The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1894-04-09


Jehovah. His command, When
thou prayest, enter into thy closet and
shut the door" inculcated modesty
and humility upon individual dis
ciples, in opposition to Pharisaic os-
tentation. But by joining with wor-
shippers in the synagogue on the
Sabbath, he made public prayer and
the reading of the Scriptures, equally
with private devOtions and example
for his followers. There was no COM
maud in the old Mosaic law for people
to assemble for worship on the Sab
bath, but Christ, by adopting custom
that had taken the place of the i'm
possible ssemblage at the temple or
tabernacle, gave it the sanction of his
authority. The disciples afterwards
interpreted this action of their Lord
as a positive injunction, and among
the rules of the brotherhood was this
Forsake not the assembling of your
selves together" an assembly which
| we learn from the Acts, was on the
first day of the week. We do not
| affirm that jesus attendance at the
synagogue absolutely binds his fol-
| lowers to worship on Sunday in the
sanctuary; but we do say that such
an example, followed carefully by the
apostles and the early church, carries
| with it to all who wish to initiate
him, moral obligation to do like
| wise.
| Again, this "Lord of the Sabbath
went to the house of a rich man on
the Sabbath and sat down to feast,
for the preparation of which special di-
| rections were given by the Rabbis. The
Jews regarded the Sabbath as joyful
| season. They would not allow fast
on that day, but they never cooked
the food for the feast on the seventh
| day. There was also a certain atmos-
phere of religious ceremony about
Sabbath feast. The occasion was
| marked by sobriety and cheerful quiet
ness. AS such, Christ sanctioned 1t.
Usually, priest or scribe was in
vited to give a religious tone to the
conversation. The master of the house
where Jesus dined was rigid Sabbat-
arian, as we learn from the record.
Christ was invited as a prophet, for
this was before the days of his prose-
cution by the Pharisees. Read the
conversation and Christ's words at
the table, and then devise, if you can,
any license from the feast for Civ
ing up Sunday afternoon to appe-
tite or sport, or for spending |
any part of the day in mere |
recreation or entertainment. You |
cannot say, with fair view of this |
feast before you, that because Christ |
ate and drank and enjoyed himself in
company with others, at a dinner on
the Sabbath, therefore we may do as
we please on that day, even if it re-
quires much Sunday labor from others
to prepare for the occasion.
As regards the disciples act of
plucking and eating corn on the Sab
bath, in doing which they violated a
law of the Pharisees subsequently,
embodied in the Talmud), Christ by
allowing it rebuked the spirit of
punctilious bigotry and asserted the
Christians rightful liberty, making
all frivolous and senseless restrictions
subversive of the true observance of
the day as day of rest and joyful
conditions. The Jews had suffered
themselves to be cut in pieces by their
enemies rather than to bear arms and
fight on the Sabbath. Christ con-
demned all such puerile interpreta-
lions of the law of the Sabbath. He
sanctioned the right performance of a
necessary amount of labor. 81 will
have mercy and not sacrifice; that
is, God loves one who is merciful
rather than one who fulfills the law in
a harsh, technical way. But when a
man quotes his words "The Sabbath |
was made for man" in order to have
license to do whatever he pleases on
that day, he would better ask himself
if the Lord of the Sabbath" inter-
preting his own law gives him this
permission to contravene the very
purpose for which the day is set
apart. Christ lifts burdens from the
day, but gives no permission to lay
burdens on ourselves or others, which
would defeat the end for which the
day was instituted.
Again, Christ chose the Sabbath for
some of his most remarkable works of
healing, This teaches us not only
that we may, but that we ought to do
works of charity and mercy on that
day. Instead of making it a time of
selfish ease or religious passivity,
those who would initiate the Master
ought to use the day for
comforting the distressed and n re- ]
laden. Such active, self denying labors {
are far better than overlooking the
day with religious services. A church,
whose members spent a part of Sun
day in healing the hurts and bruises
Of humanity, would not long have to
mourn that so few came to its solemn
feasts. Once more, 1t was on the Sab
bath day at Bethany that Christ's
friends made him supper and Mary
poured out the contents of precious
box of ointment upon the Lord. This I
suggests that, while Christs example
calls upon us to make the day sacred l
to rest and spiritual profit to ourselves t
and others, it is quite as much
in harmony with the purposes
Of the Lords day, and that it
IS the most loving and best way to OBJ
serve it, when by every act and in 1
every moment we offer a conscious {
md fragrant homage of the heart to T
Him who has consecrated it to Him. 7
self. There is a use of the Lords day
better than any value on it as day
If physical and mental rest for men. '
It is a period reserved for special y
honor to Him, who rose from the dead T
IN that day for our justification.
When thus used, then, with the
Christian poet Vaughn, you can call it c
n very truth,
The creatures jubilee. Gods parl with G
dust.