Definite Proof that no Time has been Lost.
By D. M. Canright
OPPOSERS often object to keeping the seventh-day Sabbath from the supposition that the record of time has been so lost and confused that we cannot tell when the real seventh day is. Such persons have to discard all history, the records of all nations, the testimony of the best authorities, and the stubborn facts of astronomy. It belongs to those who assert that time has been lost, to prove it. They readily acknowledge that the Son of God knew when the Sabbath-day was, and could have informed his disciples if they had been keeping the wrong day. He made no such correction; but on the other hand, he acknowledged that they were keeping the right day, by keeping the same himself. From that time to this, the numerous civilized nations of the world have been noting dates, making records, and writing histories of every day, and month, and year. Upon comparison we find that they all perfectly agree; and yet the cry is, "Time has been lost!" Pray where, when, and how? Who will inform us? The best proof they can, or ever do, give, is their own ignorance of history. I have heard men say, "If you will prove to me that Saturday is the seventh day of the week, I will keep it." But what do they call proof? What will they allow to be authority? "Oh! the Bible, to be sure; we found our faith upon the Bible alone." Indeed! Yes, they are very willing to discard even the fathers, and D. D.'s, yes, all secular authority on this point, and appeal only to the Bible, which from the nature of the case could not possibly say anything about it. Webster says, "Saturday. The seventh, or last, day of the week; the day of the Jewish Sabbath. Sunday. The first day of the week." Thomas Dick, Adam Clarke, and in fact all men who are allowed as authority on such things, testify to the same fact. But that no time has been lost is conclusively proved, to my mind, from one fact in astronomy. It is thus stated in Smith's Illustrated Astronomy, p. 40: "Eclipses attracted the particular attention of the Chaldeans, and by a series of observations extended through several centuries, they discovered a very important fact relating to eclipses, although they did not understand the cause. "By comparing the records which had been made for a great length of time, they found that a certain period of time elapsed between eclipses of the same kind and magnitude; that is, if 18 years, 11 days, 7 hours, and 43 minutes, were added to the time of the happening of any eclipse, it would show the time of the return of the same eclipse; the only differences would be that it would not happen at the same time in the day, and it would be a little greater or less than the previous eclipse. . . . It must be remembered that there are a number of eclipses in each year; the greatest number is seven, the least, two; but the eclipses which happen in any one cannot take place again until the expiration of 18 years, 11 days, 7 hours, 43 minutes." Page 44. "After the sun, moon, and nodes, have been in a line of conjunction, they return nearly to the same position again in 223 lunations, or 18 years, 11 days, 7 hours, and 43 minutes, when four leap-years are included, or one day less when five leap-years are included; consequently if to the meantime of any eclipse of the sun or moon we add 18 years, 11 days, 7 hours, and 43 minutes, we shall have the meantime of the return of the same eclipse for a long period of time." To prove this let us try an experiment. Turn to the almanac for the year 1820, and you will find the following: "Eclipse of the sun, Sept. 7th, invisible at Boston. Conjunction 9 h. 8 m. morning." Now to the date of this eclipse we will add 18 years, 11 days, 7 hours, and 43 minutes. Thus, to the year 1820, 9th month, 7th day, 9 o'clock, 8 minutes, we add 18 years, 11 days, 7 hours, and 43 minutes, and we have the year 1838, Sept. 18th, 4 o'clock, and 51 minutes P. M. Now turn to the almanac for 1838, and you will see the following: "Sept. 18th there will be an annular eclipse of the sun as follows: Beginning at 3 h. 12 m. P. M. Greatest obscuration 4 h. 32 m. End 5 h. 43 m." This, then, shows that that principle is correct. I might illustrate it by many other examples, as I have an abundance of them before me; but any one can do it by procuring the date of eclipses for a number of years. But how does this prove that no time has been lost? It proves it thus: Suppose that between the first and 18th days of this month, by some unaccountable circumstance, we lose one day, or one day passes which we do not count. It is obvious that when the 18th does come it will be only the 17th according to our reckoning. So if between the years 1820 and 1838 we had lost one year, this eclipse would have occurred in Sept. 18, 1837, according to such reckoning, which would leave only 17, instead of 18, years, between the two occurrences of the same eclipse, which can never be. If we had lost only one day, the eclipse would have occurred on the 17th instead of the 18th of Sept. On the other hand, if we had gained one year, this eclipse would not have transpired till 1839; if we had gained one day, it would not have taken place, till the 19th of Sept. But this eclipse did occur on the 18th of Sept. 1838, just when it ought to; hence not an hour was either lost or gained between 1820 and 1838. Now the same reasoning which proves that no time was lost or gained in this case, will also prove that none has been lost or gained from Christ's time to the present; for these eclipses have been diligently recorded from, and long before, that time to this. To make surety doubly sure, we can take several series of eclipses, and calculate them separately, and we will find that they all agree as one man. We can reckon the other way if we choose. Thus, we find recorded an eclipse of the sun in 1841, July 18th, 9 h., and 11 m., morning. Subtracting from this date 18 years, 10 days (there being five leap-years between the two dates), 7 h., and 43 m., takes us back to 1823, July 8th, 1 h., 28 m., morning, where there should be an eclipse of the sun, if the record of time has been kept correctly. Turning to the almanac for 1823, I read, "The fourth eclipse will be of the sun, July, 8 day, near 3 h., in the morning." Again, taking 18 years, 11 days, 7 h., and 43 m., from this date, gives us 1805, June 26th, 5 h., 45 m., P. M., where this eclipse occurs again. So we might continue to calculate back as far as we choose, and always find them recorded just where they ought to have occurred. This fact alone proves to a demonstration that not one day or hour has ever been lost.
D. M. CANRIGHT.