THAT SUNDAY PLANK

Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Tuesday, February 17, 1885

FromThe Advent Review and Sabbath Herald, Vol. 62, No. 7

THAT SUNDAY PLANK.

It is refreshing to find such an article as the following in the American, the political organ of the Sunday movement, published in Washington, D. C. We copy from its issue of Jan. 13, 1885:—

“A few words more on this subject will perhaps not be amiss. Mr. Butler’s article in the issue of Dec. 23 has some things as true as truth itself, but there are some other statements which will not bear the light of facts. If ‘God is the embodiment of truth and right,’ he of course could do nothing wrong, or what he did once would be always right. If our actions conform to the standard of right, our lives will also be right. Since individuals make up a nation, and that nation is what these individuals make it, therefore it follows that that nation, to be right, must be founded upon principles after the Divine mind.

“Now if God appointed a day of rest for man, as he says he did, and tells us why we should rest on that day (Gen. 2: 2; also Ex. 20: 9-11), for man to appoint another day, certainly would be lifting his puny arm against the author of right. I know that Mr. Butler strongly intimates that the same day that was once numbered seven is now numbered one, but he cannot prove it from history, sacred nor profane. He certainly has got hold of Mr. Aker’s theory. God did not appoint a day of rest for any ‘church,’ but for man, according to our Saviour.

“Since God saw that man needed a day of rest and we see that right requires it, should we legislate according to right? Let our government legislate Sunday into a day of rest, and she has the united support of the Catholics, an organization which has been antagonistic to American institutions and laws formerly; and why?—Because she has got an institution of her choice, a day of rest, which she set apart, instead of the day that God appointed. For this power has sought to ‘change times and laws,’ according to the Bible. Dan. 7: 25. This is why they (the Roman Catholics) are quietly waiting to see this government enact a Sunday law, or as the prophet says, ‘make an image to the beast.’ Rev. 13: 11-18. Then she (the Roman power) will have no trouble in helping to give ‘life to the image.’

“This certainly would be ‘intensely religious and radically wrong.’ It behooves every one to look into the matter; for the United States is not noticed in ‘prophecy’ for naught, neither is its prophecy beyond our comprehension. Truly, Mr. Butler says, every toiler is interested in the outcome of this matter. R. A. CRAIG.