The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1879-09-17
PASTORAL LETTER
From the Presbytery of Roanoke to the
Churches under its care, in regard tc
the Sabbath.

Dear Bretbren,-There are powerful
influences now at work among us to break
down the sanctity of the Sabbath, threat
ening to reduce our country to the sad
condition in this respect of continental
Europe Prominent among these inAu-
ences are the usages of railroad and steam
boat companies, in so generally disregard
ing the Lords day; while the loose
transatlantic ideas are coming IN with
every tide of immigration. And though
we in distant portions of the South may
not vet feel the influence to any great ex-
tent, it is nevertheless steadily creeping
in, and like leaven tits quietly but slowly
working" 1t is time, therefore, for the
people of God to take the alarm Accord
ingly, our General Assembly, in co0pera-
ton with other Christian bodies through
out the land, has taken decided action in
this matter by appointing permanent
Sabbath Committee by appealing to the
Svnods and Presbyteries to lend their aid,
and in the use of the following language
to the whole Church-"The General AS
sembly most earnestly calls the attention
of ministers, officers, and members of the
Church to the solemn truth that they are
the Lord witnesses, and that upon them
is laid the great obligation as well as ne
cessity of showing on all occasions, by
their example as we'll as by precept, a
strict and Jealous regard for the sacred
character Of the Lords day, and reso-
lutte zeal for its holy observance.
The Sabbath is an essential bulwark of
evangelical Christianity, without which,
in its true scriptural sacredness, vital
godlness cannot be maintained. In the
beginning Gen. Ii: 81 God blessed the
seventh day and sanctifed it. 1t was
repubhshed from Mt. Sinai in way the
best suited to show its perpetual obhga-
ton, receiving the remarkable distinction
of being written with the finger Of God
among the other commandments of the
decalogue 1t is impossible to give any
reason for this, except that the fourth
commandment is founded upon the same
moral and religious principles which un-
derhe all the others, and is of like per-
manent force. The change of the day
from the 9TH to the LIST day of the week,
under the New Testament, does not IN
fringe in the least upon the fundamental
principle Of the commandment, the duty
of devoting one-seventh of our time to
rest and religious worship. But while it
leaves in undated force the original idea
and aim of the institution, viz: by It's re-
currence every seventh day, to commem-
crate the creation and keep alive the
knowledge and worship of God at the
same time, by its occurrence now upon
the first day Of the week, it serves the I'M
portant end of celebrating the resurrec-
ton of our Lord Jesus Christ, who was
delivered for our offences, and was raised
for our justification.
Our Lord disallowed the pharIsaIcal
and unscripturaI restrictions which the
Jewish doctors had imposed upon the
Sabbath, and has shown us that We should
make it cheerful and benefcent, as well
as holy, religious day. But when he
declared that ''the Sabbath was made for
man, not man for the Sabbath, (Which
has been so perverted, in the interest OF
Sabbath day amusements,) it were in the
highest degree preposterous to suppose
that he who came down from the skies to
save mems souls and bring them back to
God, could have ignored and disregarded
what is mans chief Characteristic and
highest gIory,-not his animal, nor his IN
teIlectuai, but his moral and religious ma