, 1876-02-28

| In tbs 6ix literal dayb OF oEoat!o"' ,in anusn
Of ,ho sroat arS Work OF creation by God II'maelt
| into sIx portions or psriods Of time. tho work
wlcl, fcIatos to tho presctt orler Of things wit.
man Is dya!lcr upon tic saftb. lhis "oEx
Nas complete when ,uan appeAred upon @ tho
scene. Tic seventh portion Of hmo, tho rest,
J,r Of tl,o I.orI tnay relaso to the whole period
1 nlijcl, mist o!hpsn until there shall bo now
own Wow beto sstt o.nos no.. GSpsoss my n;
lay,nan. who may have Ssass es'fHs3E fSi3ESsss IL
mp til Sunday-eohool, hut, am CON-
i"seal HSye Seminary 5 W. "As % God made M al things
| for Ilis owl1 glory, and especially this Garth 10
ba tho shoatre Of ) sublime display Of llis por-
fecton to all tbs Intelligent universe, His tcat
| was not moro cessation from creation, not only .
liecoattn,lauoo Of Ills preparations for, but tho
actual entrance upou, that sublime display. to
be continued a. long 10 tho Truman race contin-
TICS on earth. This rcss Is aot a negative. but \
positive, state. God sanctifed tho seventh day
tlia own seventb day, during which 1Ie rests; ;
we'll ~ man's aovontll day, III which,
was rotleahod. not only by isls @ hoy
preparations"
"As God. during His seventh day. haa ceased
from creating tho placo for, Tho d'apiay Of llia
posea Of TINT display itaoif and ~! tho hoy PUT
{ puees for Which fIe malo tho world 80 man dur
ing his aoronth day is 10 drop his oNn pursuits
ard tho Y0,a a 1Ua s
rote tho day to the saEao nb1oeea to which god
baa devoted His seventh day: A. Col
roste on Ills Beyenth day aud y
refreshed. go man rests on bis eosonth day, and
IL spiritually refreshed by partaking Of uoda
Ido not sav ebnt IL tho truo Interpretation OF
the subject, but Il Hcems to mo II gives metr'-
| luz, clear intolIlgible, and sublime. TO the
reason annexed 10 the fonrtb commandment.
Ilo Sabbath is not . mere memorial of tho croa-
ton. or Of tho dolivcrauca from Egypt, Of Of the
| resurrection, but m imitation Of what God had
donc. Man was 70 keep ono tay In group Of
seveu days. .......
an askod By what authority tho observance
OF the Babbath weR changed from tho seventh to
tho first day Of the weak. It is assumed BY
those who nsk the question that II tla day Is
thus changed wo must oonslder tho Sabbath
simply jewish institution.
Nov I admit; with the = most thofo',s!l;eolns
urs o hc M saSD. ' do nos sas IT,
however. tLo idea that any special twouty-four
hours Of tho wonl Ia intrinslca!ly holy. do
not admit that tho sabbath kept originally by
Adam aud his Immediate posterity began .. The
salnD tme as tho Sabbath Joined upon tho
1ow1sh nation.
suppoao It WAS trle then as II Is now, that no
one waa III possession of tho knowledge whore
tho Garden OF Eaen was, md consequently no
computed his acvon days. Wo arc not told 10
tho Divine record that tho account Of weeks had
boon actually kept from tho creation to tho do
.a5 from Eps Tss not ard
means rest. This rcst dny could not tnclndo
the same tirno all ovcr slic world. Each degree
OF longitude mAses u difference. Tno persons
stngting from tho eansc point 10 opposite aireo-
tons, Oue going east tho other vest, would hhYo
dIfyornnt days whom they moet At tho nntipodeB.
1utrinBcal!y, therefore. ono portion Of natural
time cannot bo ao!fcr than hnother. The COM
nana to Keep The seventh d.y, therefore, what.
only mean to tho world in general ono d1y In
Beyen.
Without calling tho Sabbath Noaalo inatltu-
ton, or giving the least color to such All idea, I
u nntion should toop tho epcclal day
Of tho Heven which was enjoincd upon thom
was owing to tho fact {aH I tako tt) that on that
particular day tho Lori delivered tlom FROM tho
Tho Now Testament ia silent about change
Of days. Undoubtedly the SAviot'e recognition
of tho neoossity OF the Sabbath was equivalent to
q command to kcop IT. He doubtless observed
tho sabbatg ~ kept by the Jews, not rs they OBJ
ani loyo npon that day fhe Apostloa do.btloss
observed tho aame Sabbath, hes,re and ess:.r tie
resurrection T.. Cur Lord, aH would DO
patnEa to,r to snpnoss; But after H. h.
worship voEo hold on the arst day OF the veeh
(see Acts. H.. II; l. Cor, xvi 2i, and this was
doubttosB for tho reason that o1lr Lord roso from
tho dead On tho first day Of tho weok--tho eighth
day. Aud on swo other occasions when tho DIE
ciplc1 wore assembled on Tho frat day Of tho
woek 1Io appeared to thom (aoo John, 11, 1896.
Tho Holy Ghost WAS poured ont on tho day of
pontccost, which was dnubt,ess tho first day Of
tho week, although division Of opinion exists
The carly Christian Church seems gradually to
lIavo obHessod tho frat day Of tho week instead
Of the aoscntb, evidently regarding THO fact OF
Al,y it shonld msIk which day Of she seven was
to be considered holy. by tlls last OF tho SOC
ond century or in lilo curly part Of thc third
centuEy, tho custom he1mB to havo bcen gonDral.
Constantine. by . formal act in tito yenr a2l,
mndo law for tho proper observance Of Buu-
day. The name Sunflay was dorisod from tho
Hnn's-,lay. tho day, it III true, Of ! heathon OBJ
ject Of worship. Iut 1t must alHays ba renom-
IN spS Of he n fs0Ess III. %1as @ y 9as
mako Huuday tor thu ilrat time constitute tho
Christian sahbath, but simply 1ceognlxed sho
fGcs Of tho observance Of that day FROM the
Apostles down to hta oTu time.
and moral beuc1ta which arc TO 30 secured by
tho observance Of tho Bab1ath., Will. not
trAycrso that ground again.. but olmply remark
that a whole volume could DO filed Wtll quota
physlo,ogists respecting tho necessity for Til
day OF rcat None OF my roviewarB laJo denied
It's value in fact, all have admitted Il.
Its absolute ncceRslty for maDs woll-being
demonstrates Its morality and justifea tho COM
InanA for lts observance nmonG Tie universal
! and niI- binding prscopts Of tho. DeeaIogue.
Cotnbo, 10 l.A work on the constitution OF nunn,
has eoyatod natural Laws, or the laws OF nature
relating to our physical being, TO !he rank Of
| ,uoral lnwB, and for this ho las boon criticised
by Christian writer's. nnt cannot SOC how
any ono carefully considering tho claims Of the
| sabbath can deny to thop, the highest moral
quality.
| Idwolt It leucth In my first sermon Upon what
| considered to bn most wanson desecratlo1 OF
| tho Sabbath in our city. by tho tun-
hing Of sunday theatYos. One Of my roylawere
considered my lreatmons Of tie subject unfAir,
oeealisa dwolt upon tie fact that tho plays At
tho snnday thoalres Aze iMpurs and co1rupting
to moraH. 1ts contends that, ''lf those plays
are Of TINT charactor, THAR presentation on my
day OF tho week IL wrong, aud should bo dts-
/ couutcnanccd."
Ico1tnln!y did not intend 10 give couutonanoo
] to tho idea that such pluys would be right on