To N. Orcutt, Vt by John Nevins Andrews

Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Jul 11, 1871

To N. Orcutt, Vt.

By John Nevins Andrews

When God made the sun the light bearer, it was done by a word and in an instant. The act marked the commencement of the fourth day, just as the creation of the earth marked the beginning of the first day. The making of the sun the light bearer and ruler of the day did not change the place of light on the earth, nor the space which it covered; for the sun was appointed to rule as God's vicegerent, the day which he himself had created and maintained by other means for three days. The eastern extremity of the sun's light did therefore correspond with the evening twilight then existing upon the earth, and this twilight marked the commencement of the fourth day. As the sun's rule is maintained by an apparent westward circuit of the globe, the commencement of that rule must be at the most eastern extremity of his light when his rule began. This must be where twilight existed at that time on the east side of the field of light and the west side of the field of darkness. God did not make the sun light bearer to disarrange the day which he had already established, but to preserve its existence by ruling it as his vicegerent, so that its existence might be maintained by natural means rather than by special interposition as before it had been.

J. N. A.