The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1878-06-16

reader OF The SUN submits to uS tho
following case Of conscience:
II am regular member in good standing Of an orho
dox church, and have believed II wrong TO pur.
chase meat saturday aud order it sent home
on sunday morning. know u clergyman who does
so. and I am always pancd to see him do so The
butcher from whom and he buy our meat maintains
matmis wrong. asst intrudcs upon his sabbath rest
Nov, will you please decide the question:
We arc extremely nattcrcd by the compl-
mont which our correspondent pays us. in
asking our Judgment on point involving
difficulties which the most learned and able
men have laborcd in vain to remove. The
mere fact that lac and his butcher take one
Wow, while the clergyman he speaks "
takes another, proves that there are argu-
mcnts on both sides. II there were not,
there could be no difference of opinion
among men who must bc presumed TO ho
equally honest.
Bothour correspondent and tho clergyman
apparently assume that 1t would be wrong
to buy meat on Sunday, since both of them.
to avoid doing this buy it on thciSaturday
evening previous. They differ only as to
the proper time for sending the meat home.
The one il willing to have this done on sun
day. while the other is not. II this were the
only question involved in the matter, the
clergyman would seem TO US to he in the
wrong Consistency. we think would re-
quirc him not only not to encourage the
butcher in selling meat ON Sunday. but also
to relieve him from the necessity of com
plotting his saturday evenings transactions
on that day. The Same considerations which
forbid Keeping a shop open ON Sunday morn
ing, for the purpose Of selling merchandise.
nj F..lf
morning delivering it. This. We presume.
would be the conclusion of all good men who
believe that no worldly work ought to bo
done on Sunday.
But is the assumption on which this con-
clusion rests correct This * the vital
point Of the dispute and on it, as we have
said. authorities differ. But. since our cor
respondent apparently desires our opinion in
regard to it, candor compcls us TO say that we
do not believe that 1t is always sin to work
ON Sunday. We do not believe that the COM
mandmcnt To- keep every seventh day as n
day Of rest given tO the Jews is binding on
Christians. nor that the Christian Sunday
takes the place OF the Jewish sabbath We
can sec no more reason for making the Oh
scrvancc of the Sabbath part of Christi
anity, and transferring the day from Satur-
day to Sunday. than we can for requiring
Christians 20 let their land lie fallow every
seventh year. or to keep the three annual
fca-ts appointed by Moses. We are familiar
with the profound aud laborcd reasoning
with which the opposite doctrine Is usually
sustained. but II seems To- Us unsatisfactory
and lnconclu-iNc. The Jewish sabbath we
cannot help thinking. is a Jewish institu-
ton and Jewish institution only.
At the same time We beg To say that we
fully appreciate the hon"ilt To mans bodily
and mental constitution 81 ccasing from
regular labor every seventh day, and In this
aspect We admit that the keeping If one day
in seven a. a day Of rest is obligatory, like
obedience to other laws of health. Men have
no more right to exhaust themselves by in
ccssaut toll than they have to exhaust them
selves by excessive drinking and smoking
or To render themselves gross and dull by
over-oating. Each one Of Us Is bound to
maintain both hi- mind and body in the
greatest possible state Of efficiency for per-
forming his duties 10 his family and to
society; and 80 far as proper rest and recrca-
tlon are means to this end, il is his duty to
employ them. But the time when and the
manner in which he will fulfil this duty are
to be left 10 his own discretion. lie may
take any day Of the week he likes Tor thc
purpose and if he finds that he does not need
a whole day for il, he may take only "A part
Of a day, and nobody has the right 10 qucs-
tion his decision.
Viewing the matter in this light, We decide
that butcher does not ncccs 7arily do wrong
II he carries home meat on sunday morn
ing. II it does not injure his health nor inn
pair his strength, he may as well do that a.
make fires in a church or blow the bellows
Of church organ. lie certainly does not
harm his fellow mon 10y II. and nobody is
authorized to say that he onrnds COP. JESUS
CHRIST said expressly The sabbath was
made for man, not man for the Sabbath. -
and we receive the saying a. truth.