The Lexington dispatch. [volume] (Lexington, South Carolina) 1870-1917, 1894-07-04
SAVE THE SABBATH.
Rev. DR.. Tslmfgs Che oses A Subject of
Wide Iu crest.

of world wide interest as the theme Of
his sermon through the press w the
necessity of guarding the christian SAB
bath against inyasions that aim st its
destruction. The text selected was
Exodus XXI, l3, Verify my Sabbaths
Ye shall keep"
The wisdom ofce8sation from bard la
Dor one day out of the seven is almost
universally acknowledged. The world
has found out that it can DO less work IN
seven days than in six, and that the 50
days of the year devoted to rest are an
addition rather than substrac-
ton. Experiments have been made
in all departments. The great Lord
Castleresgh thought he could work his
brain 365 days IN the year, but after
awhile broke down and commltedsulcide
and Wilreforce said OF him: Poor
Castlereagh! This is the result OF The
nonobserVance OF the Sabbatbw
A celebrated merchant declared, II
should have leen a maniac long age hut
for the Sabbath" The nerves, the brain,
the muscles, the bones, the entire physlc
al, intellectual and moral nature CRY cut
for the Sabbath RESI-. What is true OF
man is for the most part true .ofthe brute.
Travellers have found out that they come
TO their places Of destination sooner
when they let their horses rest by the
way on the Sabbath. What is the mat.
ter with those forlorn creatures harnesseo
to some of the city cars? Why do they
stumble and stagger and tall? 1t is Tor
the lack OF the Sabbatic rest.
In other words, when the herdsmen
drove their sheep and cattle from the far
west down to the seaboard, it was found
out by experiment that those herdsmen
and droVers whe halted over the seventh
day got down sooner to the seaboard
than those who passed on without the
observance Of the holy Sabbath. The
fishermen off the coast OF Newfoundland
declare that those men during the year
catch the most fish who stop during the
Lords day.
When I asked the Rocky mountain
engineer Why be changed locomotives
when 1t seemed to be straight route,
be said, I'VE have to let the locomotive
stop and cool Off or the machinery would
soon break down." Men who made
large quantities Of salt were told that if
thew allowed their kettles 10 cool over
Sunday they would submit themselves
to a geart deal of damage. The experl.
ment was made, soma observing the
Sabbath and some not observing the Sab
bath. Those who allowed the fires to
20 down and the kettles to cool once a
week were compelled to spend only a
few pennies II tie way of repairs, while
in the cases where no Sabbath was OBJ.
served many dollars were demanded for
repairs.
In other words, intelligent man, dumb
beast and dead machiGery cry out for the
Lords day. But while the attempt to
kill the Sabbath by the stroke of ak and
fail and Yardstick has beautifully failed
it is proposed in our day to drown the
Sabbath by flooding it with secular
amusements. They would bury it very
deceqtly under the wreath OF the target
company and to the music of all brszsn
instruments.
There are today ID the different cities
10000 hands and 10, 900 pens busy in at
tempting to cut out the heart Of our
Christian Sabbath and leave it bleed
ing skeleton of what it once was. The
effort Is organized and tremendous, and
unless the friends of Christ and the low
ers ofgood order shall rouse up right
speedily their sermons and protests will
be uttered after the castle is taken.
There are cities ID the land were the Sab
bath has almost perished, and 1t is be-.
coming a practical question whether we
who received a pure Sabbath from the
hands of our fathers shall have piety aud
pluck enough to give to our children the
same blessed inheritance. The eternal
God helping Us we will!
I protest against this invasion OF the
holy Sabbath in the first place because
it is war on divine enactment. God
says IN Isaiah, "If thou turn away tbc
foot from doing thy pleasure or my holy
day. thou shalt walk upon the high
Places" What did he mean by ''doing
thy pleasure?" He referred to secular
and worldly amusements. A man told
me he was never somuch frightened as
IN the midst of an earthquake, when the
beasts of the field beloved in fear and
even the barnyard fowls screamed in ter
ror. Well it was when the earth was
shaking and the sky was all tull Of fire
that God made the great announcement,
Remember the Sabbath day to keep 1t
holy"
Go through the streets Wtere the
theaters are open on Sabbath night;
90 up on the steps; enter The boxes OF
those places Of entertainment, and tell
me if that is keeping the Sabbath holy.
"Oh," says some one. God won't be
dispIeased with a grand sacred copcert." "
A gentleman who was present at a
grand sacred concert" one Sabbath night
in one of the theaters Of our great cities
said that during the exercises there were
comic and sentimental songs lnterspersed
with coarse jokes, and there were dan
ces. and q farce, and tight rope walking,
and trapeZe performance. | suppose
it was holy dance and a c0nseCrated
tight rope. This is what they call a
s'grand sacred concert"
We hear a great deal Of talk about
'the rights of the people'' to have just
such anusements on Sunday as they
want to have. wonder if the Lord
has any rights. You rule your family;
the governor rules tho state; the presl-
dent rules the whole land. I wonder if
the Lord has right to rule the nations
and make the enactment, 'Remember
the Sabbath day to keep it holy" and if
there is any appeal to higher court
from that decision, and if the men who
are warning against that enactment are
not guilty OF high treason against the
Maker of heaven and earth. They have
in our cities put God on trIal. It has
been the theaters and the opera
houses, plaintiffs, versus the Lord Al
mighty, defendant, The suit has been
begun, and who shall come out ahead
you know. Whether it be popular or
unpopular, now announce it as my
opinion that the people have no rights
save those which the great Jeh0sh gives
them. He has never given the right to
braok hio h0lU Sabbath cpS 90 1Onu as