ccept a sabbath of her creating, while
they reject the Bible Sabbath, they virtually admit this assumption. They
may claim the authority of tradition and of the Fathers for the change;
but in so doing they ignore the very principle which separates them from
Rome,--that "the Bible, and the Bible only, is the religion of
Protestants." The papist can see that they are deceiving themselves,
willingly closing their eyes to the facts in the case. As the movement for
Sunday enforcement gains favor, he rejoices, feeling assured that it will
eventually bring the whole Protestant world under the banner of Rome.

Romanists declare that "the observance of Sunday by the Protestants is an
homage they pay, in spite of themselves, to the authority of the
[Catholic] Church."(758) The enforcement of Sunday-keeping on the part of
Protestant churches is an enforcement of the worship of the papacy--of the
beast. Those who, understanding the claims of the fourth commandment,
choose to observe the false instead of the true Sabbath, are thereby
paying homage to that power by which alone it is commanded. But in the
very act of enforcing a religious duty by secular power, the churches
would themselves form an image to the beast; hence the enforcement of
Sunday-keeping in the United States would be an enforcement of the worship
of the beast and his image.

But Christians of past generations observed the Sunday, supposing that in
so doing they were keeping the Bible Sabbath; and there are now true
Christians in every church, not excepting the Roman Catholic communion,
who honestly believe that Sunday is the Sabbath of divine appointment. God
accepts their sincerity of purpose and their integrity before Him. But
when Sunday observance shall be enforced by law, and the world shall be
enlightened concerning the obligation of the true Sabbath, then whoever
shall transgress the command of God, to obey a precept which has no higher
authority than that of Rome, will thereby honor popery above God. He is
paying homage to Rome, and to the power which enforces the institution
ordained by Rome. He is worshiping the beast and his image. As men then
reject the institution which God has declared to be the sign of His
authority, and honor in its stead that which Rome has chosen as the token
of her supremacy, they will thereby accept the sign of allegiance to
Rome--"the mark of the beast." And it is not until the issue is thus
plainly set before the people, and t