In Defense of the Faith

The Testimony of the Protestant World

Do the Protestant churches admit that there is no Bible authority for observing Sunday instead of Saturday? For reply, we offer the following testimony of some of their historians and leaders of religious thought: DOF 195.1

“The current notion that Christ and His apostles authoritatively substituted the first day for the seventh is absolutely without authority.”—Lyman Abbott, in an editorial in the Christian Union, June 26, 1890. DOF 195.2

“And where are we told in Scripture that we are to keep the first day at all? We are commanded to keep the seventh; but we are nowhere commanded to keep the first day.... The reason why we keep the first day of the week holy instead of the seventh is for the same reason that we observe many other things, not because the Bible, but because the church, has enjoined it.”—Rev. Issac Williams, B.D., Plain Sermons on the Catechism (Church of England), vol. 1, pp. 334-336. DOF 195.3

“There was and is a commandment to keep holy the Sabbath day, but that Sabbath day was not Sunday. It will be said, however, and with some show of triumph, that the Sabbath was transferred from the seventh to the first day of the week, with all its duties, privileges, and sanctions. Earnestly desiring information on this subject, which I have studied for many years, I ask, Where can the record of such a transaction be found? Not in the New Testament, absolutely not. There is no Scriptural evidence of the change of the Sabbath institution from the seventh to the first day of the week. DOF 195.4

“I wish to say that this Sabbath question, in this aspect of it, is the gravest and most perplexing question connected with Christian institutions which at present claims attention from Christian people; and the only reason that it is not a more disturbing element in Christian thought and in religious discussions, is because the Christian world has settled down content on the conviction that somehow a transference has taken place at the beginning of Christian history.... DOF 195.5

“To me it seems unaccountable that Jesus, during three years’ intercourse with His disciples, often conversing with them upon the Sabbath question, discussing it in some of its various aspects, freeing it from its false glosses, never alluded to any transference of the day; also, that during forty days of His resurrection life, no such thing was intimated. Nor, so far as we know, did the Spirit which was given to bring to their remembrance all things whatsoever that He had said unto them, deal with this question. Nor yet did the inspired apostles, in preaching the gospel, founding churches, counselling and instructing those founded, discuss or approach this subject.”—Dr. Edward T. Hiscox, author of The Baptist Manual, in a paper read before a New York Ministers’ Conference, held November 13, 1893. DOF 196.1

Pr. N. Summerbell: DOF 196.2

“The Roman Church had totally apostatized. It reversed the fourth commandment by doing away with the Sabbath of God’s word, and instituting Sunday as a holiday.”—History of the Christian Church, pp. 417, 418. DOF 196.3