Historical Testimony on Sabbath Observance
By Editor
The following is to the point. It shows that the early church did observe the seventh-day Sabbath; and that they observed the first day only as a religious festival. ATHANASIUS, A. D. 340, says—"We assemble on Saturday, not that we are infected with Judaism, but only to worship Christ the Lord of the Sabbath." SOCRATES, an ecclesiastical historian, A. D. 412, says—"Touching the communion there are sundry observations and customs, for almost all the churches throughout the whole world do celebrate and receive the holy mysteries every Sabbath; yet the Egyptians adjoining Alexandria, together with the inhabitants of Thebes, of a tradition, do celebrate the communion on Sunday." "When the festival meeting throughout every week was come, I mean the Saturday and the Sunday, upon which the Christians are wont to meet solemnly in the church." EUSEBIUS, A. D. 325, as quoted by Dr. Chambers, states that in his time "the Sabbath was observed no less than Sunday." GREGORY expostulates thus—"With what eyes can you behold the Lord's day, when you despise the Sabbath? Do you not perceive that they are sisters, and that in slighting one you affront the other?" SOZOMEN says—"Most of the churches carefully observed the Sabbath." GROTIUS observes—"The Christians kept the holy Sabbath, and had their assemblies on that day, in which the law was read to them, which custom remained to the time of the council of Laodicea, about A. D. 355." M. DE LA ROQUE, a French Protestant—"It evidently appears, that before any change was introduced, the church religiously observed the Sabbath for many ages; we of consequence are obliged to keep it." EDWARD BREREWOOD, Professor of Gresham College, London, in a treatise on the Sabbath, 1630, says: "They know little that do not know the ancient Sabbath did remain and was observed by the eastern84churches three hundred years and more after our Saviour's passion."—Brer. on the Sabbath. p. 77.