-A. LECTURE
■editriatt influence in Ikjmds,
AND ON THE
S'ABBATH AND SUNDAY HAIL QUESTION.
DELIVERED IN THE CIT^IIALL, ATLANTA,
BY J. A. STEWART.
"Come, let us Reason together."
rXVuth has nothing to fear,
'Tis Error only that shuns the Hiight of Reason.
ATLANTA, GEORGIA:
PRINTJED BY C. R. HAWLEITEK,
1859,
SALE HY M. LYNCH, AT KAYS OLD STAND. PRICE-25 CENTS.
Robert W. Woodruff
Library
Boles Collection
special collections
emory university
■A- LECTURE
etiarimt Influence m ^cijools,
AND ON THE
SABBATH AND SUNDAY MAIL QUESTION.
DELIVERED IN THE CITY HALL, ATLANTA.
BY J. A. STEWART.
" Come, let Reason together."
Timth has nothing to fear,
''jjisi Error only that shuns the Light of Reason.
ATLANTA, GEORGIA:
PRINTED BY C. R. HANLEITER.
1859.
CONTENTS.
^ PAGE.
THE AUTHOR'S HABIT OF THOUGHT AND HIS RELIGION,.. 5
REASON AND SOPHISTRY—A CONTRAST, 9
SECTARIAN INFLUENCE IN SCHOOLS, 9
SABBATH DESECRATION, OR SUNDAY MAILS AND MON¬
DAY ELECTIONS, 13
THE RECORDS OF HEAVEN, OR THE VISION OF BOARDS,
A POETIC DREAM, 22
lecture.
INTRODUCTORY REMARKS.
My Friends :—In calling this meeting and consenting to
address you, I was actuated by a desire to accomplish a
good. I feel at present some misgivings. Could I now be
satisfied that evil, instead of good, would be the result of my
contemplated discourse, I would at once dismiss the assem¬
blage and ask your pardon. I feel, however, that no harm
will result, even if I fail in the attainment of laudable ends,
and will therefore endeavor to proceed.
I am a free-thinker in the broadest acceptation of the
term. I was born of parents who were believers in Christi¬
anity, and was early taught the doctrine of an eternal hell for
the wicked, and of a place of future and never-ending hap¬
piness for the righteous. Yet, my parents were liberal in
their views, and never attempted to restrain their children
in the exercise of reason. In reading their Bible, they fre¬
quently apologized for its imperfections, attributing them to
erroneous translation.
Thus privileged by their liberality, I was induced to read
the Bible as I would any other book, with a spirit of inves¬
tigation, adopting the good and rejecting the bad.
I adopted 8(11 the moral precepts, but found in them noth¬
ing superhuman—nothing but truths derived from the revela¬
tions of Nature, through experience and observation—truths
which had been taught and reduced to practice by heathen
philosophers.
6
LECTURE.
I looked upon the Bible as a book containing a revelation
adapted to the wants of man, embracing ample instruction
for his guidance as a social being, through all the varied
scenes of life. Yet, in it I found many commands and in¬
junctions, which are not only repulsive to Reason and com¬
mon sense, but the observance of which have, by our Legis¬
latures, been made a penal offence.
The errors thus discovered, lead me to doubt the plenary
inspiration of the Bible. My doubts led to a more rigid in¬
vestigation, which finally resulted in the conviction, that the
Bible was not a book of superhuman origin, except so far as
it contains moral precepts and injunctions, and scientific
truths strictly in accordance with the revelations of Nature.
To be temperate in all things is a scriptural injunction,
and yet it is a revelation of Nature, impressed on our minds
through experience.
All knowledge is derived through the revelations of Na¬
ture; as, for instance, a child experiences a revelation when
it grasps in its hand the blaze of a candle. It learns for the
first time, that fire is destructive to organized matter, and is
admonished, by a sensation of pain, to shun its consuming
properties. And so of all other knowledge; it is derived
through experience and observation, from the actual teach¬
ings of Nature's eternal and unchangeable laws.
We are in possession of truths which, if strictly observed,
will promote our greatest possible good. Now, if this be so,
it is of but little consequence to us from what source we
have derived said truths. My convictions are, that they-are
revealed by Nature. Others believe them to have been re¬
vealed through some mysterious and supernatural power.
This difference of opinion should not be permitted to obscure
the truth, by engendering hatreds and animosities.
Temperance, Justice and Truth can be practiced without
the slightest knowledge of the existence of a supernatural
power, or without ever hearing the term Nature applied to
the great power that pervades the universe. And here I
LECTURE. 7
will declare to you in full my religious sentiments under the
following text:
RELIGION AND THE BIBLE.
If religion consists in the acknowledgment of, and obe¬
dience to, a great controlling power of Nature, by and
through which we live, move and have our being, then I am
religious. There is a fixed, * established, eternal, and un¬
changeable power which governs all things. A knowledge
of this governing power is essential to happiness. On such
knowledge depends all our good—physical, mental, and mor¬
al. From a knowledge of that power we derive instructions
for our guidance through all the varied scenes of life.
That power reveals to those who seek an acquaintance
with it, a knowledge of the laws of Health, and the laws of
Social Intercourse. It teaches us that self-preservation is the
first law of our nature—that obedience to that law requires
temperance in all things, and good-will to our fellow-beings.
It teaches us that there are in existence destructive elements
calculated to engender disease and shorten life. And being
thus taught, our instinctive love of life prompts us to avoid
these destructive elements, and so far as in our power to re¬
move them from us, or fly from their approach.
So, also, in social intercourse, we are admonished by that
same eternal and unchangeable power, that self-preservation
depends in part on our respect for the rights and welfare of
others. It reveals to those who seek its aid, the propriety of
doing unto others as we would that they should do unto us;
of doing justice, loving mercy, visiting the sick, and those
in prison; of feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, and
relieving the widows and the fatherless in distress. Our du¬
ty, then, (as I understand it,) consists in a knowledge of,
and obedience to, the precepts and instructions we derive
from an acquaintance with the great, unchangeable laws of
Nature.
The propriety of obedience to the precept " Do unto oth-
8
LECTURE.
ers as ye would that they should do unto you," is evident to
those who have had experience in life. It is natural for us
to protect those who protect us, and to love those who love
us. It is also natural for us to protect ourselves by retalia¬
tion, when injured by others; hence the propriety of doing
unto others as we would they should do unto us, as thereby
we make others interested in our welfare.
As it regards my belief in the Christians' Bible, I believe
only so much of it as corresponds with the principles herein
set forth. For instance, in the 14th chapter of Deuterono¬
my, 21st verse, it is commanded, " Ye shall not eat any¬
thing that dieth of itself." Now, this law is right, as it ac¬
cords with the laws of health, requiring us to abstain from
poisonous and hurtful aliment. In the succeeding portion
of the same verse a command is given which violates the
laws of social intercourse, viz : " Thou shalt give it to the
stranger that is in thy gates, that he may eat it, or thou
mayest sell it unto an alien." Now, in reply to the ques¬
tion, " Is the Bible a book of revealed truths?" I am bound
to say that this portion of it is not.
In closing these introductory remarks, I desire a word
with the Clergy. They have my hearty co-operation in
every attempt on their part to inculcate the eternal and un¬
changeable principles of Temperance, Justice, and Love of
Truth. Let us unite in correcting the vain hopes and aspi¬
rations of an avaricious and money-loving people. The
chief object of your mission, as I understand it, is to estab¬
lish peace and good-will amongst men, by enlightening their
understandings, and correcting their morals. Then, if I
am right in this, all 1 have to say is: Go on with your good
work ; I will not be a stumbling block in your way.
I will now contrast
LECTURE.
9
REASON AND SOPHISTRY.
Reason is the only faculty that enables us to arrive at
correct conclusions; without its presence, we are idiots.
Sophtstry consists in designedly using false premises to
suppress truth.
Sophistry and Ignorance are the chief barriers to earthly
happiness.
Sophistry depends for its existence upon Ignorance and
Credulity.
'Tis the province of Reason "to prove all things, and
hold fast that which is good."—Thes. 5 ch., 21 v.
To prove all things, we must doubt all things, and de¬
mand the proof.
Doubt leads to investigation, and investigation elicits
Truth.
These definitions and maxims, I wish to impress upon your
minds previous to entering upon the main subject of my dis¬
course, as they have been my chart through life, so far, to
guide me in the pursuit of knowledge; and have governed
me in the investigation of the subjects selected for this eve¬
ning's entertainment.
If I indulge in Sophistry, according to the above defini¬
tion, some one present will please point it out.
SECTARIANISM IN SCHOOLS.
What is Sectarian influence, and why objectionable in
common Schools? We say in answer—it is a dissemination
of doctrines as infallible, by a party or sect, which arc dis¬
sented from by other sects, as untrue and absurd.
Sectarianism, thus defined, is most frequently found
amongst the votaries of religion.
Its effects are discoverable in the angry dissensions to
which it invariably gives rise; and in the alienation of
friendships, sympathies and good will amongst those who
would otherwise be on amicable terms. Nor does it stop
here, as the history of cruel tortures and bloody perse-
10
LECTUKE.
cutions fully attests. But it is my purpose in this essay
to consider its effects upon common schools, or schools in¬
stituted by the united effort of all denominations, religious
and irreligious—including the Catholic, who objects to the
reading of the Protestant Bible in school—as well as the Deist
or Infidel, who objects to the reading in school, as standard
works, all books claiming to be of supernatural origin.
In schools exclusively secular, the various branches taught
never give rise to angry dissensions, for the reason that all
scientific truths are susceptible of demonstration.
Every problem in Mathematics can be solved—every fact
in Chemistry admits of positive proof, and every axiom in
Moral Science can be clearly elucidated.
We have no sectarian Arithmeticians, Grammarians, nor
Geographers, except as regards the best mode of teaching
these branches. Sucli being the facts, in relation to secular
sciences, what is there, then, to disturb the utility of our
contemplated Female Institute, in our city of Atlanta, if it
be not the introduction of the Protestant Bible as a school
book, and the probable afempts to inculcate the various
dogmas founded thereon'!
The subscription to said Seminary, is all conditional. It
wTas made upon the express condition that sectarian influ¬
ence would be, by Constitutional provisions, prohibited, thus
admitting that Sectarian influence is dangerous in common
schools. And here I would ask, What dangers are those of
sectarian propagation, which require the barrier of a consti¬
tutional provision ? In answer, it may be truly said, that
strife, contention, angry disputation, fanaticism, fiery zeal,
bloody persecution, and cruel and fiendish tortures are its
legitimate offsprings.
Then, if I am right in this, why not in the School Consti¬
tution provide for the rejection of all books purporting to
be of supernatural origin, as such books (only) produce
these terrible results ? This done, then we have nothing to
LECTURE. 11
guard against, except the incapacity and immorality of
Teachers into whose care we entrust our daughters.
In deciding upon the qualifications of a teacher, let us
ask, Is he a man of truth ? Is he a man of strict integri¬
ty, of unblemished reputation, and possessed of a compe¬
tent knowledge of the several branches of education he may
propose to teach? Not the question, Is he a Methodist?
a Presbyterian? a Baptist? Liberalist? or Deist? but
simply, Has he the requisite honesty and capacity, to take
charge of the secular education of our daughters ? without
attempting on his part to impress on their minds his pecu¬
liar, or sectarian views, either as an Infidel, or Theologian.
And here, I would remark, that all such attempts should be
expressly forbidden by the Constitution, and made a suffi¬
cient ground for the expulsion of the teacher.
This course adopted, there will be no bone of contention
left to disturb the equanimity of the School, or to detract
from its utility.
I urge this course, too, on the ground that it will strictly
accord with our institution of religious liberty.
To make the reading of the Bible, or Alcoran, obligato¬
ry upon adults, would be a gross violation of religious liber¬
ty. And to take advantage of minority and coerce the
reading of the Alcoran, would be doing injustice to the infant
mind, making impressions thereon that time could never ef- ,
face. You would thereby, without his agency, make the child
a believer in the Alcoran, a follower of Mahommet.
This cannot accord with religious liberty which guarantees
to all, without regard to sect, the privilege of worshiping a
deity, or supreme power, according to the dictates of Con¬
science.
I encourage my children to read the Bible, or any other j
book purporting to be divine. I do not coerce them, nor
shall they be coerced in such matters, in school or out, so
long as they are under my protection.
We have no right to force upon the infant mind religious
12
LECTURE.
creeds or dogmas, which, if presented to them at a more
mature age would in all probability be rejected. Let us en¬
force only scientific truths which will stand the test of rigid
scrutiny in all ages.
Train up a child in the way he should (not) go, and when
he gets old he will not depart from it. Educate a child by
making the Alcoran a text book in schools, and when he
gets old he will be a Mahommetan. Make the Bible a text
book, and he will be a Christian ; either in Methodism, Bap¬
tism, Campbellism, or some other ism, according to the secta¬
rian influence brought to bear by the selections of chapters,
and verses, and the explanations given to them by the
teacher.
A child can be taught that twice two make five ; that three
separate and distinct persons make one; that Jonah swal¬
lowed a whale; that this earth was created six thousand
years ago, or sixty thousand; that the moon was made of
bees-wax, and the sun was a big pine knot set on fire. Any
absurdity can be taught the infant mind, which in after
years is difficult to unlearn. In fine, to do justice to our
children, we should teach them nothing but demonstrable
truth, divested'of all incomprehensible dogmas.
I hope you will not construe my rigid advocacy of a pure¬
ly secular school, as originating on my part in hostility eith¬
er towards pure Religion (according to the Apostle James,)
or the professors thereof, but on the contrary, it springs
from a knowledge of the terrible results of fanatical zeal,
as manifested in trampling under foot Religious Liberty, and
the subjection of reputed heretics to confiscation of proper¬
ty, to torture, and to death. I am the most zealous advo¬
cate of Religious Liberty, and I here declare that, that in¬
stitution shall never, with my consent, be abolished.
Religious Liberty (as I understand it,) guarantees to us,
without regard to creed or sect, the privilege of worshiping
our conceptions of a Deity, or not worshiping, according
to the dictates of Conscience. To be superstitious or not,
LECTURE. 13
according to our wisdom. To believe the Bible to be Divine¬
ly inspired, or not, according to our honest convictions.
It guarantees the privilege of believing in one God, or a
multiplicity of Gods, and of forming our own conceptions with
regard to the mortality or immortality of the soul, or a fu¬
ture state of existence.
Thus privileged, our minds are free to investigate the mys¬
ticisms, or truths, of Theology, as we would investigate any
other subject, and to form our own opinions in relation
thereto.
Now, if I am correct in this view of Religious Liberty, I
would ask, what justice is there in taking advantage of the
Infant mind, either in school or out, to make impressions
thereon, either for or against religious theories or specula¬
tions ?
Is it just for parents, who boast of Religious Liberty for
themselves, to worship according to the dictates of Conscience,
to bias the minds of their children in favor of their isms and
dogmas ? Is it so, that wc must have Religious Liberty for
adults, and not for minors ? If not, then keep the Bible,
and all other Theological books, out of School; but see that
your children have a good moral and intellectual education,
applicable to the affairs of this life, and you will thereby quali¬
fy them to study Theology, or the Bible, for themselves, and
to appreciate the Religious Liberty of which we boast.
SABBATH DESECRATION, Oil SUNDAY MAILS, AND
MONDAY ELECTIONS.
Text.— ' And on tlite- seventh day (rod ended his work which lie had made ;
and he rested from ail his work he hud made. Gen. ii eh. 2 v.
"Of Things Indifferent.''—"One man esteeinethone day above another:
another esteemcth every day alike. Let every man be fully persuaded in his
own mind.
" He that regardeth the day, regardeth it unto the Lord , and he that regar
deth not the day, to the Lord he doth not regard it.
" So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God.
"Let us not therefore judge one another any more."—Romansxivch., v.5,
6, 12, 13.
" Ye observe days, and months, and times, and years.
« I am afraid of you lest I have bestowed labor on you in vain."—Galla-
tians, iv ch., 10, 11 v.
14
LECTURE.
In descanting upon the subject oi my text, I desire, in the
first place, to state, that the agitation of the Sunday Mail
question by the Clergy, and their frequent suggestions with
regard to matters properly belonging (perhaps) to the States¬
man and Politician, has rendered it obligatory upon a free
people to give the views and opinions of the pulpit, thereon,
a respectful consideration.
I desire further to state, that every citizen of a free gov¬
ernment may, and of right ought, to consider himseli" a
member of a great National Conference, and that each and
every member is entitled to Freedom of Thought, and the free
expression of opinion on any and all questions pertaining to
the public good; and that I here predicate my privilege to
sermonize, or descant upon the subject selected, and will
proceed by laying down the following premises : That facts
clearly and fully demonstrated, can never yield to theory, or
dogmatic assertions. As for instance—twice two make four,
and can never make five; or the tendancy of gravity is to
the centre of the earth, and can never be otherwise ; or that
water in a fluid state seeks a level, when elevated above a
common surface, and cannot remain stationary upon an in¬
cline plane; or, in Moral Ethics, right and wrong exist,
independent of creeds, or conventional rules; or, in As¬
tronomy, the sun is the centre of a system of planets, or
worlds, which revolve around it, and is not a mere luminary
for this earth of ours—rising and setting—having the earth
for the centre of its apparent daily orbit.
Facts are stubborn things.
If God, or some Almighty Power, created the Universe,
(as represented in the first chapter of Genesis,) that Power,
or God, has never rested since the commencement of said
creation, notwithstanding the words of my text to the con¬
trary ; as it is a self-evident fact, that a continuation of His
Power was essential to life and uniformity of motion, which
he had imparted to inert matter; as, for instance, the invisi¬
ble power of Gravity was essential to preserve the solar sys-
Lecture. 15
tem; and that power has never ceased to act with a force
equal to the weight of a mighty assemblage of worlds ;
hence, it is clear, that created power has never rested.
Conventional rules may fix on a day of rest, yet the pow¬
er which upholds the Universe, disregards all such establish¬
ments. The sun continues to shine; the earth continues to
revolve on its axis, and to perform its annual revolutions. Riv¬
ers never cease to flow, in search of the ocean's level. Electri¬
city, (a subtle and powerful agent,) never ceases to disturb
the equilibrium of the atmosphere; thereby producing, not
only the gentle and cooling breeze of Summer, but the
stronger 'winds and tempests and tornadoes which spread
desolation and death in their track. Volcanic eruptions, too,
spread far and wide the circle of death and destruction, in
total disregard of all Sabbaths and holy-days. But, it may
be urged here that this is only Nature's Law: If so, and
Nature's law, unaided by a God, can perform these mighty
works, then I would ask, what use have we for a God? If
God is the great motive Power which pervades the Universe,
then it is clear, he never rested ; and, consequently, that my
text from Genesis is founded in error. Such was inevitably
the view taken of this subject by the Apostle Paul. He con¬
sidered the establishment of holy-days a matter of indiffer¬
ence, and permitted " every man to be fully persuaded in
his own mind" with regard to their observance.
"One man, (he says,) esteemcth one day above another:
another esteemcth every day alike." "He that regardeth
the day, regardeth it unto the Lord; and he that regardeth
not the day, to the Lord he doth not regard it. So then
every one of us shall give an account of himself to God,"
and that we should therefore not "judge one another any
more." To the Gallatians he writes as follows:
a ye observe days, and months, and times, and years.
I am afraid of you lest I have bestowed labor on you in
vain."
Thus, it is evident that Paul considered the old Jewish
16
LECTURE.
Sabbath of no consequence whatever, but that, if any one
esteemed one day above another, it was his duty to observe
it as such. The Jews, as a matter of course, understood
their Sabbath ordinance, and what constituted its violation;
and hence, they reproved Christ and his disciples for dese¬
crating the Sabbath, by'gathering and eating corn on the
seventh day. The observance of holy-days was clearly an¬
nulled by the New Dispensation, and was totally disregarded
by Christ and his disciples; and here, with occasional refer¬
ence to Scripture, I will proceed with my argument, accord¬
ing to the light of Reason and Common Sense.
Almighty Power can never grow weary, and, hence, can
never rest. God, according to my text, "ended" his work
on the seventh day, and rested from all his work; hence, as
Almighty Power cannot rest, the text must necessarily be un¬
true.
It is possible for a Jewish or Scriptural ordinance to be so
grossly unjust and absurd, as to be totally disregarded by
the wisdom of an enlightened nation. Such, for instance,
is the command in the 4th chapter of Deuteronomy.
"Ye shall not eat anything that dieth of itself: thou shalt
give it unto the stranger that is in thy gates, that he may
eat it; or thou mayest sell it to an alien." Our enlightened
legislators have considered this ordinance so repulsive, that
they have even made its observance a penal offence. Nor have
they adopted the penalty of "an eye for an eye, and a tooth
for a tooth;" neither do our commanders in battle enforce
the Jewish practice in war, as recorded in the 31st chapter
of Numbers, "to kill every male among the little ones, and
to kill every married woman, but keep alive the virgins for
yourselves." (I here give the Scriptural language in sub¬
stance, as modesty forbids a correct quotation.) Then, in
addition to this, commanding them to purify themselves "on
the third and on the seventh day." Now, this is barbarism,
cruel, revolting and obscene. It is the privilege of commit¬
ting horrid enormities during six days, provided they purify
LECTURE. 17
themselves on the seventh by the observance of the hohi Sab¬
bath. J
Six days thou shalt labor and do all thy work," (that is,
kill women and children, and satiate your lusts,) "but the
seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God," thou
shouldst remember it to keep it holy.
A truly good man, esteems every day alike. Six days he
labors with his hands, honestly, that he may not be charge¬
able to any one, and on the seventh, (if need be,) he labors
with his hands to procure on honest living. He is temperate
on all days, just on all days, truthful on all days. He is
ever chaste in his desires, and ardent in his affections. He
sets apart no day to deal unjustly or use extortion; nor has
he any particular day for devotional exercises. He studies
the organic law of his nature, and the laws of social inter¬
course, and acts in conformity thereto. A knowledge thus
obtained, promotes his happiness on every day alike. It
teaches him that self-preservation is the first law of his na¬
ture, and that obedience to that law requires temperance at
all times—in all things—and good-will to our fellow?beings.
It reveals to him the propriety of doing unto others as he
would that they should do unto him; of doing justice, loving
mercy, visiting the sick, and those in prison; of feeding the
hungry, clothing the naked, and of relieving the widows and
fatherless in their distresses. These are the duties of a good
man, and they furnish work for every day. He desires not
the privilege of debasing and corrupting his fellow-man.—
As a Politician and Statesman, he studies the best interests
of his country; as a Philanthropist, the greatest good of
mankind. It matters not to him on what day the elections
of his country take place, as he desires to wield no undue
influence over his fellow man, nor to make them drunk on
the eve of an election, and pen them up like brutes, as has
been the disgraceful practice of partizans, in order to obtain
the votes of poor, ignorant and dependant mortals. Such
partizans object to holding elections on Monday, for the rea-
2
18 LECTURE.
son that they are compelled to desecrate the holy Sabbath in
administering intoxicating drinks and bribes for the purpose
of controlling votes. Like the Jews, they desire their deeds
of darkness to be followed by a holy Sabbath, on which,,with
distorted features, and eyes turned heavenward,
"With three mile prayers and half mile graces,
With well spread hands and long wry faces,''
to cleanse themselves from their abominations, and to be
ready to commence anew in the career of vice and crime.—
And here I would remark, that if our civil institution of a
day of rest is any restraint upon the above practice, by all
means let our elections come off on Mondays.
The views I am endeavoring to impress, were evidently
those entertained by the framers of the Constitution of the
United States, as well as those entertained by the Apostle
Paul. The observance of one day above another, as a holy
day, was not considered by them as obligatory; and hence,
in said Constitution, no provision was made to legislate on
the subject, and hence the action of Congress establishing
the transportation of mails every day in the week, without
regard to the ecclesiastical ordinance of a holy Sabbath,
which cannot, in the very nature of things, be observed by
all the earth at the same time. In the United States,
Sabbath piety commences in Maine one hour* earlier than it
is commenced in Oregon, for the reason that when the sun
rises in Maine at six, it is only five o'clock in Oregon; and
so of the world. When we have here the noon-day's sun, our
antipodes are wrapt in the slumbers of night; when we have
here our summer solstice, the arctic regions have perpetual
day.
In attempting further to elucidate this subject, I will pre¬
mise that legislation should have regard to the established
order of Nature, and should legislate accordingly. Impos¬
sibilities cannot be performed, and should never be enjoined;
but the actual condition of society should dictate to the
Legislator the restraints required by the good, to protect
LECTURE. 19
them against the aggressions of the bad, and further than
this, government has nothing to do, except to facilitate social
and commercial intercourse by the establishment of mail
conveyances, opening roads, improving rivers and harbors,
and providing for the general welfare.
The existence of beasts of burden subject to man, of
slaves, of hired and dependant servants, demands a frequent
day of leisure and recreation from the hard drudgery of
every-day life, and hence the wisdom of our legislators in
establishing a day on which the strong cannot with impunity
oppress the weak, by demanding of them incessant toil.
It is highly proper that we should have a Sabbath, a day
of rest and recreation ; and it should be of frequent occur¬
rence. It is demanded by the organic law of our nature,
and cannot be disregarded with impunity. Action is essen¬
tial to life, and so is rest. A due proportion of each, on
every day, would be in strict conformity with the laws of
health; and no individual, who desires to act thus wisely,
should be debarred the privilege, by civil enactments.
Moderate and temperate bodily exercise, with occasional
rest, facilitates digestion and promotes health. Immoderate
and protracted labor impedes digestion and destroys health;
and sloth, invariably engenders disease; and these facts
should not be disregarded, in attempting to so legislate upon
the subject, as to prescribe by law a day of rest. Wisdom
and Philanthropy would suggest, that the privilege of rest¬
ing at least one day in the week, should be guarantied to
brutes and those in subjection to task-masters.
The laboring man should observe our Sabbath as a day of
social and innocent recreation ; a day of cessation from toil
and the common drudgeries of life. The indolent and sloth¬
ful man, after squandering (perhaps) six days of precious
time in doing nothing, should be advised to work on the Sab¬
bath day, and to secure by laboring with his hands, not only
an honest living, but improved health and better morals.
The Sabbath, as a religious ordinance, was never enjoined
20 lecture.
by Christ or his Disciples, and its observance, as such, can¬
not constitutionally be enforced upon the people of the Uni¬
ted States. Jesus said it was "lawful to do well on the
Sabbath day." So says every man that " esteemeth every
day alike." But it is not lawful to do evil on any day.
A union of Church and State can, by pains and penalties,
enforce the observance of religious ordinances, but a gov¬
ernment of Civil and Religious Liberty has nothing to do with
religion, except to protect its votaries in the privilege of
worshiping their conceptions of a Deity according to the
dictates of Conscience. If they consider it right, piously,
to esteem one day above another, the civil authorities of a
free government renders them secure in its observance, but
at the same time every one is allowed to "be fully persuaded
in his own mind."
There is not an injunction in the New Testament to keep
a Sabbath day holy. Its observance, as such, was a Jewish
custom instituted by the Priests, and upon the same author¬
ity that commanded that '■'"meat that dieth of itself, shall he
given to strangers within thy gates that they may eat it, or
may be sold to an alien." Thus, we see that, as a holy ordin-
ace, we are under no obligation ivhatever to obey it; but as
a civil and moral institution—as a day of social and inno¬
cent amusements, and cessation from labor, its observance is
highly proper, yet, not indispensable; for the reason that a
due proportion of work, and rest, and recreation, on every
day, will subserve the same purpose.
Thus we perceive that the transportation of the Mails on
the secular Sabbath, can be established without necessarily
violating the organic law of our nature, or imposing undue
burdens upon the carriers. Seasons of rest and recreation
being allowed them on every day alike, through, the means
of a multiplicity of agents or carriers, resting each other,
or performing the duty in turns.
In conclusion, I will present you a summary of the points
I have endeavored to establish in this discourse:
lecture. 21
1. That God, or infinite and unchangeable Power, never
rested, and hence that portion of my text taken from Gene¬
sis is founded in error. " God is unchangeable."
2. That the Apostle Paul regardeth the holy Sabbath as
merely a Jewish institution of no binding effect.
3. That Christ disregarded the Jewish Sabbath, and insti¬
tuted no other.
4. That there cannot be found in the New Testament an
injunction to keep a Holy Sabbath.
5. That a Sabbath, as a secular institution, is right and
proper under the existing sta*,e of society.
6. That its observance may consist in orderly and social
gatherings or assemblages, for mutual instruction, or social
recreation, even on street corners, or in car-sheds.
7. That its religious observance should neither be enforced
by civil enactments, nor prohibited thereby.
8. That every one should be "fully persuaded in his own
mind" with regard to holy-days.
9. That no civil process should ever interfere with the
rights of Conscience.
10. That the observance of a secular Sabbath should
never be enforced by law, except to prevent oppression to
man and beast.
11. That the organic law of our nature demands a due
proportion of rest and exercise on every day alike.
12. That our individual, as well as public good, demands
obedience to temperance, justice and truth, on every day
alike.
13. That a virtuous and truthful community can, without
any violation of morals, hold their elections on Mondays as
■well as on Wednesdays.
11. That the transportation of the Mails on every day
is not necessarily the violation of morals, or the organic laws
of our nature, but is absolutely demanded by the social and
commercial good of our common country.
22 lecture.
THE RECORDS OF HEAVEN, OR THE VISION OF BOARDS.
A DREAM.
One mild summer evening, much troubled in mind
From scanning1 minutely the ills of mankind,
When grief was fast driving my hopes to despair,
I gave way to sleep, in the midst of my care.
Whilst slumbering, I thought myself wafted above,
And blessed with perfection in friendship and love.
I mingled with groups of the heavenly throng.
And joined them in singing their elysian song.
This charming communion with angels of light,
Gave strength to my mind and extended my sight.
I saw the great record of human events,
And, aided by heaven, I read its contents.
Enrolled were the names of each human on earth,
And all of their actions were plainly set forth—
Commencing with Adam—recording his fall,
And noting man's virtues, his vices and all.
This knowledge, extensive, revealed in my dream.
Suggested to fancy, the following scheme:
I thought I could silence contention on earth
By showing frail mortals their registered worth.
With leave from high heaven, some items I took
From records contained in the heavenly book.
The items obtained were designed to reveal
Those actions of men which they wish to conceal.
Returning to earth, much in love with my plan,
To check the vain contests between mail and man,
I offered to each one (in fully a record
Of all his bad actions, engraved on a board.
Mankind had assembled to hear me relate
The news I obtained from the great Book of Fate,
But having a board for each human on earth,
I gave one to each, to conceal or show forth.
With features distorted and sorely amazed,
Each one at his board with astonishment gazed—
On finding the charges recorded were true,
All efforts were made to conceal them from view.
A hardened old sinner, for mischief, proposed
That each of their boards to full view be exposed.
This move had a second, and "boards" was the call;
Butlo! they were hidden by preachers and all!
The public retailer of scandal and lies
Held on to his board as he would to a prize,
Although he had made all his neighbors' faults known.
Most careful was he in concealing his own.
LECTURE.
A doctor, (though, lamed for his talents and skill
lu wielding the lancent and giving the pill.)
Was heard at the sight of his board to exclaim.
My God! is it thus you have recorded my fame?
The dying of patients (as some of them will)
Is charged on this board to my lancet and pill—
Here's one, it is true, I considered poor pay.
And therefore I physicked him out of the way.
A lawyer, whose mind over volumes had poured,
Was greatly astonished at sight of his board;
His pleading in favor of crimes, deep and dark,
Had fixed on its surface a horrible mark :
'Twas stained with the blood which for gain had been shed.
For villains through means of his counsel had fled,
'Twas darkened with perjury, plunder, and theft,
And very few traces of virtue were left.
Contortions of features a statesman displayed,
Whilst over and often his vices surveyed,
His love for the people he oft would proclaim,
Yet selfish promotion was ever his aim.
His board was as dark as the blackness of night,
Except a few traces of primitive light;
And traitorous deeds to accomplish his end
Concluded the statesman's unenvied legend.
A hero in war had acquired much fame —
Bright laurels and honors encircled his name;
Called oil for his board, his virtue was tried—
He kept it concealed 'neath the cloak by his side;
The tears of the widow were fresh on its face,
And pale, hungry orphans had left there a trace;
His income was hundreds and thousands a year.
Yet ne'er fed the orphan or dried up a tear.
A merchant, retired, with thousands a year,
Examined his board with emotions of fear;
His gold had been gathered from sea and from land,
According to laws of supply and demand.
When famine's destruction at times had prevailed,
And war's dreadful havoc deep misery entailed:
When thousands were starving, pale, haggard and gaunt,
His coffers were filled by supplying the want.
Regardless of Mercy, he gathered his gold,
And worshipped the cause which such treasures unfold!
With Shilock-extortion, when famine pinched sore,
The last mite or farthing he took from the poor.
A monarch, whose will was expressed by a nod,
Who claimed to be king by the favor of God,
Was thrown into spasms at sight of his board,
As crimes most>trocious its^surface had scored,
LECTURE.
To plunder whole nations he oft declared war.
Thus gathering the riches of countries afar;
Ilis thirst for dominion and boundless control,
Extended his ravage from pole e'en to pole.
He sought for fair women in bloom of their age,
To heighten his pleasures, his passions assuage:
But boundless in wishes and endless desire,
No treasure or blood could extinguish the fire.
When nations acknowledged his power supreme,
Thus yielding ambition its full measured dream;
His fondness for conquest was not yet allayed,
And he wpt!—there were no more worlds to be sw
In deepest reflection and aspect profound,
A Moralist gazed on the audience around:
My friends, exclaimed lie, in a rational mood,
Our imperfect wisdom makes none of us good.
Those records of evil may well be applied,
At times when we're tempted our friends to deride;
We having our faults exposed thus to view,
Should strive to correct them and Virtue pursue—
Should conquer our Malice, our Envy remove.
And yield to the dictates of Friendship and Love.
I heard a low whisper pass softly around!
'Twas Friendship reviving, for mortals had found
Each one had his foibles; and those who were prone
To find fault with others, remembered their own.