The Van Buren press., 1859-09-07
Six Days Shalt Thou Labor.

Six Days Shalt Thou Labor.
1t is surprising how careful the clergy are |
to preach about everything that will favor
their own craft, and how studiouslv silent
they are on all that would rub hard on them |
selves or the most influential of their ilocks |
l have heard great many preach from the
following text: "Six days shalt thou la
Dor and do all thy work, but the seventh
day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God i
in it thou shalt not do any work - and in
every instance, after repeating the text,
they made a clean leap over the six working
days, and spent all thcineloquencc on the
holy Sabbath, laboring to enforce the duty
of attending church and supporting Sun
day worship, as though that was the only
duty enjoined in the text
Now, it was quite as much command to
labor six days. as it was to rest on the sew
enth day, but who ever heard minister
preach on that part of the text? 1t would
not suit their craft. The ministers them
selves are too indolent and too fond of ease
to preach about laboring six -sevenths of the
time it would be placing themselves in
ridiculous position-the indolent drones
who loll en- soft cushions, make calls on
the sisters, and fritter away the week with
out ever putting their hands to any manly
employment. Paul could labor with his
own hands six days and preach as the spirit
gave him utterance on the Sabbath, with
out money or price; but the lily fingered
gentry of this age, who profess to stand in
Paufs place, would think it deep stain on
their clerical dignity to soil their hands with
labor. | move that the people call for re-
form IN this matter that they require their
priests to preach or the six days labo.
occasionally, and to practice what they
preach.
There is another thought on this subject:
The text, which may be found Ex. Xxx. o
ii, does not tell the people to harness their
horses on the seventh day and drive away to
meeting, but commands them to rest, and
to permit their beasts and their servants to,
also. This church going was not contain
ed in the command, but has sprung up since
the command was given
And still another thought. The Sabbath
command is not given to us Gentilcs, nor to
Christians, but was given to the Jews. to
be IN force till tho time of reformation, or
the coming of Christ, and is therefore not
binding on us in this age All the SYM
bols of the Jewish dispensation were but
shadows of good things to come; they point
ed to Christ and bis dispensation, and were
fulfilled and put aside by him. lie blottcd
out the hand writing of ordinances which
were against us, and took them out of the
way, and nailed them to the cross
None of these symbols are we bound to
observe, yet if men will live under the jew
ish rather than the Gospel lispensation
they should be consistent and fulfill the
whole law. If they will contend so zeal
ousiy for the outward Sabbath of Moses,
instead of the spiritual rest of the gospel, q,
to which the outward Sabbath pointoI, they
should manifest the same zeal in enforcing
the command to labor.
Thus it is at all times and in all places :;
the priests are enforcing all, whether in the
gospel, or the old cast-oif dispensation of
Moses, which will favor their craft. and
studiously passing over in silence, all that
would tend to open their eyes, or show them
that the clergy are not what they profess to
be. 1t is time to turn the wallet about, as
a good old Quaker used to say, and let the
people hear about the uorkiny part of the
law, as we'll as the resting or worshpping
part. 1t is, to say the least, quite as great
a sin for ministers and other droncs to spend
six days in idlencss, as it is for others to
spend the seventh OF Sabbath day in labor;
and would propose that the working class
es of all the various denominations, request
their priests to preach a sermon Immediate
ly, OH the six working days, and show, if
they can, by what right and authority they
and the rich members of their focks squan-
der siX-sevenths Of their idleness, while one
half the world are, in consequence thereof,
over-burlened with more than their proper
share of labor-Hacker.