The Washington herald., 1912-02-16
Congress and of all the Sunday laws of

Congress and OF all the Sunday laws of
the States.
But that statute OF Charles II, in its
principal provisions, is word for word
the embodiment of the Sunday law of
the Puritan Commonwealth OF England.
enacted by the Long Parliament in 1s4I.
And this Puritan statute was only the
Incorporation in law of the Puritan theo-
logical position taken in 1885. that the
first day OF the week Is the Sabbath of
the Fourth Commandment, which de-
clares that II is the seventh day OF the
week. And so, when. for the English
possessions in America, as well as for
England herself, the statute of Charles
II, in 1876. Incorporated the Puritan
statute of 1874. the Puritans in America
only came into their own again.
And the church federation of the pro-
fessed Protestantism OF the United
States, in and by its Federal Council,
in A. d. 1905 officially repeated and con-
firmed this course Of both the papal and
Puritan theocrac!es, in making Sunday
to be the Sabbath OF the Fourth Com
mandment.
There. then, by the indisputable evil
dence Of history. fact, and law, Is the
day of the week, became. to the Con-
gress and courts OF the United States,
the Sabbath Of the Fourth Command
ment Of "an all-wlse oGd," who Him
self said that It Is the seventh day of
the week.
And from the beginning to the end OF
II the conception, the invention, the
process, and the whole procedure were
absolutely OF the church, by the church.
and for the church.
However, let no one think for a mo-
ment that what have here presented
is all the evidence that there is In the
case Not at all. have purposely lin
lted myself to the one pivotal feature Of
the subject-the Sunday and the Sabbath
OF the Fourth Commandment Around,
between, and along with. the facts here
in set forth there were scores upon
scores Of acts and DEGREES promoting the
observance OF Sunday itself as such
fretting. fretting, fretting, for more than
sixteen hundred years, like the single
but continual dropping Of water that
melts stone, wearing down both mind
and spirit to dull and enslaved submis-
sion or conformity to the ecclesiastical
tyranny that was the inspiration and
impetus of II all.
And such a thing as that-a thing
composed only OF such stun and nom
sense and Iniauity as all that-is seri-
ousIy proposed by a Senator Of the
United States as the thought of the
Fourth Commandment of ''sn all-wise
God" and to be enacted Into law under
the Constitution that declares that Con-
gress shall make mo law on any such
subject,
And in the present insistent and per-
sistent ecclesiastical pressure Of fedora
tion, confederation. and forward move
ment" backward, in an eTer-increasing
tide upon Congress and all this land,
perpetually demanding Sunday legisla-
ton, and ever more Sunday legislation
IN all this what observant person can
fail to see that history is being repeated
unto the very living likeness Of the
original?
Conclusion.
And now will Congress and the courts
allow the people CT this District and Of
the United States to deal with their
human law in the like manner as they
themselves thus deal with the divine
law? When this very Sunday bill now be-
fore Congress shall become law. express
ing their thought OF ''the Fourth Com
mandment," viii they allow you and me