The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1891-08-26
For the Central Presbyterian.
A Pastoral Letter.
To the Officers and Members of the
Presbyterian Church in the
United States.

United States.
Belocld BrctLren,-The General
Assembly, in session at Birming-
ham, Ala, May, 1891, appointed the
undersigned a committee to address
to you, in the name of the Assem-
/ bly,, a pastoral letter in regard to
The Observance of the Sabbath.
Such action as this is not of fire.
quent occurrence. 1t is taken only
on occasion Of some special and i'm
perative need. In the Judgment of
the highest court of our Church it
is necessary, at this time, to speak,
in this unusual way, in defence of
the sanctity of the Sabbath.
This need arises: not from any
uncertainty or obscurity in the ut
terances of the word of God not be-
cause of any vagueness or lack of
fullness in the eXpositions of our
standards nor because of any fail
ure, on the part of the Assembly.
to call attention, in the past, to this
important matter.
The Scriptures are emphatic.
"Remember the Sabbath dav to keep
it holy. Six days shalt thou labor
and do all thy work but the seventh
day is the Sabbath of the Lord thv
God; in it thou shalt not do any
work, thou, nor thy son, nor tbv
daughter, thy man-servant, nor thy
maid-servant, nor thy cattle, nor the
stranger that is within thy gates:
for in six days the Lord made heav-
EN- and earth, the sea, and all that
in them is, and rested the seventh
day; wherefore the Lord blessed
the Sabbath day and hallowed it,"
EX. Xxx: Sill
"Verily my Sabbaths ye shall
keep; for it is sign between me
and you throughout your genera
tiOns; that We may know that l am
the Lord that doth sanctify YOU"
Ex. XXI: 10.
The teachings of our standards
are clear. "The fourth command
ment requireth Of oI men the
sanctifying or keeping holy to God
such set times as He hath appoint
ed in his word, expressly one whole
day in seven The Sabbath or.
Lords day, is to be sanctified by an
holy resting all that day, not only
from such works as are at all times
sinful, but even from such worldly
emplOyments and recreations as are
on other days lawful and making
it our delight to spend the whole
time Except so much of it as is to
be taken up with works of necessity
and mercy) in the public and pri-
vate exercises of Gods worship" ="
See Catechism Questions, 116 and
III.
The deliverances of the Assembly
have been distinct and positive.
Our people have been admonished
that, "the Christian religion and
Christian civilization rest largely
upon the proper observance of the
Sabbath day" and that, 'the piety,
usefulness and fruitfulness of any
church must decline and perish
when the claims of the Sabbath are
surrendered and disregarded See
Minutes of Assembly from 1878 to
1890.
In the year 1873 the attention of
the General Assembly was formally
called to the fact that there was a
growing disregard for the sanctitv
of the Sabbath" A committee. OF
which the Rev. d. Dabney was the
chairman, was appointed TO investi-
gate the matter That committee
reported the evil TO be "widespread
and formidable" From that dav
to this the Assembly has been adj
mOnishing and exhorting our peo-
pie to ga better observance of the
Sabbath" And still it is reported
that there is ca continued and grow
ing disregard of the sanctity of the
Lords day"
The Assembly is, therefore, forced
to a recognition of the fact that. of
| all the dangers which. to-day.
| menace the spiritualityof the Church
. and the morality of the State, there
lis none greater or more to be dread
ed than that one which originates
i'm @ disregard of the holy Sabbath.
Therefore, the General Assembly.
i'm the exercises of its pastoral over
sight admonishes you f. That
| Sabbath desecratiou entails. upon
| those who are guilty of it, great per-
sonaI loss. There is blessing iu
keeping Gods day as He commands
. it to be kept
BLESSED is the man that doeth
this, and the son of man that iay-
eth hold of it, that keepeth the Sab
bath from polluting it, and keepeth