The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1879-09-17

ture. Mankind cannot do without the
Christian Sabbath, because they cannot
do without religion And Just here it is
proper to remark, that in those countries
where Sunday amusements are in vogue,
Sunday work is also. Break down the
sacredness of the day, and it becomes Ill
timately more a day of toll than day of
recreation, while vital religion disappears
altogether. Dilute the Sabbath with
worldliness, and you in the same proper
ton dilute and corrupt religion. Give
one half of the day to secular thought,
reading and chat,-to mere worldly social
converse and visiting, or other worldly
amusements, to say nothing Of worldly
business or travel, and you detract from
the day more than one half of its holy in
huence. You endanger the whole Be
cause the wholesome impressions derived
from the religious services of the morn
ing are effaced and lost through the world
illness of the evening. The individual
Christian needs the whole day, devoted
to religion, in order to his OWE growth in
grace. Misspent Sabbath evenings go far
to account for the dwarfed growth Of
many Christians Parents cannot afford
to dispense with their Sabbath evenings
for the religious instruction of their chill
dren, without which this sacred duty must
be neglected And the tnconverted need
to keep their Sabbath evenings, lest they
'let slip" the great salvation.
Therefore, dear Christian brethren, re
call that rule of Sabbath-keeping which
you learned in your childhood, and both
teach it to your children, and maintain it
in your families The Sabbath is to be
sanctifed by holy resting all that day,
even from such worldly employments and
recreations as are lawful on other days,
and spending the whole time in the pub
lie and private exercises of God S worship,
except 50 much as is to be taken up in the
works of necessity and mercy. This is
but a Just exposition of the commandment,
Remember the Sabbath day to keep it
holy, wherefore the Lord blessed
the Sabbath day and hallol0ed it. The
intermission of secular work, so carefully
enjoined, is evidently with view chiefly
to the sacred uses Of religion to which
the time thus taken from the world is to
be devoted. The words of God by Isaiah
| lisa. lviii Is, IA, are plainly to the same
effect" If thou turn away thy foot from
the Sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on
my holy day; and call the Sabbath a de
light, the holy of the Lord, honorable
and shalt honor him, not doing thine own
ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor
speaking thine own words: then shalt
thou delight myself in the Lord, &C.
Wherefore, dear brethren, we exhort you
to be upon your guard. The enemy is
mastering his forces and putting forth his
strength against this vital institution OF
our holy religion Rev5Se, in the light OF
Gods word, your methods, heretofore, OF
observing the Lords day. In the name
of the most precious interests Of religion
and humanity, we appeal to you to rally,
along with your fellow-christians through
out the land, to the defence of this bull
wark of Christianity. Lift on high the
banner of the holy Sabbath, and come
up to the help of the Lord against the
mighty" Help with all your might, by
the influence of a consistent example, to
maintain the Lords day, and to make it
the unspeakable blessing to society, to
yourselves personally y, and to your house
holds, both for time and for eternity,
which it was appointed to be, and has
ever been when sacredly kept, The grace
of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all
JAMES R. CREWS, Moderator.
Br1ery Church. Aug. 30th, 1879.