The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1876-01-05
WEDNESDAY, JAN. s, 1870.
A Contest Over The Sunday Ques-
Hon


The Pittsburgh Leader, a journal that
publishes not only n daily but also Sun
day edition, has been engaged in defend
ing itself from the charge Of Decorating
the Sabbath-a charge made against it by
some Of the clergy up there. The Editor
has been comforted and strengthened in
the defense Of his right to publish Sun
day paper by the recent utterances OF the
Rev. DR.. Hopkins on tho Sunday qucs-
ton, who, it seems, does not. believe that
there is, or ought to be, any close rcsem-
blence between the Jewish Sabbath and
the Christian Sunday. lie fails to find
any warrant in the Scriptures for keep
ing Sunday after the Puritan FASH
ion, inasmuch as there is no evidence
that it was so kept, or even
intended to DO 50 kept, in the apos-
tolic writings or those Of their success
ors. The Leader up to this time seems
to have rather the best Of the argument.
It publishes an imposing array OF au-
thorities to show that Sunday was never
meant to be kept as Il severe day OF ex-
clusiOn from all worldlinesJ. After quot
ing st.. Paul, who thought that no man
should DO judged by his meat or duink, or
in respect to holy days, or in respect to
"thc now moon or the Sabbath" it pub
fishes numerous extracts from Tertul-
lian, St. Ambrose, st. ChrSyostom,
Eusebius, St. Augustine, fathers Of
the early church, to show that in their
day the Christian Sunday was not day
OF sombre seclusion within doors nor OF
severe observance out Of doors. And conf
ing down to later times the following
quotation is made from tho writings Of
John Calvin:
"By changing the day, and yet attribut-
ing to this day when changed, the same
sanctity which the Jews did to their Sab.
baths, we retain tho same typical distinc-
ton Of days rs had place among the Jews.
Those who now cling to them so thrice
as far rs the Jews themselves in their
gross and carnal superstition Of their
Sabbath worship."-Cdlria. Institutes
viii; 81.
The following quotation is also made
from Paley:
Cessation upon Sunday from labor be-
You'd the time OF attendance upon public
worship is not intimated in any passage
OF the New Testament, nor did Christ or
his apostles deliver any command to
their apostles forthe discontinuance upon
that day OF the common offices OF their
professions"
a. "rhc resting on that day from
our cmployments longer than We are de-
tanned from them by attendance upon
public worship, is to Christians ali ordi-
nance OF human institution."-Fdiey.
Moral Philosophy, VI.
Tho following quotations are from
Archbishop Whatcly and others:
"Thc Lords day is to be held purely
as religious festival. Judaism being
abolished, all its ritual observanccs must,
OF course, be wholly at IN end; 20 that
we are no more compelled to keep the
Fourth commandment than We are to keep
the Worship of the temple, or the daily
sacrifices. - lVhateiy late archbishop OF
Dublin. Essay on the writings OF ST.
Paul.
"That Sunday should be day OF
greater leisure than other days, and Of
the suspension, ms far as may be, Of the
common business. of life, quite allow;
but then should have much greater in
diligence for recreation on Sunday than
you might have; and if the'railway ena-
bles the people in great towns to get out
into the country on Sunday, should
think ii very great good."-Dr. Arnold.
See his Life, vol. ii, p, 2l0.
"From the duty Of observing the
Hebrew Sabbath We are sufficiently ex-
empted by the fact that it was actually
not observed by the apostles OF Christi
Jonathan DymOnd. Principles OF Moral
ity, p.94.
After quoting the above and several
other authorities, the article in the Lcad-
er winds upas follows:
'Now, suppose these .worthics-Paul,
Tertullian, ST. Ambrose, st. ChrySostom,.
St. Athanasius, Euscbius, St. Augustine,
Calvin, Beza, Cranmcr, Jeremy Taylor,
Paley, Whately, Arnold, Dymond and
Luther-wcre all alive, had their resi-.
dences in or near SewIckley, and were
members Of DR.: Bittengcr's church, how
would it strike the Christian public to
have the Pittsburgh presbytery send
down percmptory mandumus for their
arrangement and excommunication.
These men stand as great lights among
the Christian centuries, and will so stand
when all the men now connected with the
Pittsburgh presbytery shall have faded
utterly from the memory Of all living,
haYing left.n enduring monuments be-
hind them. This does not, indeed, settle
the Sunday question, but it disposcs Of
the arrogance Of that class OF sabbatari-
ans who tolerate no man who differs from
them in opinion.