Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1879-04-01
With that They Should be Content
Individual Action Is Best and the
Enforcement of Religion is Bet
ter Left to the Voluntary
and Good Will OF the
Citizen.

The following is full report of the SER
mon Of Rev. Mr.. Wommack of the First
Baptist church, delivered Sunday. 1t Is
his second and his last on a subject with
which the readers of the APPEAL must by
this time be thoroughly acquainted, and on
which we hope they are as free, as liberal
and as Just as the APPEAL would have every
body to be.
Let every man be fully persuaded ia his mind.
and !OIeher die. die unto the Lord tchether
zoe tiVe therefore, or die, zoe are the Loras"-R
mans, IA.
Let no one understand from what have said, or
from what may say that am opposed to proper
observance Of the Lords day. To understand me as
the truth. Nor let me be understood as opposed in
any way to the public veal. hope l am as pro
pie as any other man. Nor finally, lei me be judged
s @ G 6e az n an s %sy efoee e %
and liberties of our citizens and foster the peace and
Honorable faithful and good men who are at the
head Of our city government, and, In obedience TO
their oath OF Office, are determined TO administer
the laws
At first l intended nothing more than to present
you WITH the bible view OF the sa60 d 10. hsxng
preston grown upon me daily, that great and fun
1n pne may b ee nySSea aueo may Of
pose to-day, to lay before you some OF
THE ENVIRONMENTS OF SUNDAY LAWS.
Joseph Cook said it is important for a man to con-
heaven, hell and this world. The question Of enact
Ing Sunday laws has also some serious environ
slider. Until this is done. are In no condition to
express an Intelligent opinion on the subject First
there Is the
ENVIRONMENT OF DOUBT OR UNCERTAINTY.
This regards the institution of the Sabbath ITSELF
only Source of Information on the subject Of the
Sabbath. and 1t Is not very explicit
StituttOQ Sabbath the beginning OF the
human race. But IL must be confessed, "they are
be relied on as specially important in this cOnnec
ton, and that is the one which says that God ended
what that particularly means is not so clear The
world is familiar with the very probable fact that
seven DAYS are not DAYS OF twenty hours each,
but immensely long periods or time. IL the six
e wS G9g onS peed Of Tns
language was poor, and did not furnish term Tor
lated day-which means twenty-four hours or one
thousand years, we cannot say exactly wnicn-ls
used to designate periods of time varying from
twenty-four hours 70 many years
2 It's design. The Utterances OF the scripture as
Categorical That 1t was Intended to be rest period
among the ancient IsTaelites there be no doubt;
but that it to be such for all people for all time
the bible does not anywhere explicitly say. As a
general thing religiously suppose, and frequently
say, 1t was But we confess this to be inference.
3. Its nature. The sabbath is a rest, we know.
But If there are other ideas included We can
the Jewish ceremonial after the captivity, but
know as we'll that practice severely rebuksd.
It was devoted to worship, but whether those who
mako no profession of pieiy are TO worship Is not
revealed cleary. From what we learn In tine New
Testament, we are of opinion that 1t were solemn
mOckery for one TO attempt TO @oIship God, IN q
mere fUrm, when his mind and heart are in no con-
dtion for such worship: in ether words. that ever
| one ought first to be christian by reputation and
ali the forms OF religious worship MCny good aud
learned men Teligi0usly feel that the Sabbath was
Ing upon all men for all Time but the presumprions
on which their Judgments rest are too uncertain .
| authorize confidence, much less denunciatlon ano
| the blind force of arbitrary law. Second, to
| ENVIRONMENT OF CONFLICTING OPINIONS.
| The doubts and uncertainties attaching TO thi:
subject for eighteen hundred years have gwen aist
character different features OF the subject ilcf
In regoIs ana are n nP iSe sreS
sea OF human history. hese consume an environ
BY lar more c i man Re us1 an
superficial Investigation may beat In vain Ior
l. Many wise men do not believe the Jewish Sab
bath Is binding on christians AZ az.
folioT MasS q S6Pst believe that the SAB
bath eniOlned IN the fourth, command
Of the a ps5e OF hey 6eeve ano nS
different from the Lords day. and that to enforce
Is to fa INTO the error whcn raG m sSnter al
CHI istianity BY mixture of ceremonial religion
mankind See Rom xiv s. and Dean Affords r
mark Ia loco: Tine obvious inference from I'M
| strain OF arguing is that he OF no SUCH
tion but believed all times and days to be to tn
christian, strong in faith alike" Hence,
and Neander. that al days are alike to the ehristia
strong In faith. They think there Is no distinction
/ any other day. There cannot be any In the nj
ture OF things. II it be urged that the LORDS DAY
set apart from all other days to be devoted TO re
ion, what" say they aro not all Gays equally s
apart to religion? '' What kind of pety is tn
E what! Know ye not that your body IS the temple
the holy spirit, which Is In YOU which ye had ITO
with prices therefore glorify God In your body al
g I'm your spirit, which are Gods" Ought not cnrl
Sns te lie as pous on Mon0as as rs bs
o pious as we can be? Sunday Is holy" what 90
twenty-four hours cannot be more holy thl
. | another, only as we make II so. But under q
= christian dispensation we are under oDIgatlens
q make every day holy But time Is not holy, anyho
u Nothing be holy, ia the sense here used, that
o not capable Of moral actions The holiness ne
y any strive to be holy On one day more than
3 another2 Is the piety that prompts one 10 ate
ton mora acceptable to God than the piety IN
prompts one to practice religion on his knees IN
u ont fehsious character at home and In Duslnt
d 4. Some earnestly contend that the seventh a
not the first day or the week is the one that ought
NJ | be TeligiouS!y observed a day OF rest Such
+ honorable and useful fellowcItizens.
( 3. Many believe that the sabbath institution Y
e designed to be blessing to men for all time but
i religious blessing, and that the law of Sabbath
MADE binding upon those only who take upon the
selves the vows SlQC6 IL Is a
institution and its observance must in the nat!
Of things consist In religious acts, none others
= religious persons can or ought to observe it.
8. Many believe that the law of the Sabbath v
- not given before Moses. Hence 1t was purely &c
Z. Some believe that the Sabbath was tsn.pord
T. | institution. They reason thus:
% ID 1t was founded on representation OF u
y which is true in nguratiye or popular sense.
ID this Is shocking TO mind tnai mas exated conc
II and therefore could not rest
ca 1t was the seUenth day upon which Ged rest
But chrstendom has not observed that day Tor 10
lg years; never did II must have been temporary
rs (3.) The ancient Sabbath day celebrated the co
Id pletion OF creation and Gods rest but thai Is
ne al Nothing is said in the New Testament In reg;
be to the FIRST day being substituted for the seven
Now, If the Sabbath was intended to be perpet
institution, and the day OF Its observance was 10
IS. about it, Yes; bHt;there IS not q word
IN (5) 1t Is certain the early christians knew noth
e. and T continEed to observe the seventh day. Al
as years of labor among the Gentiles, Paul made v
,w brother, how many thousands of jews there are
believe. and they ara all Jealous of the land" T
Christ or The apostles that the first was to take
n | place of the seventh day. Yet We are perfectly
Ss was not to be Introduced into christianity. II
IN | whole dispensation came to an end when Chi
lsE @oniai feature Of the Sabbath Paul said it
shadow Of things to come; the things shado'
"a converts, LET no man Judge you In meat Oh
drink or IN respect Of an holy day or OF the
1
ay | sible to misunderstood this passage.
ais In the face Of this array Of facts It seems no
His afford to assert with certainty of knowledge
we the sabbath Of the seventh day to be perpet
Ia and universal. And when carefully examine
3" ARRAY OF conflicting opinions In regard
| the Sabbath, Is IL not wise that we
a careful how We dogmatize that subje
an Can any one afford to denounce another
al, cause OF his opinion? II we had the power and
as laws OF the land gave the right, could In
M sieht OF God, be Justified in poking opin
,ed mon our felloWmen? In View of these numer
ls ana significant facts. let look well to what we
nd Pnt thIrd there is the
air DSsvIpONNTrNT OF A PRcTTTJAp Dor 1rTc