under which the
people of this country are placed to-day ! In a
thousand towns and cities may be heard the scream
of the locomotive and the rush of the railroad train.

SABBATH AND SUNDAY. 433

Steam-boat excursions, and other means of Sunday
pleasure travel, are abuntantly supplied, The ordi-
nary time-tables, and flaming handbills conspicuous-
ly displayed, announce the business of the Sabbath
with the same particularity as that of ordinary week-
days. The newspapers advertise Sunday excursions
with as much regularity as they do the services of
the sanctuary ; and they give, in many instances,
fuller notices of Sunday excursions and frolics than
they do of the sermons.

"The boy living on the hillside farm in the most
rural town through which the railroad runs, looking
upon the Sabbath trains that pass, whether freight or
passenger, will, unless there be some mighty counter-
acting moral force, gradually and imperceptibly fall
into the way of thinking that the Sabbath has no
special sacredness ; and the end, in many cases, will
be, that he becomes thoroughly indifferent to the
claims of God which demand that he should keep
holy the Sabbath-day. Let this same youth, thus
perverted from the right and good way, become the
the father of a family, and, if his wife be like him-
self, his children will in all probability grow up in
practical heathenism.

"Now, the same influences are operating upon un-
numbered thousands, not only in our large cities and
centers of population, but to a greater or less extent
all over the country.

" The Pilgrim Fathers left Holland, the land that
had protected them and given them a home and shel-
ter, and dared the perils of the sea and the wilder-
ness, because they would not bring up their children
in the godless society which surrounded them ; but
our children and youth are, in some respects, sur
rounded by as deplorable influences as those of Hol-
land. If things go on as they have done for the last
twenty-five years, there seems to be great danger
that we shall become a nation of Sabbath-breakers,

(28)

434 SABBATH AND SUNDAY.

<ind as always happens in such cases, an immoral
and irreligious nation, and, consequently, a nation
upon which will rest the frown and curse of Almighty
God."*

Treating the same phase of the question under the
head of "The Sabbath and Railroads and Steam-
boats," Hon. William E. Dodge, of New York, puts
the case as follows :

' ' Railroads have wrought wonders in the rapid de-
velopment and general prosperity of our country
during the last half-century. They have become
the great highway for the millions; have vastly in-
creased travel ; brought the distant parts of the
country together ; given to traffic and commerce a
new impulse ; equalized values of the soil and manu-
factory ; made a journey of thousands of miles but
as a pleasure trip : and, with the aid of the telegraph,
have enabled merchants while residing thousands of
miles away to sell and buy in our principal coast
cities, and even fix a date of delivery. They are
building up vast centers of traffic along these lines ;
have added untold millions of wealth to the country,
and are increasing at a most rapid rate ; and, in a
few years, will have united our entire country with
iron bands. They have become every day more and
more an absolute necessity.

"With thousands of millions invested, hundreds
of thousands of our citizens employed in connection
with their direct management, and furnishing the
necessary machinery and material, and with the vast
number of stockholders and the entire traveling
community, their moral influence is beyond calcula-
tion.

" But if railroads, with all these wonderful advan-
tages cannot be conducted without changing the

* Sabbath Essays, pp. 334-338.

SABBATH AND SUNDAY. 435

habits and customs of our people, and trampling on
the right of the community to a quiet day for rest
and worship, and training up the thousands in their
employ to desecrate the Sabbath, and rushing by our
cities and towns and quiet villages, screaming as
they go, JVo Sabbath/ No Sabbath! — then they will
become a real curse rather than a blessing. Consider
the vast sums invested ; the great competition of the
principal trunk-lines , the constantly increasing de-
mands for rapid passenger trains, and the press of
freight to the seaboard, becoming every year larger,
particularly that bound for Europe, much of it sold
for shipment by special steamers, and intended so to
arrive as to be in time for trans shipment at once, or
with the least possible delay or expense ; parties per-
haps in Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Louis, or Cincin-
nati— these having been made ports of entry and
shipping direct to all parts of the world — telegraph-
ing the superintendent of the road, ' We have
shipped to-day twenty-live cars of wheat, or perhaps
ten cars of live-stock, which are to be delivered to
such a steamer on such a day ; and we shal I depend
on your giving us rapid transit and prompt delivery.'
Now. this superintendent feels his responsibility, and
by this continual press and excitement, which the
system of railroads and telegraphs almost of necessity
creates, has come to lose all thoughts of the Sabbath,
or perhaps has tried to convince his conscience that
these long lines of inland transportation are like
ocean travel — not expected to stop on the Sabbath.

"These difficulties are constantly increasing; so
that, whereas a few years ago the running of freight
trains on the Sabbath was the exception, now, on
many of our trunk-lines leading from the West,
there are more on the Sabbath than on other days,
as the passenger trains are generally less, and they
use the Sabbath to make up lost time, and hurry on
the freight to the sea-board. The constant extension

436 SABBATH AND SUNDAY.

of lines west and north, tributary to these trunk-
lines, only increases the evil ; and, unless some
prompt measure can be adopted soon, the matter of
Sabbath desecration by our railroads will be past pre-
vention.

"In regard to passenger traffic, there is very great
difficulty in drawing the line between entire rest and
the running of such trains as the general public-
would demand for long or through travel, trains
for the carrying of the mail, and, near our cities,
milk trains. If our railroad managers could be
made to feel their obligations to God, to the
morals of the country, and their duty to their em-
ployes, so as on these long lines of travel to run
only a single mail train each way on the Sabbath, it
would of itself go far to honor God's day of rest.

" The fact is, the railroad interest has become the
all-powerful, overshadowing interest of the country,
and ever year is "adding to its influence. Railroads
will double in the next twenty years ; and what is
done must be done promptly, or their power will be
beyond control. The question of the day, for every
man who loves his country and believes in the im-
portance and value of the Christian Sabbath, as we
in America have cherished and honored it — I say
the great question is, Shall this vast railroad interest
be so conducted as to prove a blessing to the land ?
or sfiall it defy and trample on all ire hold dear, and
become one of the principal instruments in changing
our American Sabbath into the Continental holiday?
or, as it is fast growing, a day like all the others of
the week ? " *

After detailing some efforts that have been made
to correct the matter of Sunday trains, Mr. Dodge-
continues in these words :

* Sabbath Essays, pp. 342-345.

SABBATH AND SUNDAY. 437

' Our great cities are suffering from the demands
of the foreign population that the Sabbath shall be a
day of recreation for themselves and families ; and
in some of our cities the Continental Sabbath begins
to appear. The railroads and steam-boats are ready
to meet this desire ; and now thousands crowd every
conveyance that will carry them out into the country
for a holiday ; and our new lines of elevated roads in
New York, while a great convenience on week-days,
are becoming a great nuisance on the Sabbath, and
are run for no other reason than to make money .

■ ' Trains are rushing up and down our avenues as
if determined to wipe out every vestige of the Chris-
tian Sabbath ; and yet the men who started and now
control these elevated roads are men who pro-
fess to value the Sabbath and the house of God.
Very recently they have put up large placards ad-
vertising with great prominence that trains will run
on the Sabbath regularly, from half-past seven in
the morning until half-past seven in the evening,
from the Battery to Harlem.

"A few years since, the Sabbath committee ad-
dressed a communication to a large number of rail-
roads, asking to know if they ran trains on Sunday,
and, if so, how many, and their experience as to its
being, on the whole, profitable or otherwise, and their
views as to the necessity of running trains, and par-
ticularly common and freight trains.

" They received replies from a very large number,
sixty-five reporting that they did no work on Sun-
day ; others, that they only ran mail or milk trains;
others, that they did as little as possible ; and many
expressing anxiety to stop all work on the Sabbath
for the sake of their men. The general excuse of
many was that the rv lining of tlie trunk-lines and com-
peting roads made it necessary, though they would pre-
fer to rest on the Sabbath. The impression, on the
whole was favorable, and encouraged efforts to se-

438 SABBATH AND SUNDAY.

cure a general suspension of all freight trains, and
reduction of passenger trains.

"The rapid growth of the railroads, and their
danger if not checked, should arouse to effort every
lover of the Sabbath. What we do, we must do at
once. In all our principal cities, influences are at
work to undermine and secularize our American
Sabbath. Let there be one earnest, united effort of
God's people ; let the clergy ring out the danger
from the pulpits ; the religious and, as far as possi-
ble, the secular press enlighten the people as to the
necessity and value of a day of rest for the working
man. Above all, let there be* constant, earnest prayer
for a general revival of religion all over the land,
that the Lord of the Sabbath would open the eyes of
the nation to a true sense of its necessity.

"And now I want to say [throwing aside his man-
uscript] that I came up here with the idea that, as
Christians, we were awake to the fact that we were
just on the eve of losing our Sabbath. I know that you,
perhaps, in New England, in your quiet villages, do
not understand it as we do in the cities — as our West-
ern cities do, with these railroads rushing through
the towns and villages everywhere, and with their
shops at work on Sunday, and with every thing in-
dicating that this gigantic power of railroads is to be
increased. For it is but in its infancy to-day ; and
when it shall be fifty years older than it is now, un-
less something is done* to check this evil to-day by
the Christian people of this country, it will be* alto-
gether too late. There will be three times the num-
ber of miles of railroad in twenty years from now
that there are to-day, and there is a monstrous re-
sponsibility connected with it. It is not only the
railroad interest, but there is a constant let ting-down
of the Sabbath even by Christians throughout
the country. We must look the difficulties right in
the face, just as they are, and ask what we can do,

SABBATH AND SUNDAY. 439

and ought to do, as Christians. What we want to
do, friends, is to fasten on the Sabbath, if we love itr
if we cherish it, if we want our children and chil-
dren's children to enjoy what we have enjoyed.
God has spared my life for more than threescore years
and ten ; »nd I look back to the quiet village in Con-
necticut where I was brought up, and I cherish the
New England Sabbath, and I hope my children and
children's children will know something of its value.

"But, if we would do anything, let us be about it;
and, above all things, let Christian men who are in-
terested in these railroads ask themselves the ques-
tion whether they can properly be partners in con-
cerns that are deliberately breaking down the Sab-
bath. What an effect would be produced among
our Western railroad men if it were known that the
New England Christian men and the New England
men who were not professed Christians, but who
loved New England's quiet that had grown out of
the Sabbath, would ask as the first question, when
they were called upon to invest in a Western rail-
road, ' Is your road going to run on Sunday ? ' and,
if the answer was in the affirmative, then they would
say, "I don't want the stock ! " Would that Chris-
tian men in New England would ask themselves the
question on their knees before God, whether they
could conscientiously hold stock in railroads that
were paying them dividends earned by breaking-
down the Sabbath ! I think that many of them, as
they offered a prayer to God for the Sabbath, would
find their mouths stopped before God when they re-
membered that they were partners in these gigantic
companies that were rushing through the land, and
destroying every vestige of the Sabbath.

" And now, one thing more. God lives, God Hvesr
and God hears prayer. If you look back over the
long history of the New England church, you will
find that God has been the hearer and answerer of

440 ' SABBATH AND SUNDAY.

prayer. But what we want now is one of those
old-fashioned New England revivals throughout the
length and breadth, not only of New England, but
of the land ; and if Christian men and women will
only act like Christian men and women, and hold no
communion with the works of darkness, and refuse
to be associated with an institution that will dishonor
the Sabbath, we will see a great change for the bet-
ter. "*

Be it remembered that the foregoing writers are
men of character and position, religious men, deeply
anxious and intensely earnest in their efforts to save
the Sunday from the non- Sabbatic influences which
are at work in the United States. It is, therefore,
certain that they do not make the case worse than it
is. It is also significant that the state of things de-
scribed by them exists in New England, in the cradle
of Puritanism, at Plymouth Rock. Nothing could
tell more forcibly the story of the change that has
already obtained on the Sunday question in the
United States. The results of the late effort to cor-
rect the matter by appeal to the civil law is told by a
recent writer as follows :

44 THE SUNDAY LAWS OF NEW ENGLAND. "

' ' On alternate Sundays during the past summer a
small steam-boat left the wharf of a certain New
England city, and after stopping at another city made
its way across the water to a summer resort on the
coast, returning in the afternoon. In many cities in
New England, in a great many out of New England,
such excursions are of common weekly occurrence,
and neither excite remark nor attract attention, but

Sabbath Essays, pp. 353-356.

SABBATH AND SUNDAY. 441

in the two cities from which this boat took her de-
parture Sunday excursions were almost unknown,
and the advertised trips of the boat provoked remark
and criticism. The blowing of her whistle and the
blare of her band grated unpleasantly on some unac-
customed ears; her passengers were disorderly, and too
often returned helplessly or noisily drunk. Some
citizens remonstrated with the proprietors of the
boat, but the excursions paid, and the boat went on.
A clergyman in one of these cities determined, if it
were possible, to enforce the law which this steam-
boat company openly violated. It is not the pur-
pose of this article to give in detail the progress and
result of his undertaking. In one of the cities he
failed utterly, the prosecuting officer refusing to en-
tertain the complaint. In the other the case was
tried, the officers of the boat fined and they are now
awaiting trial in the higher court to which they have
appealed.

" This attempt to enforce the law was made the
subject of considerable comment by the press in New
England and New York, and with very few excep-
tions the criticisms were hostile both to the law and
its attempted enforcement. The Sunday laws of
New England were stigmatized as blue laws and an-
tiquated statutes which the world had outlived, and
the instigator of the prosecution (or persecution, as
it was frequently called) was soundly berated as a
fanatical oppressor, or mildly sneered at as a clerical
Don Quixote adorned with musty statutes and worm-
eaten law-books tilting against the established enter
prises of a workaday world.

" The press to a certain extent represents public
opinion ; that being the case, public opinion to a
certain extent must be adverse to some of our Sun-
day legislation. To show what public opinion as to
the observance of the Sabbath was the Sunday laws
of New England are given below with some recent

442 SABBATH AND SUNDAY.

decisions interpreting the law. What public opinion
on the subject is must be left the reader."*

Sunday desecration by "Corporations" and by
daily newspapers, in 1884-5 towered far above all
that 1879 saw and mourned over. As an illustration
take the following facts : The doors of the stations
on the Philadelphia and Reading 11 It. (N. J. Cen-
tral) were first opened for Sunday traffic in the spring
of 1877. The road then ran one train to New York,
and one out of New York on Sunday, in accord
with a provision of the statutes of Newr Jersey.
The statute remains unchanged ; but public opinion
and the demands of travel have changed until the
time-table of that road, which took effect Nov.
16th, 1884, at a point twenty-five miles from New
York shows eleven regular passenger trains running
to New York and ten running out from that city.
Such is the change within seven years.

Julius II. Ward discusses the question in the At-
lantic Monthly for April, 1881, at length. We ex-
tract as follows :

" THE NEW SUNDAY."

"Sunday in America has been chiefly the Sunday
of England in the seventeenth century transferred by
the early colonists to the New World. It has always
had the sombre tone of the period coeval with Crom-
well and the Puritans. Though colonists came from
Europe quite as freely as from England, and brought
in the rough their religious institutions with them,

* Walter Learned in " Good Company," Vol. 4, No. 2, p.
124. 1879.

SABBATH AND SUNDAY. 443

the Puritan type of thought was stronger than the
Anglican or Koman type, and gradually imparted its
color and tone to the life of whole country. The intel-
lectual force lay in the minds of the Puritan gentry who
founded Harvard and Yale, and the severe type of
religious thought characterizing these noble ances-
tors of a great people had in it that element of leader-
ship which gave it precedence everywhere. The
strong hands that nearly choked the English church
were not less powerful in a country where they could
shape institutions at their will ; and in communities
where the rough natural industries which precede
civilization had the first place in men's thoughts, the
dominant ideas of English Puritanism took deeper
root and had a more positive influence than they could
possibly have had in English life. The nation, in its
political development, is greatly indebted to the
positive force of these ideas ; in the State they met
with a counteracting element which modified and
broadened them to the needs of the whole country.
In the spiritual realm it was not so. There was
nothing to counteract Puritanism in religion. The
grim colonists were never willing to hear the other
side. The Quakers and Baptists, dissenters like
themselves, were not allowed to have their say ; nor
the Anglican Christian from whom they sprang.
The narrowness of Puritanism on its religious side is
like the narrowness of Scotch Presbyterianism to-
day— the narrowness of the fanatic, the unwilling-
ness to entertain the thought of another ; and this
narrowness has been transmitted in the Puritan Sun-
day."

"An instance of the way in which the "lord
brethren " ruled when they had the authority of the
"lord bishops," as William Blackstone called them,
is given in the following draught of a law intended
by John Cotton, the minister who emigrated from
Boston, in Lincolnshire, for the colony of Massachu

444 SABBATH AND SUNDAY.

setts : ' Whoever shall profane the Lord's-day by do-
ing unnecessary work, by unnecessary traveling, or
by sports and recreations, he or they who so trans
gress shall forfeit forty shilling or be publicly
whipped ; but if it shall appear to have been done
presumptuously, such person or persons shall be put
to death, or otherwise severely punished, at the dis-
cretion of the court.' These extracts indicate suffi-
ciently the severity of the Puritan Sunday when the
Puritans had things their own way. What was an
act of voluntary religion in England was here en-
forced, not at the point of the bayonet, but at the in-
stance of a court, in which the power of life or death
was at the mercy of a narrow and sensitive con-
science.

" It is necessary to go back to this excessive Sab-
batarianism in order to explain the present reaction in
the observance of Sunday, and to indicate the import-
ance and true position of the day in our present life.
The protest against the Puritan Sunday is now univer-
sal; even the recent Sabbath Essays — a volume as can-
did and honest as has ever came from the descend-
ants of the Puritans, intended to bring back the
Lord's-day to its rightful place in the religious insti-
tutions of a great people — has had hardly a feather's
weight upon current opinion. We are borne to-day
upon a tide of popular sentiment which is restless
at the least interference with the principle of ''do as
you please " on Sunday. Public opiDion is in a state
of surge and unrest for which there is no precedent
in our history. The old Puritan power has gone ;
the old Sunday laws are a dead letter ; the ancient
people no longer carry weight in Church or State ;
the uncurbed sentiment of a wild democracy in re-
ligion dictates the Sunday observance for the coming
generation ; and we are, as it were, at the meeting
of diverse currents, where no 'church of the essen-
tials" has yet acquired sufficient influence to take

SABBATH AND SUNDAY. 445

the leadership of public opinion, as in England, and
where the State silently consents to the ignoring of
existing law. The extreme of reaction from the
unreasonable and uncompromising asceticism of
the Puritan Sunday has not, probably, yet been
reached, but the temper of the people is to throw off
all allegiance to it.

' ' A great variety of agencies have come to lay
claim to Sunday. The change in modern society
since the middle of the seventeenth century is not
greater in the range of morals than in the domain of
practical science. The laws neither of morals nor
of science are different from what they have always
been, but their expression and application have
created a new world in life and thought. The Sun-
day laws are obsolete, because modern society has gone
outside of their range. They were intended at the
time of their adoption to forward the interests of
Christianity, but their rigorous enforcement to-day
would put new burdens upon the laboring classes
and thwart the best interests of society. They are
the relic of that union of Church and State which,
since the days of Constantine, has caused Christianity
to depend upon secular aid for its support, and haV
been the source of its chief corruptions. The pre-
vailing theory of religion has been that it could not
maintain tself without State support. This was the
view of the Puritans, with whom, as with the peo-
ple from whom they sprang, Church and State were
almost convertible terms ; or, rather, the State was
simply the secular arm of spiritual power. This
idea has colored American legislation with reference
to Sunday to the extent that in South Carolina and
Vermont, to go no further, attendance upon re-
ligious worship on that day is still compulsory ; *

* Sunday Laws. A paper read before the American Bar
Association. By Henrv E. Young, of the Charleston Bar,

1R80.

446 SABBATH AND SUNDAY.

and, even where there is no compulsion, the opinion
of the most influential religionists has so largely
controlled the social usage that church-going has
been strictly regarded as a mark of respectability.
It was assumed that everybody must engage in cer-
tain definite acts of worship on Sunday, and the au-
thority of the assumption was unquestioned. It
was the secular authority behind social usage. This
gave great leverage to outward Christianity, when it
was not considered decent to stay away from religious
services ; and this old tradition of duty, the Puritan
church directing the New England State , if it no
longer has the secular power of compulsion, is still
expressed in the clerical-attitude toward the com-
munity at large. It is implied that the attendance
upon religious services and the listening to sermons
are the principal duties of man on Sunday. Preach-
ing has been the chief act of Puritan worship, and the
Sunday services are still controlled by the idea that
everybody must ' go to meeting. ' It is as if ever}7
voter in the commonwealth were a church member,
and the, church had a personal claim on him.
This fiction is now passing away, but, quite natur-
ally, the clergy are slow to see that they have no
monopoly of Sunday outride of the people they can
call their own. The last act has at length been
reached in the tragedy of superstition which for fif-
teen centuries, under the dream of a Christian State,
has induced the leaders of Christianity to depend
upon the support of secular authority, when their
true strength was in the changed minds and hearts
of consecrated people. A strong writer has said, *
' The greatest triumphs and best days of the gospel
were when the States were all heathen. Christian
" virtue gives herself light through darkness for to
wade," and can hold her own candle better than the

* Rev. Henry N. Hudson, the Shakespearean scholar.

SABBATH AND SUNDAY. 447

State can hold it for her.' This is the point to which
Christian civilization has now come in this country ;
this is the upshot of the movement for the taxation
of church property. It is the return of the Christian
church, after all the centuries of its abasement at the
feet, of secular power, to the old principle of spiritual
direction by which the gospel of Christ first con-
quered the world. The sooner the conviction is
reached through the length and breadth of the Am-
erican States that Christianity demands protection
only to the extent that its adherents shall not be dis-
turbed in the enjoyment of their rights as the children
of God, the stronger will the Christian religion be in
the hearts or its disciples and in the respect of an ag-
nostic world."

* ***** *

" The trend of the new Sunday is in the direction
of a healthier and more persuasive Christianity, not
wholly nor immediately what all could wish, but
enough to give one hope of better things in store.
The escape from the narrow requirements of an
earlier day may for the moment even be the taking
of some steps backward. To see social and religious
changes correctly one must not look at them from a
local point of view alone. The larger view is more
correct, and the larger view of the rapid changes
now going on in the observance and use of Sunday
ranks them as steps in the wide and general education
of a free nation in its many-sided responsibilities to
God and man. The way is in preparation for a larger
and more important work than Christianity has yet
undertaken among us. The present influence of
Sunday is to broaden the Christian conception of the
possibilities of ethical life, and to uplift mankind on
the physical, social, and intellectual, as truly as
upon the moral and spiritual side. It is the part of
what may be called Christian sagacity and states-
manship'to recognize the facts in the present uses of

448 SABBATH AND SUNDAY.

the Lords-day f or what they mean, and so change
the methods in religious worship and instruction
that men shall not be without the range of the spirit-
ual renewal of life, and that Christianity shall stand
in these days to those who long for light and peace
for what it stood in the first days to Peter, James,
and John." *

Just .as this chapter is passing through the press,
several important testimonies appear in the public
prints, which are worthy a place here. The full re-
port of the .\[a*sacli u setts Bureau of Statistics is not
yet at hand, but we have collected the following from
the public journals. By these it will by seen that Mas-
sachusetts, home of Puritanism, and of strict Sunday
observance, reveals the startling fact " that by far
the chief pan of the pressure by which (he Sunday car*
were caused tobe put on came from the church member*
and church-goinr/ people"

'* Part II, of the forthcoming ' Report of the La
bor Bureau of Massachusetts,' is upon ' Sunday La-
bor' in that State; and is as the reports of that
Bureau always are, an array of facts, leaving the
discussion of the moral questions involved to those
to whom it properly belongs. The report deals
only with the Sunday labor where it is massed, so
that there can be some breadth to the facts; and
where also there is some cpiestion as to necessity for
its being done.

" By far the largest of all the industries in the
State, in which Sunday labor is systematically done.
is that of the railroads. The first railroad train was
on what was then the Boston and Worcester road.
It began to run on Monday, May 1, 1834, going as-

* Atlantic Monthly, April, 1881, pp. 526-529. and p. 537.

SABBATH AND SUNDAY. 449

far as Newton, seven miles out. The first train that
ran on Sunday was on the second road built in the
State, the Boston and Providence. It began to run
on Sunday, September 14, 1834, and continues sub-
stantially to this day. *The old stage line, which
this road was displacing, had been accustomed to go
through from Providence to Boston on Sunday
morning, ' to finish the trip ' for those passengers
who had come from New York on the Saturday
night steam-boat. The railroad from the first did
the same (finished the trip), and does to this day, as
do all roads where the occasion arises.

"The first strictly Sunday train, i. e., one which
began the trip on Sunday, was a daily steam boat
train on ihe same road, which was put on Saturday,.
April 2. 1836, but which only continued that sum-
mer

"On Sunday, July 2, 1837, a Sunday mail train
began to run on the Boston and Worcester, which,
in some form has continued ever since, except in
the six years from '47 to '53, during which period,
so far as can be learned, not even a mail train left
Boston on Sunday on this road, except when, some-
times, the Cunard mail-steamer arrived too late for
the last train Saturday night, and a special was sent
through to New York Sunday night. But in May
of the latter year a Sunday evening New York mail
train was announced, which still continues ; and
that train inauguiated the present era of Sunday
trains.

" The Sunday mail train on the Eastern road had!
a singularly suggestive history. It was put on as
soon as the road began to run in the fall of 1838r
and continued till February, 1847. On the last
Sunday of that year it was hauled off, apparently
because it did not pay, it being understood that the
management of the road gave up one-seventh of the
contract price to get released from that train ; and it

(29)

4:50 SABBATH AND SUNDAY.

is told in Salem, that on the last train from Boston,
on that last Sunday afternoon, no passengers rode
but employes of the railroad. Moreover, for many
years after, even all during the War, the mail be-
tween Salem and Boston was carried by a one-horse
wagon, there not being travel enough to pay for any
kind of a coach. Indeed, the recent era of Sunday
railroading, so far as that road is concerned, did not
begin till June, 1872, with the putting on of the
Bangor express.

" The Sunday 'church trains ' were begun in No-
vember, I860, by Mr. Twichell, of the Boston and
Worcester, between Brookliue and Boston, at the
-urgent and long-continued solicitation of members
of churches who had lived in Boston but now lived
in Brookline, and who wanted still to attend upon
the ministrations of their Boston pastors. It was
twelve years before the next church local was put
on (on the Old Colony road), and now for more
than twelve years every road has had them in some
form. But the chief point of the matter is, that the
whole system was begun and extended by church-
going people, for church-going purposes ; and that
from these church excursion trains sprang the whole
system of seaside Sunday excursion trains, now so
vastly multiplied. A single incident illustrates the
whole matter. A preacher who lived out of town,
in a village on the Old Colony road, had an oppor-
tunity for a number of months of supplying a pul-
pit on the west side of Boston. The Sunday local
which he used reached the City at 10.15 A. M., but
he found the quarter of an hour to 10.30 too short
to get to his appointment. So he wrote to the proper
railroad officer, asking if that train could not be
run in five minutes earlier. There is our Sunday ex-
cursion system in its germ.

"For some jears after the horse railroads were
established no cars were run on Sunday. The case

SABBATH AND SUNDAY. 451

of the Cambridge road is an excellent example. It
was at the first, and is yet, officered by conscientious
men of the puritan type, who believe in keeping the
Sabbath holy ; but they were forced, after six years,
by the conditions of the life of society in which they
abode to yield and run their cars on Sunday.

" And the strange part of it all is, that by far the
chief part of the pressure by which the Sunday cars
were caused to be put on came from church mem-
bers and church-going people, who wanted them run
for their accommodation in going to church.

" Sunday steam cars and horse cars are by far the
largest systematic Sunday industries in Massachu-
setts, and the others do not call for special mention.

" The investigation brought out two points which
may be expected to be of special value in future
discussion of the Sunday question, and which ap-
pear to be new. One is a classification of labor
into two kinds, according to its objects ; the other is
a showing of the effect of Sunday labor in these
two classes upon the health and wage of the labor-
ers. The classification is stated thus :

'"Human labor is performed for two purposes,
for the production of goods and for personal ser-
vice. In the first instance, it is applied to materials
in a crude state for the production of things in a
finished state, and such labor may be classified un-
der the general head of productive labor. In the
second instance, it is put forth by man at the de-
mand of his fellow-man for service to his person,
either for his convenience, his amusement, or his edi-
fication, his cleanliness, or his general bodily wants,
and for his whims ; and all these forms of labor may
be classified as "personal service." '

"The classification being established, the investi-
gation of the Bureau shows a very marked contrast
in the effects of the two kinds of labor, both upon
the health and wage of laborers. Concerning the

452 SABBATH AND SUNDAY.

effect on health, setting- the brakeman and the plow-
man, the horse-car conductor and the weaver, in con-
trast, the following statements are made :

" ' The plowman, during all the time that he is at
his work, has his muscles all astrain ; but the brake-
man does not use his one-tenth of the time.'

Again, referring to an actual instance of a horse-
car conductor which is given, it says :

" ' The weaver who should tend his looms steadily
for a thousand days in succession would probably
break down completely in health long before the
time was past, while on the contrary, the horse-car
conductor goes through the whole term without los-
ing a day, and finishes the period with vigor unim-
paired. '

"In short, all that was learned goes to show that,
what with ' days off,' which are generally taken,
and the nature of personal service, the Sunday labor
done in the Commonwealth does not produce any
deterioration of health tbat can be discovered.

" A corresponding effect is shown concerning
wages. The Report says :

"'When systematic work for the production of
wealth is done on Sunday, that is, when the worker
labors seven days in the week in the production of
wealth, there is a powerful and probably an irre-
sistable tendency to break down the rate of pay, so
that the total amount of the seven days' wage will
be no greater ultimately than the six days' wage
was, or would have been. But where systematic
work in personal service is performed, there is no
such tendency to break down the daily rate of wrage;
for the person who performs this class of labor for
seven days receives a full day's pay more than he
wTould if he worked but six days, and so the average
day's pay is in no way diminished.'

"This classification and the results drawn from

SABBATH AND SUNDAY. 453

it are deemed of special value, and it is believed that
they will have an important bearing upon future
discussions of the Sunday labor problem from the
economic stand-point. Of course it follows, as the
report says in closing, ' that the sheer will of man,
actuated by no constraint of nature nor through the
selfish motive of profit, but only for what is consid-
ered as some human convenience, causes all, or near-
ly all, the Sunday labor in Massachusetts."*

Equally suggestive is the following, from the pen of
one whose opinion commands respect in all circles.

" DECAY OP SUNDAY OBSERVANCE AMONG CHRIS-
TIANS."

" Sunday observance, I say, instead of Sabbath
observance, for I wish not to raise the Sabbatarian
question, even in the association of a word.

" I began and I end what I have here to say with
two illustrious, illustrative instances. For the sake
of being strictly non-partisan. I may make these in-
stances respectively republican and democratic in
political bearing.

" The New York Tribune, during the late presiden-
tial campaign, told the country, one Monday morn-
ing, that Mr. Blaine , in course of accomplishing that
magnificent, that unparalleled, progress of his,
started from Chicago at half -past eleven the Satur-
day night previous, and reached Jamestown Sunday
evening at ten. ' There were no demonstrations,'
so the organ informs us, ' along the route. ' ' Mr.
Blaine desired that none should be made,' was the
comment of the Tnbune.

" This was. in that • large utterance ' which seems
natural to the reporter, explained to be ' on account
of the character of the day.' We are, of course, to

* Independent, N. Y.

454 SABBATH AND SUNDAY.

interpret the explanation as meaning, not because the
day was cold, or wet, or windy, or otherwise unfav-
orable in ' character,' but because it was Sunday.
Sunday, then, may be taken still to have, even in the
view of a reporter attached to a Sunday-issue-print-
ing newspaper, a certain 'character,' simply as Sun
day. I suppose it really has, but at the rate we go
on now it will not have much longer. Sunday ob-
servance is a fond superstition, a relic of former use
and wont, that is fast passing away from among us.

"I do not call attention to Mr. Blaine's disregard of
Sunday to criticise it. His disregard of the day
seems, indeed — for we must be carefully just-
not to have been a total disregard. Mr. Blaine re-
garded Sunday enough not to compete with the
churches for audience at this point or at that as his
train paused from its roaring rush along the rail. He
only disregarded it enough to travel all day long,
from the first moment of Sunday to almost the last.
I say I do not refer to this conduct on Mr. Blaine's
part to criticise it. I simply refer to it in the way of
argument, by instance or illustration. It is, forme, a
striking case in point, recent, and perhaps not too re-
cent. That is all. It exhibits, for it exemplifies,
now the decay of Sunday observance.

1 ' It would be grossly unfair to treat Mr. Blaine's use
of so-styled sacred time as a thing isolated, excep-
tional, singular; a thing on his part in contrast with
the general practice of good and accepted Christians
of to-day. This is by no means the fact concerning
the matter. The breaking down of Sunday observ-
ance runs along the whole line of current Christian
behavior.

"It did not occur so very long ago — at any rate I
vividly remember being told the circumstance, then
very recent, by a member of the Christian household
immediately concerned — that an evangelical 'pro-
fessor of religion,' a deacon of his own particular

SABBATH AND SUNDAY. 455

church — indeed, the president of a great and famous
society of distinctively Christian benevolence, this
distinguished gentleman being at the time a tourist
on the Continent — on a certain occasion used his Sun-
day there to do regulation sight-seeing with his chil-
dren, active teachers they, one of them, at least, in
the Sunda3^-school at home. Within the year past
another distinguished president of a representative
Christian society applied to me for information that
should help him, hastening from the anniversary of
that society at which he had presided, to get home by
traveling on Sunday. At the same anniversary at-
tended a devout Sunday-school superintendent who
starting Saturday, had traveled all day Sunday to
reach the place.

"Now, in the face of facts like these— and from my
own individual observation, I could multiply them
indefinitely — it is perfectly plain that Sunday ob-
servance is fast coming to be practically a confessed
pious fiction — a fiction, therefore, that cannot con-
tinue long to impose on anybody. A 'fiction' (of
the pious sort) I do not scruple to call the rule of
Sunday observation as formally professed and as ac-
tually broken by so many unchallenged evangelical
Christians, in all our American churches. It is a
' fiction ' because the very men who thus freely sec-
ularize their Sundays themselves will often be found
exclaiming against 'Sabbath-breaking' when it is
done in certain forms by others.

" I do not now criticise anybody for failure in Sun-
day observance. I simply point out a fact. I think
it is well that the fact should be faced by everybody
concerned. And I believe that everybody is con-
cerned. The fact is full of significance. It means
nothing less than that the institution of ' Sunday '
is fast going. The 'character' of the day is with
us largely a mere tradition. The tradition fades
daily. It is pale now to a degree.

456 SABBATH AND SUNDAY.

" I cannot guess how serious the regret really is,
and by what proportion of average good Christians
shared, at this undeniable decay of Sunday observ-
ance. I am quite inclined to think that what regret
exists is mostly official, or else a matter of mere tra-
dition and convention. I judge so from the easy
conscience with which ministers, for example, use
the railroads on Sunday to go to and fro for preach-
ing appointments, and from the apparently uncon-
scious proneness of any chance Christians you may
meet, for example, to take the train upon occasion
of a Sunday morning from the suburbs to the city
for the purpose of hearing a favorite voice sound
out from the pulpit the doctrine of the creeds-
preaching, it well might happen, on the text ' Re-
member the Sabbath-day to keep it holy.' This
freedom on the part of the flock is, of course, not to
be wondered at. The shepherd himself — that elo-
quent preacher — will perhaps preach the same ser-
mon, on the same text, the evening of the same day,
to a congregation fort}' miles distant, reached neces-
sarily at cost to him of Sunday travel.

" There is no need to accumulate instances. I se-
riously propose a question : As long as the state of
the case is what we all of us perfectly well know it
to be respecting Sunday observance among Chris-
tians, is it, can it be useful, for us to talk piously
against Sunday newspapers, Sunday excursions,
Sunday concerts, Sunday opening of places of
amusement ?

" How is it ? Has Sunday still left among us trace
enough of its former ' character ' to have inspired in
some hearts a sentiment of shame, disgust, and in-
dignation at the screaming profanation of the sup-
posed sacredness of the day committed by the New
York Tribune in sending out those yelling and tear-
ing special expresses to rend the quiet of Sunday
mornings, in the country in order, forsooth, that the

SABBATH AND SUNDAY. 457

summer residents at the great watering places might
begin to secularize their Sunday a little earlier, and
secularize it by reading that journal rather than any
of its out-done competitors ? Possibly ; but this
journalistic enterprise and the journalistic braggado
cio which so flagrantly proclaimed the triumph next
morning, these are, let us all understand it well, only
the world's way of doing what the church itself freely
does. With what face can the church exclaim
against it? Is the church sure that the church it-
self bought no Tribunes Sunday morning at Saratoga
or in the Catskills ?

" Sunday observance must be revived among Chris-
tians, or the institution is doomed. And the doom
is ready, even now, presently to crack. I know noth-
ing that could more impressively point, in conclu-
sion, the truth and the timeliness of what my title
implies than the late falsely reported fishing excur-
sion of our present Chief Magistrate. This report
has been fitly remarked upon in the editorial col-
umns of The Christian Advocate, but what would that
fishing excursion, had it occurred, have been but a
monumental indication of the current decay of Sun-
day observance among us Americans ? " *

Tarrvtown, N. Y.

Prof. Wilkinson is a thoughtful and clear-headed
writer. The facts he states are beyond question.
He puts forth no theory as to the cure for this evil,
but it is easy for the careful student of history and
of the situation, to see that this decay is the result of
an inherent weakness on the part of the Sunday. It
came into the church as a festal holiday. It was
never anything else, until Puritanism attempted to

* Prof. W. C. Wilkinson, in the Christian Advocate.

458 SABBATH AND SUHDAY,

transfer the authority of the fourth commandment
to it, as a compromise with God for not returning to
the whole truth, and the observance of the Sab-
bath. The Puritan Sunday was developed as a mid-
dle ground between the claims of the Sabbath, as
pressed by the English Seventh-day Baptists, and
the prevailing No-sabbathism of the Romish and
English churches. The "decay" of which Prof.
Wilkinson writes is only a return towards the nor-
mal level of Sunday. But there is hope when
thoughtful men recognize the essential fact of this
decay.

Thus do the friends of Sunday tell the story of its
defeat and death in America. We might add the
accumulating facts of every day, making the picture
still darker and more hopeless. Enough is evident
everywhere to show that the foundation on which
Sunday, as a Sabbath, is reputed to rest does not ex-
ist. Unless a new and divine authority can come to
its rescue from the Word of the Lord Jehovah,
this process of decay will hasten, and end in burial.

We cannot close this chapter better than by adding
the following from the pen of a well known Presby-
terian clergyman of New York, Rev. Henry J. Van
Dyke, Jr. He writes in the Independent of Oct. 15,
1885, as follows :

" WANTED, A CLEAR VIEW,"

" We never shall get this question of Sunday ob-
servance rightly settled until we get a clear and con-
sistent view of it. The trouble is not that Christian
people have voluntarily and definitely abandoned or

SABBATH AND SUNDAY. 459

betrayed their principle ; the trouble is that they
have no principle distintively formulated and firmly
grasped ; the trouble is not that the church is indif-
ferent or impotent to control the course of events ;
the trouble is that she is very much mixed on this
question. She does not look it squarely in the face ;
she does not take hold of it intelligently and with a
firm and earnest purpose ; and, consequently, she
does not act with unity and vigor. What we need is
a clear view.

"And we need it at once. For, while we are wait-
ing and talking melancholy sentiment about ' the good
old Sabbath of our fathers,' and drifting vaguely in
the dark, the question is settling itself in a very prac-
tical and a very unsatisfactory way. "Without any
serious philosophic or moral argument, without
even an attempt to investigate candidly the teachings
of the Scriptures, the amusement-mongers and
money-makers are taking possession of Sunday for
themselves. The Sunday newspapers fly everywhere
on the wings of the wind. The Sunday trains run
all over the land. The Sunday whistles are blowing,
the Sunday bands are blaring and squealing and
scraping, the Sunday shows are open, the Sunday
fishermen are casting their flies, and the Sunday hun-
ters are blazing away at the birds, the Sunday shops
are crowded, and the notices of Sunday services at
Coney Island display the names of popular divines
to draw a larger patronage to the Sunday boats.
Meanwhile the good Christian people are looking at
each other somewhat blankly, and saying : ' What do
we think of it all anyway ? What is Sunday ? a civil
holiday, or a divine institution ? an ecclesiastical ordi-
nance for Christians only, or a great humane provision
for the wants of all men ? How shall we agree
to defend it ? On what grounds and to what ex-
tent ? Shall we go backward or forward ? Shall
we imitate our grandfathers or anticipate our

460 SABBATH AND SUNDAY.

grandchildren ? And how far backward or how far
forward are we willing to go ? Has this question
any really practical importance ? Is there any way
of deciding it ? Are there any fixed principles in-
volved, or any genuine statistics available?'

" You see what we want first is a clear view on four
points :

"1. A clear view of the meaning of Sunday. Is it
merely a ceremonial day, to be observed for its own
sake, and in the strict keeping of which there is
great merit ? Or is it a day with a deep significance,
and a high mission for the life of man? a day without
which our spiritual life would shrivel and dry up,
and blow away ? a day, the breaking of which carries
its own punishment with it, and never fails to re-
venge itself upon its despisers ? Is it a day which is
to be observed solely by abstaining from certain em-
ployments and recreation by denying ourselves in a
mild sort of ascetism ? Or is it a day which is to be
observed by honestly and sincerely endeavoring to
make some positive advance in the higher life by
enjoying to the lull certain privileges ? Which
view shall we take ? For, if we are clear, how can
we mix them ?

"2. A clear view of the authority of Sunday. Has
it nothing more than custom and churchly tradition
to enforce it upon us? Or is it firmly fixed and
definitely declared in the law of God ? Are there
only nine commandments in the Decalogue ? Or
is the fourth still binding? Did Christ do away
with the necessity for a sacred rest-day, or only
with the Jewish Sabbath ? Does the Lord's-day
really rest upon the fourth commandment, and per-
petuate its spirit ? We must look clearly and can-
didly at these questions before we can advance a
step in any direction.

"3. A clear view of the social and religious import-
ance of Sunday. Is it altogether a matter of inherit-

SABBATH AND SUNDAY. 461

ance, or of sentiment whether we shall follow the
Puritan or the European model ? Is it a question by
itself, or does it involve other and larger interests ?
Has it any bearing upon national prosperity and
social conditions and moral developments ? Can we
trace any connection between the secularization of
Sunday and the decline of religion in Fnnce and
Germany ? Has the observance of Sunday as a day
of rest and worship in England, and Scotland done
anything for the physical, intellectual and moral
welfare of the people ? What will be the probable
eifect upon our churches and benevolent institutions
and the spiritual quality of our people at large if
Sunday becomes a day for money-making or merry
making ? Surely we do not wish to take a medicine
without knowing whether it is likely to do us good
or harm. We need to cast an eye toward the future,
and look straight and square at the practical signifi-
cance of the Sunday question .

" 4. A clear view of the best way to protect and enforce
the obserwfice of Sunday. Is it to be done chiefly by
the State, or by the Church ? by law, or by example?
by outward pains and penalties, or by the force of a
general moral sentiment ? How far has the State a
right to go in saying what a man may not do on Sun-
day ? And, above all, how far is it wise for the
State to go ? Can we summon any more potent
force than has yet been invoked to preserve such a
Sunday for the whole community as we honestly
and clearly believe it ought to have ? Is there any
power to this end now latent in the church, which
has never been fully called out, and which is from
day to day becoming more and more dormant, sim-
ply for want of a clear view of what is to be done
and how to do it ?

' ' These are some of the points that we must il-
luminate and elucidate, every Christian for himself,
and then altogether, as unitedly and as vigorously as

462 SABBATH AND SUNDAY.

we can, for the whole community. The simple fact
is that we are groping and drifting aimlessly. We
are allowing men whom we would not trust in busi-
ness, or philosophy, or morals, to settle the Sunday
question for us after their own fashion. We are to-
day in a far more lax condition than England, and,
in our large cities, at least, rapidljr going beyond
Germany. We good folks, who dwell in our ceiled
houses and go to church twice a Sunday do not quite
realize what is going on. Are we willing that the mat-
ter should take its own course, without an earnest
effort on our part to understand it or do anything
about it ? That is a coward's part, and an imbecile's
as well. It is high time to awaken out of sleep,
every one of us, and get a clear view of Sunday —
what it is, what it wiil be, and what it ought to be."

The picture presented by Mr. VanDyke is not
overdrawn nor painted in too lurid colors. The
church is bewildered and "at sea" on the Sunday
question. Some weakly bemoan the state of things,
with no results beyond the sound of moaning.
Some clamor for the execution of the civil laws,
which are too dead to hear any call. Most seem to
think that if they avoid agitation and talk in a gen-
eral way about the need of "better Sabbath observ-
ance," the question will settle itself. All these
methods of meeting the question have failed to check
the general drift. It is true indeed that the Chris-
tian people of the United States must face the ques-
tion squarely, and at an early day.

CHAPTER XXIX.
lements of adtation now
at Work in the United

P

1ATES,

CONVENTIONS.

The probable future of Sabbath reform work in
the United States will be better understood by con-
sidering what has been done, and what influences
are now at work. Those who desire to pursue the
details of the movements in the past more fully than
our space enables us to do, are referred to " Sabbath
Essays," published by the Congregational Publish-
ing Society, Boston ; the publications of the New
York Sabbath Committee ; the history of the Sev-
enth-day Adventists since 1845, and the history of
the Seventh-day Baptists in the United States for
the last two hundred years.

When the power of the " Puritan Sunday" began
to wane, and the tendency to holidayism began to
appear, the earnest Christian men of New England
saw the impending danger, and sought for a remedy.
The earliest effort at concert in consultation was
made in Middlesex county, Mass. , in 1814. Thir-

464 SABBATH AND SUNDAY.

teen towns were represented in this convention ;
Rev. Justin Edwards, D. D. , was a prominent work-
er. An address to the churches of Hampshire coun-
ty by the Northern Association had been issued in
1801.

The following from Sabbath Essays gives the out-
line of the history of the agitation by the advocates
of the Puritan theory.

"In May, 1828, in New York City, three hundred
delegates met, representing fourteen Stales and Ter-
ritories. Those present, these three days, declared
they ' never witnessed an occasion of such interest.'
The design was to form a general Sabbath Union ;
and an auxiliary convention met in Boston, May 30.

"A great Sabbath movement culminating about
this time was the Sunday mail agitaiion. In 1810 a
law passed requiring Sunday delivery, which was
made more exacting in 1825. But in 1829, 467 peti-
tions were presented to Congress, deprecating Sun-
day mails. Among the petitioners we find Josiah
Quincy, Thomas L. Winthrop, Samuel T. Arm-
strong, Isaac Parker (Chief Justice), John C. War-
ren, M. D., Robert G. Shaw, Abbot Lawrence.

' ' In May, 1830, Senator Frelinghuysen presented
the subject to the United States Senate in a form in
which we trust it may yet be agitated successfully :

"Resolved, That the Committee on Post Offices
and Post Roads be instructed to report a bill, repeal-
ing so much of the act on the regulation of post-
offices as requires the delivery of htters, packets,
and papers on the Sabbath ; and, further, to prohibit
the transportation of the mail on that day."

" In 1840 met a ' Bethel and Sabbath Convention '
in Cincinnati.

"In 1842, July 20 and 21, a convention of great
interest assembled at Rochester, N. Y. Three hun-

SABBATH AND SUNDAY. 465

dred delegates were present. Their pamphlet of
ninety -four pages contains letters from Seward, Fre-
linghuysen, and Chancellor Walworth. Mr. Seward
wrote, ' I need not assure you that every day s obser-
vation and experience confirm the opinion that the
ordinances which require the observance of one day
in seven, and the Christian faith which hallows it
are our chief security for civil and religious liberty,
for temporal blessings and spiritual hopes.'

"The year 1844 was prolific of conventions, in
many States. Dr. Edwards was a prime mover. He
was Secretary of the American and Foreign Sabbath
Union, established in 1843. Jan. 10 and 11, the
Baltimore Sabbath Socieiy had a meeting address-
ed by Hon. Willard Hall. They called a Na-
tional Convention, which met at Baltimore, Nov.
27 and 28. John Quincy Adams presided ; and he
remarked, * So far as propagating opinions in favor
of the sacred observance of ihe Sabbath, I feel it to
be my duty to give all the faculties of my soul to
that subject.' Dr. Edwards was present ; Chief
Justice Hornblower, Walworth, Frelinghuysen, sent
letters. The pamphlet of eighty-two pages contains
an Address to Railroad Diretors— quoted from the
New York Sabbath Convention — also to canal com-
missioners, and to the public.

"The same year, earlier, May 30 and 31, met a
State Convention at Harrisburg, Va., in the Legisla-
tive Chamber. Dr. Edwards was present.

"Aug. 28 and 29 assembled the New York State
Sabbath Convention at Saratoga Springs. Presi-
dent Eliphalet Nott, D. D., was chairman ; Dr. Ed-
wards was present.

"In 1846, Feb. 10 and 11, a Sabbath Convention
was held in Frankfort, Ky. Rev. Drs. Edwards,
and Scudder of India, were there.

" Two years later, in 1848, March 23 and 24, an
Anti-Sabbath Convention met in Boston at the Melo

(30)

466 SABBATH AND SUNDAY.

deoii. The call was from Garrison, the Jacksons,
Parker, and others. Men of other opinions spoke.
They opposed Sabbath laws, yet their address says,
1 A day of rest from bodily toil, both for man and
beast, is not only desirable, but indispensable. They
need more, and must have more instead of les* rest. '
A meeting of the Free Religious Association in 1877
produced four addresses, ' How shall we keep Sun-
day ?'

" In 1857, commenced a really great organization,
permanent in power and usefulness, the ' New York
Sabbath Committee,' which has restrained Sabbath
desecration in New York City, pursued investiga-
tions on both sides of the Atlantic, and published
valuable documents. For twenty-two years they
have continued their 'unobtrusive but persevering
labors.'

' ' A similar society, the ' Maryland Sabbath Asso-
ciation,' was organized in 1867. Its twelfth report
shows a grand work in the face of opposition.

"A younger organization (1878), the ' International
Sabbath Association ' of Philadelphia, has the motto,
1 Organization, Co-operation, Devotion, and Contin-
uance.'

"In 1863, Aug. 11, 12 and 13, a National Con-
vention met at Saratoga Springs. Nearly all the
loyal States were represented. Norman White,
Esq., Hon. G. H. Stuart and Hon. William E. Dodge
made addresses. Valuable papers were presented :
by Dr. Schaff , ' The Anglo American Sabbath ; ' bv
Willard Parker, M. D., 'The Sabbath in its Physiolog-
ical Relations to Man;' by Rev. H. B. Smith, D.
D., ' The Philosophy of the Sabbath ; ' and by Rev.
President Mark Hopkins, D. D., ' The Sabbath and
Free Institutions.' " *

The volume of essays quoted above is made up of
* Sabbath Essays, pp. 434-437.

SABBATH AND SUNDAY. 46?

papers presented at two conventions held in Massa
chusetts in 1879.

These Massachusetts " Sabbath Conventions" had
their inception in the Evangelical Ministers' Associa-
tion of Boston and vicinity, familiarly called the
4 ' Alliance. "

In Jannary, 1879, the Alliance resolved to hold
these conventions.

The committee appointed early put themselves into
communication with the pastors of Springfield, who
heartily entered into the plan, and appointed an effi-
cient committee of co-operation.

Besides the eminent writers secured, many dis
tinguished persons were invited, who could not at-
tend, among them Gen. Hawley, whose noble word
is worth a hundred speeches : "Before God, I am
afraid to open the Centennial gates on the Sab
bath."

A " Statement of Principles," drawn up by Rev.
W. W. Atterbury, Secretary of the New York Sab
bath Committee, was sent out in letters missive, as the
basis of the convention,

"statement of principles."

" The convention is called on the following basis,
and will consider only questions directly relevant
thereto. The statement appended will be read at
the opening of the convention, and will be voted
upon at the close of the second day's morning ses
sion:

"First. — We hold the Sabbath, or weekly rest-
day, as founded by the Creator in the constitution
of man, as embodied in the fourth commandment of
the Decalogue, as recognized and confirmed by our

468 SABBATH AND SUNDAY.

Lord Jesus Christ, and as reappearing with new
spiritual significance in the Lord s-day of the Chris-
tian Church.

"We aim to promote among Christians the sense
of its divine authority, and the more conscientious
observance of it against the influences which now
prevail to secularize it.

"Second. — While the State cannot and should not
enforce or interfere with the religious observance of
the Sabbath, yet the weekly rest-day exists also as a
civil institution, maintained by law and custom from
the beginning of our history, and vitally related
to the well-being of individuals and of society, and
to the stability of our free institutions.

"We aim to promote among our fellow-citizens of
all classes such a true understanding of its value to
themselves, to their families, and to the State, as will
lead them to resist whatever tends to deprive them
of it, and to sustain the just laws which protect their
right to it.

" We, therefore, as representatives of the evangeli-
cal churches of Massachuseits, affirm the foregoing
principles, and pledge ourselves more faithfully to
teach and observe the religious Sabbath, and more
watchfully and strenuously to maintain against all
encroachments the civil Sabbath, as a principal cause
of the intelligence, freedom, security, and happiness
of our beloved Commonwealth." *

The Springfield Convention comprised the evangel-
ical churches west of Worcester county. Its ses-
sions were held Oct. 15 and 16, in State-street Baptist
Church. . . . The convention was "Notable in the
number and reputation of the clergymen present."
. . . President J. H. Seelye, D. D., of Amherst Col-
lege ; made an extemporaneous opening address, and

* Sabbath Essays, p. 430.

SABBATH AND SUNDAY. 46V)

papers were read successively by Rev. Messrs. At
terbury, Thomas, Bacon, Gordon, Peck, Smyth.
King and Love. The Springfield committee con-
sidered their meeting a grand success.

The Eastern convention met at Boston the next
week, Oct. 21 and 22. Eleven hundred letters were
sent ; but many churches were unrepresented.

The sessions of this convention occupied two
days and evenings. The " Statement of Principles "
was adopted unanimously, as it had been at Spring-
field, by rising vote.

It was also resolved, —

" That a committee of thirteen be appointed as the
State Standing Committee on Sabbath Observance,
whose duty it shall be to procure the appointment of
a similar committee in each town of the Common-
wealth, which, together with the central committee,
shall constitute a Sabbath League, to take such meas-
ures from lime to time as shall seem to them neces-
sary and feasible for the better maintenance of the
Lord's-day."

This committee soon issued the following :

"CIRCULAR."

"The 'Committee of Thirteen,' who publish this
document, were appointed by the Boston Sabbath
Convention, Oct. 24, 1879, to be known as the 'State
Standing Committee on the Observance of ihe Sab-
bath' and the head center of a State Sabbath
League to be duly formed.

"As a basis of operation and co-operation, they
awaited the discussion in January, 1880, before the
' Evangelical Ministers' Association of Boston and
Vicinity' of the question, ' What is just, wise and
humane to insist upon, at present, in the execution

470 SABBATH AND SUNDAY.

of our Sunday laws?' The points presented, by a
committee, of which Judge E. H. Bennett, of Boston
University, was chairman, were unanimously en-
dorsed by the Association, by a standing vote of
some three hundred ministers present.

" We present them to the public in a slightly mod-
ified form, as our basis of operation.

" We do not, hereby, impl}- desire for change in our
Sunday laws ; we only give prominence and empha
sis to the points indicated.

"We invite co-operation on this basis ; we solicit
the attention of fair-minded citizens to our wholesome
laws securing their right to one day of rest in seven ;
we urge violators of Sunday laws to observe these
just demands ; we request magistrates and officials
to execute these laws."

" SIX POINTS: "

" Bam of Operation and Co-operation."

" I. Under General Statutes, Chapter 84. sections 1
and 2, the absolute legal right of every employe of
corporation or individual to the rest of the entire
Lord's-day. We desire to call the attention of em-
ployes throughout the State to their legal right to a
Sabbath free from call, order or command of em-
ployer, corporate or individual, and free from liabil-
ity to discharge or diminution of wages for non-per-
formance of Sunday work.

" We call the attention of railroads, manufactories
and other corporations to the fact that in demanding
Sunday labor they infringe law, oppress labor, and
demand and expect what tbey have no legal right to
require, work when the law secures rest to men in
their employ.

" II. Under c. 84, s. 2, the stopping of all Sunday
passenger trains, except from considerations of neces-
sity and charity.

SABBATH AND SUNDAY. 471

" Under c. 84, s. 2, the stopping of all excursion
trains whatever.

' • Under c. 84, s. 2, the stopping of all freight trains
whatever within the limits of the Commonwealth in
whatsoever place they may happen to be at sunrise
of the Lord's-day.

" Under c. 84, s. 1, the stopping of all work in rail-
road shops.

" Under c. 84, s. 1, the stopping of all railroad work
in making repairs, building bridges, etc, on Sunday.

"III. Under c. 84, s. 1, the stopping of the Sunday
issue of papers, magazines, etc.

"Under c. 84, s. 1, the stopping of the sale, by pub-
lishers, newsboys, store keepers or carriers, of
papers, magazines, etc.

"IV. Under c. 84, s. 1, the stopping of all sales of
mechandise on the Lord's-day ; including wares,
fruits, confectionery, cigars, tobacco and intoxicat-
ing liquors ; excepting for necessity and charity,
medicines, and until nine o'clock A. M., milk,
bread, and other cooked eatables.

" V. Under c. 84, s. 4, the stopping of all Sunday
evening entertainments except ' concerts of sacred
music'

" VI. Under c. 84, s. 1, the stopping of all games of
ball or other sports in streets of the town or fields of
the country."

Up to the present date we have not been able to
learn that this committee has accomplished any defi-
nite results. The topics discussed at these conven-
tions covered a wide range. They form the fullest
and most able presentation of the question from the
Puritan stand-point which has been made during
this century. The effect of the conventions on the
public mind seems to have been very slight. Sun-

472 SABBATH AXD SUNDAY.

day desecration has gone on in a steadily increasing
ratio.

The Boston correspondent of the Christian Union
.of July 10, 1884, speaks as follows :

•' If you seek for Boston society now, you will fled
■it scattered along the coast from Mount Desert to
-Cape Cod ; in the mountains, at hotels and boarding-
houses, and on farms ; in ocean steamers and foreign
lands. Yet there is a large population left, the large
class that holds society together by its daily toil, and
which can snatch but a week or two for an outing.
Large numbers of this class go into the country or
.down the harbor on Sundays ; the horse-cars into
suburban places being compelled to transport unusual
numbers. Some of the routes run two cars at a time.
In groves, by lake-sides, along the coasts, many
thousands are abroad breathing the fresh air and
roaming in nature. Those in city-returning cars
have beautiful bouquets and sprigs of fern and foli-
age. It is noticeable, also, that many country peo-
ple come into the city on Sunday ; some attend church :
others roam in the public garden, or the Common,
and frequent places that theyknow, and whither their
affiliations draw them. I am not now moralizing or
philosophizing, but stating facts. Driving on Sun-
day is very common ; families who worship in ele-
gant churches drive in the afternoon, many of them
while the larger numbers who drive for recreation,
fearless of God and disregarding man, swell the num-
bers to troops on the fashionable highways. Say
what you may on the Sunday question, the strictly
Puritan Sunday does not belong to the Boston of to-
day."

" SABBATH COMMITTEES."

' ' Sabbath Committees " are now organized in the
following cities : Minneapolis and St. Paul, in Min-

SABBATH AND SUNDAY. 473

nesota, Chicago, 111., Cleveland, Ohio, Louisville,
Ky., Philadelphia, Pa., Baltimore, Md., Boston.
Mass. , and in a few smaller cities, and an "Alli-
ance " for the State of New Jersey. The most vigor
ous of these is the New York Committee. Concern-
ing iis aims and work, we extract the following state-
ments from its Documents :

" OBJECTS AND POLICY OF THE COMMITTEE."

" The New York Sabbath Committee, while recog-
nizing the paramount importance of the religious
observance of the Lord's-day, have to do with the
day of rest chiefly as a civil institution, established
by national custom and law and vitally connected
with the preservation of our free institutions and the
rights and liberties of all classes. They stand here
on ground on which all American Christians, with-
out distinction of denomination or party, are in sub-
stantial agreement. They disclaim all compulsion in
matters of conscience, all wish to make men relig-
ious by law. They recognize the separation of
Church and State, and the freedom of religion which
our government assures, as a blessing beyond all
price, to be most jealously guarded. But they re-
gard it also as the right and duty of the State to pro-
tect by law the good health and morals and social
order of the community ; and also to secure to the
Christian p» ople, who constitute its large majority,
the enjoyment of their right to undisturbed wor-
ship.

" On these grounds, from the very beginning of our
history, the Sabbath has been maintained by appro
priate legislation. The State separates Sunday from
all other days of the week as a day of rest and quiet.
It puts the hand of its powerful protection between
the laborer and that exacting spirit of gain, which
would otherwise compel him to the weary round of

474 SABBATH AND SUNDAY.

seven days of weekly toil ; and so secures to him at
least one day for the rest of his body, for the im-
provement of his mind and heart, and home in-
tercourse.

' ' The Committee aim to secure the enforcement of
just and wise laws by which the day is protected, to
oppose unfavorable legislation and other hostile in-
fluences, and by the use of the press, the circulation
of documents, addresses, sermons, and by other pru-
dent and practicable means, to enlighten the public
sentiment and to preserve to all classes, so far as pos-
sible, the benefits of the Sunday rest.'* *

Religiously considered, the above is by far too low
a standard. Still, no higher ground can be taken, so
long as " Sabbath Reform " is defined as being a bet-
ter enforcement of the Sunday law, for the protec-
tion of ' ' the good health and morals and social or-
der of the community." As a moral and religious
power, such a platform is of little account. It does
not touch the real issue of Sabbath-keeping, and of
permanent reform. As an element of agitation, its
immediate effect, if the platform be carried out, is
more widely felt, since it comes in contact with the
habits and choices of the irreligious, more than a
merely religious discussion would. On the other
hand, this low-ground issue tends to delay the final
and more important question, viz., whether Sunday
has any ground for claiming to be the Sabbath.

Document No. 48, of the publications of the New
York Committee, contains a review of the work of
that Committee from its organization, 1857 to 1883,

♦Document No. 44, Report of 1877-1879.

SABBATH AND SUNDAY. 475

a period of twenty-five years. The platform on which
its work has been prosecuted is set forth as follows :

" While the Committee held most fully the divine
obligation and paramount importance of the religious
observance of the Lord's-day, it felt itself called to
deal chiefly with the observance of Sunday as a civil
institution, established and protected by custom and
law. It sought to discriminate carefully between the
Sabbath as a religious and as a civil institution, and
jealously to respect the just limitations of the civil
power in maintaining the observance of the rest day.
Recognizing the object of our Sunday laws to be the
protection of the sacred rights of rest and worship, the
Committee aimed to secure the wise enforcement of
existing laws, the enactment of such additional laws
as might seem necessary to the end in view, and the
prevention of hostile legislation. It sought by private
remonstrance and influence to prevent such occasions
of Sunday desecration as could be better met in this
way than by legal means. It aimed to enlighten the
public mind as to the value of the Sunday rest by
means of public meetings and addresses, by the public
press both secular and religious, and by the issue of
carefully prepared documents. It sought to aid pas-
tors and others interested in studying this question,
and to encourage the formation of similar associations.
It aimed to keep the one issue distinct from every
other question of reform, and to decline impracticable
measures. It sought to accomplish its ends, so far as
possible, through the proper officers of the law, and to
avoid giving needless prominence to its own agency.
In fine, it endeavored to carry on its work on such
just and broad grounds as to secure the support of
all good citizens.

" These principles have governed the Committee
from the beginning to the present time. The results of
the work thus conducted have been all. and more than

476 SABBATH AND SUNDAY.

all, that could reasonably have been expected. Only
a brief summary of the most important of these re-
sults can here be given.

" In matters of legislation, the Committee prepared,
and was largely instrumental in securing the passage
of, the Metropolitan Excise law of 1866, the most
effective liquor law ever enacted in this State ; which ,
enforced as it was from 1866 to ^70, diminished
arrests for drunkenness and disorder from a previous
average of ten to twenty per cent, more arrests on
Sundays than on other days, to an average of forty
per ceut. less on Sundays than on week days ; and
which brought to the city from license fees an annual
revenue of one million dollars in place of the fifteen
or twenty thousand dollars a year previously received.
After its repeal under the Tweed regime, the Com-
mittee, in 1873, secured important amendments to the
Excise law, which have given to this law whatever
effectiveness it has, and which have been enforced in
other parts of the State, if not in this city. The
Committee drafted and secured the enactment of the
Sunday theatre law of 1860, to suppress the numer-
ous low-class Sunday theatres and similar entertain-
ments which were becoming fruitful sources of vice
and disorder ; and the Processions law of 1873, to
regulate and put under police control processions
and parades on week days, and to abate the evil of
noisy parades on Sundaj'.

' ' The Committee also proposed certain modifications
of the Sunday statutes as embodied in the new Penal
Code, of which mention is made on a subsequent
page of this Report.

" The Committee has also carefully watched the
course of legislation, and has frequently and with
success opposed bills containing provisions hostile to
the Sunday observance.

"A most important part of the Committee's work
has been to secure, so far as practicable, the enforce-

SABBATH AND SUNDAY. 477

ment of existing laws. The action of the Committee
here has been for the most part unobtrusive, but vigi-
lant and effective. Threatened violations have been
brought to the notice of the police authorities. In
some instances it has been necessary to employ special
counsel, but usually the committee has accomplished
its ends wholly through the proper officers of the
law. Occasionally it has been found expedient to
evoke some special expression of public sentiment, as
for instance, when obstructions were thrown in the
way of the police in enforcing the Sunday theatre
law, by means of judicial injunctions, under cover of
which, in plain violation of law, it was attempted for
several weeks to carry on Sunday theatrical exhibi-
tions. The response in such cases on the part of the
better classes of our citizens has ever been prompt
and decisive in sustaining the officers of the law in
its impartial enforcement.

" In addition to the enforcement of the special laws
above referred to, the Committee brought about the
suppression of the noisy crying of newspapers on
Sunday, and has secured the suppression of other
occasional disturbances of the peace and good order
of the day. By private remonstrance with persons
eoncerned therein, the Committee has frequently
been able to prevent public and unnecessary work
on Sunday.

" In connection with the action of the Committee
under the Excise and Sunday theatre laws, import
ant decisions have been rendered by the courts sus-
taining the constitutionality of these laws.

" But its efforts have extended beyond this city. It
was in response to an appeal from this Committee,
communicated by an influential delegation, that the
late President Lincoln issued in 1802 his memorable
order for the observance of Sunday by the army and
navy during our Civil War. The Committee bore an
important part in securing the closing on Sunday of

478 SABBATH AND SUNDAY.

our Centennial Exhibition, and in behalf of the pub-
lic recognition of the Lord's day in the American de-
partment of the international expositions at Vienna
and Paris ; and especially in securing the official
recognition of the Sunday rest on the part of the
representatives of our Government at the Interna-
tional Electrical Exposition at Paris in 1881.

"The Committee has held numerous conventions
and conferences in various places throughout the
country. Meetings have been held under its au-
spices in this and other cities, with special reference
to workingmen and their interest in the Sunday
rest. At the instigation of the Committee numer-
ous sermons upon the various aspects or the Sunday
question have been preached in this city and else-
where, manjr of which have been printed and widely
distributed. Several German mass-meetings in this
city and Brooklyn have been held, enlisting a large
number of our German fellow-citizens in sustaining
the American habit of Sunday observance. Important
help has been given to pastors and others interested
in the discussion of the various aspects of the Sunday
question, throughout the country, by correspondence
and documents. The formation of similar associa-
tions in other States has been aided. Large use has
been made of the secular and religious press, and
many articles have been prepared and have appeared
in the editorial columns of these papers, which have
produced, there is reason to believe, no small effect
on public opinion. The Committee has collected a
rare and valuable library of works on the Sabbath,
including a careful collection of discussions and
facts from the current journals.

" Another important department of the Committee's
work has been the preparation and publication of
original documents. Some of these have been printed
in German, and some in French and in other foreign
languages. Of these documents the Committee has

SABBATH AND SUNDAY. 479

issued upwards of five hundred thousand copies, con-
taining six million pages, besides many thousands of
leaflets, circulars and other papers. These docu-
ments have been widely distributed. Several of them
have been republished in Germany. Thirty thousand
copies of a carefully prepared sketch of the Ameri-
can Sunday observance, in French, were distributed
in France bjr special request of the friends of the
cause there. Of some of the documents, many thou-
sand copies have been reprinted and distributed by
other agencies. The Committee has also printed and
distributed gratuitously to pastors of leading denomi-
nations throughout our county ten thousand copies
of 'Gilfillan on the Sabbath,' an able work of 650
pages."*

"SUNDAY LIQUOR SELLING."

• ' There has been more outward respect paid to the
prohibition against liquor selling on Sunday than
during some previous years. The closing of the front
doors and the less open and defiant display of the
traffic have resulted in a diminished number of
Sunday arrests, although the traffic has been largely
carried on without hindrance through side doors and
back entrances. Other agencies than those of the
Committee have been active in enforcing the pro
visions of the excise law."

" THE SUNDAY SECTIONS OP THE PENAL CODE."

4 ' With the exception of the Sunday provision of the
excise law, and the theatre and processions laws
above referred to, which have been enacted within the
past few years, the laws touching the observance of
Sunday have been expressed in a general statute,
which has come down to us substantially unchanged
from the last century, and under it, and the still earlier

* Document 45, pp. 2-6.

480 SABBATH AND SUNDAY.

colonial laws, labor, traffic, public sports, etc., on
Sunday have been forbidden from the beginning.
This statute, however, contained certain provisions,
like the one against traveling, which have long been
obsolete ; and its penalties were entirely inadequate
to secure the enforcement of the law, whenever re-
sisted. When, therefore, the codifying of our crimi
nal laws was undertaken, the Committee welcomed
the opportunity to suggest some slight changes in the
Sunday law, and these were approved and found a
place in the penal code, which was finally enacted
by the legislature in 1882, and took effect December
1 st of last year. The Committee deemed it wise , so
far as was possible, to adhere to the phraseology of
the early statutes, relying upon the good sense of the
community, the judicious action of the police author-
ities and, the reasonable construction to be applied
by the courts, for such an enforcement of the law, as
would meet general approval. But the imprudent
zeal of some who aimed at a too rigid interpretation
of the law, seconded by others whose purpose was to
bring it into disrepute, led to actions which caused
grave anxiety to the Committee, and justified the
fear, that strenuous efforts would be made to repeal
or seriously to modify the Sunday proyisions. The
course pursued by the courts, in applying a practical
and moderate interpretation, and later the prudent
course pursued by the police, relieved somewhat the
apprehensions of the Committee. But, at the time,
great irritation of feeling existed. The feeling spread
in some measure to other cities in the State. Plans
were laid and steps taken to bring such pressure
upon the legislature, as would secure the prompt re-
peal, or radical modification of these sections of the
code.

The Committee took measures to counteract these
efforts. Correspondence and personal intercourse
were had with leading men in different parts of the

SABBATH AN1> SUNDAY. 481

State. Soon, in this city, as elsewhere, the facts of
the case became better understood. Several of the
leading journals and some influential citizens and
legal authorities explained and defended the Sunday
sections of the code, and corrected misapprehen-
sions.

"Immediatly upon the assemblingof the legislature,
bills were introduced in both houses practically nul-
lifying the Sunday laws, and were strenuously urged
by a strong and organized lobby, representing the
liquor, tobacco, and other dealers interested in Sun-
day trading. The Committee by its representatives
was repeatedly heard before the committees of the
legislature in defense of the laws. Prominent citi-
zens here and elsewhere throughout the State rendered
valuable aid. Similar associations in other cities ac-
tively co-operated. Numerous petitions were pre-
sented from working-men and tradesmen, as well as
other citizens, against relaxing the protection, which
the Sunday statutes give to the right of weekly rest.

" After a long struggle and abundant discussions in
both houses of the legislature, a few changes were
made in the Sunday sections of the code, the most
important of which permits the selling of segars,
fruit and confectionery during all the hours of Sun-
day. In other respects, the provisions of the code
remain unimpaired."

" SUNDAY RAILWAY WORK."

"The rapid increase of Sunday labor on our rail-
ways has engaged the anxious attention of the Com-
mittee, as of thoughtful men all ovei our country, pra-
senting,as it does, what is perhaps the chief source of
peril to the observance of Sunday.

" A leading railway journal, The Utilway Age, of
Chicago, has recently discussed the question, with
great candor and intelligence, and has also done a
most important service by securing the opinions of
a number of prominent railway managers as to the

(31)

482 SABBATH AND SUNDAY.

practicability and desirableness of reducing Sunday
traffic and work. These opinions nearly all concur
as to the great importance of the Sunday rest to
the employes, as well as to the community at large,
and of restricting Sunday work in some measure.
But some of them doubt the practicability of doing
much in this direction, because of the demand of the
business community for the speediest transportation
of freight, and because of the rivalr}' of competing
lines.

" On the 19th of April last, the president of the
Louisville, New Albany & Chicago R. R. Co., Ben-
nett H. YouDg, Esq., issued an order forbidding the
running of any trains on Sunday on his road, except
those carrying United States mails, and two months
later, in a communication to The Railway Age, he
gives the grounds for his action. He says, that there
are in the railway service of this country, it is esti-
mated, five hundred thousand persons, and that it is
probable that more than one-half of these are required
at some time to do Sundaj- service. The result of thus
requiring two hundred and fifty thousand persons to
violate the da}', simply to make money for the cor-
porations, is not only a monstrous wrong against their
religious and family rights, but it is an incalculable
injury to society at large. He adds, that, so far, the
results of the experiment on his road are more than
satisfactory, and no injury or loss has resulted to his
company from the enforcement of his Sunday or-
der. " *

We have given considerable space to the New
York Committee in order that the reader may see
the methods pursued, and judge somewhat as to
the influence of the Committee as an agitating power.
We think it is doing as much as all other similar or-

* Document 45, pp. 8-12.

SABBATH AND SUNDAY. 483

ganizations together to agitate the question of Sun-
day observance. The forgoing extracts show the
Sunday question at its best in New York City. The
important facts which do not appear in the report
are : In spite of all the Committee has done, the
work of Sunday desecration, in and about New York,
increases every year. The liquor traffic is satisfied
with the "side door" system for Sunday. Pleasure
seeking has turned its tides out of the city, until
Coney Island and its compeers are thronged on every
Sunday that is not uncomfortably cold or positively
stormy. In 1884, Sunday afternoon concerts were
inaugurated in Central Park, against the protests of
the Sabbath Committee. When the summer was
past, the elevated roads reduced their fare to half
price throughout the day on Sunday, in order to
keep the tide of Sunda}r travel up to high-water
mark. Some feeble attempts were made, unsuccess-
fully, to prevent the Park concerts in 1855. Such
opposition as the New, York Committee has been
able to make, except on a few minor points, seems
to have helped to swell the current of Sunday dese-
cration rather than to decrease it.

MARYLAND ASSOCIATION.

Next to the New York Committee in vigor and
effective work, is the " Sabbath Association of Mary-
land," which has its headquarters in Baltimore. The
reports for 1879 and 1880 show that the interest in
the Sunday question, in and around Baltimore, is
steadily and significantly increasing. During 1879,

484 SABBATH AND SUNDAY.

the friends of Sunday succeeded in restraining " Sun-
day excursions," and similar encroachments upon
the religious character of the day, by judicial and
police agencies. The report of the Sabbath Associa-
tion for that year closes as follows :

"CONCLUSION."

" While, therefore, we have much to be grateful
for, there are ominous clouds investing the horizon,
and indicating an approaching storm. The opposi-
tion is not merely local, but it is a great coalition of
liquor dealers and liberalists throughout the land,
not only lo ' da troy the Sal>bath. bat Christianity
with it.' In Baltimore there is an unblushing effron-
tery manifested in the frequent holding of meetings,
in ward organizations, in pledging candidates for
office, etc. , with the proclaimed purposes to emascu-
late our Sunday laws. Shall they accomplish their
infamous objects ? Shall they be allowed to break
down the hedge that prevents our Eden-planted gar-
den from becoming a common — a morass — reeking
with moral miasma and pollution ? There is an in-
flexible law, that zeal and industry shall triumph
over indolence and apathy. Works without faith
demonstrate more than faith without works. While
the enemy is vigilant, active, liberal, how many of
those regarding themselves as friends of the Sabbath
are excusing their inertia, with pleas of " no danger"
or quibbles as to the precipe grounds 01 extent of the
moral obligations of the Sabbath, and fear of being
over zealous, or charged with puritanism or some
other unpopular attribute ? Or, while admitting the
import* nee of the cause, they leave it for others to
spend time, labor and means upon it. ' The chil-
dren of this world are wiser in their generation than
the children of light,' and, seeming not to expect
effects without causes, will get the advantage of those

SABBATH AND SUNDAY. 485

who practically ignore that relation. The great
question is : What shall Sunday be ? Divided be-
tween labor and dissipation ? Increasing vice crime,
pauperism, oppressive taxes, etc. ? Or a day of rest
and quiet, promoting virtue, libert3r, morality, re-
ligion and universal good? Honoring its author and
blessing the people ? Unless those who do care to
have it perpetuated to posterity do somewhat more
than wuh it, their wishes will avail naught. If
there be not energy enough to keep the Sabbath, it
will depart, and who shall say when it will return?
Has it returned to France since the law for its ob-
servance was, in the reign of terror, overthrown.
Has there been anything but unrest there, since they
voted away the G-od-given weekly rest ? " *

The efforts which were made in 1879, seem to have
aroused and united the elements which oppose the
" Orthodox" view of Sunday, for the report of 1880
shows that the efforts to enforce the law were in a
large degree futile. The report sums up the matter
under the head of "Judicial Decision" in these
words :

" The cases of Jersey Cottrell of the steamer Cock-
ade, and Geo. W. Stearns, fined also for working on
Sunday, last summer, were reversed on appeal ; be-
cause the warrants issued were not summonns in
debt, which the court decided they should have been.
So then all parties were freed — the one running the
excursion train to camp-meeting on Sunday, under
the decision that going there was a necessary means
of salvation, and the others, because arrested under
the wrong form. Such proceedings can only en-
courage those who are oppo-ed to the Sabbath. And
when a steamboat was advertised last summer to

* Document 45, pp. 11, 12.

486 SABBATH AND SUNDAY.

make Sunday excursions, without the pretext of
carrying the mail, and information of the fact was
conveyed to the Board of Police, they replied, that
under* the judge's decision they had determined to
make no arrests for Sunday excursions."

On the other hand the same report opens as fol-
lows :

"THE GRAND EVENT."

" Of course the great event of year, to the Sabbath
cause here, was the defeat of the* bill in the Legisla-
ture, to damage the State Sunday law. Only one
legislative term in the last twelve years has passed
without the introduction of one or more bills with
that intent; but never before were the plans so long and
confidently laid, so artfully managed, so extensively,
assiduously, and probably so expensively prosecuted,
as in this instance. But notwithstanding the dele
terious results of the late war, upon the Sabbath —
the accessions to our population of those from coun-
tries where it is ignored, their deplorable success in
degrading the Sabbath in other large cities, the with-
holding of help by professed friends— and the efforts
of certain preachers, to shift the grounds of Sabbath
obligations— still we have oc asiou to thank God and
take courage, that the Sunday law of our State abides
unscathed and her metropolis holds pre-eminence for
its quiet observance. And if all its professed friends
would nobly combine in its behalf, most of the ex
isting grievances might be speedily ameliorated."

The details are then given showing how the case
was managed by each side, and the results stated in
these words :

" Mr. Hayes, having become chairman of the House
Committee on the •'modification" bill, arranged to
have your Committee heard on the 5th of March

SABBATH AND SUNDAY. 4S7

The interview appeared to be a very effective one.
No report was made to the House, till the 24th, and
then a bill was offered far more moderate in its pro-
posed changes than two that had been previously
drawn up. Still Mr. Hayes vigorously opposed it,
and had action upon it deferred to a subsequent day.
It was then, however, passed to a second reading.
When this was had, it passed to a third and tinal read-
ing in the House with indications that it would suc-
ceed. To insure this, its advocates called it up pre-
maturely and used every means to effect its passage
— demanding the previous question and preventing
debate. But with all, it failed by eight votes of re-
ceiving a constitutional majority, and the question
was settled for the present, to the peace the of commu-
nity, the honor of God and the credit of the Legisla-
ture. When our President received the intelligence,
he almost involuntarily exclaimed, " What hath
God wrought ! " But how many thousands, who
would have suffered through the passage of the in-
iquitous measure, were ignorant of their peril and
unmoved at the escape ! "

The report of 1882 shows but little change in the
general status of the question in Baltimore. " Sun-
day excursions " and Sunday papers seem to have
increased. Efforts to lessen the character of the
Sunday law in general had been defeated. The
report closes with a general glance at the field in the
following words :

CIIKERING FACTS.

"It was declared of old 'when the enemy shall
come in like a flood, the Lord will raise up a Stand-
ard Rgainst him.' And against the advancing tide of
Sabbith desecration ,it is truly gratifying to see increas-
ing laborers and organizations. Within a year there

488 SABBATH AND SUNDAY.

have been originated or revived the Sabbath Asso-
ciations of Syracuse, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Indian-
apjlis, Chicago and Detroit, Two valuable confer-
ences of workers in the cause have been held at
Pittsburg. The former was attended by your Secre-
taiy, the latter occured during the season of the Md.
General Assembly, when it was not thought best for
him to leave. Able papers by eminent and earnest
friends of the cause were read, and their publication
in the International Reporter forms an interesting
and useful document . Both the conferences were held
under the auspices of the ' International Sabbath Asso-
ciation ' (comprehending the United States and Cana-
das), whose energetic and indefatigable secretary, Rev.
Yates Hickey, has also labored in the establishment
of the Associations above mentioned. Our own
Secretary was solicited to act as an associate secre-
tary for this and adjoining States, and the Com-
mittee agreed to the same, so far as it would not in-
terfere with our particular work. While our special
field is our own State, we have matters to d< al with
that are affected by public sentiment in surrounding
States, so that whatever influnce we majr exert in
promoting interest for the Sabbath in them, must
naturnally react favorably on our own."

The state of the Sunday questions in localities
where there are no committees, or less vigorous
ones, is outlined in the report of the New York Com-
mittee for 1882-1883, as follows:

"SUNDAY IN OTHER PARTS OF THE STATE."

"In Brooklyn, Albany, Utica, Buffalo, New-
burgh, Long Island City, and other places, organiz-
ations have been started to secure a better enforce-
ment of the Sunday laws, especially those pertaining
to the sale of liquor on that day. These movements
have received such co-operation as the Committee

SABBATH AND SUNDAY. 489

has beeu able to give. Some of these organizations
took an active part in the contests in the legislature
during the past winter."

******

" THE SUNDAY QUESTION IN OTHER STATES."

"Elsewhere throughout the country, during the past
two years, the Sunday question has engaged unusual
attention.

'■ In Massachusetts, early in the past summer, the
announcement of a Sunday passenger train over the
Housatonic railroad, from Bridgeport to Pittstield,
aroused immediate and strong opposition on the part
of the dwellers in the quiet villages along the route,
the mill owners, the summer boarders, etc. At a
public hearing before the board of railroad commis-
sioners of the State, without whose permission the
train could not be run, so vigorous a protest was
made against the disturbance that the proposed train
would occasion, with its inroad of Sunday excur-
sionists, and the inducements to drinking and dissi
pation, that the commissioners decided unanimosly
against the train.

"In the legislature of New Jersey, last year, a
bill to modify the Sunday laws in favor of liqu or
dealers was defeated. Early in the past winter,
theatrical performances on Sunday in the city of
Newark, which for a long lime had been tolerated,
were suppressed by the police. The immense over-
flow of Germans and others from New York into
Jersey City, Hoboken and the neigboring towns, is
the occasion of a very large Sunday business in the
saloons of those places. Very recently efforts had
been made with some success for the enforcement of
the law in closing these places on Minday.

" Louisiana was for a long time the only state which
had no Sunday law. A few years since a law was
passed by the legislature giving power to the several

490 SABBATH AND SUNDAY.

counties or parishes to enact ordinances restricting
Sunday traffic and several counties passed such
ordinances, with very successful results. Recently,
however, the law has been declared unconstitutional
by the supreme court. A year ago a movement
was started in New Orleans in favor of Sunday ob-
servance. A large number of ministers and laymen,
representing the various religious denominations,
met to confer on the subject, among whom were
representatives of the Roman Catholic Church and
the principal Jewish rabbi of the city. It was agreed
to organize a league on a basis so broad as to unite
all, whatever might be their opinions concerning the
religious obligation and use of the clay, in efforts to
discourage all unnecessary servile labor on Sunday,
and all such public amusements as involved the ser-
vile labor of others. Officers and an executive com-
mittee were chosen, comprising prominent laymen
and clergymen of different denominations, Protestant
and Catholic. Inspired by the formation of this
league, a number of the retail clerks of the city or-
ganized themselves into an association for urging
upon the Legislature the passing of a Sunday closing
law.

" In Chicago the public desecration of the Lord's-
day has greatly increased within the last two or three
years, and without any effective effort to resist it.
The drinking saloons and nearly all the thealres are
regularly open on Sunday, and the day is used for
constructing and repairing railway tracks and similar
work. A movement was started last year among
some of the churches for the purpose of closing the
theatres on Sunday. But it does not appear that
anything was accomplished by it.

" In California within the past year, after an ex-
citing contest, the friends of the Lord's-day have
met with what would seem a disastrous defeat, but
which, it is hoped, may ultimately result in good. A

SABBATH AND SUNDAY. 491

Sunday law of the State of several years' standing
prohibited the keeping open on Sunday of any store,
workshop, bar, saloon, banking-house, or other
place of business for the purpose of transacting busi-
ness therein, under penalty of a fine of from five to
fifty dollars. The supreme court of the State, on
an appeal, affirmed the constitutionality of the law.
The opinion of the court, in which a majority
of the judges concurred, said :

"'Regarding the matter from a purely secular
stand-point, the law is a proper and salutary one. It
imposes no restraint upon the conscience of any
member of the community ; it exacts from no per-
son the performance of any religious rites or cere-
monies ; it prescribes no religious faith or belief. . .
Sunday laws leave a man's religious belief and prac-
tices as free as the air he breathes. They only forbid
the carrying on of certain kinds of business on a
certain day of the week, and the day selected in
deference to the feelings and wishes of a large ma-
jority of the community is the day commonly de-
nominated the Christian Sabbath, or Sunday.'

" Encouraged by this decision, a movement was
started for the better enforcement of this law, which
to a large extent had long been a dead letter. The
liquor dealers and others interested in Sunday traffic,
constituting a very large and powerful class of the
community, aided by the German Turn Verein.
and an association of free-thinkers, for the purpose
of resisting this movement organized a so-called
'League of Freedom,' the members of which
pledged themselves both to disregard the law, and to
support no candidate for the legislature who was
not pledged to vote for its repeal. The public jour-
nals of the State were largely under their influence.
An attempt was made in San Francisco to enforce
the law. The Ministerial Union of that city, repre-
senting some fifty churches, presented an address of

492 SABBATH AND SUNDAY.

dignity, calmness and strength to the mayor and
other officials, setting forth the justness of the cause,
the suffering of the people, the majesty of law, and
the peril that was threatened by those who were con
spiring to resist it. The chiefs of police of San
Francisco, Sacramento and other cities gave notice
of their intention to enforce the law. But the mem-
bers of the league threw their doors open defianily.
On the first day five hundred arrests were made in
San Francisco for violations of the law, of which
four-fifths were for selling liquor, and the names of
those arrested showed that more than three-fourths
were foreign-born. The offenders were admitted to
bail and the trial deferred An election was im-
pending, and the question was carried to the conven-
tions of the two great political parties The Demo-
cratic convention adopted a resolution strongiy de-
nouncing the Sunday laws, and demanding their re-
peal. The Republican party, with a great show of
entusiasm, passed a resolution favoring the observing
of Sunday as a day of rest and recreation, and the
maintenance of the present, or similar, laws providing
for the suspension of all unnecessary business on
Sunday. The Democratic party succeeded at the
polls. A bill repealing the Sunday law was passed
by large majorities in the legislature, and was sign-
ed by Governor Stoneman, who, in his previous
message, had recommended this repeal.

" The Legislature of Ohio, in April, 1883, enacted
a law prohibiting the sale of intoxicating liquors on
Sunday, and requiring the closing on that day of all
places where such liquor is sold. The passage of
this law was preceded by a popular agitation and
discussion of this question throughout the State,
such as rarely occurs. The enforcement of the law
was attended with excellent results in diminishing
Sunday arrests. But Cincinnati and one or two
other cities in the State, where there is a large for-

SABBATH AND SUNDAY. 493

eign population, owing to their opposition and that
of the liquor dealers, the law has heen allowed to
become a dead letter. The question has become an im-
portant element in the political contests in this State
add the result is not yet determined. *

"In Missouri, in compliance with the public de-
mand for some more stringent restriction of the
liquor traffic, a law was passed by the last legislature
establishing higher license fees, and re-enacting the
prohibition of the traffic on Sunday, which for a long
time had been practically disregarded. The taking
effect of this new statute in July caused much ex-
citement in St. Louis and one or two other cities.
The law was at once enforced and with marked re-
sults. Many of the liquor dealers openly defied the
law, and a large number of arrests were made. It
was attempted in some instances to secure the rigid
enforcement of all other Sunday laws, for the pur-
pose of bringing them into odium, but after a few
weeks the operation of the law in St. Louis was sus-
pended by one of the city courts, on the ground
that a previous statute, which had not been repealed
gave the city certain privileges, which exempted it
from the provisions of the law in question. It is
thought, however, that this decision will be over-
ruled by higher courts. Governor Crittenden has
firmly sustained the law. The defiant action of the
liquor dealers has awakened strong feelings of in-
dignation among the better class of people through-
out the State. A large meeting of citizens of St.
Louis passed resolutions appro zing of the Sunday
clauses of the law, deprecating the recent adverse
decisions, and approving the course of the governor
in the matter. A Workingmen's Sabbath-day Rest
Association has been organized in St. Louis.

* In 1R84. the Scott law was declared unconstitutional and
"free rum and no Sunday " became legal, as well as actual
throughout Ohio.

494 SABBATH AND SUNDAY.

"In Milwaukee, where an unusually large propor
tion of the population is foreign born, the laws pro-
tecting the Sunday rest, and especially those forbid-
ding the sale of liquor on Sunday, have been practi-
cally disregarded for several years past. A move-
ment made" last fall to secure a better enforcement of
these laws was met by bitter opposition on the part
of the brewers and saloon keepers, and it was at-
tempted to ' boycott ' the merchants who favored
reform."*

The foregoing from the report of the New York
Committee presents the Sunday question in the most
favorable light possible. We do not care to add
more unfavorable facts in this place. The report
shows that Sunday, as a Sabbath, is already a thing
of the past, and that as a holiday, it is here to stay.
The "Philadelphia Sabbath Association," a local
society which expends its efforts mainly in mission-
ary work among canal men, presented its focty-third
annual report in March, 1884. It shows nothing of
importance in the matter of agitation. Its brief re-
port closes as follows :

" From our experience and observation in the
work over which we have been placed, in the provi-
dence of God, it seems to us :

"1. Thit convictions, are deepening upon the
minds of Chsistians that the obligations of the fourth
commandment are binding upon us. The churches
are feeling none too soon that the blessed heritage
of the Lord's-day is in danger of being destroyed.
The tide of Sabbath desecration must be stayed or the
most fearful results will follow. We are glad to
know that Christians are stirred up to prayer for the

* Document 49, pp. 15-17.

SABBATH AND SUNDAY. 495

better observance of the Sabbath The union meet-
ings recently held in Association Hall on Wednesday
afternoon, and continued from week to week, is an
evidence of the pulsating of Christian hearts and
their trust in God for final victory. It may be that
a great public meeting of the people, without dis-
tinction of sect, party or denomination, may be called
for in the near future, at which the Christian sen-
timent of this great city may be properly voiced.

"2. The inauguration of a new administration of
our municipal government is deemed a fitting time
for a united effort in favor of the closing on the
Sabbath of all liquor saloons, which have been so long
and persistently open in defiance of all law, human
and divine, daring the mayor and other officers of
the peace to molest them or make them afraid.

"3. The lessons that come to us from a great
Western city that had discarded the Bible from its
public schools and virtually had no Sabbath are not
to be disregarded. Riot, ruin, outlawry, arson and
murder are the results of Bible ostracism and Sab-
bath desecration. It becomes a question that Amer-
icans must look full in the face. Shall the rights of
God in his claim on the one-seventh of our time for
rest and worship, and the rights of humanuy to a
cessation from toil and labor, ' for the ease of crea-
tion,' be respected, or shall our laws and ordinances
be trampled under foot by liquor sellers communists
and other enemies of American liberties ? "

******

Closely allied to the work of these " Sabbath Com-
mittees" is the "National Reform Movement,"
which took form at a convention in Cincinnati in
1872. The aims of this movement are set forth in
the constitution of the Association, as follows :

" The object of this Society shall be to maintain

496 SABBATH AND SUNDAY.

existing Christian features in the American govern-
ment, and to secure such an amendment to the Con-
stitution of the United States as will indicate that
this is a Christian nation, and place all the Christian
laws, institutions and usages of our government on
an undeniable legal basis in the fundamental law of
the land."

This movement has many supporters, and is vig-
orously represented by its organ, The Christian
Statesman, of Philadelphia. The need of a better
enforcement of the Sunday laws is a prominent feat-
ured its columns. The Subject o£ Sunday mails
was much discussed at the meeting of the National
Reform Association in the spring of 1885, and it was
resolved to make a special point in that direction
during the year. The Statesman also announced
that it would henceforth make the Sabbath question
a prominent feature in its work. In the autumn of
1884, and the spring of 1885, the Woman's Christian
Temperance Union of the United States, created a
Sabbath -reform department in their work. These
latest influences of agitation are steadily at work at
the date of this writing.

In addition to these organized efforts, there is an
an increasing attention paid to the Sabbath question,
by the representative Christian bodies, conferences,
synods, assemblies, and the like. Such are some of
the influences at work among those who are the ad-
vocates of S'inday as the Sabbath. Everything in-
dicates that these will increase, rather than decrease.,
their efforts at agitation.

SABBATH AND SUNDAY. 497

' * ANTI-SABBATH CONVENTIONS. "

The efforts in favor of the Puritanic observance of
Sunday, during the fourth decade of the present
century, awakened a religious opposition which took
form in an " Anti-Sabbath Convention," which was
held in Boston in March, 1848. It was convened
under the call of Wm. Lloyd Garrison, Theodore
Parker, Chas. K. Whipple and others. The report
of its proceedings makes a volume of 168 pages.
This convention took the ground that there is no
holy time under the gospel. That the Sabbath per-
ished with Judaism, or remains only as a part of it.
That civil law has no province in ordering any ob-
servance of time as a religious or semi-religious duty.
The call closed with these words:

" We are aware that we shall inevitably be accused,
by the chief priests, scribes and pharisees of the
present time, as was Jesus by the same class in his
age, as not of God, because we do not keep the Sab-
bath-day: but we are persuaded, that to expose the
popular delusion which prevails on this subject is to
advance the cause of pure Christianity to promote
true and acceptable worship, and inculcate strict
moral and religious accountability, in all the con-
cerns of life, on all days of the week alike. If we
are 'infidels,' or 'heretics' for this belief, we are
content to stand in the same condemnation, on this
point, with Tyndale, Luther, Calvin, Melanclhonr
Roger Williams, John Milton, Penn, Fox, Priestly,
Belsham, Paley, Wlitly, Archbishop Whatlcy and a
host of others who are everywhere lauded by the
various sects with which tliey are identified as among
the brightest ornaments of the Christian church, and

(32)

498 SABBATH AND SUNDAY.

who are essentially agreed with us in the opinion
that the Sabbath was a Jewish institution." *

Many resolutions were discussed and adopted,
among which are the following :

"2. Resolved, That the penal enactments of the State
legislature, compelling the observance of the first
day of the week as the Sabbath, are despotic, un-
constitutional and ought to be immediately abrogated,
and that the interference of the State, in matters of
religious faith and ceremonies, is a usurpation which
cannot be justified."

"12. Resolved, That as the duty of observing the
first day of the week is not enjoined either in the
second chapter of Genesis, or the twentieth chapter
of Exodus, or in any other portion of the Old Testa-
ment, any reference to the Jewish Scriptures, in sup-
port of such observance, is not onby impertinent, but
condemnatory of the present general practice ; for
the old Hebrew injunction runs: 'The seventh day
is the Sabbath.' "

"20. Resolved, That with the observance of the
first day of the week simply as a day of bodily rest,
in the present deplorable condition of the laboring
classes, we have no controversy. On the contrary,
we regard it as an indispensable relaxation, both for
men and animals, who are severely taxed six days
out of seven ; but we deny that this excessive toil
and imperfect rest are in accordance with physiologi-
cal law, or the design of the universal Father in the
creation of man, or that they are the highest attain-
able state of the human race ; and we would remove
from the minds of all every superstitious notion as to
the peculiar sanctity of the day. "

This convention was very sharply criticised and

* Proceedings, etc., p. 8.

SABBATH AND SUNDAY. 49f*

condemned by the " Religious Press" of the coun-
try. Those who planned it and took part represented
much ability and much of the spirit and power of
reform in other directions, especially in the matter of
slavery. The report of its proceedings made a per-
manent addition to the Sabbath literature of that
time as well as of the present, and it must be reckoned
among the significant elements in the Sabbath ques.
tion in America. The doctrines put forth by it have
far more adherents now, than they had then.

" HOW SHALL WE KEEP SUNDAY ?"

The agitation of the Sunday question in connection
with the Centennial Exhibition at Philadelphia in
1876, gave rise to a certain pamphlet of 100 pages.
It was issued by the "Free Religious Association,"
Boston. The full title is: "How Shall We Keep
Sunday ? " An answer in Four Parts:

1. Sunday in the Bible.

2. Sunday in Church History.

3. Sunday in the Massachusetts Law.

4. The Working Man's Sunday.

By Charles K. Whipple, Minot J. Savage, Charles
E. Pratt, Wm. C. Gannett, respectively.

These papers were "delivered at a convention
of the Free Religious Association, called specially to
consider the question, ' How Shall We Keep Sun-
day.'" Efforts were made to induce men holding
the " Orthodox" view to present it to this conven-
tion but without success. The views presented rest
upon the " No-Sabbath " platform, with the idqa

500 SABBATH AND SUNDAY.

that Sunday should be used for "rest, recreation or
religious service," as men may choose, "only let
the true grounds of such observance be understood,
and let not sectarians impose their church rules upon
the community under the pretense that they are laws
of God." The historic paper concerning the Sunday
laws of Massachusetts gives many interesting facts,
and quotes a list of cases of unjust punishment un-
der the law. It is the latest contribution to the Sab-
bath literature of the present time, from the liberal
wing of the church.

THE SABBATH PROPER.

The efforts and doctrines of those Christians who
observe the seventh day may be classed as a third
element of agitation, from the religious stand-point.

SEVENTH-DAY BAPTISTS.

The Seventh-day Baptists are by far the oldest
sect among those Christians who do not accept the
Sunday. They have had an organized existence in
America since 1671. In England they have had a
denominational existence for a still longer period,
and claim to have an unorganized, but yet an un-
broken existence, through all the centuries backward
to the time when Sunday usurped the place of the
Sabbath in the Christian church. At first they
could find no place for existence in America except
in the land of Roger Williams. Their growth has
been slow and their numbers are yet less than ten
thousand "communicants." They represent a pop-
ulation of twenty-five thousand more or less. Their

SABBATH AND SUNDAY. 501

doctrines are essentially the same as those held by
the "Regular Baptists," except on the Sabbath ques-
tion. On that point they teach that the Law of God
as contained in the Decalogue is eternal and univer-
sal, both as to its letter, aud its spirit ; therefore the
Seventh-day is the only Sabbath. That under the
gospel it should be observed with Christian freedom
and not Judaic strictness, but that the change which
Christ taught was a change in the spirit and manner
of observance and not in the day to be observed.
They believe that in the on-coming issue the Sunday
will inevitably return to its native place as a holiday,
and that the Christian church will be left Sabbath-
less, unless it returns lo the Seventh-day which alone
has divine authority. Their work has been more
that of seed sowing than of political, or other forms
of agitation, partaking more of the grace of patient
waiting, than of the expectation of immmediate suc-
cess. They are steadily enlarging their missionary
and Sabbath-reform efforts. The religious features
of the question are most discussed by them.

They believe that the present Sunday laws are un-
just in the disabilities which they place upon Sab-
bath-keepers. But since the majority claim the
right to thus infringe upon the rights of the minority,
they have thus far accepted the situation, under pro-
test, waiting patiently the time of their vindication.
They began publishing their views as early as 1819.
In April, 1882, they began the publication of a
monthly devoted to Sabbath reform, an 8 page

502 SABBATH AND SUNDAY.

paper called the Outlook. It started with a circula-
tion of 5", 000, mainly among clergymen ; which was
well sustained for two years. At the opening of the
third volume, it was enlarged to 32 pages and
changed to a quarterly under the title of The Out-
look and Sabbath Quarterly. Its effect as a means of
spreading truth and agitating the public mind has been
very great. Its influence is increasing steadily
among the most thoughtful of the friends of Sabbath
reform.

A very significant result of its influence appeared
in a pamphlet of 44 pages in June, 1883, wherein
twenty-nine pages are devoted to the Sabbath ques-
tion, mainly to a review of the Outlook. The title is
as follows : "The Two Great Questions of the Day."
" The doctrine of the church as to the authority of,
1. The Lord's-day. 2. The Holy Scriptures." In
the prefatory notice is the following :

' ' It will be observed that the discussion of the
first of these questions is mainly an examination of
what has appeared in the Outlook, as that has been
of late sent through the post office to our clergy ; of
the other as it has been treated for some months
past by the GhuicUman (New York)."

The opening pages detail how the One Hundredth
Annual Convention of the Episcopal Diocese of
Maryland was agitated concerning the question of
Sunday observance,at its session in. Baltimore, May
30 to June 1 , 1883. The author then pays his respects
to the Outlook as follows :

' ' It has been said that to apply the fourth com-

SABBATH AND SUNDAY. 503

mandment to Sunday, by maintaining that the holy
day of the week was transferred from the seventh to
the first day, was a Puritan invention. I am not so sure
but that we are indebted for this very brilliant
discovery to the small but very zealous sect of
'Seventh-day Baptist,' who are themselves in some
respects the most complete development of Puritan-
ism that we have. Many who read this will have
been for some time past receiving a well printed and
well written little paper called the Outlook, de-
voted most honestly, in some respects ably, to pro-
moting the keeping of the fourth commandment. I
very soon saw that the hope and purpose of it was to
convince all the Christians of this nation, 1st, that
the Lord's-day had no real religious authority ; and
then to slip into the ' aching void/ which all thought-
ful Christians would at once feel and fear — the sev-
enth day, simply the Sabbath, as the Jews keep it.

"And they did their work very ingeniously, ac-
cording to ilifirjixed notbrns, conclusively. Evident-
ly many with other previous opinions were surprised,
disconcerted, 'demoralized' by the argument, and if
not quite surrendering and re enlisting at once with
their captors, ' did not know what to say.'"

44 In what follows I shall take the arguments of
the Outlook to represent the notion controverted, be-
cause they have undoubtedly at this time, more gen-
eral currency and greater effect upon opinion among
those who guide the opinions of others than any-
thing else in this day and land. I am sure that
many of my faithful brethren of the clergy have
been more or less persuaded or at least confused by
them." *

The work of the Seventh-day Baptists, in the mat-

* Pamphlet bv Rev. Thomas S. Bacon, D. D., Point of
Rocks, Md.

504 SABBATH AND SUNDAY.

ter of agitation, is certain to increase as the years go
by.

THE SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTISTS.

The Seventh-day Adventists date from the year
1844. The Advent church at Washington, N. H.,
received the knowledge of the Sabbath from two
isolated Seventh-day Baptists. In 1845, those Ad-
ventists who had become observers of the Sabbath,
began publishing the truth by means of the printed
page ; the idea that the acceptance of Sabbath was
one characteristic of the true church in the last days
was rapidly adopted by those who, though disap-
pointed in 1844, still held to the belief that the com-
ing of Christ was near at hand. Under the inspira-
tion of- this faith, the Seventh-day Adventists have
pushed the knowledge of their views with great
earnestness, and success. As an element of agitation
their power is proportionately much greater than
their age, and is steadily increasing.

WHISKY, BEER, AND SUNDAY.

Among the non-religious elements of agitation, in
the near future, a large place must be assigned to
whisky, beer, and general holidayism. These influ-
ences are closely allied, and. though professing differ-
ent aims, are strong abettors of each other.
They are not especially interested in the religious
features of the question, but are very sensitive to
any effort to enforce the existing Sunday laws.
These influences will continue to increase the agita-
tion, for the following reasons :

SABBATH AND SUNDAY. 505

(a) Sunday holidayism, as opposed to Sunday Sab-
balhism, is rapidly increasing among all classes.
The holiday is the natural ally of all forms of the
liquor traffic. It is probable that what has been
demonstrated in many cases, is true as a rule, viz. ,
that the " Sunday sales form one half of the receipts
for the entire week." Here is a mighty financial
reason why the liquor interest should stand in deadly
opposition to the execution of the Sunday laws. Add
to this the social and convivial interests and habits,
and we have combined influences, which have grown
strong for many years, while public opinion has
quietly applauded, or indifferently slept. Mean-
while these same liquor interests have taken posses-
sion of the political machinery of the country, so
that the execution of existing laws, or the enactment
of more stringent ones, is practically impossible.
But the long-suffering public is beginning to see
whither things are drifting, and an open struggle be-
tween the civil law and the liquor power comes near-
er every day. The question of the Sunday liquor
law will play a prominent part in the coming agita-
tion.

(b) A possible conflict between the beer and the
whisky interests adds a complication, which, if made
actual, would intensify the agitation. As the proba-
bility of utiiversal prohibition increases, the beer in-
terest will undoubtedly press its already popular
claim, that beer is "a temperance drink," and seek to
join in an effort to legislate against distilled liquors,

506 SABBATH AND SUNDAY.

in consideration of a more open field for beer ; to
gain this, beer would consent to eliminate '* Brass
Bands " and noise from Sunday, but would insist on
free sale, " in a quiet way." Whether such an un-
natural state of things shall occur or not, the beer
interest, for some time past, has contemplated a
Sunday -law conflict, as one of the probable things.
Its claims of great reserved strength, may be boastful ,
and we venture no opinion as to the number of votes
it could rally, for the repeal of the law against Sun-
day selling. It is however apparent, from the re-
sults of the conflict in California, that if the laws are
urged or executed, so as to interfere with the gener-
al sale of beer on Sunday, a sharp agitation will re-
sult. That conflict will force the consideration of
the question whether the present laws do not
give great advantage to the liquor interests, by en-
abling them to checkmate just effort against the sa"
loons, by counter movements against legitimate bus
iness which the law tacitly permits. Thus it is evi-
dent that nothing but th£ apathy of the temperance
men, in the matter of the Sunday liquor laws, can
prevent a wide spread, and exasperating agitation.

In 1880, at Hartford, Conn., F. W. Salem pub-
lished a book, entitled

" BEER, ITS HISTORY AND ITS ECONOMIC VALUE AS A
NATIONAL BEVERAGE."

Chapter XII. of this book opens with the con-
clusion that the habitual use of beer has been con-
clusively shown to reduce drunkenness and crime byt

SABBATH AND SUNDAY. 507

giving a mild stimulant, in place of the fiery distilled
liquors. Having thus concluded, the author goes on
to say :

"There is another subject which we approach
with some reluctance, knowing that however care-
fully our words may be weighed, there is a large
number of estimable individuals throughout the
country, and particulary in the Eastern States, to
whom they will probably give offense. We allude
to what is called the Sunday question, and the topic
is treated here because in this country beer drinking
is, in the common mind, intimately associated with
the German Americans and their custom of spending
part of Sunday in recreation in a beer garden. The
fact that they do so has been more than once used as
an argument against them, and against the use of
beer, as if there were any real connection between
the character of. the drink and such a custom on the
part of its greatest consumers, even supposing the
custom to be actually harmful or immoral. As such
a feeling exisis, however, it seems worth while to
call attention to the fact that what is known as the
New England Sunday is not an essential part of
Christianity, as so many honestly suppose, but some-
thing that in the comparison with Christianity is new
and local. We need hardly say that in the early
da} s of the church it was distinctly taught that the
time of the Jewish Sabbath was past, and for several
hundred years this view was generally held." . . .

Here follow several quotations from the New Tes-
tament, adduced to support the statement that the
law of the Decalogue was done away in Christ, being
replaced by the commandment to love God and man;
the author insisting that " love is the fulfilling of the
law," and that " Jesus himself taught the disregard

508 SABBATH AND SUNDAY.

of the Sabbath as a day of ceasing from labor or rec-
reation: "

"The first legal enactment requiring the observ-
ance of Sunday as a Sabbath, was foisted upon ihe
Christian world, A. D. 321, by Constantine the Great,
a heartless tyrant, who had caused seven members
of his family to be put to death in cold blood, that
he might obtain political and religious supremacy !
He embraced Christianity because the pagan priests
and pontiffs could not grant him absolution, and
would not fraternize with such a murderous mon-
ster ! Hence he became the father of the so-called
Sunday laws. Even Constantine's decree did not
interdict recreation nor the tillage of the soil. In
general, through the Christian world, the day was a
holiday such as it is now on the continent of Europe.
There the hours of service in the churches fall usu-
ally in the morning, and are strictly observed, while
the rest of the day is universally given to enjoyment.
Let those, however, who are accustomed to cry out
at the notion of a Continental Sunday, remember
that they are themselves the innovaters, and let them,
too, examine the following passage from the writ-
ings of men whose names must command respect,
and not one of whom would speak in such a matter
without mature consideration."

Then come quotations from Archbishop Whately,
Milton, Melancthon, Calvin, Luther, and Grotius,
with the statement that " Tyndale, Erasmus, Paley,
McKnight and a host of other Christian authorities,
were and are of the same opinion regarding Sabbath
observance." Of course the quotations are all favor-
able to No-sabbathism. A letter from Benjamin
Franklin to Jared Ingersoll, of New Haven, Conn. ,
under date of Dec. 11, 176i, is also introduced

SABBATH AND SUNDAY. 509

to show that Franklin favored the Sunday, as
he had seen it while traveling in Flanders, rather
than as it existed in New England, the letter closing
in these words, "which would almost make one
suspect that the Deity is not so angry at that offense
as a New England justice." Having thus sought to
fortify his position, Mr. Salem proceeds :

"A correspondent of the New York Stoats Zei-
tu"ff, (Nov. 1, 1876), writes as follows : ' The Emper-
or of Germany has made a contribution to the dis-
cussion of the Sunday question that is very much to
the point. It is an address to the. Prussian Synod,
which had recently objected to the holding of a re-
view on Sunday, and reads thus: "He who insti-
tuted the Sabbath has declared that the Sabbath was
made for man. and not man for the Sabbath. The
puritanic and Calvinistic conception of the Sabbath,
as a day of penance and repentance has always been
foreign to the feeling and taste of the German peo-
ple. '

" 'These words of the Emperor will receive the
hearty assent of every German American, and
priests and pietists may as well understand that
Germans in America will struggle as long for their
free Sunday as Germans in their old home have for
a free German Rhine. They have conquered back
the " Sacred stream " and something more into the
bargain, and we here shall have no less success in
securing a free cheerful Sunday, if we remain united
and true to our principles.

' • ' England formerly held the same views that then
and sinee have prevailed on the Continent, but grad-
ually the liberty of the day was restricted and its
character wholly changed.'

Here follow several pages of quotations from Eng-

510 SABBATH AND SUNDAY.

lish Statutes, from 1278 A. D. forward, showing bow
the Sunday in England was gradually changed from
the Continental to the Semi-Puritan type, closing
with the following :

"In 1676, was enacted the well-known ' Lord's-
day Act,' of 29, Car. II., Chap. 7, which prohibits
generally all work, labor and business on Sunday,
except works of necessity and charity, and which,
with more or less modification, forms the basis of
all Sunday laws now extant in the United States."
. . . ' ' As an historical matter the question is not
very abstruse and the truth is well enough known
to scholars everywhere ; should there not then be
charity for honest convictions ? "

Mr, Salem then gives a history of the efforts, pro
and con, relative to the Sunday laws, in Newark,
N. J , in 1879, and concludes with these words :

"The matter made a great excitement and called
out many bitter paragraphs on both sides, but chief-
ly among the more narrow-minded and Pharisaical
of (the) so-called religious press. We have no space
nor disposition to go into the details of their criticism,
even for the sake of illustrating how far misrepre-
sentation and inuendo may be made to stand in place
of careful statement and sound argument. The case
has been spoken of because it is in some sense typi-
cal, because it represents the course of public thought
and feeling, and the change which even within two or
three generations has come over the rigid enactments
of puritan early settlers. These Puritans did much
good but it was all tempered and shadowed by an
austere severity that has no merit in itself and that
crushes out much the better part of life, and ob-
scures many a truth that in itself is clear as noonday.
The mind of the people has changed. It is time that

SABBATH AND SUNDAY. 511

the law should be changed also. The Christian
Union has said, 'The sooner the issue is made in
Chicago between a whole Sabbath and none at all,
the sooner the Christian element in the community
will win the victory it will deserve. Half a Sabbath
is hardly worth fighting for.' We say that the best
rule for observing the day is that which gives the
greatest amount of harmless freedom and enjoyment
to the greatest number, each according to his own
judgment and conscience. Our foreign element is
very large and has its own beliefs and traditions, as
dear and as implicitly held as those of any one whose
training and practice have been after the strictest
Sabbatarian pattern. . . .

" We close as we began, with the words which seem
to us to indicate the only practical road to real tem-
perance and record again our motto

"beer against whisky."*
The extent of the "Beer" influence on the coining
history of the Sunday question in America, cannot
be easily measured. The use of beer is a permanent
element in the observance of Sunday. Those inter-
ested in its manufacture, sale and use, are banded
together. The "Beer Brewers Association " of the
United States is a strong and widely extended or
ganization. It held its first congress in 1862.
Since that time each annual congress has been
marked by an increase in the work of enlarging and
consolidating its influence. The friends of beer do
uot hesitate to claim for it exemption from all Sun-
day restrictions. Thepeeuniaty interests represented
by it are very great. Mr. Salem's history, referred

* History of Beer, etc., chap. V2, pp. 166-165.

512 SABBATH AND SUNDAY.

to above, gives figures in detail and the following
summary :

'After careful investigation of the most trust-
worthy data we find that there are more than three
hundred million, dollars invested in breweries, malt-
houses and other adjuncts of the manufacture of
beer in the United states. The direct investment,
however, is not the only thing to be considered. A
business of this magnitude furnishes occupation not
merely to vast numbers of laborers, but also to
thousands of men who follow some profession or
trade, such as architects, civil engineers, masons,
carpenters, coopers, copper-smiths, wagon and har-
ness-makers, and the like ' *

Considered in the light of the present facts, as pro-
ductive of results in the near future, the " Beer In-
terest " alone, promises to be a more important fac-
tor in the question of Sunday and Sunday laws,
than any other one secular element, not excepting the
" Railroad interest." We, th refore, feel justified in
occupying some more space with it in order to give
the reader a full view of the case.. The Brewers' Ga-
zette, New York, for April 15, 1873, Vol. 3, No. 4,
has the following :

" By far the larger proportion of the inhabitants of
the United States are of foreign extraction, who,hav-
ing adopted this country, have become entitled to all
the privileges of citizenship. The habits and cus-
toms of their various nationalities are strong upon
them, and thev are untrammeled by the Puritanical
prejudices which are a distinguishing characteristic of
the so-called temperance party ; therefore when their
rights and privileges are tampered with, and their

* Hist, of Beer, etc., pp. 76, 77.

SABBATH AND SUNDAY. 51?

social habits subjected to legislative interference, the
result will be dangerous in the extreme. ■ Politico-
theological enthusiasts will have a tremendous battle
to fight, and the war will be carried into the enemy's
country with a vengeance."

Then follow certain statements concerning a bill
then recently before the Assembly of the State of
New York, which sought to obtain freedom for lager
beer from all "Sunday and excise laws," together
with the arguments of Jacob Worth, Member from
Kings County, in favor of the bill. In that argu-
ment the third proposition was as follows :

" Lager beer is the habitual beverage of that ex-
tensive proportion of the citizens of the United
States, who are recognized alike for their social
geniality and peaceable industry ; therefore it ought
noi to be subject to prohibitory or Sunday laws, an-
tagonistic to ihe national habits of those citizens/'

In support of this proposition, the following,,
among other things, was said :

"There is an argument which, we believe, is as*
powerful as any that can be adduced, why Sunday
restrictions should be removed in the matter of malt
liquors. It must be borne in mind that the indus-
trious classes, after a week of toil, are peculiarly in-
clined for relaxation and enjoyment on the seventh
day, the only day in the week they can legally
claim for leisure, and, on such a day, they invariably
provide themselves with drink, as well as meat, suit-
able for the occasion. Whether it is not better, then,
to encourage them in the consumption of a mild and
sober beverage, such as is lager beer, than, by re-
strictive and prohibitory measures, force them to store
in their houses ardent spirits, which are more partic-
ularly liable to abuse. They cannot keep beer, it*
(33)

514 SABBATH AND SUNDAY.

becomes stale and flat; but they can keep spirits.
Under these circumstances, then, we contend, it is
most desirable to exempt lager beer from Sunday re-
striction.

" Whilst respecting the religious feelings of those
who look upon the institution of the Seventh-day
{Sunday?) as peculiarly sacred, the citizens of the
United States who claim the right to enjoy them-
selves after their national manner prefer to incline
to the creed that ' the Sabbath was made for man,
and not man for the Sabbath ; ' and until some better
way is shown ihem by reason and argument, not by
petty tyrdnny or force, they will continue so to enjoy
themselves. To seek to prevent them is poor policy
on the part of the Prohibitionists ; for beer will con-
tinue to be drank on Sunday, as well as Monday
while the world lasts. " *

" The Thirteenth Annual Congress of the Chief As-
sociation of the Brewers of the United States " was
held at Cleveland in June, 1873. The reports and
addresses on that occasion were full, and in some
points, very outspoken and severe upon those phases
of the beer question which are affected by the Sun-
day laws. The "Puritan" element is arraigned in
no measured terms. Among other things it said of
them :

" The so-called Temperance and Sunday laws are
their chief weapons, and especially directed against
the immigrants and their descendants not of English
Puritanical stock. They are even now preparing
to have their Puritanical creed made the State religion
of the whole country. Restless as they are, they
will go from one step to another, and religious per-

* Brewers' Gazette, 1873, pp. 81-84.

SABBATH AND SUNDAY.. 515

seditions will soon commence to be again inaugu -
rated by them." . . .

"Congress shall make no law respecting an estab-
lishment of religion, says the Constitution of the
United States. The same applies to State legisla-
tures ; otherwise Brigham Young would be justitied,
by local option or otherwise, to force others, not his
followers, to go into the polygamy business and
show obedience to his sort of religion. The Puritans
have just as little right to insist upon the strict ob-
servance of their Puritanical Sabbath." . . . 'The
Israelite cannot force us into the observance of his
Sabbath, and we have no more right to compel him
to observe our Sunday. Religious liberty is one of
the card;nal principles underlying this government.
There is only one country in the world where Sun-
day is observed as here, and that is Scotland. The
consequences have indeed been most dismal to the
population of that little country. Formerly the
working-class considered the Sunday a holiday, and,
after the arduous labors of the week, a day of recre-
ation for body and mind. They enjoyed themselves
in the circle of their tamilies on Sunday, in open air,
at a glass of ale and beer. Now. after the Sunday
laws, similar to ours, have been established the Scotch
workman goes on Saturday evening to the gin and
whisky houses, and returns from there not only
drunk, but with a supply of the needful in a bottle
or jug und<-r his arm for the next day— the Puritani-
cal'Sabbath."*

After detailing the disadvantages under which the
beer business is placed by temperance legislation,
Louis Schade, attorney for the association, added the
following :

"That state of affairs cannot last any longer.
* Brewers? Gazette for June, 1873. p. 153.

516 SABBATH AND SUNDAY.

is a question with you of ' to be or not to be.' You
have to give up passive resistance and take the offen-
sive. Your opponents will not stop until they have
destroyed you. In one State they have already suc-
ceeded in accomplishing it. You are in the right,
and, therefore, if you do not want to be regarded as
cowards, you must fight. There is no peace, no
compromise possible with fanatics and corrupt hyp-
ocrites." . . .

" Shall we submit to that tyranny any longer ? It
is in our power to put a stop to that contemptible
state of servitude immediately, if we only will be
united. It is not a question about lager beer, as the
Puritans sneeringly assert ; it is a question of civil
and religious liberty. We are not standing alone in
that great struggle/ The Irish and all other foreign
born citizens will be with us They cannot sepa-
rate themselves from us as they are in the same ship
with us. For the Puritans hate them as bitterly as
us Many of the free-minded native citizens will
j< in us, and the Southern people, trampled down by
the iron yoke of Puritanical tyranny, will pray for
our success. The immigrants will never forget, that
in 1855, when those Puritans were attempting to en-
slave and disfranchise them, the Southern people
came to their rescue. The following table will show
that it is an easy task to free the country of rampant
hypocrisy, bigotry and corruption." . . .

"It will be seen that the foreign born citizens and
their children are strong enough in every one of
those States (fifteen in number) to turn the scale in
favor of either one or the other of the contending
parties. In the most of those States it can even be done
by the German vote alone. It is, therefore, for the
liberal people but necessary to be united and in earn-
est to give the death blow to Puritanical tyranny."

" The future is ours. The enormous influx of im-
migration will, in a few years, overreach the Puri-
tanical element in every State in the Union. The

SABBATH AND SUNDAY. 517

present exceptional and anomalous state of affairs
cannot last. The dark scenes of the times of the
Connecticut blue laws cannot reappear. Let us or-
ganize! Let it be our duty to not rest or sleep until
the Goddess of Libt rty can again show her face un-
veiled on this continent." *

The " tables" referred to by Mr. Schade were ar-
ranged in view of the "majorities in the election of
186 3, and the number of foreigners and their chil-
dren in various States in 1870." If the tables thus
made gave ground for the threats contained in the
words quoted above, surely the enormous influx of
foreigners between 1870 and 1885 has been such as
to add double meaning to the thought that any per-
sistent effort to enforce the present Sunday laws,
would result in making their repeal a direct issue.
The " balance of power " between the parties will
probably keep the issue out of national politics for a
time. But the issue must be made soon, or late, or
else the Sunday laws must be allowed to sink out of
sight, dead and buried. Much more might be added
from similar speeches, resolutions, etc., uttered from
year to year up to date But enough has been given
to indicate that this "liberal element," this "lager
beer question " has already placed a new factor in
the Sabbath reform problem in America, which fac-
tor will bear no unimportant part in the final solu-
tion.

RAILROADS.

The facts which crowd portions of this chapter show
*Ib., pp. 155-157.

518 SABBATH AND SUNDAY.

that the money-king has come to the front rapidly as
an actor in the drama of agitation. Business and pleas-
ure combine to seek his alliance and to give him aid.
Both these demand " boats and trains," and stock-
holders and employes are not opposed to "turning
an honest penny," in the service of the king. It is
easy to evade the letter of the law under the plea of
" necessity," and so it has come to pass that the tide
of Sunday business swells enormously, year after
year. The " Sunday newspapers" have come in a
like a flood, and covet the lightnings of heaven to
aid in their circulation. Steam, at a mile a minute,
is slow for them. Thus do the elements of agita-
tion rush to the front, and tower to the skies.
Many of the better, and all of the worst elements of
the land are linked together in the work of disre-
garding Sunday. Unless the churches make some
defense, far more effective than they have yet done,
business, pleasure and dissipation will take the
field, without resistance. If the friends of the Sun-
day do rally, for a definite struggle, the agitation
will be increased in the ratio of their earnestness.
Whatever results may follow, the question can never
go back to its former status of quiet and compara-
tive unimportance. The "Sunday Question" has
come to stay.

CHAPTER XXX.
The Verdict of Wistor/,

History is more than 'the chronological arrange-
ment of events. It is always an organic process, in
which principles and ideas, causes and results, move
forward in a vital development. Such a develop-
ment is not necessarily improvement. Human
choices, in the domain of man's agency, introduce
discord by disobedience, and produce temporary
deflections in the general current. But under all
disturbances of the surface, eternal truths are work-
ing on towards specific and legitimate results. This
ongoing of the ideas and purposes of God is the basis
of all real history. This is not fatalism nor arbitrary
decree, but rather an all-embracing plan which gives
full place and free play to human choices, within the
limits of human knowledge and power. The ulti-
mate fiat of God in this plan is this: No human choice*
or disobedience shall be permitted to make ship-
wreck of the general and ultimate good for which all
things are created. So far as we can see, evil choices
and persistent disobedience do bring individual ruin.
But God is ever working above and through all
these conflicts, vindicating truth, compelling justice.

520 SABBATH AND SUNDAY.

and ordering all things for the greatest good of his
creation. Therefore it is that startling develop-
ments appear along the line of history, wherein
.errors and evils are suddenly overwhelmed in their
own ruin. When God speaks thus, men are hum-
bled or destroyed. These results, epochs, are the
verdict of God. They are an expression of the will
-of tbe Most High concerning creeds, methods and
deeds. These are the voice of God. Whoever
.heeds them stands with God. "Whoever disregards
them defies God. These verdicts are rinal, unalterable.
Christ recognized them when he said: "By their
fruits ye shall know them. " And again : " On whom-
soever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder." All
efforts to evade or set aside these verdicts are foolish
and futile. When men will not accept them, God often
permits them to make a second trial that they may
ibe taught salutary lessons by finding the verdict re-
affirmed more decisively than before. Happy are
.they who, recognizing the true philosophy of history,
heed its verdicts, and are not found fighting against
£od.

The facts embodied in the preceding pages seem
clearly to justif}r the following conclusions as being
Xhe verdict of history.

First verdict MEN MUST HAVE A SAB-
BATH.

The first essential departure from the Sabbath law,
as laid down in the Decalogue, appears in the No-
sabbathism that found its earliest exponent in Justin
Martyr, about the middle of the second century of

SABBATH AND SUNDAY. 521

the Christian Era. Perhaps a liberal construction of
the Pauline theory concerning the observance of days,
and the reaction from the false Sabbathism of the He-
brews, had some influence in the development of this
great error. But the most potent element, aided by ex-
aggerated notions of " freedom under the gospel,"
was the pagan influence which came into the church
with the converts from paganism. Under these cir-
cumstances the church drifted rapidly toward the
great apostasy. This No-sabbathism said: " There is
no sacred time under the gospel. He keeps a con-
tinual Sabbath who lives holy each day." From the
middle of the second century forward, this theory
was taught by the leading Fathers. But the hearts
of the people were truer to the Sabbath idea than
the theories of the leaders were, and while polemists
and philosophers taught that there was no sacred
time, ana, while hatred for Judaism was degrading
and rendering unpopular the Sabbath, semi-religious
fasts and festivals increased, in answer to this un-
conscious demand fur the sacred time. The Sun's
day had been a leading weekly pagan festival for
many centuries. After the middle of the second
century, Sunday gradually assumed the character of
a joyful festival in the church, in honor of the sup-
posed resurrection of Christ on that day. In the
same way, Wednesday and Friday became fasts in
memory of his sufferings. Sunday as a joyful festival,
gradually assumed pre-eminence over the fasts and
the Sabbath, and, as all converts from paganism were
accustomed to honor it as the Sun's day, it formed

522 SABBATH AND SUNDAY.

a common ground where the two elements, paganism
and apostatizing Chiiaianity met. This gradual
elevation of Sunday was not due to any Sabbatic
character, such as the Sabbath possessed. Pagan
Rome had scores of religious and semi religious fes-
tivals, which the civil law made as sacred from
labor as Constantine's first edict, of A. D. 321, made
the " Venerable day of the Sun." The law of the
soul's need is illustrated in all the succeeding centuries.
When the Sabbath had been driven out from the
great body of the church, and the night of the mid-
dle ages shut down, fasts and festivals increased un-
til the church was burdened as with a crushing
weight. It was the abnormal hungering of souls in
the darkness which brooded over a Sabbathless
church. All these facts conspire to prove that hu-
manity demands some form of sacred time. The
No-sabbath theory cannot drive out this inherent de-
mand. Humanity feels the need and obeys its be-
hests, instinctively. If this obedience be imperfect
and perverted, the proof of need is not the less abso-
lute. This universal expression of human need is
history's verdict : Men must have a Sabbath.

In this we have spoken mainly of man's spiritual
and religious needs. Not deeming it necessary to
discuss the physical necessity for the Sabbath, which
is acknowledged by all, even No-sabbathists.

Second verdict. A Sabbath cinnot be maintained
without Divine Authority.

The history of the Sabbath under Judaism is the
first testimony on this point. The Sabbath law is

SABBATH AND SUNDAY. 523

especially hedged by divine authority, and rests on
divine example. Nothing less could have establish-
ed it, or enforced its observance. Sabbath desecra-
tion was a prevailing sin among the Jews, hence
the restrictions which at last grew about it in false
formalism, until its true character was almost lost.
Under the same demand for a real or a supposed di-
vine authority, the multitude of holy days which
grew up, from the fourth century forward, and
which crushed the church from the seventh to the
fifteenth century, were without adequate power over
the people until the church succeeded in as-
suming divine authority, and thus spoke to the peo-
ple as God. The people finally accepted the voice of
church as the voice of God, and each day named by
the church came to deemed as divinely ordered. It
does not weaken this conclusion to say that those
were times of ignorant credulity, for even this ignor-
ant credulity did not yield willing obedience without
the influence of an authority recognized as divine,
and supported by many signs and pretended mira-
cles. Without the introduction of this element of
divine authority, there is no doubt but that the
fruitage of No-sabbathism would have been absolute
chaos and, in the end, the entire destruction of the
Sabbatic idea. The demand for divine authority is
as necessary to the continued existence of the Sab-
bath idea, as the Sabbath idea is necessary to the de-
mands of the soul-life and religious culture of humani-
ty.

This conclusion is supported with equal power by

524 SABBATH AND SUNDAY.

the the facts of history since the "Reformation."
Those parts of Protestant Christendom which have
held to No-sabbathism long enough to bear ripened
fruit have virtually lost the Sabbath idea as well as
the Sabbath-day, while Roman Catholic countries
have been for centuries without any essential Sab-
bath. A holiday for rest, recreation and debauchery
is, in no Biblical or religious sense, a Sabbath.
Thus history shows that when the divine element is
eliminated from the Sabbath question, or when the
false claims of divine power on the part of the church
are set aside by increasing intelligence, the day and
the idea are both lost ; and people sink into social
and physical dissipation according to the state of
civilization in any given locality.

Third verdict. All compromise between the Sabbath
and Nu-sabbathism is weak and ephemeral.

The circumstances under which the Puritan com-
promise between the Sabbath and the Sunday was
undertaken were strongly marked. The English-
speaking church was thoroughly aroused on the
question of reform. The second stage of reforma-
tion had been reached. Men stood face to face with
the question: " Which is the ultimate authority,
God's Word or the church ? " In the presence of
such a question the Sabbath became prominent at
once. Puritanism answerd: " God's Word is the
ultimate authority." Reform answered quickly,
" What then of the fourth commandment and the
Sabbath ? " Trained for centuries under a system
which was intensely anti- Jewish the leaders said:

SABBATH AND SUNDAY. 525

" We cannot go back to the Sabbath; that would be
a return to Judaism." Pondering a while concern-
ing the dilemma, Puritanism said : "I see it. The
law is binding, but the day is not. We can transfer
the law from the seventh day to the first day, and
all will be well. We can take this much liberty on
general principles. Under the white heat of re-
form this theory was accepted and acted upon at
once. Strongly supported by civil laws the Sunday
became rigidly Sabbatic, so far as the Puritans
were concerned, and offensively unpopular with the
non-Puritanic. The struggle was soon transferred
to America, where Puritanism had a free field with
every possible advantage. The State first existed,
practically, only in the church. It was more than
union; it was absorption or generation of the State
and church. The experiment has gone forward for
nearly three centuries since its inception in Europe.
The result is that few representative men can now
be found among the leaders of thought who at
tempt to defend the Sunday as the Sabbath, from the
Puritan stand-point. Even the most orthodox now
admit, or virtually teach No-sabbathism, and defend
Sunday only on sanitary grounds, moral and physi-
cal. Meanwhile the Sunday has lost its Sabbatic
character in a very large degree throughout the land,
and with the great majority of the people. And
since the church has continued to assert the theory
that the Sabbath — Seventh-day — is Jewish, the No-
sabbath element has regained the field. Thus the
weak, through well-meant, compromise is dead If

526 SABBATH AND SUNDAY.

any regard is paid to the verdict of history on the
question of compromises in general, and of this
Puritan-Sunday compromise in particular, no
compromise will be attempted in the future. If
there shall be any specific issue in the. coming years
it will be between Sunday as a holiday, and the Sev-
enth-day, in a Christian, rather than a Jewish dress.
If holidayism does not overwhelm all, so that there
can be no conflict, the battle of the future will be
between the only divinely appointed Sabbath and
none at all. God's verdict concerning the evil and
weakness of compromises is as clear and unmistaka-
ble in the death of the Puritan Sunday, as it was in
the matter of American slavery, when he wrote the
verdict in blood on an hundred battle fields. If
there be any Sabbath in the future, it will not be the
weak offspring of compromise.

Fourth verdict. The general results of Civil Legis-
lation have been evil.

Christ clearly stated, and often repeated the truth:
"My kingdom is not of this world." He taught
that his gospel was to be the great transforming
power in the world, but that it was not to rely upon
worldly measures or civil government for its ad-
vancement and support. He made no appeal to king
or senate, sought no favors from governors or
princes : he did not even complete an organization of
his immediate followers. He enunciated the great
truths of the gospel, and left them to germinate and
bear fruit through their own inherent power. Re-
ligion belongs to the realm of sonl-life. Its founda-

SABBATH AND SUNDAY. 527

tion rests on love to God, and hence, obeSience.
Outward restraints cannot beget that love. In regu-
lating the relations of men to each other, civil law
has its province. It also has a mission in the realm
of morals which lies in these human relations. In
the matter of duties towards God, under a system of
religion like the gospel, civil law has no place. Any
attempt to thus determine duty or prescribe action
must degrade the system and the worshiper. True
religious impulses exist only in the realm of the
soul's relations to God. Civil law can neither create
nor destroy such impulses. If, however, it shall in-
terfere, making itself the standard and the ultimate
appeal, grave evils follow. The true standard is
practically set aside even though it be claimed that
the civil law is founded on the divine. The lower,
human standard, takes the place of the higher and
divine one, thus casting out the element of direct
divine authority. This weakens the whole question
and makes the issue simply that of obedience or dis-
obedience to the civil law. This destroys true re-
ligion.

A second evil follows. Religious questions and
duties are thus made to play a part in politics, and
are subjected to the schemes and manipulations of
selfishness and trickery. In all politico-religious
movements that which is essentially religious is soon
obscured or lost. In so far as it does remain it is
usually a partisan or* sectarian element. Being thus
brought into the arena of political strife, of plots and

528 SABBATH AND SUNDAY.

counter-plots, degeneration and spiritual decay
are rapid ana fatal.

These evils are apparent in all departments, and
all stages of politico-religious agitation, and in all
enforced civil legislation concerning religious mat-
ters. The question of the Sabbath and of Sabbath-
keeping has been perverted from the time that Con-
stantine began his legislation, which was essentially
pagan, to the present hour. Indeed, all union of
church and and State, direct or indirect, is born of
paganism or Judaism, and not of Christianity. En-
forced Sunday-keeping under ecclesiastico-civil regu-
lations, of whatever form, has not been true Sab-
bath-keeping. Had the matter been left free from
interference by the State, and left, like the question
of personal repentance, conversion, baptism, or the
partaking of the Lord's Supper, upon grounds whol-
ly religious and personal between God's people and
himself, the case would have been far better, and
the problem much nearer solution than it now is.

The commander of a regiment during the late
war, who ordered sixteen men to be detailed for
baptism, because in a religious revival in a neigh-
boring regiment, eight men had been baptized as a
religious duty, is a fair illustration of the folly of at-
tempting to make men religious by civil law. The
question of Sabbath-keeping is purely a religious one
between the church and God, and it must eventually
be settled on that "ground. For fifteen centuries the
church and the State have been trying to settle it as
an ecclesiastical matter. The result has been almost

SABBATH AND SCXDAY. 529

an entire destruction of the true idea of the Sabbath,
and of Sabbath-keeping. The province of the civii
law in protecting conscience will be noticed further
on. But we do not hesitate to repeat, that thus far
history records its verdict that civil legislation con-
cerning the Sabbath question has been productive of
far more evil than good, that it has delayed the solu-
tion of the question, and the demand of the hour is,
to the civil law, hands off. Let the church settle
the question with God and its own experience.

This position is further supported by the fact that
Sunday laws are wholly inconsistent with the theory
of No-sabbathism, which is now the prevailing theory,
both in the church and out of it. If there be no
sacred time under the gospel by divine appointment,
all efforts to create such time are illogical and fool-
ish. Human law can create holidays, but has no
power to make a Sabbath. If the popular theory be
correct, God leaves each man to choose when and
how he shall Sabbatize. By this theory the New
Testament gives greater freedom in the matter of
Sabbath-keeping than it does in the matter of baptism
and the Lord's Supper. This being true the civil
law has no province in the ease except to .protect
each man in following his convictions of duty, as in
if baptism, or other religious ordinances and
ceremonies. It may simply rtand by and see that no
man prevents his fellow from doing what he deemfe
it his duty to do. While it thus protects others from
interfering it must not interfere nor dictate. If any
law be demanded, or admisible, it must he a general
(34)

530 SABBATH AND SUNDAY.

one applying to all days alike, forbidding disturb-
ance or interference at an}' and all times in the mat-
ter of worshiping and Sabbatizing. Here the law
must stop. It may not say that any man shall rest
or worship, or shall not rest or worship. No civil
law can determine when a man needs rest, nor how
much; nor when, nor how he desires to worship.
Both questions are beyond its province. It is as-
sumed that man needs periodic rest as often as one
day in seven. But this assumption is based upon, or
borrowed from, the Sabbath law, and if that law be
done away as a Jewish code, surely our civil law has
no right to galvanize it into life and falsely apply it
to another specific day.

When pressed by logic, the champions of modern
Puritanism, as represented by the publications of the
New York Sabbath Committee and similar docu-
ments, ' ' beg the question " by claiming that the Sun-
day laws do not attempt to enforce a religious ob-
servance of that day. This effort to show that the
Sunday laws are not religious indicates that their
supporters are conscious that legislation concerning
religious duties is illogical and evil, and that the
verdict of hitsory is against it. Document 41, in the
list of publications of the New York Sabbath Com-
mittee, is devoted especially to this question, being
entitled, " Sunday Laws and Sunday Liberty." The
document contradicts itself. The general facts are
first stated as follows :

" Our Sunday laws grew out of the observance of
the Lord's-day, which "the earliest colonists brought

SABBATH AND SUNDAY. 531

with them to these shores, and which was deeply
rooted in their religious convictions."

" In all the original States of the Union, laws pro-
tecting and regulating the observance of the first day
of the week were among the earliest enacted. As
new States were formed, the example was followed,
till now in every State of the Union, as well as by
the Federal government, the weekly rest-day is
recognized by law."

According to the above, the Sunday laws were the
direct product of relgious observance of Sunday as
the Sabbath of the Decalogue, by implication and
transfer, "which was deep-rooted in the religious
convictions " of the men who framed those laws. It
needs no argument to show that the laws were, there-
fore, essentially religious and would not have been
enacted except for men's religious convictions. The
document might have added that they were developed
at a time when the church was mistress of the State,
when religion dictated all legislation. But the next
paragraph acknowledges the fact still further in the
following words :

" The Sunday laws, occasionally modified to meet
the changing conditions of society, and differing in
some details in the different States, are yet alike in
their chief features, from Maine to California. They
forbid on Sunday common labor and traffic, public
and noisy amusements, and whatever is likely to
disturb the quiet and good order of the day. They
make Sunday B non-legal day. BO that ordinary pro-
cesses of courts are not served, and contracts made
on Sunday are void. The courts and legislatures do
not sit ; the public business is suspended. In brief,
Sunday is taken out of the number of ordinary week

532 SABBATH AND SUNDAY.

days and, so far as possible, made free from secular
engagements and disturbances."

What is the distinction between "secular" and
the opposite ? Why do common labor and traffic
and public and noisy amusements disturb the quiet
and good order of Sunday more than of Monday, if
not on religious grounds ? If a game of base ball is
improper, and must be prevented by law on Sunday,
for civil reasons, why not on Monday ? What good
interest of the commonwealth is jeopardized by the
building of a house on Sunday , which is not equally
jeopardized by the same act on Monday? Gambling
houses and whisky shops are dangerous to the com-
monwealth on every day. They are no more danger-
ous on Sunday than on other days except as the Sun-
day laws enforce idleness, and so leave thousands of
men to be tempted to ruin, who, if allowed to pursue
their ordinary avocations would not thus be tempted.
For, however much Puritan-Sunday-lawism may be
startled by the fact, the effect of the Sunday laws up-
on the irreligious is to lead them into temptation, ac-
cording to their social status and surroundings. If
a man observes the day in a truly religious spirit, he
is safe and is benefitted. To be consistent with the
claims of modern Puritanism, the law should leave
such a man free to follow his conscience, prohibiting
\)n that day nothing which it does not prohibit on all
days.

The next paragraph in this document continues the
plea that, "These laws do not compel a religious
observance of Sunday." Technically that is true,

SABBATH AND SUNDAY. 533

simply because they cannot. They come as near to
it as they can by demanding cessation from labor,
which is the outward expression of a religious con-
viction.

The whole question is again opened so as to con-
demn Sunday legislation, in this same paragraph, in
these words :

" It it true that the great majority of Americans
hold the first day of the week as set apart by God,
and to be kept holy to him. They know well that
in its religious observance lie its best use and benefit;
and that when religious regard for it ceases, no hu-
man laws can prevent its becoming, as in many
parts of Europe, a day of dissipation to some, of
common drudgery to others."

It is true indeed that "when religious regard for
it ceases, no human law can prevent" its decay.
Since 321 A. D., the European church has made the
question of Sunday-keeping a matter of civil legisla-
tion. Under such a system its non-Sabbatic charac-
ter has been gradually inevitable. It is now a day of
"dissipation" or "drudging," because civil legisla-
tion and false theories have driven the religious ele-
ment out of the question The same result appears
in America, where Sunday observance grows less
and less religious, every year. There is but one
solution of the problem and that will be found in re-
manding the question to the Bible and the church, as
a purely religious one. On that ground it must
stand or fall. So long as the civil law continues to
usurp and pervert, the case will grow worse and
worse.

534 SABBATH AND SUNDAY.

Many good people are misled and prevented from
seeing the true verdict of history by arguments like
the following, with which the paragraph in Document
41 closes:

" The laws of the State and the requirement of re-
ligion may, in some instances, coincide. Thus each
forbids murder, stealing, incest. But the law for-
bids these, not as offenses against God, but as crimes
against man. The law has to do with the relations
of men to each other, and not with the relations of
men to God."

This argument is faulty, in that it confounds facts.
Certain religious duties exist wholly in the realm of
man's relation to God, as an individual. Others
spring from the relations which men sustain to each
other. These last, God requires, and civil law may
rightfully enforce them. " Murder, stealing, in-
cest," etc., belong to the latter class. But because
the law of God and the law of man coincide in these
points, it does not follow that the civil law may in-
terfere in man's relation to God. Laws against profane
swearing have long been a "dead letter," since they
have neither force nor meaning when applied to a
crime which is against God, and which men will not
refrain from unless they love God. California might
pass a law forbidding all heathen forms of worship
among the Chinese, and compelling them to go
to church , but it would not make the Chinamen
Christians, and it would be in violation of the funda-
mental principles of the gospel. Sunday laws are
equally so, as far as they refer to the religious char-
artpr of the day. The same would be true of civil

SABBATH AND SUNDAY. 535

legislation concerning the seventh, or any other, day
as a Sabbath. Only evil can follow when the civil
law attempts to regulate the duties which individual
men owe to God. The Jews were in religious and
political childhood. The theocracy was necessary
because of their weakness. Systems of ecclesiastico-
eivil legislation, which might have been best for the
Jews, have no place in the nineteenth century of the
gospel. The longer they are retained the greater evil
will be wrought.

MA.IORJTY ARGUMENT.

Men seek to evade this verdict of history, by
claiming that Sunday laws are just and beneficial,
because they protect the majority from being dis-
turbed in Iheir religious duties, and hence the minor-
ity must yield, uncomplaining. This is sophistry.
There can be no majority in matters of conscience
toward God. In such things it is indeed true that.
"One with God is a majority. " He is king who is
loyal to (bid and to his own convictions of duty. But
if the argument be correct the civil law should order
a census of each locality, and whenever a majority
should vote against keeping Sunday, the law should
order it not to be kept. This is practical and perti-
nent in the case of Jews and Seventh-day Christians,
and in not a few Localities if the principle claimed in
support of the Sunday laws were carried out, the
Sabbath would be protected, and Sunday left un-
helped, or placed in the patronized minority as the
Sabbath now is. Neither is it true that all should be

536 SABBATH AND SUNDAY.

compelled to rest in order that worshipers be undis-
turbed. Jews and Sabbath-keeping Christians (and
Friends, on Wednesday) have always been obliged
to worship, in city or country, with no safeguards,
except protection from direct assault upon their
congregations. All ordinary merriment and labor go
on around them, their homes and churches. They
may have sometimes been annoyed but they have
not been made irreligious, nor driven from fealty to
what they deem a religious duty. On the contrary,
the Seventh-day Christians have steadily increased in
America for more than two hundred years, in spite
of disabilities and proscription.

The truth is, there is a lingering taint of the "In-
quisition " in the idea that any question of religion
or conscience is to be controlled by the majority.
Republicanism and Christianity agree that the laws
ought to be so modified as to grant protection to all
worshiping assemblies alike, on whatever day they
may be held, and whether attended by few or many.
If Sunday shall remain as a civil holiday, it should
have no pre-eminence over other civil holidays.
The settlement of the Sabbath question will be de-
layed in proportion as the civil law insists on keep-
ing Sunday in its present place, and the religious
character of Sunday will be lessened in the same de-
gree. The advocates of the Sunday Sabbath seem to be
afraid to meet the issue squarely on Biblical grounds,
for fear that the Sabbath will be accepted as the
only divine appointment, or else that all ideas of a
Sabbath will be put aside. Such fears are of little

SABBATH AND SUNDAY. 537

avail. Truth must triumph. Verdicts of history
may be delayed while men experiment, but nothing
is clearer than that all religious questions must be
settled on religious grounds, just as all scientific
questions insist on settlement upon scientific grounds,
though creed-makers and ignorance protest never so
earnestly. The sooner the church cuts loose from
the civil laws concerning Sunday and all similar
questions, the better will it be for all concerned.

SUNDAY AND TEMPERANCE.

The temperance question is also a complicating
factor in the matter of Sunday legislation. The
State has the right to prohibit liquor selling in be-
half of good order and prosperity. It has a right to
increase the safeguards on civil holidays, when men
are more in danger because of leisure. But a sys-
tem of ' ' prohibition " on Sundays, and license,
which is protection rather than restraint, on other
days, is illogical and unjust. Liquor selling and its
attendant evils are always detrimental to the citizen
and the State, and should be prohibited on all days.
If Sunday leisure demands special protection let it
be granted. But let tin- State take care that it do not
increase the evil by enforcing abstinence from labor
on the part of the irreligious, thus creating the
leisure through which much of the dissipation comes.
As t lie case now stands the Sunday restrictions are
of comparatively little value since the machinery by
which the business is propelled during the week, and
up to midnight on " Saturday," cannot be stopped on
(35)

538 SABBATH AND SUNDAY.

Sunday. It may be a little ' ' slowed down " by the
back-door process, but it does not stop. And even
if it be stopped, those who are planning for the
coming leisure can easily supply the necessary stim-
ulants in such quantities as will insure broils and
rioting on Sunday.

The highest ideal cannot be attained at once;
but the duty of the hour, in the light of ex-
perience, is to sever all connection between the
questions of temperance and of Sunday-keeping,
leaving each to stand upon its own merits. Giving
us prohibition instead of license, and a settlement of
the Sunday question on Biblical and religious
grounds. If the settlement of the question on such
grounds shall restore the Seventh-day Sabbath, or,
on the other hand, give two or more clays or parts of
days for worship in each week, no matter if it be a
settlement based on truth, and free from interference
by the civil law. Take the question of Sabbath re-
form out of politics out of the realm of caucusing
and plotting, and let the church settle it as it would
any other religious issue. For, we repeat, if
the day ought to be kept by divine authority the
civil law cannot strengthen that authority, and by a
false app lication it may weaken and destroy it, and
if he who does not rest out of regard to the Lord,
does not truly Sabbatize, his resting is only an empty
form, or a blasphemous pretence. Under the work-
ing of the- civil law as the prominent element af au-
i hority, Sunday has tended and must tend to holiday-

SABBATH AND S IX DAY. 539

ism; and with the masses, towards debauchery. No
question is settled until it is settled right.

It remains for the people of the United States to
hasten the solution of the problem of Sabbath reform
by placing the question on its true basis, or to delay
the solution and insure the decline of Sunday-sab-
bathism by continuing to appeal to the civil law.
God is patient and waits long while men make mis-
takes and repeat follies, but when he has written re-
peated verdicts in history, those who heed are wise.
Let it be remembered that all compromise is either
weak or wicked, often both. "By their fruits ye
shall know them. " And when fifteen centuries of the
civil-law system have given us the " Mediaeval Sun-
day," with its false formalism, its forged miracles
and endless superstition; the " Continental Sunday,"
with its holidayism and revelry; and now the " Puri-
tan Sunday," virtually dead because of unfounded
assumptions and the weakness of compromise ; it is
is time that other seed be sown, in hope of a differ-
ent harvest. A S}Tstem that has hitherto borne
thorns cannot be expected to produce grapes hereafter.

It is well known that the anti-Sunday lawelement,
as represented in pleasure seeking, money making and
liquor selling, claims to hold the ' ' balance of power "
and the ability to repeal the Sunday law, if the issue
should be made. This may be "bravado" only,
but the facts are, that for many years these have all
defied or ignored the laws. Pulpits and religious or-
ganizations protest, and some minor currents of Sun-
day desecration are temporarily checked. Taken as

540 SABBATH AND SUNDAY.

a whole the No-sabbath tide gathers force and gains
in extent with each year, The verdict of the past
is, that with the present public opinion, the Sunday
laws cannot be enforced. They find little place in
the conscience of the American people. A new founda-
tion for Sabbath reform must be sought. It can
only be found in the source from whence the Sab-
bath first came, divine authority. If the church be-
lieves that any divine authority does exist, it should
be brought forward and made the main issue at once.
Delay is weakness. No-sabbathism appeals to all
the lower elements of society.- Pleasure and avarice
and debauchery, and every lustful vice hail it. It
puts God's law and God's self away from human
life. It sets a premium on religious indifference
and open sin. The words of the prophet come to
the American church with terrible force, while the
issues of these years confront us :

" If thou turn away thy foot from the Sabbath,
from doing thy pleasure on my holy day ; and call
the Sabbath a delight, the holy of the Lord, honora-
ble ; and shalt honor him, not doing thine own ways,
nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine
own words:

Then shalt thou delight thyself in the Lord ; and I
will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the
earth, and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy
father : for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it." *

Happy is he who is not found fighting against
God in order to sustain his own theories and choices ;
truth is not in numbers or in age, but in conform-
ity with the law of God.

* Isa. 58:13, U.

General Index.

Note. — A dash following the page number indi-

cates that the subject is continued for an

indefinite

number of pages.

A

Page.

Abyssinian Church.

Has always kept the Sabbath,

222-228

Acts, Book of.

Is an inspired history of the early

church,

21

Shows habitual observance of the Sab-

bath,

24-27

First day of the week, mentioned in, but

once,

28

Adey, Webb.

Arraigned for working on Sunday,

389

Advenlists, Seventh-day.

Origin and doctrines,

400-

As agitators of the Sabbath question,

504

Agitation.

Concerning Sunday question, in the

United States,

46*—

Albigenses.

Kept the Sabbath,

205

(36)

542 GENERAL INDEX.

AUix.

Statements concerning the Waldenses,

211

America.

Sunday in, Colonial Period,

341—

Sabbath in,

392—

Anabaptists.

Some, observed the Sabbath,

317

Anatolius.

His Chronology of Easter,

125

Ancient Syiian Documents.

Claim that the Apostles ordered that

Christians " Pray toward the East,"

181

Also : Services to be held on Sunday,

181

Also : Services to be held on Wednes-

day,

182

Also : On the Sabbath,

182

Also : To keep the Festival of the

Epiphany,

182

Andrews, Bishop.

Speech against Thraske, a Seventh-day

Baptist,

322—

He coins the phrase, Dominicum Ser-

vo sti, in that speech,

52—

Andrews, Rev. J. N.

Statements concerning Tertullian,

94

Anti-Sabbath Convent 'on.

Held in Boston 1848 A. D.,

497

Called by Garrison, Parker and Whip-

ple,

497

declared Sunday laws unconstitution-

al,

498

GENERAL INDEX. 543

The keeping of Sunday unscriptural, 498
Favored Sunday as a rest-day on hu-
manitarian grounds, 498
Was condemned by the rel igious press, 499

Of Justin Martyr, 71

Apostolic Fathers.

General character of, 33

Arclielaus, BisJwp.

Concerning the abolition of the Sabbath, 123

Argument, Majority.

Sophistical, 535

Inconsistent and unjust, 535, 536

Armenian Church.

Keeps the Sabbath. 229-232

Athanasius.

Says little concerning the Sabbath or
the Sunday," 153

Atterbury, Rev. W. W.

Author of " Statement of Principles
Concerning Sunday, 467

Atwood, Rev. E. 8.

Statements concerning American Sal)
bath, 417-

Concerning Sunday laws, 420

Concerning their impotence, 424

Concerning personal liberty and Sun-
day, 425

Concerning the apathy of the church in
in the matter of Sunday observance, 426

544 GENERAL INDEX.

Augsburg Confession.

Its teachings concerning Sunday, 253

Augustine.

Sabbath to be observed spiritually by
ceasing from sin, 157

Sabbath abolished with circumcision
and sacrifices, . 1 58

Not the author of Be Tempore, 159

Speaks of public worship on the Sab-
bath in the fifth century, 183

B

Backus.

History of New England, records the
fact of correspondence between Roger
Williams and others, and Seventh-
day Baptists, relative to the Sabbath, 394, 5
Bailey, Rev. James.

History of the Seventh-day Baptist Gen-
eral Conference, quoted, 397, 398
Bimpfield, Rev. Francis.

A Seventh-day Baptist author from

1672-1677 A. D., 332

His sufferings and imprisonment, 335-

His death in prison, 335

Bampfield, Thomas.
A Seventh-day Baptist author from

1692-1694 A. D. , 336

Hie books answered, by Prof. Wallis, 336

Baptuts, Seventh-day.

Organized in England, 1650 A. D., 339-

GENERAL INDEX. 545

At Newport, R. I., 1671 A. D., 393
Near Philadelphia, Pa., about 1700 A.

D., 397

In Northern N. J., 1705 A. D., 399

Work in agitating Sabbath question, 500—

Baptists, Regular.

Creed concerning Sunday, 414

Barnabas.

Epistle of, a forgery, 36-39

Testimony of Neander, 36

Of Mosheirn, 37

OfEusebius, 37-88
Of Prof. Hackett, Milner, Kit to and

Domville, 38

Of Killen, Coleman and Schaff, 39

What it says concerning Sunday, 40

This quotation, often "garbled," 41

Baronius.

Roman Catholic Annalist, 58
He defines Dominicum as meaning the

"Mass," 59

Baur.

Concerning Ignatian Epistles, 47

Beer.

Relation to Sunday observance, 504

Its history, etc., 506

" Against Whisky," 511

Benedict, B-iv. D<ivid.
Testifies to Sabbath keeping among the

Waldenses. 207,211

546 GENERAL INDEX.

Berkshire, England.

Seventh-day Baptist church in,

340

Beta.

Exposition of the fourth command-

ment,

266

Bible, The.

Is the ultimate authority concerning

the Sabbath,

5

Bingham, Bev. Joseph.

On Sabbath observance in the Churcli

of England,

131

On Sunday Edict of Constantine,

143

On the Ferice of pagan Rome,

160

" Blue Laws,"

390

Bonham.

Kepels the charge of sinfulness for

working on Sunday, becomes the

founder of the third Seventh-day Bap-

tist Church in America,

398

Boston, Mahs.

Sunday laws enacted at, in 1654

350

A. D.,

In 1658 A. D.,

351

In 1665 A. D.,

352

In 1667 and 1668 A. D.,

353

In 1663 and 1677 A. D. ,

355

In 1679 A. D.,

356

Disregard for in 1879 A. D. .

418-429

In 1884 A. D.,

472

In 1885 A. D.,

448

GENERAL INDEX.

54?

Bohemian, Sabbath-keepers.

213, 320

Progenitors of English Seventh-day

Baptists,

318

Bownde, Nicholas.

Author of the "Puritan Sabbath"

theory,

296-302

Theory unknown until 1596 A. D . ,

296

Braintree, England.

Seventh-day Baptist Church at,

340

Br ere wood, Rev. Edward.

Testimony concerning the observance

of the Sabbath in the early church,

130

Brewers' Association.

511

Annual Congress of, on Sunday laws,

514-17

Brewers' Gazette, concerning Sunday

laws,

512-14

Brooks.

" Lives of Puritans," quoted,

327

Bryant, Stephen.

Arrested for violating Sunday,

389

Bryennios.

On the " Teaching of the Apostles,"

64-67

Buchanan, Rev. Claudius.

Statements concerning the Sabbath in

Armenia,

231

Text of his book tampered with,

232

Testimony concerning Syrian Chris-

tians,

237

Bullinger.

Exposition of Rev. 1 : 10.

265-

518 GENERAL INDEX.

Bunsen.

On Ignatian Epistles, 48

Burdick, Rev. Henry.

Pastor of the first Seventh-day Baptist
Church in America. 398

Bureau of Statistics, Mass.

Important facts concerning Sunday la-
bor in 1885 A. D., 448
Byihinian Christians.

And the " Stated day," 50

c

Galamy, Edward.
Statements concerning the arrest of
Bampfield, Seventh-day Baptist, 333

Calvin, John.
His views concerning the Sabbath, 258 —

Exegesis of Deut , 261

Exegesis of 1 Cor. 1 : 16 and Acts 20 :

7, 263

He did not teach the " Puritan theory," 263, 4

Canons of Hie Apostles.
Recognise both the Sabbath and the
Lord's-day, 180

Carlow, Rev. Qeo.
An EDglish Seventh-day Baptist author

of 1724 A. D., 336

His writings republished in the United
States in 1802 and in 1847 A. D. , 337

Carthage, Synod of .
Concerning Sunday and fast days, 169

GENERAL INDEX. 549

Catholic Church, Horn an.

Creed concerning Sunday, 405

Cavalier 's of Va.

Enacted the first Sunday Law in Amer-
ica, 386
Cave, William, D. D.

Testimony concerning the Sabbath in
the early church, 132

Cawdrey, Daniel.

Writer in defense of the Puritan Sun-
day theory in 1652 A. D., 328
Chalons, Council of.

Edict concerning Sunday, 193

Chambers Cyclopedia.

Concerning Bohemian Sabbath-keepers, 320

Chamberlain, Peter.

Prominent Seventh-day Baptist and

Royal Physician, of London, 395

Chester, Mrs.

Imprisoned for keeping the Sabbath, 321

Chersey, England.

Seventh-day Baptist Church at, 340

Chicago.

Sunday observance in, 428

China.

Sabbath in, as early as the seventh cent-
ury, 240—
Christ.

And the Sabbath, 6

Was accustomed to preach on the Sab

bath, 10

550 GENERAL INDEX.

Performed works of mercy on the Salt-
bath, 11

Corrected abuses concerning the Sab-
bath, 14

Confirmed the Sabbath, 15

" Christian Sabbath."

This term not used by Origen, 100

Christians.

First Assemblies of, on Sunday, 71

Christians of St. I'homas.

Kept the Sabbath, 337

Chrysostom.

Teaches No-sabbathism, 154

Recognizes the observance of the Sab-
bath late in the fourth century, 183
Church Councils.

Decrees concerning Sunday, 167

" Clear View Wanted."

Concerning Sunday, 458-462

Clement of Alexandria.

Notions concerning the ' ' eighth day,"' 08

Views concerning the Sabbath, !»6

Clement of Rome.

Does not refer to Sunday, 34

Clothaire.

King of France, his Sunday edict, 187

Coleman, Rev. Lyman.

Concerning the Sabbath among the Ar-
menians, 229

Among the Nestorians, 233

Concerning Barnabas, 39

GENERAL INDEX. 551

Concerning Ignatius, 47
Concerning the observance of Wednes-
day and Friday, 112
Concerning the observance of the Sab-
bath and the Sunday, 129

Colony of Conn.

First Sunday law, 1650-53 A. D., 367

General law of 1668 A. D., 368

Amended in 1669 A. D., 369

Enforcement of in 1684 A. D., . 370

Additional laws, 1715, 1721 A. D., 371

Common Law.
New England Colonial , founded on the

Jewish law, 342

Committee, New York Sabbath.

Organized 1857 A. D., 466

Objects and policy, 473 —

Documents of, quoted, 475 —

Compromise.
None possible between the Sabbath and

No-sabbathism, 524—

Congress, Brewers'.

Opposed to Sunday laws, 514—

Constantine tlie Great.

Character in general, 138 —
Drawn toward Christianity, through

policy, 138

Adopted Christianity as a superstition, 139

An especial patron of the sun-god, 141

Was a selfish murderer, 140
His Sunday edict, a heathen document, 141-148

552 GENERAL INDEX

It mentions the day only as " The Ven-
erable day of the Sun," 141

Such Legislation common under former

emperors, 144-146

Conventions, Sabbath, in the United States.

In New York, 1828 A. D.. 464

At Cincinnati, in 1840 A. D., 464

At Rochester in 1842 A. I).. 464

At Baltimore. Harrisburg (Va.) and

Saratoga Springs, in 1844 A. D. , 465

At Frankfort, Ky., in 1846 A. D., 465

Anti) at Boston in 1848 A. D. . 465

National, at Saratoga Springs, in 1863

A. D., 466

At Boston and Springfield. M^s., in
1879 A. I)., 467, 468

Co> stitutions ofilie Apostles, 173

Contint ntal Reformers.

Were in general No-sabbathists, 250 —

Cottrell

Arrested under Sunday laws of Md., 485

Cox, Robert.
Concerning the origin of the Seventh-
day Baptists, 213
Doubts the authenticity of Origen's

Twenty-third Homily on Numbers, 99

Concerning Sunday at the close of the
third century and the unfounded
claims made by Eusebius, 150, 151

GENERAL INDEX. 553

Speaks highly of Brabourne, 324

Considers Cornthwaite the ablest writer
among English Seventh-day Baptists, 339

Granmer, Bishop.

Views on the Sabbath, 27tf

Creeds of Churches.

Sunday in, 405

Cnpplega te Ch u i xh .

Seventh-day Baptist, London. Eng., 340

Cyprian.

Pupil of Tertullian, 103

Notions concerning circumcision and the

"eighth day," 103, 104

Cyril.

Teaches No-sabbathism, 153

D

Dark Ayes.

Sunday during, L85 —
Observance of Sunday deeply supersti-
tious, 186
In France, 187, 192
In England, 187, 198
In Burgundy, 189, 193
Sunday disregarded by many kings and

prominent men, 190
Many other festivals associated with

Sunday, 191

Orders or Pope Leo IV. , 195

Under the Saxon Heptarchy, L96

554 GENERAL INDEX.

Blasphemous miracles claimed against

those who desecrated Sunday, 197-202

The Sabbath during, 205-

Kept by the Waldenses, during, 215-

See 205-219

David, Rev. Ebenezer.

Seventh-day Baptist chaplain in the
Revolutionary War, 394

David, Rev. Enoch.
Early Seventh-day Baptist preacher in
Pa., 398

''Decay of Sunday observance among

Christians" 453-

Dellon.

The Inquisition and the Sabbath, 238-

De Vignaux.

On the character of the Waldenses, 215

Dialogue with Trypho.
The fountain of Patristic No-sabbath-
ism, 74
Teaches the utter abolition of the Sab-
bath, under the gospel, 73
Domville, Sir William.
Thinks Barnabas' epistle a forgery, 38
Shows Dominicum Servasti a falsehood, 54-57
Shows that Ignatius to the Magnesians
is interpolated to make it refer to
Sunday, 45
Shows that Irenaeus does not contain
the passage concerning Sunday, usu-
ally attributed to him, 81

GENERAL INDEX. 555

Dun haw, Rec. Edmund.
First pastor of third Seventh-day Bap-
tist Church in America, 399
Dwight, Timothy, D. D.

Misquotes Irenams, 81

Dionysius.

Does not call Sunday the Sabbath, nor
say, " W.e have kept it holy," 78, 79

Documents.

Of New York Sabbath Committee,

quoted, 475 —

Ancient Syrian, recognize both Sabbath

and Sunday, 181

Dodge, William E.

Concerning Sunday railroading and

steam-boating, 434

Concerning Sunday in great cities, 437

Christians must not hold stock in Sun-
day-breaking corporations, 439
Dominicum Servasti.
Term never used in connection with

Martyrdom, 51 —

Was coined by Bishop Andrews in 1618

A. D., 57

Dominicum.

Defined by Baronius 59

E

Eastern Church.
The " Mother Church " of Christianity, 220

Baa always kept the Sabbath, 226

550 GENERAL IXDEX.

Ecclesiastical Ga nons.

Of the Apostles, 180

Eecol impadius.

Concerning the Waldenses, 215

Edward VI.

Sunday during the reign of, 273

Edgar.

Sunday law of, 196

Edwards, President.

Concerning the Waldenses, 209

Speaks in high praise of them, 210

Edwards, Justin, D. J).

Misquotes Irenams, 81 —

Egbert.

Sunday laws of, 194

Elagabalus, Emperor.

Exalted Sunday worship in Rome, 116

AVas himself a priest of the sun. 116

Elvira, Synod of.

Decree concerning Sunday, 168

Elizabeth, Queen.

Sunday observance under her reign, 280 —

Encyclopedia of Biblical Literature.

Shows how " Ignatius to the Magne-
sians," is interpolated, to make it re-
fer to Sunday, 42-44

Britanica, on Church Councils, 167

Religious Knowledge, on Epistle of Bar-
nabas, 39
Enforcement.

Of Sunday laws in New England, 388 —

GENERAL INDEX. 557

England, Church of.

Doctrines concerning Sunday. 289

English Beformation.

Sunday in, 273

Sabbath question became prominent in, 273

Teachings of representative men, Tyn-
dale, Pryth, Cranmer, etc. , 274-283

Ephesus.

Paul observed the Sabbath at, 27

Episcopal Church, Protestant.

Creed of, concerning Sunday, 408

Epistles of N. T.

They mention the first day of the week
but once, 30

Epistle of Barnaba*.

Is a forgery, 36

Erasmus,

Testimony concerning Bohemian Sab-
bath-keepers, 213
Essays, Sabbath.

Quoted, 464, 466, 467-471

Ethelred.

Sunday Laws of, 196

Ethiopian Christians.

Observed the Sabbath, 226

Europe.

Sabbath-keepers in, 317 —

Eusebius.

Unwarrantable claims in his comments
on the ninety-second Psalm 150

(37)

558 GENERAL INDEX.

Eustace, Abbott.
His forged decretals concerning Sun-
day, 197—

F

Famous Falselwod.

' ' Dominic urn Servasti f " 51

Felt.

Ecclesiastical History of New England,
quoted, 396

tl First Day of tlie Week."

Only one mentioned in the Gospels, 16

Mentioned but once, in the Book of Acts. .

Mentioned but once in all the Epis-
tles, 3')
Fislier, Edward.

Seventh-day Baptist author of (about)
1650 AD., 329

Fortes me, E. F. K.

Says the Armenians keep the Sabbath, 236

Forgery.

Epistle of Barnabas is a, 86

Fourth Century.

Marked epoch in the Sabbath question, 119—

France.

Protestant Reformation and Sunday in, 269

Friday.

Made a fast and worship day, 108

Fuller, Church History.

Quoted, 327

GENERAL INDEX. 559

G

Geddes, Michael.
Testimony concerning the Sabbath, in
the Abyssinian church, 226

Ger.tile Christians.

The Sabbath among, 120

German Reformation.

Sunday in, 249 —

Germans, The.

And Sunday saloons, 489

Germany.

Its contribution to Sunday question, 509

Gibbon, Edward.
Testimony concerning the Sabbath in
Abyssinia, 225

Giesler, J. G. I.
Concerning Nestorians in China, 242

Concerning Sabbath among early Chris-
tians, 135
Gilfillan, James.
Concerning the Sabbathism of the Eng-
lish church, 291
Makes unfounded claims concerning

' ' Dominicum Servasti," 5 1

Perverts plain facts concerning this ex-
pression, 58
Gobat, Rev. Samuel.

Testimony concerning the Sabbath in

the Abyssinian church, 222

560 GENERAL INDEX.

Shows how the Abyssinians fought for
the privilege of observing it in the
sixteenth century, 223, 224

Gospels, The.
History of the Sabbath in, 5-

Of John, written after the Revelation. 32

Grant, Dr.
Testimony concerning the Sabbath

among the Nestorian Christians. 233

The text of his history corrupted, 234

Grovenor, Prof. E. A.
Reports interview with Bryennios con-
cerning the " Teaching of the .Apos-
'tles/' 64

Gully, W. 8.

Testifies to high character of the Val-
denses, 218

Ghirney, Bet. J. J.
Perverts the facts, concerning " Domin-
cum Servasti." 52

H

Hallam, Henry.

Concerning Sunday in the English Re-
formation, 291
Haekett, Prof

Believes Barnabas' epistle a forgery, 38

Hose, Dr. Charles.
Testifies to the observance of the Sab-
bath in the early church, 134

GENERAL INDEX. 561

Refden.

Imprisoned for Sabbath-keeping, 321

Hefele, Right Ren. Charles Joseph.

On the Ignatian Epistles, 48

General character of the church coun-
cils, 167

Concerning Council of Sardica, and at-
tendance on Sunday service, 169

Concerning decree of Synod of Carth-
age, and church attendance on * ' Fes-
tivals," 169

Concerning decree of Council of Nice
on standing in prayer on Sundays,
and festival of Pentecost, 170

Concerning decree of Synod of Laodo-
cea, on '■ Judaizing," and on reading
the Gospels on the Sabbath, 170

Concerning communion, etc., on Sab
bath and Sunday only, during Lent,
because "on these days there was full
and solemn service," 171

Hernias.

Does not mention Sunday, 35

Heylyn, Peter.

On the observance of Wednesday and

Friday, 111

On the Sabbath in the early church, 129

On early Sunday laws, 161 —

Says Sunday was not Held as a Sabbath
in the early church, 162

Sunday not a Sabbath in the Lutheran

Reformation, 271

562 GENERAL INDEX.

Concerning King James "Book of

Sports," 285

Concerning Beza's views on Sunday, 267 —

Concerning Sunday at the close of the

sixth century, 189 —

Concerning the No-sabbathism of Zwin-

gli, 257

Concerning Thraske and the Seventh-
day Baptists, 323
Hessey, James Augustus, D. C. L.
Concerning early Sunday laws, 163, 164
Sunday observance not based on fourth

commandment, 165

Shows that "Christian Sabbath," was

never used by Origen, 100

Concerning term " Lord's-day," in the

early church, 106

Concerning No-sabbathism in England, 122 —

Rejects the interpolation of " Lord's-
day," in Ignatius to the Magnesians, 45
Concerning Scotch Sabbatarianism, 315
" Apostolic Constitutions," belong to

fourth or fifth century, 174

Superstitious observance of Sunday

during the Dark Ages, 186

Sabbath kept by the Nestorians, 233

Sunday in the German Reformation, 250

Zwingli a No-sabbathist, 257 —

No-sabbath theories of the Continental

Reformers, 269

GENERAL INDEX. 563

Sunday under Queen Elizabeth's reign, 288

Church of England and Sunday, 282

Hilgenfeld.

On "Teaching of the Apostles," 63

On Ignatian Epistles, 47

Hiscox, Reo. William.

First Seventh-day Baptist pastor in
America, 393

History.

Is an organic development 1 —

Of "first day the week," in the Gos-
pels, 16—

In Book of Acts, 28—

In the Epistles, 30

Homily.

Origen's twenty-third on Numbers, 99

Homilies.

Of Chrysostom on the Sabbath, 183

Hoveden, Roger de.

On forged Sunday decretals, 197 —

Hubbard.

Correspondent of Roger Williams con-
cerning the Sabbath, 396
Hunt, Edward.

Arrested for shooting at deer on Sun-
day, 389
Hutchinson.

Concerning •' death penalty," for dese

cration of Sunday in Mass., 348

564 GENERAL INDEX.

I

"Ignatius to the Magnesians."
A forgery, 41 —

Interpolated to make it refer to Sun
day, 42—

Independent, The.

Quoted on Sunday labor in Mass. , 448

' ' Injunctions " of Queen Elizabeth.
Concerning Sunday. 280

Insurrection, Ti-Ping
And the Sabbath. 244

Irenwus.
He is often misquoted, 81 —

He does not refer to Sunday, 81

His authentic words concerning the Sab-
bath. 85

J
Jame* I

" Book of Sports," and Sunday, 285—

Jortm, Ch. Historian.

Concerning the Waldenses, 209

Justin Martyr.

The first writer who mentions assem-
blies of Christians on Sunday, 71 —
Also the first to teach No-sabbathism, 72—
Notions concerning circumcision and

Sunday, 74

K
Killen, Rev. Doctor.

On Ignatian Epistles, 47

GENERAL INDEX. 565

Considers Barnabas a forgery, 38

Kitto, Encyclopedia Biblical Literature.

Considers Barnabas a forgery. 38

Kaye, Bishop.

Concerning Sunday in time of Tertul
Han, 92

Concerning Clement of Alexandria's

views on Sunday,

96

On the date of Marcion,

124

L

Latts, Sunday.

Of the Colony of Rhode Island,

376—

Were executed in the Colonies,

388—

Status of, in New England in 1879 A.

D.,

440

Labor Bureau.

Statistics of 8unday labor in Massachu-

setts in 1885 A. D ,

448—

Legislation, Sunday.

General effect of to de Sabbat ize.

526

" Lord' 8-day."

Evidence that the term in Rev. 1 : 10

does not apply to Sunday,

31

Distinct from the Sabbath,

106

Observance of, in time of Queen Eliza-

beth,

283

Luther, Martin.

His "Larger Catechism " and Sunday,

250

He taught No-sabbathisra,

252

Considered Christians free from the ten

com m and men ts,

253

566 GESERAL INDEX.

M

Macon, Council of.

Decree concerning Sunday. 189

Magnesians.

Ignatian Epistle to, a forgery, 42

Mailalieu, W. F., D. D.
Concerning desecration of Sunday in
Massachusetts, 429

Martyrs, Acts of.
Do not contain the question, Domini-

cum Servasti, 54

' ' Maryland Sabbath Association," 488

On Sunday observance in Baltimore, 484—

On Sunday legislation in Maryland. 486, 487
Massach usetts Bay Colony.

Sunday in, 347.

Massachusetts.
8tate Sunday law of 1782 A. D., 361—

Bureau of Statistics, on Sunday La-
bor in 1885 A. D., 448
Melito of Sardis.
Reputed book on the " Lord's-day " an
imperfect and uncertain title, 79
Methodist Episcopal Church.

Creed of, concerning Sunday, 413—

Millman, Dean.
Pagan character of Constantine's Sun
day edict, 143, 144

Mill Yard Church.
Seventh-day Baptist, London, Eng., 840

GENERAL INDEX. 56?

Milner, Ret;. Isaac.

Deems Barnabas' Epistle not genuine,

38

Milwaukee,

Sunday laws 'disregarded in,

494

Missouri.

Legislation concerning Sunday,

493

Morer.

Concerning Sunday in the sixth cen-

tury,

192-

In Burgundy in the seventh century,

193

In England in the eighth century,

194

Superstitious punishment for breaking

Sunday,

195

Sunday under Alfred the Great,

196

Mosheim, John Lawrence, D. D.

Rejects Epistle of Barnabas,

37

Testifies to Sabbath observance by the

Waldenses,

317

Mossie, J. W.

Concerning Armenian Christians, 230

Mumford, Stephen.

First Seventh-day Baptist in America,

1664 A. D., 392

N

Natton, Eng.

Seventh-day Baptist Church at, 340

JN-ale, History Eastern Church.

On the place of the Sabbath in the Ar-
menian €Judendar, ■ 23ft

568 GENERAL TNI) EX.

Neale, Edward V.

Shows the origin of Sunday Legislation
to be from pagan Rome. 144—

JVeale, Rev. Daniel.
Concerning English Reformation under

Elizabeth, 278

On the Lord's day at the same period. 288

Concerning the " Book of Sports," 287

Influence of the Civil War of the Eng-
lish Reformation on morals and rel
igion, 305

Concerning the "Lord's-day'" under
the Cromwellian rule. 808 —

Ne inder.

Biography of Tertulliau, 87

Concerning the observance of Wednes-
day and Friday. 112
Concerning the Sabbath in the early
church, 135
Nestorian Christians.
They keep the Sabbath, 233—
Were in China at an early date. 242 —
New Haven Colony.
Sunday in, 365
Code of 1656 A. D. , 366
N* w Netherlands Colony.
First Sunday law in 1647 A. D. . 380
Additional laws in 1673 A. D., 380
First law under English occupancy,

1695 A. D.. 381

First law under State government of

GENERAL INDEX.

5<J9

New York in 1778 A. I).,

382

Metfiporl, R. I.

Sunday Laws enacted at, in 1673,

376

In 1679 A. D.,

378

Xiebhur.

On unchristian deeds of Constant ine.

148

Xoble, Rev. Abel.

Pastor of the second Seventh-day Bap-

tist Church in America,

397

Xo-sabbathism.

Contemporaneous with the introduction

of Sunday,

70—

Asserted by Justin Martyr,

72-

Development of,

78--

Strongly asserted by Tertnltian,

8ft

0

Ockford, James.

Seventh-day Baptist author of 1642 A.

D.,

MS

Answered by Cawdrey and I 'aimer, by

order of the government,

329

Origen.

Born 185 A. D., died 253 A. D.,

99

Does not use the term, " Christian Sab-

bath/'

100

Teaches extreme No-sabbathisin,

102

Origin.

Of "Puritan Sunday " in 1695 A. D.,

296-

Of Civil legislation concerning Sunday.

321 A. D..

188

570 GENERAL INDEX.

Of Seventh-day Baptists in America,

1671 A. D., 392

Of Seventh-day Adventists, since 1844
A. D. , 400

Outlook, and Sabbath Quarterly.
Quoted, 63, 69

Reviewed by Dr. Bacon, 502, 508

Wide-spread influence of, 503

Pag'itt, Ephraim.

Herisiography, quoted, 54, 322

Papias.
Makes no reference to Sunday, 36

Parliament, Cromwellian,
And the observance of Sunday, 304, 306, 308, 310

Paul the Apostle.
Observed the Sabbath at Sal amis, 21

At Antioch, with both Jews and Greeks, 23

Discusses the resurrection of Christ,

but no word concerning Sunday, 24, 26

Observed the Sabbath for a long time

at Iconium, 24

Also at Philippi and Thessalonica, 25

At Corinth, continually, 26

At Ephesus for two years, 27

Pennsylvania.
First Sunday lawg, 384

Little changed since 1794 A. D., 385

Make no exceptions in favor of Sabbath-
keepers, 386

GENERAL INDEX. 571

Perrin.

Says the Vaudois kept the Sabbath.

21

Photius.

Enumerates the festivals of the church

in 858 A. D.,

191

Picards.

Kept the Sabbath in Bohemia,

218

Pliny' 8 letter ts Trajan,

49

" Stated day" mentioned, probably the

Sabbath,

.51

Plymouth Records.

Quoted,

342-346

Poly carp, Epti tie of.

Silent concerning Sunday,

86

Purchase.

Testimony concerning the Sabbath

amoDg the Waldenses,

216

" Puritan Sunday."

Unknown until close of sixteenth cen-

tury—1595 A. D.,

296

Only two passages of Scripture quoted

by Bownde, in support of it,

301

Development of, in America ,

341

Q

Quakers.

Their views concerning Sunday,

314

Kethian, many embraced the Sabbath,

397

Quotations.

Garbled, 41 ,

84, 232

572 GENERAL INDEX.

R

Railroads.

Influence of, in agitating Sunday
question, 517

Sunday work on, 481

Statistics concerning, 482

Jieasons.

First given for assembling on Sunday, 7i

Rel gious Knowledge, Cyclopedia of .

Rejects the Epistle of Barnabas, 39

lieport Massachusetts Bureau of Statistics.

On Sunday Labor, 448

"Restoration, The."

Sunday observance in England during, 311

Revolution, The Ti-Ping.

Inaugurated the observance of the Sab-
bath in China, 244

Rhode Island.

Colonial Sunday laws of, 376

Ritschel.

Opinion concerning Ignatian Epistles, 48

Roman Catholicism.

Creed concerning Sunday, 405—

Roman Heathen Cult.

Formed the basis of Sunday legislaton, 138—

s

Sabbath Question.

Importance of, §

Sabbath, The.

History of, in the Gospels, in Matt. V2-.

GENERAL INDEX.

573

1-13, in Mark 2: 23-28, in Luke 6
1-11, in Mark 1 : 21-26, in Luke 4
30-35, in Luke 4 : 14-22, in Mark 6
2, in Luke 13 : 10-17, in John 5 : 5-
18, and?: 19-24, and 9 : 1-16,

In the Book of Acts 13 : 5, 14-48, and
14 : 1-3, and 16 : 12-15, and 17 : 1-4,
16-19, and 18 : 4, 11, 18-21, and 19 :
8-10,

Justin Martyr's theory concerning,

Its relation to circumcision, Tertullian s
theory,

Meaningless fancies concerning,

Retained a strong hold on Gentile
Christians,

Remained in the church until driven
out by heathen influence,

Not to keep it deemed a heresy,

Christ did not abolish it,

Observed for several centuries, Cole-
man's testimony,

Cave's testimony,

Testimony of Hase,

Testimony of Schaff,

Testimony of Xeander,

Testimony of Giesler,

Observed until fourth and fifth cent-
uries,

Unsupported statements of Eusebius
concerning,

Views of Cyril, Chrvsostom, and An-
(38)

5-15

21-27

72

96-

120

122

122, 123

124

129
138
134
134
135
135

136

L50

1 75-184

178

180

181, 182

205-219

220-248

222-225

226

574 GENERAL INDEX.

gustine, 153-159

Its observance after the time of Con-
stantine, 173-184

Its recognition in the Apostolic Consti-
tutions,

Prayer to be used upon,

Recognized in the Canons of the Apos-
tles,

In Syrian documents,

Status in the West during the Dark

Ages.
In the Eastern church,
In Abyssinia, testimony of Gobat,
Of Geddes,

Of Dean Stanley, 227

In Armenia, Coleman's testimony, 229

Buchanan's testimony, 231

Among the Nestorians, testimony of
Coleman, Grant, Perkins, Neale and
Fortescue, 233-236

Among the Christians of St. Thomas, 237-240
In ancient China, testimony from Book

of Changes, 240

From Nestorian inscriptions, 242

In Ti-Ping Rebellion, 244-248

In Europe since the Reformation, testi-
mony of Cox, 318, 324
Of Bishop White, 319
Of Chambers' Cyclopedia, 320
Of Paggitt, 32i
Of 'Fuller and Brooks, 337

GENERAL INDEX. 575

Writers in defense of 324-329

Represented by Seventh-day Baptists in

England, 339, 840

In America, 392^404

Christianity stands or falls with it. 484

" Association of Philadelphia,'' 494

Verdict of history concerning-, 519 —

Men must have, 520-622

Cannot exist without divine authority, 522-524
Cannot compromise with No-sabbath-
ism, 524-526
Its appeal to the American church, 540

Salem, F. W.
Publisher of " History of Beer," etc , 506

Claims beer as a "temperance drink," 507

Opposes Sunday laws, 508

Quotes German Reformers against Sun-
day, 508
Quotes English Sunday laws, 510
Reviews Sunday agitation in Newark,

N. J.. 510,511

Gives statistics concerning beer, etc., 518

Schade, Louis.

Attorney Brewers' Association, 515

Appeals against Sunday laws, 516

Claims votes enough to repeal Sunday

laws, 517

Schaff, Philip, D. 1).

Rejects the Epistle of Barnabas, 39

Says the Sabbath was observed in the
early church, 134

576 GENERAL INDEX.

Testifies to the unchristian character of

Constantine the Great, 139

Socrates.

Testimony concerning the Sabbath in
the early church, 127

Sozort en.
Testifies to Sabbath observance in the
early church, 128

Stromata
Of Clement teach No-sabbathism, 97-99

First mentioned by Justin Martyr about
160 A. D., 71

Its supposed relation to circumcision, 74

Not observed as a Sabbath, 76

A day of indulgence to the flesh, 90

Kneeling prohibited, because an expres-
sion of sorrow, 91

Never confounded with the Sabbath by
early writers, 106

Observance of, and the doctrine of No-
sabbathism contemporaneous,

In the church councils,

During the Dark Ages,

Blasphemous forgeries concerning, about
1200 A. D.,

In the German Reformation,

Luther's opinions concerning,

In Augsburg Confession,

In the Swiss Reformation,

Opinions of Zwingli,

119

167-171

185-204

197-202

249-256

250-253

253-256

257

257. 258

GENERAL INDEX. 577

Opinions of John Calvin, 259-264

Opinions of Bullinger, 265

Opinions of Beza and Bucer, 266-268

In French Reformation, 269

In the English Reformation, 2 73-294

Opinions of Tyndale, 274

Opinions of John Fryth, 275

Opinions of Bishop Cranmer, 276-280

" Injunctions " of Queen Elizabeth con-
cerning, 280-282
Neale's testimony concerning Puritan

times, 283

" Book of Sports," by King James, 285

In the " Savoy Conference," 1661 A.

D., 288, 289

Doctrines of the Church of England

concerning, 290 293

Development of the Puritan theory in

England, 295-316

Announcement of the theory by Nicho-
las Bownde, in 1595 A. D., 296-302
Civil legislation concerning, by the

Puritans. 302-310

Under Charles the Second, 311-314

In Scotland, 315, 316

In America, Plymouth Colon v. 342-347

In Massachusetts Bay Colony, 347-361

Early State Government of Mass., 361-365

In New Haven Colony. 365-367

In Colony of Connecticut, 367-376

In Colony of Rhode Island, 376-378

78 GENERAL INDEX.

In Colon}' of New Netherlands. 379-384

In Colony of Pennsylvania . 384-386

In Colony of Virginia, 386-388

In Creed of Roman Catholic Church, 405-408
In Creed of Protestant Episcopal

Church, 408-410
In Westmister Confession, 412, 413
In Methodist Episcopal Creed. 413
In Creed of Baptists, 414, 15
Practical observance of, in United States, 417-
Testimony of Rev. E. S. Atwood, 417-427
Of Rev. Reuben Thomas. 428
Of Rev. W. F. Mallalieu, 429-434
Of Hon. William E. Dodge, 434-440
Of Walter Learned, 440-442
Of Julius H. Ward, 442-448
Of Mass. Bureau of Statistics of 1885, 448-453
Decay of observance among Chris-
tians, 453-457
Better understanding of, needed, 458-462
Agitation concerning, by " Sabbath

Conventions," 463-472

By " Sabbath Committees," 472-

Railroading on, 481

State of the question in Md., 483-488

In Massachusetts , 489

In New Jersey, 489

In Louisiana, 489, 490

In Chicago, 490

In California, 490

In Ohio, 492

GENERAL INDEX. 579

In Missouri, 493

In Milwaukee, 494
National Reform Movement as related

to. 495, 496
Sunday Lata.
Law of Constantine, 321 A. D., purely

heathen as shown by the law itself, 141
Testimony of Bingham, 143
Of Millman, 143
Of E. V. Neale, 145
Subsequent laws were like heathen laws
concerning other holidays. Bing-
ham's testimony, 160
Heylyn's testimony, 161-163
Hessey's testimony, 163-166
During the Dark Ages, by Council of

Macon, 585 A. D., 186

By Clothiar, King of France, 187

Testimony of Hessey and Heylyn, 186-192

Of Clovis in 507 A. D., 192

Of the Council of Orleans in 538 A. D. , 192—
First in England, under Ina, or Ino, in

692 A. D., 193

Under Egbert, 747 A. D., 194

Decrees of Synod at Rome, 853 A. D., 195

Under Alfred the Great in 876 A. D. , 196

Lessen religious regard for Sunday, 526 —

Sun-worship in Rome, 116-118

T
" Teaching of the Apostles. "

But few facts known concerning it. 60

580 GENERAL INDEX.

Claims neither date nor author, 60

Consists of tiro distinct parts, an earlier

and a later. 61-64

Testimony of the Andover Review, 61

Of Hilgenfeld, 63

Of Bryennios, 64-67

Temperance Legislation.
Complicates the matter concerning Sun-
day laws, 587
TertaUian.
Biography of. 87
His notions concerning circumcision

and the Sabbath, 88

He calls Sunday a day ' ' of indulgence

to the flesh," 90

Forbids kneeling on Sunday, because

the day is joyous, 91

Writings filled with inconsistencies, 94

Teaches rank No-sabbathism, 75

Teaches that the Sabbath is not abolish-
ed, 124
Thraske, John.
An early English Seventh-day Baptist
who was tried by the ' ' Star Chamber
Court," in 1618 A. D., 53—
Thraske, Mrs. John.

Died in prison for Sabbath-keeping, 322

Ti Ping Rebellion.
Introduced the observance of the Sab-
bath in China, 244-247

general index. 581

Twisse, William, I). I).

Testimony concerning " Dominicum
Servasti," 58

Concerning Sabbath in early church, 130

Tt/ndah.

His opinions concerning the Sabbath, 274

u

Uhlhorn, Dr. Gerltard.

On Ignatian Epistles, 48

Concerning the influx of " pagan Chris-
tians," into the church at opening of
the second century, 114, 115

On the worship of Mithras, Persian

sun-god, at Rome, 116

On the character of Constitutive the
Great, 141

Utter, llev. Geo. />.

Seventh-day Baptisl historian of 1858
A. J)., 840

w

Waddington, Dean.
Testifies to the excellent character <>f
the Waldenses, 308

\Y< tide rise*.
Their history perverted by the Papal

Church, 207

Existed as early as the fourth century, 208-809

Very numerous in the twelfth century, 210

Were familiar with the Bible, 211

(39)

GENERAL INDEX.

They kept the Sabbath, testimony of

Erasmus,

213

Testimony or Jones,

214

Testimony of Benedict,

215

, 217

Testimony of Purchase,

216

Testimony of Mosheim,

217

Of Bishop White,

218

Wallis, John, D. D.

Wrote in reply to Bampfield a Seventh-

day Baptist, 1692-94 A. D.,

836

" Wanted, a clear view concerning Sun-

day,"

458-41

Wardner, N. , D. D.

Personal testimony concerning Ti-Ping

Rebellion and the Sabbath,

247

Wednesday,

Observance in early church,

108

,110

Testimony of Heylyn,

111

Of Coleman,

112

Of Neander,

112

Westminster Confession.

Doctrine concerning Sunday,

410

White, Bishop Francis.

Wrote against Seventh-day Baptists by

Royal authority in 1635 A. D.,

325

,326

Whisky.

Its relation to the Sunday question,

504

Possible conflict with beer,

505,

511

Wilkinson, Prof. W. C.
On "Decay of Sunday observance
among Christians," 453-457

GENERAL INDEX. 583

Y

Yeates.
Concerning Sabbath observance in Ar-
menia. 280

z

Zaga Zabo.
Concerning Sabbath in Abyssinia, 226

Zicingli.
Views concerning the Sabbath, 257

Notes on Col. 2 : 16, 258