Venerable Day of the Sun.
THE Rev. Wilbur F. Crafts, of New York, says in his late book:— "The ancient nations all about the Jews devoted the first day of the week to what was at first the chief symbol of god, the sun, calling it Sunday. . . . which the missionaries of the cross would find was already regarded sacred as the 'venerable day of the sun' in the Roman empire and among other nations to whom they were sent."—The Sabbath for Man, pp. 375, 376. Mr. Crafts gives much evidence in support of his remark, and enough more can be given to remove all doubt of its truth. Considering, then, that all the Gentile people, to whom the early missionaries of the cross went, were keeping the Sunday as a festival day and for the worship of the sun-god, and had for years before the time of Christ been so observing it, we are prepared to see that no command of Christ or example of the apostles is needed to induce the Gentile converts to keep this day. They were already keeping it, and with scores of other pagan rites and festivals, continued this as a festival day after coming into the church. The Jewish converts and all their descendants, always continued to keep the seventh day, and for the first three hundred years the Gentile converts observed the seventh day as the Sabbath, and after the second century also continued to observe the Sunday as a festival day as well as for religious worship. Finding, after a long time, that Christian worship on two successive days of the week required more time than could be spared from their daily labors, the Gentile converts, who had become much the more numerous in Europe, and who hated all Jews and Jewish observances, ceased to observe the seventh day, but continued to observe their old Sunday custom.—Light of Home.