Houma Ceres. [volume] (Houma, Parish of Terrebonne, La.) 1855-18??, 1857-04-18
The sin OF sabbath Dissertation.

we found the Sabbath to be inst-
tuted by Gods command and also we saw how
positive and strong the words OF its enactment
From thence we may arrive now by very easy
deduction, at the nature and sin Of Sabbath des-
ecration that it is deliberate violation of Gods
known law, and a cool and settled contempt OF
His sovereign authority From careful reading
of the Scriptures we cannot but be impressed that
there is perhaps no commandment which is more
imperativey given, and insisted upon than this;
that there is none tho violation of which is so
rapidly demoraIizng upon the character; and none,
the violators Of which made 10 encounter
more emphatic procl amatons of Divine wrath.
There u.s. in fact no sin in all the calender OF crime
upon which God has laid more heavy censures,
and over which he has hung more awful threat
nings than the breach Of His holy sabbaths It
is represented as tho great and radical sin. which
works to undermine religious and moral character
and to destroy nations. Thus reads the holy
Word" Blessed is the man that keepeth the
Sabbath from polluting it. Even them will
bring to my holy mountain, and make them JOY
full in my house of prayer. But If ye will not
hearken unto me to hallow tho Sabbath day then
will kindIe fire in your gates. and it shall de-
your your palaces, and it shall not be quenched
Moreover gave them my Sabbaths to be a sign
between me and them that they might know
that am the Lord tn at sanctfy them. Yet they
despised my judgments, and walked not in my
statutes, but polluted my Sabbaths As live,
saith the Lord God, surely with mighty hand,
and with u stretched-out arm, and with fury poured
out. will rule over you. Thus saith the Lord
God; because they have forgotten me, and cast
me behind their back, and defiled my sanctuary,
and profaned my Sabbaths thus saith the Lord
because they have profaned my holy things, be-
cause they have put no difference between the
holv and the prolane, and have hid their eyes
from nv Sabbaths, and am profaned among
them therefore have poured out mine indigna-
ton upon them; have consumed them with the
fire of my wrath their own way have recon-
pensed upon their heads, saith the Lord" Aud
if it were possible to deepen the impression OF
these fearful words, and to give yet quicker IN
tensity to the command which is laid upon us, we
may find it in the sewn penalties which were ac-
tuaIly inflicted with relentless hand upon what
would seem to many Of the present but very
trivial trespass upon the law. " Ye shall keep the
Sabbath saith the rigid injunction, for it is
holy unto YOU Every one that defileth il shall
surely be put to death for whatsoever doeth any
work the ren that soul shall be cut off from among
his people. Six days may work be done. but in
the seventh is the Sabbath Of rest, holy to the
Lord: whosoever doeth any work in the Sabbath
day, he shall surely be put TO DEATH" And these
stern penalties as we read, were rigidly exacted
upon one, who but went out to gather only
handful Of sticks on that forbidden day-God
himself gave sentence upon him. (" The man
shau be surely put to death; all the congregatio"
shall stone him Nth stones ,pithout the camp;"
which they did, that he died. SID 3 sHs aasta
If therefore now in these we have true indi-
cation from God Of the spirit with which He main-
tains this law, and with which He Furnishes the
violation of it: what, oh what. shall avail the
thousand vapory excuses and snbterfuges. with
which men seek to darken and screen their pre-
sumption against His command, and their open
dissertation of His holy time and how shall this
people stand in judgment with Him! In all faith
fulness would sayto every one: there is no ex.
cuse, there is no covering for these sins they are
open, presumptuous trampling upon Just and holy
law And with many among us they are wide,
,cide departure from the habits, and inculcatens
of earlier days; and may add that with many.
they are in hardy resistance TO the reproofs Of a
present conscience. Since began these address
Is to the public, persons have voluntarily spo-
ken to mo on this subject, and have &C.
knowledged their sad detection from former habits
and training, and their present sense Of its sin.
MY heart yearns and bleeds for such who, with
full knowledge of their loss. still yield themselves
passive upon the dark current Of sin, which bears
them swiftly and surely down to the gulf Of per-
dtion and woe. What, would ask them, with
the words of tho Saviour, what shall It profit
man. if he gain the whole world, and lose his own
soul.'' What is earth-and what are all the
things of earth; compared with the appreciation
Of God, and the gain of Heaven? This may be
the last occasion on which I shall address this
people in this manner and feel It therefore to
give quicker intensity to my present utterancs,
that it, impression if possible may be for life, yea
for eternity, upon those who read these now
Time is but as a moment-earth, to the surround