The Sun.
London, England, 1842-02-28 00:00:00

OBSERY ANCE OF THE SABBATH.

" Search the Scriptures ; for in them ye think ye have
eternal life."—John, chap. 5, verse 39.

The Sabbath war has now lasted ten years, but
though it has ceased in the houses of Parliament, the
noise and the strife without still rage with increased
fury. The expulsion of Sir Andrew Agnew from
Wigtownshire, to which The Sun lent a willing hand,
was the signal of peace to the Legislature and the
people of England ; for though the still small voice of
Pemberton Plumptre was exerted to fan the dying
embers, the flickering flame soon faded. away, and with
it ceased also that vast flood of petitions that year after
year rolled into the Commons' House of Parliament. A
better proof could not be given that the, people here
are perfectly satisfied with the observance of the day,
and that these manufactured or fictitious petitions
did not express their opinions. Petiti as of this
description, that at one time were as common as
blackberries, are now more rare than black swans,
the Member for Kent being unable to get up even
one from the superstitious and ignorant disciples of
Thom, or from any class of the Christian people that
repose under the wings of the Right Reverend
Father, the Archbishop of Canterbury ; riot
so, however, with the people of Scotland. They
are allowed no rest Sunday or Saturday, but
are plied with sermons and harangues, frightened
with fearful forebodings, and told in plain terms
that they shall not have Christi m privileges ;
nay, more, that the Almighty will sco urge their land
with plagues and pestilence if they fail.. to observe the
Sabbath as commanded by Sir Andrew Agnew and
the Non-intrusionist clergy. One Rev. Gentleman, a
minister in Dundee, has even had the audicity to de-
nounce as murderers and robbers all those who voted
for running mail trains during the morning and
evening of Sunday on the Edinburgh and Glasgow
Railway. According to the division which took
place on the question last Tuesday, we therefore find
that there are 1,312 murderers, and that in obedience to
the commands of the Old Testament they ought to be
instantly put to death. This is a fearful state of things.
Many of the most upright and• honourable men of
England, and of Scotland too,'are described as the
most abominated wretches in society, their property
is injured, and their very lives endangered, not by
common slanderers, or writers in pamphlets and news-
papers, but by men of a sacred character, who are im-
plicitly believed by the great body of the people, and
who loudly proclaim that they have a misFdon from
on high to declare the whole mind of. Gon. In
the whole history of libel, can such an instance
be found of an indisputable ground of action
for damages ? We therefore advise the parties
to have recourse to the law of the land, not only for
defamation, but for loss of property. As regards the
first, there can be no doubt, and the rise which took
place on the shares after the decision of the Proprietors
proves that the Sabbataritias had injured the pro-
perty; and to injure it still farther they are de-
termined. Sir Andrew Agnew and his followers have
set the example of appealing to the law, as he dis-
tinctly gave notice at the meeting that he would lay
an information against the Directors for desecration
of the Sabbath. Let the law, then, decide between
them. Not satisfied, however, with this threat we
find that he and a number of others, nearly one-half
of whom are clergymen, have entered into a holy
league and covenant to destroy, if possible, a splendid
work that has cost one million and a half sterling ;
they have published an advertisement in the Scotch
papers, with the awful heading " Profanation of the
Lord's Day." Among other resolutions they unani-
mously agreed to the following :--
That the Shareholders having this day resolved to
attempt the opening of the railway on Sabbath, it is in-
cumbent on the friends of religion to renew and prosecute
their efforts for the protection of the :abbath, with the
resolution to persevere therein to the uttermost.
That the Committees at Edinburgh. and Glasgow do
declare their meetings permanent ; and that the instruc-
tion to them be to take all prudent methods for obtaining
the repeal of the hateful resolution of this day, by pro-
moting the signing of the declaration against the using
of the railway—by taking means to bring the law to
bear on the parties desecrating the Sabbath—and, by
calling forth the opposition of Scotland more and more
to the attempted invasion on the religious privileges of
the people.
That, among other things, the Committees do take
measures for promoting the prosperity of those convey-
ances which profess to respect the Sabbath.
That Sir Andrew Agnew be General Convener of
these Committees ; and that Mr. Cassells be Convener at
Edinburgh, and Mr. Collins at Glasgow.
That the prosecution of these objects being necessarily
attended with much expense, subscriptions be forth-
with called in from all friendly quarters ; and shat
Win. Johnston, Esq., be Treasurer, at Edinburgh, and
Wm. Wilson, Esq., St. Vincent-street, at Glasgow.
Signed in the presence of the Meeting,
ANDREW AGNEW. Bart., Chairman.
J. D. Bryce
Hugh Brown
John Black
James Fraser,
Robt. Buchanan, Minister
John G. Lorimer, Minister
John Blackie, sen.
William Arnot, Minister
James Morison
Wm. Symington, Minister
J. C. Fowler, Minister
J. Graham
William Buchanan
W. B. Ogilvie
Andrew Grant
James Gibson, Minister
John Forbes, Minister
Michael Willis, Minister
Stewart Bates, Minister
Alex. Keith, Minister.

G. Smyttan •
Henry Paul
John Dempster, Minister
Hugh Young
William Stevenson

John Ferguson, Minister
Andrew King,_Minister

CgotiPbell
Peter Campbell, Minister
James Playfair

Nathaniel Stevenson

William Graham

• •
Jas. Henderson, Minister
Henry Knox
Robert Storey, Minister
William Dunn, Minister
Charles Cowan

James Bridges

William Collins

Hugh Tennent

Now here is a deliberate attempt made to depre-
ciate the property, not by fair and honest competition
but taking advantage of their position by a systematic
conspiracy to compel the religious people of Scotland to
patronise coaches and canals in which possibly some
of the ringleaders have an interest. As another proof
that the agitation is not the work of the people, but
of the clergy, we find that the Presbytery of Edin-
burgh, at their meeting on Wednesday, passed reso-
lutions, in one of which they call on 'all parents and
friends of youth to deal with them solemnly, and a
Reverend Doctor proposed to follow the example of
Sir Andrew Agnew, and enter into a combination to
ruin the property ; but common sense, or perhaps fear
of the consequences prevailed, for Dr. Muir, who
proposed the resolutions, hinted that " he had not a
little scruple about the propriety of entering into a
combination not to employ the railway on week-days,
for that seemed to him to be touching the pecuniary
interests or concerns of their neighbours, which ought
not to be done by a combination of private individuals.
He understood perfectly that if they were to call
upon the civil Magistrate to put in force the laws
enacted for Sabbath protection, they would operate
as a pecuniary mulct upon the shareholders ; but he
had a difficulty and a scruple about entering into a
combination as private individuals, by which the
pecuniary interestsofitheir neighbours were affected."
Leaving, however, the points of law to be settled
by worldly authority, we come to the main question,
and ask on what ground Dr. David Dickson and
many of his brethren foretell that running the mails
on Sunday will " bring the judgments of God on
Scotland?" These men have no means-of knowing
the will of the Almighty but such as af.‘, common to
all Jews and Christians, namely, the Holy Scriptures.
Now we have, in obedience to the Divine command,
searched the Scriptures, and with the blessing
of God we trust have come to a righteous con-
clusion. Let the religious people of Scotland
do the same ; let them not ground their faith anu
practice on the word of man, but on the word of HIM,
who, on Mount Sinai, delivered to Moss the " twc
tables of testimony, tables of stone, written with the
finger of God." By these Jews and Christians are
bound till they are repealed by the same authority-
communicated from above, through the Prophets or
Apostles. No communication to that effect has yet
been made—nay, what is more, the law cannot be
altered, because it is a sign for ever between GOD
and his people, and the seventh day was set apart
as a day of rest, because on that day he rested,
and was refreshed. The command is so pre-
cise, and the denunciation against the breach of it so
awful, that we give it at length from the book of
Exodus. " Six days may work be done ; but on the
seventh is the Sabbath of rest, holy to the Lord : who-
soever doeth any work therein he shall surely be put
to death. 'Wherefore the children of Israel shall keep
the Sabbath, to observe the Sabbath throughout their
generation, for a perpetual covenant. It is a sign
between me and the children of Israel foi
ever ; for in six days the Lord made heaven
and earth, and on the seventh he rested, and
was refreshed." Here is the command, with the
day of the week fixed for ever, and the reason also for
its observance. If the Agnewites say this command
applies only to the Jews, then there is an end of the
matter. They have no other authority but this for