· Its Authorship and Popularity.

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we can only admit with some qualifications. We require, in the first place, to give due weight to the fact, not very creditable to human nature, but not difficult to be accounted for, that men of talent will always find it an easier task to gain popularity by writing down Christianity, whether by satire or speculation, than by advocating its claims to supreme homage and undoubting reception. In truth, it requires no great amount of talent to raise a laugh or a sneer at what most people are wont to regard with deep veneration; and when men of wit or worldly wisdom attempt it, they have only to divest themselves of those feelings of reverence and restraint which prevent others from "rushing in where angels fear to tread." The French Enclyclopedists secured for their writings, by virtue of their daring profaneness, a popularity which neither their genius nor their learning would have won for them. And, in the present case, it may be fairly assumed that a far higher amount of talent, a much more brilliant and effective style, and certainly infinitely better reasoning, than these pages can boast of, might have been laid on the altar of Christian Faith, without attracting half the notice, or giving birth to a tithe of the speculation created by this volume. It may be added that, in the present state of religious sentiment in England, the publication of a work written anonymously, but obviously by some academic hand, in the line of Renan and the " Essays and Reviews," was naturally fitted to awaken public curiosity. In the feverish excitement caused by such strange revelations in high and learned circles, people are induced to ask, What next? But, after all, wanting the piquancy of neology supplied by the passages we have quoted, the book, as a whole, would be pronounced a very "common" one indeed. And we venture to predict, that the flame so rapidly kindled by its appearance, will be as speedily quenched by its perusal. "Nebicula est; transibit," as Athanasius said of Julian the apostate, "It is a little cloud; it will pass away." The same may be applied to all the recent attempts to undermine

to whom the book has been ascribed were invited to meet each other! The dinner party would include, amongst others, the most celebrated of Roman Catholic divines, the most learned of Roman Catholic laymen, we know not how many Nonconformist ministers, three essayists and reviewers, an Archbishop of York, innumerable young fellows of colleges, a Republican professor, a female novelist, a leading journalist, an Irish historian, a Scottish poet, a Scottish Duke, a Master of Trinity, a Dean of Westminister, an attorneygeneral, a poet laureate, a chancellor of the exchequer, a High Church vicechancellor, a law stationer, a chemist, an unknown sea captain, and the Emperor of the French. No Imaginary Conversations,' no 'Dialogues of the Dead,' no feast at Solomon's house in the new Atlantis, would equal the charm of that surprising entertainment."-Macmillan's Magazine.

the faith of humanity in the person of its divine Lord and Saviour. The clouds, big and small, pass away; the sun continues to shine: darkness has its hour; light is eternal. No argument against the sun will drive the king of day from the sky, or prevent him from blessing the earth. And the eye of man, with its sun-like nature, will ever turn to its God, and drink the rays of light as they emanate from the face of Jesus. "God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ."

ART. VIII.-The Literature of the Sabbath Question.

SECOND ARTICLE.

The Literature of the Sabbath Question. By ROBERT Cox, F.S.A., Scot. In two volumes. Edinburgh: Maclachlan & Stewart; and Simpkin, Marshall, & Co., London. 1865.

*

WE E return once more to Mr Cox's important volumes. In last article, attention was directed to the argument for the divine institution and perpetual obligation of the Lord's day. It now remains that we follow our author in a sketch of the opinions which have been entertained on the Sabbath question from the apostolic age to the present time. Very imperfect such a review must needs be from want of space, not to speak of other reasons.* Here especially the amazing industry and research of Mr Cox appear. An F.S.A., he evidently feels as much satisfaction in searching out and arranging the literary relics of bygone historic periods, as geologists experience in disinterring and classifying the fossil remains of a yet more remotely distant time. Parts of his work are so crowded with names of authors, followed by extracts, more or less extended, of the sentiments they held, that his pages look like those of a publisher's

* As the most interesting part of the inquiry will probably be deemed that regarding the opinions of the Christian fathers belonging to the first three centuries, this part of the subject will be treated in detail. To economise space, only the English renderings of the several passages will be presented. These, however, taken from the approved authors quoted by Mr Cox, will be carefully verified. In some cases the translation will be made more literal, and the most important words in the original will be occasionally added within parentheses, so as to give the reader an opportunity of judging for himself.

Pliny-Clement of Rome-Barnabas.

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circular; while so far as our investigation has gone, the quotations made are in every respect accurate. We may differ from him as to the inference to be drawn from the statements of a certain work, or series of works, but have never found reason to complain that these statements were not laid before us fairly. But to the history.

The first allusion to the Lord's day on the part of an uninspired writer is to be found in the well-known letter addressed to the Emperor Trajan by Pliny the younger, Governor of Bithynia, about A.D. 107. Speaking of some Christians accused before him, he says, they admitted "that they met (or rather, were wont to meet) on a certain stated day (stato die) before it was light, and addressed themselves in a form of prayer to Christ, as to some god (quasi Deo), binding themselves, &c., after which, it was their custom to separate, and then re-assemble to eat in common a harmless meal" (Pliny's Letters, Melmoth's Translation, p. 467. London, 1810). On a certain stated day. Which was it? Connecting the phrase with the New Testament passages which speak of the meeting of Christians on the first day of the week, one would think it ought to be universally admitted that this was obviously the day spoken of. It illustrates the force of prejudice in regard to the whole question before us, that Mr Cox, speaking historically, is obliged to say, "It has been questioned what the stated day' mentioned by Pliny was, whether the first, or the seventh, or any day of the week, or a day in the Greek decade, or in the month"! (i. p. 297).

To turn next to the apostolic fathers. A passage in Clement of Rome's Epistle to the Corinthians, generally held to be genuine, exhorts that "we perform our offerings and service to God at their appointed seasons [or rather, that we ought to perform in order all the services which the Master ( Aoorns) has ordered us to do at their appointed seasons]. The "appointed seasons' are explained to mean 'certain determinate times and hours'; too vague a description to be of much use for historic purposes" (Chevalier's Translation of Clement's Epistle to the Corinthians, chap. xl.; also Cox, i. 813).

It is doubtful whether the epistle of Barnabas was written by him whose name it bears; but whether so or not, it is almost equally available for the present purpose, since all admit it to be a genuine relic of remote Christian antiquity. Thus the Tubingen editor of the Apostolic Fathers, dates it from 107 to 120 A.D., adding that, according to Origen, Celsus quoted from it about the year 150 or 160 (see p. xiii of the work just named). In a passage referring to the

creation, the so-called Barnabas writes: "Lastly, he saith unto them, Your new moons and your Sabbaths I cannot bear them. Consider what he means by it. The Sabbaths, says he, which ye now keep are not acceptable unto me, but those which I have made, when resting from all things, I shall begin the eighth day; that is, the beginning of the other world; for which cause we observe the eighth day with gladness, in which also Jesus rose from the dead, and having manifested himself, ascended into heaven" (Epist. i. chap. xv., Wake's Translation, third edition (1719), slightly altered; also Cox, i. 316).

There is a passage bearing on the present inquiry both in the longer and shorter recension of the epistle to the Magnesians, formerly attributed to Ignatius; but as Cureton unhesitatingly assigns the whole of the letter in question to a later age (see his Corpus Ignatianum, pp. lxi-lxxv, and 327, 330), it can be no authority for the observances of this early time. Thus much of the apostolic fathers.

The next Christian writer who claims notice is Justin Martyr. Mr Cox well remarks that "the following is the most important passage in Justin Martyr, or indeed in any of the fathers, relative to the Lord's day. It was written between A.D. 139 and A.D. 150":—

"And on the day which is called Sunday, there is an assembly in one place of all who dwell either in towns or in the country, and the memoirs of apostles or the writings of the prophets are read, as long as the time permits. Then when the reader hath ceased, the president delivers a discourse, in which he reminds and exhorts them to the imitation of all these good things. We then all stand up together, and put forth prayers. Then, as we have already said, when we cease from prayer, bread is brought, and wine and water; and the president in like manner offers up prayers and praises with his utmost power; and the people express their assent by saying, Amen. The consecrated elements are then distributed and received by every one; and a portion is sent by the deacons to those who are absent.

"(88.) Each of those also who have abundance, and are willing, according to his choice, gives what he thinks fit; and what is collected is deposited with the president, who succours the fatherless and the widows, and those who are in necessity from disease or any other cause; those also who are in bonds, and the strangers who are sojourning among us; and in a word, takes care of all who are in need.

(89.) We all of us assemble together on Sunday, because it is the first day in which God changed darkness and matter, and made the world. On the same day also, Jesus Christ

Justin Martyr-Dionysius of Corinth.

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our Saviour rose from the dead. For he was crucified the day before that of Saturn; and on the day after that of Saturn, which is the day of the Sun, he appeared to his apostles and disciples, and taught them what we now submit to your consideration."-(Apology for the Christians to Antoninus Pius, secs. 87-89, Chevallier's Translation; also Cox, ii. 3.)

In his dialogue with Trypho he says, "The command to circumcise infants on the eighth day was a type of the true circumcision by which we were circumcised from error and wickedness, through our Lord Jesus Christ, who rose from the dead on the first day of the week (τῇ μιᾷ τῶν σαββάτων uga); therefore it remains the first and chief of all the days." (Sect. 41.) (Or more literally, For the first (day) of the week remaining the first of all the days, is called, &c.)

Again, he says that the Jews brought the charge against the followers of Jesus that, though they boasted of their piety, and thought themselves superior to other people, they in no respect differed from the heathen in their mode of life, inasmuch as they did not observe festivals, or Sabbaths, or the rite of circumcision, sec. 10. To this Justin replies, "The new law will have you keep a perpetual Sabbath; but you, when you have passed one day in idleness, suppose you have done a pious deed, not thinking why the command was given you. God is not pleased with such things as these. If any one among you is guilty of perjury or fraud, let him cease from them; if he is an adulterer, let him repent, and he will have kept the most sweet and true (rgupigà nai aλnowà) Sabbaths of God."-(Ibid. sec. 12.)

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Again, Do you see that the elements are never idle, nor keep a Sabbath? Continue as you were created. For if there was no need of circumcision before Abraham, nor of the observation of Sabbath-keeping, and festivals, and oblations before Moses, neither now is there any need of them after Jesus Christ," sec. 23. "Tell me why did not God teach those to perform such things who preceded Moses and Abraham, just men of great renown, and who were well pleasing to him, though they neither were circumcised nor kept Sabbaths," sec. 25.

"As therefore circumcision began from Abraham, and the Sabbath, and sacrifices, and oblations from Moses, and it has been shewn that they were instituted on account of the hardness of your heart, so, according to the will of the Father, they were to end in . Christ the Son of God," sec. 43.

In a fragment of a letter by Dionysius, bishop of Corinth,