The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1881-03-16
Plymouth Pulpit;
SABBATH
Sermon by Henry Ward Beecher.
Humanity and Spirituaiity-Love to
God and Love to Man-The Exams
Die Of our Saviour,

God and Love to Man-The Exams
pie of our Saviour.
"And he said INTO them, The Sabbath was m'do for
man, and not man for the Snbbath."-Mark H., II
The very genius Of Ghrist's ministry lay In the uni.
ty Of the two great slemonta, humanity and spiritual.
~. Those oorrespund with philosophical accuracy to
to bis definition Of universal duty, love to God and
love to man. There we have spirituality in our love
toward God. and humanity In our love toward our fcl-
low men. These wo never discovered In bis minis
try; nor was one unbalanced by or sacrificed In the
slightest degree to the other. No tendency toward re.
liglon In tho form Of aspiration which fed itself ut the
expense Of men, was ever permitted BY him. No In
~stitution was 50 sacred In his eyes rs that It should have
hand, no mnnlity was BY him regarded as Of any sui.
Hcit ncy which did not elevate tho disposition, the i'm
~agination and the reason 10 the highest range Of spirit.
nal conception,
by every one until It should be 50 observed rs ~ CRAM
men, to Cypress them, to hinder them; and then It was
to be set A.lds. The controversy In regard IN the sab
bath was going on during many parts Of Chrlsts life.
most popular Of duties. 1t waa then, as largely It has
boon since, . work not Of humanity. but Of supersti-
ton; and we very much misconceive the example OF our
Shvlourif We suppose that the continual rebukes which
he gave to Sxbbanriansw were designed to inhlct q fa:al
wound upon The Sabbath day. He WIS simply atteint.
Ing to liberatc the Sabbath from the abuse Into which
the rich and comfortable classes had brought II by their
selfshness, making 1t o day Of oppression end even OF
wrong.
1t was declared by our Saviour TINT the sabbath, as
ono institutisn-and no doubt the same enunciation
would have been made II there had bsen occasion for
1t In rcgurd to other iastItntions-was made for men.
It Is his servant. lie IL tho master OF 1t. Clothes ure
made for men, not men for clothes, though sometimes
one would be- tempted to hold tue other opinion, Al
laws. all institutions, nil things are subject to the vel.
man l., the chief, tho highest created thing In this
world. Before him everything must bow down and
humble itself. Ashs Is the master, and everything 10
bis servant, nothing Is good except that which does
good to him, and nothing Is right except that which
serves him. M government, no policy, no usage, no
tenure Of property, nothing that Is fund BY universal
experience to be, on the wSOle, dangerous to man, has
any claim or right to continue It's existence. The test
Is thi,; that which rleyatos inen 10 divine; and that
which 0ppresses, hurts, limits, restrains, cramps TER re-.
presses men IL nOtof God and no enaciments Of long
tenure can make II So.
This, Of course, will throw some light on the suhjec,
OF the text.
TIE JEWS HELD
that the seventh day, the last day OF The
Christians kept both days: but gradually, In the lapse
uf ages, they dropped the Jewish Sabbath. The early
Christians were largely Jews; and they thereiore
threw into the first day of the week, which was ChrIst's
day, or the Lords day, al the function which before
In their history, had been divided between the two
days. Then the first :lay vf the week became the
Sabbath, or the rest.day : and the jew recalcitiated
anil We have to-day q sect, to say nothing Of sects, that
make IL D punt VI COu6ClcuCe W 30 UuCk nSaIU W tue
seventh day, They are called "scvsn,heDay Bah
lists" There are several other scots OF the same
mini and | am pcrpetually having tracts sent to Inc
with most luxurious trxtual proofs, arguing that the
As If that had any thing to do with iii al II the vir
tue uf tho day consisted In the particular one that was
selected. and not In the fact Of having q whole dry fui
rest and for spiritual Improvement
What wa want In u day Of rest, OF which | shall
speak in q moment, Is such q surcease Of all ordinary
excitement rs shall give ~ men u day Of education an,
Of culture; aud II one ninn takes Monday. another
Tuesday, another Wednesday, and 8" on through tbt
week., there Can be no cessation. no pause VI bushes,
In the community ut large. Therefore
IT rs DESIRABLE
that one day should be chosen, and should be common
to all. l would just as lief 60 hack To the seventh day
All | mex l., that there should be one common day II
docs not matter The turn Of q hand to rue WHITTIER It'll
the seventh or the arst day. II the Jews outnnmLcr.
I'll the Christians, and we stood In the same relation tr
them which they do to us, ] should say, Let then
have their day" | should fall in with It; and I say u
my kinslnen and brethren In Jesus Chris, as well MS In
Abraham, and lsu.c and Jacob, "Slnce the mrj"rity o.
your fellows hold the first day OF the week to be the
The proper day for universal res, why not accept that
day = 1t Is Just as long rs It Is broad. Three million.
~ Jews and hundreds VI millions Of Christians live In
the world and II there Is to be o change and cosles
crncc 1t Is rational that II should com h0m the mi
nority, unless there Is . peculiar .anctity and divinity
In q cri tain day Of the week which there is not. |
say this in oil frankness but l say It also with al
kindness.
First,therc Is to he bodily rest. w.II,thousands Of y"u
do not ne, d It, There nro thousands Of men who need
lust the other thing they sleep too much they cal
tW mnch they se still tho tnnch thoy do not gel
tired enough; they hide their faces behind their furs
90 that the north wind cannot find them out. They
are comparatively speaking self-indulg"nt suggards
And when sunday c"i!c: srcind, what kind Of Est du
they want bring stupid already with rest! But that
/. not the ease, thark God, with tfe great mass %
what are called 'the unfortunate classes" whom | call
the fortunate classes namely. men that are born poor
Poverty II ruth. r A lean wife for q man to take, but Il
Is one u tho best that a man ever dill take; for 80 II
human nature, thrL urlcss 1t be sharply child at every
single point by zoe pressure Of necessity, 1t Is SELF In.
dnIgent. Men lrvc to DO lszy. Moses stuart said thai
laziness WAS 'nrre. fnurthS VI total del,ravity. Blrssct
are they tba' are born under necessity, under the lash
which drlYe, them to thought, to invention, TO perse
vcrnncc, to economy, To foresight and 10 prudence, 81
the very conditions Of their "ir.
In every cnihrunity-in the best communities, am
In those less favored, down to the grea
mass Of the hnrnaa family are toilsrs and It 10 a ben
ehictIon Of God upon mankind II for them there sh.l
BE- me day out Of every seven which Is an absolute W
catiun; when The steers are unyok. d, the IlUw lies Il
the furrow. the wheel no lunger creaks nnder the axle
the smithy Is silent and cold, the chain Is no lOnyei
dragged. and out Of the mine md the factory are tn,
poor. unwushed. grimy ar:!sans. There Is one day II
which men can come forth, and be under the DUNN.
Ion Of NO lash, and under the regimen Ut no factory
on THAT DAY THEY ARE THEIR OWN.
In regard to this vast maturity Of the human family
mere resting Is q henedictiUn. Millions and millions %
rnen are all the time 30 near IN truutle that trouble
thruws darkness on their horizon, and the sun hardly
ever shines through II. 1t Is q great thing for men 4
have one day In which, emerging from under the cun
troll of their master. they have their own time, and tn,
d, light OF some innocent sat- s~factlons gllmmers befOi,
them. On such q day rs this IL Ia no small means 0
grace for millions 0f men In this world ~ have o chanc,
~ wash themselves clean. You smile; but washing Il
one Of the most important ordinances Of GUi to THU
human family. II Is said that cleanliness Is next h
H. --k - -. Hk.k Il. I'LL. k.k q - . - III,
are on their way toward Eudliness. When Knners ART
converted, they are called "shirt men" because wher
the gruce Of God onters their heart q shirt goes ovrl
their bodies for the frat time. Wellington said b.
found that In bis army the men who Esd the self.re
spot which Is indicated BY carefully clothing them
selves were the byst men he had. In o report on labOi
made to the British Parliament BY one Of the lsryes
employers OF men, It was said that q workman who OF
Sunday did not wash himself and dress In hs bes
could not be depended upon.
Now, what l.. the secret tho root Of It oil, but this
self respect 10 indispensable to manly charaeterl A,
Moses stood fighting the Amalekites,w with Aaron on orr
side and IIur on the other, holding up his nrrna, 70
man On the right side needs pride and on the LEFT side
praise. A man that has vt pride Of character vii
not do right when he Is BY aimsclf; but when Q mar
has pride Of character, what Is becoming to hinlsel
will always be satisfactory to bis conscience. And
where there Is sensihility 70 praise, when mon are be
fore men, what 10 estimated TO b. beautiful and righl
will help their consoince to choose It 30 then here
stands the Moses, Conscience, with Aaron and Mur
! tIlO uIt 1 ihioCs ohplob tth6 ~ NhSh sho HeSesto
day Of the week comes, if the vorkingmnn had just q
lief look ragged and dirty, he has not srlf.respec', and
ho lacks the root of pride; hut where there are these
qualities, be washes himself clean, IS nearly approach
ing his fellow ~citzens as be Gun. And there Is grace
In 1t. There Is sense In It.
1T MAKES A MAN rEsL GOOD
all the rest Of the week to think that he can walk about
among other folks and be respectable. If that truth ID
not pertinent In that country, It Is pertinent throughout
Christendom In our great cities, In our manufacturing
towns. and In our mining regions.
So, then, the first benefit to mon In business Is rest
that Is. to the great majority. There are a great ma.
ny persons who are not taxed 50 for rs mere physical
strength 10 concerned. l suppose l could put pins IN
q paper, or perform other such little routine duties, all
day long, every day md eAery week, and not be very
tired in the sense Of muscular exhaustion. l have
been through match factories, and seen girls at work
there, packing matches INTO boxes; It Is not hard
work, but 1t Is constant ~iterati"n. oil day, morning,
noon, and night and when Sunday comes l should
think they would like to Get out OF the rut, and do
something else, and smell something else, and feel
something else.
There are a great many persons who are 30 occupied
during the whole week through that they con scarcely
tell the difference between Themselves and a machine.
II they have been usefully and probably employed
good for them, GOOD for Their families, and good for the
Community. Nevertheless, they have been 50 driven
up that there has been no chance for the play OF the
imagination, and none for social development. Al
length tho seventh day comes, and the fire goes out In
the shop or factory, and the steam goes down, and the
NAN HAS A WHOLE DAY TO HIMSELF.
Now, for all men who are so occupied through the
week that they have no clance for relaxation, the way
to keep the Sabbath Is not to seek simple rest or mere
variety. but renovation. They ought TO do something
TINT shall bring up the qualities In them that are moi
excited or used through all the business Of the week:
There are some who hold that reading the Bible and
praying would be q wholesome change from the ordl.
nary duties OF the week: that is their Sunday; but
there arc men to whom . good round Of laughter would
be q greater and more beneficial change than reading
a nious treatise; and l believe that which makes o man
manly, that which wakes up the virtues and moralitiei