(4) Literature. Calvin, Instil. Christ. lih. ii. ch. 8; Brerewood, Treatise of the Sabbath ; Bp. Prideaux, Doctrine of the Sabbath; Abp. Bram hall, Discourses on the Controversy about the Sabbath; Bp. White, Treatise of the Sabbath Day; Heylin. History of the Sabbath; Chandler, Two Sermons on the Sabbath; \Votton, On the Mislina, i, 205; Warburton Divine Legation, iv, 36, note; Watts' Perpetuity of the Sabbath; Ken nicott, Senn. and Dialog. on the Sabbath; Porteus, Sermons, vol. i, serm. 9 ; Horsley's Sermons, u. s. ; Paley, Natural and Political Philosophy, b. v. c. 7 ; Holden's Christian Sabbath; Burnside, On the Weekly Sabbath; Burder's Law of the Sab bath; \Vardlaw, \Vilson, and Agnew, severally, On the Sabbath; Modern Sabbath Examined, 1832; Archbishop Whateley, Difficulties of St. Paul, Essay v. note on Sabbath.
B. P. and J. K.
Below is given a carefully prepared article set ting forth the views of those who believe that there is no divine sanction for observing the first day of the week as the Sabbath : (5) The Seventh Day of the Week the Only Divinely Appointed Sabbath. The Christians in this country and abroad who observe the sev enth day of the week as the Sabbath sustain their position by the following arguments, very briefly stated: ( t) The Weekly Sabbath was originated alone by the Lord, and the authority for keeping it by mankind rests primarily and altogether on his pos itive command.
(2) The Scriptures of the Old and New Testa ments furnish the sole and decisive revelation of God respecting the origin, object, establishment, and perpetuity of the Sabbath, as well as the time and proper mode of its observance.
(3) As to Its Origin. This lies in the example set by God, and his consecration of the seventh day of the week, at the close of the creation (Gen. ii :2, 3).
(4) As to Its Object. Man is supplied with a stated time for resting from all secular labor, so that he can freely worship the only true God as the Creator and Preserver of the world and its inhabitants—thus condemning all forms of atheism and paganism (Exod. xvi :23 ; xxxi :13; Dent. v 15 ; and Acts xvi :13).
(5) As to Its Establishment. This was finally effected by the issue of the Fourth Commandment of the Moral Law (Exod. xx :8-to). The obliga tion to keep this commandment was subsequently enforced by severe penalties for violating it.
(6) As to Its Perpetuity. The immutable Dec alogue, in which the command to observe the sev enth day as the Sabbath is included, shows that such fact was so designed. It is further substan
tiated by the statement of Christ that not one jot nor one tittle should pass from the law until heaven and earth shall pass away (Matt. y :18). To the children of Israel this Sabbath was "a perpet ual covenant," and "a sign forever" (Exod. xxxi : 17). In Ilehrews it is presented as a type of the heavenly rest for all believers in Christ, evidently to the end of time. The keeping of the Sabbath on the last day of the week is regarded as fulfilling the law by those who accept the theory that the seven days of creation must be held to be seven immense periods of time ; and that the actual days of the week were designated by God to represent these periods. The expression, "And the evening and the morning were," is used by Moses as apply ing to each of the first six periods, and is omitted by him as not applying to the seventh. The rea son assigned is that each of the former was con sidered as having been completed at the creation, while the last period was not then completed— it being still in progress, as God is resting from the work of creating and will continue so to rest until he makes the "new heavens and a new earth." Since God is still observing in the seventh period his part of the Sabhatic covenant, why should not the human race observe their part on the seventh day of the week.
(7) As to the Time of Its Observance. The Bible everywhere states that it is "the seventh day" of the week, not a seventh day, nor a sev enth portion of the week, but a specified day. This day begins at the evening before the morning— the evening being marked by the going down of the sun.
(8) As to Its Proper Mode of Observance. Ex plicit directions are given in the Fourth Command ment. The day is to he kept "holy unto the Lord ;" a time for "a holy convocation," and "the Sabbath of the Lord in all your dwellings" (Lev. xxiii :3).
he false interpretations placed upon the law of the Sabbath by the Jews, and the burdensome ex actions required of its observers by them, were condemned by Christ, "the Lord also of the Sab bath," who taught that works of necessity, mercy and religious worship are permitted on the Sab bath (Luke vi (9)To no Man or combination of men has God iu (heated in his revelation that he has granted the right to change or suspend any of these features his Holy Sabbath. On the contrary. Christ has declared that he who teaches the breaking of the least of these commandments shall he called the least in the kingdom of heaven (Matt. v : :19).