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The Market Day of the Soul: the Puritan doctrine of the Sabbath in England, 1532-1700

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THE MARKET DAY OF THE SOUL:
The Puritan doctrine of the Sabbath in England, 1532-1700
By James T. Dennison, Jr.
Soli Deo Gloria Publications
209 pages
ISBN 1 57358 062 7

James Dennison, through his careful research, has made an important contribution to our understanding of the Puritan mind on an issue which continues to be important for the church world-wide.

In a style which is lucid, and carefully documented for an academic audience, Dennison distinguishes three main positions held in the period 1532-1700. The 'Prelatic' position of the church establishment believed the Sabbath only applied in the old Jewish state. So the only basis for Sunday observance was the practice of the apostles, with the implication that the apostles' successors (the prelates of the day) could decide its use in the present. At the other extreme the Saturday-Sabbath group argued for Saturday observance because it was one of the ten commandments and was nowhere abrogated in the New Testament.

The Puritan position, Dennison argues, lay between these extremes. They saw a pattern running through Scripture from one end to the other, from God resting at the end of creation and thus establishing a seven-day cycle in time, through the Mosaic law with its seven-day rhythm, to the practice of the early church. Some of the greatest Puritan minds, including Owen and Baxter, explore the theme in depth. They distinguish the moral (eternally valid) aspects of the Mosaic command from its ceremonial aspect in making Jewish society distinctive. They argue for the Lord's Day (Sunday) as a Christian Sabbath (rest and worship day) on the basis of Christ's appearances and the coming of the Holy Spirit on the first day of the week, and the established practice of the early church.

Curious omissions

If the evidence of the controversy provided by Dennison is comprehensive, there are some curious omissions. There is no discussion recorded of Jesus's Sabbath controversies, focussing as they did not only on the value of a weekly rest day for humanity but also on its right use (Mark 2.23-3.6). Nor is there discussion of the key passages in the epistles relating to the Sabbath (Romans 14.1-8, Galatians 4.9-11, Colossians 2.16).

This is a book primarily for those with a specialist interest either in the Sunday issue as an aspect of Christian influence on the social order, or for those with an interest in Puritan thought. However, it also raises questions for all Evangelicals today. Why do we pay so little attention to 'the Lord's Day' when we regard so highly other aspects of Puritan doctrine? And why do contemporary Western Christians treat the weekly rest day so lightly given its prominence as an issue throughout the Scriptures, throughout church history and in the life and practice of the world-wide church today?

M. Collins