The Oskaloosa herald. (Oskaloosa, Mahaska County, Iowa) 1885-1919, 1900-02-08


sermon or stay at home and read all
interesting newspaper. That is not the
point. The point Is whether the day
of rest and worship shall be like ey-
cry other day; whether we shall let
our minds go right on as they have
been going, to the choking up of ave-
nues OF spiritual growth and religious
service. Is it right for us to allow in
Milton the occurrence of baseball
games and Sunday racing and evening
theaters? How far is all this demon
alizing to our better life? What would
Christ say, do you think? Even sup
posing he would advise this church to
take and read the big Sunday daily
sent in on the special Sunday train that
keeps small army of men at work
and away from all Sunday privileges;
even supposing he would say it was all
right to sell fruit and cigars and meat
on Sunday and perfectly proper for
church members to buy those things
on that day, what would Christ say
was the real meaning and purpose of
this day in the thought Of the Divine
Creator when he made the day for
man?
II cannot conceive that he would
say anything else than this to the peo-
pie of this town and this church: He
would say it was our duty to make this
day different from all other days in
the two particulars of rest and wor-
ship. He would say that we owe it to
the Father of our souls in common
gratitude for his mighty love toward
us that we spend the day in ways
pleasing to him. He would say that
the wonderful civilization of our times
should study how to make this day
true rest day to the workingman of
the world and that all unnecessary car
rying Of passengers or merchandise
should stop, so as to give all men, If
possible, every seven days one whole
day of rest and communion with some
thing better than the things that perish
with the using. He would say that the
church and the church member and the
Christian everywhere should do all in
his power to make the day n glad,
powerful. useful. restful, anticipated
"a hours, looked forward to with pleas
ant longing by little children and la
boring men and railroad men and
street car men as the one day of all
the week. the happiest and best be-
cause different in its use. And so diff
ferent that when Mondays toll begins
the man feels refreshed in body and in
soul because he has paused a little
while in the mad whirl of his struggle
for bread or fame and has fellowship
ed with heavenly things and heard
something diviner than the jangling
discords of this narrow, selfish earth.
IF this thought of Sunday is bigotry
or narrowness, then | stand convicted
as a bigot living outside of the nine
teenth century. But | am not con-
eerned about that. What | am con-
cerned about is Christ's thought of this
day. If understand his spirit right,
believe he would say what have said.
He would say that it is not a right use
of this day for the men and women of
this generation to buy and sell mer-
chandiSe, to attend or countenance
places or spectacles of amusement, to
engage in card parties at their homes,
to fill their thoughts full Of the ordi-
nary affairs of business or the events
Of the world He would say that it
was the Christians duty and privilege
in this age to elevate the uses of this
day so that everything done and said
should tend to lift the race higher and
make it better acquainted with the ma
ture of God and it's own eternal des-
tiny.
IF Christ would not take that view
of this great question, then l have to-
tally misconceived and misunderstood
his character. The Sabbath was made
for man. 1t was made for him that
he might make of it shining jewel
in the string of pearls which should
adOrn all the days of the week, every
day speaking of divine things to the
man, but Sunday opening up the beau
ty ana grandeur OF the eternal life a
little wider yet.
This. dear friends all, has been my
message To you this morning. May
God forgive whatever has been spoken
contrary to the heart and spirit of our
dear Lord
IL Philips sermon two months before
made him enemies. this sermon made
even more. He had unconsciously this
time struck two of his members very
hardl One Of them was part owner in
a meat market which his partner Kept
open on Sunday. The other leased one
of the parks where the baseball games
had been played Other persons in the
felt more or less hurt by
the plain way Philip had spoken. eSpe-
cially the members who took and read
the Sunday paper. They went away
feeling that, while much that he said
ness in the minister's view of the
whole subject This feeling grew as
days went on. People said Philip did
not know all the facts in regard to
peoples business and the complications
which necessitated Sunday work and
so forth.
These were the beginnings of trou-
blesome times for Philip. The trial Of
the saloon keeper was coming on in n
few days, and Philip would be called
to witness I'm the case. He dreaded ii
with nervous dread peculiar to his
sensitive temper. Nevertheless he went
on with his church work, studying the
problem of the town. endearing him
self to very many IN and out Of his
church by his manly, courageous life
LIN | EE|!t++t!EEEa