The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1878-05-19
THE SABBATH.
CHARGE OF BISHOP WILMER, DELIy-
Erred BEFORE THE THIRTY SEW
ENTH COUNCIL OF THE DIOCESE OF
LOUISIANA, 1873.

Erred BEFORE THE THIRTY-SEV-
ENTH COUNCIL OF THE DIOCESE OF
LOUISIANA, 1878.
Delivered at Trinity Church, New Orleans.
You are not ignorant that one of the canons
of this Church makes it the duty OF the Bishop
now and then to deliver a charge to the
Churches under his jurisdiction. No Office
more solemnly reminds us of our RESPONSE
bility to watch for souls as they that must
give account 1t Is not humility In q bishop
to remain silent In the presence Of surround
ing errors and abuses. No meek utterances
discaiming the right to speak authoritntively
for the Church will excuse him from defend !
ing the truth when it Is endangered. Ii not
equal to this responsibility, he is in the wrong
place.
This boldness in the Faith was never more
necessary than In dealing with the subject
chosen for this occasion, q subject too often
treated with irreverence bordering on pro-
family. Our subject is the Lords day. Our
humble endeavor will be to prove the obliga-
ton resting upon Christians to protect this
day from Dissertation and to aid in giving
effect to its gracious designs for the good OF
mankind
OF all religious institutions, the Sabbath is
the oldest. Fresh from the hands of it's
Maker, the earth was not permitted to go
forth on its sublime mission, until it was con-
secrated for its task. The seventh day WAS
reserved to be q sacred day for this purpose.
Adam, on the morning after his birth, was
summoned to OfiCatc as the priest OF Crea-
ton His first act was the celebration Of the
Sabbath.
He had not entered upon his work of tiIing
the ground when he was awakened to wei
come the dawn of day Of rest. With the
congregated tribes Of creation around him,
he Inaugurated the day-to be kept holy to
the Lord.
There was never week since our race was
| created that had not Its Sabbath. 1t was
made for man-not for men of one race or
nation and while the race lives the day will
| live Not all the unrighteousness Of the days
1 before the flood could effaCe it from the cal
endar Noah recognized it when he sent forth
the dove at the end of seven days, until the
receding flood allowed it place to build its
nest Job recognized 1t when he refused to
speak until he had waited seven days to
the friends who wept with him In his sorrow
Learned men have shown that the septenary
division of time was recognized over the East
ern world. Assyrians, Egyptians, Arabians,
| Persians, nearly all the ancfents, made use Of
n week Of seven days. Distinctly the Sabbath
was an established institution among the
Israeites before Moses was born. He adj
dressed them as a historian before he spoke
to them MS q law-giver: "To-morrow Is the
Sabbath ofthe Lord" DO you need other proof
that this day, was recognized law in the
wilderness. The proof is not wanting. Along
their journey from Egypt the people were,
day by day INTERNATIONALLY fed with mama
On the sixth day the ration was doubled, that
there might remain no pretext for work on
/ the Sabbath The DecalOgue Is at length an
nounced and tradition becomes law. The
most remarkable attestation TO the Sabbath
is the Ten Commandments which were made
n law to the 1sraelites, and, through them, to
all nations
AS long as Jesus lived on earth the ancient
Sabbath was of binding force and obligation.
He gave 1t honor. There was not an act Of His
life which shows any design to abr0gate this
ordinance or violate its authority. His rever-
ence for the day stood out before all men, dis
tinctly but sobcrly, as If he felt that the
strength within it needed no fiction or exag-
geration to sustain its dignity. He was &C
cused at one time Of healing the sick on the
Sabbath day, and again of straying into the
field to appease the hunger Of His disciples
which only shows that no accusation more Sc
rious could be laid to His charge After the
closest scrutiny which watchful spleen ana
hoary malice could apply to His conduct, no
other act could be detected which impinged
upon the jealous and superstitious regard for
this institution. How circumspect was His
walk and conversation on this day, when He
never gave occasion for OffenSe except when
to keep the Sabbath day in their sense was to
profane it and to profane everything else that
was good in humanity. He did more than alb
stain from olfense. In nothing was Jesus more
careful to fulfill all righteousness. His custom
was to enter the synagogue on the Sabbath day
and stand up to read 1t was out of respect
for the sacredneSs of the day that He said
pray ye that your flight be not in the winter
or on the Sabbath day"
And if a more effective proof is wanted, He
chose this day for His rest in the grave. Not
until that day had expired was the seal
J broken and the stone rolled from His sepuI-
chre. This was, in truth, the worlds last
Sabbath. The day was entombed with its
Lord, but only to rise to new dignity and
honor. With the next day new dispense
ton arose, and His name and spirit Shone
through it. a spiritual dispensatioa; every
thing is to be spiritualized one by one; every
institution and rite which pertained to the
Jewish nation resigned its authority. The
temple fastened tOits destruction, having ful
filled its end The Passover and animal sac
rifices shared the same fate. The seventh day
not being Jewish institution, was to resign
its Jewish antecedents onl Y not its identity as
divine ordinance, to be kept in everlasting
! remembrance. Having been encountered witt
Jewish superSttiOnS = having indeed beer
wreSted from it's gracious design for the re-
lief of man, to become the nursery of intOler
ance and superstition, there was no reason
, that 1t should not be changed moved for
ward, If only for one day, that the new dis
pensation should not be confounded with th'
old. There had been like change in every
thing else why not in this care being takeI
that it breathe the same spirit; Baptism hat
taken the place of circumciSiOn-th hOl,
, eucharist of the passover. In the same spiri
the day Of ChriSt's resurrection, called TIN
Lords day succeeded to all the honor'
, which crowned the seventh day of the week
, thus verifying the promise that "Old thing
have passed away behold all things becom
new"
At what time this transition took place ant
the Sabbath ceased to be observed is no
. ceased to be observed But with a unanimit,
!, wonderful to think Of, and a sympathy 70
3 the consciences Of the weak, which made tn
2 change almost imperceptble, the Christian
: Church asserted Jurisdiction over ancient in
stitutons until everything was Christianize'