Such was the state of things when the reformers began their labors. That they should give up these festivals and return to the observance of the ancient Sabbath, would be expecting too much of men educated in the bosom of the Romish church. Indeed, it ought not to surprise us that, while they were constrained to strike down the authority of these festivals, they should nevertheless retain the most important of them in their observance. The reformers spoke on this matter as follows: The Confession of the Swiss churches declares that, “The observance of the Lord’s day is founded not on any commandment of God, but on the authority of the church; and, That the church may alter the day at pleasure.”[948] We further learn that, “In the Augsburg Confession which was drawn up by Melancthon [and approved by Luther], to the question, ‘What ought we to think of the Lord’s day?’ it is answered that the Lord’s day, Easter, Whitsuntide, and other such holy days, ought to be kept because they are appointed by the church, that all things may be done in order; but that the observance of them is not to be thought necessary to salvation, nor the violation of them, if it be done without offense to others, to be regarded as a sin.”[949] Zwingle declared “that it was lawful on the Lord’s day, after divine service, for any man to pursue his labors.”[950] Beza taught that “no cessation of work on the Lord’s day is required of Christians.”[951] Bucer goes further yet, “and doth not only call it a superstition, but an apostasy from Christ to think that working on the Lord’s day, in itself considered, is a sinful thing.”[952] And Cranmer, in his Catechism, published in 1548, says:— “We now keep no more the Sabbath on Saturday as the Jews do; but we observe the Sunday, and certain other days as the magistrates do judge convenient, whom in this thing we ought to obey.”[953] Tyndale said:— “As for the Sabbath, we be lords over the Sabbath, and may yet change it into Monday, or into any other day as we see need, or may make every tenth day holy day only if we see cause why.”[954] It is plain that both Cranmer and Tyndale believed that the ancient Sabbath was abolished, and that Sunday was only a human ordinance which it was in the power of the magistrates and the church lawfully to change whenever they saw cause for so doing. And Dr. Hessey gives the opinion of Zwingle respecting the present power of each individual church to transfer the so-called Lord’s day to another day, whenever necessity urges, as, for example, in harvest time. Thus Zwingle says:—