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

S@.o-eE= strictions which the
- Scribes and Phari-
sees had placed
Ip>on il. His effort was 10 deliver the
day from its unbearable eXactions and
make il. as God intended, real day OF
rest. The cold Journalism of the letter
OF the law had killed the freedom OF the
Spirit of God in His relations to the day.
Jesus at once struck at the root OF the
matter when He declared: The Sab
bath was made for man. and not man for
the Sabbath" This statement was so
radically opposed to the Jewish idea OF
the Sabbath as TO arouse the bitterest
opposition. The Scribes and Pharisees
In their zeal for form and ceremony had
deified the Sabbath and made ii some
thing for man 10 worship and serve.
Jesus corrected this error by declaring
that God had made the Sabbath day to
serve the needs of man. Here, then, we
have the first and fundamental doctrine
in regard TO the Sabbath day. or the day
Of rest. The other great truth, as
Jesus went on to declare it, was that He
was Lord of the Sabbath. He was not
10 be crowded out of the day as God.
His Father, had been, for they had
sc filled the day with burdensome re-
strictions and obligations that il had
become Q religion Of cold and lifeless
forms and eXactions' And not only was
He Lord of the Sabbath day. but the law
of that day was one Of positive and ac-
tive goodness. 1t is lawful TO do good
on the Sabbath" Here. then, we have
before us the fundamentals of the Sab
bath DAY question: The Sabbath made
Tor man" Jesus, Lord OF the Sabbath"
and the law Of the Sabbath, do good"
WHEN Jesus was on earth and en-
w deavoring 10 restore 10 its rightful
functions the day of rest which God had
established, il was the extreme of cere-
monial restrictions and exactions which
robbed the day Of its true spirit and pur-
pose: but to-day the pendulum has
swung clear 10 the other side, and we
ind that instead of the Puritanical type
of Sunday we have the "wide-open"
Sunday. the Sunday when liberal views,
indifference TO Gods claims, and love
OF pleasure prevail Instead of the bur
den OF stern religious eXactions, there
1s distracting and demoralizing free
dom in every department In life The
laziness and ease which keep from
church on Sunday morning; the Sunday
newspaper, the reading of which rele-
gates the Bible to the dusty shelf; the
feasting and social functions: the pleas
ure outings. which take the whole or
part of the day; the rush of trains and
street cars; the grind of the wheels of
business; the din and pourd Cf the work
shop. Instead of the prescribed Sab
baths day journey of our Lords day
which the hypocritical PhaIisees would
not allow TO be overstepped even to
minister 10 suffering and needy crea-
ture, we have the bicycle or automobile
run The long street-car ride to visit
instant friends; the picnic in the mark
or the country. In Jesus day God was
crowded out Of the Sabbath day by mans
superficial zeal in religious things. To-
day, God is crowded out of the rest dav
by mans utter forgetfulness or martial
forgetfulness Of Gods claims upon him
and his seeking the things and Meas
ures OF the world. so that there is inst
as much need of effort 10 redeem the
blessed rest day from the error and evil
which crowd II as there was when
Jesus faced His bigoted critics and do
c'%fth that the Sabbath was made for
man mat He was Lord N the Sabbath
ana that the law which was to- govern
the day was that Of doing good. and the
same fundamental facts in regard to tho
weekly rest day which hav> existed etnco
the foundation Of tho world. when Coz
rested on the seventh day and ballouod
1t. exist to-day.
iiE fact that the Chrfgfian world
observes the first day Of the vveel,
instead OF the seventh as preqcribed -,
the Mosaic law does not m the -.
aiier tire great underlying uurnoeee
and obligations Of the day we bo,,o
nfh fFfSoe here TO develop the arc,
nent that man. physically and sntr-
hua!iy, needs one day I'm cove, g..
rest " is not necessary for ne 80
recall hUw with the passise- ~ +te
jewish eiispensation I'm the neioo,il,,,
and crucifiXion of Christ and ne
resurrection upon the first dae os ,to
week and the establishment e6 ba
church q the Gospel disueoea,f,,,,
upon the day of ReDtecost. the asy,ist,
Sabbatb ceased TO he observed d., tbo
CHRISTIANS. VINO in its stead okeo-,-e,,
sunday, or fbe first day Of the vcat
But whether the seventh-day 81
bath Of the Jews OF the frst-day gun.
day Of the Christians. they both res,
upon Foundation principles which arc
Sdentical, and unchanged and nm
cbangeable. The day of reat was made
for man. OF that day Christ is sin
Lord and great Exemplar. The one
great obligation Of that day is that
of doing good IL is not our purpose
tO 6fscuse the ouesffoo ~ xvboth<., -.