"O Day of Rest and Gladness!"

I recently (while doing research for this blog, as a matter of fact) came across a nicely written, but unyielding, defense of the Saturday Sabbath by a well-meaning group of Christian brothers and sisters, and it occurred to me that we all hear these arguments from time to time. Those who worship on the Lord's Day (Sunday) are sometimes accused of having "corrupted" God's commandments.

With that in mind, I thought you might enjoy reading Puritan preacher Thomas Watson on the historic origins of the Lord's Day:

"Our Sabbath is altered by Christ's own appointment. He arose this day out of the grave, and appeared on it often to His disciples, 1 Cor. xvi. 1: to intimate to them (saith Athanasius) that he transferred the Sabbath to the Lord's day. And St. Austin saith that by Christ's rising on the first day of the week, it was consecrated to be the Christian Sabbath, in remembrance of his resurrection. This day was anciently called dies lucis, the day of light, as Junius observes. The other days of the week would be dark, were it not for the shining of the sun of righteousness on this day. This day hath been called by the ancients, regina dierum, the queen of days. And St. Hierom prefers this day above all solemn festivals. The primitive church had this day in high veneration: it was a great badge of their religion: for when the question was asked, servasti dominicum?, keepest thou the Sabbath?; the answer was, Christianus sum, I am a Christian; I dare not omit the celebration of the Lord's day!."

Happy Lord's Day!