Facts for the Times

TESTIMONY OF MEN

Dr. NEANDER says, FT 87.4

“Opposition to Judaism introduced the particular festival of Sunday, ver early, indeed, into the place of the Sabbath.... The festival Sunday like all of their festivals, was always only a human ordinance; and it was far from the intention of the apostles to establish a divine command in this respect—far from them, and from the early apostolic church, to transfer the laws of the Sabbath to Sunday. Perhaps at the end of the second century a, false application of this kind had begun to take place; for men appear by that time to have considered laboring on Sunday as a sin.” Church Hist. p. 168. FT 87.5

ATHANASIUS, Bishop of Alexandria, in the fourth century, said: FT 87.6

“We assemble on Saturday, not that we are infected with Judaism, but only two worship Christ the Lord of the Sabbath.”—Dr. Case’s Work, p. 175. FT 87.7

“The American Presbyterian Board of Publication, in tract No. 118, states that the observance of the Seventh-day Sabbath did not cease till it was abolished after the Empire became Christian: that is after the State came under Papal rule.” FT 87.8

The learned GROTIUS said: FT 88.1

“Therefore the christians also, who believed Christ would restore all things to their primitive practice, as Tertullian teacheth in Monogamia, kept holy the Sabbath, and had their assemblies on that day, in which the law was read to them, as appears in Acts 15:21, which custom remained till the time of the council of Laodicea, about A. D. 365, who then though meet that the gospels also should be read on that day.” FT 88.2

Edward Brerewood, professor in Gresham College, London, in a Treatise on the Sabbath, 1630, says: FT 88.3

“It is commonly believed that the Jewish Sabbath was changed into the Lord’s day by Christian emperors, and they know little who do not know that the ancient Sabbath did remain and was observed by the eastern churches three hundred years after our Saviour’s passion.” FT 88.4

Socrates, A. D. 440, says: FT 88.5

“There are various customs concerning assembling; for though all the churches throughout the whole world celebrate the sacred mysteries on the Sabbath day, yet the Alexandrians and the Romans, from an ancient tradition, refuse to do this.” Eccl. Hist., p. 289. FT 88.6

Sozomen, of the Sabbath in the fifth century, says: FT 88.7

“At Constantinople, and almost among all, the Christians assembled upon the Sabbath, and also upon the first day of the week, except at Rome and Alexandria; the ecclesiastical assemblies at Rome were not upon the Sabbath, as in almost all other churches of the rest of the world.” Eccl. Hist. b. 7, c. 9. FT 88.8

Eusebius, A. D. 325, as quoted by Dr Chambers, states that in his time, “The Sabbath was observed no less than Sunday.” FT 89.1

M. De La Roque, a French Protestant says: FT 89.2

“It evidently appears, that before any change was introduced, the church religiously observed the Sabbath for many ages; we of consequence are obliged to keep it.” FT 89.3

EUSEBIUS in the early part of the fourth century, said: FT 89.4

“All things whatsoever it was the duty to do on the Sabbath, these we have transferred to the Lord’s day, [meaning thereby Sunday,] as more appropriately belonging to it, because it had a precedence, and is first in rank, and is more honorable than the Jewish Sabbath.” FT 89.5

The Waldenses kept the Sabbath. ROBINSON in his History of Baptism says: FT 89.6

“They were called Sabbati, and Sabbatati, so named from the Hebrew word Sabbath, because they kept the Saturday for the Lord’s day.” FT 89.7

“King Charles 1, in a query propounded by him to the Parliament’s Commissioners at Holmby, 1647, says, ‘I conceive the celebration of the feast of Easter was instituted by the same authority which changed the Sabbath into the Lord’s day on Sunday; for it will not be found in Scripture where Saturday is discharged to be kept, or turned into the Sunday. Wherefore it must be the Church’s authority that changed the one, and instituted the other. Therefore my opinion is, that those who will not keep this feast, may as well return to the observation of Saturday, and refuse the weekly Sunday. When any body can show me that herein I am in error, I shall not be ashamed to confess and amend it; till when, you know my mind. C. R.” Bampfield on the Sabbath, p. 24. FT 89.8

“SABBATARIAN. One who regards the seventh day of the week as holy, agreeably to the letter of the fourth commandment in the dialogue. There were christians in the early church who held this opinion.” FT 90.1

“SABBATH. This was the originally the seventh day of the week, the day on which God rested from the work of creation; and this day is still observed by the Jews and some christians as the Sabbath.” Webster’s Dictionary. FT 90.2