THE SABBATH. (No. III.) ITS CHANGE FROM THE SEVENTH TO THE FIRST DAY IN THE WEEK. (To the Editor of the Wesleyan-Methodist Magazine.) INFIDELS and Jews are not more forward to charge us with having made this change, than we are to admit that it did take place. Indeed, we regard it as a fact of considerable importance, in proving the divinity of our holy religion, that, from the time of our Redeemer's resurrection, his disciples commemorated that event by a weekly Sabbath. But while we admit, and even rejoice in, the change of the day, we deny that any change took place in the festival itself, except it was that of being "changed from glory to glory." The Apostles neither abrogated it, as if it were useless; nor abridged it, as if it were too long; nor secularized it, as if it were too spiritual; nor did they weaken its moral obligation, as if it were too binding. They only transferred it from the seventh to the first day of the week: and by thus conjoining the new creation with the old, and the rest of God our Maker with that of God our Saviour, they invested the day with additional interest, and made its grateful observance more binding on the hearts and consciences of our ransomed race. This transfer, we conceive, was no way inconsistent either with the original design of the institution, or with the spirit of the fourth commandment. Its chief design was, the commemoration of the creation of the world by Jehovah, in the space of six days; and the spirit of the commandment requires that, after six days' labour, we should dedicate the seventh to the worship of God. As, therefore, the Sabbath still returns after six days' toil, the same truth is taught, and the same end is as fully secured, as though it had continued to be solemnized on the very seventh day from the creation. It will be readily admitted, that the seventh day had no inherent sanctity in itself; that it became a holy day simply because "God blessed and sanctified it;' " hence the marked distinction which is made between the Sabbath, and the day on which it was kept: "Remember the Sabbath-day," not the seventh day, "to keep it holy." And again : "Wherefore God blessed the Sabbath-day, and hallowed it." It was, therefore, the blessing and the hallowing example of God which constituted the essence and efficacy of the Sabbath: and these being, for the time, identified with the seventh day, it was called "the Sabbath," and was sanctified as such by the Old-Testament church. In the last chapter of the book of Nehemiah, this holy-day is referred to nine times; and in no one instance is it called the seventh day, but invariably the "Sabbath," or the "Sabbath-day." And in all the other passages where it is mentioned, whether in the Old or New Testament,-excepting those in which the creation, or some Jewish observance, is spoken of,-it bears the same designation. Now, from this studied, and almost uniform, substitution of the proper name for the number of the day, we draw this general inference; namely, that the keeping of the Sabbath, or sacred rest, on the seventh day, was a mere circumstance connected with its sanctification, wisely ordered at the first, and binding on man while the appointment continued in force; but which was alterable at the will of God, and not essential to the sanctity or blessedness of the Sabbath itself. That the keeping of the seventh day, from the creation, was not essential to the sanctification of the Sabbath, is certain; for, in consequence of the diurnal motion of the earth on its own axis, our hemisphere is shrouded in darkness, while the light of day irradiates the other; so that we are only beginning our Sabbath, when the Orientals have concluded theirs. Not only so, but the regular succession of time into days of twenty-four hours each, was interrupted by God himself in the time of Joshua. That great Captain, moved by the Spirit of inspiration, said, in the sight of Israel, "Sun, stand thou still upon Gibeon; and thou, moon, in the valley of Ajalon." "And the sun stood still, and the moon stayed, until the people had avenged themselves upon their enemies. So the sun stood still, and hasted not to go down about a whole day. And there was no day like that before it or after it, that the Lord hearkened unto the voice of a man: for the Lord fought for Israel." (Joshua x. 12-14.) As to the mode of this miracle, we say nothing; but the fact is declared, that, through the special intervention of Jehovah, the light of that day was supernaturally prolonged to nearly twice its ordinary length; and, consequently, the following Sabbath was displaced to the same extent. While we adduce these facts, in proof that the sanctity of the Sabbath did not depend on its exact identification with the seventh day, we repeat, that the appointment to keep it on that day was obligatory upon man, while it was matter of divine injunction; for none may presume to alter even those parts of God's worship which are circumstantial, without his authority. This leads us to state the grounds on which we rest our belief, that the change in question was not made by man, but by Him who is both God and man, in one person, for ever; who is "Lord of the Sabbath ;" and "Head over all things to the church, which is his body; the fulness of Him who filleth all in all." In proof of this we plead, 1. Prophetic intimations that such a change was contemplated. We have showed above, that the law of the Sabbath clearly distinguishes between the festival itself, and the day on which it was held. Now, we would ask, why was this distinction made, when, by the alteration of a few simple terms, the retaining of the day might have been made essential to the keeping of the Sabbath in all countries, and in every age? When every form of speech was present to the mind of the divine Lawgiver, and when he foreknew, with absolute certainty, that his people would, under the new dispensation, transfer the Sabbath from the seventh to the first day of the week; why was no guard thrown in to prevent such a transfer? Why, but because God willed that it should take place? He contemplated it from the beginning, as being, in itself, wise and beneficial; and as being called for by the superior glory of the work of redemption; and that there might be no discrepance between the requirements of his law, and the institutions of his Gospel, he adopted that mode of expression which, of all others, was best calculated to suggest, to men of a distant generation, that the change of the day was an open question,-that the Sabbath was not essentially connected with the seventh day,-that, when the proper time should arrive, there was no bar in the Decalogue to the substitution of the first day, as commemorative of our redemption, and the new creation to which it gave birth. Psalm cxviii. is called, by Bishop Horne, "a triumphal hymn, sung by King Messiah, at the head of the Israel of God, on occasion of his resurrection and exaltation." These glorious events, and the day on which they were to be commemorated, are referred to in the following words: "The stone which the builders refused, is become the head-stone of the corner. This is the Lord's doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes. This is the day which the Lord hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it." This passage is quoted six times in the New Testament, as applicable to the Lord Jesus, and to him only. 99 66 The rejection he suffered from "the builders "-the Chief Priests and Rulers of the Jews-was consummated on the cross: for, by dooming him to that ignominious death, they not only denied him as the Son of God, and the Saviour of the world, but they loaded him with the nation's curse, and did their utmost to bury his person, his claims, his memory, and his cause, in the rubbish of a dishonoured grave. But he took the wise in their own craftiness; and, by means of that very death," he destroyed death, and him that had the power of death; that is, the devil:" and through his resurrection, which followed, he was declared to be "the Son of God with power,' the Hope of Israel," "the Desire of all nations," "the Messiah," and "the Head-stone of the corner" of God's spiritual temple. Now, the day, on which this rejected Stone was exalted, the Lord is said to have made; not literally, (for in this sense he made all days,) but metaphorically. By choosing it as the day on which death and hell should be vanquished, by consecrating it to his worship, and by appointing that it should be the Sabbath of his New-Testament church, he made it illustrious, he raised it above all other days; and, by associating it with those glorious services, triumphs, recollections, and anticipations, which the cross exhibits and sanctions, he rendered it a day of power and grace to the world. The Psalmist not only foretells the happiness which the resurrection should occasion, but the joy and gladness which his people should take in "the day on which it should be accomplished; for he introduces them as saying, "This is the day which the Lord hath made; we will be glad and rejoice in it.” That it was to be a day of public worship, is apparent from the royal commission to open the gates of righteousness; this gate of the Lord, into which the righteous," of all lands, "shall enter;" from the church's prayer for present and abounding prosperity, "Save now, I beseech thee, O Lord! O Lord, I beseech thee, send now prosperity;" 66 from the praise ascribed to "Him that cometh in the name of the Lord; as well as from the blessing which his people are represented as receiving "out of the house of the Lord," the new light showed to them by the Lord,-producing an increase of zeal in sacrificing, confirmed confidence in God, as their God, and rapturous praise because "His mercy endureth for ever." In Isaiah lxv. 17, 18, the Prophet predicts, that a time would come, when the work of redemption would be commemorated in surpassing preference to the work of creation. "Behold, I create new heavens and a new earth: and the former shall not come into mind. But be ye glad and rejoice in that which I create for, behold, I create Jerusalem a rejoicing, and her people a joy." That this passage relates to the church militant, in her NewTestament estate, is evident, from what is said in the context concerning death, answers to prayer, and the blessings of temporal prosperity. In Heb. ii. 5, vi. 5, the New-Testament economy is called " the world to come;" and in the book of Revelation, the church is often called "heaven," in opposition to the secular and persecuting governments of the earth. What the Prophet describes as "new heavens and a new earth," is explained as being accomplished in the creating "Jerusalem a rejoicing, and her people a joy." In other words: it is here predicted, that, through the redemption and reign of Christ, the New-Testament church shall be so adorned with holiness, and so enriched with gifts and heavenly influences, that she shall become an occasion of universal rejoicing; and that her renovating and felicitating agency shall render the world a kind of paradise, as compared with its former alien, warlike, miserable, and unevangelized state. This change is called a new creation;" and it is predicted, that the former creation shall not 66 come into mind;" that is, in Hebrew phraseology, shall be remembered less, or commemorated only as an inferior event. "This passage," says Dr. Dwight, 66 appears to me to place the fact in the clearest light,—that a particular, superior, and extraordinary commemoration of the work of redemption, by the Christian church, in all its various ages, was a part of the good pleasure of God, and was designed by him to be accomplished in the course of his providence. But there neither is, nor ever was, any public, solemn commemoration of this work by the Christian church, except that which is holden on the first day of the week, or the day in which Christ completed this great work by his resurrection from the dead. This prophecy has, therefore, been unfulfilled, so far as I can see, unless it has been fulfilled in this very manner. But if it has been fulfilled in this manner, then this manner of fulfilling it has been agreeable to the true intention of the prophecy, and to the good pleasure of God expressed in it; and is, therefore, that very part of his providence which is here unfolded to mankind."* Other prophetic intimations might be quoted; but the above will suffice to show that the change harmonizes with the analogy of revealed truth. 2. We plead New-Testament evidence, in proof that the change was made with the approbation, and by the will, of our Lord. It was on the first day of the week that our Lord finished the term of his humiliation, rose from the dead, and entered into that state of meritorious and triumphant repose which he now inherits. This was not accidental; and it would be blasphemy to insinuate, that it was done either in contempt of the divine example, or in deliberate disregard of the divine law. No! Like every other event connected with His spotless life and atoning death, it was the result of a preordination; it "so seemed good in the sight" of the eternal Father. Pilate had no power over him for arrest, or for condemnation, except as it was given him from above. He himself had power to lay down his life, and he had power to take it * System of Theology, vol. iv., p. 20. 66 up again; yet he remained in the grave the whole of the Jewish Sabbath. He postponed his triumph over death and hell; he left his disciples to weep and lament, and suffered his enemies to rejoice, till the morning of the first day; and then he took to him his great power, -came forth from the grave, leading captivity captive,"-and, appearing to his disciples, he turned their sorrow into joy. Now, if we admit, that our Lord intended to honour the first day above the Jewish Sabbath,-to identify it with his resurrection, to endear it to the affections, and embalm it in the grateful recollections, of his disciples, we have adequate reasons for his conduct; but by no other theory can it be satisfactorily explained. 66 It was on the first day of the week that the Redeemer comforted his disciples with his royal" Peace be unto you!" that he "expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself;" opened their understandings, that they might understand the Scriptures; made himself "known unto them in the breaking of bread;" 'breathed on them, saying, Receive ye the Holy Ghost;" instructed them in "the things pertaining to the kingdom of God;" and on this day, too, he commissioned them to preach "repentance and remission of sins in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem." His studied preference for the first day was strikingly evinced in his conduct toward Thomas. That disciple was not with his brethren when Jesus showed himself on the day of his resurrection; and though the other disciples said unto him, We have seen the Lord," he rejected their testimony, saying, "Except I shall see in his hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into his side, I will not believe." This was daring unbelief; and, besides exposing himself to great risk, it was likely, at that critical juncture, to endanger the faith of others: yet the Lord Jesus allowed the week to elapse, and the Jewish Sabbath to pass away, be fore he afforded him the desired demonstration. "After eight days again his disciples were within, and Thomas with them: then came Jesus, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, Peace be unto you. Then saith he to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side; and be not faithless, but believing. And Thomas answered and said, My Lord and my God." This solemn scene, it should be observed, not only took place on the first day of the second week, but the meeting was the first general meeting which the disciples had held since the preceding "first day." This is intimated in these words: "After eight days again his disciples were within ; or, "After eight days his disciples were again within." Taking this circumstance into account, together with the fulness of the assembly, and the absence of all signs of terror and surprise, when the Lord appeared in the midst of them, we think it more than probable, that the disciples met, on this occasion, by his appointment, and under a promise that he would manifest himself to them. It is worthy of remark, that though the disciples, no doubt, attended the temple and synagogue services, on the Jewish Sabbaths which intervened between his resurrection and ascension, the Redeemer did not once appear to them while they were so employed; but his visits, in every instance, were vouchsafed when they were met apart, as his disciples, "with the doors shut for fear of the Jews," or when "they communed together and reasoned" by the way concerning his tragic death and glorious resurrection. From the whole it is undeniable, that the Lord Jesus gave a marked preference to the first day of the week; and if he meant thereby to encourage his disciples to separate themselves from the ceremonial and unevangelical worship of the Jews, to commemorate his resurrection by a weekly Sabbath, and also to assure them of his blessing and presence, while they did so,his conduct was wise, gracious, and intelligible. Whereas, if we deny that such were his intentions, and suppose that, on the contrary, it was his sovereign will the seventh-day Sabbath should have continued, then his whole procedure was unwise, unintelligible, and calculated to mislead and perplex his halfinformed disciples. This his love forbade, and his wisdom rendered impossible. The conclusion, therefore, is inevitable, that it was his good pleasure that his disciples should transfer the Sabbath festival from the seventh to the first day of the week. That the Apostles and primitive Christians so interpreted His conduct, is proved by their uniform practice; which was, to meet together, for religious purposes, on the first day of the week,"-a clear instance of which is given in connexion with the effusion of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost. The feast of Pentecost was invariably celebrated on the fiftieth day from the passover; and, computing from the Friday on which "Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us," we find that the feast that year fell on the seventh first day in succession; and we read, that "when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they" (the disciples) were all with one accord in one place." That they were not met to celebrate the Jewish feast, after the Jewish form, is certain; for none but disciples were present; and the sole exercise in which they were engaged, when the Holy Ghost came down, was that of social prayer. This, then, was their Sabbath; and the baptism of the Spirit which they received, in answer to their joint supplication, offered up in the name of their risen Saviour, may properly be viewed as the affixing of the divine seal to the change of the day; and as constituting their reward for that courageous faith which led them so early, and so openly, to withdraw from the abrogated feasts Judaism. of It was on the first day of the week the disciples at Troas came |