Would  not  your  acceptance  of  the  holy  day  of  the
greatest   nations  and   the   ruling  races    of   the   world


APPEAL.  267

greatly  facilitate  your  carrying-  forward  the  imme-
morial and  unparalleled  testimony  of  your  fatliers  to
the  importance  of  inviolable  Sabbath  time  as  a  foun-
dation of  religion,  morality,  and  true  civilization  ?

By  adopting  the  sacred  time  of  Christendom,  even
v\^ithout  changing  your  interpretations  of  the  Old
Testament  and  your  religious  observance,  would  you
not  assure  greater  precedence  to  the  Hebrews  in  the
religious  history  of  the  race,  exalt  the  Hebrew  name
by  an  international  homage  to  Joseph's  son,  the  most
illustrious  descendant  of  your  great  progenitor,  and
hasten  the  adoption  of  a  common  faith  and  a  common
ritual  by  all  mankind.  A  common  Sabbath  would
become  the  avenue  of  the  approach  of  all  the  tribes
and  kindreds  of  the  earth  to  union  in  the  same  divine
Lord  and  Saviour,  the  one  God  and  Father,  and  the
one  universal  brotherhood.
Seventh-day  Baptist.
**  O  day  of  rest  !     How  beautiful,  how  fair,
How  welcome  to  the  weary  and  the  old  !
Day  of  the  Lord,  and  truce  to  earthly  care  ! —
Day  of  the  Lord,  as  all  our  days  should  be  !  "

Do  you  not  agree  with  other  Christians,  that  the
devotion  of  a  seventh  part  of  time  to  rest  and  worship
is  the  universal  duty  of  man,  and  necessary  to  the  high-
est political  and  social  welfare  of  mankind  ?  Will  you
not  also  agree  with  them  that  the  first  day  may  assure
to  any  community  all  the  privileges  of  rest,  worship,
and  spiritual  culture  that  the  seventh  day  can  ?  Did
not  the  Apostles  and  early  Church   fulfil  the  obliga-


268       DEFENCE  OF  THE  SABBATH.
