Clarksville evening chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn) 1886-1890, 1888-10-06
THE SABBATH.
Sermon by Rev ]. B. shearer, D. D., at
Monteagle.
Tch. Exodus ar, S-11

curing generations. The old com
mon law of England recognized Sab
bath observance as Of universal obi
CATION, and the Sabbath is accounted
there as a non dies for all purposes
civil and secular. The same princi
pie Of the common law has been EN-.
bodied in statutory provisions by
State and Federal governments in
our country. But, strange to tell,
there has been great decadence OF
Sabbath observance, with the conniv-
ance and open encouragement Of gov
erement and under the patronage OF
advancing American civilization. ]
need only cite Sunday railroading,
Sunday mails, open post-offices, Sun
day newspapers, a large Sunday street
traffic, Sunday saloons, parks, and
beer gardens, Sunday entertainments,
and excursions under pretext of recre
alton for the poor, Sunday running OF
forges and furnaces, and factories, un-
der the plea Of necessity to avoid Sc
rious loss, if not bankruptcy, and
other public violations Of Sabbath
law too numerous to mention until
it would seem that large proportion
Of the wage-workers Of our country
are deprived of the God-given Sab
bath at the memorable demands of a
materialistic (atheistic?) civilization.
| am not here, however, to arraign
misunderstanding governments and
goddess corporations, but rather to
reach the individual conscience con-
corning wholesale Sabbath violations
in our Christian homes, where may
be found the counterpart of the pub
lie dissertations cited.
There are two theories with refer
ence to the Sabbath; the one Is the
Puritan or orthodox theory, which
maintains the Sabbath to be an insti-
tuition of permanent binding authori-
ty for the race to the end of time under
the authority of the fourth command
ment; the other is the continental
theory, which maintains that the
Sabbath was merely Jewish institu-
ton, ceremonial and ritual in its
character, and that its binding au-
thority ceased with the Mosaic ritual.
They say, however, that it was for
editication that Christians should
agree on a stated day for public
worship, and that it was every way
proper to keep memorial OF the
resurrection day in this way. They
say, further, that it was fitting for the
State to protect the church against in
terruption to her worship by forbid
ding ordinary public labor on that
day. Beyond this, they allow no
binding authority on the conscience
for the observance of the day, and
and they allow the remaining hours
of the day to be spent in recreations
and amusements, public and private,
social visiting, and such like. The
Puritan or orthodox theory is held
mainly by English-speaking churches
while the continental theory is held
largely by the Europen Protestant
churches. The Papacy has always
held the orthodox theory as a part of
her creed, while in practice she man
ifests the most glaring evils of the
continental theory. The continental
theory has been largely imported to
our country by emigrants from Eu-
rope, and is aggressively pressed by
their various rationalistic, agnostic,
skeptical, and infidel schools of
thought. A multitude of secular in
terests from the newsbOy to the whis-
ky trust are combining on the basis
of this theory, and in the name of
personal and religious liberty, to
overthrow the orthodox view, and
even to sweep, the Sabbath from our
civil statutes forever.
Loose views and practices are be-
coming so prevalent and baneful that
those who hold the orthodox view in
theory are poisoned as by some moi
some malaria pervading the very at
mosphere they breathe, until ortho-
dox practice is well-nigh lost.
The word Sabbath means literally
rest. In its technical scripture usage
it means ''rest for religious pur-
poses" 1t is applied mainly to the
seventh day of the week, which is
called "the Sabbath" The Mosaic
ritual provides for numerous other
holy days which are also called Sab
baths, because rest from secular labor
was required for sacred purposes, e. g.
the great day of Atonement, the day
of Pentecost, thegreat and last days of
passover, etc, all of which were re-