, 1859-07-28

Hke Tran Nature or the Rfxht te Sum-
&AF Recreation


The Sunday question is correctly deserabcd
By its name. II il = question of aad concerning
!Sxaday, aud nothing else. It is question
whether anasenents, md The facilities for
amusements, shall be allowed On Sunday. We
must not allow ourselves to be led Of from the
true point IN issue, By arguments that man
Mecca Fest one DAY in seven, for that il not she
question nor BY arguments upon the general
necessity and benefit Of public worship, for that
- not tue question; nor by arguments upon the
immortality Of drunkenness, for neither is that
tue question: These questions may be sepa-
Estely considered in The light Of the etfec. that
no arguments Which do not connect themselyes
logically and consistently with Sunday.
It Il unnecessary for US to consider the ques-
tion Of the h~1iatss Of Sunday on "in1del"
gFounds; for under the most Iiberal interp.eta-
tion Of the Scriptures, the claim for peculiar
it should be spent in religious worship,
and in no other Way, caupot be supported Tie
authority Of the Sabbatariaus IS Il principally
found in the Fourth Commandment. Nov side
by side with the general rule, now universally
acknowledged, Tint the commandments Of the
Old Testamcnt, other than those which are
found in esesy moral code, are simply the stat
ute lar Of the ancient Hebrews, and not bind
ing upon US, is this significant fact, that the
reason assigned for the observance of the Sab
Hebrew people; dscaue IL Atd brought tim cut
| Of Egypt" therefore the Lord thy God COM
manded thee to keep the Sabbath day, Deut y
15l; eSldentiy more appropriate reason than
! the one assigred in Exodus xx. i-since the
| latter we now know not to be true. Again, tile
Sabbath Of the Jews wasSaturday, and not Sun
| day. For this reason, therefore, the Fourth
Commandment cannot refer 10 Sunday. Again,
| the Jews Kept their Sabbath By abstainingfrom
work and indulging in recreation aud amusc-
| ments,-until the latter days Of the Journalists,
| whose confusion and extirpation was no small
| part Of the mission Of Christ; and we all know
what example he set in regard to the Sabbath.
| The Phansees denounced him rs a Sabbath
| breaker.
| 1t iseasy to show by the course Of reasoning
above ind icated, that the Sabbatarans, in citing
the Fourth Commandment to sustain their posi-
| ton in regard to Sunday, are citing On obsolete
kaw, for general and special redsoas no longer
binding upon ~, d5-oyattd BY CAFist, and BY
tie carly GA,Istiaa Church up 70 the 1914 century.
and citing il to sustain tAtns in obserring tie
vine iaw which renders it incumbent tor men to
perform any particular class Of duties on the
tirst dav Of the week. Sunday is not divine
institution.
Neither is public worship divine intitutlon,
Christ nowhere enjoins it. He left such details
together in my name,'. is Chr,sts church. He
filled lis followers with sublime thoughts and
directed their souls to the paths Of true Religion
THY themselves, drawn together By common
sympathy, BY comnlona dangers,, By common
hopes, instituted public worship: i came
the first day Of the week was selected for
their meetings when they were permitted
/ to hold them with any regularity, and that
custom has continued to our day throughout
| Christendom. After their meeting, these simple
Christmas went to their work, and especially
reprobased the habit Of spending the day in
idfcness." We might know that Christ neEes
incuicated this custom as Cllistiau duty for il
he had, it wonid have met with the fate Of all
bis other commands. such as charity, forbear,
ancc, humility. honesty, aud the like, and fallen
into disuse. but public worship is, like many
worse things, human institution, arising out
Of the needs Of human nature, mud it is. too, d
good institution, and public worship on Sunday
has become, by this time, au Indispensable in
stitution. 1t Is, like the right to travel on the
| right Of petition-a civil right, founded in the
common far, appurtenans to the public in gene
ral and to every individual. 1t may be abfidg
} ed. protected Or enlarged by statute. It may
. be annuIted, By common consent, as If tht
| whole world should by and BY prefer te
higb, but not Of The highest nature,
+ abstractly considered. 1t is not one Of The
ina.icnable rights spoken Of in the Declara
t,on Of Independence. :: The right to worship
God according to tic dictates Of his own con
science" is one Of these inalienablc rights nnG
| must be projected at nil hazards, to each ant
every individual, aud must not be overridden b,
the stropgest will or the largest majority, ane
|. cannot be annullcd, abridged or enlarged b.
. common consent OF in any other way. 1t ersst
in tie nature Of thiags. It is a right as sacret
Of S Ike al tiss
rights, il is to subject to regulation 10 regard Il
the mode iN sohicA it is el*rcisfd. may rais,
corn, but not on my neighbor's land; maj
breathe the air Of hcayen, but not on my neigh
boris domain, unless be consent; I mny trave
; on the public highway, but must not take VI
the whole road; must make my carriage 81
) small that my neighbor can pass me, for be ha
! a good Il right 10 tue road As / mar lodge a
an inn. but must not occupy an unreasonable
8 amount Of room, for my neighbor has also
for M me- to travel IN car1ingo viii broa'
. axle, or I'd: take up fur or tre rooms ut u
: inn, but have no right to more than need O
q / can pay for; maJ worship God On Sunday b.
going to church 1T il my right: hut my neigh
Dor las also right to go out into the fields Of
, Snnduy, 10 an,use himself, which is Us sacred a
mine. Sunday is common property for any an
all purposes. I hare no right to the whole Of il
have no right TO stop my ncichbor from ridiu|
:. Fasting o. dancing on Sunday, nor has b
any right to prevent nc from ::e:"rshppiug
have no right to stop the cars which ruu for hi
accommodation; be has no right to disturb th
church service. which is for mine. II shoul
:, stop his cars from running on Sunday. u
would haye good right to smoke his pipe
and chat, and lounge, or even set up lage
:" beer saloon on the yacant lot next my church
: For recreation is also human institution
. founded On the needs Of humanity. 1t is soot
: an indispensable institution. and to the poo
= man iSHnddy recreation has become indispeas.
i bly, necessary.
Public worship and public recreation the
= are equal rights. 1t is difficult TO say tha
:, | either is tue moro important. 1t the religio
| or the morality OF the world depended on put
: lie worship, the case might be different. Bu
# they do not. 4 Law prohibiting recreation wou1
!. be followed by no less mischieSous consequence
% than la~ prohibiting public worslip--oa Sur
It day or any other day.
e fhope tho c1ergJmen who meet on Friday d
J.. ternoon to consider the Sunday question, vi
debate this resolution, which offer for their ri
> tention.
Resolved, That ths due ol+errapce Of SUNDAY
Ind u risioa md That he mosr tdsesr mode Of 81
otlnK the s.ne Is 6y easncst and ptsevenE encave1
disseminate the earnal truths Of Christianity, to thu En-
thai The MINDS Of Al men being died with those holy
portion Atassd deJr egtou$ e1erses: but It d net i
opl1Iup OF this meeting that tbs rAaual and innoeer
Atausezacnts day whatevee Incompatible wit
- the duties Of Christian men, women or chGdEt1,
It This resolution will have my vote. II.
;,
is The CountcF5etIerb,
il [Ffo1a the Eooulnston {.) iantas1aph, July 81
IN xeaferfaysn fAs,1e xe rnva nntir4 nf t1,o d,