The history of the church from our Lords incarnation, to the twelth year of the Emperour Maricius Tiberius, or the Year of Christ 594 / as it was written in Greek, by Eusebius Pamphilius ..., Socrates Scholasticus, and Evagrius Scholasticus ... ; made English from that edition of these historians, which Valesius published at Paris in the years 1659, 1668, and 1673 ; also, The life of Constantine in four books, written by Eusibius Pamphilus, with Constantine's Oration to the convention of the saints, and Eusebius's Speech in praise of Constantine, spoken at his tricennalia ; Valesius's annotations on these authors, are done into English, and set at their proper places in the margin, as likewise a translation of his account of their lives and writings ; with two index's, the one, of the principal matters that occur in the text, the other, of those contained in the notes.

CHAP. XVIII. That by a Law He commanded Sunday and Fri∣day to be honoured.

BUt He ordained, that a day should be e∣steemed of, as convenient and fit for prayers; that day namely, which really is the Chief and First of the other days, and which is truly the Lord's, and the Salutary day. Moreover, he ap∣pointed

Deacons and Ministers consecrated to God, who were grac't with integrity of Life and all other virtues, to be the a 1.1 Keepers of His whole house. Lastly, the Protectors and trusty Guards, furnished with the arms of good af∣fection and faith, b 1.2 acknowledged the Empe∣rour himself as their Instructer in the practise of piety; and they themselves in the same man∣ner honoured the Salutary and the Lord's day, whereon they poured forth [to God] prayers that were gratefull to the Emperour. And this Bles∣sed [Emperour] incited all other men to practise the same thing; in regard this was his chiefest desire, that by degrees he might make all persons worshippers of God. And for this reason, he issued out a Precept to all those who lived under the Roman Empire, that they should keep Holy-day on those days which had their denomination from our Saviour; as likewise, that they should honour c 1.3 the day before the Sabbath: in memory (as I think) of those things said to have been performed on those days by the common Saviour. Further, where∣as he instructed his whole Army diligently to honour the Salutary day, which happens to de∣rive its name from the light and from the Sun; to those who had embraced the divinely-inspi∣red Faith, he allowed time and leisure for a free exercise of themselves according to the usage and order of God's Church, to the end they might without any impediment be present at the performance of the prayers.

Notes

• a 1.1

  〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉. The Transla∣tour fol∣lowed the opinion of Sozo∣men, and supposed a Church to have been meant here; with whom I don't a∣gree. For Eusebius himself in his Panegy∣rick, chap. 9, where this passage oc∣curs word for word, says no∣thing con∣cerning a Church. The mea∣ning there∣fore of this place is, that Con∣stantine committed the Care and Custo∣dy of his whole Palace to the Ministers and Servants of God, and to the Prelates: so that, the Prelates were certain Controllers as 'twere of his house, or such Officers as the Romans termed Cura Palatii. Vales.
• b 1.2

  〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉. It must I think, be written 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, acknowledged: and so 'tis in the Panegyrick at the place now cited. The Printed-reading is not to be born with. Vales.
• c 1.3

  〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉. Doubtless it must be written, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, the day before the Sabbath. And thus, as 'tis evident, he read, who composed the Contents of these Chapters. Moreover, Sozomen (book 1, chap. 8,) confirms this very thing in these words; 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, &c; But, he made a Law that on that day called Sunday, (which day the Jews term the first of the Sabbath, but the Gentiles give it the name of Sunday;) and on that day before the Sahbath, all persons should cease from doing busi∣ness in the Courts of Judicature, and abstain from all other employ∣ments, and should worship God with Prayers and Supplications. In these words of Sozomen, something of difficulty occurs, as to what respects Fryday. For I can scarce perswade my self, that Constantine should have commanded, that on that day people should abstain from doing business in the Courts of Judicature. 'Tis certain, Eusebius affirms no such thing concerning Fryday, but concerning Sunday only. There is a Law of Constantine's extant in the Theodosian Code, Tit. de Ferils, in which Law Sunday only is excepted. Therefore So∣zomen added this of his own. Who seeing this observed in his own Times at Constantinople (for he was an Advocate in that City, to∣gether with one Aquilinus, as he himself relates in his second book chap. 3.) believed Constantine to have been the Authour of this thing. Vales.