Preface
THIS book has been written with the hope that it may find access to a large number of people who desire information concerning the change of the Sabbath, a subject which is attracting more attention at the present time than it has for ages. Frequent inquiries concerning the day are being sent to prominent theologians and scholars, and to the leading secular and religious papers, asking for light; and the question is fast becoming a prominent one. Thousands of sermons, in the aggregate, have been preached in recent years upon this subject; nor is the agitation likely to subside. As the public mind is being stirred, there seems to be a demand for more stringent laws, both State and national, in behalf of the popular rest day; and as we are living in an age when libraries are being searched, ruins of ancient cities are being dug up, and everything questioned to find the substratum of truth on every subject, it is certainly appropriate that the Scriptural and historic al evidences relative to the Sabbath institution should be considered.
The questions are often asked: How was the change from the observance of the seventh to the first day of the week brought about? On what authority does it stand?
The following pages will quite fully answer these queries, although the work does not aim to be a thorough exposition of the subject treated. Those in search of such a volume are referred to the History of the Sabbath, which may be obtained from the publishers of this book. The History of the Sabbath carefully canvasses the entire ground of sacred and profane history, noticing every point, and answering every question. But as many cannot take the time required to read such an exhaustive treatise, this book has been prepared, which covers the ground of the change of the Sabbath as briefly as is consistent with a clear discussion of the subject, and gives a concise outline of the steps taken in bringing about the change. It is hoped that this work will prove a fair synopsis of the subject, and answer in a satisfactory manner the question: Who changed the Sabbath?
George I. Butler