The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1899-07-03
The SABBATH DAY.
Rev. Mr.. Meeser Be-
lieves in Freedom
in Recreation.
INJUSTICE DONE TO HEBREWS.
By All Means, Says the
Preacher, Let Us Have
Sunday Concerts.
INJUSTICE DONE TO HEBREWS.

ANCN' OpCltOSF D. AASeSeI, pastor OIL the
First Baptist church, preached most
interesting sermon last night from the
subject, 1.-THE Sunday qquestion: a
rational VIEW" taking for his text
Mark ii:27, And he said unto them,
the Sabbath was made for man, ard
not man for the Sabbath; so that the
son of man is Lord even of the Sab
BATH" Rev. Mr.. Meeser said in part:
There are two serious temptations in
a progressive age like ours. One tempt
alton is to lower the high ideals of vir-
tue and reverence. 1t is peculiarly a
liberalizing age, and the greatest care
is needed to avoid violating the things
morally essential. But 1 believe in the
broader Interpretation of religious
truth. and 1 think we are learning that
all the divine laws are opportunities;
that law is not intended to repress lite,
but to guide it to a higher develop
ment.
The other temptation is to cling I'M
reasonably to theological traditions
and former religious customs, and to
accept no modification of old ideas and
practices. This is a kind of reaction
against the extreme liberality.
The Sunday question is complex
one, and very much involved. There is
the question of the seventh or the first
day Sabbath or Sunday. The Bible very
distinctly commands the observance CT
seventh day, and nowhere authorizes
change in the day. There are some
indications that the early Christiens
also observed the first day of the
week and carried on a kind of double
celebration History informs us how
eventually the seventh day was by inn
perial decree left as other days, and
Sunday became what is called, the
Christian Sabbath. If man believes
in observing the seventh day he mas
the Bible records on his side almost
without exception, and in a country
where religious liberty Is granted and
is the boast of its people, no law
should be enacted which forbids him
to follow his conscience. Our friends,
the Hebrews are a case in point. The
police have been right in what they
did, because as executives of the law
they are concerned simply with seeing
it observed. They do not make the
laws, they only enforce them.
On the other hand the Hebrews have
shown wisdom and disposition to be
law-abiding in not persisting in doing
business on Sunday, even though it
abridges their liberty, just because the
law Of the land forbids it. But every
one must see that a serious injustice
is done them because they must either
violate the law or their conscience or
be at a disadvantage Of losing day
of work and business. In all fairness
and in a broad spirit of religious ILL.,
erty, they ought not be compelled 10
lose second day. But that is fault
of the law of the land; fault which
/
in the history of the civilized world.
The Sunday question further involves
the problem of civil institution and
a religious institution. AS a civil instl-
tuition, it may at first have been based
upon the religious ground that II is
Gods command. Today | believe that
it stands justified, as a civil insutu-
ton upon it's utility to the people, It's
physiological necessity, and its general
result upon the moral health o. the
state. Certainly we have gotten enough
beyond the union of church and state
to heartily believe that the state has
no right to enforce any religious cb-
servance. L believe in the day of rest
as a civil affair and as religious duty.
Leaving these questions and accepting
the day as we have it, let US approach
the practical questions which engage
US today.
Why did God establish the Sabbath ?
And God rested the seventh day;
therefore the Lord hallowed it,; so
speaks the Bible. No other explanation
is given and none other appears to re
needed.
How was it observed in the begin
ming? 1t was a restriction of work
I'm it thou shalt not do any work. T"
1t was thus a negative command, a
limitation of certain things, but not all
things. 1t excluded labor of any kind
for master, servant and beast of bur-
den. So far as the commandment is
concerned, that is all; it is simply mega
tive in form, and apparently work Is
forbidden that opportunity for the
wider exercise of mans powers may
be given. But what did tradition and
the teaching of the Jews make of it?
They made of it an excessive burden
Not only did they lose sight of the posi-
tive use of the day. but they made 1T
positive restraint upon life
The Jews had almost completely sub
verted the original idea of the day with
excessive observances. But Christ's
view, which concerns us as Christians,
is set forth in the days text
Jesus saw at once their error. He
knew that man was of more value than
many observances. He taught them
and us that Gods idea Of the day is
not different from what the common
feeling of mankind would suggest
Law is not the final thing. Gods
character and being Is source of law.
But what does that word of Christ,
THE Sabbath was made for man."
mean? 1t has two meanings. First, man
is not only spiritual in nature, he is in
telectual and physical. When God
deals with him he is not disembodied
spirit without mind, on Sundays; and
a human being the rest of the week.
True religion concerns itself with the
whole man in every relation. The
Lords day is concerned, therefore, with
the whole man. 1t is a kind of balance
ing-up day. Sunday is the day to de-
velop the intellectual and spiritual
parts of his being. If he is engaged in
intellectual pursuits all the week, then
Sunday Is the day to develop body and
soul. If one were engaged in spiritual
activities all the week, then Sunday
will be kept holy by seeking physical
and intellectual activity. Such a use
of the day would be truly the holy use
of "a day made for man"
Or think of mans duties as broadly
divided into work, recreation and wor-
ship. If he works all the week, recrea
ton and worship are proper Sunday
duties; If he worships all the week, then
recreation and work would be Sunday
duties; but, If he has recreation all the
week, he has no justification whatever
in using the Lords day for such a
purpose.
1t is difficult to announce an unvary-
ing law for the method of observing