The Washington herald., 1912-02-16
Sunday Becomes the Sabbath.

tion Of labor on the Lords day.
Sunday Becomes the Sabbath.
In the sixteenth, century the Reforma-
tion prevailed so nightly that the Gen.
eral Council OF Trent had to be called
by the Church OF Rome to consider her
situation. The strongest ground of the
Protestants was their insistence that
the Bible. and the Bible alone, is the
! only true standard OF faith and morals, 4"
as against Rome's claim of "the Bible
and tradition as such standard.
When the council assembled 1t was
found that in the council itself. as the
Pope's legste wrote to him. there was
"a strong tendency to set aside tradition
altogether and to make Scripture the
sole standard OF appeal"
This was dangerous to Rome. for with
her tradition" means not merely an
tiquity. but continuing inspiration, -
which is but another form Of expressing
''infallibility." Something must be done
to save the day for Rome.
And this is what was done: At the
opening Of the last session, January IS
1862, ''the Archbishop Of Rheggio made a
speech, in which he openly declared that
tradition stood higher than the Bible. -
And the proof of 1t is thus givensby him: I:
This very authority OF the church Is
most OF all glorif1ed by the Holy Scrip
tures. I" BY the same authority. the
church. the legal precepts of the Lord
contained in the Holy Scriptures have
ceased. The Sabbath. the most glorious
day in the law, has been merged in the
Lords day This day and similar
Institutions have not ceased in conse-
quence OF the preaching Of Christ (for He
says that He did not come to destroy
the law, but to fulfin III. but yet they
have been changed. and that solely by
the authority of the church."
There was no escape from this by the
Protestants. For their own confession
of faith-the Augsburg Confession. 1850
tion OF the Lords day" had been ap-
pointed by "the church only. And in
this the Protestants plainly held. not
''the Bible, and the Bible alone" but
"the Bible and tradition" with the ira
dition above the Bible. And this was but
Rome's own gTound-and so Rome's
cause was saved.
Note that in the council the archbishop
said: 'The Sabbath has been
merged IN the Lords day" Then the
catechism OF the Council Of Trent, A. d.
1861, completes the story thus: when
the ceremonies OF the law were<removed.
the Sabbath also. as a ceremonial, was
removed. The sanctification OF the Sab
bath is cessation from. bodily labor and
business. The Sabbath we observe fully
and perfectly when we afford to God the
duties of piety and religion. The proper
meaning of the Fourth Commandment
tends to this; That a pan give himself
UP at some fixed time. SO that. dlsen-
gagged from bodily labor and business.
be may piously worship and adore God"
And as the church has made Sunday
that fixed. time for worship. and has
made that "the -propep meaning Of the
Fourth Commandment" there you have
It, And thus Sunday was made "the
Sabbath OF the Fourth Commandment"
And. what IS even worse, professed
Protestants have continued to occupy
that papal ground and to follow that
papaI course unto this day. and unto
this very Sunday legislation that is now
before Congress. In a former speech ]
gave the evidence that the Sunday
statute OF Charles II is the confessed
'snnodei.' OF the present Sunday bill in