A CASE OF PERSECUTION by Watchman

Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · May 2, 1878

A CASE OF PERSECUTION.

By Watchman

OUR readers have been told something about the Seventh-day Baptists of Pennsylvania, who are made to suffer under the laws of the State for living in accordance with their faith. They are quiet and orderly citizens. They rest and worship one day in each week, which is the essence of Sabbath-keeping. All this is admitted. But they are punished like evil-doers. We do not see how any Protestant, with the light of ordinary common-sense, and with Christian love in his soul, can do aught but condemn this, as an instance of gross persecution. But to our surprise, we find the following in the editorial columns of The New York Evangelist:—

“Senator Jones, of our State Legislature, this winter renewed his effort of last year to procure the passage of a bill exempting from the penalties for violation of the Sabbath laws, persons who religiously observe the seventh day of the week. The effort, however, failed more decisively than before. The like result has attended an attempt since to place it in a modified form as a rider on another bill relating to public morals. The Senator is a worthy Philadelphian, of unquestioned Christian character, and there is no doubt that sincerity of conviction has led him to champion the cause of the Jews and Seventh-day Baptists. But in this State the cause of the Sabbath has, within the last year, assumed an importance which forbids any paltering with the claims of the day for a full legal protection. The country has adjusted its legislation to the apostolical ‘first day of the week.’ The dissentients are few in number, and the establishment of two legal Sabbaths (which would be the final result of the legislation sought) would be of disastrous effect upon the one institution as it is. Just now our Sabbath laws are the last of all things to be tampered with.”

The editor introduces this as part of a letter from Philadelphia, but he utters no word of dissent. Had it appeared merely as correspondence, its admission to the columns of the Evangelist would have been sufficiently surprising. But when it is given the prominence of the editorial columns, and is sent forth to the world without a syllable of criticism, we must suppose that the editor approves it. The reference to the small number of those who are under the harrow is ineffably mean. If it is right to persecute ten men, it is right to persecute a million; and if it would be a crime to persecute a million, it is equally a crime to persecute ten. This is a question of principles, and not of numbers. With what conscience can the Evangelist denounce persecution in Russia and Turkey, while advocating it thus at home? With what reason can it urge Austria and Spain to protect the Protestants there, who are few in number, while lending its aid to fan the fires of religious passion in America, the home of religious freedom, on the ground that the persons made to suffer are not numerous? Perhaps our readers need to be told that the Evangelist does not represent the Romanists, but the Presbyterians, of the United States.—Watchman.