Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1872-04-13

For the Alexandra 1aHette.
Parsonage Papers-No. =.
BYREv. DR.. KILLGoRE, Pastor ofthe Nj tho
dist Protestant Church. Alexandria, Va
THE SABBATH.
The Sabbath was made tor man. .',-Ridie.
We will notice the Sabbath under the desig
nation of Patriarchal, Jewish, and Christian
pATRIARCHAL SABBATH.
|. The world remained beautiful while its
age was reckoned by days Bright was the sun
on the morning of his third rising; and on the
seventh from the beginning, creation was I'm
ished. Sea, and earth, and air had become
tenanted hocks reclined herds roamed, birds
sang. and the happy pair in the garden chanted
the highest and sweetest notes. happiness was
written on every living thing. This was mans
lirst day, and the world 5 first Sabbath
The event made the day-made it for man
for man in the aggregate-tor all men-tor in.
noceut man. Man was made to labor, aud
needed rest; not rest in opposition to wearlness,
but rest iu opposition to action. Jehovah rested
10 dress the garden, and to keep it, was the pleas
ing task assigned to man. To train the flower, to
support the fruit, to adapt luxuriant redundancy,
and gather his harvest, might be all that Was
intended but man was destined for Heaven,
and needed time to acquire tastes and Sympa
thies in harmony with that higher state From
the beginning the Sabbath was a day blessed
and sanctifed-a religious day. Man alone
could comprehend the subllmlty of such an
arrangement 1t is still religious day; it yet
prepares for Heaven; it relieves the spirit from
the magnet of worldliness and directs it to its
native Sky. It puts check on the butitying
process, and holds man in his place in creation
1t represses the sensual, aud cherlshes the
/. l. Of lr
sacrifice of present qualification for future good.
1t calls aloud for holiness to the Lord 1t Was
i day of religious commemoratlon: it celebrat-
ed creation-creaton finished, the Sabbath be-
pan. Glorious object blessed institution !! what
world of earth aud sky what manifestation
of wisdom, power, and goodness how BETTING
was the institution for God to appoint and man
to observe.
1.-The prospect mountain of the mind,
From which to view the rest of Heaven
We tell the lovers of pleasure and the com-
petitors of commerce that the Sabbath was
made for man IN all his generations, in all
his tribes and in all his circumstances.
Why do they insist that the book OF
Genesis contains history extending over
more than two thousand years, aud reports no
Sabbath? Supposing the statement to be true,
what argument can be deduced from mere
silence? But is it so? We think not. That
book reports day of rest-a saactyfed day, and
at the time, too, that creation was finished
Why do men wish to part the day OF celebra-
ton from the event celebrated? If the day
was made for man, how reasonable to suppose
that it was made for the first man But sup
posing it could be shown that the books OF
Joshua and Judges report no Sabbath, though
they contain history of four hundred years
after the Sabbath was instituted iu the wilder
ness and supposing that it could be shown
that there is no report Of sacrifice from the
birth Of Seth to the time of the food, period
of fifteen hundred years, would such silence be,
admitted as an argument against the existence
of such institutions? Certainly not. But is
there not report OF weeks IN the early Scrip
lures, (Gen xxx. 27) answering to the crea-
ton week of six days of labor and ou, Of rest
We can account for the institution OF years,
months, and days, by natural causes, but not
of weeks nor can we account for them at all
but by the Sabbath Noah sent forth the dove
three successive times, and waited seveh days
between each time, doubtless in Difference to
the Sabbath The Israelites Assyrians, Egyp-
tians Indians. Arabians, and, indeed, all the
nations in the east have, in all ages, made use
of a week Of seven days; so have the Romans,
Gaus, Brtons, Germans, and all the nations OF
the north. They possessed some reason, In COM
mon, for this arrangement Moses is the oldest
writer that we have any knowledge OF, and he
has given the reason not as an invention OF his
time, but as having existed from the begin
ming.
Seven is number of perfection among the
Jews, and the Hebrew word which is rendered
seven, denotes fulness completion, &c, allud-
ing, we think to the finished work OF Creation.
We do not wish to establish a septenary theory
of Interpretation but how, on the principle OF
accident, do we account for the frequent ap-
pointment of that number? God rested on the
seventh day Euoch, the seventh from Adam,
was translated the killing of Cain was to be
avenged sevenfold; Noah had seven days
warning Of the food, and was commanded to
take fowls into the Ark by sevens Abraham
gave seven eve lambs to Ablmeech, as token
of agreement for will Joseph mourned seven
days for Jacob the seven years OF plenty ana
the seven wears of famine were foretold by
vision OF seven fat and seven lean cattle aud
by seven full and seven blighted ears OF corn;
the seventh year was sabbatical, and at the end
of seven times seven years the jubilee COM
meuced We also read Of seven churches, sew
en- epistles seven golden candesticks, seven stars,
seven lamps, seven spirits of God, seven seals,
the lamb with seven horns and seven eyes, sew
eD angels seven trumpets, seven kings seven
thunders, seven thousand names OF the slaln'
the dragon with seven heads, seven crowns;
Forgiveness to an offender was to be repeated,
seven times, yea, even seventy times seven.
In 1865 after the defeat and death OF Iheo,
dore, King of Abyssinia, son OF his, caPtur,e,o ,,
at Magdala, was brought to England, kindly
received by Queen Victoria, and placed under
the care OF Captain Speed, to whom his moth
er had confded him before her death, "hicn
soon followed that of her husband. When mis- ms
guardian went to India the lad accompanied