THE SABBATH IN THE SENATE OF FRANCE.
By John Nevins Andrews
THE Senate of France some time since considered the propriety of changing the laws relating to Sunday. An eminent Senator, M. Barthelemy Saint Hilaire, has taken this occasion to avow his faith that Saturday, and not Sunday, is the day which men ought to observe, if the Bible is allowed to settle the question. We take his remarks from Le Christianism au 19e Siècle, of the 11th of June, 1880. He speaks as follows:— "For what reason has the Sabbath day become in the Christian church the Sunday? I have sought in vain in the documents of the highest authority, viz., in the catechism of the Council of Trent, and also that of Montpellier, and of Meaux written by the great Bossuet, the motives which could have determined the church to make this change; I have not found them. It is indeed very difficult to explain a thing that is the result of a kind of tradition. It is likely that Christians, in order to distinguish themselves from the Jews, who made their rest-day the Sabbath, that is to say, Saturday, have taken another day—Sunday. . . . I say that, though you think you obey a divine commandment deposited in books sacred for you, and at least considered as worthy of profound reverence in the sight of all intelligent men, and of all philosophers, it is not the commandment of God that you observe or profess to observe." It is certainly a matter of deep interest to us that so eminent a man in a place so conspicuous as the Senate of France should call attention to the fact that the Sabbath is not the first day of the week, but the last one. It ought to be enough that the Bible has said this; but inasmuch as tradition has been able to hide this plain truth of the Bible, we are grateful that this distinguished gentleman has spoken the truth with such frankness.