This last statement is indeed very remarkable. Christ furnished "the Creator's Sabbath," the seventh day, with "divine safeguards." His adversary (THE adversary of Christ is the devil) would have had this course "pursued for some other days." That is to say, the devil would have been pleased had Christ consecrated some other day, instead of adding to the sanctity of his Father's Sabbath. What Tertullian says that the devil would have been pleased to have Christ do, that our first-day friends now assert that he did do in the establishment of what they call the Christian Sabbath! Such an institution, however, was never heard of in the days of the so-called Christian fathers. Notwithstanding Tertullian's many erroneous statements concerning the Sabbath and the law, he has here borne a noble testimony to the truth, and this completes his words. CHAPTER VIII. Fabian--Origen--Hippolytus--Novatian. TESTIMONY OF THE EPISTLES AND DECREES OF POPE FABIAN. This man was bishop of Rome from A. D. 236 to A. D. 250. The letters ascribed to Fabian were probably written at a considerably later date. We quote them, however, at the very point of time wherein they claim to have been written. Their testimony is of little importance, but they breathe the self-important spirit of a Roman bishop. We quote as follows:-- "You ought to know what is being done in things sacred in the church of Rome, in order that, by following her example, ye may be found to be true children of her who is called your mother. Accordingly, as we have received the institution from our fathers, we maintain seven deacons in the city of Rome, distributed over seven districts of the state, who attend to the services enjoined on them week by week, and on the Lord's days, and the solemn festivals," etc.--_Epistle First._ This pope is said to have made the following decree, which contains the only other reference to the so-called Lord's day to be found in the writings attributed to him:-- "We decree that on each Lord's day the oblation of the altar should be made by all men and women in bread and wine, in order that by means of these sacrifices they may be released from the burden of their sins."--_Decrees of Fabian_, b. v. chap. vii. In these quotations we see that the Roman church is made the mother of all churches, and also that the Roman bishop thinks himself the rightful ruler over all Christian people. And it is in fit keeping with these features of the great apostasy that the pope, instead of pointing sinful men to the sacrifice made on Calvary, should "decree that on each Lord's day" every person should offer an "oblation" of "bread and wine" on the altar, "that by means of THESE SACRIFICES they may be released from the burden of their sins"! TESTIMONY OF ORIGEN.