Ceredo advance. [volume] (Ceredo, W. Va.) 1885-1939, 1903-10-07

make Saturday night the convenient sea.
son of excuses of all varieties. because
they know that on me Sunday following
they can sleep and rest up the physically
tired and WORKOUT body. How many.
many Christians-be IL said TO their
| shame and Observation-Disclosures piar
the Saturday night social pleasure ans
| outing. because they know that on Sur
day they can sleep late. But such rest
brings TO blessing. save perhaps TO the
lower physical nature. To the Chris
tian Saturday night ought to be the home
night. as far as possible. so that plan
ming and preparation for the Lords day
TO follow may be made Rest such as
COD intended should be found upon the
cay OF rest was that which took one from
the secular things of the week and gave
him favorable opportunity to grow
towards the things Of God.
! a Nd in the second place. as regards
mans relation 10 God on the day OF
rest: There is distinctive obligation
10 God on the Sabbath day which no
other day of the week can know. IL
provides an environment in which
mans spiritual nature can properly de-
veiop and grow. To the degree TO which
man recognizes this fact. TO that extent
does he realize the blessings and bene-
fits of the day OF rest. The Sabbath day
is given 10 man that God may have OPP
| portunity 10 come closer 10 him and
| satisfy the needs of his spiritual nature
Some natures are SO starved and dead to
a sense OF God that they crowd Sunday
full OF the things of the world. their
pleasures and ambitions, and are indif-
| ferent TO the claims of God upon them
I or OF their own need of Him. Many
Christians by their worldliness. by al
lowing the natural man to predominant
and rule, fail TO realize the blessing of
the Lords day. There must be sep
aration from the world and the things
of the world in order that the way unto
God and His approach unto us may be
unobstructed. In the days of Nehemiah,
when the people had grown careless as
to the Sabbath day and the day had
come TO be pretty nearly like the other
days OF the week, he shut the gates
against those who had been coming into
Jerusalem to buy and sell. He separated
the people of the city from the outside
influences which drew them away from
God, and to-day we need the same stern
and decisive action upon the part OF
every individual Christian In shutting
The gates Of his mind and heart against
the cares and thought and plans Of the
secular week; there is need of shutting
out the activities of the natural man in
order that there may be growth and de-
velopment Godward This is essential
to well-doing on the Sabbath day.
N the third place, well doing on the
Sabbath day involves mans relation
TO his fellowman. This raises a com
plexity OF questions and problems which
only can be settled as light Is received
from God, and His will and Spirit have
opportunity TO operate freely through
one. 1T is lawful to do good on the
Sabbath day" declares Jesus. and there
is apparently a vast deal Of well doing
from man TO man on the Sabbath day
which apparently receives the general
approval OF man. but we dare TO say
that some of ii at least does not meet
the approval of God. for the we'll doing
does not reach any higher than man or
seek TO go beyond the temporal physical
needs OF man. Take your Bibles and
read all portions OF the Gospels which
tell OF Jesus Sabbath day activities, and
what do we find? Jesus well doing as
IL touched the physical sought to reach
the spiritual and lead to clearer under
standing OF God and nearer approach
unto Him. Test your activities on the
Lords day as those activities bring you
into touch with others and see what is
the underlying motive. Why do you do
this or that on the Sabbath day? Why
do you go TO this or that place? Why do
you make that call, or go on that jaunt
on the street cars to another part OF the
city or country? Why do you arrange
that gathering Of relatives or friends
at the festive board? What Is your pur-
pose in * all? All that you do may In IT.
self be harmless and perfectly proper in
its rightful place. II may satisfy and
please your friends. and those with
whom you come I'm contact, but II IL
does not satisfy the conditions which
God lays down as he law Of His day you
have failed
F Sunday baseball, Sunday p'cnics
SUNDAY pleasures and outings. Sun
day sociabilities and Teasing can stand
the test Of this triple-sided view Of the
law Of the Sabbath day. all right: but
II not. il II all wrong. The trouble with
people in arguing with themselves and
with others in regard 10 what they
rightfully may and rightfully may not
do on the Sabbath day is that they rea-
son from human standpoints and with
conceptions Of life which do not reach
beyond the present life. But II a ques-
ton as regards TO conduct on the sab.
bath day is to be settled rightfully anC
finally II must be considered in reIa-
tion 70 himself. 10 his God and 10 his
fellowmen. Christians would not be 20