the majority in the matter of Sabbath observ-
ance, how can the combination of these two
things produce crime? How can white com-
bined with white produce black?
The Crime of a Different Faith
The truth is that the real offense in such
cases consists in adhering to a different re-
ligion from that professed by Sunday observ-
ers, or in failing to pay homage to an institu-
tion for which people have a religious regard.
It is a religious offense; and such is human
nature, that it is roused to stronger resent-
ment and hatred by religious offenses than
by any others. Religious zeal is the most
zealous kind of zeal, and the quickest to take
offense at opposition, when not combined with
Christian meekness. Disregard of Sunday is
a great offense in the eyes of the clergy, with
whom Sunday is the chief of days, and in the
eves of all others who are zealous for that
day; and this is the source of every move-
ment for the prosecution of those who observe
a different day. Down in their hearts, the
prosecutors in this case doubtless realized these
facts to be true, and that the trial was really
a religious persecution, though it was plain
that a state statute had been disregarded.
A Relic of Ancient Days
These Sunday statutes are relics of the old
days of church-and-state union, and are wholly
out of harmony with any system of free gov-
ernment. Their whole history and pedigree
shows them to be religious laws; and as such
they are unconstitutional in a government
which guarantees religious freedom. The
Iree exercise of religion is specifically guar-
anteed by the Constitution of South Caro-
lina; indeed, no other state in the Union rises
on this particular point, as does South Caro-
lina, to the level of the National Constitu-
tion, which prohibits the making by Congress
of any law “respecting an establishment of re-
ligion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.”
The origin of Sunday observance, its his-
tory, and the fact that only religious people
have called and are calling for its enforcement,
plainly show the religious character of Sun-
day laws. An attempt has been made to con-
jure up a “civil sabbath,” necessitated on
hygienic and humanitarian grounds; but it
cannot be shown on any grounds that idle-
ness and loafing are necessary to the welfare
of any community. It is always the clergy,
or others who are religiously zealous for Sun-
day, who call for Sunday legislation and stand
back of every movement for its'enforcement.
Why Not Be Consistent
Why do not these clergy and other advo-
cates of Sunday laws, to be consistent, de-
mand legislation to compel the people to at-
tend Sunday services in the churches? ‘That
is the thing they really want. As it is, they
have laws which simply compel people to be
idle, laws which substitute loafing for honest
employment, laws which provide idle brains and
hands to be employed by his Satanic majesty:
laws, in short, which co-operate with the pur-
poses of the evil one. If that personage stopped
work on Sunday, the situation would not be
nearly so bad; but no Sunday law ever inter-
THE WATCHMAN
feres with his pursuits.
these zealous
remember.
They Are Not Christian
Sunday laws are not Christian. Sunday is
not, according to the plain testimony of the
Bible, a Christian institution. Compulsion in
religious observances is not Christian. “God
is love; and only the service of love is God-
like; only the motive of love can he accept-
able to him. Love is free; it cannot be forced.
The cause of Christianity cannot therefore he
m any way promoted by the arm of the civil
power. L. A. S.
I
Here is a point which
clergymen would do well to
THE SABBATH TREE
N the Sabbath law there are many ideas
or brief thoughts which taken together
make the commandment complete.
Like a tree with its many branches
and twigs all supported by the one trunk, so
cach branch of the Sabbath tree relates to
rest, for that is the meaning of the word “ Sab-
bath.” Tt is God's rest placed in a certain
day for the benefit of man, and is therefore
called God's Sabbath or God's rest. It is not
physical rest, for God fainteth not, neither is
he weary.
Remember the Sabbath
Notice some of the Sabbath branches. First:
“Remember.” In this expression we are not
told what to remember, or how to remember,
or why we should remember, or even how to
remember anything in particular. In the next
clause he tells us what to remember, “the
Sabbath day.” The next clause tells for what
purpose we should remember it, to “keep
it holy.” The divine Lawgiver then tells us
what day is the Sabbath: “The seventh day
is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God.”
Keeping the Sabbath Holy
Still there is something lacking; for I do
not know how to keep it holy. So another
twig is added: “In it thou shalt not do any
work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy
manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy
cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy
gates.” Liven now should we have nothing
more we would not know why we should keep
the Sabbath holy. So the Lord adds still an-
other branch to the Sabbath tree. “For in
six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the
sea, and all that in them is, and rested the sev-
enth day: wherefore the Lord blessed the
Sabbath day and hallowed it.” Now we have
the Sabbath tree complete.
" Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy.
Six days shalt thou labor, and do all thy work:
but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Tord
thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work,
thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy man-
servant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle,
nor thy stranger that is within thy gates; for
in «ix days the Lord made heaven and earth.
the sea, and all that in them is, and rested
the seventh day: wherefore the Lord blessed
the Sabbath dav and hallowed it” Ex. 20:
8-11. S. N. H.
HISTORY AND PROPHECY
URIAH SMITH.
History Supplies Conditions on Which Prophecy is
Based. Shall We Believe?
HE 2300 days of Dan 8:14 ended in
1844. The profoundest opponents of
the Adventists at that time, admitted
that the argument on chronology was
invulnerable. The prophecy said that then
the sanctuary should be cleansed. Two Bible
facts show us what this is: 1. The Bible re-
veals the fact that the cleansing of the sanc-
tuary covers a period of time, and consists
of the work of the High Priest in the second,
or most holy, apartment of the sanctuary,
during which he makes the atonement and
finishes a complete round of the sanctuary
service (Leviticus 16); 2. The Bible reveals
another fact, which is, that the sanctuary of
this dispensation (1813 years of which had
passed when the 2300 days ended in 1844) is
in heaven, where Christ, our High Priest,
ministers for us. Hebrews 8.
We therefore believe that at that time the
last work in the heavenly temple began (be-
cause the prophecy said it was thus to be),
that Christ entered the second apartment of
the true sanctuary on high, to perform his
brief work of making the antitypical atone-
ment and cleansing the antitypical sanctuary,
and thus close up forever his mediatorial work
for man.
Here, then, is a tremendous truth, the first
part resting upon tangible, undeniable, his-
torical evidence within our own hands; the
second resting on the plain declaration of
God’s word, which we therefore believe. Now,
John describes the beginning of this work in
the second apartment of the sanctuary in
heaven, when, beholding events to take place
under the sounding of the seventh trumpet,
near the close of the gospel age, he says, “ And
the temple of God was opened in heaven.”
Rev. 11:19. We know he is speaking of the
sanctuary; for he immediately adds, “And
there was seen in his temple the ark of his
testament; ” and we know that the ark is
found only in the most holy place of the
sanctuary.
John’s declaration that the ark was seen
there, is significant. Seen by whom? — By
men on earth, most certainly, for whose ben-
efit this revelation was given. And how can
men show that they see it? — Only by doing
some special work which that sight leads them
to perform. This brings us again within the
sphere of human action, and we inquire if
there is any evidence of this kind now apparent
to show that the temple has been opened in
heaven, and that men are by faith beholding
therein the ark of God's testament.
The answer is plain: Most assuredly there
is; it is the third angel's message now going
to the world, proclaiming the commandments
of God, and the faith of Jesus; relating both
to the law contained in the ark, and the min-
istry which our great High Priest is there
performing before that ark. ‘This message
covers the very time occupied by Christ in
his closing ministry in the most holy place
in the tabernacle on high, and is based upon