should ever enter upon the task of deciding upon the institutions of the
church, when there is no divine precept for the guidance of our
judgment, examine for ourselves. As we do this, it will be well, also,
to bear in mind the fact that our prejudices will be very likely to lie
entirely upon the side of life-long practice and traditionary
inheritance. In fact, nearly every consideration, political, financial,
and social, will be found, if not guarded with the strictest care,
wooing us to a decision which—though it might dishonor God, and do
violence to the principles of a clear, natural logic—would exempt us,
individually, from personal sacrifice and pecuniary loss.
ARTICLE IV.
First, then, we suggest that it would be well to collate all the texts
in the New Testament in which the first day of the week is mentioned.
They are as follows: “In the end of the Sabbath, as it began to dawn
toward the first day of the week, came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary
to see the sepulcher.” Matt. 28:1.
“And when the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of
James, and Salome, had bought sweet spices, that they might come and
anoint Him. And very early in the morning, the first day of the week,
they came unto the sepulcher at the rising of the sun.” Mark 16:1, 2.
“Now when Jesus was risen early the first day of the week, he appeared
first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had cast seven devils.” Mark
16:9.
“And they returned, and prepared spices and ointments; and rested the
Sabbath day, according to the commandment. Now upon the first day of the
week, very early in the morning, they came unto the sepulcher, bringing
the spices which they had prepared, and certain others with them.” Luke
23:56, and 24:1.
“The first day of the week cometh Mary Magdalene early, when it was yet
dark, unto the sepulcher, and seeth the stone taken away from the
sepulcher.” John 20:1.
“Then the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the
doors were shut where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews,
came Jesus and stood in the midst, and saith unto them, Peace be unto
you.” John 20:19.
“Upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in
store, as God hath prospered him, that there be no gatherings when I
come.” 1 Cor. 16:2.
“And upon the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to
break bread, Paul preached unto them, ready to depart on the morrow; and
continued his speech until midnight.” Acts 20:7.
Doubtless the reader is not a little surprised, provided he has never
given his attention to the subject before, at discovering the
meagerness, so far as numbers at least are concerned, of the passages
alluded to above. Nevertheless, let us take the data, thus furnished,
and from them endeavor to derive all the information which they can
legitimately be made to afford. At first glance, it will be discovered
that six of the passages of Scripture under consideration relate to one
and the same day, which was that of the resurrection. Written as they
were from five to sixty-two years this side of that occurrence, and
penned by men who were profoundly interested in everything which was
calculated to throw light upon matters of duty and doctrine, we would
naturally expect that they would seize these most favorable
opportunities for instructing those whom they were endeavoring to
enlighten in regard to the time of, and circumstances connected with,
the change of the Sabbath. Let us observe, therefore, how they discharge
this most important responsibility. It will not be urged by any that
John 20:1, and Mark 16:9, furnish anything which in any way strengthens
the Sunday argument. The statements which they contain are merely to the
effect that Mary Magdalene was the one to whom Christ first presented
himself, and that she visited the tomb very early in the morning.
Neither will it be insisted that the declaration found in Matt. 28:1,
and Mark 16:1, 2, and Luke 23:56, and 24:1, afford any positive
testimony for the sanctity of the first day of the week. On the
contrary, we think that every candid person will concede that the
bearing which they have upon the subject is rather against, than
favorable to, the case which our friends are so anxious to make out. To
illustrate: In Matt. 28:1, we read that “in the end of the Sabbath, as
it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, came Mary Magdalene,
and the other Mary, to see the sepulcher.” Again, in Mark 16:1, 2, the
same general fact is stated, with the simple variation that, instead of
the expression, “in the end of the Sabbath,” are substituted the words,
“when the Sabbath was passed,” while in Luke 23:56, and 24:1, it is
declared that these things transpired on the first day of the week, the
context carefully setting forth the fact that the women had “rested upon
the Sabbath, according to the commandment,” and that it being past, they
came to the sepulcher, bringing with them the spices which they had
prepared.
Now, putting all these things together, what have we learned?
Manifestly, the following facts: First; when the events transpired which
are set forth in these scriptures, there was a Sabbath; since it is
stated, by way of locating them in point of time, that the Sabbath had
ended before the affairs spoken of were transacted. Secondly; that the
Sabbath, to which reference was made, was the seventh day of the week,
since it preceded the first, and was that of the commandment. Thirdly;
that, if the first day of the week was a Sabbath, as is now claimed, the
women were ignorant of it, since it is clear that they did not go to the
tomb on the seventh day to embalm the body, because of its being holy
time; whereas, upon the first day of the week their scruples were gone,
and they came to the sepulcher, bearing their spices with them, to
accomplish a work which they would not have regarded as legitimate on
the Sabbath. Fourthly; that the seventh day was not only the Sabbath at
the time mentioned, but also that, according to the convictions of the
historians, it was the Sabbath at the time of their writing—since they
apply to it the definite article “_the_;” whereas, if there had been a
change of Sabbaths, it would have been natural to distinguish between
them in the use of explanatory words and phrases, such as are now
applied, as, for instance, “the Jewish Sabbath,” “the Christian
Sabbath,” &c., &c. Fifthly; that, while Matthew, Mark, and Luke do, in
every instance cited above, honor the seventh day of the week in the
most scrupulous manner, by applying to it the Bible title of the
Sabbath, they do, nevertheless, make mention of the day of the
resurrection in each case, in the same connection, in the use of its
secular name, “the first day of the week.” A slight which is utterly
inexplicable, provided the latter had really put on a sacred character;
since, that being true, it was much more important that its new claims
should be recognized and inculcated by those who could speak with
authority, than it was that they should perpetuate the distinction of a
day whose honors had become obsolete. Having now examined five of the
six texts under consideration, there remains but one more to occupy our
attention. This reads as follows: “Then the same day at evening, being
the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples
were assembled for fear of the Jews, came Jesus and stood in the midst,
and saith unto them, Peace be unto you.” John 20:19. Here, again, we are
struck with the manifest disposition on the part of John, in common with
the other evangelists, to avoid the application of any sacred title to
the first day of the week. Twice, in this chapter, he makes mention of
that which is now regarded as the “Queen of days,” but in both
instances, he avoids, as if with studied care, attaching to it any
denomination by which its superiority over other days should be
indicated. How perfectly in keeping, for instance, it would have been
with the facts as they are now claimed to have existed—as well as with
the interests and desires of millions who have since lived—had he in the
text before us so varied the phraseology of the first clause that it
would read as follows: “And the same day at evening, being the
_Christian Sabbath_, when the disciples were assembled,” &c. This,
however, he did not do, and we inquire of the reader, right here,
concerning his _motive_ in omitting that which now appears to us so
desirable, and which would have been perfectly legitimate were the views
of our friends correct. Did he intentionally omit an important fact? Was
it left out because of an oversight on his part? Or, would it be safer
to conclude that perhaps, after all, the difficulty lies, not with the
apostle, or with the Holy Spirit, which dictated his language, but with
the theory, which seems to be out of joint with his utterances?
Nevertheless, as it is still urged that, in the absence of a positive
declaration, this, the only remaining text, does furnish abundant
evidence of the sacred regard in which the day of the resurrection was
held—since it gives an account of a religious meeting held upon it,
manifestly for the purpose of recognizing its heavenly character—let us
examine more critically into the nature of the claims which are based
upon its record. That those with whom we differ should be tenacious in
their efforts to rest their cause very largely upon the account found in
John 20:19, is not at all surprising. It is the only chance, as we have
seen, which is left them of basing their argument upon a passage of
Scripture which relates to the day of the resurrection. So far as 1 Cor.
16:2, and Acts 20:7, are concerned, it will not be disputed by any that
their testimony is merely collateral evidence. If Sunday has become the
Sabbath, it was by virtue of transactions which occurred immediately in
connection with the rising of Christ. In other words, it was on the
third day after the crucifixion that Christ, if at all, began to impress
upon the minds of his disciples the Sabbatic character which had already
attached to, and was henceforth to continue in, the day which saw him a
conqueror over death and the grave.
Nay, more; if the change occurred at all, it must have dated from the
very moment that the angel descended, the guard was stricken down, and
the Son of God, glorified, came forth. This being the case, from that
time forward it would naturally be the effort of Christ to produce in
the minds of his followers the conviction of this most momentous fact.
Every action of his would necessarily be—if not directly for the purpose
of imprinting the peculiar sacredness of the hours upon those by whom he
was surrounded—at least of a character such as to impart no sanction
either to a deliberate, or even an unintentional disregard, on the part
of any, of their hallowed nature. Hence, our friends, seizing upon the
fact that he met with them while assembled together in the after part of
the day, have endeavored to clothe the incident with great interest, and
have largely elaborated their arguments to show that this was not an
accidental occurrence, but rather partook of the nature of a religious
meeting, Christ himself honoring these instinctive efforts on the part
of the disciples to act in harmony with the spirit of the hour, by his
own personal presence.
Before we sanction this view of the subject, however, let us give our
attention for a moment to the manner in which the previous portion of
the day, then closing, had up to that point been spent. Certain it is,
that Jesus had not, during its declining hours, been suddenly moved by a
newly created impulse for the accomplishment of an object which had been
just as desirable for twelve hours as it was at that moment. Sunday
sanctity had already become a fixed fact, and its knowledge as essential
to the well-being of the disciples in the morning, as at the evening. We
naturally conclude, therefore, that the very first opportunity for its
disclosure would have been the one which Christ would embrace. This was
afforded in his conversation with Mary. But, while there is no evidence
that it was imparted, it is at least presumable that she was left
entirely ignorant of it.
The second occasion was presented in that of the journey of the two
disciples from Jerusalem to Emmaus, a distance of seven and a half
miles. Jesus walked with them and talked with them by the way, reasoned
with them about the resurrection, made as though he would have gone
farther, discovered himself to them in the breaking of bread, and
disappeared, leaving them to retrace the seven and a half miles to the
city, with no word of caution against it on his part. Nay, more; his
marked approval of the propriety of the act might properly have been
inferred from the fact that he himself accompanied them in the first
instance, in the garb of a wayfaring man; at the same time acting the
part of one who was so far convinced of the rectitude of his own and of
their action, that he was ready to continue his journey until night
should render it impracticable. (Luke 24:28.) Following these men now,
as they retrace their steps to the city from which they had departed,
and to which they were now returning—manifestly all unconscious that
they were trespassing upon time which had been rescued from that which
might properly be devoted to secular pursuits—let us observe them, as
they mingle once more with their former companions in grief. How does it
happen that they are congregated at this precise point of time? Is it
because they have at last discovered the fact that it has been made in
the special sense a proper day for religious assemblies? If so, whence
have they derived their conviction? Certainly not from Mary, or the two
disciples just returning from Emmaus. Assuredly, also, not from Christ
himself.
But, again, is it not really from an induction on their own part, by
which they have themselves discovered the fitness of making the day of
resurrection also that of worship? Listen a moment. Hear their excited
remarks as, at this juncture, they are joined by the two. Do you catch
these words, “The Lord is risen indeed, and hath appeared to Simon”?
(Luke 24:34.) Does not this establish the fact of their confidence in
the previous report? Unfortunately, the historian adds, “Neither
believed they them.” Here they are, then, manifestly still doubting the
very fact which some have thought they were convened to celebrate.
But, again, what is the _place_ of their convocation? Unquestionably,
neither the temple nor the synagogue. The record states that where they
were assembled, “the doors were closed for fear of the Jews.” Evidently,
they were in some place of retirement and comparative safety, hiding
away from the fury of a people who, in their madness and cruel hate, had
crucified even the Lord of glory. We ask again, Where were they? Let
Mark explain. Certainly he is competent to the task. When describing the
very transaction we are considering, he says: “Afterward he appeared to
the eleven as they sat at meat, and upbraided them with their unbelief
and hardness of heart, because they believed not them which had seen him
after he was risen.” Mark 16:14. Here, then, is the clue to the whole
matter. It was not a religious meeting, because they were in a frame of
mind to be censured, rather than applauded, because of unbelief. It was
merely the body of the apostles, gathered in their own quarters for the
purpose of partaking of an evening meal, where they were in the habit of
eating, and drinking, and sleeping—and where, at this time, they kept
particularly close, because of the perils which surrounded them on every
hand. That this is true, is further sustained by two additional
considerations.
First; it was a place where Christ expected to find meat, and where he
requested such for his own use, and was supplied from their bounty with
broiled fish and an honeycomb, which, the record states, “he took and
did eat before them.” (Luke 24:41-43.)
Secondly; that they were in possession of just such a rendezvous, is
clearly stated in John 20:10, where, speaking of Peter and John when
going from the sepulcher, it says, “They went away unto their own home.”
A few days later, Luke declares (Acts 1:13,) that when they came in from
the ascension, they “went up into an upper room, where abode both Peter,
and James, and John, and Andrew, Philip, and Thomas; Bartholomew, and
Matthew, James the son of Alpheus, and Simon Zelotes, and Judas the
brother of James.”
Thus, by a natural and easy combination of the facts brought to view by
the inspired penman, the whole matter has been reduced to a simple
transaction, such as might have been repeated many times during the
forty days, and such as—in and of itself—fails to disclose any evidence
that the occurrences narrated, either necessarily or presumptively,
afford the slightest justification for the supposition that Christ
himself either designed, or that the apostles might legitimately
conclude that he intended, by joining them under these familiar
circumstances, to authorize one of the mightiest innovations upon the
practice of ages which the world has ever seen.
ARTICLE V.
Nor is this matter at all relieved by the statement found in John 20:26,
that after eight days, Thomas being present, he appeared unto them a
second time under similar circumstances. For even should we grant that
this was on the next Sunday evening—a matter in which there is, at
least, room for a difference of opinion—the subject is merely
complicated the more, so far as the view of our friends is concerned,
since here a second opportunity, and that a most excellent one, for
calling the attention of the disciples to the new character which a once
secular day had assumed, was entirely neglected. In this also, as in the
first instance, the conversation was of a nature to show that the object
of the interview was to give additional evidence (because of the
presence of Thomas) of the re-animation of the body of Christ, without
any reference to its effect upon the character of the day upon which it
occurred. But such silence, under _such_ circumstances, in regard to so
important a matter, is in itself conclusive evidence that the change
claimed had not really taken place. Furthermore, it will not be urged
that more than two out of the five first-days which occurred between the
resurrection and the ascension were days of assembly. Had they been—as
it had been decided, according to the view of those urging the
transition, that the Sunday should not be hallowed by positive
declaration, but simply inaugurated by quiet precedent, then the
presumption is, that this precedent, instead of being left upon the
insufficient support of two Sabbaths out of five, would have been
carefully placed upon the whole number. Nor would the precaution have
ended here. In a matter vital in its nature, certain it is that the
honest seeker after truth would not be left to grope his way through a
metaphysical labyrinth of philosophic speculation in regard to the
effect of certain transactions upon the character of the time upon which
they occurred; or the bearing of certain meetings of Christ and the
apostles upon the question as to whether Sunday had assumed a sacred
character, when at the same time his perplexity was rendered
insupportable by the fact, that the historian states, that like meetings
occurred on days for which no one will claim any particular honor.
Take, for instance, the meeting of Jesus with the apostles at the sea of
Galilee (John 21), while they were engaged in a fishing excursion.
Assuredly, this did not take place on Sunday; else, according to the
view of our friends, they would not have been engaged in such an
employment. Just what day it was, no one is able to decide; but all
agree that its character was in no way affected by the profoundly
interesting interview which occurred upon it between the Master and his
disciples. If it were, then there is at least one holy day in the week
which we cannot place in the calendar, since no one can decide whether
it was the first, second, third, fourth, fifth, or sixth.
If, however, you would have a still more forcible illustration of the
fact that religious meetings, were they never so solemn, can in nowise
alter the nature of the hours on which they occur, let me call your
attention to the day of the ascension (Acts 1). Here is an occasion of
transcendent glory. If the statements in the sacred narrative of events,
which transpired during its hours, could only be predicated of either
one or the other of the first-day meetings of Christ with his disciples,
it would at least be with an increased show of reason that they could be
woven into the tissue of a Sabbatic argument. Here are found many of the
elements essential to the idea of religions services, of which the
instances in question are so remarkably destitute.
In the first place, those who followed our Lord to the place of meeting
were intelligent believers in the fact of his resurrection.
In the second place, the assembly was not confined to a mere handful of
individuals, seeking for retiracy within an upper room where they were
in the habit of eating, drinking, and sleeping; but it transpired in the
open air, where Jesus was in the habit of meeting with his followers.
In the third place, the congregation was made up of persons whom the
Holy Spirit had thus brought together for the purpose of becoming the
honored witnesses of the resurrection and ascension of Christ.
In the fourth place, it was graced by the visible forms of holy angels
in glistering white, who participated in the services.
In the fifth place, Jesus himself addressed them at length, lifted up
his hands to heaven, and brought down its benediction upon them, and in
the sight of the assembled multitude, steadily and majestically rising
above them, he floated upward, until a cloud received him out of their
sight.
In the sixth place, it is said, in so many words, that the “_people
worshiped_ him there.”
Now, suppose, for the sake of the argument, that some modern sect should
endeavor to transform our unpretending Thursday, which was really the
day of the ascension, since it was the fortieth after the resurrection,
into one of peculiar dignity, claiming, in defense of their position,
the example of Christ, and urging that the course which he pursued could
only be satisfactorily explained on the ground that he was laying the
foundation for its future Sabbatic observance, how would our friends
meet them in such an emergency? Deny the facts, they could not, for the
record is ample. There would, therefore, be but one alternative left.
If transactions of this character are of a nature such that they
_necessarily_ exalt the days upon which they occur to the rank of holy
days, then Thursday is one, and should be treated as such. No line of
argument, however ingenious, could evade this conclusion, so long as the
premises in question were adhered to. Planting himself squarely upon
them, with the consent of modern Christendom, the advocate of the newly
discovered holy day, finding the record perfectly free from
embarrassments in the nature of transactions which would appear to be
incompatible with the notion that everything which Christ and his
apostles did was in harmony with his view, if possessed of that skill
and ability which has marked the efforts of some modern theologians in
such discussions, could weave a web of inference and conjecture almost
interminable in its length.