Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1913-03-12
CHRISTIAN ENDEAVOR
Prayer Meeting Topic For the Week
BEGINNING March rs, 1918


Topie.-How may every Sabbath be ''the
Lords ay?"-Jer. xvii. 1-27. Edited by
Rev. Sherman II. Doyle, D. d.
The Sabbath is the Lords day" In
the commandment given to Moses con-
corning the Sabbath it is said, 1.-THE
seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord
thy God" In the New Testament, aft
er the Sabbath had been changed from
the seventh day of the week TO the
first, 1t Is simply yet significantly call
ed 1.-THE Lords day" All time is Gods,
but this seventh portion of time He
makes a special claim upon, and we
should render . unto God the
things that are Gods"
Nor is there ever any loss in giving
to God what belongs to Him. The OPP
posite Is always true. Self interest
should compel every man to serve God,
for In so doing he best serves himself.
This is strikingly true of the Sabbath.
The benefits Of keeping 1t holy and
sacred unto Him all accrue to us. while
failure to do so always means physical
or mental or spiritual loss or all three
to ourselves
The question of making the Sabbath
the Lords day is a very vital one in
our age. There was time in the his
tory of our country when certain pre-
scribed regulations were In force con-
corning the Sabbath from which it was
difficult to depart. Whether this was
the true spirit of Sabbath observance
may be a question, but there Is no
question that the Sabbath today is too
much disregarded. As in the days of
jeremiah. it is given up too largely to
business and to pleasure. 1t is too Of
ten Mammon's day and society's day
rather than 1.-The Lords day"
The enemies of Christianity disregard
it and denounce ii, and, what is worse,
professed Christians are neglecting to
keep 1t sacred and holy unto God. The
results of Sabbath Dissertation will be
disastrous. God exacts a penalty for
disobedience. Israel paid the penalty
of a commercialized Sabbath. and
America will pay 1t. 1t therefore rests
upon every individual American citi-
zen to see that the Sabbath is observed
in true spirit and in the manner ap-
proved by the word of God
The Bible sets forth no schedule OF
specific acts to govern our lives upon
the Sabbath in order that 1t may be
The Lords day. 1t does, however, lay
down certain general principles con-
corning the Sabbath. If we adhere to
these we shall make every Sabbath the
Lords day. d The Sabbath should be
hallowed, kept sacred God hallowed
it, aud we should do so in imitation of
His example.
>, 1t should be made sacred by absti-
hence from many things that may be
perfectly lawful upon other days.
There should always be about it an at
mosphere of sacredness that speaks to
us of God and brings us closer to God.
(2) The Sabbath should be day of rest.
1t was set apart supremacy as rest
day. The word Sabbath means rest
ito rest from labor"
The commandment says, TN it thou
shalt not do any work" God rested
the seventh day" from the work of Gre
alton, and wherefore the Lord blessed
the Sabbath day and haIlowed it"
Man needs the rest of one day In seven
This fact has been practically and sci
entiicaIly demonstrated Necessary
work must be done, but the judgment
of God will come upon governments
and employers of labor who require
unnecessary work to be done upon
a hot 1nxy C-N
should be day Of worship. Man not
only needs physical rest. but an oppor-
tunity to worship God. The Sabbath
provides this much needed opportunity,
and 1t should be devoted to religious
worship, spiritual improvement, Chris
tan fellowship and Christian saryica