The Pascagoula democrat-star. (Pascagoula, Miss.) 1878-1920, 1891-08-07
sABBiTH, on SUNDAY, wHitH.
Editor Democrnt. Sinr:

our CpUHiTy. EVERY eHOTI Is Dem
made by saloon-keepers, glmbler,
etc seconded BY the railroad cor
poraiions, 10 do away with the Sab
bath of our fathers. Christians o
every religious belief should stant
shoulder to shoulder in this con
test, for il the Sabbath goes, the
christian religion goes, and if the
christian religion goes it will be &
black day for the United States, &
day of greed, anarchy and blood.
shed such as never was since the
world began.
The laboring man should be The
last to yield the Sabbath, for if the
Sabbath laws are broken down he
will be the first to suffer, since, in
stead OF laboring six days he will
be compelled 10 labor seven He
will be at the mercy of The greed
and rapacity of soulless corpora.
lions.
But there is now another move
ment on foot which, whether so in
tended or not by those who are at
its head, is playing into The hands
of those whose object is TO abolish
the Sabbath. | refer to the effort
that is being made to show that the
Lords day, otherwise called Sun.
day, is not the proper Sabbath, and
that the seventh Cay should be OBJ
and hallowe1 instead of the
first.
A writer in your last issue, whom
| have reason to believe Is a CON
scientlous christian man, after quot
ing The well-known decree of Con-
stantine IN A. ID. 321, commanding
he judges, townspeople and trades
men,to rest on she venerable day
N the SUM- or Sunday, but per-
hitting those in the country and
'ngaged in The business of agrlcul-
.ure 10 attend tn their dulles as
usual, says: 1T follows, therefore,
rom this historical fact that no re-
had previously been laid
lpon any class from s~orking on
hat day"
think that he is correct in his
conclusion. There had been no
egal restraint laid upon any class
rom laboring on that day, but not
or The reason which he suggests.
The reason simply was that until
.hrislianiiy was recognized by
Constantine the religion of the
Roman Empire was pagan, and, of
curse the christian Sabbath was
Ioi recognized.
Constantine, who was more a poll
ician than IA christian, and who, in
iced, was not baplised until a short
ime before his death, doubtless
onsldered it II fine stroke of policy
hat IN acknowledging the Lords
of the christians THAT is, the
irst day of the week. he, at the
anne time, could perpetuate The
'agan %renerdtilis dies soils and thus
'rupillaie both his christian and
'agan subjects. The very Tact that
. his decree he recognized the
Irst day Of the week and com
handed its observance as a day of
est shows that it was The day
which the christians were accus-
omed 10 observe. Hence, while
he Catholic church does not, it is
rue, acknowledge The authority of
cripture, but places that of the
church" above it, as is shown by
he quotation of your correspond
ut, yet it is very clear that that
hurch did not change the seventh
ay Tor the first, but that it was
banged by the apostles of our
ord, AMI, inperrentlalIy by Christ
lmself alter his crucifxion. The
roof of this | think very satisfac-
Dry, although your correspondent
'ys, "Our saviour and his apostles
re singularly silent touching the
rst day of the week, Sunday,
18th respect 10 granting it any
met ficatlon or holiness"
So far as the evidence of the
ew Testament goes it is almost
In favor of the "Lord's
or the first day of the week
The divinely recognized day OF
st and worship af'er The resur-
'ction of our Lord. The change was
Undoubtedly made then, and not
Tree hundred years laTer by Con.
antine and the Catholic church.
ct me briefly give The proof. In
lie first place, il is clear from Matt.
xviii /: /; Marx xvi: ], p; Luke
xiv: /, and John Xxx: /, that our
ord rose from the tomb on the
rst day of the week. Mark is very
xplicit and says: And very early
|, the morning, The first day OF the
eek, they came unto the sepulchre
the rising of the SUM-" Thus it
roves conclusively that our Lord
)se from the dead OH the first day
{ the week. Now, turning TO John
Of. il il said "a nd after eiohf