THE SABBATH QUESTION

(Registered at the G.P.O., Melbourne, for transmission by Post as a Newsb afier.)

Vol. 22, NO. 31 Warburton, Victoria, August 5, 1907. ONE PENNY

The Day Line and Sabbath Such a statement is so manifestly absurd as to be

Observance.
IT has recently come to our knowledge that a
tract on the day line question is being extensively
circulated in Australia. In this tract is a paragraph
that states in substance that Pastor McElhany, a
Seventh-day Adventist missionary in Manila, keeps
scarcely worthy of notice were it not that some may
be misled by it. For this reason we wish to expose
the theory based on such a mis-statement of facts.
On Wednesday, the 28th of March, 1906, we
sailed from Sydney, N. S. W., for Manila. In our
pocket we carried a copy of Collins' Australian Diary,
in which we noted each day the events of our voyage.

"BRIDGE OF SPAIN OVER THE RIVER PASIG, MANILA, P.I.

the Sabbath on the same day as the Sunday-keepers
do in Australia ; that when he went to Manila he
found that he was a day ahead of time, and that the
day Australians call Sunday was the Sabbath in
Manila.
This would be a very fine argument to use against
Sabbath keeping, and would well serve the purpose
for which it was written, that is, to confuse people's
minds regarding their duty in keeping the Sabbath,
were it not for the fact that the whole statement, in
every particular, is absolutely false.
Let it be borne in mind that if the statements in this
tract are true, the day of our arrival, according to our
Australian diary, would not harmonise with Manila
time. In other words, we would be one day ahead of
the people of the Philippines; if we, according to the
diary, arrived on Friday, it would be Thursday in
Manila; or, if we arrived on Sunday, it would be
Saturday.
The facts are these: According to our Australian
diary we arrived on the morning of Good Friday, the
13th of April. As we went out on deck that morning
482 THE SIGNS OF THE TIMES
and looked on the city of Manila for the first time, we
heard the ringing of many church bells. The customs
inspectors came aboard, and hurried through with
their work, for it was a holiday in Manila. It was
Good Friday, the 13th of April, according to Manila
time.
Perfect agreement between our diary and Manila
time. Moreover, we used that diary until the 31st
day of December, and there was perfect agreement
to the very last day. To make assurance doubly sure
we laid the whole proposition before a sea captain
who has navigated all over the globe. He pro-
nounced such a theory wrong in every particular.
• The Philippines are in the same degree of lon-
gitude as West Australia; that is to say, a line drawn
north and south through the centre of West Australia
would also run through the Philippines. Therefore
we commence observing the Sabbath at the same
time as our brethren in West Australia. Everyone
doubtless knows that for every fifteen degrees of lon-
gitude there is one hour's difference in time. The
distance between Sydney and West Australia is ap-
proximately thirty degrees, so there would be about
two hour's difference in time ; that is to say, on
Friday evening the sun would set, thus commencing
the Sabbath, two hours earlier in Sydney than in
West Australia or the Philippines A simple dia-
gram will illustrate this
B
degrees 1 hour degrees 1 hour
Sydney Half way W. A.
A, B, and C are Sabbath keepers. A lives in
Sydney, C in West Australia, and B half way or fif-
teen degrees from each of the Others. We start with
A at 12 a. m. on Friday, what time will B and C have ?
They are both west of A, therefore their time is
earlier. B has 11 a. m. and C 10 a. m. When
12 o'clock reaches B, A has 1 p. m. and C 11 p. m.
12 o'clock with C leaves B with 1 p. m. and A with
2 p. m. Thus it will be seen that the sun will set,
and the Sabbath commence, with A one hour earlier
than with B, and two hours earlier than with C, and
so on right round the earth, until God's great clock,
the sun, marks off another day, and the Sabbath is
finished in exactly the same manner as it commenced.
Sabbath keepers in Fiji are the first to commence
the observance of the Sabbath, for they live very
near the 180th meridian, or day line. As they are
about thirty degrees east of Sydney, they commence
the Sabbath something like two hours before the sun
sets at Sydney.
The question may be asked, What is the day line ?
It is that meridian or line from which a day com-
mences in its circuit of the earth and where it ends
when that circuit has been completed. That such a
line has existed from the very first day of creation is
evident from the Lord's words to Job. See Job 38:
3-12, note verses 5 and 12 especially. The fact that
men found it necessary to change their reckoning
when crossing the Pacific Ocean proves that the
necessity for so doing existed before they were aware
of that fact. Early navigators in crossing the At-
lantic from Europe to America and returning found
no necessity for changing their reckoning, and the
same was true of the navigators who sailed around
Africa to India and the eastern islands. However,
when the Spaniards commenced sailing across the
AUGUST 5, 1907
Pacific from Mexico to the Philippines it was dis-
covered that it was necessary to correct or change
their reckoning somewhere in the Pacific, otherwise
the time in the Philippines would have been one day
behind. In sailing over the place where one day ends
and another commences, they would have certainly
been wrong if they had not taken that into account.
The above mentioned tract attempts to prove that the
Spaniards failed to make that correction, but carried
American time to the Philippines, and that we are
thus one day behind Australia, but that whole argu-
ment falls by simply showing that such is not the
case. Manila is not one day behind Australia. All
navigators in crossing the Pacific found it necessary
to make the same change. Different nations made
Manila
PHILIPPINE S ISLANDS
°
ISOUTH ,
INEENSLAND
WESTERN AUSTRALIA '-
AUSTRALIA _ ..... — -
NEW SOUTH
31 r-------- WALES
..,,
•_..._
, VICTORIA \
This map shows that West Australia and the Philippines are in
the same time zone.
the change at different points in the Pacific, until
finally the 180th meridian came to be universally
adopted. •
Remember, dear reader, that God made the earth
round, and He made all the laws governing the earth.
He divided time up into days, and marked the begin-
ning and ending of those days with the setting of the
sun. See Gen. 1 :5, 8, 13, 19, 23 and 31; Lev. 23:32
and Deut. 16: 6; Mafk 1:32. God rested on the
seventh day Himself (Gen, 2:2, 3), and sanctified it,
and He asks you, as a mark of your love and obedi-
ence, to do the same. Ex. 20:8-11; Eze. 20:20, 12;
1 John 3 :22, 24; chapter 5:2, 3. He does not re-
quire impossibilities of any of us, and when all
through His Holy Word He asks us to keep the
seventh day of each week, rest assured we can do it.
Wherever we are, we can keep the Sabbath when
God marks it off for us with the setting sun. Do not
AUGUST 5, 1907 THE SIGNS OF THE TIMES
allow any man to confuse the issue with a glaring
mis-statement of facts. God is sending a great three-
fold message to every nation, kindred, tongue, and
people ( Rev. 14: 6-12 ), and these messages are
developing a company of people who keep God's
commandments and the faith of Jesus. Whether
you live east or west of the day line you are to be a
commandment keeper, yes, a Sabbath keeper. God
has made it possible for all of us to be Sabbath
keepers. He Himself has arranged the provisions and
manner of keeping it. Let us cling to our chart and
compass, the Bible, and remember that " Blessed are
they that do His commandments, that they may
have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through
the gates into the city." Rev. 22 :14.
J. L. MCELFIANY.
_:, Philippine Islands.
An Episcopalian Utterance on the
Sabbath Question. • the judgment is come. God does not care for mas-
LONG ago when the great Reformer, Martin
Luther, was confined in the castle of Wartburg, it
is reported that, being troubled at the interruption
which the great work upon which he was engaged re-
ceived at the hands of his Satanic majesty, he threw
his ink bottle at the devil. History does not say
whether the missile hit Satan or not, but the splash of
ink still remains upon the wall, and is viewed with
,considerable interest by visitors.
The Very Rev. the Dean of Bendigo, a minister
of the Episcopalian church, has, in a recent sermon,
attacked what he is pleased to call "the heresies of
Seventh-day Adventists." Now the reverend gentle-
man must not feel hurt if we spend a little printer's
ink upon him. Like Martin Luther, Seventh-day
Adventists do not relish interruptions. They have a
work to perform, and that work consists in giving the
present truth to the world, and from what they be-
lieve, know, and think, the world sadly needs it, see-
ing that we are amid the controversies of the last
nays.
Universal customs are being disturbed, and many
are being led to seek in the Word of God for truth
which will save them from the paths of error. This
necessarily arouses controversy in the ranks of those
whose positions are weakened or disturbed, and this
is possibly the reason why the Dean is becoming
uneasy.
The Dean of this church evidently believing but
little of the Scriptural prophecies relating to his own
times, casts reflections upon the date 1844. Wm.
Miller, who was not a Seventh-day Adventist (there
were none in existence then), preached that Christ
would come in that year. The mistakes which this
man made in relation to the event in no way affected
the accuracy of the date 1844 as the time fixed by the
God of heaven for the ending of a prophetic period
and the commencing of a great work which now is
going on; viz., the cleansing of the sanctuary; or, in
other words, the Investigative Judgment. Dan. 8:14.
For 2,300 years from the 5th month of B. c. 457
brings the world down to 1844, A. D. Daniel the
prophet states that the sanctuary would be cleansed
at the termination of that period. Basing their belief
on this prophecy, Seventh-day Adventists say that the
483
judgment is now in session, and that it commenced
in that year; viz., 1844. The first angel's message
also commenced in that year :—
" And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having
the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the
earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and
people, saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to
Him : for the hour of His judgment is come : and worship Him
that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of
waters." Rev. 14: 6, 7
This is present truth for to-day ; and we are glad
to say that thousands believe it. Because the relig-
ious world turned a deaf ear to the first angel's mes-
sage, the second message went forward; viz., that
Babylon is fallen.
" And there followed another angel, saying, Babylon is fallen,
is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of
the wine of the wrath of her fornication." Rev. 14 : 8.
Babylon is a symbolical term used to represent
the churches who refuse to believe that the hour of
sive structures, elaborate rituals, and lifeless sermons.
He wants men to believe truth, to respond to the call
of Heaven, and to fear Him who has the power over.
eternal destiny. This is what He wants. But
the earth is filled to-day with confusion, dis-
cordant voices, an,d a form of godliness without the
power. This is the true state of affairs. Episco-
palianism is no exception to the rule—confusion per-
meates its ranks. Rome is shaking hands with
Episcopalianism to-day. Its ranks also are known
to be permeated with the teachings of the Jesuits;
whilst a host of higher critics and other modern
savants are common in its community. Bishop to-
day is divided against bishop. Ceremonials border-
ing upon paganism and Roman customs are intro-
duced and practised, as the Eastern Hill episode
lately proved. We are sorry to have to speak of
these unpleasant facts, but the value of souls, the
signs of the times, the hour of the judgment, and our
duty to God demand it. Babylon is fallen. God
says let the world know it, and we are glad to say
that because this message is being made known, thou-
sands everywhere are looking askance at the priests
who are teaching .error. God has a people in the
churches, but He cries, "Come out of her, My peo-
ple." Why ?—Danger threatens them, the plagues
of His wrath are approaching.
Now we must return to the Dean. This right
reverend and very learned gentleman says that Christ
changed the Sabbath. Think of it, Christ changing
His Father's law! Now we think that the Dean
gives himself, his church, his common sense, and his
Christianity away by such an assertion. He says :
"The Great Deliverer rested on the seventh day, but rose
on the first in the power of an endless life. His earthly work
was ended. The redemption of the body, as well as of the
soul, was accomplished, and the Christian Sabbath was in-
augurated."
Now anyone who has ever attended a Church of
England service can see how this statement con-
tradicts the Bible, and is incompatible with Christ's
attitude to the Sabbath as recorded in the Gospels.
Every clergyman in the Church of England reads
the ten commandments, the fourth commandment
included ; and he reads them just as they are given,
and as God Himself spoke them on Mount Sinai.
484 THE SIGNS OF THE TIMES AUGUST 5, 1907

This is the course each clergyman pursues, the Dean,

we presume, included. The reverend gentleman
comes to the fourth commandment in the decalogue :
" Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days
shalt thou labour, and do all thy work : but the seventh day is
the Sabbath of the Lord thy God : in it thou shalt not do any
work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, A. W. ANDERSON, EDITOR.
nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is
within thy gates : for in six days the Lord made heaven and
earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh
day : wherefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day, and WARBURTON, VICTORIA, AUGUST 5, 1907.
hallowed it." Ex. 20: 8-11.
He reads it aloud; then the congregation responds,
" Lord, have mercy upon us, and incline our hearts "Heresies of, the Seventh-day
to keep this law." Adventists."
We ask the question, Where is the Dean now? If
the argument of the Dean is right, when he reads the THE good people of the " Golden City " are being
fourth commandment to his congregation, why are the treated by the Very Rev. the Dean of Bendigo to a.
congregation taught to pray for strength to help them series of discourses on the above interesting subject.
to keep the seventh day of the week as the Sabbath Seeing that some most unwarrantable statements,
of the Lord ? Why does he not cry in priestly have been made by the Dean, and published in The
horror, " Stop ! Stop ! that is the commandment Bendigo Church News, concerning Seventh-day Ad-
Christ changed ; the first day is the Sabbath." Being ventists and the truths which they are teaching, it
a great stickler for the first day of the week, let the seems only fit and proper 'that the public should be
Dean now try if he can to read the first day into the rightly informed, lest by our silence they should
commandment, and see if he can do it without mak- perchance conclude that the Seventh-day Adventist
ing a wilful burlesque of the Word of God. He denomination cannot refute the statements of the
cannot do it, and make common sense out of it. The Dean, nor attempt to answer his fallaciouS reasoning.
seventh day is still the Sabbath, as it ever was, and We are loath to enter into such an unpleasant
as it ever will be, for Christ will never change His controversy, and would much prefer to keep silence
Father's law to please the Dean of Bendigo. No ; and follow the advice of Paul by shunning " vain
nor any bishop or church council. babblings " and avoiding strife about " words to no,
" Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: profit," but as a denomination we have been publicly
I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. For verily I say unto accused by the Dean of Bendigo, both in pulpit and
you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no ress, of making assertions which he declares are
wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled. Whosoever` therefore
shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach "barefaced falsehoods," "absolutely without even a,
men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: shadow of foundation." Nay, he goes even further
but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be than this; he said concerning a certain statement of
called great in the kingdom of heaven." Matt. 5: 17-19. ours, that it " is so utterly false that it is hard to
" D we then make void the law through faith? God for-
bid : yea, we establish the law." Rom. 3 : 31. ' believe it has arisen from sheer ignorance and not
Heresy consists of teaching a doctrine subversive from wilful deception." The Sunday-sabbath must
be in a very bad way indeed when its supporters are
of truth. Anyone who changes God's law does this. compelled to descend to such base methods in order
The Papacy has attempted to do so (Dan. 7 : 25), and to defeat the unanswerable arguments in favour of
Episcopalianism has only a little further to go upon the
down grade to fraternise with Rome. There is much the Sabbath of the Lord, which are based, not upon
inference, like the Sunday-sabbath, but upon " the
more that might be said, but space will not permit it. Word of God, which liveth and abideth forever."
The most, if not all, of the Dean's arguments have For at least half a century Seventh-day Advent-
been met and confuted by Seventh-day Adventists ists have had to meet the same threadbare arguments
thousands of times. He has advanced nothing new. as those which are presented by the Dean, for wher-
Error is a very old diet ; tradition is a poor staff to ever a tent is pitched and a series of evangelical dis-
lean upon, and the turning of the plain statements of courses is delivered by this denomination, precisely the
God into fables is a poor occupation for any Christian same kind of opposition is met with. So it has been.
gentleman.—J. B. throughout all our history, and so it appears likely to
continue. Is it not time that ministers of the gospel,
" A GREAT painter always kept on his easel some because of their profession of Christianity, should
very fine gems, brilliant and sparkling., When asked be more just and straightforward in dealing with
his reason for doing so, he replied, I keep them a question of such vital importance as the Sabbath ?
there to tone up my eyes. When I am working in Furthermore, would it not be at least more becoming
pigments, insensibly the sense of colour becomes a gentleman holding a high position in the ChriStian
weakened. By having these pure colours before me church to ascertain if the sources of his information
to refresh my eyes, the sense of colour is brought up are thoroughly reliable before making damaging and
again, just as the musician by his tuning-fork brings untruthful statements concerning a body of Christians
his strings up to the concert pitch' For living in who worship the same Lord, and with whom he must
this world of sin and strife, one must know the beauty associate as a brother throughout all eternity should
of the true life ; one must read the old, old story again they and he be found worthy of a part and place in the
and agairi; one must by communion with Heaven be inheritance of the saints ? A religious institution
constantly gaining clearer views of the perfect Man." which for its defence depends upon unmerited abuse.
AUGUST 5, 1907 THE SIGNS OF THE TIMES
rather than a " Thus saith the Lord " is in a poor
way indeed. Sunday observance has not a single
statement of Scripture in its support. Talk with any
honest-hearted minister of the gospel, and he will tell
you frankly that there is no Scripture which can be
adduced in support of the Sunday-sabbath. From
eight or nine verses in the New Testament the whole
fabric of Sunday observance has been built up ; not
because these particular verses, or any others, teach
that Sunday is a divine institution—far from it ; but
because the first day of the week is merely mentioned
in connection with the incidents, therefore it is as-
sumed that Sunday was an institution ordained of
God. Sunday is a counterfeit, and it is time every-
body knew it. Now that its fraudulent character is
being revealed, it is but natural that the advocates of
this unscriptural institution should feel incensed that
the mask is being torn off.
One statement, taken from one of our publications
to which the Dean takes great exception, reads as
follows :—
" A few years after the issue of Constantine's decree, the
Bishop of Rome conferred on the Sunday the title of the Lord's
clay."—The Great Controversy, vol. 4, p. 55.
, Archbishop Whately drew an argument against them* from this
Of this quotation the Dean says—
" The assertion is absolutely without even a shadow of
foundation ; it is a barefaced, shameless falsehood."
We think before we get through with this ques-
tion our readers will be ready to admit that Mrs. E.
G. White, the author of " The Great Controversy,"
had a great deal more than " a shadow of foundation"
for the statement which she has made. It will be
necessary for us to briefly review some of the cir-
cumstances which led up to the observance of Sunday
as the Sabbath. The Dean asserts that when Christ
" burst the chains of death, His earthly work was
ended—the redemption of the body as well as of the
soul was accomplished, and the Christian Sabbath
was inaugurated." Where is the scriptural authority
for his assertion ? Where in the New Testament
,can be found a single instance of the first day of the
week being called the Christian Sabbath, or the
Lord's day. True, the beloved Apostle John says in
the Apocalypse, " I was in. the Spirit on the Lord's
day " (Rev. 1 : 10), but nowhere in the Scriptures is
there the slightest allusion that "the Lord's day" was
identical with the first day of the week. In his
Gospel, John calls the resurrection day simply the
first day of the week. If that day was spoken of by
the aspostles as the Lord's day, why did he not call
it the Lord's day in his Gospel ? It is probable that
the Gospel of John was not written until about sixty
years after the crucifixion, therefore if it had become
'customary to allude to the first day of the week as
the Lord's day," why did he not mention the fact or
say something that would have forever set at rest the
question as to whether the first day of the week is
the Christian Sabbath or not ? If there is any
inference to be drawn from his silence on this matter,
it certainly should be in favour of our contention that
either no change of the Sabbath had been made in his
day, or that if there were any change it was without
divine or apostolic authority.
It is to later times that we must look for allusions
to the first day of the week as the Lord's day. The
change of the observance of the seventh day to that
485
of the first was a gradual one. Professor Edward
Brerewood, of Gresham College, London, a member
of the Church of England, in a work entitled "Learned
Treatise of the Sabbath," p. 77, Oxford, 1631, says:—
" The ancient Sabbath did remain, and was observed
together with the celebration of the Lord's day by the Chris-
tians of the East church above three hundred years after our
Saviour's death ; and beside that, no other day for more
hundreds of years than I spoke of before, was known in the
church by the name of Sabbath but that : let the collection
thereof and conclusion of all be this : The Sabbath of the
seventh day, as touching the allegations of God's solemn wor-
ship to time, was ceremonial ; that Sabbath was religiously
observed in the East church three hundred years and more
after our Saviour's passion [italics ours]. That church, being
the great part of Christendom, and having the apostles' doctrine
and example to instruct them, would have restrained it if it had
been deadly."
The precise and exact moment when Sunday
became the "Christian Sabbath" cannot be ascer-
tained. Like most other papal dogmas it is shrouded
in mystery and cannot be traced to its origin. As J.
H. Waggoner says in " The Origin and Growth of
Sunday Observance," p. 32 :—
" This is exactly the popular argument for Sunday. But
very fact ; inasmuch as the Scriptures thoroughly furnish the
man of God to all good works, if these dogmas were of divine
institution we could easily trace them to their divine origin—to
the Word of God. It matters not a whit who or how many
kept Sunday, or how near to the time of the apostles it was
kept. Did God command it? Do the Scriptures thoroughly
furnish us with proofs of its observance? Lacking this, it lacks
everything that is required to make it a Christian ordinance."
Neander, who is recognised as the prince of church
historians, bears this testimony against the apostolic
authority for Sunday observance
" The festival of Sunday, like all other festivals, was always
only a human ordinance, and it was far from the intentions of
the apostles to establish a divine command in this respect,-far
from them, and from the early apostolic church, to transfer the
laws of the Sabbath to Sunday. Perhaps at the end of the
second century a false application of this kind had begun to
take place ; for men appear by that time to have considered
labouring on Sunday as a sin."—Church History, Trans. by
H. J. Rose, p. 186.
Fancy the historian alluding to the transfer of
Sabbatical duties from the Sabbath to Sunday as a
false application I What have the advocates of the
apostolic origin of the so-called Christian Sabbath
to say concerning the gradual development of the
idea, that it was perhaps not until the end of the second
century that men began to consider it sinful to labour
on Sunday ? A vast array of historical proof might
here be given, all of which would confirm the state-
ment made by Sir William Domville in his " Exam-
ination of the Six Texts," p. 291 :—
" Centuries of the Christian era passed away before the
Sunday was observed by the Christian church as a Sabbath
History does not furnish us with a single proof or indication
that it was at any time so observed previous to the Sabbatical
edict of Constantine in A.D. 321."
Even after the enactment of this the first Sunday
law which was ever made, Sunday was not observed
with that sanctity with which men seek to imbue it
to-day. In Cox's " Sabbath Laws," p.p. 280, 281,
may be found the following testimony on this point :—
" Very shortly after the period when Constantine issued his
edict enjoining the general observance of Sunday throughout
'That is, those who were advocating the divine authority for Sunday
observance.
486 THE SIGNS OF THE TIMES
the Roman Empire, the party that had contended for the
observance of the seventh day dwindled into insignificance.
The observance of Sunday as a public festival, during which all
business, with the exception of rural employments, was inter-
mitted, came to be more and more generally established ever
after this time, throughout both the Greek and Latin churches.
There is no evidence, however, that either at this, or at a period
much later, the observance was viewed as deriving any obliga-
tion from the fourth commandment ; it seems to have been
regarded as an institution corresponding in nature with Christ-
mas, Good Friday, and other festivals of the church ; and as
resting with them on the ground of ecclesiastical authority and
tradition."
Constantine's famous law, while it was a great
step toward the goal to which the ecclesiastical party
were aiming, did not go far enough for the Catholic
bishops. Sunday was not a day of abstinence from
labour, for, says Bishop Taylor
The primitive Christians did all manner of works upon the
Lord's day, even in the times of persecution, when they are
the strictest observers of all the divine commandments; but in
this they knew there was none [italics ours]; and, therefore,
when Constantine the emperor had made an edict against work-
ing upon the Lord's day, yet he excepts and still permitted all
agriculture or labours of the husbandman whatsoever."—Duct.
Dubitant., part 1, book 2, chap. 2, rule 6, sec. 59.
Prior to the law of Constantine Sunday observ-
ance simply consisted in attending worship ; the
people did not refrain from their ordinary business
except while they were attending divine service.
See Morer's " Dialogues on the Lord's Day," p..233.
Even the law itself referred to Sunday by its heathen
title (the venerable day of the sun), which was in
keeping with Constantine's well-known devotion to
sun worship. Gibbon says :—
" The sun was universally celebrated as the invincible guide
and protector of Constantine."—Decline and Fall of the
Roman Empire, chap. 20.
It was not until two years after the enactment of
his famous Sunday law that Constantine became a
professing Christian, but even after uniting with the
church " his subsequent life furnished no evidence of
conversion to God."—Marsh's Eccl. Hist., period 3,
chap. 5. Archdeacon Hessey, in his fifth " Bampton
Lecture " , before the Oxford University in 1860,
declared that prior to A.D. 500 he had discovered no
ancient writer who had directly connected the Sabbath
with the Lord's day.
Having thus given some little historical evidence
in proof of our contention that the idea of Sunday
sacredness was gradually introduced into the Chris-
tian church, we must now give the proof that the
statement made by Mrs. E. G. White in " The Great
Controversy," which the Dean of Bendigo boldly
asserts to be " a barefaced, shameless falsehood,"
" without even a shadow of foundation," is supported
also by history. The statement reads as follows :—
" A few years after the issue of Constantine's decree, the
Bishop of Rome conferred on the Sunday the title of the the Sunday-school lesson for Jan. 13, 1907, was pub-
Lord's Day."
In the Historia Ecclesiastica per M. Ludovicum
Lucium, cent. 4, cap. 10, p.p. 739, 740, Ed. Basilia, —The moral, the civil, and the ceremonial.
1624,* it is declared that Bishop Sylvester changed duty" to
the name of the Sunday, giving it the title of " Lord's
Day."
The Dean says, " The day was never changed by the moral law, and, therefore, according to the teach-
bishop or council of the Christian church." In this ing of the Bendigo Church News, is still in force.
* This work is the second edition of the " Magdeburg Centuries,' which
is the production of an association of learned and impartial men thoroughly pulpit teach a gospel different from that which he
conversant with ecclesiastical history."
AUGUST 5, 1907
he is at variance with the most reliable historians.
At the Council of Laodicea, A.D. 364, Christians were
enjoined to rest on Sunday and to work on the Sab
bath. If Christians had been in the habit of working
on the Sabbath and resting on the Sunday, why was
it necessary to make such a decree ? This is the
translation of this famous canon:—
" Christians ought not to Judaise, and to rest in the Sab-
bath, but to work in that day ; but, preferring the Lord's day,
should rest, if possible, as Christians. Wherefore if they shall
be found to Judaise, let them be accursed from Christ."
Thus, step by step Sunday took the place of the
Sabbath. Less than fifty years after the decree of
Constantine, which was the first civil law concerning
the observance of Sunday, the church enacted the
first church law, which not only enjoined the observ-
ance of Sunday, but provided a penalty for those who
observed the seventh-day Sabbath. Less than a
century after the council 'of Laodicea, Pope Leo the
Great declared that Sunday was especially honoured
of the Lord, and therefore it should be especially
honoured by Christians. Again, in less than one
hundred years after Leo's exhortation, the Emperor
Justinian enacted an intolerant law by which he
hoped to compel all his subjects, whether Jews, Gen-
tiles, or Christians, to adopt the Catholic faith, which,
of course, included Sunday -keeping, under pain of
confiscation of their estates ann exclusion from all
employments. Is it any wonder with such a mani-
festation of the spirit of intolerance, the numbers of
those who kept the Sabbath of the Lord speedily
diminished, and from that time on they have been in
the minority? But which party is right ? Which has
the evidence of Scripture end church history in its
favour ? Let the reader determine this.
A question of Christian principle cannot be deter-
mined by the opinions and customs of the majority,
but by the Word of God alone. What saith the
Scripture? should be the auestion asked by every
honest-hearted person who desires to do right. What
"the Fathers" say, or what the customs of the people
are, have nothing to do with our duty to God. The
Dean says that the Adventist system "is a system of
gross error, founded on shameless falsehood about the
origin of the Christian Sabbath." Nothing could be
farther from the truth. The Adventist system is
"built upon the foundation of the apostles and
prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief corner-
stone, in whom all the building fitly framed together
groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord." Eph.
2:20, 21.
Episcopalianism Against the Dean.
IN the Bendigo Church News, of Dec. 1, 1906,.
lished, from which we take the following extract :—
" How many parts cf law were included under the law ?
To what does the moral law refer ?—To conduct—our
God and to man.
" How long shall that law be in force ?—Forever."
The fourth commandment is in the very bosom of
Why, then, does the Dean of Bendigo when in the
teaches through his official organ ?
AUGUST 5, 1907 THE SIGNS OF THE TIMES 487

Which day do you keep? And why?

1J Most professing Christians regard one day or other as a Sabbath.
Some keep the day which God appointed—the seventh day of the week ;
others, doubtless conscientiously, rest on Sunday, the first day of the
week. ci
But which is the day that we ought to observe ? 411 What is
the truth concerning this question ? 1To every living soul, at some
time, this question will come, "Which is right ?" Avoid it as we may,
at some time, alone with God, we must settle it each for ourselves,
and in the judgment day accept the result of our choice. ::

Facts Concerning the Sabbath

God gave the Sabbath to man at creation. Gen. 2 : 2, 3.
Christ says it was " made for man." Mark 2 : 27. And
it having been instituted at creation, many centuries before a
Jew existed, it cannot be said to have been made for the Jew-
. man or any other man in particular, but for all men of all
nationalities. Further, it being made for man, it could not at
the same time be against man, and amongst those things that
were taken out of the Way and nailed to the cross.
The Sabbath was observed by the Israelites before they
reached Sinai (Ex. 16: 23-30), at which place it was confirmed
when the law was spoken by God (Dent. 5 : 6-22), as the basis
of the first covenant. Ex. 19 : 5, 6, 19 ; 20 : 1-17.
It was God's memorial of creation (Ex. 20 : 8-111, and never
a shadow of things to come.
Prophecy foretold of the " man of sin " who should arise
and should "think to change times and laws." Dan. 7 : 25.
See page 489 for the " man of sin."
Prophecy also foretells a reform of the Sabbath in the last
days. Isa. 58 : 1-13 ; 56 : 1-6.
Under the new covenant, the Sabbath, in common with the
rest of God's law, is to be written in the hearts of men. Jer.
31 : 33 ; Heb. 8 : 10.
The preaching of the last message of mercy (Rev. 14 : 6-11)
brings out a people " who keep the commandments of God and
the faith of Jesus." Verse 12.
The law, of which the Sabbath is a part, is to be the
standard or basis of the judgment. Eccl. 12 : 13, 14 ; James 2 :
11, 12 ; Rom. 2 : 12, 16.

God's memorial endures throughout all generations (Ps.
135 : 13), therefore the seventh-day Sabbath still exists.
It was God's own appointed " sign " between Himself and
His people (Eze. 20 : 20) to continue "forever." Ex. 31 : 17.
The Sabbath was observed by Christ. Mark 1 : 21 ; Luke
4 : 16. He left us this example that we " should follow His
steps.' ' 1 Peter 2 : 21.
In the last mention of the Sabbath in the Bible it is called
" the Lord's day." Rev. 1 : 10. Compare this with—
Mark 2 : 28. The Son of man is Lord (owner) of the
Sabbath.
Ex. 20:10. " The seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord
thy God."
Isa. 58 : 13. " Turn away thy foot from the Sabbath . .
My holy day."

The disciples kept the Sabbath "according to the command-
ment " while Christ was lying in the grave. Luke 23 : 56.
Paul, the great apostle to the Gentiles,—who was converted
about four years after Pentecost, and after the cross, when
types and shadows ceased,—kept the seventh-day Sabbath, and
no other. Acts 13 : 14-16, 44 ; 16 : 13 ; 17 : 2 ; 18 : 4-11 ; 25 :
8 ; 28:17.
The Gentile believers to whom he preached also worshipped
on that day. Acts 13 : 42-44.
The last blessing in the Bible is pronounced upon those who
keep the Sabbath along with the other nine commandments,
Rev. 22 : 14.
The Sabbath will be kept in the new earth (Isa. 66 : 22, 23),
" wherein dwelleth righteousness." 2 Peter 3 : 13. If Sab-
bath-keeping there will be righteousness, then Sabbath-keeping
here is also righteousness (Ps. 119 : 172), and the Lord says
" My righteousness shall not be abolished " (Isa. 51 : 6), but
the people " that know righteousness" are " the people in
whose heart is My law." Isa. 51 : 7.

Thus, after the way which they call heresy, so

worship we the God of our fathers, believing all
things which are written in the law and in the
prophets. Acts 24:14. ::
488 THE SIGNS OF THE TIMES
Church of England.
THE following is from the " Prayer Book " and • Articles
of Religion " of this church :—
" Holy Scripture containeth all things necessary to salva-
tion ; so that whatsoever is not read therein, nor may be proved
thereby, is not to be required of any man, that it should be
believed as an article of the faith, or be thought requisite or
necessary to salvation."—Article 6.
"Although the law given from God by Moses as touching
ceremonies and rites does not bind Christian men, nor the civil
precepts thereof ought of necessity to be received in any com-
monwealth ; yet, notwithstanding, no Christian man whatsoever
is free from the obedience of the commandments called moral."
—From Art. VII.
" It is not lawful for the church to ordain anything that is
contrary to God's Word written. "—Article 20.
At communion, after the reading of each of the ten com-
mandments, the people repeat the familiar prayer :—
" Lord have mercy upon us, and incline our hearts to keep
this law."—Prayer Book.
" What did your godfathers and godmothers then for you ?
" They did promise and vow three things in my name.
First, that I should renounce the devil and all his works, the
pomps and vanity of this wicked world, and all the sinful lusts
of the flesh. Secondly, that I should believe all the Articles of
the Christian faith. And thirdly, that I should keep God's
holy will and commandments, and walk in the same all the
days of my life.
" Dost thou not think that thou art bound to believe, and to
do, as they have promised for thee ?
" Yes, verily ; and by God's help so I will."—From the
Church Catechism.
Presbyterian Church.
" The moral law doth forever bind all, as well justified
persons as others, to the obedience thereof ; and that not only
in regard to the matter contained in it, but also in respect of
the authority of God, the Creator, who gave it. Neither doth
Christ in the gospel any way dissolve, but much strengthen
this obligation."—Articles 2 and 5 of chap. 19 of the Con-
fession of Faith.
"'Ques.—What is the moral law ?
" Ans.—The moral law is the declaration of the will of God
to mankind, directing and binding everyone to personal, perfect,
and perpetual conformity and obedience thereunto.
" Q.—Where is the moral law summarily comprehended?
A .—The moral law is summarily comprehended in the ten
commandments, which were delivered by the voice'f God upon
Mount Sinai, and written by Him on two tables of stone ; and
are recorded in the twentieth chapter of Exodus. "—Questions
.93 and 98 in the Larger Catechism.
'' It is admitted that the precepts of the decalogue bind the
church in all ages ; while the specific details contained in the
books of Moses, designed to point out the way in which the
duty they enjoined was then to be performed, are no longer in
force. The fifth commandment still. binds children to obey
their parents ; but the Jewish law giving fathers the power of
life and death over their children, is no longer in force. The
seventh commandment forbids adultery, but the ordeal enjoined
for the trial of a woman suspected of that crime, is a thing of
the past. The same principle applies to the interpretation of
the fourth commandment. The command itself is still in force;
the Mosaic laws respecting the mode of its observance have
passed away with the economy to whiCh they belonged. It is
unjust, therefore, to represent the advocates of the continued
obligation of the fourth commandment, as Judaisers. They
are no more Judaisers than those who hold that the other pre-
cepts of the decalogue are still in force. "—Hodge's Systematic
Theology, vol. 3, pp. 337, 338.
Other Protestant declarations are similar. The great fact is
that Protestants are face to face with these principles in the
Sabbath question. Will they follow the Word ? or will they
repudiate both that and their articles of faith ?
AUGUST 5, 1907
Wesleyan Church.
"Ques.—What does God require of man?
" Ans.—Obedience to His revealed will.
" Q.—What is the rule of our obedience ?
" A .—The moral law.
" Q.—Where is the moral law given ?
" A .—In the ten commandments. Ex. 20 : 1-17.—Catechism
of the Methodist Binscofial Church, No. 2, p. 38.
11
THE LAW OF GOD
AS ENDORSED BY LEADING PROTESTANT
DENOMINATIONS
I.
Thou shalt have no other gods before Me.
II.
Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image,
or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above,
or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water
under the earth: thou shalt not bow down thyself to
them, nor serve them : for I the Lord thy God am a
jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon
the children unto the third and fourth generation of
them that hate Me; "and showing mercy unto thousands
of them that love Me and keep My commandments.
III.
Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God
in vain ; for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that
taketh His name in vain.
IV.
Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six
days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work : but the
seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it
thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy
daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor
thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates : 4
for in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the
sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh
day : wherefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day, and
hallowed it.
V.
Honour thy father and thy mother : that thy days
may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God
giveth thee.
VI.
Thou shalt not kill.
VII.
Thou shalt not commit adultery.
VIII.
Thou shalt not steal.
IX.
Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy
neighbour.
X.
Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house, thou
shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife, nor his man-
servant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass,
nor any thing that is thy neighbour's.
Baptist Church.
" We believe that the law of God is the eternal and un-
changeable rule of His moral government ; that it is holy, just,
and good ; and that the inability which the Scriptures ascribe
to fallen man to fulfil its precepts arises entirely from their love
of sin ; to deliver them from which, and to restore them
through a Mediator to unfeigned obedience to the holy law, is
one great end of the gospel, and of the means of grace con-
nected with the establishment of the visible church."—Article
12 of the Declaration of Faith.
 AUGUST 5, 1907 THE SIGNS OF THE TIMES 489

" He can pronounce sentences and judgments in contra-

Papal Assumptions. diction to the right of nations, to the law of God and man."—
Dr. Guistianni says: " Go to Rome and you will read on Decret. de Translat. Eli. cop. CaP.
the gate of the city ` Paulus III. Pontifex opt., Maxim in
terris Deus.' Paul III. high priest, the best, the greatest, and
GOD ON EARTH." Papal Claims.
" To make war with the Pope is to make war against God, " The Bible says, ' Remember that thou keep holy the Sab-
seeing the POPE IS GOD, AND GOD IS THE POPE."— bath day.' The Catholic Church says, No ! By my divine
Moreri's History. power I abolish the Sabbath day, and command you to keep
holy the first day of the week. And, lo, the entire civilised
world bows down in reverent obedience to the command of the
holy Catholic Church!"—"Father" T. Enright, C.S.S.R., of
Redemptorist College, Kansas City, Mo., in American
THE LAW OF GOD Sentinel, June 1, 1893.
" Sunday as a day of the week set apart for the obligatory
AS CHANGED BY THE PAPACY public worship of Almighty God, . . . is purely a creation
of the Catholic Church."—American Catholic Quarterly Re-
'He shall think himself able to change times and laws." Dan. 7:25. Douay Bible view, January, 1883.
Cardinal Gibbons, in a letter to Mr. E. E. Franke, of
Williamsport, Pa., under date of Oct. 3, 1889, says :—
I. " The. Catholic Church changed the day of rest from the
I am the Lord thy God; thou shalt not have strange last to the first day of the week because the most memorable of
gods before Me. Christ's works was accomplished on Sunday. They, (Protest-
ants) cannot prove their point from Scripture ; therefore, if
sincere, they must acknowledge that they draw their observance
(The original second commandment is omitted.) of the Sunday from tradition, and are, therefore, weekly con-
tradicting themselves."
II. A.D. 190.—The first effort made by Rome to rule the Chris-
Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God tian church was an edict in behalf of Sunday. The Eastern
in vain. churches celebrated the Passover (Easter) on the 14th day of
the first Jewish month, without regard to the day of the week.
III. Rome began keeping it on the Sunday following " Good
Friday." Victor, Bishop of Rome, made a decree imposing
Remember that thou keep holy the Sabbath day. the custom of Rome upon all the churches, that is, to observe
the Passover on Sunday. " This bold attempt," says Bower
(" Hist. of the Popes," vol. 1. pp. 18, 19), " we may call the
IV. first essay of papal usurpation." See also Dowling's Hist. of
Honour thy father and thy mother. Romanism," book 1, chap. 2, sec. 9. In the heading of page
32, Dowling, a Methodist Episcopal, calls this attempt of
Victor in behalf of Sunday exaltation, " the earliest instance of
V Romish assumption."
Thou shalt not kill. " The observance of Sunday by Protestants is an homage
PO)
they pay, in spite of themselves, to the authority of the (Catholic)
VI. Church."—Plain Talk about the Protestantism of To-day,
by Monseigneur Segur.
Thou shalt not commit adultery.
" You may read the Bible from Genesis to Revelation, and
you will not find a single line authorising the sanctification of
VII. Sunday. The Scriptures enforce the religious observance of
Saturday, a day which we never sanctify."—Faith of Our
Thou shalt not steal. Fathers, by James Cardinal Gibbons, of Baltimore.

VIII.
Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy
neighbour.
IX.
Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife,
X.
Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's goods.
(See General Catholic Catechism, Butler's Catholic
Catechism, etc.)
" The Pope is all, in all, and above all, so that GOD HIM-
SELF AND THE POPE, the Vicar of God, ARE BUT ONE
CONSISTORY."—Hostiensis Cap., etc.
" The Pope's will stands for reason. He can dispense
above the law, and of wrong make right by correcting and
changing laws.—Pope Nicholas, Dist. 96.
" The Pope has power to change times, to abrogate laws,
and to dispense with all things, even the precepts of Christ.
" Oues.—Have you any other way of proving that the
Church has power to institute festivals of precept ?
"Ans.—Had she not such power, she could not have done
that in which all modern religionists agree with her ; she could
not have substituted the observance of Sunday, the first day of
the week, for the observance of Saturday, the seventh day, a
change kr which there is no scriptural authority."—Doctrinal
Catechism, by Rev. Stephen Keenan.
" The Catholic Church for over one thousand years before
the existence of a Protestant, by virtue of her divine mission,
changed the day from Saturday to Sunday. . . . The
Christian Sabbath is therefore to this day the acknowledged
offspring of the Catholic Church as spouse of the Holy Ghost,
without a word of remonstrance from the Protestant world."—
The Catholic Mirror (Card. Gibbon's official organ), Sept.
23, 1893.
" The Bible commands you to keep the Sabbath day. Sun-
day is not the Sabbath day ; no man dare assert that it is ; for
the Bible says as plainly as words can make it that the seventh
day is the Sabbath, i.e., Saturday; for we know Sunday to be
the first day of the week. . . . I will give $1,000 to any
man who will prove by the Bible alone that Sunday is the day
we are bound to keep. . . . The observance of Sunday is
solely a law of the Catholic Church. . . . The church
changed the Sabbath to Sunday, and all the world bows down
and worships upon that day, in silent obedience to the mandates
of the Catholic Church."—" Father " Enright, of the College
of Redemptorist Fathers, Kansas City, Mo., in Hartford
(Mo.) Weekly Call, Feb. 22, 1884.
490 THE SIGNS OF THE TIMES
Evidence of Historians and Others Concerning the First Day of the Week.
DR. COLEMAN. —" No law or precept appears to.have been
given by Christ or the apostles, either for the abrogation of the
Jewish Sabbath or the institution of the. Lord's day, or the sub-
stitution of the first for the seventh day of the week."—Ancient
Christianity, chap. 26, sec. 2.
CHRISTIAN AT WORK.—' So some have tried to build the
observance of Sunday upon apostolic command, whereas the
apostles gave no command on the matter at all. . . . The
truth is, so soon as we appeal to the litera scripta [the literal
writing] of the Bible, the Sabbatarians have the best of the
argument."—Editorial, April 19, 1883.
AUGSBURG CONFESSION.—" The observance of the Lord's
day (Sunday) is founded not on any command of God, but
on the authority of the church."—Catholic Sabbath Manual,
part 2, chap. 1, sec. 10.
CHURCH OF ENGLAND.—"And where are we told in the
Scriptures that we are to keep the first day at all ? We are
commanded to keep the seventh ; but we are nowhere com-
manded 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 the church, has enjoined it."—Rev. Isaac
Williams, B.D., Plain Sermons on the Catechism, vol. 1,
p. 334.
CANON EYTON.—" There is no word, no hint, in the New
Testament about abstaining from work on Sunday." " No
commandment of God bids us do this or not do that on Sunday ;
we are absolutely free as far as His law goes." " The observ-
ance of Ash Wednesday or Lent stands on exactly the same
footing as the observance of Sunday." " Into the rest of Sun-
day no divide law enters."—The Ten Commandments.
DR. R. W. DALE.—" It is quite clear that however rigidly
or devoutly we may spend Sunday we are not keeping the Sab-
bath." " The Sabbath was founded on a specific divine com-
mand. We can plead no such command for the observance of
Sunday." " There is not a single sentence in the New Testa-
ment to suggest that we incur any penalty by violating the
supposed sanctity of Sunday."—The Ten Commandments.
METHODIST.—" It is true, there is no positive command for
. nor is there any for keeping holy the
infant baptism, .
first day of the week."—M. E. Theological Compendium, p.
'103.
DISCIPLES' CHURCH OF CHRIST.—" Others observe the
first day, contending without a particle of evidence that the
commandment has been changed from the seventh day to the
first. Our preachers are by no means agreed in their teachings.
They have no well-defined views on the subject, and are defeated
when they attempt a defence of our practice of observing the
first day, or a review of the arguments of the advocates of the
seventh day."—Rev. Clark Braden (ex fires. Antioch College)
in Christian Standard, Sept. 26, 1874.
SIR WM. DOMVILLE (CHURCH OF ENGLAND).—" Centuries
of the Christian era passed away before Sunday was observed
by the Christian church as a Sabbath. History does not furnish
us with a single proof or indication that it was at any time so
observed previous to the Sabbatical edict of Constantine in A.D.
321."—Examination of Six Texts, p. 291.
BISHOP TAYLOR (CHURCH OF ENGLAND).—" The Lord's
day did not succeed in the place of the Sabbath, . . . and
the Lord's day was merely an ecclesiastical institution. It was
not introduced by virtue of the fourth commandment, because
they for almost three hundred years together kept that day
which was in that commandment ; but they did it also without
any opinion of prime obligation, and therefore they did not
suppose it moral."—Duct. Dubitantium, book 2, chap. 2,
sec. 51.
ENCYC. BRITANNICA.—" It was Constantine the Great who
first made a law for the proper observance of Sunday ; who
appointed it should be regularly celebrated throughout the
Roman Empire."—Art. Sunday.
CHAMBERS' ENCYC.—‘ Unquestionably the first law, either
ecclesiastical or civil, by which the Sabbatical observance of
Sunday is known to have been ordained is the Sabbatical edict
of Constantine, A.D. 321."—Art. Sunday.
"In vain they do worship MP, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men."—Christ. Matt. 15:9. "His servants
ye are to whom ye obey." Rom. 6:16. "Choose ye this day whom ye will serve." Josh. 24:15.
AUGUST :907
The first law, either ecclesiastical or civil, for Sunday
observance is the following : " On the venerable day of the
sun let the magistrates and people residing in cities rest, and
let all workshops be closed. In the country, however, persons
engaged in agriculture may freely and lawfully continue their
pursuits ; because it often happens that another day is not so suit-
able for grain sowing or for vine planting ; lest by neglecting
the proper moment for such operatiOns, the bounty of heaven
should be lost. (Given the 7th day of March, Crispus and
Constantine being consuls each of them for the second time.)"
—Schaff's Hist. of the Christian Church, vol. 3, chap. 75.
DR. PRYNNE (1633).—" The seventh day . . . was
solemnised by Christ, the apostles, and primitive Christians, till
the Laodicean Council did, in a manner, quite abolish the
observance of it. The Council of Laodicea (364 A.D.) first
settled the observation on the Lord's day, and prohibited .
the keeping of the Jewish Sabbath under an anathema."—Dis-
sertation of the Lord's Day, p. 163.
COUNCIL OF LAODICEA (A.D. 364).—" Christians shall not
Judaise and be idle on the Sabbath, but shall WORK on that
day ; but the Lord's' day they shall especially honour, and, as
being Christians, shall IF POSSIBLE do no work on that day.
If, however, they be found Judaising, they shall be accursed
from Christ."—Canon 29.
BISHOP TAYLOR.—" The primitive Christians did all
manner of work upon the Lord's day, even in time of persecu-
tion, when they are the strictest observers of all the divine
commandments ; but in this they knew there was none."—
Book 2, chap. 2, sec. 59.
NEANDER (leading Church Historian).—" The festival of
Sunday, like all other festivals, was always only a human
ordinance, and it was far from the intentions of the apostles to
establish a divine command in this respect, and far from the
early apostolic church to transfer the laws of the Sabbath to
Sunday."—Rose's Translation, p. 186.
" It is commonly believed that the Jewish Sabbath was
changed into the Lord's day by Christian emperors, and they
know little who do not know that the ancient Sabbath did
remain and was observed by the Eastern church three
hundred years after our Saviour's passion." " That church
being the great part of Christendom, and having the apostles'
doctrine and example to instruct them, would have restrained it
if it had been deadly."—Prof. Edward Brerewood, of Gres-
ham College, London, a member of the Church of England,
in a work entitled" Learned Treatise of the Sabbath," p. 77,
Oxford, 1631.
DR. COLEMAN.—" Down even to the fifth century the
observance of the Jewish Sabbath was continued in the Christian
church, but with a rigour and solemnity gradually diminishing
until it was wholly discontinued." In speaking of the first day,
he says : " During the early ages of the church it [the Sunday]
was never entitled ' the Sabbath,' this word being confined to
the seventh day of the week, the Jewish Sabbath, which, as we
have already said, continued to be observed for several centuries
by the converts to Christianity. "—Ancient Christianity, chap.
26, sec. 2.
A.D. 338.—Says Eusebius, the friend and flatterer of Con-
stantine ("Commentary on the Psalms," quoted in Cox's " Sab-
bath Literatum," vol. 1, p. 361): "And all things whatsoever
that it was duty to do on the Sabbath, these WE [Constantine,
Eusebius, and other bishops] have transferred to the Lord's
day, as more appropriately belonging to it." This is a fair
example of apostasy's assuming authority to alter what Christ
or His apostles did not even presume to change in any way.
DR. HEYLYN (CHURCH OF ENGLAND).—" Thus do we see
upon what ground the Lord's day stands; on custom first, and
voluntary consecration of it to religious meetings; that custom
countenanced by the authority of the church of God, which
tacitly approved the same ; and finally confirmed and ratified
by Christian princes throughout their empires, . . and
after from the canons and decrees of councils, the decretals of
popes and orders of particular prelates when the sole managing
of ecclesiastical affairs was committed to them."—History of
the Sabbath, part 2, chap. 3, sec. 12.
AUGUST 5, 1907 THE SIGNS OF THE TIMES
Did Christ Abolish the Sabbath?
By Mrs. E. G. White.
THE Sabbath was not for Israel merely, but for
the world. It had been made known to man in
Eden, and, like the other precepts of the decalogue,
it is of imperishable obligation. Of that law of which
the fourth commandment forms a part, Christ declares,
"Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle
shall, in no wise pass from the law." So long as the
heavens and the earth endure, the Sabbath will con-
tinue as a sign of the Creator's power. And when
Eden shall bloom on earth again, God's holy rest-day
will be honoured by all beneath the sun. " From
one Sabbath to another" the inhabitants of the glori-
fied new earth shall go up "to worship before Me,
saith the Lord."
No other institution which was committed to the
Jews tended so fully to distinguish them from sur-
rounding nations as did the Sabbath. God designed
that its observance should designate them as His
worshippers. It was to be a token of their separation
from idolatry, and their connection with the true God.
But in order to keep the Sabbath holy, men must
them-selves be holy. Through faith they must be-
come partakers of the righteousness of Christ. When
the command was given to Israel, "Remember the
Sabbath day, to keep it holy," the Lord said also to
them, "Ye shall be holy men unto Me." Only thus
could the Sabbath distinguish Israel as the wor-
shippers of God.
As the Jews departed from God, and failed to
make the righteousness of Christ their own by faith,
the Sabbath lost its significance to them. Satan was
seeking to exalt himself and to draw men away from
Christ, and he worked to pervert the Sabbath, because
it is the sign of the power of Christ. The Jewish
leaders accomplished the will of Satan by surround.
ing God's rest-day with burdensome requirements.
In the days of Christ the Sabbath had become so
perverted that its observance reflected the character
of selfish and arbitrary men, rather than the character
of the loving Heavenly Father. The rabbis virtually
represented God as giving laws which it was im-
possible for men to obey. They led the people to
look upon God as a tyrant, and to think that the
observance of the Sabbath, as He required it, made
men hard-hearted and cruel. It was the work of
Christ to clear away these misconceptions. Although
the rabbis followed Him with merciless hostility, He
did not even appear to conform to their requirements,
but went straight forward, keeping the Sabbath
according to the law of God.
Upon one Sabbath day, as the Saviour and His
disciples returned from the place of worship, they
passed through a field of ripening grain. Jesus had
continued His work to a late hour, and while passing
through the fields, the disciples began to gather the
heads of grain, and to eat the kernels after rubbing
them in their hands. On any other day this act
would have excited no comment, for one passing
through a field of grain, an orchard, or a vineyard,
was at liberty to gather what he desired to eat.
But to do this on the Sabbath was held to be an act
of desecration. Not only was the gathering of the
grain a kind of reaping, but the rubbing of it in the
491
hands was a kind of threshing. Thus, in the opinion
of the rabbis, there was a double offence.
The spies at once complained to Jesus, saying,
" Behold Thy disciples do that which is not lawful to
do upon the Sabbath day."
Those who hold that Christ abolished the law,
teach that He broke the Sabbath, and justified His
disciples in doing the same. Thus they are really
taking the same ground as did the cavilling Jews.
In this they contradict the testimony of Christ Him-
self, who declared, " I have kept My Father's com-
mandments, and abide in His love." Neither the
Saviour nor His followers broke the law of the
Sabbath. Christ was a living representative of the
law. No violation of its holy precepts was found in
His life. Looking upon a nation of witnesses who
were seeking occasion to condemn Him, He could
say unchallenged, " Which of you convicteth Me
of sin ?"
The Saviour had not come to set aside what
patriarchs and prophets had spoken; for He Him-
self had spoken through these representative men.
All the truths of God's Word came from Him. But
these priceless gems had been placed in false settings.
Their precious light had been made to minister to
error. God desired them to be removed from their
settings of error and replaced in the framework of
truth. This work only a divine hand could accom-
plish. By its connection with error, the truth had
been serving the cause of the enemy of God and
man. Christ had come to place it where it would
glorify God, and work the salvation of humanity.
" The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for
the Sabbath," Jesus said. The institutions that God
has established are for the benefit of mankind. "All
things are for your sakes." " Whether Paul, or
Apollos, or Cephas, or the world, or life, or death, or
things present, or things to come ; all are yours ; and
ye are Christ's ; and Christ is God's." The law of
ten commandments, of which the Sabbath forms a
part, God gave to His people as a blessing. " The
Lord commanded us," said Moses, " to do all these
statutes, to fear the Lord our God, for our good.
always, that He might preserve us alive." And
through the psalmist the message was given to
Israel, " Serve the Lord with gladness ; come before
His presence with singing. Know ye that the Lord
He is God ; it is He that hath made us, and not we
ourselves ; we are His people, and the sheep of His
pasture. Eater into His gates with thanksgiving,
and into His courts with praise." And of all who
"keep the Sabbath from polluting it," the Lord de-
clares, "Even them will I bring to My holy moun-
tain, and make them joyful in My house of prayer."
" Wherefore the Son of man is Lord also of the
Sabbath." These words are full of instruction and
comfort. Because the Sabbath was made for man,
it is the Lord's day. It belongs to Christ. For "all
things were made by Him; and without Him was
not anything made that was made." Since He made
all things, He made the Sabbath. By Him it was
set apart as a memorial of the work of creation. It
points to Him as both the Creator and the Sanctifier.
It declares that He who created all things in heaven
and in earth, and by whom all things hold together,
is the head of the church, and that by His power we
are reconciled to God. For, speaking of Israel, He
492 THE SIGNS OF THE . TIMES AUGUST 5, 1907

said, " I gave them My Sabbaths, to be a sign be- Men who would detect the slightest error or failure
tween Me and them, that they might know that I am in the fulfilment of your agreement, and men who
the Lord that sanctify them,"—make them holy. would feel insulted if you would even suppose them
Then the Sabbath is a sign of Christ's power to make capable of dishonesty in business, constantly steal the
us holy. And it is given to all whom Christ makes Sabbath of Jehovah, apply the holy day to their own
holy. As a sign of His sanctifying power, the Sab- purposes, and then in justification of their wrong
bath is given to all who through Christ become a part action state that it does not matter, for God is not so
of the Israel of God. particular.
And the Lord says, " If thou turn away thy foot Even religious leaders who have preached and
from the Sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on My written in eloquent terms concerning the beauty and
holy day, and call the Sabbath a delight, the holy of changeless character of the Divine Word, and
the Lord, honourable; . . . then shalt thou de- especially of the marble enshrined dictates from Sinai,
light thyself in the Lord." To all who receive the seem as though they feared not to cast the falsehood
Sabbath as a sign of Christ's creative and redeeming in Jehovah's face, as they proclaim first-day sacred-
power, it will be a delight. Seeing Christ in it, they ness as of divine injunction. They may turn a little
delight themselves in Him. The Sabbath points pale as they meet the situation—holding a Bible that
them to the works of creation as an evidence of His speaks only of the seventh day as the Sabbath, God's
mighty power in redemption. While it calls to mind own and only sacred day, while by precept and
the lost peace of Eden, it tells of peace restored example they endeavour to establish the claims of the
through the Saviour. And every object in nature solar holiday." Yes, even the men who appear
repeats His invitation, " Come unto Me, all ye that jealous for the honour and verity of the GOd of heaven,
labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you will turn with the irresponsible multitude to say and
zest." Matt. 11 : 28. teach that the Creator's sanctification of the seventh
day does not matter !
Oh, what foul spirit is it that has to-day so shaded
Does It Matter? the dignity and veracity of God's Word, that even
By R. Hare. professed Christian teachers, with that Book in their
IN the world to-day there are many clear-minded s,. can stand before their fellowmen and declare,
business men who understand all about financial whethei in obedience or disobedience, " it does not
calculations. There are also many profound thinkers matter."
and logical reasoners who can systematically apply In all financial matters, in all scientific calculations,
their analytic or synthetic methods of argument in in all measurements among men, one means one "
guiding the minds of their fellow men to desired con- and semen means " seven," yet men, with all their
clusions. The world has also its mathematicians, boasted reason and claim to common sense, will look
men who can measure the heavens, calculate star you up and down and say that when God says
distances, weigh suns and worlds, tell the hour and " seventh " He does not mean " seventh," but rather
moment of eclipse and transit, and demonstrate the " first " instead. So hundreds and thousands to-day
proximity of invisible bodies which are to be seen are trying to convince themselves that although God
only through the telescope. says seventh," He in some way means " first," and
Yet again the world has its law doctors, men that after all it does not matter.
versed in jurisprudence, who can analyse evidence But does it not matter ? Is God such a variable
with the penetration of a Solomon, or the candour of Being that right and wrong do not count with Him ?
a Blackstone. It has its legislators, who feel equal Is He so indefinite that His commands must take a
to the correction of all false or injurious laws, and the secondary place, and that obedience and disobedience
creation of all right demands for both social and are both alike to Him?
political welfare. Does it make no difference whether you first obey
It must be remembered too, that the world has its the King of heaven, or the kings of the earth ?
religious leaders, by multiplied thousands, who hold Whether you obey the God over all, or the power that
or profess to hold the Bible as the true guide in all has thought to make itself equal with God in changing
matters relative to Christian life and duty. times and laws ?' Whether we rer,ard the will of
Yet for all this, when, the business men, the Jehovah or the will of our fellowmen ? Whether
logicians, the scientists, the legislators, or the religious man yields obedience to the command of God, or to
leaders come face to fac e with the requirements of the dictates of his own selfish imagination ?
God's law as found in the fourth commandment, every Does it not matter, then ? It did in the case of
principle of enumeration, every law of logic, every Adam—he disobeyed and died. It did with the young
rule of legal interpretation, and even the command of priests who offered " strange fire " before the Lord—
Jehovah Himself, is either forgotten or set aside, and the lightning stroke flashed out in quick destruction.
we are quietly told that the seventh day " of the It did also in the case of Uzzah—when unsanctified
fourth commandment " does not matter ! " hands took hold of the sacred ark, the pronouncement
True, that fourth commandment says distinctly, of doom followed very swiftly. It surely does matter,
.4' The seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God." for obedience is the way of life, while the way that
And a law, above all other things, must mean what it seems right to a man—the way of disobedience—is
says. Yet the very men who appear logical and the' way of death.
reasonable in the application of every principle in Reader, which way are you choosing—the way of
business life, will quietly tell us that this does not life or the way of death ? Either you must take.
literally mean " the seventh day," but rather, one day " It does not matter," is the path to ruin, but in the way
-in seven, but as to which one, it does not matter ! of life every dictate of Jehovah must be a holy thing.
AUGUST 5, 1907 THE SIGNS OF THE TIMES
The Sabbath in the Apostolic
Church.
By J. N. Andrews.
THAT the apostolic church did sacredly regard the
Sabbath, as well as all the other precepts of the moral
law, admits of no doubt. The fact is proved, not
merely because the early Christians were not accused
of its violation by their most inveterate enemies ; nor
wholly by the fact that they held sin to be the trans-
gression of the law, and that the law was the great
standard by which sin is shown, and that by which
sin becomes exceeding sinful. These points are cer-
tainly very decisive evidence that the apostolic church
did keep the fourth commandment. The testimony
of James relative to the ten commandments, that he
who violates one of them becomes guilty of all, is yet
another strong evidence that the primitive church did
sacredly regard the whole law of God. But besides
these facts we .have a peculiar guarantee that the
Sabbath of the Lord was not forgotten by the
apostolic church. In the history of the primitive
church we have several important references to the
Sabbath. The first of these is as follows :—
" But when they departed from Perga, they came to
Antioch in Pisidia, and went into the synagogue on the Sab-
bath day, and sat down." Acts 13: 14.
By invitation of the rulers of the synagogue, Paul
delivered an extended address, proving that Jesus was
the Christ. In the course of these remarks he used
the following language :—
" For they that dwell at Jerusalem, and their rulers, be-
cause they knew Him not, nor yet the voices of the prophets
which are read every Sabbath day, they have fulfilled them in
condemning Him." Verse 27.
When Paul's discourse was concluded, we read:-
- And when the Jews were gone out of the synagogue, the
Gentiles besought that these words might be preached to them
the next Sabbath.* Now when the congregation was broken
up, many of the Jews and religious proselytes followed Paul
and Barnabas : who speaking to them, persuaded them to
continue in the grace of God. And the next Sabbath day came
almost the whole city tegether to hear the Word of God."
Verses 42-44. •
These texts show, 1. That by the term Sabbath
in the book of Acts is meant that day on which the
Jewish people assembled in the synagogue to listen to
the voices of the prophets. 2. That as this discourse
was fourteen years after the resurrection of Christ,
and the record of it by Luke some thirty years after
that event, it follows that the alleged change of the
Sabbath at the resurrection of Christ had not, even
after many years, come to the knowledge of either
Luke or Paul. 3. That here was a remarkable
opportunity to mention the change of the Sabbath,
had it been true that the Sabbath had been changed
in honour of Christ's resurrection, For when Paul
was asked to preach the same words the next Sab-
bath, he might have answered that the following day
was now the proper day for divine worship. And
*Dr. Bloomfield has the fallowing note on this text : " The
words, eis TO ihcTae: o-a/3[3., are by many commentators sup-
posed to mean ' on some intermediate week-day.' But that is
refuted by verse 44, and the sense expressed in our common
version is, no doubt, the true one. It is adopted by the best
recent commentators, and confirmed by the ancient versions."
Greek Testament with English Notes, vol. 1, p. 521. And
Prof. Hacket has a similar note.—Commentary on Acts, p. 233.
493
Luke, in placing this incident upon record, could not
well avoid the mention of this new day, had it been
true that another day had become the Sabbath of the
Lord. 4. That as this second meeting pertained
almost wholly to Gentiles, it cannot be said in this
case that Paul preached upon the Sabbath out of
regard to the Jews. On the contrary, the narrative
strongly indicates Paul's regard for the Sabbath as
the proper day for divine worship. 5. Nor can it be
denied that the Sabbath was well understood by the
Gentiles in this city, and that they had some degree
of regard for it, a fact which may be corroborated by
other texts.
Several years after these things, the apostles
assembled at Jerusalem to consider the question of
circumcision. " Certain men which came down from
Judea," finding the Gentiles uncircumcised, had
" taught the brethren, and said, Except ye be circum-
cised after the manner of Moses ye cannot be saved."
Had they found the Gentiles neglecting the Sabbath,
unquestionably this would have first called out their
rebuke. It is indeed worthy of notice that no dispute
at this time existed in the church relative to the
observance of the Sabbath ; for none was brought
before this apostolic assembly. Yet had it been true
that the change of the Sabbath was then advocated,
or that Paul had taught the Gentiles to neglect the
Sabbath, without doubt those who brought up the
question of circumcision would have urged that of the,
Sabbath with even greater earnestness. That the
law of Moses, the observance of which was under
discussion in this assembly; Is not the ten command-
ments is evident from several decisive facts. 1. Be-
cause that Peter calls the code under consideration a
yoke which neither their fathers nor themselves were
able to bear. But James expressly calls that royal law,
which, on his own showing, embodies the ten com-
mandments, a law of liberty. 2. Because that this
assembly did decide against the authority of the law
of Moses ; and yet James, who was a member of this
body, did some years afterward solemnly enjoin
obedience to the commandments, affirming that he
who violated one was guilty of all. Acts 15: 10, 28, 29.
3. Because the chief feature in the law of Moses as
here presented was circumcision. But circumcision
was not in the ten commandments ; and were it true
that the law of Moses includes these commandments,
circumcision would not in that case be a chief feature
of that law. 4. Finally, because that the precepts
still declared obligatory are not properly either of the
ten commandments. These were, first, the pro-
hibition of meats offered to idols ; second, of blood ;
third, of things strangled; and fourth, of fornication.
Each of these precepts may be often found in the
books of Moses, and the first and last ones come
under the second and seventh commandments respect-
ively ; but neither of these cover but a part of that
which is forbidden in either commandment. It is
evident, therefore, that the authority of the ten com-
mandments was not under consideration in this
assembly, and that the decision of that assembly had
no relation to those precepts. For other wise the
apostles released the Gentiles from all obligation to
eight of the ten commandments, and from the greater
prohibitions contained in the other two.
It is evident that those greatly err who represent
the Gentiles as released from the obligation of the
494 THE SIGNS OF THE TIMES AUGUST 5, 1907

Sabbath by this assembly. The question did not Such was the origin of the Thessalonian church.
come before the apostles on this occasion ; a strong That it was an assembly of Sabbath-keepers at its
proof that the Gentiles had not been taught to neglect beginning admits of no doubt. For besides the few
the Sabbath, as they had to omit circumcision, which Jews who received the gospel through the labours of
was the occasion of its being brought before the Paul, there was a great multitude of devout Greeks ;
apostles at Jerusalem. Yet the Sabbath wds referred that is, of Gentiles who had united themselves with
to in this very assembly as an existing institution, and the Jews in the worship of God upon the Sabbath.
that, too, in connection with the Gentile Christians. We have a strong proof of the fact that they continued
Thus when James pronounced sentence upon the to observe the Sabbath after their reception of the
question, he used the following language :— gospel in the following words of Paul addressed to
" Wherefore my sentence is, that we trouble not them, them as a church of Christ :—
which from among the Gentiles are turned to God : but that we " For ye, brethren, became followers of the churches of
write unto them, that they abstain from pollutions of idols, and God which in Judea are in Christ Jesus." 1 Thess. 2 : 14.
from fornication, and from things strangled, and from blood.
For Moses of old time bath in every city them that preach him, The churches in Judea, as we have seen, were
being read in the synagogues every Sabbath day." Acts observers of the Sabbath of the Lord. The first
15 : 19-21. Thessalonian converts, before they received the gos-
This last fact is given by James as a reason for pel, were Sabbath-keepers, and when they became a
the course proposed toward the brethren among the Christian church they adopted the churches in Judea
Gentiles. " For Moses of old time hath in every city as their proper examples. And this church was
them that preach him, being read in the synagogues adopted as an example by the churches of Macedonia
every Sabbath day." From this it is apparent that and Achaia. In this number were included the•
the ancient custom of divine worship upon the Sab- churches of Philippi and of Corinth. Thus writes
bath was not only preserved by the Jewish people Paul :—
and carried with them into every city of the Gentiles, " And ye became followers of us, and of the Lord, having
but that the Gentile Christians did attend these meet- received the word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy
ings. Otherwise the reason assigned by James would Macedonia Ghost : so that ye were ensaml'les to all that believe in
lose all its force, as having no application to this of the Lord,and Achaia. For from you sounded out the word
not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in
case. That they did attend them strongly attests the every place your faith to Godward is spread abroad." 1 Thess.
Sabbath as the day of divine worship with the Gen- 1: 7, 8.
tile churches. After these things, Paul came to Corinth. Here,
That the ancient Sabbath of the Lord had neither he first found Aquila and Priscilla.
been abrogated nor changed prior to this meeting of " And because he was of the same craft, he abode with
the apostles, is strongly attested by the nature of the them and wrought ; for by their occupation they were tent-
dispute here adjusted. And the close of their makers. And he reasoned in the synagogue every Sabbath,
assembly beheld the Bible Sabbath still sacredly and persuaded the Jews and the Greeks." Acts 18 : 3. 4,
enthroned within the citadel of the fourth command- At this place also Paul found Gentiles as well as
ment. After this, in a vision of the night, Paul was Jews in attendance upon the worship of God on the
called to visit Macedonia. In obedience to this call Sabbath. The first members of the church at
he came to Philippi, which is the chief city of that Corinth were therefore observers of the Sabbath at
part of Macedonia. Thus Luke records the visit :— the time when they received the gospel ; and, as we
" And we were in that city abiding certain days. And on have seen, they adopted as their pattern the Sabbath-
the Sabbath we went out of the city by a river side, where keeping church of Thessalonica, who in turn patterned
prayer was wont to be made ; and we sat down, and spake after the churches in Judea.
unto the women which resorted thither. And a certain woman The first churches were founded in the land of
named Lydia, a seller of purple, of the city of Thyatira, which Judea. All their members had from childhood been
worshipped God, heard us ; whose heart the Lord opened, that
:she attended unto the things which were spoken of Paul." familiar with the law of God, and well understood
Acts 16 : 12-14. the precept, " Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it
This does not appear to have been a gathering of holy." Besides this precept, all these churches had
Jews, but Gentiles, who, like Cornelius, were wor- a peculiar memento of the Sabbath. They knew
shippers of the true God. Thus it is seen that the from our Lord Himself that the time was coming
church of the Philippians originated with a pious when they must all suddenly flee from that land.
assembly of Sabbath-keeping Gentiles. And it is And in view of this fact, they were to pray that the
likely that Lydia and those employed by her in moment of their sudden flight might not be upon the
business, who were evidently observers of the Sab- Sabbath ; a prayer which was designed to preserve
bath. were the means of introducing the gospel into the sacredness of the Sabbath. That the churches in
their own city of Thyatira. Judea were composed of Sabbath-keeping members
" Now when they had passed through Amphipolis and
admits, therefore, of no doubt.
Apolionia, they came to Thessaionica, where was a synagogue Of the churches founded outside the land of
of tim Jews. And Paul, as his manner was,* went in unto J udea, whose origin is given in the book of Acts,
them, and three Sabbath days reasoned with them out of the nearly all began with Jewish converts. These were
Scriptures. . . And some of them believed, and consorted Sabbath-keepers when they received the gospel.
with Paul and Silas ; and of the devout Greeks a great
multitude, and of the chief women not a few." Acts 17 : 1-4. Among these, the Gentile converts were engrafted,
And it is worthy of notice that in a large number of
*Paul's manner is exemplified by the following texts, in all
cases those Gentiles are termed "devout Greeks,"
of which it would appear that the meetings in question were "religious proselytes," persons that 56 worshipped
upon the Sabbath. Acts 13 : 5 ; 14 : 1 ; 17: 10, 17 ; 18 : 19; God," that feared God and that " prayed to God
19: 8. alway." These Gentiles, at the time of their con-
AUGUST 5, 1907 THE SIGNS OF THE TIMES 495

version to the gospel, were, as we have seen, wor-

shippers of God upon the Sabbath with the Jewish
people. When James had proposed the kind of
letter that should be addressed by the apostles to the The Sabbath Question
Gentile, converts, he assigned a reason for its adoption,
the force of which can now be appreciated : " For
Moses," said he " of old time hath in EVERY CITY The following publications will .prove very helpful to all Bible
students who are interested in this important subject :—
them that preach him, being read in the synagogue
every Sabbath day." The Sabbatarian character of History of the Sabbath
the apostolic churches is thus clearly shown. And the First Day of the Week from Creation Down to
the Present Time.—This volume is a mine of information
on the Sabbath question. It carefully treats the matter
from a Biblical and historical standpoint. All the passages
of Scripture, in both the Old and New Testament, which
The Change of the Sabbath. have any bearing on the subject, are carefully and critically
Protestant Testimony. examined. 548 pages. Cloth (postage, 1/- extra), 6/-;
paper covers (postage, 9d. extra), 2/ -.
By Arthur L. Manous.
DR. LEE : " There is no express command for Sunday in History.
observing the first day of the week as a Sabbath."— This is a work consisting of important historical facts con-
Lee's Theology, page 562. cerning Sunday. When was Sunday observance instituted ?
Is there Bible authority for it? These and many other
Dr. Binney, Methodist: "There is no express questions equally important and interesting are clearly
command for this change recorded in the New Testa- answered. 228 pages. Paper covers (postage, 3d. extra), 1/9.
ment."—Binney's Theological Compend, page 133.
Another, Methodist : " There is no positive com- The Sabbath and the Law.
mand for . . . keeping holy the first day of the It covers the Sabbath institution from Eden created to
week."—Methodist Theological Compendium, page Eden restored. Its arguments are clear, forcible, and in-
teresting. Paper covers, 190 pages (postage, 2d. extra), 1/-.
103.
Dr. Fausset, of the Church of England : " The The Truth Found.
Lord's day [meaning Sunday] superseded the Jewish The Nature and Obligation of the Sabbath of the Fourth
Sabbath without our having express command for Commandment. 92 pages. Leatherette (postage, 26.
the transference."—Bible Cyclopedia, art." Baptism." extra), 6d.; paper covers (postage, 2d. extra), 4d.
Dr. Buck, of the Independents: "It must be con- Change of the Sabbath.
fessed that there is no law in the New Testament This work is a comprehensive yet brief treatise which
concerning the first day."—Buck's Theological Dic- answers clearly and conclusively the oft-repeated question,
tionary, art. " Sabbath." Who changed the Sabbath ? 196 pages. Cloth (postage,
Dr. Dwight, Congregationalist : " The Christian 3d, extra), 2/-.
sabbath [meaning Sunday] is not in the Scriptures,
and was not in the primitive church, called the Sab- Vindication of the True Sabbath.
bath."—Dwight's Theology, vol. 4, page 401. By J. W. Morton. 55 pages (postage, ld. extra), 6d.
Dr. Binney, Methodist, again says : " It is true
there is no positive command for infant baptism; . . .
nor is there any for keeping holy the first day of the TRACTS ON THE SAME SUBJECT. Price
Pages. (postage extra).
week."—Binney's Theblogical ComPend, page 140. Can We Keep the Sabbath ? 16 'cl..
Dr. Watson, Methodist : " There is not on record Christ and the Sabbath 32 ld.
Elihu on the Sabbath 16 id.
any divine command to the apostles to change the Examination of Reasons for Sunday
Sabbath from the day on which it was held by the Observance 16 id.
Jews to the first day of the week."—Watson's Theo- God's Memorial 16 id.
logical Dictionary. How the Sabbath Came to Me 48 ;:ld.
The Jewish Sabbath Abolished (Re-
Again Dr. Watson says : `! If children are not to ply to D. M. Canright) 8 id.
be baptised because there is no positive command for New Testament Sabbath 16 id.
it," neither " ought we to keep holy the first day of Origin of the Sabbath 4 id.
the week; neither of these being expressly com- Puritan Sabbath 16 id.
Rome's Challenge—Why Do Prot-
manded."—Watson's Theological Dictionary, art. estants Keep Sunday? 32 id.
" Baptism." Sabbath Not Changed 32 ld.
Dr. Coleman : " No law or precept appears to Seal of God or the Mark of the Beast 32 ld.
have been given by Christ or the apostles either for Which Day and Why? 8 id.
WhoChanged the Sabbath? 24 ild.
abrogation of the Jewish Sabbath, or the institution of Why We Keep Sunday (Reply to
the Lord's day, or the substitution of the first for the D. M. Canright) 8 •i..-1
4'•
seventh day of the week."—Ancient Christianity
Full Catalogue of Publications posted free on application.
Exemplified, chap. 26, sec. 2.
Dr. Woffle, Baptist : " Up to the time of Christ's
death no change had been made in the day. The Order above publications from our General Agents, or
authority must be sought in the works or example of
the inspired apostles. . . . So far as the record SIGNS OF THE TIMES PUBLISHING ASSN. LIMITED
shows, they did not, however, give any explicit com- Warburton, Victoria, Australia.
mand enjoining the abandonment of the seventh-day
Sabbath."—The Lord's Day, pages 186, 187.
496 THE SIGNS OF THE TIMES
WE send out no papers that have not been ordered; if persons receive
THE SIGNS OF THE TIMES without ordering, it is sent to them by some
friend, and they will not be called upon to pay.
We hear sometimes of subscribers not getting their papers. We shall
take pleasure in promptly rectifying all such mistakes if you will call our
attention to them.
PRICE, PAYABLE IN ADVANCE:
For twelve months, post free in the Commonwealth ... 4/6
For six months, post free in the Commonwealth ... ... 2/6
For three months, post free in the Commonwealth ... 1/6
Five or more copies to one or five addresses, post free in the
Commonwealth, twelve months ... ... each 4/-
Twelve or more copies to one or twelve addresses, post free
in the Commonwealth, twelve months ... each 314
PRICES TO NEW ZEALAND.
For twelve months, post free 6/6
For six months, post free . 3/6
For three months, post fre 21-
Five or more copies, twelve months ... ... each 4/6
Twelve or more copies, twelve months ... each 3/6
All to be sent to one address.
To other countries in the Postal Union ... 816
Single copies, postage extra ... id.
All orders sent direct to the.publishers or their agents, either for single
subscriptions or for clubs, must be accompanied by cash.
All orders for reductions in clubs must be received fourteen days previouS
to date of issue.
Address SIGNS OF THE TIMES PUBLISHING ASSOCIATION, Warburton.
Victoria, Australia.
OUR front page illustration, "The Bridge of Spain, Manila,"
is from a photograph sent us by Pastor' J. L. McElhany, our
missionary in the Philippine Islands. He is also the writer of
the article on the " Day Line and Sabbath Observance," and we
would bespeak for it a careful reading.
WE are printing an extra large edition of this special issue,
and we invite our readers and friends everywhere to unite with
us in giving this Sabbath Question Number a wide circulation.
Already we have received orders for several thousand extra
copies, and orders for additional numbers should be sent in as
early as possible.
IT will be noticed that this issue presents some new features,
and that several of our regular departments have been crowded
out. This has been done with the object of bringing together
in one special issue as much valuable matter as possible bearing
directly on the Sabbath question. But the subject is by no means
exhausted. In our next issue we propose to deal with some
other statements in the Dean's sermon. Our paper for next
week will also contain the concluding article on " Egypt for the
Egyptians," the next of the Bible class studies on the judg-
ment, the nature study article on astronomy, and much other
valuable and interesting matter that has been crowded out of
this issue.
" THE Triple Alliance between Germany, Italy, and Austria
has been renewed until 1914."
A WIRELESS telegraphic record for Australia has recently
been established by the naval authorities. On a recent evening
H.M.S. Powerful, in Farm Cove, Sydney, was in communica-
tion with H.M.S. Challenger, at Adelaide.
" THAT bane of modern city life, hooliganism, has drawn
attention to itself again in Paris. During a recent L-100,000
fire a gang of Apaches [hooligans] were discovered trying to
rip open the hose-pipes with knives. The police charged the
gang and arrested eighteen of them. One policeman was
dangerously stabbed in the back.' "
" WOULD anyone think it possible to get (J200,000 in one
year from 5,000 acres of land in Australia ? Yet it seems to be
a fact. Wine making at Mildura is almost defunct, but the
production of raisins and currants is steadily increasing. The
gross value of the crop from about 5,000 acres of vines this
year is estimated at p200,000.''
AUGUST 5, 1907
" SWITZERLAND lives up to its old traditions, and is still a
refuge for the persecuted and outcast. Says a Swiss writer in
the Economiste Francais (Paris) : ' Our Swiss universities
continue to attract a crowd of strangers, especially Russians.
Switzerland is the chosen place of education for such refugees,
who find here the means of obtaining instruction on easy and
reasonable terms. They live apart from the other students, on
a scale of economy which is almost incredible.' "
"Ix is said that there are in Ceylon over 100,000 acres
which have been planted in rubber, and in the Malay peninsula
about half as much more. It is estimated that Mexico has
about 100,000 acres planted in rubber, making in all about
275,000 acres, which should produce before long about one-
quarter of the world's probable consumption. The results
from these plantations seem to have been so successful that the
work might be enlarged, as this would not only render us less
dependent upon the natural forests, but would stimulate the
Brazilian rubber-producing states to begin artificial cultivation
there."
" AMERICA, -whose soil seems so productive of freak religions
and associations, has added yet another to her already long list
of absurd societies—the Order of Nebuchadnezzarites. ' The
method of the order,' says an American paper, 'is not to be, as
one might expect, a diet of grass, but a change from the upright
position to one on all fours. Members of the society must
agree to eat, drink, walk, and run on their bands and knees.
They are assured by the founder of the order that they will
speedily banish all the ills to which human flesh is heir.
Witness the vigorous health enjoyed by the dog, the ox, the
horse, and the necessary pig—their freedom from dyspepsia,
neuritis, rheumatism, and consumption.° "
GOOD HEALTH
Some enjoy it and some do not, but that all
may know the way to obtain it, we wish
to recommend to your study the
AUSTRALASIAN NOB HEALTH
A right understanding of the laws of health makes possible a sound mind
In a sound body, which is of more value than gold or silver. That all our
readers may develop this high ideal is the aim of the Goon HEALTH.
In teaching us how to live, the Goon HEALTH serves as an educator in
the It does not impoverish its patrons but teaches many lessors of
do-__zstic economy which contribute towards reducing the cost of living,
thus it is a very profitable investment.
Interesting, instructive, timely, such is the nature of the matter contained
in the GOOD HEALTH. Happy the man who looks well to the character of
the seed he is sowing in life's harvest. Joyful will the reaping be if the
kindly suggestions of the GOOD HEALTH are followed.
The GOOD HEALTH is a twenty page monthly journal, handsomely printed
on highly finished paper, which makes it an ornament to any household.
PRICE: 2/6 PER ANNUM, POST FREE.
'Sfiecial rates for Signs of the Times and Good Health to one address :
Signs of the Times, ordinary price - - - - 4/6
Good Health, ordinary price 2/6
If both papers are ordered at the same time, price 5/6 ; thus effecting a
saving of 1/6.
Send 2/- extra for postage to New Zealand and South Pacific Islands.
Combination rate to foreign countries, 9/6.
Address: Good Health Office, Cooranbong, N.S.W,
OUR GENERAL AGENTS
Victorian Tract Society, Oxford Chambers, 473-481 Bourke St., Melbourne
New South Wales Tract Society, " Elsnath," Burwood Street, Burwood.
Queensland Tract Society, 186 Edward Street, Brisbane.
North Queensland Tract Society, Eyre Street, North Ward, Townsville.
South Australian Tract Society, 93 Franklin Street, Adelaide.
West Australian Tract Society, 602 Hay St., Perth.
Tasmanian Tract Society, 80 Collins Street, Hobart.
New Zealand Tract Society, 37 Taranaki Street, Wellington.
International Tract Society, 39/1 Free School St., Calcutta, India
International Tract Society, 56 Roeland St., Cape Town, S. Africa
International Tract Society, 451 Holloway Road, London, N.
Singapore Tract Society, Villa Hatsu, 12 Dhoby Ghaut, Singapore, S.S.
Printed and published by the Signs of the Times Publishing Association, Ltd.,
Warburton, and registered as a newspaper in Victoria.