The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-06-11
Sunday Observance.

8 Protestant CleFENmau. and one too az
high standing in his church. who is not
afraid TO express more liberal and en-
nehtened views. / beg 20 offer NV re-
speCtful congratulations 10 Mr. Stfone
and hope he VIII not question my SINGER
ity because Of my doing so under the con
venient mask Of q nom de plume
The generality of pulpit orators sneak
Of sabbath breaking as one OF the most
hcinous sins They inveigh against muir
derers, sabbath breakers, idolate1-s.
thieves, etc. Yet the greatest preacher
of all, himself regarded as a Sabbath
breaker by contemporary orthodoxy.
never mentioned Sabbath breaking in his
frequent denunciatiOus Of vice and un-
Righteousness. Ask a modern teacher
what are the requisites Of righteous
man, and he will tell you Sabbath keep
ing is one Of the most Indispensable
When Jesus Christ was asked the same
question he never even alluded to the Sab
bath.
Absolutely the only scriptural authority
Tor the Christian Sunday-keGping is the
fourth commandment of the decalopue.
Let Us see how far this authority goes.
The fourth commandment forbids work
of any kind on the seventh day, (Satur-
day. and elsewhere in the Mosaic code
the punishment for disObedience is fixed
ut death. Paley, certainly orthodox at
AAAo I4ALl1s GAilAIo blGb uut IOuILu tOlll-
mandment does not apply to the Christian
Sunday. For, says he, if it be binding it
is surely binding as to the day and also as
to the punishment for infringement
death. To say that the change of the
Sabbath from Saturday to Sunday makes
no difference is simply to play with words
and ideas. If man now were to con
tinue active business on Sunday and
vigorously abstain from all work on some
other day, as Wednesday for instance, he
would surely be called most outrageous
.'Sabbath-breaker" by all so-called Sab
batarians.
But there was still another reason,
which Paley was not in season to recog-
nize, why the fourth commandment does
not apply to the Christian Sunday. The
fourth commandment says no work must
be done on the seventh day, because in
six days the Lord made the heavens and
the earth and rested the seventh day,
wherefore, the Lord blessed the seventh
day and hallowed it." At the present
day few people of education and intelli-
gence believe that the Lord created the
heavens and the earth in six days, and
that he crested" the seventh day. The
few such who do so believe are not to be
reached by my logic or any kind of argu-
ment. High priests, scribes and phari
secs Obstinately refuse to be convinced
for the past 1000 years; the rhinocerous
4llQt VI UiAObtN Is 1uljCIAlOQS u14lAt 10 lIIG
keen thrusts of reason and the gall-tipped
darts of ridicule
There is absolutely no doubt that the
fourth commandment was merely part
of the Jewish ceremonial law and no more
binding upon Christians than other such
laws, such as those fOrbidding the YOking
together of an OK and an ass and wearing
garments of mixed fabrics. 1t seems one
of the strongest and most unexpected
proofs of our SaviOr's divinity, that he
knew this fourth commandment was
merely part of the Jewish ritual and not
a part of the divine universal law. Not
only do we search in vain in Christ'S say
ings for authority for the modern ortho
dox Sunday laws, but also not one of the
apostolic writers gives any authority. St.
Pauls urging meeting on the Lords
day. does not even apply-for a pruden-
tial injunction to abe members of a small,
struggling church docs not apply univers-
ally But granting that it does so apply,
where is any command to observe the
Cords days instead of the old Sabbath?
The civilized world has found that one
day out of seven is necessary for rest or
recreation. The Christian church, acting
on the example of the old Jewish church,
sets that day aside for special religious
observances. This is not only a proper
but an admirable arrangement. But the
authority for so doing is purely human,
who do not see fit to keep Sunday as such
or such a church ordains, are not thereby
violating Gods law, provided they obey
the laws of their country.
1t is right that general business be sus-
pended on Sunday; it gives the people an
opportunity to participate in religious OBJ
seryances, or to take needed recreation,
or both. If, for their convenience, the
people want street cars to run, light re-
freshment stores to be open, and so on,
there is no harm. Certainly, at least,
there is no infringement of any di
vine law. 1t has been found desirable
for the general welfare to keep barrooms
closed on Sunday, at least in this part of
the country. Few good and thoughtful
citizens viii deny the wisdom of so doing
and even barkeepers themselves can be
found who will admit it is right. But we
must not confound eXpediency, or human
requirements, with divine Law.
DEMOCRITUS.