New-York tribune., 1886-01-18
DIR. VINCENT ON THE SABBATH.
SUNDAY FOR THE LABORER.

opening OF and the closing OF stores ana lac
tories on Saturday afternoon Ills sub)eoe was Iho
Sabbath for Man." the text being from MARX H. ~
And He said unto them, the Sabbath was made ior
man, and not man for the Sabbath" The sermon was a'
follows:
The jewish Sabbath in Chrsys day was not for man.
It gave little evidence of peng an institution designed
for his comfort happiness. AS explained ana its
keeping enforced by the jewish teach
ers 1t burden and torment
Christ in these words Of text takes open Issue with
this Wow OF the Sabbath and points his hearers 10 the
original design OF the Institution benefcent pro-
vision of God for welfare. According to the Jew
sh 1t would appear that man was created 10
kan sabbahs and to conform himself at any sacrifice,
and In defiance OF common sense to set OF arorary
and annoying and puerie restrictions According 10
Christ mans rest joy and general wellbeing were the
first and the Sabbath was designed ana
ordained by His Heavenly Father to be tributary to
these The Sabbath Is and not an end Cnrist
throws man and the peculiar observance or ahy
into the foreground. He Identities Hiinseh
with mans interest on this as on all other
points and speaks the representative OF tho race
where he says The Son OF Man Lord Of the Sab
bath And the divine law Of the Sabbath Is only one
Illustration the character OF the whole body or divine
law Look at the Ten Commandments AS apparent, does
not God provide for your dignity and domestic peace
when He commands your children TO honor your asa
property holder God throw safeguard around
your property when forDds stealinGf Does He not
consult your right life and your safety IN His prohb
on of murder and the ssDcy of the home IN the Sew
enth COMMANDMENT The Sabbath stands on precisely
the same ground. 1t Is loving provision, designed 10
relax the of the working week. to give men time
for physical recuperatIOn leisure II they VIII use H. Tor
communion with God, for sweet domestic interchanges
and for thoughts higher things than handcraft and
trade.
The whole subject Is q very large and complicated one
which cannot exhaustyely treated In any single ds-
course. We therefore narrow our study t0f the
question 10 a single point. shall not argue this morn
ing Tor the divine institution Of the Sabbath, nor ure
the obligation OF its religious Observance, nor tell you
what YOU ought or ought not to I'd on that
day consider the question merely on its lowest
panc-that from labor. For that Is the basis or
the sabbath II has spiritual meaning. spiritual use
and "A spiritual obligation but these all grow up from
se root OF the original physical law that man requires
one days rest in seven Psul's words "That
was not first which spiritual, but that
which was natnraJ," have very wide range
The highest spiritual Developments, IL We only Ioo"
them down far gh will be found 10 have side 10
contact with the earth. AS regards the Sabbath this
truth ia distinctly formulated In the original law Itself
Tue command to keep sabbath holy defined BY the
words SIX days shalt thou labor but on the Sabbath
thou shalt do work. and Impose none upon others
Natural science has stood Ivy Revelation in testying to
the bcnehcenco OF this provision Physoiogy hmrms'
from the observation VI facts, that needs one days
able Us to the phy ysca deterioration and the shortening
OF life which result from tae neglect OF this law We
all see that the physical law runs up Into the
spiritual that the sca rest Is directly IN the interest
spiritual LIE. IL docs not prcscIlDu no" ono shaii
srud m time on the Sabbath prcscTibes that he shall
hare time for worship, ana meditation OF MS heart
prompt BIN to these II The pu oi tue week ao"r
MIN and keep him In contact with material things,
law sets him free on one day to rise above THESE
wan this privilege that while some men may DOT see u
be their duty or ther priyese TO spend Tue Gay day
In fheN IN
re-, pro VINO do wish to spend II In hat way
Pe6ue may 20 on excursions aud military parades
ON Suudny II tley choose but they pursue these
IN such way as not 10 disturb those mnO
prefer to assemble In churches and worship God Inc
socetJ bouud to conduct ts worship In such
way to DO nuisance TO ITS neighDors lsriShts
aro abridged at the point where IL becomes nos5
and turbulent. But the neigh1ors must eqnauy |
tut by blare OF brass bands or the NOISY reyery
Of coucort gardens Here the cieH law has ght 10 ln
torfere In the interest Of religion
ONE DAY or REsT SEVEN NEEDED BY ALL
Think that have here common ground ON which |
all OF ia cau safely and consistently stand. No matter
how our views may differ in other particulars we can
all agree In standing by divine law which enoins the
settling apart OF OF the time for physical rest
and recuporaton Yet there must guard against
the extremes OF Jewish legalism. We must not press
even the idea OF physical beyond theibounds OF rea
.on and common sense We must admit that even on |
the Sabbath a certain kind and amount OF labor
necessary Even the jewish law admitted exceptions
at this point and our Lord himself Justified them. "hen
s disciples were challenged for pluckng the corn on
the Sabbath He laid down the principle that ply sca
necessities must be met tina; day aud cited the
casa OF David who entered the saorei precincts OF the
tabernacle aud alto OF tho shew-bread. which 1t was un
lawful for any but priests 10 eat e went further ana
70 20 oT sss dpnee aorces on tie sabbath aud to
place upon the table bread baked on that
Ing thai law itself actually ordained certain WORK 70
Do done on tho Sabbath. IL Is not necessary Tor
Us to give dnuer-parties on the saoDath Whieh
the special labor OF servants neither is heces
sary for us provide for our sabbath meals special
which Involve tho disturbance OF worship by
tae rattle or ctoners carts put we must cat anu
drink and our food must bo properly prepared ,
The appointments OF public worship rsaae an wSscn
stae labor the sabbath The hres OF an ocean
burning. These are cases where simple common sense sense
comes into play. Ihis question runs INTO others wnere
TESS, aro very perpexing.. 1t seems. for example,
as II the apparatus OF travel 09shS sL,,t 10 9e }s
their affairs rule so as not to feel OBLIGED TO spend
the conviction the elevated railways all whch
in the Vicinity OF pr.n. Srs. the honrs
OF public worship, least Yet 1t seems TO DC uhuenl
able that In great city like this certain amount OF
facilities for DO maintained such
things as these permissible so far as they are necessary
But The question OF tho greatest difficulty and deiicacy
arises in connection with provisions Tor popular
ss9,ins And %own S' tbs. H'd
is formulated TO goddess SCh.sb bcS lS !, aVowsd
ly and aggressvey goddess but the question is also
The welfare of the aDorng classes deeply at heart
who are facing squarcly the hard ana formi-
dablo social problems raised by the facts OF pOy,
erty and ignorance and who clearly apprehend
the dangerous factor OF which all these
nrobem, include No one Is wise enough 10 settle
the entire question IL is better that We honestly and
study H. together always however keeping
one hand on Gods law as interpreted by Christ
10 rrp,at iu part have said are safe In as
suminp fhis much: l. There divine law OF the sab
bath 2 Whatever this law may include, 1t distinctly
the physical welfare OF men, by enjohinK
cessation from all unnecessary toll |
3; That human law Is; ;,r therefore, just just
mntee and protect this right for all. and that
while the largest liberty belongs TO the individual
as 10 his peculiar mode OF employing the
sabbath hours while nobody is to say that ho must
pray play his mode OF saobathkeeping is not