twenty one years after Tertullian, Constantine, while yet a heathen, put forth his famous edict in behalf of the heathen festival of the sun, which day he pronounced “venerable.” And this heathen law caused the day to be observed everywhere throughout the Roman Empire, and firmly established it both in Church and State. It is certain, therefore, that at the time of its entrance into the Christian church, Sunday was an ancient weekly festival of the heathen world. That this heathen festival was upon the day of Christ’s resurrection doubtless powerfully contributed to aid “patriotism” and “expediency” in transforming it into the Lord’s day or Christian Sabbath. For, with pious motives, as we may reasonably conclude, the professed people of God early paid a voluntary regard to several days, memorable in the history of the Redeemer. Mosheim, whose testimony in behalf of Sunday has been presented already, uses the following language relative to the crucifixion day:— “It is also probable that Friday, the day of Christ’s crucifixion, was early distinguished by particular honors from the other days of the week.”[546] And of the second century, he says:— “Many also observed the fourth day of the week, on which Christ was betrayed; and the sixth, which was the day of his crucifixion.”[547] Dr. Peter Heylyn says of those who chose Sunday:— “Because our Saviour rose that day from amongst the dead, so chose they Friday for another, by reason of our Saviour’s passion; and Wednesday on the which he had been betrayed: the Saturday, or ancient Sabbath, being meanwhile retained in the eastern churches.”[548] Of the comparative sacredness of these three voluntary festivals, the same writer testifies:— “If we consider either the preaching of the word, the ministration of the sacraments, or the public prayers: the Sunday in the eastern churches had no great prerogative above other days, especially above the Wednesday and the Friday, save that the meetings were more solemn, and the concourse of people greater than at other times, as is most likely.”[549] And besides these three weekly festivals, there were also two annual festivals of great sacredness. These were the Passover and the Pentecost. And it is worthy of special notice that although the Sunday festival can be traced no higher in the church than Justin Martyr, A. D. 140, the Passover can be traced to a man who claimed to have received it from the apostles. See chapter thirteen. Among these festivals, considered simply as voluntary memorials of the Redeemer, Sunday had very little pre-eminence. For it is well stated by Heylyn:— “Take which you will, either the fathers or the moderns, and we shall find no Lord’s day instituted by any apostolical mandate; no Sabbath set on foot by them upon the first day of the week.”[550] Domville bears the following testimony, which is worthy of lasting remembrance:—