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Epistle to the Magnesians (Long Version)
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Chapter 9: Live with Christ.
IF THOSE WHO WERE FAMILIAR WITH THE ANCIENT SCRIPTURES CAME TO A NEW HOPE: expecting the coming of Christ, as the Lord teaches us when He says, "If you had believed Moses, you would have believed Me, for he wrote of Me;" and again, "Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it, and was glad; for before Abraham was, I am;" how shall we be able to live without Him? The prophets were His servants, foresaw Him by the Spirit, and waited for Him as their Teacher, and expected Him as their Lord and Saviour, saying, "He will come and save us." Let us therefore no longer keep the Sabbath in the Jewish manner, and rejoice in days of idleness; for "he that does not work, let him not eat." For say the [holy] oracles, "In the sweat of your face shall you eat your bread." But let each of you keep the Sabbath in a spiritual manner, rejoicing in meditation on the law, not in relaxation of the body, admiring the craftsmanship of God, and not eating things prepared the day before, nor using lukewarm drinks, and walking within a prescribed space, nor finding delight in dancing and applause which have no sense in them.
And after the observance of the Sabbath, let every friend of Christ keep the Lord’s Day as a festival, the resurrection day, the queen and chief of all the days [of the week]. Looking forward to this, the prophet declared, "To the end, for the eighth day," on which our life both sprang up again, and the victory over death was obtained in Christ, whom the children of perdition, the enemies of the Saviour, deny, "whose god is their belly, who mind earthly things," who are "lovers of pleasure, and not lovers of God, having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof." These make merchandise of Christ, corrupting His word, and selling Jesus: they are corrupters of women, and covetous of other men’s possessions, swallowing up wealth insatiably; from whom may you be delivered by the mercy of God through our Lord Jesus Christ!