Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1872-05-30
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HENRY WEIRD BEECHER ON
THE USES OF THE SABBATH.

y IA -
THE USES OF THE SABBATH.
Extract of n. w. Beechers Speech on Uses Of
the Sabbath, ? in New York, April 2. ls72)
He was achild of Puritan ancestry,
and his associations were with the
strictest observance of the Sabbath. He
loved the day, and loved its duties and
usages, and he desired to have it main
tanned in all its usefulness, and more
than that, ne would strengthen its cords
and where it had done one thing well
in the past, he would have it do twenty
things in the future; and it was because
he thought it was a day capable of
larger use that he was there in advo-
cacy of the purpose Of proposed reform.
He was aware that there were many
who held that it was day prescribed
by direct divine authority. He re-
pected their views, although he did
not agree with them. Then there were
large numbers of men not born in this
country who believed that the Sabbath
was a kind of holiday, and that it
ought to be a day of social enjoyment,
and he respected their liberty of opin-
ion, although he did not entertain their
views. But he stood somewhere be-
tween the two extremes, attempting to
find a ground on which both might
stand, that there might not be conflict,
but rather cooperation on the part of
all intelligent and good citizens. Zap
plause.] The Sabbath was day dis
tinctiy American, because nowhere else
from the very beginning Of the feunda-
ton Of the colonies had there been a
day like the American Sunday. It was
a church day; day of rest; and it had
spread its blessings all over the conti-
nent. He honored the memory of the
men that kept the old Sunday, and if
he thought that any steps here made
would take anything from it, he would
never give the movement his influence.
He stood there honoring the day, ,loving
it for what it had done, and he would
say not that there must be less Sunday,
but that there must be less sanctity, but
that the sanctity must be brighter and
deeper; not that the Church should be
robbed, but that the patrimony of this
day should be added to. The old jew
ish Sabbath was kept simply as day
of rest; they were not forbidden to have
social ntertainments-Inde it was
the one jovial, cheerful day of the week
among the old Jews. The only thing
that was barred was work, and that
was carried to a Ridiculous extent. 1t
was forbidden to. a man to walk on the
grass with nails in his shoes, lest he
should shell out some of the grain; and
it was not lawful to lead an ass to
water, because you weuld thereby help
him bear the burden Of the water he
drank. 1t was a tsuperstitious day,
in which all work was forbidden; but to
entertain your friends was lawful, and
it was not distinctively a religious day,
it was simply a day Of secular rest. AS
to the Christian Sunday, there was no
command in the New Testament as to
the manner in which itshould be OBJ
served, and there was nothing in the
primitive church Z binding as to the
mode of observing the Lords day, but
it was 3 dayrot jjoyfulness, a day of tri-
umph with that church, The Puritan
fathers, seeing the excesses on that day,
We're driven to the opposite extreme,
and SO it comes down to us with Tigors
that did NOT belong to the primitive
Lords day, and which reason does not
justify, to determine what is the best
mode of deserving the day he knew of
no principle 50 good as that it is the
Lords day, and that Lord was the same
Jesus who healed on the Lords day.
The same Lord whe, when the disciples
Were called to account by the Jews for
eating the corn on the Lords day, justi-
fed them and delivered two memora-
bic sayings. When called TO account
for healing the man, he said Els it
lawful to do good on the Sabbath day ?''
1t is lawful tasdo good on the Sabbath
day. He declared that it was made for
man, and not man for it. Itqis mans
servant, not his master, and whenever
the Sabbath day, therefore, is so ad-
ministercd that any part Of the .conimu-
nifty is oppressed by it, they have a
right to rise up and break through that
observance, [Applause. Gods Sab
bath day was not made to keep down