Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1882-07-31
THE DAY OF REST.
TEE SABBATH IL OUR CIVIL SYSTEM
SHALL WE KEEP II?
Able Discourse on the pay OF Rest, by
Rev I. E Dwinell, D. D, 9eliv-
cred Last Evening.

den, even entering In at the gates Of Jerusa
lem on the Sabbath day then will | kindle a
fire in the gates thereof, and it shall deyour
the palaces Of Jerusalem, and it sholl not be
quenched" He then spoke as follows:
This is q warning agaisst making the Sabbath 8
day OF commerce anu travel and secular work. Inc
Prophet had Just uttered the richest Of promises u
they would adapt their civil life to the sacredness oil
the Sabbath But the promises and the warning;
were alike iu6 fectua and the Jews at length lei
away in their civil life from all lha'
the sacred observance OF the sabbath SYMBOL
ICES and guarantees. In consequences JeIusa
lem had the threatening here pronounced Dt
jeremiah literally fulfilled, under Titus, IN the year
20, when having taken the city, he ordered the
whole, both Of the temple and the city To be burned
and dem 3iished except the west wall Of the upper
city, and Herods three great towers at the rolt
west corner, which were left standing es memorials
OF the mas siye nature Of the fOrtihcAtOns. NTH
II Die Bib Jerusalem, p. l0li) The Jews, indeed,
at this time, cherished the Sabbeth a supersti-
ton not as day for the true service Of God ana
il is remark able fact that this sinful peryersion o!
II the day was an Occ sion that aided IN their over
II throw. Titus, knowing that thOy would not hght
\ in the offensive their Sabbath, took advantage
OF that day TO construct his enginerY and prepare
Y his advanced positions so that he could mske the
assaults the following day the more fatal. hitto re-
lates that the first assault was made Sunday Aprll
Fl 22d the lower part Of the city taken, sunday, May
Il 9Th the temple bUrnt, Sunday, August 5th the
Fl upper city taken and destroyed Sundly September
Il 81 CHist. Paist. H., p 49, in Gus Sabbath, p.
j S7G.) So according TO the prediction, tre was
kindled in the gates Of the cred city, and 1t de-
yourei the palaces OF Jerusalem, and II could not
be duenchel Such is the divine testimony IN pro
phecy and history against allowing the civil life Of
people To drift away from the principles and virtues
/ indicated by the preservation among them Of the
Sabbath as a sacred day Here IS q lesson Tor us
| and our times-a lesson for all times.
On the basis Of this truth ask your attention to
the duty Of maintaining IN our civil system, for
such as wish it in that way, not to force its
/ sanctity on any, the Sabbath sacred day. /
shall present the subject in series Of propositions
I want you 70 consider them candiGy and hor estiy,
/ as Christian men and lovers Of your country. !
! shall assume as capable Of abundant proof and not
needing to delay 70 marshal it, that the
Christiln Sabbath is the true inhcrtor and outcome
Of the obligations 9nd sacredness OF the command
/ - Remember the Sabbath day, 70 keep it holy" |
shall assume that the law of God is and the
breath of the Almighty about for the enforcement
Of this duty, while / appeal 10 You citizens.
! state nothing Of the dyiae movements of the sub
ject, while plead with you on the level OF our civil
| system.
! First-My first proposition is Our civil system
| sprang up around the SabbIth sacred day His
torically this its origin The first settlers OF
! New England brought IL with them from the Purl
tans Of the mother country The whole civil life Of
/ the colonists revolyed around the Sabbath as
/ a sacred day. Some OF theiI regulations were
! severe, some OF their notions were extreme,
some OF their practices ridiculous but all this only
| shows the prominence which the Sacredness
| of the day held in their whole civil economy.
So all the criticisms Of cavaliers, the ridlcue Of the
! Broad Churchmeu, the denunciation OF the Free
thinkers, which We have heard and read on this sub
ject are in evidence now OF the thorou IN commit
| ment OF New England. the womb OF the Republic,
10 this idea Other colonies adopted the spirit
in greater less degree, and made their civil life
/ fashion itself around sacred day. Out Of such a
condition Of society," with day in distinct
lively set apart for the higher uses OF heart aud mind
and the serviceof God, aud rest from secular work
~
civil system sending its vital currents through all
! the days Of the week, all the tissues OF society
| came civil system. 1t was born OF a s2bbatic
| mother, wrapped IN sahbatic swaddilng clothes,
| rocked in u sabbatic cradle. No doubt this
/ who has read history, except such persons can
not be instructed by reading history. will, there
| fore, hasten TO my
4 Second Proposition-our Constitution and laws
recognize our civil system having Sabbath ex-
/ isting in il among the people superior to anything
they the Constitution and laws have put into it.
They recognize its existence among them sacred
/ day The Constitution and laws did not put ii in
] il was there before, having 4 higher origin,
/ and existing on Independent grounds. They
4 found it, and fashioned themselves about
| it, as fundamental quality aud a foregone
! element OF civil system. They saw ~; they
came up to it they touched il at points they
4 opened and encompassed and protected it, but It
had higher character and more enduring and
vital presence among the people than ANYTHING they
/ ever impaired There many other things IN our
civil system, which the Constitution and laws did
| not put in but found. There are our Anglo-SaNon
instincts and blood. These race-traits are indie
pendent Of legislation and human complcts. The
codes assume them and adjust themselves TO them,
as the stuff out Of which the State is made; and to
consider that because the laws touch these charac
teristcs at certain points, and regulate some OF their
actions they are the creatures OF the laws is great
/ historical civil and moral absurdity. There are,
also the elements OF character resulting from our
Protestant training. Al our people, OF whatever re-
ligious name, have been more or less fired by the
4 n
with the knowledge OF rights; the love of liberty,
with the willingness to assume responsibilities the
feeling OF the brotherhood Of man. with the demand
| for free government. Our enactments have not
made these characteristics. They have found them,
4 and couformed to them. They intercept them and
| regulate them here and there, as one may make
| a breakwater against the sea in 4 small bay,
or levee out the tide for short distance; but be-
! yond, and in spite OF it all, is the mighty pre-
existing sea- No one woud think that this regula-
ton OF our Protestant training has made it. There
are to give another illustration, our homes. The
State comes up to them, looks in, puts up defense
or TWO, passes around and passes but it leaves
4 in them moral government, an educational sys-
ten training school, play OF the affections, which
traces its origin from Heaven, and which no human
statutes could invent Marriage itself, the twining
of two hearts in true sefforgetting love under the
sanctions of religion and covenant with God, is
| a mystery that antedates all cOntrivances of man.
| The home was found by the commonwealth, and
was gladly welcomed and sheltered in lt as having
higher origin and superior claims. No one who
thinks would think there is nothing in our homes
but what the commonwealth has legislated in, and
that it owes them respect than what is due
that which it has legislated in.
In like manner the State found the Sabbath
sacred day existing among the people. 1t did not
legislate it into being. 1t had occasion to, any
than it had occasion TO legslate into being
Auglo-saxon traits, or Protestant training, or
our homes II greeted it. II took il by the
hand. II gave it a legal welcome. And
it originated those who had long cher
.1.n1 al and linz arfn fhEir
civil SYSTEM still holding it in present civil sys-
| TEN. Who, therefore, can suppose that there is
nothing in the Sabbath, sacredness, divine
claims as it exists among u.s. but what the Consttu-
| ton and laws have put in Who imagine it as
a civil factor emptied of all force except a crea-
ture Of law? Who can think it brought down to
the level Of human statutes! What is it that has
Cancelled It'll higher ORIGIN its pre- existence, its di-
vine contents as held and cherished by the people
What is it that has reversed the fact that it was
something found and welcomed and protected by the
State which makes it the creature Of the State
| Cert liny some mighty charper has been at work
with history logic and morals, il this possible.
Third proposition-The State, in fact, in this
country has dealt with the Sabbath in a two-fold
way-as restday for all, and sacred day for those
who wish to use it in that way.
Legislation throughout the land has recognized 1t
as having an existence among the people in this
dsube capacity, and has protected it in each though
in different degrees. 1t has sheltered 1t both as
a civil and as a religious day, though much
more positively and emphatlcally as a
civil day. 1t has done this as a police and
sanitary measure, on the ground that all the
people need rest day and the public good requires
it. and that ones conscience is violated by its
enforcement. But at the same time 1t has not been
Indifferent TO the ma ntenance OF the Sabbsth as
religious day for those who hold it to be such. 1t
cherishes it for then not to force its sacredness on
others in the character in which it has come down
TO us from the past. No State in the country has
attempted to strip out and eliminate from our civil
system the sacred day, that, with large part of the
I Oh. -
| and inheritances from the fathers. On the con-
trary all the States with the exception of Louis
| ana-which was dominated in this respect by
| French infiuence-haye passed positive statutes
! looking to the preservation OF Sunday as sacred
| day for such desire it. Our laws say clearly ::
| Many of the people hold the Sabbath to be a
| holy day, and protect them in it. We find the
day in that character in the political system let it
stand" OF course in the separation OF Church and
State, which exists in this country, legislation
where attempts to impose the day as religious day
on any person. 1t confines itself to the negative
office of making for the sacredness of the day
| for those who wish to use it in that way.
California has not been backward To fol.
| low the example OF the other States by
thus including, with the safeguards and
protection of law, the sacred day in her civil
system for those who desire it. This is shown by
the enaetnlents forbiddng barbarous and noisy
amusements on that day, or the disturbance OF wor-
shippers. Section 29) Of the Penal Code is follows
every person who on the Christian Sabbath gets
up, exhibits opens maintains, aids in getting
! up, exhibiting, opening or maintaining, any bull,
bear, cock or prize fight, horse-raee circus, gam
bling house or saloon, or any barbarous and noisy
Amusement, or who keeps, conducts exhibits any
| theater, meodeon, dance cellar, other place of
musical, theatrical or operate performance, spec
tac'e representation, where any wines, liquors or
intoxicating drinks bought, sold, used drank or
| given away. or who purchases any ticket Of admis
sion, directly indirectly pays any admission fee
to or for the purpose nj witnessing attending such
place Of amusement, spectacle, performance or rep.
resentation, is guilty Of misdemeanor" And Sec
ton 302 81 Every person who willfully disturbs or
disquiets any assembly of people met for religious
/ worship whether on Sundays or other days-"by
noise, profsne discourse rude or indecent behavior
by any Unnecessary noise, either within the place
where such meeting 10 held, 1t as 20 dis
| turb the order and solemnity OF the meeting, is
! guilty Of misdemeanor."
Thus California recognizes by law the unwritten
moral Constitution in this particular of our civil
system one Of the vital civil traditions the heritape