Telegram-herald., 1890-06-14

Dat We L4F4 L2F, "I1- -A-
bat3. stc s0ue u these utes sppy
% las nrsg day u tie week IS tlsy
ssry sell kl9w.
I1s nrst dag. or Saa4ay, : not .
sacred day noe, neither aas ll ever
been. Alc.enuy 4. wAs ths cay seL
apaF. fys tas soFsolp Of 'BA4l' Or tie
sun
TIE Emperor Constantine called .
-Ile Venerable Day OF the sau The
CHRISTIANS 0f modern tmes called !.
Llrl day, 0r Ihe CHRISTIAN sabbath.
lus Lord d4y certainly Hasl De tae
day he calls as day, aad l9al.day = tiAe
seventh Qay, tle day before me
hrst See TX. Nx. s-ll, Luke E1lLi
"A 15- Were 1 not sure tnat tusS5
gentlemen know THESE tAcls a. we.l a.
myself. shOa.d be g.ad II thr0w the
iua.tl- VI cuarlty over tner endea fors
aud thmk "tney know uog what tley
doe
Bat any one who is az al yersed ID
ul.t3ry, ecclcslastcAi Or secul4t, is
aware that 40 sacreduess ever was A.
taeled ~ Tie urst day Ol the week cK-
cept Dy civil or ecclesiastical legislation
The yegy steps that brought sunday
to the IrJlt la the fourth century are
now b. ng Te-euacted in Embryo Ia TINS
the 18th. sunday a. they very Well
knew al that time, had uo Scrptural
claims therefore the strong arm Ot Tie
iaw must Dc appealed 10.
Another means by which these am-
7 tt-r a al
themselves lu great numbers from
amongst the Heather, Was the adoption
OF the day " the sun a. = festival day.
All the eastern nations wOrsnIped the
sun. sunday was the great day. Tins
was adopted firstin connection with the
sabbath OF the Lord, but after a while
the PaganiLsd form OF GOdllness
crowded out the Sabbath entirely and
cursed those VINO would observe Il.
The practice was also adopted OF wOr-
shipping God with their faces toward
the suu-rsng as the Paglus were
accustomed TO worship tue sun. Con-
st1ntlue was 4 sun WOTshlper, DiOcle-
tan also, before hIm. Through the
influence Oi the Bishops, the worship OF
the Lord after the manner OF the sun
worship, had become so popular tnat
when Constantine adopted as a piece OF
political policy, the Christian religion,
IN hlm the two streams met,-tAe Pagd-
nlzed Christian and the outright Pagan.
At this time SIX empcrOrs, each Jealous
OF all the others, We're grasplng tor the
support OF the church. Constantine
was successful IN securing lis aid 10 ele-
vate hIm To the seat OF imperial power.
A delegation of Bishops went across the
Alps IN 81 and struck a bargain with
him 10y which If he would fayorChrstl-
anity they would give hun the support
OF the United church. They told him
that the influence OF the church would
be more 10 him than the power Ofarms,
and 50 1t proved.
Extract from lecture by A. I. Jones,
professor of history IN Battle Creek
College, as published IN Battle Creek
Daily Journal, December II, 1888.
Now that the Emperor had become n
Christian, he was quickly marked As n
tool Tor the church, and the bishops
lost no time IN using him TO their ad-
vantage, as we shall see. | Will read
from NeOnder, page 29S. "The En-
peror Constantine enacted a law that
on Sunday there should be a suspen-
sion of business at the courts aud in
other civil offices, so that the day might
be devoted with less interruption to the
purpose of devotion"
Again, on page 800, we read that by n
law OF the year 3S6, Those older
changes effected 10y the Emperor Con-
stantlae were more vigorously enforced.
and IN general, civil transactions of
every kind on Sunday were strictly for
bidden. Whoever transgrcssed was 10
be considered, III fact, rs guilty Of sac
rllege." In 40l a church convention
was held IN Carthage, to petition the
Emperor that the public shows might
be transferred from the Christian sun
day 70 some other day of the week.
THIS petition could not be granted at
that time, but some twenty-four years
afterward, rs we read on page 30l, the
exhibition Of spectacles on Sunday, and
on the principal feast DAYS of the Chris
tlans was forbidden. IN order that the
devotion Of the faithful might be free
from all disturbance. "In TINS way the
church received help from the State
for the furtherance of her ends"
The bishops considered thssa victory
for them. but it soon became apparent
that they had not done as yet, all that
stopped the people from work on the
Venerable Day of the sun" in order
that tney might the more readily at
tend church, but as Prof. Jones has i,
the people preferred to 90 to the
theater, consequently, when the thea
ter was opened atChurch time, the con-
gregation was rather slim.
Neander tells the whole story IN
few words: owing TO the prevailing
passion at that time, especially IN the
large cities, 20 run after the large
shows, It 50 happened that when those
spcctaCleS fell on the same day winch
had bccn consecrated by the church 10
some religious festival. they proved q
great hndTauce to the devotion of
Christians. though chiefly. 10 must bee
allowed. To those whose Christianity
was the least At aINr OF the life tnl1
of tho heart. / ask, Is It rot SD n0W p
Those who have The least Christianity
.n the heart ere always The ones whose
devotion IS the most disturbed by the
theater or the circus. or the sunday OK
cur-.0n. Neaudor continues
Church teachers were. In truth,
often forced tO complain that iu such
competitions the thoatcT was vastly
more fregIentai than the church.
! distinctly remember nos many
months ago. that B special me ting was
called I0 THIS city to SEQ what coJd he
done o. stop ~1b1lth des-crau1r' Oh
Sunday o8r worthy "prlsocuio-f
wss present ut1 Hs law books t. read
the penalty tor sabbath violation. and
tle p.ea was made by some az the
clergy Tr sent. tnat ou aCCoIIt Ht tle