Facts of Faith

Sunday A Working Day

Dr. Francis Mite, Lord Bishop of Ely, says: FAFA 94.3

“In S Hieromes days [420 A. D.], and in the very place where he was residing, the devoutest Christians did ordinary work upon the Lord’s day Sunday was called “Lord’s Day” in England in the seventeenth century when Bishop Ely wrote this; he therefore uses this designation of the day. Jerome is here spelled Hierome. 12, when the service of the Church was ended.” — “Treatise of the Sabbath-Day.” p. 219. London: 1636.

“The Catholic Church for more than six hundred years after Christ, permitted labour, and gave license to many Christian people, to worke upon the Lord’s-day [Sunday], at such houres, as they were not commanded to bee present at the publike service, by the precept of the church. ” — Id., pp. 217, 218. FAFA 94.4

Bishop Jeremy Taylor says: FAFA 95.1

“St. Ignatius expressly affirms: ‘The Christian is bound to labour, even upon that day.’. And the primitive Christians did all manner of works upon the Lord’s day, even in the times of persecution, when they are the strictest observers of all the divine commandments: but in this they knew there was none.” — “Whole Works” of Jeremy Taylor, D. D. (R. Heber, ed.), Vol. XII, Book 2, chap. 2, rule 6, par. 59, p. 426. London: 1822.

Dr. John Kitto, D. D., F. S. A., says: FAFA 95.2

“Chrysostom (A. D. 360) concludes one of his Homilies by dismissing his audience to their respective ordinary occupations. “Cyclopedia of Biblical Literature, Vol. 2, art. “Lord’s Day,” p. 270.

Dr. Peter Heylyn quotes St. Jerome as telling us that, when the services were ended on Sunday morning, the holy women, “after their returne from thence.... set themselves unto their tasks which was the making garments for themselves or others: a thing which questionlesse so good a woman had not done, and much lesse ordered it to be done by others; had it beene then accounted an unlawful Act. And finally S. Chrysostome ... confesseth.... that after the dismission of the Congregation, every man might apply himselfe to his lawfull businesse.... As for the time appointed to these publick exercises, it seemes not to be very long ... an houre, or two at the most.” — “History of the Sabbath’ (original spelling) Part 2, chap. 8, par. 7, 8, pp. 79, 80. London: 1636. FAFA 95.3

Dr. Heylyn says further that the people in the country worked freely on Sunday, and that those “in populous cities” “might lawfully apply themselves to their severall businesses, the exercises being ended” in the church. (Id., pp. 80, 81.) And of the Christians of the East he says: FAFA 95.4

“It was neere 900 yeares from our Saviour’s birth, if not quite so much, before restraint of husbandry on this day, had beene first thought of in the East: and probably being thus restrained, did finde no more obedience there, then it had done before in the Westerne parts.” — Id., chap. 5, par. 6, p. 140. FAFA 96.1

“The Sunday in the Easterne Churches had no great prerogative above other dayes, especially above the Wednesday and the Friday.” — Id., chap. 3, par. 4, p. 73. FAFA 96.2

Some may wonder why these early morning meetings were held on Sunday, when the Christians considered it only a working day. We shall see that there was a natural cause for it, when we learn that the heathen living around them were sun worshippers, who met at their temples Sunday morning, and prostrated themselves before the rising sun. Christians are a missionary people, and to win their neighbors they held a meeting at the time when their neighbors were used to worshipping their sun god. And, as it takes a crowd to draw a crowd, the church leaders requested their members to gather at this early morning hour, after which all went to their respective places of business. But this custom became a stepping stone toward eventually adopting the heathen Sunday, as we soon shall see. Other influences also led in the same direction. FAFA 96.3