The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1884-04-12
The Sunday Question.

"
the question over 10 brother Zwanlig,' ana
beg leave To ask you for little space IN
your valuable paper.
A man who calls German Dutch
man" is either An ignoramhs, who does moi
know that the difference between German
and Dutch is just rs great as that between
Italian and French, or he is IA rough, using
the word in II contemplate sense.
Brother Pusey's Sabbath is merely the
result of the religious bigotry of the Puri'
,ans. TO those who accept the inspiration
of the Scriptures there can be no doubt
about the obligation of the jews 1000 years
ago 10 keep the ith day rs day of rest
and worship. The command was one OF
the ten laws of the Decalogue. II was IA
part Of the constitution of the Hebrew gov
eminent. II was AN essential part of their
reli zion. The early ChristidW church did
not keep the sabbath Neither did the
early christine church recognize the obll.
CATION To keep any day as the Jewish Sab
bath had been kept. This is evident from
the fact that there is not Il word in the
New Testament enjoining or even intima
ting rs duty the keeping of the sabbath,
or the frst day of the week or any other
day 1t is barely to be gathered from Incl
dental passages, that on the presumed abo-
| ltiun Of the Sabbath the early Christians
agreed to set apart the first dayo the week
IA the day most proper for the worship OF
God, the study of the Scriptures, and the
celebration of the Lords Supper; it being
the day on which Brother Pusey's Savior
arose from the dead. 1t wa, therefore
called the Lords Day it was kept in hon
or of his resurrection, not rs Sabbath, but
as Il day of jog ami prttse and hoty pleasures
dndttsticity
But there is not even 10 be found Il hint
il had Sabbatical character, or that the
keeping of it was obligatory. On the con
tlary Paul most emphatically asserts that II
is matter of individual conscience. Let
every man be persuaded by his own mind. y
HE that regardeth the day regardeth it TO
the Lord" Let no man Judge you, or be
your Judge in respect to meat, or holy days,
or new moons or the Sabbath day" 1t is
farther evident, that the early Christians
did not observe the first day of the week as
Brother Pussy observes it, from the fact
that there is nothing in church history to
show that the Sabbatic keeping Of Sunday
was of Divine origin. But whatever we
can find in the nature of historic evidence
is on the other side. For instance, none of
the Christian writer's until after the 4tll
century ever quoted the 4th commandment
as the ground or reason for the observance
Of Sunday. They did not consider the two
as being even analogous in nature or in the
obligation for it. Again when the early
Christian writer's did give the reason fol
the religious observance of Sunday, they
gave reasons which were not sanctioned by
Divine authority and had no place what
ever in the Bible. Justin Martyr, the frs
writer On the subject, (abOut $50 A. d.,
asst ms the reasons for observing Sunday
which are |, That on this day of the
week the world and light were created.
?. That on this day also Jesus Christ oul
Savior, rose from the dead" He does moi
pretend that his God authorized the keep
ing of the day He does not claim any
sanction for it either in the Old or New
Testament, nor in the precepts or example
of the apostles Origen, half century la
ter, adds another reason, which is, tina
mamma was first given to the lsrealites OF
Sunday Later Christian writer's give va
rious other reasons but not one OF then
ever claimed that God commanded or sane
toned it, or that the apostles had ever all
thorized it, 1t has been inferred from thu
writings of Justin Martyr and others, tina
Christians in his time were accustomed t
work on Sunday the same as other day
except the hours that were set apart fcl
worship. Tertullian, who wrote some tim'
later than Justin Martyr, says that Chris
tians were in the habit of putting off ever
their business on the Lords Day, lest the,
might give place to the devil" (Tertullial
de Ora. c. 23) also (Neandees Church Hist
|. 400, that is, lest Reconsideration 0
worldly business might too much Withdraw
/. thoughts from holy things and leave then
open To temptations.
The first law by which Sunday wa
transformed into Il Sabbath was the edit
of Constantine, (}l2 post Christus), whlc
is in this language, Let all judges, inhal
itints of cities and artiiicers rest on tn
, venerable Sunday. But in the countr.
husbandmen may freely and lawfully appl
: 10 the business of agriculture, since it o
: ten happens, that the sowing of seed an
q planti1 of vines cannot be so advant
geously performed on any other day, etc
Ii took the church in fact 800 years
: discover or to believe, that the seventh d'
!, had been superseded by the iirSt. 1t WI
1 4.