Clarksville evening chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn) 1886-1890, 1888-10-06

lie, we must begin in our own homes.
Give the Sabbath to the wage-work-
ers in your homes and then teach
them to improve it. The Jews were
allowed no Sabbath work except
works OF necessity and mercy. The
preparation and cooking of food was
limited to the sixth day Of the week,
as we plainly see at the giving of the
mama; and they were forbidden to
"kindle any fire at all in their habi-
tations on the Sabbath day." unless
the exigefcies of the climate re-
quired it for health and comfort. 1t
is a curious fact that this is the only
command given specially to the
heads Of families. The head Of the
house is held responsible for his en-
tire household.
And recreations. A spurious SON
tintantalism and bastard humanita-
rianism is putting up urgent pleas for
q recreative Sabbath for the toiling
masses, in the way Of cheap railroad
excursions, picnics, open parks, Sun
day theatricals, libraries, reading
rooms, and other places of Sunday re-
sorts. / need hardly mention the
common dissertations, of walking,
riding, visiting, light reading, secular
newspapers, letter writing, and per-
vading secular conversation. Here
the word of the Lord by Isaiah the
prophet, "If thou turn away thy foot
from the Sabbath, from doing thy
pleasure of my holy day; and call
the Sabbath delight, the holy of the
Lord, honorable; and shalt honor
him, not doing their own ways, nor
finding thine own pleasure, nor
speaking thine own words; then
shalt thou delight myself in the
Lord and | will cause thee to ride
upon the high places Of the earth, and
feed thee with the heritage of Jacob
thy father; for the mouth of the Lord
has spoken it,
But to pass on; there are other
things required beside negative
observance, a mere abstaining from
worldly employments and recrea-
TONS" We must "spend the whole
day in public and private exercises
of Gods worship" If we dare not
do our own ways, we must do his
ways ; if we must not seek our own
pleasure, we must seek his pleasure;
if we can not seek our own words, we
are shut in to speak his words, and so
shall we call the Sabbath "A delight,
the holy of the Lord. Nor does he
claim one hour or two, the hours of
public service alone. If he claims
one hour, he claims all, the whole
day.
"This is the day the Lord hath made,
lie calls Its hours his own"
Some object that flesh and spirit
would fail to be singing and praying
all day. SO they would also, II we
were obliged to spend the hours Of
public worship In these two exercises
alone. But God has given a wide
range to public worship, such as sing
ing, praying, reading, expounding,
preaching, sealing ordinances, and
charitable contributions. So in pri-
vate worship, we have a sufficient
variety to keep us always interested.
When you read the word or sing or
pray at home, 1t Is worship. When
You read pious manuals, it is worship.
When the father teaches his wife and
his children the way of life more per-
fectly, God accepts 1t as worship.
When the mistress gathers her SER
wants about her and tells of him who
took upon him the form of servant,
he looks down and approves it all.
When the mother draws her lisping
babe to her arms and tells II that
Jesus blessed the little ones and said,
"Sufer little children to come unto
me and forbid them not;' or when
she teaches it to kneel and clasp its
tiny hands and say, "Our Father
which art in heaven" Gods Spirit
hovers over them both. So also, when
two Christians commune OF the riches
and wonders Of his grace or unite in
deeds OF Christian love.
Many will consider this hard !
doctrine; many will be sorry to know
that the Sabbath is not merely day |