St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1903-09-12

properly thrown of, and rest and rec
reation become synonyms for unre
strained indulgence in every whin
and desire. The conscience may b.
uneasy, but a nervous laugh and tn
words: "Oh, it is my vacation, and
can do as / please, now" puts tn,
conscience to sleep, while the Chris
tan continues on his free and cas-,
way. know Christians who do things
in the summer time, and when ava,
on their vacations. which they woult
never think of doing during othel
times of the year, and who try to make
themselves believe they are all RICH
because summer time and vacation
bring peculiar license. I know Chris
tians who are thoughtful of the Lord.
day and deplore it's dissertation at al
times except when on their vacations
Then Sunday counts only as one more
day of the vacation, to be conveniently
travelled in or made part of the upin.
terrupted pleasures of the other days
of the week.
no NOT misunderstood me. l am
- not defending the Pharisaical
Sabbath, in which the letter is OBJ
served and the spirit forgotten. Sun
day observance at home or away from
home is not constituted by so many
attendances upon church, the Sunday
school class taught, and SO many chap
tiers in the Bible read. Man was not
made for the Sabbath, but the Sabbath
was made for man, in which he might,
by whatever he did, draw nearer to
God and rest in Him. One may do
nothing worse on the Sabbath day
than seek physical rest and ease, and
yet, by that attitude, desecrate the day
and dishonor God, unless in that seek
ing of the physical need there were
purpose and desire to profit and en-
rich the spiritual life Jesus Sabbath
days were filled with activity, but it
was to the blessing of man and the
clarifying of God. 1t is not so much
what you do on the Lords day, but
the motive which lies back of the con-
duct which determines whether you,
as Christian. have desecrated the
day or not. But not only Sunday, but
the other days of the week, are married
by the summertime excess. Let us
see wherein this excess lies. Let us see
If the Christian life and conflict are to
be laid aside during the summer and
time. Let us see If 1t Is need
full that they should be, to have a jol-
", good and refreshing time. Every
man that striveth for the mastery Is
temperate in all things" Temperate
in all things, whether it is while the
languor of summer heat is felt and
the voice of fair Nature is calling
away to change and rest. or while the
vigorous air of fall and winter is urging
to fresh activities.
THE summertime excess OF the
Christian finds expression in his
lie in two directions: In the neglect
81 the accustomed devotions and activi-
les of the Christian life, and in the
in pleasures and associa-
ions which are demoralizing and
Many a promising Chris
ian life is wrecked upon the rocks of
excess. It begins with
he passive attitude of neglect and
ends with the active participation in
he questionable and hurtful. It be-
,ins with the excessive indulgence in
pleasures Of a wholesome
'ort, to the utter crowding out of the
ord and intercourse with Him., and
the feet later to tread in the
,y-paths of sin. Why is it that it
axes weeks and months after the
hummer is passed to bring the church
,ack to spiritual condition where 1t
8 ready to do effective work? Why
s 1t that the summer time is not con-
to the Christian work of tho
all, but is destructive of it? Why is
SO commonly charged, and justly
o, that the Christian takes a vaca-
ion, but the devil never? Is there
lot one answer to all these questions?
s is not because of the summertime
xcess? The Christian ought to enjoy
he summer time! He needs and is en-
tiled to his vacation! But his enjoy
aent of the summer should be of such
temperate character that as the gold
n days of summer unfold into the
azy days of autumn he will be in bet
er spiritual condition than ever be-
ore, and more fitted for the new and
anger demands which the Lord is al
rays making Of His followers.
UMMER-T TIME attractions and dis
} fractions are multiplying so rapidly
q these days, and the vacation period
as taken such universal and promi-
ent place in the lives Of the people
t this nation, that it is not surpris-
ag that their influence should be felt
4 the life of the church and in the
fe of the Christian. 1t is becoming
lore and more apparent-in the
hurches of the cities, more particu-
lrly-that new distracting ten
ency must be dealt with. The sum
Ter season and the vacation period !
re being so emphasized that religious
bligations are lost sight OF. Every
hing is sacrificed that the. summer
lans may be carried out. Excess |
larks every step Of the way, from the
me in the late winter or early spring |
hen plans and thoughts for the sum-
Ter are allowed to monopolize the at
,ntion, down through the actual days
{ the summer indulgences. And
omehow the Christian is coming to
elieve that the summer time and va
alton to be real and benefisial must
,oueht and activity. It Is a Dafnful |