Staunton vindicator and general advertiser. (Staunton, Augusta County, Va.) 1858-1860, 1859-06-04
aflistelIant6ais,
Proper Manner Of Sleeping in Church

Proper Manner Of Sleeping in Church.
Some vain persons have been so weak and
wicked as to raise qaestion upon the mer-
its Of. this case; yea, have gone so far as to
say that sleeping in church, so far from be-
ing. a duty. Is absolutely, and to all intents
and purposes, sin. They allege that the
church was built for the purpose Of Divine
worship, and it is an insult to our Creator
to go to sleep in it. They further allege
that it is disrespectful to the speaker and to
ourself to do 50. ). This is going dreadful
length, and is only another instance Of the
radical and extreme tendencies Of the age
What that Sin, which has existed in the
Church from the days Of the apostles them
selves, even under PauPs preaching! You
remember the striking example, Of that wor-
thy young man, Eutychus. 4 sin, indeed /!
It IS not sensible act in me to waste time
and arguments upon such vain cavaliers. -
Tire uniform fraStics Of tie Church (espe-
cially on warm afternoons) for eighteen
hundred years is decisive. - -, ~;
Assuming, then, that t IS duty, let us
consider the manner Of performing if. |
hold that, like all other Christian practices,
there ought to be uniformity III the manner
We find it, in all the other parts of worship;
i. e., all sit while the sermon is being de-
livered, all stand or kneel when prayer is
offered. Why, then, should those who: are
engaged in offering up sleep Worship not
conform to Some one attitude? IT,.
/. It is an improper manner Of perform
ing this duty to nod, and for the plain rea-
son that the worshippers attract too much at
tentioH.. Now. we are everywhere taught
to avoid ostentatious display iii o1r wor-
ship. The Pharisees were condemned for
praying at the corners Of the streets, that
they might be seen Of men. On the same
principle the nodding worshipper is condem-
ned, for he is making too phblic a display
Of his devotib1$s Those III. Els immed ate
vicinity, Instead Of attending. to their own
worship, are lost III admiration Of the pro-
found state IN which his devotional .medita-
tons have placed him. Peradyenture they
may even envy His Condition, and thereby
break the tenth commandment.
2. Nor is it proper to sn6ye in the per-
Torrance Of this duty partly for the fore
going reasons, but mainly because it is
direct infraction Of the golden rule. Sup
pose, for instance, that your next neighbor
is asleep; by your snoring he will be dis
turbed, probably awakened !. This, Jod'per-
;ceive, is not doing to others as you would
that they shoula do to you. i
3. I deem it 1ihchristian to sleep with
the head thrown back, and tit mouth wide
open. e is wrdhg' to injure dhe's health
while ofering Worship, and all physicians
admit that such position is liable to pro-
duce sore throat and hoarsensss. BESIDES,
flies sotnetfaes get ihh..b the rtiouth: on such
occasions, and BY their iniudiiicitouss e2,plota.
TONS. tieksst TIE delicate membranes. and
cause. Ebtrible sternitat;bns aud coughings,
which, am Told, are verJyv ihiIjufioas Ito
health, n. VII. !. NJ. !.
arms Of the worsbipper, and the face buried
up in the cuffs Of the coat, is Almost in,prop-
er way Of offering ,sleep,wprshil5. First,
because il. is also injuriods IS health, and is
altogether very unsafe way of performing
the duty ;..and second, ana mainly, because
It is sin, direct violation Of the Scrip
lures, which command us to let otir light
shine, that men may proft b)y their exam
ple.: In this case it is impossible to know
whether the Christian worshippers asleep or
awake. It is positive case Of lukewarm-
ness, neither the one thing nor the other.
My cogitations have we'll nigh exhausted
the subject. Let me say that the only truly
pious way performing tag dntyof sleeping
In church. is~to sit bolt upright, with the
face to the minister, eschewing nodding,
snoring, ana depressionsn of the head. VI
That this is the true way, appears from
the fact that the minister is strengthened
and encouraged by the evidence that his la
boris are not in vain, seeing they have pro-
duced SO marked an effect And just here
Mr.. Editor, if I was not afraid Of giving
offence to your clergy would say, that