Change of the Sabbath

With all the chaos English Christians faced in the 17th century, church leaders and scholars pressed themselves to clarify their various theologies. This Puritan minister in colonial Massachusetts, for example, here presents his case for scheduling the Sabbath on the first or last day of a seven-day week. Wishing to take the Old Testament seriously, he argues that the church cannot arbitrarily break up the cycle God established. Overall, the essay provides present-day readers not only with a look into the theology of the Sabbath, but also a peek into the minds and concerns of the Puritan community.

Kathleen O'Bannon
CCEL Staff