The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1892-05-22


texts of Scripture has little force. The
civilization of the Hebrew theocracy is
not the civilization of our Sunday. Pious
knaves or bigots used to make impious
use of the Bible to defend human slavery,
but their argument was quickly disposed
of by the reply that the Bible argument
for slavery was just as good for polyg-
amy and concubinage. In the discussion
of the liquor question the total abstinence
man quotes Solomon against the use Of
wine-"Who hath redness of eyes"-and
is answered by the temperance advocate,
who quotes: 81 have given him Oil to
make his face shine and wine to cheer his
heart" Pauls advice to Timothy, "Drink
no more water, but little wine for thy
stomach's sake" and recites the story of
the wedding wine of Galilee. So in the
matter of the Hebrew Sabbath. We can
quote plenty of texts to prove that
the Hebrew Sabbath was not only re-
ligious day. but one of liberty, rejoicing
and feasting.
Deuteronomy says that God ordered the
Hebrews to keep the Sabbath to commemor-
ate their release from the slavery of Egypt,
while Exodus declares that He ordered
them to keep it because he made the
heavens and earth in six days and rested
on the seventh. But Jesus never re-
spected the severe meaning of the day, for
He ignored and often violated it. He
said lit WAS made for man, not man for
the Sabbath" and hence to be modified &C.
cording to mans wants. He said at is law
full to do well on the Sabbath" that is, law
full to do anything that is proper on other
days, and He acted on it just as on other
days, and, consequently, was denounced
for Sabbath-breaking more than for any
thing else. John tells how some said, ale
is not of God, because He keepeth not the
Sabbath" and how others sought to say
Him for the same reason. Jesus passed
for Sabbath-breaker and was.
That great orthodox theologian, Arch
bishop Whateley, says: "Jesus did de-
cidedly and avowedly violate the Sabbath"
Jesus followers were Indifferent about the
day. Paul omits the commandment about
the Sabbath when he quotes the deca-
logue, and nowhere says anything in
favor of it, but much against it. He tells
the Romans that it is of no account
whether man ''esteemeth one day above
another" or ''esteemeth every day alike"
and he rebukes the Galatians because they
''observe days" The Epistle to the Colos-
SLAMS says Jesus "blotted out the hand
writing OF ordinances and took it out OF
the way" and that His followers are not
to be judged "in respect to a holy day, or
of the new moon, or of the Sabbath day."
There is not in the whole New Tesla
ment precept calling on man to keep the
Sabbath. Hence the church abandoned
it. Jewish Christians kept it, Gentlles
neglected it. Finally it was positively
forbidden. In 3i5 A. d. st. Cyril wrote,
"Henceforth reject all observance of Sab
bath" In 1863 the council of Laodicea for
babe Christians TO rest on that day; and
for nearly 1900 years, except among Sew
enth Day Adventists and similar sects,
the Christian church has kept no Sabbath.
Another day was soon set apart to take
the place of the Sabbath abrogated in the
New Testament and the early church. 1t
was kept by religious meetings. For a
long time labor was allowed on it. There
was no general law against work until
Constantine's time, and even his famous
law allowed farmers to labor freely on
Sunday. Still later, in 1872, st. Jerome tells
how Christians returning from church APP
piled themselves to their allotted works
and made garments. After Justinian the
laws grew more strict and Charlemagne
finally forbade labor on Sunday.
The doctrine that Sunday was substi-
tute for the Hebrew Sabbath and was to be
kept like that, was rejected by the Protest
ant refosmers. Melancthon said that those
who accepted it were 'greatly deceived"
and Calvin rebuked the superstition of
Sabbatism," and Luther held the same
view. Luther and Calvin both denied that
there is any Scriptural obligation to OBJ
serve Sunday. They treated it as a purely
ecclesiastical obligation resting rather on
tradition than on any law of God binding
on Christians, and its observance as a Sab
bath is almost wholly confined to England
and this country. On the continent of
Europe it is regarded as a church holy dav.
but not as a fast day. This was the view
and practice OF the early church.
In America the Puritan Sunday. modelled
after the Jewish Sabbath, is falling into
decay; the American Sunday is kept as a
day of worship, a day OF recreation. or
both, according TO the will of the indiyid
ual, and to take Sunday for decent pleas
ure, We have already shown, is not vio-
lation of any law of the New Testament.
The Massachusetts Sunday law formerly
prohibited every worldly employment
whatever, but the new law enacted some
four years ago eIempts from the prohibit
lions OF the Sunday Law the running Of
street cars and ferry boats, the publics-
ton, sale and delivery of newspapers
the hiring of carriages, the use OF tele
graph and telephone, and number
of other things which have grown since
the last century 70 be in the nature Of
necessities. The changes were suppo-teA
by q very large number of Churchmeu. in
Guiding several ministers of the Gospel.
These changes have been supported by the
Rev. DR.. John Hall, leading orthodox
preacher Of New York city, and Scotch
Presbyterian, and presumably not man
Of loose views concerning the use and
abuse of the Lords Day. Rev. Dr.. Hall
took the common sense ground that the
necessities OF the civilization OF one cent
ury were not the fair moral or religious
measure Of the necessities of the next.