The Newtown bee., 1892-05-13
THE BEE BUZZ.

Our State is Christian. It was found- cd on the principles of the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, and has ever been nurtured therein. Our forefathers believed in the kingdom of heaven, and sought to establish our laws and institu- tions in accordance with their faith. Therefore, our puplic statutes guarantee Christian privileges to Christian citizens. Take the law relating to Sunday, for in- stance. The statute is the same in spirit as the commandment of God. They who have the spirit of the law in their hearts are the ones who are to be protected in the exercise of their rights and principles. society against the lawless. There are people in every place who, if they could go their way unrestrained, would trample on the law and the Gospel, would do away Sunday, destroy all the saving institutions of society and drift back and down to the lowest heathensm in a few years.
 The simple, literal idea of Sabbath is 10 cease from work ;the moral and spirit ual significance which Christ develops out of it is holy contemplation, and communion, or the activity of the higher human faculties. On the one hand, the law is given to restrain men from excess and injury; on-the other, to invite them to the enjoyment of the largest liberty in respect to all things good and useful. The Sabbath was made for man in the truest and largest sense; and whoever keeps the spirit of the law will be free from the letter which alone tendeth to bondage. For we may be so exacting as to the letter as to violate and even destroy the spirit of the commandment. This was just the vital point at issue between the Scribes and Pharisees and the Savior. They were literally strict and narrow he was spiritually correct and liberal, as only the true and the good can be liberal. They were one sided and inconsistent; he comprehended the whole idea, was perfect. Their legalism made the Sabbath a day of bondage; his holiness elevated it to day of delightful freedom. He kept the day holy in all that he did, for he was holy Himself; they did not keep it at all in the spirit of the law, for they were not holy in them selves. The chief Pharcee invited Jesus to Sunday dinner in order to trap him in some violation of the law. Perhaps they had that poor dropsical man there on purpose to see what Christ would do with him. Knowing their thoughts, he asked them if it was lawful to heal on the Sabbath day; but they would not answer him. Then he took him and healed him and let him go, reminding them that they would not hesitate to pull an OK or an ass out of the pit on the Sabbath day, if one had fallen in. It would be strange interpretation of the law that would allow more to be done on the Sabbath day to save an OK or an ass than to save a man. s'It is lawful to do good on the Sabbath days" he said. The day is for mans use like everything else and whatever is really for mans best welfare is lawful and right. What, then, shall our Christian Sunday be-? Clearly, it should be such day as will conduce most to the highest interests of our com mon humanity. It must be a Christian Sabbath, not a Jewish one. It must be adapted to our civilization, to the moral status of the people. It must be a Sab bath for the whole land, also for the greatest. good of the greatest number is the first consideration. And then men must agree to conform or be compelled to the common standard found to be necessary to this end. The Christian who keeps the Sabbath day holy and finds in it only period of spiritual free dom and exalted enjoyment needs no legislation for him; but the carnal and lawless must be restrained, now as ever. from worldly business and debasing pleasures, or there can be no Sabbath rest and worship for any. Society must protect itself against Sabbath dissertation as against any other evil. Certain prin- ciples must be insisted upon as essential to the proper observance of the Sabbath. Works of necessity and charity, which not to do would violate the law of God, do not dishonor the Sabbath, but rasher hallow it. But men have no moral right to work, buy, sell and give themselves up to pleasure, just the same as they do and should for six days in the week, because to do so is to injure society and to dishoner God. The seventh day should be season of rest and quiet, for moralinstruction and worship, and socie- ty wrongs itself and consents to it's own degradation and ruin when it permits it to become otherwise. The law of the
 Sabbath must be needed o Q. Wright.