Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1873-04-01

Whether love thee ask the stream
In which thy lovely image have seen.
Whether love thee ask thyself,
Though l have never told my love to thee.
Whether l love thee, ask mine eyes,
In them my love forever thou will see.
Letters from the People.
The Ranning of Railroad Trains on Sun
day-The Christian Sunday not che Jew
ish Sabbath
RocKBaIDeE COUNTY, Va,
March, 1873.
The Editor Of the Spectator
Will please publish the
following argument on a subject of permanent
individual and public interest. The railroad
trains will soon be rushing through the busy
little city of Staunton on Sunday, and the ques-
ton will naturally occur to many serious per-
sons, Is this right. or is it violation of the
law OF God? Let US have free and full dis
cussion OF the question by the press, in our leg
lsIative halls, where bill has been introduced
to prohibit these Sunday trains, and in the So
cial circle. Audi alteram partem hear both
sldes-is the just mazim of the law and Of an
cient wisdom. Discussion elicits truth and ex-
poses error Let Us have light.
A recent number of the Lynchburg Ne,os en-
dorses and most heartily approves Of an intense
y puritaDcal editorial from the Abingdon Nir-
ganaan = redolent with the fragrance of Ply
mouth Rock-deneuncing the running of rail-
road trains on Sunday as fragrant desecration
OF the sabbath, which will provoke the wrath
OF God and bring disaster upon the railroads
for their impious di,honoring of His lame and
day." Tue rattle of the trains on Sunday
shocks its pious ears. and it wants tt hem stopped
by dao am not quite SO sensitive; neither
am convinced of the justice and wisdom of
the stringent policy it recommends. | am
troubled with grave doubts of the correctness
OF those views Of the Sabbath" which under
lie its practical suggestions Let me state them
frankly, that you may dissipate them, like airy
bubbles, by your superior learning and perspl-
cacity.
10 the first place, have always regarded the
Jewish Sabbath, with its rigid observance and
sapguipary sanction-ali work Of every kind,
even the kindling of fire in the dwellings, being
rigidy prohibited under the penalty of death
as part of the peculiar institutions and munich
pal law of the Jews; and as having, there
fore. no more obligation on outside nations than
the laws of France have On the people of Vir-
ginia. In the thirty-frst chapter Of Exodus,
the Lord is reported as saying to Moses:
''Speak thou also unto the children of Israel,
saying, verify my Sabbath ye shall keep; for il
WI AAAS
generations"
1T is sign between me and the children OF
Israel forever"
Wherefore the children of Israel shall keep
the Sabbath, to observe the Sabbath throughout
their generations, for perpetual covenant"
Showing clearly, by the express language of the
Divine Proclamation, as we'll as by the purpose
aud intent Of the institution, as sign and COW
enant between God and the children of Israel,
which, like other covenants, bound only the
contracting parties-that the Sabbath was re-
stricted to them to the exclusion of all other
| nations, like the Egyptians, Assyrians, &C.
The law bound those only to whom it was Civ
zen or addressed. But even if the Jewish Sab.
bath had been of universal obligation. it was
| abrogated with judaism itself. The eloquent
English divine, Jeremy Taylor, we'll said The
Lord day did not succeed 10 the place of the
| Sabbath, but the Sabbath itself so0s dbro0d-
ted.''@ Another high Christian authority, Arch
| bishop Whately, declared: buddhism being
| abolished, all its ritual observances must OF
| course be wholly at an end SO that we are nc
| more compelled to keep the fourth command
| ment than we are to keep the worship Of the
| temple or the daily sacrifice" And an abel
man than either OF these eminent divines, the
I giant Paley, the abest of all the champions oil
| Christianity, either in ancient or modern times,
said The resting On that day Sunday from
our mployments, longer than we are detained
from them by attendance upon public worship
Sis to Christians an ordinance Of human anstitu
t;on mot divine command"
The Jewish Sabbath being thus abolished, il
| it sinful to obey the divine law of labor BY
working when necessary on the first day of the
week Where did Christ or His Apostles for
bid work on Sunday? The great authority
| have lust quoted in his standard work on Nor
| nho Uhioh Ia q taYt.hnnk in M M
American and European colleges and universi
ties. saws: Cessation upon Sunday from la
bor. beyond the time of attendance upon pub
lie worship, is not iutimated in any passage II
the New Testament, nor did Christ or Hi
apostles deliver any command to their disci
ples for the discontinuance upon that day of ths
common Offices of their professions. Chris
repeatedly violated the Jewish observance Of
| the Sabbath, and when reproached for his con
duct, by the Jews, gave the sensible and man
ly answer, that 1.-The Sabbath was made fo
man''-''not man for the Sabbath. " Did St
Paul, the chief Of the apostles, anywhere 10 hi
volumiuous and minute instructions to his de-
sciples epioin the rigid observance of the Sab
A bath D.d he declare it holy day? % th,
contrary. he said: "O0e man esteemeth ont
day above another; another esteemeth euer,
| dav alike. Let every man be persuaded in hi
own m,nd.' That is, let him think and do al
he pleases Again, Let no man judge ou il
meat, or drink, or of the new moon, or of tn
| Sabbath"-putting the observance of the Jew
| ish Sabbath on the same ground with absti
nence from pork and bacon
| But did the first Christians work on Sunday
| We may infer their actions from their precepts
St. Chrysostum tes,iGes: After the congrega
ton is dismissed every man may apply himself
| to his lawful business" Athanasius says -
I'VE keep no Sabbaths as the ancients did, ex
cent an eternal Sabbath which shall have NJ
end" Euseblus, that ecclesiastical historian
deposeth: They (the patriarchs) cared no
for corporal circumcieio eion--no more do we; nol
| for the observation OF Sabbaths no more dt
We" Augustin declares: He that literally
keeps the Sabbath savors of the flesh, but t
SAVIOR of the flesh is death"-that is, is dam
nable sin.
Il seems, then, that the holy apostles and thei