The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1889-01-30

| glow on the manuel ornaments, anu CdSG d
better cheerfulness on the faces Of the chill
dran. and throw supernatural glory over the
old family Bible. Hail! Sabbath light! We
rejoice in it. Rest comes in through the win
dows, or it leaps up from the fire, or it rolls
out in the old arm chair, or it catches up the
| body into ecstacy, and swings open before
! the soul the twelve gates which are twelve
pearls. The bar Of the unopened warehouse.
the hinges Of the unfastened store window,
the quiet of the commercial warehouse seem
to say: &c This is the day the Lord hath
made" Rest for the sewing woman, with
weary hands, and aching side, and sick heart.
Rest for the overtasked workman in the
mine, or out on the wall. or in the swelter-
ing factory. Hang up the plane, drop the
adze, slip the band from the wheel, put out
the fire. Rest for the body, for the mind,
! and for the soul.
"Welcome, sweet day Of rest;
That Ssw the Lord arise;
Welcome to this reviving breast
And these rejoicing eyes,"
Again remark, we ought to have in the
Sabbath the joy Of domestic reunion and
conservation. There are some very good pa
rents who have the faculty of making the
up against the wall Of parental lugubrioGs-
ness on that day. They are sorry when Sum
day comes. and glad when it goes away.
They think of everything bad on that dar.
1t is the worst day to them, really, IN all the
week. There are persons who. because they
were brought up in Christian families where
there were wrong notions about the Sab
tion and will be lost. A man said to me: II
have perfect disgust for the Sabbath day.
I never saw my father smile on Sunday. II
was such q dreadful day to me when was
boy, 1 never got over it, and never will"
Those parents did not 'call the Sabbath
delight" they made it a gloom. But there
are houses represented here this morning
where the children say through the week: II
wonder when Sunday will comel" They are
anxious to have it come. I hear their ho-
sanna in the house, I hear their hosanna in
the school, God intended the Sabbath to be
especially day for the father. The mother
is home all the week. Sabbath day comes
and God says to the father, who has been
busy from Monday morning to Saturday
is your day. See what you can do in this
little flock in preparing them for heaven.
This day I set apart for you." You know
very we'll that there are many parents who
are mere suffers Of the household; they
provide the food and raiment; once In
while. perhaps, they hear the child read a
line or two in the new primer; or if there be
can not manage it, the child is brought up
in the court-martial of the fathers discipline
and punished. That is all there is of it. No
scrutiny Of that child's immortal interests,
no realization of the fact that the child will
soon 20 out in a world where there are gigan-
tic and overwhelming temptations that have
swamped millions. But in some households
it is not that way: the home, beautiful on
ordinary days. is more beautiful now that
the Sabbath has dawned. There is more
joy in the ''good morning." There is
more tenderness in the morning prayer.
The father. looks at the child,
and the child looks at the
father. The little one dares now to ask
questions without any fear OF being an
swered: "Don't bother mel must be of to
the store" Now the father looks at the child.
and he sees not merely the blue eyes. the
arched brow. the long lashes, the sweet lip.
He sees In that child long line Of earthly
destinies; he sees in that child an immeasur.
ably eternity. As he touches that child he
SAYS: "I wonder what will be the destiny Of
this little one2' And while this Christian
father is thinking and praying, the sweet
promise flows through his soul: "Of such is
not like that which sounds in the dance, or is
waited from the froth of the wine-cup, or
that which is like the cracking of thorns
under pot" but the Joy of domestic reunion
and conservation.
Have been picturEg something that is
merely fanciful, or is it possible for you and
and for me to have such home as that! l
believe it is possible.
have q statistic that would like to give
YOU. A great many people, you know, say
there is nothing in the Christian discipline Of
a household. IN New Hampshire there were
two neighborhoods-t one of six families,
the other of five families The six families
disregarded the Sabbath. In time, five of
these families were broken up by the sepaTa-
ton of husbands and wives; the other by the
father becoming thief. Eight or nine Of
the parents became drunkard5. one COM
mitted suicide, and all came to penury.
OF some forty or fifty descendants,
about twenty are known to be drunEards
and gamblers and dissoute. Four or five
have been in State prison. One fell in
duel Some are in the almshouse. Only one
became Christian. and he after first having
been outrageously dissipated, The other five
families that regarded the Sabbath were all
prospered. Eight or ten of the children are
consistent members Of the church. Some Of
them became officers in the church: one is
minister Of the Gospel; oneis missionary to
China. No poverty among any OF them.
The homestead is now in the hands Of the
third generation. Those who have died have
died in the peace of the Gospel. Oh. is there
nothing in household that remembers Gods
holy dayl Can it be possibly that those who
disregard this holy commandment can be
prospered for this life, or have any good
hope of the life that is to come. =,
Again, we ought to have IN the Sabbath
the JOY of Christian assemblage. Where are
all those people going on the Sabbath! You
see them moving up and down the street -
there been some public edict commanding
the people to come forth, No, they are wor-
shippers of God who are going to their places
of religious service. In what delicate scale
shall / weigh the joy Of Christian convoea-
ton? It gives brightness to the eye ana a
flush to the cheek, and pressure to the
hand, and thrill to the heart. You see the
aged man tottering along on his staff through
the aisle. You see the little child led by the
hand of its mother. You look around and
rejoice that this is Gods day. and this is the
communion of saints. lone Lord, one
faith, one baptism" Some familiar tune
gets all the soul aquiver and aquaKe with
rapture. We plunge into some old hymn;
and all our cares and an1ieties are bathed
off. The glorious Gospel transports us, the
Spirit descends, Jesus appears, and we reel
the bounding. spreading, electric Joy OF
Christian convocation.
l look upon the Church of God as one vast
hosanna. Joy dripping from the baptismal
font, joy glowing in the sacramental cup,
joy warbling in the anthem. Joy beating
against the gate of heaven with hallelujah
Beautiful for situation! The joy of the
whole earth is Mount Zion. 1t is the day
and the place where Christ reviews his
troops, bringing them out in companies ana
regiments and Dattalions, riding along the
line. examining the battle-torn flags OF Pas5
combat. and cheering them on to future
victories. Oh, the joy Of Christian assem-
blage!
remark also, we are to have in this day
the Joy of eternal Sabbatism. do not De,