The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1907-03-25
PASTOR OBJECTS
TO A SUNDAY LAW
Brands Attempted Legislation
an infringement on Re-
ligiOuS Liberty.
Mr.. HUNTINGTON'S SERMON
mo TRUE CHURCH. WILL SEEK
ASSISTANCE OF STATE"

"Dgfeatgl Sunday laws a triumph for
religious liberty was the subject of an
address by tho Rev. :. @. Huntington
last evening IN thc Adventist church
Render TO Caesar the things that are
caesars and 20 God the things that are
Gods.
.T1ese are the words Of Jesus Christ
said the pastor They reflect tl the most
simple terms. by him who ordained them
the true status of both the church and the
-tate-tuat each has a distinct and indie
pendent sphere or its own and that within
the hearts and actions of men this broad
distinction between these two spheres as
herein set forth should ever be main
tanned As cnunciated by L. s. Grant the
principle is Keep the church and state
forever separate
-In that immortal instrument. the De
c.arltjou Of Independence, the trainers Of
which appreciated the priceless value Of
liberty. is this declaration: We hold these
truths to bc self-evident: That all men
are created equal, that they are Ell
d0Wed by their creator with certain in
aIeuabjr rights. that among these are
life liberty and the pursuit of hapDi-
ness Embodied i'm the constitution of
The United States are to be found these
words Congress shall make no law re-
zpeeruG religion or prohibiting abe free
exercise thereof or abridsing the freedom
of speech or Of the press.
A Religious Measure.
Through the influence OF leading
church representatives. of this city there
was introduced in our late legislature =
mI prohibiting certain amuSements upou
the first day of the week commonly
called sunday. That this bill was intro
duced strictly from religious point of
view the declarations Of the one who intro
duced it and other members who favored
IL prove beyond controversy. But regard
less of the admissions of the promoters of
this bin as TO its character, Sabbath leg
islatiou is decidedly religious legislation
IN one of It's most ultra forms.
No true church viii ever seek the as
-Ist3uc- uf The state in the support OF ana
& bee furtnsrauce Of her dogmas. Manifest
iy gospel that is not big enough. broad
enough and aii-pOwerful enough to stand
alone without cTutcheS furnished il bv the
state is wuetully lacking somewhere.
Furthermore. a doctrine that cannot be
maintained by the gospel and men Won 3
to its Observance through the preaching
9f th, gospel is unworthy of the name by
which 10 is called
Functions of State.
"Ir the state assumes the right To de-
clare what its subjects shall not do on /
The sabbath. would it not also have the [
igEr to declare what its subjects shall /
90 ON the sabbath Exactly Therefore I
$ the state to determine the day of the I
sabbath and then tell us what We shall /.
F shall not do on that day. Are We TO I
e accountable to the state for the per-
GTmance or non-performance of our re-
nip and "a heart service and rests wholly
etween the individual and his God The
-anSgreSsiOn of religious or moral law is
n- the trduSgreSsiUn OF the law of the
md is crime Governments can punish
lr crime. but NOT for sin but if q re
giGus law Is 10 be enacted into and en-
iTceG by our civil code such, for in
lance. as Sunday and similar legislation
wolves. then that government which
efOry was civil becomes a government
ieTdrChical
Therefore. it becomes the duty Of ev-
RI interviewing citizen of this common
-ealth 10 repudiate any and every en-
-oachment OF any church or combination
f churches upon the rights and privi-
ges of the people or any part of the
7ople of this commonwealth through
ate legislation Most assuTedly. then
D. defeat of the recent Sunday Sabbath
p I'm the upper house of our state legiS-
tWe. a bill involving religious legiSia-
on and thus a harbinger of evil. was. in
ed q triumph for religious liberty.