The Portland daily press., 1878-07-16
THE SUNDAY QUESTION.


The most that Can be said for modernized
Sabbath may be found in sermon reported
for the PRESS of ths 9th inst. But that SER
mon contains some remarkable reasoning. At
ter the proposition that the Christian Sunday
has no dependence on the Decalogae, the state
ment is made that in mau's natural and in-
herent necessity there may be need of diviue
behest, Remember one day in seven and set it
apart
What need of controversy if the law be writ
ten in natural religion so as to be plainly seen
and read there? A divine behest declared
through nature is authoritative and binding.
Let us obey it. But after this admission the
gentleman grants the right to man to use the
Sunday as they please, subject to moral de-
cency and high and noble reflections, sin the
fields, on the waves and in the churches"
What need OF diyiGe behest for man to use
the Sabbath as any other dag? What need of
special decree if no special sanctity attaches
to the institution? 1t is more consistent to say
that the whole matter has been left to mans
Judgment and incliualions. The reasoning is
remarkable from the tiki taka1. "Tle SAB.
bath was was mads for mal." What .obath
was made for mau? Who made it? When
was it made? Christ doesn'G say, Il make a
Sabbath for man or Sabbath shall be made
for man." but "The Sabbath scas ma le for
man." Then the old Sabbath was the Sabb 18th
referred to and not modernized Sabbath.
The old Sabbath; the institution of Genesis, of
Exodus, Leviticus and d 3uteronomY,wss made
for man. That was the one m, ,ie, and no 9th
or has ever been made 90 take its place; and
strict as it was and as exact as its requirements
are, it was m ade for nan. When kept by the
ancient Hebrews as epjoined by the law; when
observed as set forth 10 Leviticus xiii, it was
then for man. Christ did ut say that the
old institution was a failure or that it wasn't
fit for the future. he said it was made for
man and he left it for man. The Sabbath was
made for man in the beginning; perpetuated
through the theocrscy and was incorporated
into the gospel for msn; for his moral eleva-
tion and Improvement; for ais devotons and
and as a help to true manhood aud better
life, made for man to use for Godwafd purposes
and to sacredly observe. 1t was this idea of
Sabbath a means; the original teaching that
Christ emphasized. That means was certainly
not for mans pleasure irrespective of the great
thought OF worship and 'holy couvocaton,
of spiritual i'm prOvement. 10 the same sense
that the gospel was given, was the Sabbath
made for mans moral AID physical develop
ment. The controversy was not over seventh
of worship but with the Pharisees for making
an end out of thing that was made for
means. The old Sabbath admitted works of
mercy and necessity. These were a part of the
Sabbath institution The killing of the sscri-
| fees and services of the altar were pracuced
The removing of beasts from peril and discom
future was pei emitted But the Pharsees SEEM
ed to forget man for whom the Sabbath was
made, aud allowed him to suffer On Sabbath
| ground. This was not the the teaching of
Moses and the prophets. For this error Christ
| rebuked them. Will any one presume that the
rebuke was for too worsbipful spirit. The
whole trouble was that the Pharisees were cou-
tending for the letter of a thing, the spirit of
which they cared nothing about. "The Sab
bath was made for man." more liberal ex-
| egesis than that Of the sermon would be, that
| the Sabbath which had been peculiar to the
Hebrews so long was made not only for them
| but for man, for the whole world; that the
day of which the Hebrews were the
| sole custodians was now by the coming of the
| Gospel to all lands TO be not only the heritage
| OF one geople but the institution of the whole
| world. The son of man is Lord also of the
Sabbath aud makes the revelation that the
| Sabbath was made for all. The son of man
| came to release religion from the bonds OF
| Pharsaical bigotry and to bear the truth ard
the blessings of worship TO the Gentiles and to
the entire world: He is Lord also of the Sab.
bath, Zone of the greatest of those religious
blessings) and teaches that it was not made for
the Hebrew alone, but for man. His case of
healing was an illustration of that fact.
If you take the saying in the wide sense in
which Sabbath defamers use it; if you make it
teach that new Sabbath has been made for
man the case remains the san e. What Christ
made forsman is for his highest good; for his
improvement and salvation; for him to
thoughtfully use aud not to thoag frit-
ter away. Then the Sabbath is to bless man,
bless his spirit by separating him for a period
| OF time from care and toll and frivolity, and BY
bringing him into thoughtful. reflective and
| worshipful attitude; for mans body by afford
ing rest, recuperaton, by allowing the reservoirs
| to ill up for another weeks toll
Now these ends are fully met in the Chris
tian Sabbath as it has been abserved in New
ENGLAND for the past generations The church
OF God. the domestic altar, the quiet of the
house afford these two-fold blessings to the
largest degree. The distraction of excursions,
the pursuit of sensual amusements-idle and
listless pastime-on "rvers and in fields" are
not eminently devotional They are not
sought by the masses for the pious influences
Ihls is hot public sc eminent A steeple ou the
SABBATH desecrating steamer GaZelle would be
ABOUT as appropriate as steam whistles on the
| churches,
Great stress is laid upon the Sabbath excur.
Slon and retreat OF wood and wave for bodily
Improvement. The poor laborer must have
release and rest. But the facts are against
this argument. The churches and the quiet OF
the mouse, the variety of worship and the
oomestlc circle are the most conducive to the
laborlng mans physical improvement. In all
OF our churches are large numbers of working
men VINO are strict in Sabbath observance
They are the heartiest and most hopeful the
most industrious and successful workmen iT
the communits'' Monday morning thew returr