Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-06-13
THE IDEAL SABBATH.
A Day of Rest and Innocent JOYS,
and Not of Grim AuSterity.
VIEWS OF REV. ROBERT A. BENTON.
DR.. Puryes breaches His last Sermon to
His fittsburg Charge.
CHILDREN CELEBRATE FLOWER DAY

Rev. Robert A. Benton preached q re-
markable sermon yesterday to a large con-
gregation in ST. Stephens Episcopal
Church, Sewickley, at the morning service.
Taking his text from the lesson of the day,
namely, Genesis IL, 3, "And God blessed
the seventh day and sanctifed it; because
that in it He had rested from all His work
which God created and made"
Mr.. Benton proceeded to trace theevolu-
tion of the modern Sunday from the Hebrew
Sabbath, showing how the latter's origin an
tedated the Mosaic law, and how hard it
was TO find in the Old Testament records of
the observance of the Sabbath anything of
that grim austerity which was thrown about
it in later days. and which also constitutes
very common conception of its proper
keeping to-day. He imagined the Sabbath
of antiquity to have been burdensome or
irksome to none but the disobedient and
avaricious, and to have been a day
of enjoyment .and rest like the
other festivals After the Captivity
the Pharisees piled up offensive
and absurd restrictions and the Jews were
forbidden to travel more than three-ffths of
mile on the Sabbath, to use a crutch or
wooden leg, to kill no1ious vermin, to carry
a purse, ring or smelling bottle, to wear
q headdress or to do many other harmless
things, which were included in list of 80
prohibitions.
Not in Accord With Christ's Teachings
Christ expressed his contempt for this
twisting of the spirit and perversion of the
form of the law.
To solve the question of how best the
Christian day of rest should be kept, Mr..
Benton suggested that men should re-
feet that the obligation of Sunday does
not rest upon the fourth commandment, be-
cause that explicitly applies to the seventh
day, because Our Lord omitted to re-enact
the fourth commandment in the Gospel, and
because in critisizing the Rabbinical tradi-
tions making the day burden he goes back
TO the text in Genesis for the institution OF
the Sabbath. and not to the law given at
Sinai. He said "the Sabbath was made for
man, not man for the Sabbath" whereas, if
He had been referring to the fourth COM
mandment, He would have said that the la W
was made for the Jew, not the jew for the
law. MIR. Benton held that the rules and
regulations do not literally apply to the
keeping of the Sabbath, but merely suggested
the spiritual observance of the day.
I'VE should further reflect" Mr.. Benton
said, that with the progress OF time. manners
and customs change, and with changed cir
cumstances, changed methods are necessary
for accomplishing the same end. The spirit
of the day of sacred rest can never be
changed, but the best usages for cultivating
the spirit must necessarily change, and
what was wise and approved by all hun
dred years ago. cannot now be expected to
meet all cases that arise under the more |
complex conditions of crowded cities in |
place of open country, and the wide |
interests and distant business dealings in |
perhaps an easy thing to say what definite |
rules should be laid down by the civil |
authority Tor the keeping OF Sunday, though |
IL may be clear that those now on the |
the rules are they should be broad and gen. |
eral in their application, depending upon |
the moral sense of the public to apply them |
rightly to particulars and not make them q |
burden in matters of slight moment"
Opening the Worlds Fair on Sunday.
Mr.. Benton then took up the question of |
opening the Columbian Exposition at
Chicago on Sunday. He believed it should
be opened under certain conditions sug-
gestod by Bishop Whitehead at the Diocesan
convention a few days ago
1t seemed to Mr.. Benton that we ought to
look at the state OF things as they will be in
Chicago next year. For instance there will |
be there, We may say, three classes, the first
who will not attend the Exposition on Sun
day, anyhow, but will observe the day re-
lfgiously and at church; the second. who
will not, even If the Exposition be shut go
to church, but will devote the day to world
the third class who are neither very strict in
keeping Sunday religiousy, nor lax in
spending It in a worldly and sinful
way. Now the first two classes
will be unaffected by the opening of
the Exposition on Sunday-or rather the
second class may be helped. 1t is the third
class which ought chiefly to be considered,
and. remembering that the advantage Of
mems morals is of more consequence than
nominal Observance of any commandment, |
M Benton said that he could not but ap-
nrOv6 the OneninQ of the EHnOeitfOn m |
Sunday. To explain his position Mr.. Ben
ton quoted Bishop Whitehead's recent
deliverance upon this subject which he
warmly Endorsed. l.
The sermon made deep impression, and
Mr.. Benton's courageous hberality was COM
mended on all sides.