PROHIBITION AND SUNDAY LAWS.
By M. C. W.
THE California Prohibitionist not long since contained a letter from a once subscriber who said he could not support the Prohibition party as long as it was connected with religious legislation. And, by the way, many other honest, far-seeing, fair-minded men are coming to the same conclusions. To the reasons vouchsafed by this man, the Prohibitionist replies, a part of which we quote:— "The [Prohibition] party declares through its platform: 'For the preservation of the Sabbath as a civil institution without oppressing any who religiously observe the same on any other than the first day of the week.' The commandment of God directs us to 'remember the Sabbath-day to keep it holy.' The two are certainly in accord, and it seems passing strange that a 'minister of the gospel' should object to a party which stands by the Lord's commands." With all respect to our esteemed contemporary, we say that the two are certainly not in accord. And this we think will be plain to anyone who will give it a moment's fair consideration. 1. The command of God is spiritual and spiritual only. It can only be kept by those who render obedience from a grateful and regenerate heart. It covers not the mere outward act but includes the spirit, the animus, the motive, as well. Without this it is nothing. To keep the Sabbath holy he must be holy who keeps it. Only willing, unselfish obedience is acceptable to God. 2. But human law can only compel outward obedience. Instead of compulsory obedience being favorable to holiness of heart and mind, it tends the other way, and becomes thereby a yoke of bondage. 3. Such a Sabbath law makes men hypocrites. As the outward pretension is all there is from which men may judge, and as the most arrant hypocrites will proclaim their piety the loudest in order to curry favor with the dominant religio-political party, so these mere mouthers and hypocritical demagogues will be given the highest places in government in upholding so-called divine law. And as others see how these obtain position by great pretensions, the dishonest and scheming will in turn become pious in order to gain power. Thus such a government will, as such a government always has, breed hypocrisy, greed, and every baleful fruit. 4. Neither will it be God's law enforced by civil statute, but men's interpretation of God's law. And whether those men are right or wrong in that interpretation, they have no right to compel others to do what they believe to be duty to God. We give not an account to men, but every one of us must give an account to God. The Sabbath belongs to God, and to God alone; to him alone we must give an account of what day we keep, and how we keep it, or whether we keep no day at all. There is a seeming surface plausibility in all these demands for a Sunday law, but that plausibility, like the whited sepulchres of old, covers all kinds of rottenness and corruption. We are surprised to see our hitherto fair-minded contemporary on that side. Is the ecclesiastical influence too strong for it?