The Tupelo journal. (Tupelo, Miss.) 1876-1924, 1903-08-21


words: "Oh, it is my vacation, and l
can do as please, now" puts the
conscience to sleep, while the Chris
tan continues on his free and easy
way know Christians who do things
in the summer time, and when away
on their vacations. which they would
never think of doing during other
times of the year, and who try to make
themselves believe they are all right
because summer time and vacation
bring peculiar license. | know Chris
tians who are thoughtful of the Lords
day and deplore its dissertation at all
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 unin-.
terrupted pleasures of the other days
of the week. FfFt R.sl
no NOT misunderstood me. am
u 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
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 marred
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
vacation time. LIE. Us see If it is need
full that they should be, to have a jol-
ly, 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
e..
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
life in two directions: In the neglect
Of the accustomed devotions and activi-
ties of the Christian life, and in the
indulgence in pleasures and associa-
lions which are demoralizing and
questionable. Many a promising Chris
tan life is wrecked upon the rocks of
summertime excess. 1t begins with
the passive attitude of neglect and
ends with the active participation in
the questionable and hurtful. 1t be-
gins with the excessive indulgence in
summertime pleasures of a wholesome
sort, to the utter crowding out of the
Lord and intercourse with Him, and
prepares the feet later to tread in the
by-paths of sin. Why is it that it
takes weeks and months after the
summer is passed to bring the church
back to spiritual condition where it
is ready to do effective work? Why
is it that the summer time is not con-
tributive to the Christian work of the
fall, but is destructive of it? Why is
it so commonly charged, and justly
so, that the Christian takes a vaca-
ton, but the devil never? Is there
not one answer to all these questions?
Is is not because of the summertime
excess? The Christian ought to enjoy
the summer time! He needs and is en-
titled to his vacation! But his enjoy
ment of the summer should be of such
temperate character that as the gold
en- days of summer unfold into the
hazy days of autumn he will be in bet
ter spiritual condition than ever he
fore, and more fitted for the new and
larger demands which the Lord is al
ways making of His followers.
SUMMERTIME attractions and dis
- fractions are multiplying so rapidly
in these days, and the vacation period
has taken such universal and promi-
nent place in the lives of the people
of this nation, that it is not surpris-
ing that their influence should be felt
in the life of the church and in the
life of the Christian. 1t is becoming
more and more apparent-in the
churches of the cities, more particu-
larly-that a new distracting ten
dency must be dealt with. The sum-
mer season and the vacation period
are being SO emphasized that religious
obligations are lost sight of Every
thing is sacrificed that the summer
plans may be carried out. Excess
marks every step Of the way, from the
time in the late winter or early spring
when plans and thoughts for the sum-
mer are allowed to monopolize the at
tention, down through the actual days
of the summer indulgences. And
somehow the Christian is coming to
believe. that the summer time and va
cation to be real and benefisial must
be entirely separated from religious
thought and activity. 1t is a painful
fact that multitudes of Christians are
encouraging themselves in the belief
that spirituality and Christian service
have no riphffnl nIaca in tho Gum m ar