The Union and eastern journal. [volume] (Biddeford [Me.]) 1854-1858, 1855-12-14
THE u NION
EASTERN JOURNAL.
Biddsford, Friday Morning, Dee. "A, 1855
The Sanctity of the Sabbath.


holy" Admitting in its fullest extent the
obligation Of all men to obey this command
oil our God, we have not whit Of sympa'
thy with that pharisaical regard Tor it. which
forbids the minister OF Christ. or the layman,
to make mention Of, and rebuke the grevious
sins and vices Of society on the SABBATH
There is existing, even in the bosom Of many
Of our n. E. church members, practical
in6dclity. worse than that Of Voltaire or
Hume; and even more pernicious, judging II
by its influences, than The corrupting rotten
ness Of the Ton Paine school Of in6delity-
worse because the infdelity Of one is bold,
open, ayowed, gloried in, and being so, can
DO met and exposed while that Of the other
clothing itself in the habiliments Of religion,
and protesting reverence for christianity
in the name Of the christian Sabbath, and the
christian religion, inculcates benumbins
faith which makes religion nothing but q
blind observance Of forms and ceremonies,
and system Of worship calculated to foster
and strengthen, rather than 10 weaken and
destroy the, vices and crimes which are u
scourse to msnkind. Ilume's infdelity was
one Of faith, that Of which we are speaking,
and which is found at the very altar, and as
sembled before the communion table, is one
Of practice. The former denies inspiration
but magnifes good works, the latter admits
inspiration, but denies in effect tho obliga.
tions which the admission impOses-dealing
in lities,abounding in platitudes, busy
ing itself with patriarchical sins and scrip
,ural dogmas, it attends to the 1.-THE, mint,
and cummin" Of piely, talks of,he sanc,i'y oil
the Sabbath, the sins Of Nebuchadnezzar,
but has no time 10 give TO the correction oil
the vices Of mankind, or has il any DISPOSE
lion TO deal vigorously with the sins Of the
people. Its ministers, good, easy souls,
preach 10 the pocket Of the parish-touch
vice velveily, and reproye transgression in
bland and winning tones, and their hearers
20 10 meeting, dOze comfortably in their
pews, and are only awakened il perchance
their well paid minister should accidentally
or designedly venture 10 launch spear
towards the prevailing sins Of the day. Is
/, strange ,ha, with this state OF things ex-
isting in the church, that the truth OF reyel-
alton should be questioned, moral response
bility ridiculed, and tina, the weak should
assail christianity as a gross imposture, and
that the strong should look with contempt
upon those Who profess i,-tha, there should
be complain, Of the low state Of the church,
trouble because OF the unwillingness oil
men to enroll themselves as members OF II,
and wide spread Indifference existing in
regard 10 its prosperity.
These thoughts have been suggested by
reading the article in the Democrat this
week, headed "Negro Politicians" and
called out by the lectures given in this
place, las, week, by Frederick Douglass
All through that article runs the iniideli,y
we have SPOKEN Of. Cloaked under the
guise Of a professed reverence Of the Sab
bath, the writer denounces :" as infidel and
irrelisiousn the uiterance Of manly rebuke
Of national sins by the preacher in his pull
pit, and calls ], desecration OF the Sab
bath" because negro, on Sabbath even.
ing laugh, tina, the requirements Of Chris's
gospel demanded the loosening of,he bonds
Of the oppressed. We make all necessary
allowances for the predjudices OF the writer
and have no, forgotten that he has an earth
ly master, and hard one 10 serve, and that
,ha, master was severely but deservedly
hi, by the " Negro" on that occasion-but
giving everything its due weigh, there is in
the article tina, which indicates that it Is
written in unison with the spiri, Of infideli'y
which we have said is 10 be found in many
New England churches, and will be accept
able 10 il. Were j, not so, its writer, not
even TO please the hand that feeds, would
have ventured TO publish views Of Christian
obligation which are an insult to the teach
ings Of Christ. II is this Astounding perver,-
ed sentimen, that exists, which makes the
article worth noticing, |, is Of little conse-
luence iha, The writer pays al! due attention
to the ouiwards Of religion, makes formal
prayers, and on the Sabbath. goes regularly
10 church, and asks his divine master for
he coming OF Christ, and 10 break the OPP
pressOrs yoke, while day by day, through
the week, he asks his earthly master, Frank
Pierce, to add to the burdens Of the oppress-
ed. intoxicating the infidel doctrine that
people may establish slavery, pOlygamy
md all the crimes enumerated in the deca.
Ogue, urder tho specious plea Of " popular
'overeignty." This, though sad, is an indi.
1idual matter, and were !, an individual case,
he evil would die where ], was born. But
he subjec, has a wider range. We pity
he hypocrisy which prompts such denun-
,iaiion Of the u,terance Of such christian
ruth on the Sabbath as desecraiion OF
Gods holy day, but we are alarmed al the
prevalence Of that sentiment which such
Remuneration pre- suPpOses to exist. Thor
'ughly corrupted as is the the writer in the
DemOcra, by pariizanship and lis rewards,
hypocritical as man must be who feigns
TO christian institutions, while
seeking to establish gian, immoraliiies, or
looking arprovingly on while the work Of
them is going forward, he
would not dare TO write as be does, were il
certain tina, the infdeliiy 10 be found in his
own heart, would no, find response even
among some members Of the church in
whose name and in whose behalf he as