an obligation to observe a day to which no allusion is made. If this command, in its only specified duties, may be rejected, and then quoted to prove an obligation to do something to which it makes no allusion, every other precept of the Bible may be treated in the same way, and thus the written Record of divine truth be turned into a teacher of whatever absurdities men see fit to derive from it.

servance.

The declaration at the close of Creation. (Gen. ii. 1-3.) Suppose this command to have been given then, it distinctly marks the seventh as the only day to be observed, and rest as the only duty enjoined. But there is no command in the passage. It only states two facts; (1) that God completed the works of creation on the seventh day, and rested; and (2) that for this reason, God blessed and sanctified the seventh day. There is no injunction upon man to rest upon that day, unless it is implied in the expression, "and God blessed and sanctified the seventh day." If this expression is thus to be understood, it unavoidably leads to the conclusion that the writer of this record was a Jew, and was perfectly familiar with the Sabbath, and the reason assigned in the fourth commandment for its obThere is no possibility of knowing who was used by the Divine Spirit to record this account of the creation. I incline to think that it was Ezra, and that it is to be read thus, "God finished the work of creation on the seventh day, and rested; and for this reason He consecrated the seventh day to be kept as a Sabbath, as it is enjoined in the commandment." The record is not that God instituted the seventh day Sabbath at the time of finishing Creation,—but that He instituted it for the reason that he rested from his work on that day. It is extremely absurd to adduce the fact that God rested the seventh day as a reason why Christians should rest on the first, or some other, day of the week; or to argue from the fact that "He blessed the seventh day and sanctified it," that he has blessed and sanctified the FIRST day. That he has declared the seventh day holy is no reason why we should regard the first or some other day as holy.

An attempt is made to prove from various passages in Genesis, that the seventh day Sabbath was known and observed by Noah, Abraham, and the patriarchs. This, they say, is to be

inferred from the use of the number seven. That seven fold vengeance was to be taken upon the slayer of Cain; that Lamech was to be avenged seventy and seven fold; that Noah was to take beasts and fowls into the ark by sevens; that the waters were upon the earth after seven days; that the ark rested in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month; that the dove was sent forth from the ark the second time after seven days; the seven fat and the seven lean kine; and the seven years of plenty, and the seven years of famine; these, and other like passages are quoted to prove that the seventh day Sabbath was instituted at the creation, and that it was known and observed among the Hebrews and other nations, down to the promulgation of the law from Sinai; and that a Sabbath will be binding on the world to the end of time. Having alluded to the argument, I dismiss it as undeserving of further notice. As well argue from the common use of the number ten in Britain, that God instituted a tenth day Sabbath at creation.

All the references to the Sabbath by the prophets, allude solely to the Jewish Sabbath, as a national institution; and by them it is uniformly classed with new moons, sacrifices, and other national rites and customs that were to pass away at the coming of the Messiah.

The New Testament.-The following allusions are made to the first day of the week in the Christian Scriptures. "In the end of the Sabbath, as it began to dawn towards the first day of the week," &c. (Mat. xxviii. 1.) Each of the evangelists alludes to it in this connexion. In John xx. 19, is another allusion to it. Acts xx. 7, "And upon the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread," &c. 1 Cor. xvi. 2, "Upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store," &c. These are the only passages that refer to the first day at all; and the only things to which allusion is here made is "the breaking of bread," and the "giving of alms." There is no intimation of the duty to observe the first day as a Sabbath; not a word about resting from labour, or marking the day by any distinct observance, for they brake bread, and gave alms on other days as well as on this. There is not a passage in the Christian Scriptures designating any par

ticular duty as appropriate to the first day of the week; nor a passage that teaches that any thing would be wrong on the first day, which it would be right to do on any other day. If there be such passages, they can be produced-till they are produced there can be no argument about them.

The positions assumed by Sabbatarians are—that God has commanded us to spend the first day of the week in a certain manner; that He has specified certain acts to be done on that day, and certain acts not to be done; that He has appropriated first day especially to religious purposes, and to a more serious and earnest preparation of the soul for Eternity; in a word, that He has substituted the first day, to be observed as a Sabbath instead of the seventh. Every man, who has been baptized with the baptism of the Divine Spirit, and received the kingdom of God as a little child, will devote, not only the first day, but every day of the week to God, and make it his aim, without regard to times and places, to become a temple meet for the indwelling of the Holy One-but he will seek in vain in the Gospel, for authority to be more diligent in this work on first than on any other day. He will search in vain for a single passage to mark any duty that is especially appropriate to the first day of the week. Christianity is not something that can be done up and ended in a given time and place, but an ever-moving, ever-present principle of action,-equally and alike controlling all the words and actions of life, without regard to time or place. It regenerates the soul, and purifies the life of him who possesses it. If God has assigned particular, specified duties to the first day of the week-as Sabbatarians assert―let them produce the "thus saith the Lord." They can do it, if the fact be so; and they are bound to do it. Let every humble inquirer after truth sit at the feet of Jesus-search every chapter and verse of the New Testament-and see if God has specified peculiar duties as appropriate to the first day of the week-see if He has enjoined its observance as a Sabbath.

True, the Disciples met to break bread on first day. So they did on other days-(Acts ii. 46, 47; vi. 1, 2, 4). They met. to pray, to prophecy, to exhort, and devise ways and means to spread the Gospel on all days, without regard to a first or seventh day Sabbath. If the fact, that they met on first day,

proves that they observed that as a Sabbath, the same argument proves that they observed the seventh and every other day as a Sabbath.

One fact is worthy of notice here-that while Christ and the Apostles repeatedly quote and explain, each of the other commands of the Decalogue, they never once refer to the fourth, or give any explanation of it. Would they thus have been so entirely silent about it had it contained an obligation so essential to the existence and perpetuity of the Gospel Kingdom, as Sabbatarians say it does?

OPINIONS OF EMINENT MEN.

Though I have but small regard for human authority, in settling this or any other question of Christianity, I wish to call your attention to the opinions of men whose writings on Christian doctrines and morals are considered of standard value among their various adherents. As to talent and learning,

they were inferior to none in modern times, and thus far their views on the first day Sabbath may be said to be entitled to respect. When such men put forth opinions, they should at least receive a respectful hearing.

CALVIN.

'We are buried with

"He (Christ) is the true completion of the Sabbath. him by baptism into death, that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we should walk in newness of life.' (Rom. vi.) Hence, as the apostle elsewhere says, 'Let no man, therefore, judge you in respect of an holy day, or of the new moon, or of THE SABBATH; which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is Christ;' (Col. ii. 16, 17,)— meaning by body the whole essence of truth, as is well explained in the passage. This is not contained in one day in seven, but requires the whole course of our lives, until being completely dead to ourselves, we are filled with the life of God. Christians, therefore, should have nothing to do with a superstitious observance of days."

"We do not celebrate it with minute formality, as a ceremony by which we imagine that a spiritual mystery is typified, but we adopt it as a necessary remedy for preserving order in the church. Paul informs us that Christians are not to be judged in respect of its observance, because it is a shadow of something to come, (Col. ii. 16,) and accordingly he expresses a fear lest his labours among the Galatians should prove in vain, because they still observed days, (Gal. iv. 10, 11.) And he tells the Romans that it is superstitious to make one day differ from another. (Rom. i. 4, 5.)"

"It was not without reason that Christians substituted what we call the Lord's Day for the Sabbath. The resurrection of our Lord being the end and accomplishment of that true rest, which the ancient Sabbath typified, this

day, by which types were abolished, serves to warn Christians against adhering to shadowy ceremonies."

"I do not so cling to the number seven as to advise the Church to an inviolable adherence to it; nor do I condemn Churches for holding their meetings on other days, provided they guard against superstition. This they will do if they employ the Sabbath merely for the observance of order."

"The whole may be thus summed up. As the truth was delivered typically to the Jews, so it is imparted to us without figure.

First-That during our whole lives we may aim at constant rest from our works, in order that the Lord may work in us by his Spirit.

Secondly-That every individual, as he has opportunity, may diligently exercise himself in private meditation on the works of God; at the same time, that all may observe the legitimate order, appointed by the Church, for the hearing of the word, the administration of the sacraments and public prayer; and

Thirdly-That we may avoid oppressing those who are subject to us." "Thus vanish all the dreams of false prophets, who in past ages have taught the people Jewish notions-declaring that only the ceremonial part of this commandment (which, as they say, is the appointment of the seventh day), has been abrogated, but that the moral part of it-that is the observance of one day in seven-still remains. But this is only changing the day in contempt of the Jews, while the same opinion of the holiness of the day, is retained; for, on the same principle, the same mysterious signification would still be attributed to particular days, which prevailed among the Jews. And, in truth, we see what advantages have come of it. Those who cling to it far exceed the Jews in a gross, carnal, superstitious observance of the Sabbath; so that the reproofs we read of in Isaiah (i. 13.; lviii. 13.), apply as much to those of the present day, as to those whom the prophet addressed then."

(Calvin's Institutes, Book II. Chap. 8.)

Thus Calvin, the oracle of Scotch divinity, affirms that the fourth commandment has no place in the Christian code; and that it is of no authority to prove that Christians are bound to observe any day as an observance, or that one day in seven is to be any more specially consecrated to God than all the rest. He finds no authority for a special consecration of a seventh part of our time to God—but he urges to entire consecration of ourselves to God all the time. He exhorts men to be filled with the life of God, not merely one day in seven, but during the whole course of their life. Calvin rejected the Divine obligation of a Sabbath, under the Christian dispensation.

I can but quote the opinion of Belsham on the subject, in connexion with Calvin; for it is remarkable that while they differ heaven-wide in their theological views, they exactly agree in regard to a Christian Sabbath.

BELSHAM.

"Nothing can be more explicit than the Apostle's declaration of the entire