The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1910-07-22

man"
The wisdom of the world, as al
ways. Is gathered upon the lips ,ot
Jesus. The question OF the Sabbath
Is up, and his terse phrase our text
is the final word upon the matter.
The Sabbath was made for man"
for his benefit. body, mind, soul.
To Adam 1t was haIlowed and blessed.
To Israel 1t was enjoined as a moral
statute forever. To Gentiles, to ALI
and every nation coming into the
sovereignty and Fatherhood OF God
a Sabbath day is sanctified, or God
is not. For God Himself rested on
the Sabbath day from His labors, and
what He has done we will do; that
our work too may have the semblance
of good.
~ The Sabbath is designed to
bless and benefit man-body and
mind This mortal mechanism, how
ever hale, cannot 60 on increasingly.
Economic science among men has
long since demonstrated the wisdom
Of resting one day in seven. Men
have found out that they can do
more work in six days than in seven.
That the tifty-two days of rest an
nually are not a subtraction but a
multiplication of the years strength.
"
reagh that he worked for g. time $50
days in the year to end his life In
madness and suicide, the penalty of
mon Observance of the Sabbath
Doubtless the mind and nerve short
age of this day is in default to God 3
day of rest. And the beast or burden
goes farther. lasts longer and yields
richer service to his owner If rested
as he needs. The machine must stop
fer eiling against frietious heat. The
locomotive is run one division and
rested. 1t was proved by experiment
that the work done first after the
Sabbath rest was the best OF the
weeks output. Surely brain cell and
nerve center so delicate. so sensitive
are overwrought only at terrible
risk
CD But more than all the Sabbath
is ordered to benefit mans soul, 1t
is the perpetual ordinance to me-
morialize God. With God forgotten
man or nation is lost Israel keeping
the Sabbath is Israel honoring God
and the people Decorating the Sab
bath are the people forgetting God.
He come" some might say. let us
work nineteen days and rest the TWEEN
tieth." But that is mans order, a
calendar4o OF catastrophe. a travesty OF
having worked six and who so keeps
the twentieth dtshonors God. That
Sabbath dissertation is a more fragrant
sin than lying, theft, fornicetion. muir
der is hard TO say and yet Ii seems to
work more consummate and un-
warranted break with the Father than
these. It is destroying the one means
of commission OF decentralization,
sanctity is swallowed up Of sacrilege,
1t Is like a man who has visited
mother, who may visit her, to feel her
tender interests In her boy still and
| TO show his fond affections to hel
who love him, and yet he will not
| Can man be more depraved? II Ii
like a man engaged In a room, de-
pending for light upon big window
which opens upon a broad expanss
and outlook, but he closes that VIM
dow, caring not what outlook Is lost
to him forever.
IS, The Sabbath of the New Tesla
ment is intensified in holiness. II Ia
/ the day not only when all severa
/ pursuits are abandoned but when al
i that and intent are given to the Lord
| 1t is the Lords day. On that day
/ his people meet together. to break
! bread and to pray. to acquire tins
| spirit and substance of holy and
!
| good is lawful on the Sabbath. A
/ day for altruistic thought and action
I To be in the spirit on the Lord's
day means heavenly rest and rein
vigoration, for faded Ifnds. PLACID
| sinews and famished souls.
| There are three forces to-day work
and threatening to destroy our Sun
| day. First, Greed, love OF pelp. Ever
/ since Jesus and his disciples gathered
/ the corn for hunger's sake on tins
! Sabbath, corporations and individuals
| have been pleading for living's sake
/ to gather the cash on Sunday. There
are four millions OF men in this coun-
/ try at Sunday labor. Railroad and
trolley lines are running, excursions
and building parks at the end ol
| their line, and hiring bands to play
| to give the poor people an outing.
t No, TO give the stockholders an In
ming. They say to carry the church
/ people TO chuch and elsewhere, bu'
/ never mind the church people. mtne
/ your employees. And the Sunda.
| newspaper. the best paying advsrtis'
| ing medium yet and the colored sup
| plements made to sell 1t Is piair
| case of Greed ys. God. VIII a mar
| rob God2" The day Is His.
! Second: Idleness. the devils incu'
/ doze, to while the hours in gentle
/ dollence. unshaved. unwashed, un'
/ dressed. a. savage way to spend this
! best day of all" Let us thank God
! for the gentility of the day and holc
/ fast Its retinements.
| Third: Love of pleasure. We mus
/ have our amusements. Merry-go.
/ rounds, moving pictures, theatres. tbs
| dance. the saloon. fatiguing, irrttat'
I ing, exhausting, leading to flag ant
| wretchedness faster than the mos
j scuryy- slavery The blot OF mora
| imbecility. such as has stified tht
strength and even the life OF score
of nations setting upon this fair land
Avert 1t by observing and using ths
Sabbath OF God as 1t Is designed
"If thou turn away thy foot from
| doing thy pleasure on my holy day
and call that Sabbath a delight, ant
shall honor 1t. not doing thine owr
ways, thou shalt ride upon the high
| places of the earth"