The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1895-04-29
THE DEADLY PERIL
Subied Of the Rev. St. Claire's Sermon
In Buth Yesterday. 3


evening on the subject of "Butte's
Deadly Peril, or the Sabbath for
Man. The text for the sermon was
the 9th verse OF the second chapter
of St. Mark:
And he. said unto them. the Sab
bath was made for man, and not man
for the Sabbath"
In the text we find for whom the
Sabbath was made. and in the sue
ceeding verse by whom Jesus had just
been through,a field of grain and his
disciples began to pluck the ears of
corn. Tffe hypocritical pharisees. who
were watching every opportunity TO
ensnare Him. asked Him why they did
that which was not lawful to do on
the Sabbath day. The master at this
time showed them that the Jewish
Sabbath. with all of its burdensome
requirements, was abrogate. and the
new day, which was to usher In an era
of freedom to all men, was dawning
upon them. Note. he did not abolish a
day of rest. but revealed to the world
that II was not to be day OF sorrow,
but one of respondent Joy. 1t was
made for man. that is. 1t was in
could worship his creator and without
which he could not possibly develop
all his faculties as God desired him.
and actually required of him. 1t Is
devine institution. and the question as
to whether we are to keep one day in
seven sacred or not is not left to ca
price or human choice. but is as much
a command as the one Thou shalt
not KILL, ann God will hold us equally
guilty fer breaking the one as the a.h-
er. 1t is fact worthy of more than
passing notice that the first day that
man spent upon earth was a day set
apart bysthe Lord for holy purposes.
While nothing specific is mentioned
concerning the Sabbath In the centuries
intervening between the time Of mans
fall and the record of the wanderings
of the Children OF Israel, yet doubtless
it was sacredly kept. for when the
manna9was sent from heaven Moses
does not say that God there and then
instituted a Sabbath. but commanded
that they gather enough on the sixth
day to last over the seventh. which
demonstrates that they had been keep
ing the day, to a certain extent, any
way, before this, or that immense con-
course of people would not have ac-
quiescedi So easily in their leaders
commands. Then we find God pro-
claiming to the people from Sinai's
cloud-capped peaks. amidst the roll of
thunder and flash of lightning, his
commandments, written on tablets of
stone, to denote their perpetuity, and
with his own finger showing their
divine origin, and among them, indeed
in the center OF all. He places this one
on the Sabbath as II to teach US that
this is the great central column upon
which all the Others must rest, and
when 1t is broken how easily and ma,
turally we glide into the violation of
all the rest. Remember the Sabbath
day to keep 1T holy" How wei
beneficent father knows our wants and
our needs! The nation or individual
that neglects this holy day and permits
all kinds of labor or amusement 10
supersede the worship of God will per-
ish justly and awfully. When this
gate is opened the way pr every spe-
cies of vice and crime Il clear. HOW
rapidly the Jewish nation disintegrated
and how soon peeled. ami smitten OF
God and Missed at by msn when they
forgot this day, are facts Of sacred and
profane history so plain that he who
runs maysreadlg And dos not history
repeat itself? See Spain. where 1t Is
to-day. Did she not dtride the very
idea of keeping the Sabbath holy, and
made. it<a day of amusement. and
debauchefya. See. the results Then
France tried to abolish the sew
enth and substitute, the necrea .ensh
What followed? Why, that fair land
was baptised with the blood of 3.000.-
900 of her population. Infidelity, rapine
and murder held high carnival ana
soon the tribune voted an almost unan-
imous return to the seventh or SAD
bath day. .telr
Why is this true? There are a num-
Der of reasons. Men cannot work SO
steadily without becoming nervous and
irritable: their. conceptions OF right
and wrong are, so weakened that they
cannot reason inteliigentiy on any SUD
ject. much less upon this. which tran
sends all others. Sabbath dissertation,
where 1t prevails to large ex-
tent in a community, is the fruitful
source of murder, drunkenness ana
nameless sins. which destroy men s
Is it any wonder that human life is
held so cheaply in our city? We re-
neat IL that when the standard is low
cred on this important subjct others
follow in quick succession. what Us
the cause of so much saboath desecra-
tons? First of all 1t is low. mean. av-
righteousness. Soulless corporations
and miserly employers would suck the
life blood from the poor working man
and then. when he has ruined his Ire
and lost his health by working SO reg,
ularIy they give him KICK anu tei
Is II any wonder that we have an
archy and socialism. twin demons
when the working man. the stay OF
the nation. Is thus treated by the plooc
sucking scoundrels? But day OF
fearful reckoning is coming. All these
cries of the oppressed enter into the
ears of the Lord of the Sabbath.
Even now ne whets his glitterint
sword. and woe unto the nation or inui
vidual upon whom his wrath shall fali
Time would fail me to tell OF I'M
shameful so-called amusements II
which our people engage. Any on
would think that we were riungint
into the vortex that shall dash us up
on the rocks Of destruction 1t Is higl
time that we bestir ourselves ant
awaken out of our lethargy. Let u
turn to God and repent in sack -cloti
and ashes for our sin. and plead 10
mercy while IL may be found. For tn
children's sake. for common decency'
sake. and last. but not least. for GU
souTs sake, let us arise and shake .'i
This reproach from our midst. and lie
us return to the God of our father
and rescue this day from the ruthles
.--a. hat MOULD destroy its Sancifl