Fayetteville observer. [volume] (Fayetteville, Tenn.) 1850-1966, 1880-09-09
TIE SABBATH.
How the Day Came to be Observed
as 'Holy----Interesting History.
saturday Reyiew.1

I = =
| in the NewTestament-to which
4 other festivals were gradually
added-is unquestionAbly coe-
val with the Christian Church,
but it was never before the six
teenth, or in England the sew
2 enteenth century, confounded
) with the Jewish Sabbath. 1t
has been very generally believed
that this was one of the "com-
mandments" which our Lord
gave His apostles during the
J forty days between the resur-
2 rection and ascension. Be that
, as it may, the practice can be
clearly traced up to the Apos-
tolic age, while it is equally
clear that the observance Of the
Jewish Sabbath was never held
obligatory on Christians, and
st. Paul sharply denounced it
as a dangerous superstition.
The Sabbath was no doubt OBJ
served for q time, as were also
other portions OF the old cere-
monial law by some Jewish con-
, verts. And from an early peri
cd Saturday was obseryedin the
West as a fast, in memory of
the burial of our Lord, as it af-
terward came to be consecrated
to the honor of the Virgin Ma
Try, who had an O,6fciatna Ia Sab
bato in the Latin Rltual-a con-
|sideration of which we commend
to the notice of the Sabbatarian
societies. ... E..,-
4 But these usages served rath-
er to distinguish the day from
Sunday than to identify the
1.-TWO. The latter WAS invariably
kept as a festival, the two duties
insisted on being attendance at
the service of the Eucharist, and
abstaining from ser7ile work,
with the exception of agricult-
ural labor in cases of necessity.
The Council of Laodicea laid
down express directions on both
points, and after the conversion
iof Constantine the State added
legal sanctions to the rules of
the Church. An edict of Con-
lstantine enjoins the cessation
of military exercises, law BUSH
ness, and work of all kinds.
with the exception just now
lmentioned-"on the venerable
day of the Sum-" The Emperor
lTheodosius went further and
Suppressed all public spectacles
ON that day. And these prohi-
bitions were renewed afterward
in the Capitularies Of Charlie
magne. Meanwhile the clergy
used their whole influence, very
Ibeneficially on the whole, to EN-
force this observance, and vari-
GUS legends were current. St.
Gregory, of Tours, records some
of them, illustrating the mirac-
ulous punishments which had
fallen on those who had violated
it. .4G.b ~ 500 g.'
But while it is thus abundant
ly manifest that, as Baxter puts
it, l"from the Apostles days the
churches. unanimously agreed |
in the holy use of it as a separa-
ted day." it would be difficult
to specify any method of keep
ing Sunday on the obligation
of which they they were agreed
beyond the two already named
-namely, the duty of frequent
ing public worship, and ofrest-
ing and allowing dependents to
rest from all ordinary work.
The latter point had, of course,
a peculiar Importance i'll ages
when slavery or serfdom was
generally prevalent, and hence
the stress laid on resting from
''servile work" But it can
not be shown that any objection
was entertained, either in the
early or the mid@val Church to
innocent recreations on Sunday.
The public spectacles were held
not to be innocent, and. Chris
tians were forbidden to witness
them on account of their immor-
al and idolatrous adjuncts. I'll
was because the leisure Of Sun
day afforded exceptional facili-
ties for this forbidden practice,
which was moreover found TO
interfere with attendance at d. |
vine service, that pheodosius
was induced to put stop to oil
public performances on that day.
In the Middle Ages Sunday |
amusements were certainly not
discouraged, and Archbishop |
Laud was merely reviewing the |
old tradition in his ill-tlmed
publication of the "Book of !
lSpofts. Hallam observes that
the founders OF the English Re-
! formation made no change in
this respect but that in the fol-
lowing century Sabbatarianism
grew up-both in the use of the
word Sabbath and The Judaic
| tone OF thought it implied as a
distinctive badge of Piritanism.
For it would not be correct to
say that the modern Sabbatarian