Silence of six successive books of the Bible relative to the Sabbath—This silence compared to that of the book of Genesis—The siege of Jericho—The standing still of the sun—David’s act of eating the shew-bread—The Sabbath of the Lord, how connected with and how distinguished from the annual sabbaths—Earliest reference to the Sabbath after the days of Moses—Incidental allusions to the Sabbath—Testimony of Amos—Of Isaiah—The Sabbath a blessing to MANKIND—The condition of being gathered to the holy land—Not a local institution—Commentary on the fourth commandment—Testimony of Jeremiah—Jerusalem to be saved if she would keep the Sabbath—This gracious offer despised—The Sabbath distinguished from the other days of the week—The Sabbath after the Babylonish captivity—Time for the commencing of the Sabbath—The violation of the Sabbath caused the destruction of Jerusalem. When we leave the books of Moses there is a long-continued break in the history of the Sabbath. No mention of it is found in the book of Joshua, nor in that of Judges, nor in the book of Ruth, nor in that of first Samuel, nor in the book of second Samuel, nor in that of first Kings. It is not until we reach the book of second Kings[189] that the Sabbath is even mentioned. In the book of first Chronicles, however, which as a narrative is parallel to the two books of Samuel, the Sabbath is mentioned[190] with reference to the events of David’s life. Yet this leaves a period of five hundred years, which the Bible passes in silence respecting the Sabbath. During this period we have a circumstantial history of the Hebrew people from their entrance into the promised land forward to the establishment of David as their king, embracing many particulars in the life of Joshua, of the elders and judges of Israel, of Gideon, of Barak, of Jephthah, of Samson, of Eli, of Naomi and Ruth, of Hannah and Samuel, of Saul, of Jonathan and of David. Yet in all this minute record we have no direct mention of the Sabbath.