The L'Anse sentinel. (L'Anse, L.S., Mich.) 18??-current, 1903-10-10

make Saturday night the convenient sea
son of excuses Of all varieties, because
they know that on the Sunday following
they can sleep and rest up the physically
tired and WORKOUT body. How many
many Christians-be It said to their
shame and Observation-Disclosures plan
the Saturday night social pleasure and
outing. because they know that on Sum
day they can sleep late. But such rest
brings no 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
I God intended should be found upon the
day of rest was that which took one from
the secular things OF the week and gave
him a favorable opportunity to grow
towards the things OF God.
A ND in the second place, as regards
n mans relation to God on the day Of
rest: There is a distinctive obligation
to God on the Sabbath day which no
other day of the week can know. 1t
provides an environment in which
mans spiritual nature can properly de-
velop 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 to man that God may have OPP
portunity to come closer to 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
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 a 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
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 or
every individual Christian in shutting
the gates of his mind and heart against
the cares and thought and plans OF tho
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.
IN 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 vast deal of well doing
from man to man on the Sabbath day
which apparently receives the general
of man, but we dare to- say
that some of it 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
It touched the physical sought to reach
the spiritual and lead to clearer UNDER
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
,ou make that call, or go on that jaunt
on the street cars to another part of the
city or country? Why do you arrange
hat gathering of relatives or friends
at the festive board? What is your pur-
pose in 1t all? All that you do may in it.
self be harmless and perfectly proper in
is rightful place. 1t may satisfy and
please your friends, and those with
whom you come in contact. but IL 1t
1oes not satisfy the conditions which
God lays down as the law of His day you
have failed.
IF Sunday baseball, Sunday picnics,
Sunday pleasures and outings, Sun
lay sociabilities and feasting can stand
he test of this triple-sided view of the
law Of the Sabbath day, all right. but
II not, 1t is all wrong. The trouble with
people in arguing with themselves and
with others in regard to what they
rightfully may and rightfully may not
do on the Sabbath day is that they rea-
son from human standpoints and with
of life which do not reach
beyond the present life. But IL ques-
ton as regards to conduct on the Sab
bath day Is to be settled rightfully and
finally 1t must be considered In rela-
ton to himself, to his God and to his
Christians would not be SO
and anxious over this Sunday
question II they were moved by the pur-
pose of doing good which actuated
Christ. He never found II diiicult to