A great outcry is raised over the growing desecration of the “American Sabbath,” and the breaking down of all barriers which restrain it is set before us as a possible stupendous calamity, to avert which proper legislation must be earnestly invoked.
Suppose all barriers were removed; suppose everybody in every State were left perfectly free to observe Sunday or not, to rest or to work or to play, just as he might feel inclined: would the church lose anything by it? Would Christianity lose anything? Would not every Christian in the land keep the Sabbath just the same as before? Yes; every church member who is a Christian would be true to his convictions of duty; and the world, whether in the church or out of it, would simply act as it is in their hearts to act, as regards Sabbath observance. And as the church has nothing to gain from worldly people in her fold, and as such people only do her harm, it is plain that the removal and complete breaking down of all man-made barriers about the Sabbath would not only do no harm to the Christian Church, but would be much to her advantage. The line of demarcation between the true church and the world would only be more sharply drawn, and that would always be to the advantage of the church.