Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1912-05-15

trash. We cannot say too much for
good newspapers such as we have
in our midst, but we cannot say too
much against the person who cult
Yates the sensational at the expense
of his soul. Said Jesus. If thy
right hand offend thee, cut it off"
If this is the cause of your distaste
for church life, stop reading it.
Even godly people do not seem to
think it sin to read secular news
on Sunday, do not blush to keep
the postmaster at his window. 1t is
passing strange.
Another reason why people do not
attend church is their profound ig-
norance of the serious consequences
of breaking the Sabbath and neg
lecting this duty. Tie average man
reminds me of a bird sitting on a
telegraph wire perfectly uncon-
scious of the serious messages be-
meath his feet. We have some sig
nal indications that the Sabbath is
slipping away from US. And when
it is gone this world will become
piece of commercial machinery
which will grind the life out of the
poor laborer, who is in a great
measure instrumental in our losing
the Sabbath day. If he will not
honor God with it, the talent will
be taken away and given to nation
bringing forth sabbatic fruit. 1t is
serious to think of the hundreds
and thousands whose avocation war
ranted at first one of seven days,
but now says, In the seventh day
thou shalt earn thy bread in the
sweat of thy brow" To them it is
gone forever! And you and l who
desecrate or misuse this day are the
guilty ones; we have robbed that
man of nine hours rest and one
hours worship on the Sabbath.
There is no use to question the fact
that the church is the only institu-
ton which can save the Sabbath for
the tired laborer. The Sabbath is a
ship which is running against the
rock of desecration. Oh, merciless
man and woman, help US to save the
Sabbath for America!
Let us not forget that the church
is an expression of ithe Sabbath.
The organized church may be prop
erly styled the child of the Sabbath.
When the mother is taken away,
this nursing child (the church) must
either die or become an artificial
institution. 1t is a note worthy fact
that the worldliness of the church
has always been in proportion to
the desecration of the Sabbath. The
Sabbath gone, the church gone, the
flood gates of hell are lifted, the vir-
tue of woman is sacrificed upon the
altar of human lust, the upper and
neither milestone of commercialism
grinds to pieces humanity; the
French revolution doctrine of the
Survival of the ittest is proclaimed,
the streets of America flow with
lblood at the hands of anarchists.
|The fittest survives for awhile and
then plunges to death beneath its
own weight. A world wide religious
revolution takes place, nation is
born in day, the world is renewed.
like fresh limbs growing out of q
felled tree; meanwhile the Sabbath
breaker is sweltering in hell and
Gods justice is vindicated. He has
conquered and called upon the
wrath of man to sing new song OF
praise to the attributes of Him
whose glorious majesty the prophet
expresses thus: The clouds are as
the dust of his feet" God does not
beg us to keep holy this day, he
demands it and attaches a penalty
to the violation. 1t is the church
that comes to us and implores us tc
escape the wrath inflicted for dis
obedience; the church is Gods light
house which casts its revolving
light out upon a dangerous sea and
beckons us as individuals and as a
nation to steer clear Of that hidden
rock of Sabbath desecration. We
have gone wild on the subject OF
temperance and we ought to go
wild because the abuse of it has
driven the world mad; but we ought
to be no less wild on the fearful con
sequences of breaking Gods fourth
commandment. We are too prone
to think that we can atone for one
national tsin by attempting to e1.
terminate another. The temperance