Telegram-herald., 1889-07-01
SUNDAY BASEBALL
Sermon Delivered by Rev. j. w.
Reid Last Evening.
SCORING PRESS, POLICE AND PEOPLE
The sabbath MADE ter Meas Highest
sess fhsot shssithy kxsitemea-
ksii Associations, etc. sf the
s2naAy oamss are bad.

congregation last evening upon sunday
bali games He took ms text from
Mark b, = and =. The sabbath was
made for man. and not man tor the
: bath. Therefore the son of man IS
Lord also OF the sabbath" III Is
worth while" said he, "tO notice that
Jesus uttered tins scripture in the
midst OF a crowd of fault finding peo-
pie and these fault-hnders were not the
so-eslled religious professors of the
time. He had told man down with
the palsy, ms sins were forgiven and
then they found fault. Then he sat
down 10 dinner with some OF the
lowler sort, then they found fault
saying he eats with publieans and sin
ners. Alter that his disciples
went through the corn ON the
sabbath day, plucking the corn as they
went. Then they found fault And IN
answer TO this last he gave the text.
Again be healed the man with the
wIthered hand on the Sabbath day.
And then they found fault. Now the
fact Is, set the plans of God as we may
To SUIT our own particular religious
views, the sabbath was made for man,
and not tor any mans particular sort
OF religion. We need To get the idea
that God set the Sabbath INTO the crea-
ton OF things. So while He was plant
ing the hills, and His artists were paint
ing the sunsets, and all his thousand
workmen We're fashioning hills
and valleys, and streams, and
planting seeds to bring each after ITS
kind for the good OF man He made in
with these the Sabbath, Just as he
made other things, and eternally assocl-
ated that day with the making of
things. Hence, IN speaking OF the use
of the Sabbath, which He ordained and
HIS providence has preserved, we are
to consider 1t as something made by
a KIND Father to be used for the good
OF man, and the reason why the Son of
Man is Lord of it is because He is mans
true friend, and every thing that is for
mans good IL the Lords" After en-
larglng somewhat upon this thought,
the speaker proceeded to consider the
value of the dav in the conser-
vatlsm of all the best interests
of man, home, society and future wei
fare OF the city. Every man in the city
Is interested IN such use of this day as
VIII conserve his best interests, rather
than III such a use as Will excite a tenn
porary pleasure.
The question Is simply: Is the Sun
day ball game such a use of the dav as
conscrves the highest good of sne
people? Replying to this, the speaker
dwelt upon the unhealthy excitement,
the evil associations and the bad influ-
ence which must necessarily attend
such a use of the day. No man can
thus devote the day without banishing
God, Christ and the most tender mem
ores aud precious associations from
hlm. He must absent himself from
God. Is this good? Can it be good?
The speaker also sharply criticised
the contests as between cities. "Grand
Rapids has other interests" he said,
than those which concern sporting
men. Grand Rapids has culture, re-
finement, children, home schools and
great industries, and | protest against
any number of influential men taking
the far name of this city aud contest
ing 1t against other cities, when a large
number OF her people and some of
best interests can not be represented. |
All over the State the newspapers are |
giving column or more OF so-called |
news TO the contests between these |
cities, and mere paragraph to the |
greater interest of churches and 4 |
higher life. The TELEGRAMIIERAI.p |
Will probably have n column or more |
OF this stuff tomorrow about the |
game, while an inch or two of |
space Will suffice for all the church |
happenings on the same day. Again |
object to this use of the sabbath rs |
being productive of lawlessness. Men |
who are commissioned To enforce the |
law wink at this form of lawlessness.
The police Will rush patrol wagon
with four or five burly policemen there
IN oil To arrest one poor sickly boy who
- trying wash the real estate of bis
puny body, and then these terrors to
al eyil-doers viii when off duty SIT for |
hours on the bleaching boards watch
ING game during motion OF which -
in direct violation of law. If We for
our kind OF pleasure propose this to
give COuntenance to lawIessness. why
should YOU be So fast Co punish other
parties who are lawless in the hne of |
their sort of pleasure?
The growth of Sabbath desecraton
S the debauch of the public conscience.
From the sunday game 10 the Sunday
theatre Is buta step. Indeed that step
has already been taken, and thus an
loors open ~ those things which our
b. tier Judgment assure US arr not for
n'~inghest good OF either the citlzen OF
Ihc city.
After short reference e. the mem-
'ries which gather about the graves
where the loved ones whose affections
niger about the precious sabbath hours
low sleep. and whose sweet life gwen
nto our better nature. any sabbath
decoration dlshomofs, the speaker con-
iudod