, 1879-01-19

HlarhcQ ulueTencc between that given in ExOdu
aud that nat in Deuteronomy. In the latter t.cr
thou; for thou shalt remember that thou vast
bondnan in Egypt, aud the Lord delivered thee
Therefore, thou shalt rcst.n Moses in one cas-,
LETT out the creative season and inserted th,
other. Ihe true season, however, for the Sab
BATH tay IN the nature Of the thing. One
seventh part Of mans time was to b.
redeemed from toll. Rest, rest was thu
primary idea. Continuity within bounds
was success, beyond them it was 1ail
uIc. man could not be
man.. So onc-third Of every man's life was to
be Sabbath, rcst-a rest unto man, unto nn
tnre, and as-God said it-unto God. Expert.
etce had showed that one days rest in seven
did not cmbarrass industry, aud that the human
system required about that rest. While nc had
one Jay OF rest, so FAR as the Ten Command
u1ents went, there was not a word OF worship.
Our idea was that we must wash aud comb, aud
60 to church and Keep tue day as straight as
possible; deriving the tdea from the P1ritans
strained Through New England. This was not
the Jewish ide:- Rest from Horkwas the priua-
tive injunction. It carried with it, however,
more than the mere cessation OF toll. It was
the foundation OH which was to be built protec-
ton to the sacred rights Of individuality. The
parttcutarity wSs observable: .Thou-thc
daughter, nor thS man servant, nor thy maid
SERVANT" and it went on to,have humanity on
the inferior creation. Having thus given one
seventh immunity to all the mans household,
and his horse and dog, then came the
stranger who was to be treated III that
respect Tue same as ourselves. The
kitchen =, and parlor stood on the same foot
Ing. The democracy Of Mount Sinai was one
which would make great revolution if spread
abroad. They we're to have compassion and re-
.,,' member ttlat they were strangers in Egypt.
This was the spirit not only Of Moses but OF the
Hebrew people. All through, there were rising
OF prophets aud judges who lwelt on the hti-
manlty Of the law. Read in Amos, eighth chap
ter: Hear this. o ye'that swallow up tic
mccoy, even to make the poor OF the land to fail,
saying, When will the new moon be gone, that
We may, sell corn aud the Sabbath, that VIC may
set forth the wheat, making the cpEal small
and the silccl great, and fnlsifying the balances
by deceit: That VIC may buy the poor for silver
aud the needy fora pair shoes yea, and sell the
refuse Of the wheat? Shall not the land trcm
bic for thfsF'' Tre,nblc for what. For tech
1lical violation OF the Sabbath! No, but for u
Violation OF it tn opprcss the poor und needy
There YVES never 4 book 50 anti-1nonarcl,ical as
the Old Testament. It was true it was like an
old pasture held, that required to be plowcd, but
only that we might gct more out Of it. [scnsa-
tion.J
Jesus Christ rose and condemned the iuhu-
manity OF technical observance of the Sabbath,
My father workctn hitherto " on SUNDAY; and
were not all the activities Of nature going on
manty, not Of care, ot the everlasting grinding
of Industries, but to give the poor workingman
rest Mr.. Beccl,er wouldn't stop to tell them
about the nonsensical wrang'ing that hAd taken
place as to when the Sabbath beean and ended,
and what i man might do and not do, and SO
On. One-scventh part Of time was defended
against greed and toll. When Sabbath came
father and son were alike before God. the
poorest man WAS tho equal of tho richest, aud
he stood I'D in his full manhood. Every seventh
Cf,s4a mil f> %f.1
- I release you, and this is your rest" There
were many ways in which man might lie op-
pressed. The Confession Of Faith and the
ca1cch!sm might make man sweat us we'll as
the plow and the sa1. Mr.. Beechcr's carly Sab
baths were full Of beauty, SO far as nature went,
and II be could have been taken and led ny the
hand into the fields be would have been blessed
indeed; but alas for the catech;sm, and the din
aers he didn't get because he couldn't lcurn it
ailu the room he was shut in until he did learn
t, and the little legs that dang'ed over the
ong bench ana the cary sermon. However
beautiful the Sabbath sun rose, there was no
Inc that said to It 4: its close with greater clce
han Mr.. Bcecber did: "Good rlddance to YOU"
Nature, when once we understood that it was
he voice Of God, came to us with the power Of
he question whether Saturday or Sunday should
,c observed, it must be noticed that ii was not
lie special day, but the seventh part that was to
,e observed. 1t was desirable that it should fall
ID one day in nation, and that tho law should
'roteet It, but i was Of no Importance On what
lay it fell. The only obligation to obscrvea
sunday was that which came to us through M
urc, 70: the sake Of ourselves, OUT children,
ur servants, and the stranger. Civilization had
oade the rest more ncedful than ever. It was
lot now merely the bone and muscle, but the
rain and the affection. The industry of the
'or!d was such that tho vast majority were en-
loved in drudgcrics. Men were working like |
machines. They lind no capital. All they got |
7as bresd aud water and raitnent. They drove
he shuttle aud saw the garments come forth, |
ut not for them. There never was time when !
he wor'singn1an more demanded rest; when |
he man coIld come out from the mine, and the |
u,ithy, and the mill, and the dusty clods, and |
reathe the purer air.
There was absolute remorse1essncss III these |
rcat cities. Industry WAS so vast that it was
lie treadtnill-Lmust 60 on. Everybody was
'orn aud 1adci, until the face wore out There |
'as nothing needed more than rest. But rest |
id not OF necessity mean non-laboriousness.
It. Bcechcr did not hold Puritan Views ol Sum
gainst Sunday railroads he refused, because he
i'll not wish to shut of the country from city
oilers. When 1t was proposed to open libraries |
nd picture galleries Oil Sunday. he adyocatclit it.
Le believed In 4 larger Sabbath. He did not
c1ieye that rich people did well who lived so
Ugh on Sunday as to give no rest to their |
7ryants. lie did not mean that hotels should
OF be Kept open, or that trains should not run. |
ct there should be relays. This rule was ob-
eryed BY the ferry company, who therein set
oad example. Every servant, every cook, every |
oy should have part OF Sunday and whole |
ay'6'r rest some day in the week. It was often
lid that it was better for the ]aborer
gu into the country on the Sunday
IAN to church. II it Was choice be-
seen staying shut up in rarret or cellar.
I'd tho country, let him 60 But was that the
ast way Tor labor!ng man to resta What we !
anted for rest was variety, ,.to develop that not
.yclopeu through the six days. To give the
all who bad to work each day something to |
link about was the idea. The gathering Of !
cn fur worship, its social aims anu its songs,
ere Of great value. Men, however, we're nut to |
tied up. Christ went to 4 feast on the Sab
:h, but now lie would be turned out Of the |
or q eou,,cl Of ministers would he |
He'd tn discipline Him. How good it Was, dur
g INC rest oi Sabbath, for man To become |
tter acquainted with LIS children and wife. |
INC got vi, early and attended to their tleyo- |
ons, then 70 church, then to S;lnday-schoul, |
en- to prayer-1nectINg, thca to church, and the
'or camel was burtlenel with observance. This !
IS because Of a lack OF distribution. We we're
base the Sabbath on an experience four thou |
nd years deep. Circumcision had gonc tho |
,oking sacrifice had gone, :hc elaborate service
the temple bad gone; but, like the pillar Of |
c, Ibis day OF rest continued aud led on To civ
cation. 1t came to us with oil Intelligence | ,
eater than the voices OF Siuai, anil it WAS for
to send it down the ages until the earthly
bbath should be blended With the rest of etcr-
y.
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