Daily Republican., 1883-04-23
Observance OF the sabbath.

:, oue Oh tuo many tnluKB WHICH uoeu
attention In our city, and In fact in on
entire country, Is the reformation Of tn
Lords day. Nehemiah, in the bool
which bears his name, says: "In thos
days saw in Judah, some treadini
wine presses on the Sabbath, and bring
ing in sheaves, and leading asses al
also wine, grapes and figs, and all man
her Of burdens, which they brought in
to Jerusalem on the Sabbath day ant
testified against them on the day
wherein they sold victuals."
There dwelt men Of Tyre therein
which bought tish and all manner of
ware, and sold on the Sabbath unto the
children of Judah, and in Jerusalem.
Then l contended with the mobiles Of
Judah and said unto them, What evil
thing is this ye do and profane The
Sabbath day?
Did not your fathers thus, and did moi
our God bring all this upon us, and up.
on the city Yet ye bring more wrath
upon Israel by profaning he Sabbath
And it came to pass, that when the
gates Of Jerusalem began to be dark
before the Sabbath, l commanded thai
the gat os should be shut, and charged
that they should not be opened till after
the Sabbath and some Of my servants
set at the gates, that there should nc
burden be brought in on the Sabbath
day.
So the merchants and sellers Of oil
kinds Of ware lodged without Jerusa.
lem once or twice.
Then testified against them and
said unto them, Why lodge yeabout the
wall? If yc do 50 again, | will lay
hands on you. From that time forth
came tht y no more on the Sabbath.
BY this we find that Nehemiah was
persistent in carrying out the law of
God in reference to the keeping Of the
Sabbath, and Jerusalem was made q
city whose people feared God and hon
cured him and his holy day. In Lev.
23d chapter Sd verse it says "Six
days shall work be done but on the sew
enlh day is the Sabbath Of rest, and
holy convocaton ye shall do no work
| therein il is the Sabbath Of the Lord in
all your dwellings,.
Now these commands are as much in
tended for those of the present day as
the Israelites. Let us not forget that
while the children of Israel were in the
wilderness, they found man gathering
sticks upon the Sabbath day, and they
that found him gathering sticks, brought
him unto Moses and Aaron. and unto
all the congregation. And they put
bin inward, because it was not de.
clared what should be done to him,
and the Lord said unto Moses "The
man shall be surely put to death; all
the congregation shall stone him with
stone, without the camp" And all the
congregation brought him without the
camp and stoned him with stones, and
he died, as the Lord commanded Mo-
ses.
! Now, if God commanded Moses to
have this man stoned to death because
he desecrated his holy day, what will
become of those people who, in open
defiance, disobey the will of God and
make His day day of pleasure and
the getting of gain. God in his com.
mandments has said to us: "Six days
shalt thou labor and do all thy work,
but the seventh day is the Sabbath OF
the Lord thy God in it thou shalt not
do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy
daughter, thy man servant, nor the
maid servant, nor thy cattle, nor the
stranger that is within thy gates"
Now certainly this is explicit enough.
No one can mystify such command,
and still how often do we see men vic.
lating this law and bring condemna-
tion upon Themselves against the great
day of wrath. Yesterday our city was
outraged by the unloading Of circus
company, and our streets were used for
business purposes, which is not on y
contrary to the law of God, but in open
violation 10 the laws Of our city. Not
a Sabbath passes without hearing The
cry of secular papers being sold on our
streets, and even the cigar stores which
were at one time made to close, are all
open and is often the place where most
Of our young men take their first step
in Sabbath breaking and little by little,
step by step, 60 down the broad road
that leads toa life of dissipation and
death.
During the winter our churches are
poorly attended on account of cold and
stormy weather, and when the summer
comes the pleasure boats which ply on
our rivers and bay are crowded with
Sabbath breakers, making Gods holy
day day Of pleasure, and after return
ing to the city with the money of the
week spent and in a beastly state Of
intoxication, unfit for their business on
Monday.
Now, in conclusion let me ask if there
is one who will raise his voice to keep
back Satan and his hosts from depriv-
ing us of our day of sacred rest. Would
it not be well for our ministers to preach
plainly TO the people upon the subject
aud lay down Gods laws concerning
this matter, and also tell the people
what is expected of them to bring about
IA change. Then let every one who has
named the name Of Christ see to it that
he or she sounds the trumpet of reform,
and in their own homes with their SER
wants and with their poor dumb brutes,
let all enjoy together the day which
God has given theh for rest.
And lastly, would it not he well for
our Mayor to consider this matter and
see if by some effort made by himself
and his police force if the law on this
subject can't be enforced in the closing
up of the dram shops, cigar stores,
selling of secular papers, stopping cir
cuses and opera companies from load
ing and unloading their property on
!the Sabbath. And last but not least,
see that those floating hells that ply
upon our river and bay do not touch
our city to drag our young men alnl
women into sin and dissipation.