Jamestown weekly alert. [volume] (Jamestown, Stutsman County, D.T. [N.D.]) 1882-1925, 1884-10-02
THE weekly. ALERT.
j. q. WARNQCK, EDITOR.

J. z. WARNoCK, EDITOR.
SABBATH OR SUNDAY.
THE Savior was reproached for desc
Grating the Sabbath day by those who
formed their ideas and opinions of It's prop
er observance from the Mosaic law which
was upto and at that time the law of Gods
government Of man. But the Savior mod
flied the generally accepted opinion as
to the proper observance Of that day, and
in his resurrection abrogated the Mosaic
Sabbath entirely and instituted in its stead
the day we now observe as Sunday The
the term Sunday 10 of heather origin dcs-
ignating the day of the week on which
che Anglo Saxon heather worshipped the
sun and from that took Its name. In this
as we'll Is in great many other things
we are not so far removed from heathen-
ism as we hstter ourselves We are. Mn
sters Of the present day to great extent
repudiate the name Sunday because of its
heather origin and use tho old Jewish
tenn Sabbath, but they sacrifice fact to
fancy when they do it, for there is just as
much authority for calling any other day
of the week Sabbath. The Mosaic Sab
bath is the last or seventh day of the
week and Sunday Is the first They are
two separate and distinct days and none
other than the SEVENTH day has divine au
thority for the name Sabbath. Many re.
pudiate the name Sunday because they
consider it = recognition of heather di-
vinity, but in adherlng to the abrogated
Sabbath do they not 10 the same extent
deny the divinity of Christi Various
forms of speech have been employed to
avoid both the heather and Mosaic hot MS
Of the dilemma, such as Lords day and
First day, but neither haye become popu-
lar with the masses Of the people with
whom the heather term predominates
very largely.
The proper observance of Sunday is
question upon which there are about as
many different opinions as there are diff
ferent individuals whs have opinions Of
their own. Nearly all agree upon the
general issue but disagree upon details.
The savior was reproached by the Jews
for dssecrating the Mosaic Sabbath, and
that was among the most serious charges
brought against HIM. The Mosaic law
was, "Remember the Sabbath day, to
keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labor
and do all thy work, but the seventh day
Is the Sabbath of the Lord thy Co.: IN
it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor
Thy aon, nor thy daughter, nor thy man
servant, nor thy maldservant, nor tny
cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy
gates." But this Sabbath law Of the Mo.
sale dispensation was not to be strictly
construed like penal statute. 1t was
designed a. the foundation Of great
moral law, much more comprehensive in
spirit than in terms, and every persons
moral conscience Is to be the judge OF Its
spirit. The spirit of this Sabbath law
was neither modified or abrogated by the
coming of Christ, it was the ideas and
opinions OF the people IS to its spirit and
range that were modified. by strict con-
struct,on to this commandment persons
could claim that hunting, fishing, racing,
gaming, setting up political conventions,
and all that ssrt of thing on Sunday is no
violation because not specifically prohibit
ed, or that because any work is specifically
prohibited amusements arc not. That
would be a good plea before jury in de-
Tending person against a charge Of vio-
lating a penal statute law, but judge con-
science IN his moral court will admit of
no such technically. Whether we OBJ
serve the seventh day of the week or the
first, whether we call 1t Sabbath or Sun
day, the spirit of the moral law remains
the same.
Conscience Is to some extent creature
of education, hence the diversity of opin-
ion as to the proper observance OF Sunday
and as to what are improper recreations
for that day From the standpoint OF
their respective consciences what may be
thought proper and right by one may be
considered ain by another. For this
reason enc should respect the conscience
and convictions of another. There may
he crapks in either extreme but there is
considerable latitude in the middle
ground. The extremists on both sides OF
the question are constantly making con-
cessions to each other and gravitatlng to-
wards the happy medium. The long
faced, straight jacket puritanism OF the
east aud the dare. devil recklessness OF the
west are neutralizing each other through
social intcrmingl,ng. To the former the
thoroughfare that leads to perditien does
not seem 90 densely thronged nor does the
way TO heaven lock 80 inaccessible to the
latter as formerly The wind of big try
and intolerance on the one hand and the
spirit of disregard for the rlght OF con-
science On the other is being tempered by
a wholesome common sense.