THE OTHER SIDE OF IT by M. Wood

Pacific Press Publishing Company · Oakland, California · Jul 24, 1893

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 19, No. 37.

THE OTHER SIDE OF IT.

By M. Wood

BY M. WOOD.

IN a recent issue of the Worcester, Mass., Spy, I noticed a sermon by the Rev. Wilbur F. Crafts, under the imposing title of "Sabbath Observance;" with your permission I would like to say a word or two on the other side of the question through the columns of your good paper. Mr. Crafts takes that much abused text of Scripture, Rev. 1:10, as a foundation stone, upon which to rivet the imagination of his attentive hearers, and builds thereon by assumed divine authority the "great American sabbath." The gentleman was rather unfortunate in the selection of his text, which reads, "I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day." Every Bible student knows, who cares to know, that it is just as easy to prove that A is B and B is A as to prove from this scripture (or any other portion of God's word) that the first day of the week, commonly called Sunday, is the Lord's day. Notwithstanding the great army of evidence, both sacred and profane, against this delusive theory that Sunday is the Lord's day, Mr. C. is as earnest, and as zealous in supporting this usurper, as Saul of Tarsus was in persecuting the church of Jesus Christ eighteen hundred years ago. And all Mr. Crafts and the organization which he represents (Sunday Protective League) lack is power to resurrect and give life to the old blue laws of Connecticut and establish an American Inquisition for the punishment of those who choose to obey God rather than man. Says M. C.:—

"More than ever before, we should see to it that neither ourselves nor others cause any Sunday work, except of necessity or mercy."

That is, we must see to it that the American sabbath is not desecrated by ourselves, and especially by our neighbor. No matter what his religious connections may be, he must believe, or appear to believe, the religion of the American Sabbath Union. We must see to it that this wicked thing is done. Even so, but such teaching is worthy of a place in the Dark Ages, and in full accord with the sayings of the father of the Catholic Church, Saint Augustine. He said:—

"It is indeed better that men should be brought to serve God by instruction than by fear of punishment or by pain, but because the former means are better, the latter must not therefore be neglected. Many must often be brought back to their Lord like wicked servants, by the rod of temporal suffering, before they attain the highest grade of religious development."

Don't you see, dear reader, that this is simply spiritual despotism. And of this infamous theory, the author who of all the church historians has best expressed the evil workings of this false theocracy, justly observes:—

"It was by Augustine, then, that a theory was proposed and founded, which contained the germ of that whole system of spiritual despotism, of intolerance and persecution, which ended in the tribunals of the Inquisition."—Neander.

Anciently the church received help from the State for the furtherance of her ends. And that is just exactly what the churches are seeking for in this enlightened nineteenth century.

Can it be possible that a master in Israel, and a champion of the Sabbath (Sunday) Reform movement, is ignorant of these facts? Does he not know that the Sunday worship and Sunday observance are of heathen origin, and that the very first edict issued for Sunday observance in any manner whatever, was issued by an idolater, a sun worshiper? The historian writing upon this subject says:—

"Not any ecclesiastical writer for the first three centuries attributed the origin of Sunday observance either to Christ or his apostles. . . . Centuries of the Christian era passed away before the Sunday was observed as the Sabbath. History does not furnish us with a single proof or indication that it was at any time so observed previous to the Sabbatical edict of Constantine, A. D. 321."—Domville.

Another authority says:—

"The observance of the Lord's day [Sunday] was ordered while yet the Sabbath of the Jews was continued, nor was the latter superseded until the former had acquired the same solemnity and importance which belonged at first to that great day which God originally ordained and blessed. But in time after the Lord's day was fully established, the observance of the Sabbath of the Jews was gradually discontinued, and was finally denounced as heretical."—Coleman.

Again we read:—

"Take which you will, either the fathers or the moderns, and we shall find no Lord's day instituted by any apostolic mandate, no Sabbath set on foot by them on the first day of the week."—Heylyn.

"The observance of the Lord's day is founded, not on any command of God, but on the authority of the church."—Augsburg Confession.

One more testimony, and frank admission of one well qualified to speak on the question. From "Plain Talks for Protestants," a well-known Roman Catholic work, p. 213, we quote the following significant words:—

"The observance of Sunday by the Protestants is an homage they pay in spite of themselves to the authority of the [Catholic] church."

God says, "Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labor and do all thy work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God." "Blessed is the man that doeth this, and the son of man that layeth hold on it; that keepeth the Sabbath from polluting it, and keepeth his hand from doing any evil." Isa. 56:2. Neither locks, nor bars, nor bolts, chain gangs, thumbscrews, nor racks are employed by the good Shepherd to compel men to keep the Sabbath of the Lord. He holds out every inducement that is possible for a God of love to employ, to draw men unto himself, but never resorts to heathen and barbarous methods to make Christians.

If Mr. A or B chooses to keep a day for which there is no scriptural authority, he has a perfect right to do so as far as man is concerned. And while we acknowledge the right of another to rest from labor upon any day he may choose, we do at the same time deny the right of any man, or men, to enact laws binding the consciences of others. In short, such measures are antichristian. Again we quote from Mr. Crafts' sayings: "The Sunday worker like the swearer serves the devil for nothing and boards himself." I doubt not but what there are scores, yes hundreds and thousands, who are led captive at his will, and are serving his Satanic majesty for naught, and think they are doing God service. But to take a position that he who works upon the first day of the week is a servant of the devil, is to charge God and Jesus Christ as being subject to the devil, for God commanded the observance of the seventh-day Sabbath, permitting work on the first day, one of the "six working days" (Eze. 46:1), and prophets and apostles and the Lord Jesus Christ kept the Sabbath according to the commandment. Shall we follow his example? Shall we not do it?

Worcester, Mass.