he morning"--v. 19. The 20th verse
shows that the Sabbath had not yet come since their receiving the manna,
because it spoiled and "bred worms by the next morning;" whereas, on the
Sabbath morning it was found sweet and eatible--24th v. This was the
thirtieth day after leaving Egypt (1st v.) and twenty days before it was
given on Sinai. The weekly Sabbath then was appointed before this or
before the days of Moses. Where was it then? Answer in the second
chapter of Genesis and no where else; and the same week on which the
manna fell, the weekly Sabbath was revived among or with God's chosen
people. Grotius tells us "that the memory of the creation's being
performed in seven days, was preserved not only among the Greeks and
Italians, but among the Celts and Indians." Other [8]writers say
Assyrians, Egyptians, Arabians, Britons and Germans, all of whom divide
their time into weeks. Philo says "the Sabbath is not peculiar to any
one people or country, but is common to all the world." Josephus states
"that there is no city either of Greeks or barbarians or any _other
nation_, where the religion of the Sabbath is not known." But as they,
like the great mass of God's professed people in christendom, paid
little or no heed to what God had said about the particular day, (except
the Jews, and a few others) they (as we are informed in history) adopted
peculiar days to suit themselves, viz: the christian nations chose to
obey the Pope of Rome, who changed the _seventh_ day Sabbath to the
first day, and called it the holy Sabbath; the Persians selected Monday;
the Grecians Tuesday; the Assyrians Wednesday; the Egyptians Thursday;
the Turks Friday, and the Jews the seventh day, Saturday, as God had
commanded. Three standing miracles a week, for about forty years
annually, ought to perpetuate the Sabbath. 1st, double the quantity of
manna on the sixth day; 2d, none on the seventh; 3d, did not spoil on
the seventh day. If it does not matter which day you keep holy to the
Lord, then all these nations are right. Now reflect one moment on this,
and then open your bible and read the commandment of the God of all
these nations! "REMEMBER! (what you have been taught before) _the
Sabbath day to keep it holy_;" (which day is it Lord?) "_the_ SEVENTH
_is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work,
thou nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy man servant nor thy maid
servant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger, that is within thy g