IS OUR SATURDAY THE TRUE SABBATH?
By M. E. Cornell
The author of the Sabbath has defined the day. “The seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God.” He also declares that he “rested on the seventh day.” Gen. ii, 2; Ex. xx, 11. Adam was there, and he knew what day that was. He handed it down to his posterity, for it is certain that Noah had a knowledge of it. But if this should be questioned, all must admit that God himself did not forget which was his rest-day. After the exode, God pointed out the true Sabbath by miracle for forty years. A double portion of manna was given every sixth-day. See Ex. xvi. We come down later still and inquire, Did the Son of God, who was Lord of the Sabbath, know which was the seventh day? And if he knew, would not his disciples, who were so constantly with him, also know by his teachings and example? We read that “they rested the Sabbath day according to the commandment.” And the next day after the one on which they rested, is called “the first day of the week,” by inspiration. Luke xxiii, 56; xxiv, 1. It is certain, therefore, that the true first-day of the week was known at the beginning of this dispensation. That it has been lost since that time is absolutely impossible. Hundreds of thousands of Jews, and many Christians, scattered among all nations, have kept the same day until the present time, and their calendars all agree. All nations have kept the records, and all agree that the day now called “Saturday,” is the true seventh day. Astronomy and History also confirm it; and it is so recorded on the statute books of all nations. To say that the true Sabbath has been lost, is to reflect upon the character of its divine Author. Would God command that the day on which he rested should be kept holy, and then suffer it to be lost so that it could not be found? But if the seventh day is lost, how can the first day be known? Catholics and Protestants generally, keep Sunday because they believe that is the day on which our Saviour rose from the dead; for the Bible teaches, what they all believe, that the Son of God rose on the first day of the week. If they are sure that Sunday is the true first day, we can, at least, be as certain that Saturday is the true seventh day. And why do they never question whether they have the true first day? As soon as the claims of the true Sabbath are urged, they seem to be struck with sudden blindness. Is it not because the truth is unpopular? They are like the man who had a yoke of oxen so exactly matched that he found great difficulty in telling which was the near one, but the off one he said he could tell in the darkest night he ever saw! And so with their near day, the “time-honored Christian Sabbath (?), they claim it has been certainly known all through the darkest of the dark ages. Surely the legs of the lame are not equal! We will now see what some of the most popular and reliable authors have said on the subject. In regard to the ancient week, Horne says: “This division of time was universally observed by the descendants of Noah. . . . This is evident from the word Sabbat or Sabbatta, denoting a week among the Syrians, Arabians, Christian Persians, and Ethiopians, as in the ancient Syriac Calendar expressed in Hebrew characters.” “One of the week—Sunday.
“Two of the week—Monday.
“Three of the week—Tuesday.
“Four of the week—Wednesday.
“Five of the week—Thursday.
“Eve of the Sabbath—Friday.
“The Sabbath—Saturday.” “The high antiquity of this Calendar is evinced265by the use of the cardinal numbers, one, two, three, &c., instead of first, second, &c. It follows the Hebrew idiom as in the account of the creation, one day, two day, &c. It is remarkable that all the evangelists follow the Syriac Calendar.”—Horne’s Introduction, p. 163. The most celebrated historians agree that the days of the week were all named by the heathen idolaters, after their gods, the planets, &c. Beginning with the first day, they called Sunday after their chief god the sun. The Religious Encyclopedia has the following which is endorsed by Watson in his Theological Dictionary: “The enumeration of the days of the week commenced at Sunday. Saturday was last or seventh, and was the Hebrew Sabbath, or day of rest. The Egyptians gave to the days of the week the same names that they assigned to the planets, . . . that is Sunday, Monday,” &c. Again, Hendricks and Buck in the Religious Encyclopedia, after stating that the first day of the week was in primitive times called Sunday, add: “Yet it was never denominated Sabbath—a name constantly appropriated to Saturday, or the seventh day, both by sacred and ecclesiastical writers.” If those conversant with ancient history constantly affirm that the first day of the week was called Sunday, and the seventh was named Saturday, why should it be questioned now? Surely there could have been no motive for these authors to misrepresent the facts in the case. We may therefore conclude that the question is settled. Next we would inquire in regard to the time to commence the Sabbath. In the tract, “Scripture References,” abundant Scripture proof is given to show that the Sabbath begins and ends with the setting of the sun. But we will now show that it has been so understood by the best authors. The following is found in the Union Bible Dictionary, published by the American Sunday School Union. Article, Day: “The Jewish day was reckoned from evening to evening. Their Sabbath, or Seventh, began on what we call Friday, at sunset, and ended on what we call Saturday at sunset.” “And, consequently, the Sabbath ended, which they considered as continuing from sunset to sunset.” Speaking of the Sabbath, Campbell’s Translation of Matt. xii, 1, has this note: “With us Saturday, or from Friday at sunset to Saturday at sunset, for so the Jews reckoned.” “The Jews began their Sabbath in the evening at sunset, and ended it the same time the next evening.” “Some think that this occurred as soon as the sun was set, after our Lord’s crucifixion; for at that time the Sabbath entered.” In Horne’s Introduction, vol. iii, p. 174, he speaks of our Saviour’s remaining three days in the grave, as follows: “As our Lord was crucified on Good Friday, about the sixth hour, or noon, the remainder of that day to sunset, according to the Jewish computation, was reckoned as one day. Saturday, it is universally admitted, formed the second day; and as the third day began on Saturday at sunset, and our Saviour rose about sunrise on the following morning, that part of a day is justly reckoned for the third day.” “And the Rabbins say, ‘The Sabbath doth not enter but when the sun is set.’ Hence it was that the sick were not brought out to our Lord till after sunset, because then the Sabbath was ended.” “And gave a signal before hand, with a trumpet, at the beginning of every seventh day in the evening twilight, as also at the evening, when the day was finished, as giving notice,” &c.—Book iv, chap. 9, Sec. 12. Essentially agreeing with the above, we may mention Matthew Henry, Prof. Bush, Cruden, Brown, Webster, Walker, and every author of note, ancient or modern. A little boy being asked, by a college-learned minister, why he kept the seventh day for the Sabbath? gave the following impressive answer: “Because it reads so in the Bible!” The minister was silenced. What could he say to such an answer? Such a reason is sufficient for any honest inquirer after truth. All he desires is to know how it reads. The question with such an one is not, “What is popular?” but, “What is truth?” and when the answer comes from Jesus, “Thy word is truth,” all he asks is to know what the word of God says. He is ready to obey, however crossing it may be. In conclusion, we repeat, that the seventh day is the Sabbath, and it begins and ends with the setting of the sun. “It reads so in the Bible.” But on the last proposition, that our Saturday is the true seventh day, of course we have to depend on reliable history, for the names of the days, now in use, were not used in Bible times. History informs us of the change, and what names were given to each of the seven days. Why then should any hesitate about duty? Why halt between two opinions? “If the Lord be God serve him.” “If thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments.” Matt. xix, 17.