The Sabbatarian Confounded.
By Editor
Do not be alarmed, reader; for we are confounded only in the estimation of an opponent, who thinks so, simply because he himself is not thoroughly posted. The Editor of the Millennial Harbinger says: "Another circumstance that must somewhat confound the Sabbatarians, and the lawless observers of the breaking the loaf, may be easily gathered from Luke's narrative: Paul and his company arrived at Troas either on the evening of the first day, or on Monday morning at an early hour; for he departed on Monday morning, as we term it, at an early hour; and we are positively told that he tarried just seven days at Troas. Now had the disciples been Sabbatarians, or observed the seventh day as a Sabbath, and broke the loaf on it as the Sabbatarians do, they would not have deferred their meeting till the first day, and kept Paul and his company waiting, as he was evidently in a great haste at this time. But his tarrying seven days, and his early departure on Monday morning, corroborates the evidence adduced in proof, that the first day of the week was the fixed and stated day for the disciples to meet for this purpose." So Paul departed from Troas on Monday morning! Indeed. This would be news to Paul himself, if he were here. No one will dispute that the departure of Paul was in the day time following the night during which his meeting was held. Nor can it be doubted on any better ground, that this meeting, being in the evening of the first day of the week, was on what would, according to the present reckoning of time, be Saturday evening; for as time was then reckoned, the evening was the first part of the day, the day beginning and ending at sunset. See Kitto, under the words, Day, and Lord's Day. Thus it was not possible, at that time, to hold a meeting upon the evening of the first day of the week, except on the evening preceding the day time of that day; and therefore Paul's departure was on Sunday morning, not on Monday morning. This is about as bad as Justin Edwards' assertion, that Pompey, the Roman general, when besieging Jerusalem, took advantage of the fact that the Jews would not, on the Sabbath, hinder any preparations he openly might make for attack, and so spent that day, the Sabbath, "in constructing his works and preparing to attack them on Monday!" See Sabbath Manual p. 216. Again says our millennial friend, "Now had the disciples been Sabbatarians, or observed the seventh day as a Sabbath, and broke the loaf on it as the Sabbatarians do," &c. Where or how he learned the practice of Seventh-day Adventists in this respect, we do not know. For our own part, we do not know of a single instance where they follow such a custom. Here in Battle Creek we break bread, as the disciples did in Troas, if breaking bread there means the Lord's supper, upon the evening of the first-day of the week, that is, the evening following the Sabbath, not because they did, for we have no evidence that that practice was customary with them, or was designed to be an example to other Christians; nor because this ordinance should be confined to any particular day; for there is no evidence that it should be, but if it should, how much more appropriate to observe it on the day on which it was instituted, commonly supposed to be Thursday; neither do we observe it every first day; as we have no directions as to its frequency, Paul simply giving us the indefinite instruction, "as often ye do it, ye do show forth the Lord's death till he come." Having stated our practice in this respect, we will simply add, that should our meeting from our unusual interest continue till break of day, as did the ancient meeting at Troas, then upon Sunday morning we should go off upon our business, exactly as Paul and, and his company did.