REMEMBER the Sabbath day to keep it holy.' In the writing of the constitution for the government of this world God incorporated the law of Sabbath observance. This law has never been amended or annulled. It is in force, and can not be disobeyed by individual, corporation, community, or nation, with impunity."
"So vital is this law and so vital are its relations that it can not be broken without breaking all the laws of the moral code. When the law of the Sabbath is put underfoot the whole Decalogue is being trampled upon, such is the unity of God's laws. The moral tone of a man is never higher than his regard for the Lord's day. The moral status of a community is indicated by its conduct in respect to the Sabbath. The man who has no regard for the sanctity of the Sabbath law can not be reckoned on as holding sacred any law."
"A Nation of Law-Breakers."
Surprising as it may seem, this is a quotation from a Baptist paper, The Word and Way, of Kansas City, Mo. And here are a few more sentences from the same article: "We are a nation of law-breakers, that is, in regard to the Sabbath. In a large and alarming measure Sunday is being prostituted to commercial purposes. . . . The thing has come about so gradually and the people are so used to it that they do not realize the extent to which our Sunday has become secularized and commercialized."
"Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy." "This law has never been amended or annulled." "It can not be disobeyed with impunity." "We need a revival of Sabbath observance." All this is good and true, without question, but can it be true of Sunday by any manner or method of logic or argument? If the original Sabbath law has never been amended or annulled, then reason, logic, argument—a mere guess—could find no ground for applying these statements to any other day than the one in the mind of Him who gave "the constitution for this world."
Look here. July fourth we celebrate with noisy demonstration as the natal day of the United States. We observe it as a holiday because on that day, in the month of July, 1776, our brave forefathers signed the Declaration of Independence. Will any other day do as well? Can you make any American, from the feeble old man to the noisy, thoughtless boy, believe that any other day will do as well?—No, indeed.
Why Not April 9?
But here is another point. Right along with the growth of civil freedom in the United States an awful system of human slavery developed. Men sold their fellow men to bondage as galling as was ever Egyptian bondage. At length the awful condition appealed so strongly to the liberty-loving American hearts that a part of the nation arose in arms to wipe out the dreadful evil. The same spirit that inspired those first brave men of the nation to fight for liberty inspired their sons to fight for the same precious boon, not for self, but for others.
Four years the struggle waged, and then came victory. On April 9, 1865, the last flag of truce was raised, the war was ended. The news of the end of the struggle brought happiness to thousands upon thousands in the land, not only to those who were made free, but to those who sympathized with them.
Now, why not celebrate April 9 as the natal day of the nation? Of course, July 4 was the actual day when national liberty was fully and formally determined upon, but April 9 is the day on which the final liberty of all was assured. Is it not of greater importance than July 4? Does it not mean more to us as a nation? We could read the Declaration of Independence on April 9 just the same, we could make our speeches and fire our fire-crackers just the same; it is just a day any way; any day in the year will do! Not many would agree with such an arrangement; indeed, it is doubtful whether any could be found at all who would agree to it. It could not be done.
The Sabbath was made to commemorate a certain event. The Creator Himself set it apart for that purpose in the very beginning. "Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy." "The seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God." "This law has never been amended or annulled." "It can not be disobeyed with impunity." "We need a revival in Sabbath observance." Our contemporary furnishes all the argument needed for the observance of the true and only Sabbath.