THE tremendous onset made by anti-Sabbatarian forces in recent years against the great bulwark of religion is one of the most disconcerting signs of the times. The causes leading up to this are many. In the forefront may be placed the Laodicean attitude of the professing Church in Scotland. The pass has been sold to the enemy by those who ought to have defended it. Voices were heard declaring that the Fourth Commandment was not binding on Christians; and the point was pressed with a zeal which would do credit to a better cause that the Sabbath was a Jewish Institution. Gradually the seed sown by Dr. Norman Macleod of the Barony, Glasgow, began to bear fruit. No doubt at the time he delivered his notorious speech the country heard of it with consternation and even in the Established Church there were strong demands for his deposition. When the storm abated the situation was not the same as it was before the controversy had begun. The seed sown sank into congenial soil in many cases and in after years the fruit of it was seen in a growing laxity to the claims of the Fourth Commandment. Charity, so-called, gradually became the chief goddess of many in the religious world and her devotees increasing in numbers and vociferousness were equals to the devotees of Diana, the goddess of the Ephesians. A cry was raised against the restrictions imposed by law and a demand was made for liberty. Naturally many who had no love in their hearts either to the Law or the Law-giver wished a greater freedom. The language of their heart was, though to begin with they were not daring enough to say it with their lips, that God is austere and that He is not allowing sufficient liberty to His creatures. The ground principle of this rebellion against authority is that man has certain rights bestowed upon him but that as he is not content with these: he must have more. Hence it will be seen in this anti-Sabbatarian movement tremendous stress is laid upon what is termed liberty (though rightly named it is licence) and the rights of man. It is this emphasis and the overlooking or complete ignoring of the rights of God that makes the anti-Sabbatarian movement to be a menace not only to religion but to all that makes for man’s well-being. It was the duty of the Christian Church to keep the claims of God in the forefront but to a lamentable extent it failed to do so. When the onrush of the mighty flood became apparent and some of its disastrous consequences were anticipated there was a feeble effort made to stem the current.
Again, behind this anti-Sabbatarian trend, though closely connected with the root-principle mentioned above, there was the appeal the goddess of Pleasure made to the instincts of the anti-Sabbatarians. The Sabbath was made for man became the battle cry for the Pleasure-worshippers. The words of the Saviour were twisted to mean that the Sabbath was given to man to do with it what he pleased while it was conveniently overlooked that He who gave utterance to these words claimed to be Lord of the Sabbath and had not given over this lordship to man. Certainly, the Sabbath had been made for man, for his highest interests, spiritual and temporal. But it will take better logic than has yet been advanced by the devotees of Pleasure to convince any right-thinking person that all that the Sabbath pleasure-seekers claim for pleasure can make up for the benefits derived from the Sabbath both spiritually and physically. The practical outcome of all this outcry is that six days of the week are not sufficient for the cravings of the natural heart: there must be an invasion of the Lord’s Day. Hence the movement for Sabbath games—football, tennis, golf, etc. At one time the most daring anti-Sabbatarian would not have the face to suggest that the Holy Day should be spent in sport and games but that day is gone and the spirit of the Book of Sports is now reigning supreme in the hearts of thousands of Scotsmen. The advocates of games on the Sabbath no longer make their demands in a half-hearted way, as if they were ashamed, but openly and daringly. They consider themselves harshly dealt with if they are not granted their requests and they have no hesitation in condemning as kill-joys, and advocates of gloom all those who oppose them. In this matter it is well to remember that the issue is not so much between the two parties; the main issue is, have men the right to set aside divine restrictions for the mere gratification of what they consider to be agreeable to themselves or even right. Satan certainly has deceived men to an extraordinary extent when he has made them believe that they know better than their Creator what is best for them.
Another tremendous power against which Sabbatarians have to measure their strength is the worship of the god of Mammon. In the pleasure-seekers the advocates of this much worshipped god see material ready for their purpose. By rail, sea, air and road every facility to help the pleasure-seeker to gratify his desires is being provided. It is apparent that there is much money in the unhallowed business and that counts for everything to multitudes. Fleets of steamers to sail on the Lord’s Day are provided, railway companies offer cheap fares, aeroplane companies with an eye to future business give displays on the Sabbath, and excursion buses are run from all parts of the country. Hotel-keepers and other interested parties testify that it will be a very serious matter for the whole community if these Sabbath breaking activities in whole or in part should be restricted. It is well to remind them that the country was happier and more prosperous ere these activities were ever set in motion. But one of the worst features of this anti-Sabbatarianism is the smug hypocrisy of those who say they are doing all this in the interest of the public. These men must think the public gullible fools indeed if they expect them to swallow such barefaced statements. The interests of the public forsooth! How long will these companies continue their activities in the interests of the public if their concerns are not a paying business. The plain fact of the matter is that they are out to make money and it would be a thousand times more honest for them to say so than to try to deceive the public with professions of disinterestedness which are sheer hypocrisy. It is this greed for gain that has captured the minds and hearts of thousands of the great host of anti-Sabbatarians in Scotland. Recently the decision of the Traffic Commissioners for the North was a direct challenge to the northern counties of Scotland. Had the people a right to privileges they had hitherto enjoyed or were they to be ignored in the interests of outsiders whose aim in invading these counties on the Lord’s Day was to fill their coffers? Were the claims of religion to be set aside and completely ignored in a matter of this kind? Was this new tyranny to ride rough-shod over deep and long cherished convictions? That they were seems to be the meaning of the Traffic Commissioners’ decision.
We see the same spirit at work in connection with the anti-Sabbatarian opposition to the Bill recently before Parliament on Sabbath trading. The Bill as we pointed out in a former issue was not what we would like it to be but the opposition to which we are making reference is that of those who wish to commercialize the Lord’s Day by hook or crook. There are 10,000 shops open on the Sabbath in Scotland and they are increasing in number. A great number of these belong to Italians who have as much love for the Sabbath as the Pope himself. These Sabbath-breakers became very vocal and arguments such as this were heard—some were poor widows, etc., and if they did not keep open shop on the Sabbath great hardships would be the result. Then a great number of their customers were poor people and could only buy from day to day. The gullibility of the public, no doubt, is great but it is much greater than ever we believed it to be if they would accept statements of that kind. It is well that the small shopkeeper in pleading to have open shop on Sabbath should be reminded he is putting a key into the hand of more prosperous shopkeepers and multiple concerns that they may probably use sooner than he expects and the small shopkeeper will find himself driven to the wall and ruined by his more powerful rivals who may be as greedy to get a living on a larger scale as he is on a small one. The whole policy of the Sabbath-breaking small shopkeeper in desiring to have his Sabbath-breaking legalised or at least tolerated is a boomerang that may yet give him a tremendous blow.
The situation in regard to Sabbath keeping in Scotland is becoming tremendously serious. Employees with consciences find themselves continually face to face with this question and matters instead of improving are only getting worse and worse. The anti-Sabbatarian forces are powerful in numbers and influence—behind them there are the loud call of our depraved nature and vested interests urging them on and proudly and defiantly their armies are marching forward and occupying positions that, a few years ago, no one would have thought they would ever occupy.
It has been urged that a people cannot be made virtuous by an Act of Parliament. That is so far true. But because men cannot be made honest by Act of Parliament it does not mean that Parliament has no right to pass laws to protect the honest and punish the dishonest. If these Sabbath-breaking shops were invaded on the Sabbath by dishonest men and robbed of their ill-gotten gains would the shopkeepers talk so glibly about the uselessness of making men honest by Act of Parliament.
We are told that Sabbatarians are fighting a losing battle but as long as they are fighting in the Lord’s cause all is well. In the long-drawn out battle line between the forces of Satan and the Lord the Sabbath is the Verdun against which the enemy has bent his strength and we pray and hope that the day is not far distant when the enemy will have spent his strength in vain against this bulwark. This battle is not ours but the Lord’s and let our prayer be: “Arise and plead thy cause.”