St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1876-06-16


And Jesus said unto them The sabbath was
made fol man. and not for the sabbath. =
Marx ii, 81
God made man first ; then instituted
aids to his highest welfare according
to his nature and need. The family
and the sabbath day were given to him
earliest because they were needed then.
God gave to man his law and his word.
He ordained the Church and civil gov
eminent for him as Indispensable means
for his protection aud well-bcing and
happiness.
These divine institutions were not
made, and then man created to serve
them, but man first, then all these to
minister unto him. Important thoughts
lie in germ in the text.
The Sabbath Was given To man as
man. 1t was not for jew OF Gentle OF
Greek alone, but for mankind. 1t came
not for one age or dispensation. II was
before all dispensatiOns, and includes
them all.
The assertion that the sabbath in its
spirit and idea is for the Jews only,
and ends with them, has no shadow OF
foundation. 1t would be- us true to say
that the sunlight aud air are for them
only.
The Sabbath day was designed to he
mans helper III the attainment OF the
great end of his being. The Lords day
is not yoke put upon man with griev-
Gus and buritnSOme ceremonies to bt
borne. Ii was not intended that man
should lie victim and slave to its OBJ
servance. 1t WAS made to foster pictN
and goodness, and not forms and aus
terities. Love is above crremonial>.
1t is not the Sabbath day that God is
building mp and protecting, but man
1t is Il scatfolding raised to carry ny
man, Gods Spiritual building, and man
is to keep it, as an evidence that ht
loves and honors God, and in such {;
way as to show the world that he does
reverence God, and desire, tilSt of all
to please and obey him.
The Sabbath is founded on law al
our nature, and adapted to our wants
1t is not an arbitrary enactment t" show
oil Gods authority, and rein man ul
once in seven days to definite acts %
obedience, 10y the lash of power. God
ordained it hrciIISr man needed it. 1t
Was made to tit Il want. II had Il plac,
in mans constitution before il had {;
place in Gods word. Ii is the voice ot
God, becausc it is he voice of truth
81 nothing can take its place.
The sabbath is universal and pcrpet
ual, because mans need Is universal and
perpetual. 1t can never lie abr"gated
ur outgrowu, III made unimpnrtant. till
the nature of man. which requires il, Is
changed.
The sabbath is the gift of bcnev"lcnct
to man. The Church of God is not IL
work house, nor is the Sabbath IL police
man, picking up beef drinkers and base
ball players for the lock up 1t i an
angel with ii golden key to lead them
into the upper stories of THEN being and
bring them into communion with God
and their better selves. Ii is Il gift
which reveals the wonderful gondn,>>
of God. The Sabbath is Gods weekly
Jubilee. His silver trumpet sounds
that the weary and the t"il-woIn may
rest, and all the oppressed and heavy
laden 20 free.
The Sabbath, having its foundation
in mans nature, can never Ice shaken
off or disregar,lcd but to mans harm,
any more than the habit of sleep itself
which God has provided t"r, although
some. in their haste to get rich. try 1,
do both. We may Sneer at the Pill
grinIs and Covcn;InierS and Iluyuenots
for their love of Gods day, hut all OF
truth that they had is truth still
whether we like II or not and will lie
main truth forever.
We may throw off the religious th"'t,
and habits of our childhood. and de
sp>e our training, but We cannot
throw of our obligations to duty. al
change its nature. The right way will
he the right way still, and the wron.
way, wrong.
A man may say, Il do not care any
thing about geometry and the laws al
nature They are old fashioned notions
| have got beyond them. | will con
struct my house as | please. vii
build in the sand, and it shall he til,
largest at the top, hDwing over toward.
the sunny south" But Il man must
build his house 10y geometry and the
laws of nature, OF it will fall. Cod,
laws will assert their power and pull ii
down as sue as the suns rise and set
So of this moral life of ours; il must
conform to divine principles, aud he IN
accordance with the unchangimg truths
of God. ar it will fall, and great will he
the fall of it.
The sabbath is a divine institution
having its right to be, IN the natu ot
things. We need not, therefore. he
concerned to take care of it. Ii rests
in immutahle truth, and cannot be per
manently overturned. Our concern
should he as to whether We will allow
it to take care of Us. 1t does not need
Us, but We need it, and must have its
full power in our lives. or we are dwarf
ed When men say, We care nothing
for the Sabbath. let it Ice deSecrated. it
is not the Sabbath that they harm, but
themselves. They cannot afford to he
without its influence.
Its obligations rest upon all men
alike, whether Christians or not, be-
cause | am Il protesting Christian, and
have not an iOta more need of it, or III
terest in it, or duty toward it, than
those who are not Christians.
Those who have no care for the day
are indeed the ones most vitality con
cerned to keep it. If the Sabbath he
ovrrridden, it is these despiSers of the
Sabbath who will he the great and il
reparable losers. They cry ont against
Chl istians as the enemies of their free
dom and happiness, when it is their
own citadel that is crumbling, and
Christians would save it. DO we. as Il
nation. need the Christian sabbath
Yes; We cannot afford to lose what il
is commissioned of God to give. The
Lords day must Toe IA holy day or Il hol-
iday il round ball will not stop hall
way down hill. The sweet truth ot
God must prevail in the home, in wor-
ship and service, OF the theater and
saloon and gross, drunken sports will
prevail.
We need the Sabbath for the body
1t remakes man, and fits him for bust
....-... L. r..tnl.u. Lii. ,,.I.tnl 49,