SA BA'SIA, in ancient mythology, fes tivals in honor of various divinities, en titled Sabasii ; the origin of which term is not clear. Mithras, the sun, is e died Sabasius in ancient monuments, whence the word seems to li.ave some connection with the root of Sablism; but Bacchus was also thus denominated, according to smile, from the Soda, a people of Thrace : and the nocturrna Sabasia were celebrate 1 in his naive.
SABBATA'Rf ANS, a sect of baptists who are only remarkable for adhering to the Judaic sabbath, the observance of which they contend was not annulled by the Christian dispensation.
SA tat ATII, the seventh day of the week, a day appointed by the Mosaic law for a total cessation from labor, and for the service of God, according to the divine " Remember that ye keep lolly the Sabbath day," .te. From the accounts we have of thin religions service practised in the patriarchal age, it appears that immediately after the fall, when Adam was restored to favor through a mediator, a stated form of public worship was insti tuted, which man was required to observe, in testimony, not only of his dependence on the Creator, hut also of his faith and hope in the promise made to our first parents, an I seen afar elr. In the earliest times of Christianity, the desire of dis tinguishing the Christian from the Jewish observance, gave rise to the celebration of Sunday, the first day of the week, as a sacred festival in commemoration of our Saviour's resurrection—hence em phatically called "the Lord's day." The converts from Judaism, however, retained the celebration of the Sabbath, though they adopted also that of Sunday; and thus in course of time the strict solemni ties of the one became blended with the cheerful piety of the other. But inde pendent of the divine injunction, a sabbat h, or weekly day of rest and pious medita tion, is an institution, on whichever day kept., highly conducive to the happiness
and comfort of mankind.—We may here observe, that this septenary division of time has been, from the earliest ages, uniformly observed over all the eastern world. The Assyrians, Egyptians, Ara bians, and Persians, made use of a week consisting of seven days. Many futile attempts have been made to account for this uniformity; but a practice so gener al and prevalent could never have taken place had not the septenary distribution of time been instituted from the begin ning, and handed down by tradition. SABBATICAL YEAR, in the Jew ish economy, was every seventh year. in which the 'Israelites were commanded to suffer their fields :and vineyards to rest or to lie without tillage. The first sabbatical year, celebrated by the children of Israel, was the fourteenth year after their coining into the land of Canaan ; because they were to be seven years in making them selves masters of it, and seven more in it ammgst themselves. This year was reckoned from Tiori or Sep tember, and for several rea4ons was called the yea r of rele,Ise: 1, because the ground remaine 1 entirely entitled ; 2. because such debts as had been contracted during the six preceding years, were remitted and cancelled; and :3 because all He brew slaves were then set at liberty. SABELLI ANS, a sect of Christians founded by Sabellies, at Ptolemais, in the third eentury. Their doctrine taught that the Father, the Son, and the Spirit are names of the one God under different circumstances.
SAC, in law, the privilege enjoyed by the lord of a manor, of holding courts, trying causes, and imposing fines.