Polynesian. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu], Hawaii) 1844-1864, 1860-10-06
Ghe polpnesian.
From the Melbourne Daily Argus of Friday 18th utl
Sabbaiarian Movement i'm Australia.


Sabbaiarian Movement in Au.iraIin.
1t is because we believe that the observance of
the Christian Sunday is social and not reli-
giOus question that we venture to denur TO the
conclusions of DR.. Cairns, in his letter of yester-
day. To the great mass of people it is surely
very important social question as to whether one
cay In every Christian week is to be given up to
the letter Of the Jewish canonical law-whether
any Christian community in this free and civilized
age is to be bound by the rigorous terms of an or
dinance issued to a primitive people, limited in
numbers and OF u singularly exceptional cOnstitu-
tion-whether We to be debarred from every
sort of active recreation on one day of the week,
because the Jews were commanded to do no work
on another-whether in short, there is any obli
CATION whatever, beyond civil convention, on a
man to do anything but what he pleases, so far as
he does not offend the liberty of others, on any day
out of the seven.
We desire as much as possible to keep free from
the religious bearings of the question, con-
tend for nothing more than that every one should
be free to act in this matter according to his con-
science. But we must protest against DR.. Cairns
appeal to the Bible decisive of % the integrity
of moral law" which binds us to keep the Sab
bath under the penalties as it commands US
not to do murder or steal. We deny that the BIZ
BILE, or such portion Of it as Christians hold to
smallest authority in favor of the Sabbatarians
and we must demur emphatically to DIR. Cairns
new gloss on Genesis. The notion that I" the Sab
bath is one thing-the day devoted to it is another
lis nowhere to be found in either the Old or the
New Testament. The reason for keeping the sew
enth day especially is expressly given in the text
as because God rested on the seventh day - and
it was in commemoration of that resting that the
Jews were required to observe absolute inaction
on the last day of the week. There is warrant
whatever for DR.. Cairns ingenious transposition
Of the first for the seventh day and it is directly
opposed to the spirit of the commandment.
But it is in vain to refer to the Judaical law,
unless DR.. Cairns is prepared to tell that the
whole of the law as given from Mount Sinai is OBJ
| ligatory on Christians. For we cannot take one
part of the Jewish code and reject the rest. The
obligation must be accepted in all its terms, or not
at all The whole of the Jewish laws rest on pre-
cisely the same authority. They were issued from
the same source, and under the same penalties.
Our only religious warrant is contained in the New
Testament and DIR. Cairns betrays his fear of ap-
pealng to this final authority by preferrng to tell
us what Christ should have done or said, to quot
ing the texts which bear positively upon the argu-
ment. To every impartial man it must be clear
that the doctrine to the Sabbath laid down in
the New Testament is totally opposed to the teach
ing Of DR.. Cairns and the Sabbatarians. 1t is as
tonishing, indeed, that any Christian minister
should refer to this authority, and not perceive
that both the example and the words of Our Savior
directly levelled against the Jewish ordinance.
And if DIR. Cairns has missed the very plain mean
ing Of the text which declares that 90 is not
made for the Sabbath, but the Sabbath for man"
how does he get over the still clearer and most
phatic words of St. Paul (Rom. xiv, 5, 6)t Is
it possible that told after this that the
integrity of the moral law us to the Sabbath is
upheld in the New TESTAMENT To the most emf
lI,r1sfi fbarah hoe
peared no moral law in the Judaical Fourth Com
mandment and it is consOlatory to know that
those who are 70 be damned for breaking this COM
mandment will be damned in most excellent COM
pany The roll of the sinners is indeed an illus
trious one, beginning with Paul and ending with
Archbishop Whately. 1t includes such hardened
reprobates as Luther Calvin, the whole of the ear
ly Anglican martyrs the most eminent of living
divnes for learning such Prideaux and COler-
idge; for Christian goodness, such as Arnold,
Hare, Maurice Kingsley, and f. W. Robertson.
OF some of these unfortunates it Is probable that
DR.. Cairns has not heard but the authority of
Calvin ought at least to carry some weight with a
Presbyterian, and this is how Calvin gives testimo-
ny -'' In this way get rid of the trIhing Of
the false prophets, who in later times instilled
Jewish ideas into the people, alleging that nothing
was abrogated but what was ceremonial in the COM
mandment, while the moral part remains. viz, the
observance of one day in seven. But this is MOTH
ing else than to insult the Jews by changing the
day, and yet mentally attributing to it the same
sanctty, thus retaining the same typical distinc-
tion of days as had place among the Jews And
of truth see what profit they have made by
such doctrine. Those who cling to their eonsti-
tutions 90 thrice as far the Jews in The gross and
carndi superstition Of Sdbbatsm - CalUins Iasfi
futes, H., g. 34) Even Knox, when he retained
the use of Sunday day appropriated to reli-
gious exercises and rest, does not appear to have
prohibited recreation, or to have confounded the
Sunday with the Sabbath.
But favored beyond all other Christians, it ap-
pears that special revelation has been given to
Dr. Cairns. DR.. Cairns has learnt, and he tells it
for our 80 use" that " the Christian Sabbath is
held on that seventh day which hallowed in
Eden" =" am quite satisfied, >" he says, " that
the day was changed by the Hebrews to promote
the great object of their separation as peculiar
people"CD DR.. Cairns being satisfied, how should
there linger any further doubt on the subjectl 1t
would be perhaps impertnent to say that DR..
Cairns is more easily satisfied than were all the
fathers of the Christian churches before him that,
even were it as he so confidently believes, there
could be warrant whatever for assimilating the
Christian Sunday TO the Levitical Sabbath. But
we wander too far from the point when we get into
the wide domain of DR.. Cairns personal beliefs.
He reminds US of nothing much as that priest
immOrtalized in VOltaire's epigram
Qui croft tout ce qu'il imagine"
The truth is, the strict observance of the Sunday
as the Jewish Sabbath with liberty, of course, to
except the ass, the OK and the maid servant) was
unknown in the Christian churches until it was in
troduced into England by the early Puritans 1t
came through the indiscriminate and uninstructed
use of the Old Testament, the texts of which were
more frequently in the mouths of the Independents
than even the words of Our Savior. To any stu
dent of English manners and customs 1t is needless