Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1885-07-02
The Christian Sabbath From a Presby.
terrain Point of View.

Ed. ALPHABETICALLY no question
relative to Christianity is so widely
discussed as, how shall the Sabbath be
kept?
And surely on no point is there so
great a diversity of opinion.
No doubt many of your readers have
heard sermons advocating a strict OBJ
servance of the day and an austerity
not according to the commands of the
Creator. But perhaps few have
heard sermon recently preached,
whose laxity of teaching partook large
ly of the nature of burlesque, when
compared with the tenets held by most
Christian denominations.
License is often taken from a SEEM
ingly ambiguous sentence spoken by
the Saviour. I quote: "The Sabbath
was made for man, and not man for
| the Sabbath" Mark 2, q.
A careful reading of the context will
fully explain the point. For from a
simple obedience to the laws of Jeho-
yah, delivered on Mount Sinai, the
Hebrews had departed, adding tradi-
tons which magnitied small offenses
while winking at gross sins; in fact
''straining at a gnat and swallow
ing a camel"
The tendency of people, usually stig-
matized sinners, backed by a number
Der of would-be saints, to make the
Sabbath day of necessary labor, con-
tanning no necessity, or day of intoxi-
eating pleasure, is cause of agitation
of both legislative and theological bod
| les.
For "Sunday Law" has become al
most dead letter, and indeed is quite
joke.
Why are men not agreed? Let him
| who will venture, reply.
1t is quite the thing to sneer at the
early settlers of New England for their
austerity of manner; especially con-
corning the Sabbath.
The Puritans may have erred, yet no
people on the face of the earth were
ever governed so entirely by conscience
and determination to do right. The
slurs cast upon them have been usual
| ly by those individuals whose sole
knowledge of Puritanism has been
gathered from newspaper squibs, or
possibly from DIR. Sam. Peters.
| New Jersey and some other colonies
were later reinforced by Presbyterians
who covered the land with citizens,
com forts, and Cdlvinisne.
| Connecticut, 1.-The land of steady hab-
| it's" contributed to the tide of emigra-
ton flowing west ward; often by forci-
BILE ejectment of utterly worthless in
Cividuals, one of which latter class
was the author of the "Blue Laws of
Connecticut" DR.. Saml Peters by
name.
To quote the "Blue Laws" usually
stamps one as an ignoramus, or cal
umniator, yet Presbyterian minister
from the pulpit lately quoted, with
impressive earnestness, from that code:
mo man on the Sabbath day shall
kiss his wife"
One scientific fact asserted by DR.. (?)
Sam. Peters will add to pretty stories
cherished by the credulous: sat Bel
lows Falls the pressure of water is so
great that the stream becomes solid
even in summer at the foot of the falls
so that it can be quarried and split in
to blocks"
Enough of Puritans. Presbyterians
believe it is incumbent on every one to
Remember the Sabbath day tc keep
it holy" Elk. 90, s. This duty is stat
ed at greater length in succeeding
verses.
The confession of Faith" to which
every officer of the Presbyterian church
is obliged to subscribe, Chap. q, Sec.
s, reads: "This Sabbath then IS kept
holy unto the Lord, when men, after
due preparing of their hearts. and Or
dering of their affairs beforehand, do
not only observe an holy rest all the
day from their own works, words and
thoughts about their worldly employ
ments and recreations: but also are
taken up the whole time in the public
and private exercises of His worship,
and in duties of necessity and Mercy"
Again Short. Cat. Quest. 81. 1.-THE
fourth commandment for biddeth the
omission or careless performance of the
duties required, and the pfofaning the
day by idleness or doing that which is
in itself sinful, or by unnecessary
thoughts, words, or works about our
worldly employments or recreations."
There is stroight Presbyterianism of
the "blue stocking type" yet undenia-
bly, founded on the word of God. The
schism of a church whose faith is not
obsolete. For the General Assembly
of the Presbyterian Church U. S. A.
which met at Cincinnati few days
ago, has repeatedly shown its sold
fogyism" by refusing to change word
of its standards" Furthermore this
General Assembly is composed of above
five hundred from various states. Men
who stand abreast of the times and
shoulder to shoulder in intellect with
the brains of our country.
A church whose government is not
copy of that of any country, but the
pattern after which Republican AmerI-
cas- was formed. "For Calvinism was
the nest that Matched the American
Eagle" CALvINIsT.