p. 16 | Signs of the Times, Vol. 14, No. 49. (12/21/1888)

The Abiding Sabbath and the Lord's Day.

By Editor

THE $500 AND $1,000 PRIZE ESSAYS.

A REVIEW.

The above is the title of a pamphlet recently issued. In its pages the author reviews the two most recent and without doubt the best contributions to the defense of Sunday, popularly called the "Lord's Day." The first of these essays was written by Rev. George Elliott, and took the $500 "Fletcher Prize," offered by the trustees of Dartmouth College for the best essay on the "Perpetual Obligation of the Lord's Day."

The other essay was written by A. E. Waffle, M. A., and was awarded a $1,000 prize by the Committee of Publication of the American Sunday-school Union.

We state thus definitely the source of the essays reviewed that all may see their importance. Certainly if there was any argument in favor of Sunday, we should expect to find it in these prize essays. Elder Jones in his Review takes up their arguments and assertions, and shows very plainly how several times the authors have proved what they did not want to prove at all—namely: The Seventh-day Sabbath is still as binding on all as when the law was given.

This Review will be read with interest and profit by all, and those who have friends that are interested in the Sabbath Question should see that one of these pamphlets is placed in their hands.

WORDS OF APPROBATION.

By Editor

Elder R. A. Underwood, President Ohio Conference, says:—

"The 'Abiding Sabbath' should find its way to every home in the land. It certainly will have a wide circulation. May God bless it on its mission. The quotations from Mr. Elliott's essays set forth the divine origin of the Sabbath, its object, universality, and inseparable relation to the moral law of ten commandments, of which it is a part, and its binding obligation upon all mankind; also the clear distinction between the Sabbath and the ceremonial rites, or laws, in words of sublime, convincing power. Yet he, like all who feel it their duty to prop up the Sunday-sabbath with the fourth commandment, contradicts his own position. Elder Jones has made a clean-cut, sound argument."

Elder J. N. Loughborough, President California Conference, says:—

"I have just completed a careful reading of Elder Jones' Review. In this he attacks the main pillars of their argument for a Sunday-sabbath, and at the same time he gives an epitome of the argument for the true Bible Sabbath. He shows clearly that notwithstanding all the efforts of the $500 and $1,000 essay men to establish Sunday as the Sabbath, it stands, according to their own admissions, without any Scripture command, or any divine warrant. This Review clearly shows what is the true 'Abiding Sabbath,' the day of God's own appointment. This book of Elder Jones' should have a very wide circulation, and be read by all."

176 pages, price, postpaid, 20 Cents. Address orders to

PACIFIC PRESS PUBLISHING CO.,

OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA.

THE SIGNS OF THE TIMES.

By Editor

A 16-PAGE RELIGIOUS FAMILY JOURNAL, PUBLISHED WEEKLY FOR THE

INTERNATIONAL TRACT AND MISSIONARY SOCIETY

AT OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA.

Devoted to Expositions of Prophecy and the Dissemination of General Biblical Knowledge. Its contents are of the most varied kind, the Departments embracing EDITORIAL AND GENERAL ARTICLES, TEMPERANCE, HOME CIRCLE, SABBATH-SCHOOL, THE MISSIONARY, SECULAR AND RELIGIOUS NEWS.

IT CONTAINS NO PAID ADVERTISEMENTS, and is full every week of fresh, new matter. Among expository journals it takes the lead, both in quality and quantity of matter. It has proved of unusual interest to its tens of thousands of readers, who everywhere pronounce it a live, religious paper; a reliable expositor of Scripture; and a household journal, the contents of which are pure and elevating. Each number contains a characteristic article from the pen of Mrs. E. G. White. All who see it agree in pronouncing it first-class in every respect.

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Sunday-Law Petitions on Scarlet Ribbon

By Editor

A WASHINGTON dispatch of the 11th inst. mentions the opening of the National Sunday Convention in that city, and says:—

"A feature of the decorations was festoons of petitions to Congress, from every part of the country, urging the passage of the 'Sunday Rest' Bill introduced last session. The petitions were attached to a seemingly endless broad scarlet ribbon, which reached several times around and across the great auditorium of the church. They contained, approximately, 6,000,000 names."

That to which we wish to call special attention is the color of the ribbon on which these Sunday-law petitions were hung. It was a "seemingly endless broad scarlet ribbon." Inasmuch as the Sunday institution is the child of the woman arrayed in "purple and scarlet color," which sat upon the "scarlet-colored beast" (see Rev. 17:3-6), and has shed the blood of so many saints, it is highly fitting that that color should be prominent in connection with the Sunday-law petitions. We are glad that our National Reform friends have an eye to the fitness of things. If they choose to array themselves with the trappings of the beast, they have the privilege; but we will have nothing to do with his mark.

Catholic and Protestant Convergence

By Editor

The Independent of November 29 had the following note:—

"It is significant that the first article in this our Thanksgiving number is a recognition by the presiding Cardinal Archbishop of the Roman Catholic Church in America, of the value of the day of thanksgiving and praise appointed by the President of the United States. Our Catholic fellow-citizens have been slow to adopt this New England institution, but now the same Cardinal Gibbons has directed it to be observed in the churches under his authority. So we agree in bidding all our people, Protestant and Catholic, now for the first time, to celebrate this national holiday."

Indeed it is significant, and significant of far more than the Independent imagines. It is significant of the rapidity with which Catholicism and professed Protestantism are coming together. Last spring the majority of Protestant churches in many large cities observed "holy week," in accordance with Catholic custom; and it is but a slight return for their obsequiousness for the Catholics to observe Thanksgiving-day, in accordance with Protestant custom, especially since the observance consists chiefly in gormandizing.

Papers Sent Without Advance Payment

By Editor

We send no papers from this office without pay in advance unless by special arrangement. When persons receive copies without ordering them, they are sent by other parties, and we can give no information in regard to them. Persons thus receiving copies of The Signs are not indebted to the office, and will not be called upon for pay. Please read the papers and hand them to your friends to read.

Sunday-Law Petition Numbers

By comparing the reports concerning the Sunday-law petition to Congress, it will be seen that the number of petitioners has suddenly jumped from six million to fourteen million. This is evidently due to the letter of Cardinal Gibbons to Mr. Crafts, indorsing the movement. It is easy work securing signers to a petition when eight million names can be added by a stroke of the pen.

Bismarck Made Doctor of Divinity

By Editor

The theological faculty of the University of Giessen has conferred on Prince Bismarck the title of Doctor of Divinity! Just what moved them to do this we do not know, but we imagine that it was because they are tinctured with the National Reform idea that men may go up to the polls to worship God. When politics and religion are one, we can see no incongruity in making every statesman a Doctor of Divinity.

Circulation of the Sentinel Extra

By Editor

Two hundred and twelve thousand copies of the October Sentinel extra, besides the regular issue, were printed and sent out, and already the good effect of that movement can be seen. The January number ought to have fully as wide a circulation, and to insure this the publishers offer to furnish them to Tract Societies at the rate of $10 per thousand copies, in lots of not less than five thousand. Extra plates will be made, so that orders can be filled at any time.

Churches and Labor Unions for Sunday Law

The Union Signal has this to say of the proposed Sunday law: "Labor unions are now united with the churches in demanding such legislation. Our wheelbarrow Government never does anything without pushing; but with the churches pushing with all their might at one handle of the wheelbarrow, and the labor unions doing the same at the other, it must move and carry its load—Sunday observance—along with it." When Pilate and Herod were made friends, Christ had to be crucified.

Ministers’ Alliance with Catholics

By Editor

In the Chronicle's report of the San Francisco Methodist Preachers' Meeting, last Monday, we find the following item:—

"Mr. Van Blarcom urged the importance of work for securing a Sunday law from the coming Legislature. Dr. Dwinelle said the only hope of getting one was in a union with the Catholics for the object. He thought they would unite to that end. Others expressed the same opinion."

Of course they will unite to that end. But let them be assured that the Catholic Church never makes any alliance except to its own advantage. And we would like to have these ministers consider whether they can unite with Catholics and still continue to be Protestants.

Sunday Laws Are Religious Legislation

ANOTHER evidence, or rather admission, that all Sunday legislation is religious legislation, is found in the remarks of Dr. Goodwin, of Chicago, in presenting to the ministers' meeting the resolutions prepared by Dr. Herrick Johnson in regard to Sunday newspapers and Sunday observance. The Doctor said that "to strike at the Christian Sabbath is to strike at the very corner-stone of all our Christian institutions." Therefore a law in favor of Sunday, the so-called Christian Sabbath, is a law in favor of the Christian religion; and since no open law breaker can hope to be elected to public office, it follows that the enactment of Sunday laws is squarely opposed to that part of the Constitution of the United States which says that no religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office or public trust under the United States."

The January Sentinel

By Editor

The January number of the American Sentinel promises to be one of the best ever issued. From present prospects we may say that we don't know how it could very well be any better than it will be, unless there were more of it. And it seems that by some means the people are anticipating what it will be, for already the publishers have received, by telegraph, orders for many thousand extra copies. One Missionary Society alone has sent an order for thirty-eight thousand extra copies. Perhaps others would like to do the same. From positive knowledge we can say that the publishers would be very willing to print two hundred thousand of the January number. If twice as many are ordered, they will not complain. Among the interesting live matter that the January Sentinel will contain, will be reports of the Illinois "Sabbath Association" meeting in Chicago, and of the National Convention in Washington, December 11-13.

The Pope Refuses to Bless Medals

By Editor

It is said that "a sensation has been caused by the refusal of the Pope to bless a lot of medals and reliquaries sent to Rome by an Irish priest, who intended them for distribution in Ireland. The Pope sternly says: 'I cannot bless them. The people of Ireland are disobedient. They seem to prefer the gospel of Dillon and O'Brien to the gospel of Jesus Christ.'"

It remains to be seen whether the people of Ireland can survive this cruel blow. Possibly they may manage to get along without the silly baubles over which the Pope refused to mumble a blasphemous jargon, miscalled a blessing. Probably the blow will fall most heavily upon the unfortunate priest, who no doubt expected to reap a golden harvest from the sale of his medals and reliquaries. Certain it is that the poor people of Ireland have lost nothing by the withholding of the Papal benediction.

Sunday Laws Compel Religion

The Chicago Advance of December 6, in an article on the reasons why fewer men than women attend church, shows the fallacy of the explanation that men are too tired to attend church on Sunday, by saying that "laboring men's organizations are quite commonly holding their meetings on Sunday. They do not seem to be too tired for that." And then it continues:—

"It is also plain that the men who do not come to church include that constantly increasing class who are secularizing Sunday, and making it another work-day. Nothing can be more clear than the fact that the only way to have Sunday a rest day is to keep it a religious day."

And so, "by the same token," it appears that every law for the observance of Sunday is a law in favor of religion; and therefore to make laws compelling people to keep Sunday is to make laws to compel them to be religious, and it should need no argument to convince anybody who has ever read the Bible that such a proceeding is directly opposed to the Spirit of Christ and the gospel.

Human Laws Cannot Make Men Godly

By Editor

The San Francisco County Sunday-school Association was organized last week, and the brief report in the Chronicle reveals the fact that there is at least one man in San Francisco who has a level head. The report says:—

"Mrs. Gray, of the Woman's Christian Temperance Union, wanted the society to take hold of a petition to the Legislature urging it to pass a Sunday law, and a law prohibiting the sale of tobacco to children; but no action was taken in the matter, Chairman Anthony stating that he had no confidence in the average legislator doing anything to promote godliness."

If Mr. Anthony had only said that he had no confidence in any legislator doing anything in his official capacity to promote godliness, he would have been exactly right. Godliness is obedience to God, and not to man. Human laws concerning religion can never make men godly, nor can they have any tendency in that direction; but if they are severe enough, and are rigidly enforced, they can make first-class hypocrites.

Jericho and Sabbath Observance

By Editor

WE heartily indorse the following from the Sunday School Times, in answer to the question if the Jews in compassing the city of Jericho seven days did not thereby violate the Sabbath:—

"The record stands that they compassed the city six days, and that on the seventh day they compassed it seven times. This leaves no room for questioning that one of those seven days was the Sabbath. The rabbinical tradition is that the marching began on the first day of the week, and that therefore the last day of the siege was the Sabbath. However this may be, there is nothing in the record that is inconsistent with the true observance of the Sabbath by the Israelites on every one of the seven days. Were they doing their own work on those days? By no means. They were simply following the ark of the Lord; and that is good business for any believer on the Sabbath, or on any other day of the week. The work of destruction in Jericho did not, probably, begin until sundown of the seventh day. In fact, the siege of Jericho was simply a protracted meeting of seven days, with extra services on the last day of the week."

That last sentence has the flavor of originality.