Rome and Sunday

Pacific Press Publishing Company · Oakland, California · Apr 9, 1896

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 22, No. 15.

An Italian Roman Catholic monk, Agostino da Montefeltro by name, is now preaching in the Cathedral of Florence, and it is said that no such crowds as come to hear him have flocked to the services since the time of Savonarola. He seems to have all the eloquence and enthusiasm of a crusader, and one of the crusades he is preaching, and which seems to give joy to some Protestants, is for reform on the Lord’s day. He bases his arguments upon the original institution of the Sabbath; but he does not leave it there. We quote from the Homiletic Review for April:—

“Jesus, when he came into the world, confirmed the law, but he, by his church, transferred the day of rest from the first [last?] to the last [first?] day of the week. The first day of the week thus became the Lord’s day, for it was on Sunday that God began the creation of the world, and pronounced the words fiat lux, ‘Let there be light.’ It was on Sunday that Jesus Christ rose from the sepulcher in all the splendor of his glory. It was on Sunday that the Holy Ghost descended upon the apostles and touched their lips with fire, that they might preach the divine law to the world. It was on Sunday that the creature was reconciled to the Creator. And so it is that that venerable saint, St. John Chrysostom, of Constantinople, exclaims, ‘Glory be to the Sunday.’”

All of this would be good if all were true. But the Bible Christian would prefer to know from Christ whether the church had the right or direction from God to transfer the day. We have Christ’s words for the confirmation of the law, including the seventh-day Sabbath in its scope (Matt. 5:17–19); but where are his words for the change? According to the Bible, the Lord’s day is the seventh day. See Mark 2: 28; Isa. 58: 13; Ex. 20: 10. Whether the Spirit of God descended on Sunday or not the Bible does not say. It did, however, qualify the apostles to “preach the divine law,” in which is taught not the first day holy day, but the seventh day. The creature, according to the Bible, is “reconciled to God by the death of his Son.” Rom. 5: 10. Did Christ die on Sunday? “Glory be to the Sunday” is paralleled in Acts 19: 34. The Sabbath and every other of God’s institutions bring glory to God. It is characteristic of all false religions, counterfeit religious institutions, and false religionists, to take glory unto themselves. The divine injunction is, “Fear God, and give glory to HIM.” What will Protestants do?