National Republican., 1883-07-09
Tie Truths EnunCisted in Some Of the Wash
ingtOn PulpitS Yesterday.
Rev. G. w. Patch's Eloquent Exposition
Of the Fourth Commandment,
Touching Alusiou 10 the Late Bishop Pinkusy by the
Rev. DR., Elliott
Prof Nsyub AbeIy's Story OF Christianity
In Syria at Foundry Church.
. rHE FouRrH coMMANpMENr.


THE OBSERVANCE OF THE CHRISTIAN SAB
BATH.
At the Unity Presbyterian church yester-
day morning Rev. G.. b. Patch, the pastor,
preached an eloquent sermon on the observ-
snce of the Christian Sabbath. He took his
text from Luke vi, 1 to IL:
Remember the Sabbath day to keep 1t holy.
Six days shalt thou labor and do all thy work.
But the seventh day Is the Sabbath OF the Lord
thy God In 1t thou shalt not do any work thou,
nor thy son. nor thy daughter, thy man servant,
nor thy maid servant, nor thy cattle, nor thy
stranger that is within thy gates
For In six daysthe Lord made heaven and earth,
the sea, and all that In them is, and rested on the
seventh day; wherefore the Lord blessed the Sab
bath day aud hallowed It,
He said tho importance of tho command
ment must bo clearly seen. Placed midway in
the decaIogue it occupies about one-third of
its space 1t is not only the longest but the
minutest of all the commandments. 1t was
proclaimed by the lips of God from the smok-
ing and laundering Sinai, and written by His
own infallible hand on tables of stone. The
most prominent of all the ten items of the
one great law of God, it was instituted by
Him for all ages and all men. Closely inter
woven in the solid fabric of the divine law in
lines clearly marked stands out the great
principle that one-seventh of mans time be-
longs TO God. Aud this principle existed and
was recognized before it was enunciated in
the formal code of the decslogue So i'm
portant is this law respecting the Sabbath
that God has given to it tho prestige and
force of His own example. He himself, after
the work of the six days, rested the seventh
day"
II now this fourth commandment is 80
minute and particular, so broad in its appli-
cation, and equally binding on man with the
other nine, why should not the seventh day
of the week be observed as the Sabbath in
stead of the first day2 In answer, that it
does not seem to be any particular day so
much as one day in seven that should be re-
membered. And it should be further added
that the change of the Sabbath from the
seventh to the first day was made by Him
who is the Lord of the Sabbath.
It has been repeatedly demonstrated that
month through and year through more and
better work can be done by six days of labor
in the week than by seven days. The OBJ
servauce of the Sabbath, therefore, can be
urged on the lowest utilitarian grounds. Such
observance is clearly conducive to health,
longevity, success, and happiness. And this,
j say, to show that the commandment is just
and reasonable and good, considered from hu-
man standpoints, and also to show that, as it
is founded on a fundamental requirement of
human nature, its authority is in no sense alb
rogated or abated.
Now the great practical question is as to
how the Sabbath should be observed. We
cannot follow the Jew in his keeping of the
day under the old dispensation. The law Of
the Sabbath of this time was attended with
many civil and ceremonial restrictions. If
he even gathered sticks TO build a fire on the
Sabbath day he was put to death. Nor cam
we look for an example TO the Phalisee of the
day of our Saviour in the flesh.
No. we do not desire any Pharisan literal
ism in the observance of the Sabbath. Shall
we then look to the Puritan2 No. We ad-
r,,ir bia hia ltxrt IN nd
unhinching integrity; but we deplore his
,austerity, and his unreasonable exactness.
And surely, my friends, we would not have
continental Sabbath. Away with legalism
on the one side, and with license on the other.
We desire helpful, restful, elevating,
Cbristly Sabbath.
We must mark that the language is not,
Remember the Sabbath day for relaxation"
IT is not for amusement II is not as a gala
day. 1t is not for intellectual improvement !;
it is not for indolent repose, but 1t Is, "Re-
member the Sabbath day to keep it holy" 1t
is, therefore, a hallowed, a sacred, a holy day.
No work must be done, except that Of the
strictest necessity, or that of mercy and active
benevolence. 1t is not enough to say that the
physical frame must have rest; that the over
taxed mind must have diversion, and that
whatever promotes these ends fultills the
divine law respecting the Sabbath. These
are higher ends to gain than the recovery of
physical and mental tone Were this the
only one then there would be some valid
argument for Sunday excursions, Sunday mu-
seums, and Sunday pleasure seeking generally.
Some may say, Is 1t not written that the
Sabbath is made for man, and not man for the
Sabbath? Yes, l reply, but this does not
mean that the day was made simply for man S
pleasure and convenience. 1t was instituted
for the highest good of man. Is man seek
ing aud gaining the highest good when he is
resting his body, or when he is improving his
mind, or when he is being entertained and
amused? If he is, then may he properly
lounge and sleep the sacred hours away or
he may read novels and attend theatricals,
or yet he may go on an excursion anything
for relaxation.
fed and rested and trained our bodies and
minds we have not done all. There is the
soul to be cared for. Now, the Sabbath is
ordained especially for the spiritual interests
of man, and it is, therefore, to be spiritually
observed. We honor God most when we
most seek our own spiritual good And
when we keep His day holy we honor
Him. He gives us six days for
worldly thoughts and worldly employments
but he requires that we should devote one
day to heavenly thoughts aud omployments
After the mind has been fuTowed with
thoughts of business OF pleasure for six days
after the shoulders have been bowed beneath
buClT DuIueuo loI blA hlloI the uedft
has groaned with its cares for six days the
Lord would say, roll oil those burdens, shut
out those cares, and let Ia the sweet influences
of my spirit. Think my thoughts for a little,
and seek those things that pertain 10 inn
mortal destiny,
There is one vory important thing that en-.
ters into the proper observance OF the Sab
bath day, aud this Is public worship. One
may say, will remain quietly at my home
will sing hymns, and read sermons. will
mediate on the things Of God. But this
would not be proper Observance OF tho day.
There must he public worship as well as pri-
vate devotion. In the service of the day
there may be n pleasing aud profitable va
Tiety. There is rest in mere change OF en-
ployment,
II such, then, Is the general design Of the
Sabbath, where Is the place for gaming and
sporting for boating aud riding, for visiting
galleries Of art aud museums Of curiosity on
that day2 The attempt that is made in some
quarters to throw down the barriers 10 sab.
bath desecratiOnl ought 10 be met with the
solid front of the whole Christian church
There seems TO he growing disposition "a
lower the standard OF the Christion Sabbath
and TO make il a holiday instead of holy day
Brethren, let us not yield TO such a tendency
Let us not consent 10 the tearing away of the
bulwarks of public morality that now stand,
for once down il will be difficult TO oreol
them again, when lawlessness and dissolute-
ness come rushing in with giant strength.
Some one has grandly said that the three
great pillars which support our American re-
pnblic are Gods book, Gods church, and
Gods day. If the time shall ever come in our
n hnI