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Originally Posted by armourbearer  Marty, I gather you are referring to, "yet we are not bound to or tied down to any particular day." But as I understand it in its native context, he is speaking about "that which is particular" so far as Sabbath sanctification is concerned. Hence his meaning is only that there is no inherent moral holiness placed in one day over another, so that the day is to be considered one of positive appointment. The Puritans held the same. As for the appointment of the first day of the week, he provides a significant reason why this day was appointed over others, namely, "because on that day the resurrection of Christ took place, by which the internal and spiritual Sabbath is begun in us." (P. 563.) Again, the Puritans held the same. It is also worth noting that Ursinus would use the word "church" in the context of "Christendom," or the idea of a universal church, not in any sense suggesting that it is up to each individual congregation to decide what day it will worship on. Blessings! |
Dear Matthew, thanks for the thoughts, and I can appreciate from where you're coming. But in context I still find it difficult to follow your reading. We differ over whether the apostolic change of day was a positive appointment or not. Hence, I read the words like "liberty" not simply to apply to the apostolic church but also now to the church of today as well. The problem I have with your reading, is that I can't find Ursinus explicitly saying that the apostolic change of day was a
positive appointment. That's the unstated assumption. It may well be there. I haven't found it yet.
However, it seems to me that Ursinus does indicate that the church of today is free to change the day of worship. We find it in a passage where he rebuts the Anabaptist objection that no day is to be seen as special, and hence Sunday as well as any day is now unlawful to consecrate:
But it is not in this way [no day is special] that the Church observes the Lord's day, or the first day of the week. The observance of the first day of the week on the part of Christians differs in two respects from the observance of the Jewish sabbath. 1. It was not lawful for the Jews, on account of the express command of God, to alter or change the sabbath of the seventh day, as being a part of the ceremonial worship. But the Christian church, in the exercise of her own liberty, sets apart [notice the present tense] the first, or any other day to the ministry, without connecting with it any opinion of necessity of worship. [...]
Every blessing.