The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1907-07-03

QlEluC OI1SiAA o1lt|AA NOlA 10y
The fourth commandment is a
part of the Decalogue, have we
forgotten it? The entire day and
mot part Of it only belongs to
God. The entire day IS His.
There are three things the
American people are doing with
the Sabbath. lst: they are rob
bing it of its divine authority.
Second; they are secularizing it
until the day that God designed
for blessing to all mankind is
becoming the greatest curse to
ten thousands of our people
every week. And, third, the
American people are fast chang
ing one Of heavens best and
sweetest gifts into that which
they have so severely profaned
aud made unholy until vice,
crime and sin stalk more boldly
on the Sabbath Day in many
quarters Of our earth than on
any other day OF the week. Oh,
bretheren. do you realize it?
You may say that so far as our
town is concerned we have no
Sabbath desecration. I grant
that perhaps it is much better
here than in many other places
we might mention. Not to go
beyond our own State. let US
consider Charleston today. Some
time this afternoon out yonder
on that beautiful island there
will be sacrilegious, sacred
concert, and men will profane,
and men will frolic the day away,
and that is but a fair sample Of
many, yea ali Of our larger cit
les. And when we come nearer
home. as never before Christian
people, members Of the church
read the Sunday newspaper far
more than they read the Bible,
when no godly Christian luan or
Christian woman has any bust
ness whatever With Sunday
newspaper in his or her hands
on that Day; it's Gods Day and
you have no right to do your own
pleasure, and you have no right
to secularize it by reading secu-
lar newspapers. Again, Christ
ian men, members Of the church,
will get on the train on the Sab
bath and plead as their excuse a
business engagement. If you
must meet that engagement on
Monday then go on Saturday.
The Sabbath is Gods day. it be-
longs to him and you have no
right to use it for your own con.
'venience and you have no right
to make it a day Of business or
of pleasure; its Gods.
This suggests to US the three
divisions of our sermon today,
which we will consider briefly
I. Its Divine Authority. II.
1t is a Holy Day. III. The
Whole Day belongs to God.
I. It's Divine Authority. We
read in Genesis 2nd chapter and
End and 3rd verses as follows:
t;'And on the seventh day God
ended his work which he had
made: and he rested on the sew
enth day from all his work
which he had made. And God
blessed the seventh day, and
sanctifed it; because that in it
he had rested from all his work
which God had created and
made" Then we might turn to
Exodus 16::22-30 as to the Law
of Mama, and many others, but
we won't take time to read them
all, such as Duet. 5:11-15: Ex.
81: 12-17: Lev. 19: 5 and 30: Lev.
%: l 3: Neh. 1882: lisa. 56:
II: Elk. 20:12.21: Lev. 1921:
Jer. 1927, ana SO on. In Elk.
16::2222. 80, we read how that when
the mamma came down to feed
Israel, on the Sabbath day no
mama fell. In Ex. POS, which
is our text, we read the Fourth
Commandment. The Sabbath is
a thousand years older than the
Decalogue. The Sabbath day is
a thousand years older than
Moses. 1t is as old as creation
itself. God did not rest on the
Sabbath day because He was
tired, but rested that He might
give to all men an example of
resting. And he did something
else besides rest. He sanctified
it: that means that he made it
a holy day.
It is not, therefore. q mere
vagary or notion of mine, but
God made it a holy day Six
days for work and doing your
own pleasure as long as it be to
the glory of God, but when we
come to the Sabbath day. it is
Gods day. Over fifty times in
the Old Testament does God set
His seal upon this day. Fifty
times over He reminds His peo-
pie that it is His Day. We will
observe in the New Testament
but four things pertaining to the
i Sabbath. Jesus observed the
Sabbath. On the occasions we
have the record Of his going into
the Synagogue on the Sabbath
day, to worship God. The Apos-
| IL IL