The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1894-04-09
Rev. A. S. Twombly's Sermon on
the Subject.
REMEMBER THE DAY, KEEP IT HOLY
How Sunday was Kept i'm the Old jew
ish Times-CiviI Government and Sab
bath Observance-OId Forms Made
1t Burden Instead OF Blessing.

The question of. Sunday band
concerts has aroused considerable
discussion as to how the Sabbath
should be kept. Two sermons were
preached in Honolulu yesterday
that referred to the subject. At ST.
Andrews Cathedral the Rev. Alex.
ander Macintosh spoke against
the concerts. At Central Union
Church Mr.. Twombly did not touch
the concert question directly, but
preached on the general observ-
ance of the day of rest. An alb
stract of his sermon appears below
Luke 4:I6. And he came to Nazareth
where he had been brought up, and as his
custom was, he went into the synagogue
on the Sabbath day.
The manner of observing the Chris
tian Sabbath has come to be so much
a matter of individual opinion, that
it Is necessary to find some ultimate
authority for its right observance.
The day, changed from the Hebrew
day, is called, in honor of our Saviour,
the Lords Day. He himself declared
that the Son of Man is "LOrd also of
the Sabbath" Every sincere soul that
believes in him, ought to be willing
to accept him as guide to what is
lawful and right for Christian to do
or to leave undOne on that day.
The original command was not
Remember the seventh day to keep
it holy" but as the word really
means, "Remember the rest-day, to
day" may be interpreted lone day in
seven" The early church for time
observed both days, but finally de-
cided to keep the day of the resur-
rection of our Lord, preferring it to
the day when jesus body lay in the
tomb, cutting loose by the change,
from the old Jewish spirit of formal
ism, which made the Sabbath bur-
den instead of blessing. In fact, the
same twenty-fOur hours in each week
could not be kept by the disciples of
Christ around the earth. The obliga-
tion to keep some day in the week
the precepts and example of our Lord,
who recognized the Command
ments" as binding upon all, is accept
ed by those, who as Christ's followers,
desire to fulfill all righteousness. If
others fOrswear allegiance to Christ
and care nothing for him or the word
of God. they are outside the pale of
believers, by their voluntary rejection
of the master, and must take the con-
sequences of disObedience and disioy-
atty They are no less under con-
according to the scriptures,
and their dissertation of the Christian
Cyah no 10 nf in,
disregard of Christ's teachings, flow |
ing out of their careless or unbeliev-
ing disposition. To such there is no |
(written)law of God which they feel |
bound to obey, and we must leave |
them to their own devices till we |
can persuade them to accept the |
truth as we see it. Believers cam |
not force upon them their views |
of the Lords Day, any more than !!
any of their religious opinions. Civil |
cannot insist upon any |
form of Sabbath observance by them |
or by believers, except as the rights of |
other citizens and the best good of the |
demand an external COM |
pliance with certain rules of conduct |
on that day. Happily, all civilized |
nations are agreed that a day of gen.
eral rest from needless labor is essen |
tial TO the moral and physical we'll |
being of the people and so the day, |
now called Sunday, is kept more or |
less strictly by believers and nom |
believers in all nominally Christian |
In this discourse we address ourselves |
especially to those who revere the |
sanctions OF Christ and the scriptures, |
hoping also to lead those who are OPP
posed or indifferent to see, not only |
l., Inc ~ d.,x ny 60
zeal and spiritual Improvement, but |
also, if possible, to induce them to
keep the day in the spirit of fidelity
20 God, who reigns over all the earth. |
How, then, ought the day to be OBJ
served? There is no higher authority |
'or the keeping of the day than the
Did Hebrew law of the DecalOgue, as
interpreted and exemplifed by our
Lord Jesus Christ.
How, then, did Jesus fulfill all
righteousness with regard to the day
,t rest? First, he cOnformed to the
spirit of the Mosaic statute, while
tradition which overlaid and pervert-
I'd the intention of the original COM
nand to keep the day holy to God.
He, however, never took a single step
which would tend TO seculariZe the
lay. 1t was His custom, as the text
states, to go TO the synagogue every
sabbath to worship. The service was
/ simple one, consisting of prayers,
With lessons from the law and the
prophets, and usually an exposition
IF what was read. There were things
n the conduct of the services which
He did not Representatives. inter-
,retations of the scriptures, formality
md hypocrisy, for the age was corrupt.
But it was the only outward form of
accessible to Him. At least
he law and the prophets were read,
md prayers offered to the Father. He
night have assembled the people
IN some grassy slope and have con-
lucted a service of His own, as He
lid on week days. But no! He
placed himself On record sQuareIy |
where David stood in relation
. the public worship of Jehovah.
lie knew the Importance of a
egular and appointed time and place