The Tupelo journal. (Tupelo, Miss.) 1876-1924, 1903-10-16
Sermon by the Highway and Byway" Preacher.
Copyright, 1908. by ]. NJ. Edison.

ing and obligations of the day when
Jesus attacked their false and unholy
position.
MYTH Chicago university pro-s
w lessor advocating Sunday base
ball, and other religious teachers and
preachers throughout the country at
tempting to determine what may law
fully be done on Sunday; with the
letting down of the bars in every di-
rection and the shutting out of God
from the rest day by the distraction
OF human plans and purposes, there Is
need to turn from human thought and
reasoning and get near to Jesus,
where we may hear Him tell us again:
1.-THE Sabbath was made for man, and
not man for the Sabbath; SO that the
Son of man is Lord even of the Sab
bath" TT is lawful to do good on
the Sabbath day." Jesus critics were
ready to argue with Him. And there
is just as eager willingness to-day to
enter into controversy over the Sun
day question. The punctilious Phari-
sees in their bigotry and blindness
thought they were right on the ques-
ton of the right observation of the
Sabbath day. and the liberalist of to-
day. although he is on the other side
of the fence, as he reasons from his
human point of view, believes that he
is right. The Pharisees, with their
distorted ideas as to what constituted
work, asked: us it lawful to heal on
the Sabbath day." Think of it!
What blindness! And to-day with the
extreme of liberanty reached in ref
erence to the question of Sunday OBJ
servance, and with human desire and
self1shness encroaching more and
more upon the Lords day, we find
those who do not understand the real
purpose and obligations of the day
asking as foolish questions, and maxi
ing as vital mistakes as did the
Pharisees. To the two extremists Je-
sus says: at is lawful (right) to do
good on the Sabbath day." Within the
scope of this simple and plain state
ment is comprehended the whole Sun
day question, and within it's spirit and
meaning we find the practical demon
stration of the truth that the Sabbath
was made for man.
7 EFT us look at the circumstances sur
l. rounding our text. 1t is the Sabbath
day, and Jesus has entered the syna-
gogue His critics follow Him. There is
within the synagogue man with pal
sled and wasted arm. Jesus attention
is directed at once to the sufferer The
Pharisees, noting this, and divining His
purpose, ask the question to which our
text is the reply. But before He rem
ders the man the help he needs and an
swers their query, He asks them few
simple and searching questions, which
lay bare their false position. What
man shall there be of you, that shall have
one sheep, and if this fall into a pit on
the Sabbath day, will he not lay hold
on it, and lift it out? How much, then,
is a man Of more value than sheep!"
The restrictions of the Pharisaic law
might be overstepped in behalf of the
brute, which had an intrinsic value to
it's owner, but it must be rigidly and ex-
actly observed when it came to suffer-
ing man, who in Gods sight was Of in
finitely more value. And human life has
not ceased to be the cheapest thing in
the world in mans eyes, and this fact
is strikingly in evidence in connection
with the violation of the purpose and
spirit of Sunday, both as regards mans
treatment of himself and as regards his
treatment of his fellowmen. The bust
ness man is willing to work his clerks
seven days in the week, and when the
men are worn out, he can get more.
The railroad and the factory will put
their men through the perpetual grind,
and find more to fill their places when
they become inefficient and worked-out.
1t is right to do good on the Sabbath day
But man is doing evil when he fills
Sunday with the business and work of
the week day; when he lets the excesses
of pleasure and ease, and personal ambi-
lions and desires, shut out of the day
all approach unto God, and all rest in His
righteous will. 80 ~
l
l. it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath
day. The doing of good involves triple
relationship: The relation of man to
himself, to his God and to his fellowman.
Doing good cannot measure up to Cod
standard of what goodness is, if any one
of these conditions is lacking. First Of
all, then, man must consider himself in
roforo,oo IN tb;e Crpdoy u,ocf}o, yxyho
should the day bring to him, and what
of his own personality should he put into
the day? If the day of rest was insti-
tuted for man, what is it that it should
bring to him in his physical and spirit
ual being? Is it not rest on the world
side, and growth Godward? Every sew
enth day was to be day of rest It's de-
clared Of God that Gin six days He made
Heaven and earth, the sea, and all that
in them is, and rested the seventh day:
wherefore the Lord blessed the Sab
bath day and hallowed It." But that it
does not mean the rest of inactivity and
aimless purpose is evident from what
Jesus declared, for, when He healed and
wrought good on the Sabbath day, He de-
Tended His actions when the Jews ac-
cused Him of violating the command
ment of God in regard to the holy Sab
bath day by declaring that His Father
worked hitherto and He worked The
rest which God purposed for man was not
the rest of laziness, nor was God pro-
viding for time when man could re-
cover from the week of indulgences and