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Summary.

I. Introductory: the cause of this tract,—a Sermon by Rev. D. Sidey on "Sabbath observance," published in the Hawke's Bay Herald of September 9th; reasons assigned for my writing on this subject; a family newspaper believed to be the proper vehicle for all such matters; this view strengthened by the precedents of the Great Teacher and of his disciples; Ebn Ezra's profound saying respecting the Law; particular statement concerning myself and what I venture to deem my peculiar fitness for coming before the public on this occasion; the reasons stated, somewhat analogous to what obtains among Surgeons; Canon Perowne's comment on Ps. 119. vv. 99, 100, quoted; manner of taking-up the subject proposed; Emerson's beautiful saying on Persuasion or sacred courage quoted.

II. Historically—1. Before the birth of Jesus the Bible, what it really is,—not one complete whole in itself; this point long contested (mentally) by me, but found untenable; a few needful facts to be borne in mind respecting the Bible,—its several books not always written by the very persons whose names they bear;—written at various times throughout many hundred years, and often added to and altered; other books of Scripture held by Greek and Roman Churches as equally Canonical, which contain much of Divine Instruction; the Jewish Sacred books (or rather writings, "books" being then unknown), all burnt by Nebuchadnezzar 600 years B.C.; how said to be afterwards reproduced; this strange story allowed by some of the early Christian Fathers; Dr. Prebendary Irons' opinion respecting this story, worthy of serious consideration; the extreme danger of believing the Bible to be God's only Revelation of Himself to man; happily no necessity for this; first mention of the Sabbath as a rule to man,—afterwards found as a Law among the "10 Commandments"; two conflicting versions of these, both equally authoritative; question proposed—Did Moses really write the 5 books called the Pentateuch?; highly doubtful; solid reasons shown for disbelieving it; the great advantage arising from Modern Biblical Criticism, in clearing the character of our God and Heavenly Father; Sabbaths, as laid down in the so-called Mosaic Laws, not observed by the Jews before the Captivity; proofs given; of the writer of the Chronicles; these books fully shewn not to be historically true; Dr. Irons' plain statement concerning them; of their containing monstrous tales as to numbers; the relative sizes of the Kingdoms of Judah and of Israel—or the Holy Land, altogether a small tract extending (say) from Napier to Cape Palliser! the writer of the Chronicles probably a Levite himself, and so intent (like too many priests) on magnifying his Office and class; After the Captivity great stress was laid by the Jews upon Sabbath observance; the reader's attention drawn to two "Isaiahs,"—widely different persons, who lived 200 years apart, and whose writings are included under the one book of Isaiah; the ancient Jewish book—the Talmud—adduced; several quotations given from it, shewing the great probability of its having been well-known to Jesus, who also used many of its beautiful sayings, which have been commonly supposed to be original with him; the day of the New Moon, or first Sabbath of each month, of greater importance than the following common Sabbaths; Levitical law prescribes far greater sacrifices for the feast of the New Moon, or the first monthly Sabbath, which naturally ruled the other and commoner Sabbaths of the lunar month; the septenary division of time, or week, was known and observed by other nations—as Assyrians, Arabs, Indians, Peruvians, Greeks, and Romans; quotations from Dr. Kalisch, the celebrated modern Jewish Commentator on Genesis and Exodus; the Talmud on the weekly division of time,—how it originated with many different nations; Professor Baden Powell on the lunar month; so, also, Dr. Hessey in his Bampton lectures; the Hebrews, like most other Oriental nations had 13 (lunar) months page 43 in their year; of two remarkable modern discoveries,—(1) the Modbite Stone, and (2) the engraved Assyrian tablets,—both wonderfully assisting Modern Biblical Criticism; from the Assyrian tablets we gain much light,—we already know much of their astronomy, which proves to be marvellously correct and agreeing with our own; also, of the holiness of the number 7, as held by them and by the Jews,—cases in point adduced from the New Testament; and, also, of the origin among the Jews of their modern notion of a "Devil," and of demons, which they brought away with them from Assyria; from the Moabite Stone, well engraved in plain grammatical Hebrew, we learn the truth of the last war between Moab and Israel,—widely differing from the vamped-up legendary tale of the same war in the Book of Kings; this stone similar to that one raised by Samuel 230 years before and called Ebenezer; a word to Ministers and to Sunday School Teachers, will they hear it? reasons assigned for preferring the Moabitish to the Jewish story; of the yearly tribute of sheep, said, by the Jewish writer, to have been paid by Moab to Israel; the size of the petty kingdom of Moab, only a tract 40 x 10 miles!

2. Time of Jesus and his Apostles: Jesus with his followers kept the Sabbath in a free and liberal manner, and not according to the so-called Divine Mosaic laws, nor in accordance with the Pharisees of his day; ample proofs given from the New Testament,—and by other authorities,—shewing his doings and his teachings respecting the Sabbath; more also, on this head, to be gained incidentally from many of his other teachings and doings; in all which Jesus ever shewed himself as the true and faithful servant of the only true God; his apposite introduction of the sublime war-cry of his nation noticed; reasonable deduction from the premises, that Jesus did not acknowledge any Divine law from Sinai respecting the observance of the Sabbath.

3. Time of the Apostles: Paul, who had been a zealous Pharisee, evidently kept the Sabbath much as Jesus did; proofs of this from the N.T.; first Council held at Jerusalem gave no "burdens" to the Gentile converts respecting the keeping of the Sabbath, hence the Sabbath could not have been of Divine origin; proofs given; Paul, in all his many and varied rules and instructions to several Christian Churches, says nothing about Sabbath observances; and in his Epistles to the Romans and to the Colossians he positively states the Sabbath-day to be no better than any other day; Dean Alford's remark thereon in his Greek Testament; Paul's depreciatory language to the Galatian Church concerning the Sabbath; Wheatly's plain and truthful comment thereon.

III. Ecclesiastical:—1. Primitive: for a time the Jewish Christian converts continued to assemble on the seventh (or Sabbath) day; soon, however, fell into neglect, through not having any Apostolical appointment; Bingham's instructive statement thereon; early Ecclesiastical and Imperial laws wholly against the observance of the Jewish Sabbath; hence the sect of the Ebionites, and others, who observed the Jewish Sabbath, were condemned by the Council of Laodicea; Pope Gregory the Great's statement concerning Antichrist and Sabbath observance; no Christian writers of the 1st and 2nd centuries ever attributed the keeping of Sunday to any Apostolical authority; ample proofs given; also, quotations from Justin Martyr, from St. Cyril, and from St. Jerome, all against the observance of the Jewish Sabbath; Jerome, also, incidentally shews how the Sunday was kept in his time,—a day of church service, of joy, and of common work; no Sunday league, no Sabbatarians then!

2. Time of the Reformation: quotations from the most eminent of the Reformers,—from Tyndal, from Luther, from Melancthon, from Calvin, and from others,—shewing their liberal views of the Christian Sunday; quotation from Mr Sidey's published sermon, shewing his many errors in a small, compass,—Historically (both Civil and Ecclesiastical), page 44 and Chronologically, also in his severe and informal deductions therefrom; of King James and his "Declaration, or Book of Sports;" quotation from the King's "Declaration;" quotations from the old Church historian, Puller, shewing how all that was brought to pass by the superstitious Sabbatarians, with Fuller's quaint and homely remarks thereon; fifteen years after that King Charles re-published his father's "Declaration," but in a still milder form; obliged to do so through the opposition of the meddlesome Sabbatarian party; of a charge against Archbishop Laud on his trial, and his defence; the Church of Geneva (John Knox's own) allowed of Archery on Sundays, and Calvin there played at Bowls on that day.

3. Modern:—On the phrase used by Mr Sidey—"the right keeping of the Sabbath;" Mr Sidey's views believed to be the very opposite of those of the Reformers and the Primitive Christian Church, of the Apostles and of Jesus; shewn (1) from the "shorter Catechism" (Presbyterian Church),—(2) Decrees of Kirk Sessions, and Acts of General Assembly Scotch Church,—(3) orders of Edinburgh Town Council,—and (4) statements of some Ministers of the Scotch Kirk, about their severe and "hateful" Sabbath observance laws, made in session before their brother Ministers,—particularly those of Dr. Norman M'Leod, who spoke truly, bravely, thrillingly, as a true servant of God; his remarks in part allowed by the Presbyterian ministers at that gathering, but of course, opposed; their peculiar Sabbath observance system has the dangerous effect of "weakening morality;" wretched (sanitary) state of Edinburgh, particularly on the Sunday under that old Kirk system of obsolete Jewish superstition; Dr M'Leod's excellent little work called "The Starling," noticed; the late Sir Donald M'Lean's favourable opinion upon it; of the present "Sabbath Alliance" party in Scotland, and their insufferably impudent Annual Report, containing language highly disrespectful against Queen Victoria,—a long quotation therefrom; how truly their words are in accordance with those of the Pharisees of the time of Jesus; they ought to have the Queen's ancestor (James I.) to deal with them in his rough and ready way; reference to the Conference at Hampton Court, A.D. 1604; from all such "right keeping of the Sabbath" may Napier (and all N.Z.) ever be free; better, of the two, to have King James' "Book of Sports" republished here; curious, that, throughout all Christendom, only the churches of three petty highland countries,—Ethiopia, Armenia, and Scotland,—cling to the Sabbatarian superstition; all three churches, too, being wholly discordant as to dogmas; Steam—the iron horse, the steam ship, and the press—will do wonders, and help to cure; but Sabbatarianism also in England, although only a small insignificant clique; Wilberforce's truthful remarks on the melancholy comfortless British Sunday, quoted; a few English Bishops (some years ago) sought by letter to the Directors of the English Railway Companies to put a stop to excursion trains on Sundays! the Directors did not deign to reply—but wisely put it on the shelf; a selfish lot those English Bishops; apt remarks on their conduct; better had some in Napier not unwisely come forward with their letter to the Directors of the N.Z. Steam Navigation Company, to prevent the calling of our Mail steamers at Napier on Sundays; suitable quotations on true Religion from our English poets—Southey, and Tennyson; the Sabbatarian error largely bolstered up or supported by the two national British Churches—of England and of Scotland; already shewn as to Scotland, by her Catechism and Church decrees,—and as to England, by her Ministers repeatedly reading from the Communion Table ["Altar," sic!] the old worn-out theory of God having ordered the Jewish keeping of the Sabbath-day, and that because He made all things in six days! Of the carelessness, or thoughtlessness, or "happy ignorance" of such Ministers; pious lies "the weakening of morality"; the Bishop of Oxford's admission respect- page 45 ing the creation of the world in six days; the Writer could not (if now ministering to a congregation) allow his congregation to be so deceived, as to the constant using of those old Church phrases without due explanation; a word to Napier Sabbatarians, as to their Sunday letters from England, and their Sunday milk from the country; a word, additional, as to the possible zealous looking after regular Church attendance on the Sabbath, on account of the "bawbees"—or the horrid unchristian and novel Sunday money gatherings, now never omitted! the Writer's particular reasons and right to call attention to this,—from the fact of his having always opposed it, and that, too, when single-handed, and at no little cost to himself; the same fully explained; the Writer would not minister in any church where such Mammon worship was carried on; how easily Napier congregations may escape such sordid traffic; how the "Devil" laughs at it! the Gospel is not now preached to the poor; no room in the church for them any more than in the theatre; come with money, or stay away! Of Church reform, of its sure approach, yet not likely to begin from within; another word to Ministers; of Light breaking all around, the happy result of modern Biblical Criticism; shewn, especially to members of the Church of England, in three great works,—(1) the New Lectionary,—(2) the new Bible Commentary,—and (3) the new and Corrected Version of the Bible; remarks thereon; several striking quotations from the new Bible Commentary on the Mosaic laws, largely supporting what has been herein written; noticeable remark by a learned English Bishop in Convocation respecting the new translation of the Bible; three small matters all lately occurring here in New Zealand in favour of Christian Sunday freedom noticed,—viz. opening of the Napier Athenæum on Sundays—running of 18 trains to and from the advanced town of Dunedin on that day—and the Presbyterians formally setting aside their Sacramental fast-day; also, a fourth and a greater one,—that of the State schools, wherein true Religion will be taught; the absolute necessity of reforming the Catechisms of the Churches; solemn veracious words of a modern English Archbishop on teaching only the Truth; a home question to all Ministers and Sunday School Teachers—that is, to those with living tender consciences; the writer's serious conviction respecting the age of the Pentateuch, after more than 20 years' study of this matter, showing its Divine authority as utterly untenable.

IV. Reasonably,—including theologically and humanly: ever hold to this—"the Sabbath was made For man;" first seek to be delivered from the old slavish Jewish superstition respecting the Sabbath, then we may begin to understand it; the Sunday (or seventh day's rest) should be a day of refreshing; day given for general labour and night for rest; remarks thereon and reasonable deductions drawn; (1) Sunday's rest good for man's physical nature; inaction alone not always rest, shown powerfully in children; Sunday often anything but a day of refreshment to them, owing to injudicious Ministers and parents; the righteous and natural rebellion of children against all restraint set down to their "sinful hearts," or to "the Devil," to the great and lasting injury of the poor child; plain remarks on the personality of "Old Nick"—recently preached up here in Napier to credulous hearers! the true rest of Sunday, is refreshment of body and mind; the ways of obtaining this are various, differing almost with everyone, so that each must choose for himself; (2) the Sunday's rest is good for our moral nature; shewn by its necessity, and by the effect the beauties of Nature and the Works of God have upon us; (3) the Sunday's rest is needed for our religious nature; remarks thereon; Common Worship the highest and noblest of all Sunday occupation; men may and do worship God when alone; worship strengthened when done in fitting company; true child of God has constant communion with his Father; truly happy strengthening and sanctified Sunday seasons of Religious worship have often been experienced both in England and in N.Z.; such will be known again, when page 46 Ministers and Congregations become Whole-Hearted in that matter; then Sundays will again become days of rejoicing and refreshment; quotation from G. Herbert's beautiful poem on Sunday; (4) our social nature needs above all the Sunday's rest; the joys of the Sunday walk, the Sunday recreation, the Sunday holiday depicted; the great benefit arising from Sunday visits to Gardens—Museums—Aquariums—Galleries of Art and Science; quotation from official Annual Report of the Royal Gardens at Kew,—shewing the immense number of Sunday visitors, outnumbering those on all the other six days of the week taken together; of the great benefits to them; the Imperial Legislature should do all things possible in that direction, as such mental pleasures save from the grosser kinds; also the heads of the various Churches should act together for this purpose, both at home and in the Colonies; apt quotation from Mr Gladstone; both the State and the Churches should not overlook the smaller matters affecting the little wee folk,—who should be helped, honestly and openly, with an innocent face—to spend their well-earned Sunday holiday 1d,—and so avoid the "weakening of morality"; a case in point given; a large Bench of liberal English Magistrates praised; over-officious police condemned; Common Worship the Glory of the Christian Sunday; God has given us the knowledge of Himself in the Scriptures, and now in our day has also given us most wonderful and daily-increasing knowledge in many Sciences, which all alike come from one source—God; as great a sin to despise and disregard these gifts as to despise or to disregard the Bible; possibly all this Modern Light is intended (among other things) to teach us not to make an Idol of the Bible,—towards which there long has been, and still is a tendency; comforting assurance—that all words of truth, whether in the Bible or out of the Bible, must ever stand—as sure as God himself; we should receive all that is True; quotation from Tennyson; God still speaks in many ways to man,—whether by prophets (preachers and teachers)—in the pulpit or out of the pulpit,—or by priests; when He speaks His words will both be heard and known: Conclusion, Dr. Irons' good and Christian advice,—not to be angry,—not to speak or write bitterly against the Truth,—and so be found fighting against God.