The American Sentinel 7
January 14, 1892
“Editorial” The American Sentinel 7, 2, p. 9.
HE is wise who never attempts to sunder those things which God hath joined, nor to join those things which God hath put asunder; and he who has this wisdom is he who has been taught of God. AMS January 14, 1892, page 9.1
IT is not man’s physical, but his spiritual needs that are to be held in view in the Sabbath commandment. The Sabbath is intended to be a day in which to worship God—a day of holy remembrance of him and of meditation upon his works. The day is to be kept holy. If it is not kept holy, it is not kept at all. When the State undertakes to demand the observance of the Sabbath, or Lord’s day, it demands of men that which does not belong to it, but which belongs only to God. When the State undertakes to secure the observance of the Sabbath, it undertakes that which, to it, is an impossible task, because holiness is not an attribute of civil government, nor has it even the power or the authority to promote holiness. AMS January 14, 1892, page 9.2
THE importance to the American citizen at this time, of definite and correct conceptions of the distinct and separate spheres of civil law and ecclesiastical polity can not be over estimated. And yet, never in the political and religious history of this country has there been a time when such powerful agencies have been so actively engaged in propagating deceptive and erroneous theories upon this question as at the present hour. The weight of the entire body of human precedent is used, and relied upon, the support not only the propriety but the duty of enforcing religious moralities by legal suasion. This reliance upon precedent has been established until it is no less an idolatry, in fact, than the ancestor worship of China. AMS January 14, 1892, page 9.3
The truth is, that the whole assumption upon which they proceed, who are now advocating legal interference, national, State, and municipal, in religious and moral questions, is established upon a purely human basis of blind adherence to the dictum of human authority, without in any way, subjecting it to test in the crucible of principle. AMS January 14, 1892, page 9.4
Unalloyed civil freedom in religious affairs is an achievement of religion pure and undefiled, which the unregenerate heart is unable to comprehend. Correct conceptions upon these questions, in their entirety can only come with a regenerate heart. It is not easy then to over estimate the value of proper views upon a problem in the true solution of which lies the secret of the truth of God; while the acceptance of error, in its solution, develops the mystery of iniquity. AMS January 14, 1892, page 9.5
“Sunday Law Interest in the Masses and the Workingmen” The American Sentinel 7, 2, pp. 9, 10.
THE American Sabbath Union exists for no other purpose than to secure the enactment and the enforcement of Sunday laws. This too is solely in the interests of worship, religion and the Church. This is the only method which it employs or knows for the advancement of religion, or for the better observance of Sunday and the forms of worship that belong with it. This is well set forth in their own words, in an editorial in one of their own official organs. The Michigan Sabbath Watchman is “A monthly publication in the interest of the work of the American Sabbath Union, by Rev. Francis W. Ware,” and in this paper for October, 1891, an editorial runs as follows:— AMS January 14, 1892, page 9.1
In sustaining the American Sabbath Union the churches are preparing the way of the churches and making their paths straight. Close out the Sabbath saloons, and make it impossible to run the theatres, shut up the cigar stands, ice cream saloons, and soda water fountains, and prevent baseball playing, put an end to railroad and other Sabbath excursions, and the masses will the more easily be turned to the house of God. Break down these sacrilegious, but fascinating amusements, and the Church will have the right of way to our masses. AMS January 14, 1892, page 9.2
This is pretty strong, but in the same paper this zealous editor goes still further in calling for contributions in support of the work of the Union, under the heading “A Good Investment for the Churches,” he lays out their designs in the following explicit style:— AMS January 14, 1892, page 9.3
If the churches of this State were to contribute $10,000 this year to assist the American Sabbath Union to push its work, they would in our judgment make for themselves the finest possible investment. Money so invested would soon return to them with fine rates of interest. The money now spent in Sabbath desecration by those who are in large sympathy with the churches, but who are led off to the parks, on excursions, and to other places where money is spent freely, by the enchantments of music and scenery, and persons, would, if our Sunday laws were enforced, return to the churches and contribute to their support, and would find it much cheaper to do so than it now is to support the places and institutions they now do. The churches ought to sustain very liberally the Union out of self-defense and they will doubtless do it. AMS January 14, 1892, page 9.4
This shows just what the “civil” Sabbath plea of the American Sabbath Union amounts to; and it also shows just what kind of an interest this organization has in the “poor enslaved workingman.” AMS January 14, 1892, page 9.5
Their interest in the workingman is simply “fine rates of interest” on the money which they invest in securing and enforcing “our Sunday laws.” AMS January 14, 1892, page 9.6
Their advocacy of the rights of the “toiling masses” is simply the advocacy of the “right of way” of the churches to these same “masses” that “the masses may the more easily be turned to the” houses of the churches, and spend their money there instead of where they now do. And further, in their tender “interest” for the workingmen, they have found that it will be “much cheaper” for them to support the churches “than it now is to support the places and institutions they now do.” What verdant and gullible creatures they must suppose the workingmen of the United States to be! AMS January 14, 1892, page 9.7
Nor is the American Sabbath Union alone in this. The National Reform Association is the original organization in the United States, pledged to the enforcement of religious observances by law. This organization even demands the adoption of an amendment to the National Constitution “declaring this to be a Christian Nation;” “placing Christian laws, institutions, and usages on an undeniable legal basis;” and “enforcing upon all the laws of Christian morality.” And this Association, in national convention in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, in 1887, declared that “socialism, and anarchism, and Catholicism, are all trying to catch the workingmen; but National Reform must secure the workingmen, and they can best be secured through the agitation of the Sabbath, for workingmen do not want to work on the Sabbath.” AMS January 14, 1892, page 10.1
The would be head of the Sunday Rest Leagues of the United States, W. F. Crafts, lately published (Christian Statesman, Dec. 11, 1891), the statement that “We fear that a majority of the workingmen can not yet wisely use eight hours a day of leisure.” AMS January 14, 1892, page 10.2
It needs no proof to show that the National Reform Association, the American Sabbath Union, and the Sunday Rest League, are so closely allied as to be but simply different branches of the one grand scheme of the churches to gain control of the civil power to enforce upon all their arbitrary decrees. AMS January 14, 1892, page 10.3
Nor do we need to present any further evidence to demonstrate that the “civil” Sabbath plea is a deception and a snare; or that the professed interest of these preachers and organizations in the “poor enslaved workingmen” and “the toiling masses” is a fraud. AMS January 14, 1892, page 10.4
The editor-in-chief, of the leading labor journal in the United States, said lately, “We have discovered the hypocrisy in the claim that Sunday laws are only designed to enforce the ‘civil’ Sabbath.” It seems strange how anybody with half an eye could fail to discover it. AMS January 14, 1892, page 10.5
The truth of the matter is that the workingmen, of the United States, have intelligence enough to know for themselves when they are oppressed or enslaved, and are abundantly able to apply the needed remedies for relief. The workingmen of the United States are not so ignorant, nor so childish, that the church managers need to assume the office of self-appointed guardians to decide for them when they are oppressed and when they are not; and when they are tired and when they are not; and whether they can safely be trusted with eight hours leisure a day. AMS January 14, 1892, page 10.6
Away with such presumptuous arrogance! Let the workingmen arise in their manliness and in the genuine dignity of labor, and denounce, as it deserves, and as the wicked thing that it is, this hypocritical “mothering,” and fraudulent “interest,” of the church managers in their evil devised schemes to invade the rights and liberties, not only of the workingmen, but of all the people. A. T. J. AMS January 14, 1892, page 10.7
“Sunday at Toronto” The American Sentinel 7, 2, pp. 11, 12.
TORONTO, Ontario, has enjoyed for some years the perfect cessation of all forms of business on Sunday. The street cars are stopped and every wheel of commerce and industry ceases to move. But this “Sabbath hush” in Toronto, so often dwelt upon by the ardent admirer and advocate of Sunday laws, was destined to a great disturbance. A short time since the Mayor of the city called on the people to vote, on whether or not they would have the street cars on Sunday. As might be expected, the believers in Sunday laws are up in arms about it, and seem to think that the Mayor has done a very wicked thing in even thinking to submit this question to the people, or in any way stir it up. AMS January 14, 1892, page 11.1
G. M. Milligan, “Convener Toronto Ministerial Association Committee,” in descanting upon the Mayor’s proposition to the people and explaining a petition that his association is circulating, in regard to the proposed Sunday street cars, says in the Mail:— AMS January 14, 1892, page 11.2
The position of the association is that the proposition now made to run Sunday street cars is an invitation to this city to decide whether it shall or shall not desecrate the Lord’s day. It is in short an invitation to debate whether we shall keep or break God’s commandments. Such an invitation, when duly meditated upon, it to all right-minded people insulting alike to God and man. It is the duty of the people not to let pass this opportunity of telling the City Council that it went beyond its powers that God settled long ago for the good of men, when he enjoined that their secular occupations should give place to those directly and formally religious one day in seven, and that all activities on his holy day should be made to subserve their spiritual interests. AMS January 14, 1892, page 11.3
Judging from the whole tenor of Mr. Milligan’s article, it seems that he does not mean what a strict analysis of the above language would convey. Yet nevertheless in his zeal he has inadvertently uttered an important truth. Does he mean it when he says “It is the duty of the people not to let pass this opportunity of telling the city council that it went beyond its powers when it asked the people to legislate upon matters which God settle long ago for the good of men,” etc.? If the principle he states is correct, then when Toronto made her first Sunday law was when the wrong was committed. If God enjoins the observance of a day, nothing is added to it by enforcing it upon men by civil law. This is a cardinal point that should never be lost sight of. In giving man his time, God reserved to himself the seventh day to be devoted to him and his worship. Civil law can only enforce idleness on that day. It can neither put religion or worship in it. Worship can only come from the individual who renders it of his own choice and from will. A man’s time is his own, barring the exception of the seventh day, and that is a claim God alone has on him, and to be settled between him and God and not between him and the State. And Mr. Milligan stated a great truth in the above quotation, if he only means what he says. AMS January 14, 1892, page 12.1
“Georgia Methodists and Sunday Closing” The American Sentinel 7, 2, p. 14.
AT the recent session of the North Georgia Conference of Southern Methodists, they passed resolutions calling on the managers of the World’s Fair to close that exhibition on Sunday, and also pleading that Sunday rest be granted to the railroad men. AMS January 14, 1892, page 14.1
Let the Church work for the conversion of men, and leave the Fair to look after itself. And also let it tell the railroad men, and everybody else, that they now have the privilege to rest on Sunday if they wish to, and no one can hinder them. But the North Georgia Conference doubtless means by its vote that it wants the railroad men to be allowed to rest without any danger of losing his job. However a church that wants a man to be allowed to observe a religious institution without making any sacrifices, has certainly overlooked a very essential point in the teachings of Christ. If a man has convictions in the matter he should follow them regardless of business positions or anything of the kind. If he does not have convictions, he should not be compelled, by law, to follow what some one else may regard as right or duty. AMS January 14, 1892, page 14.2