South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1914-03-14
KEEPING THE SABBATH.

KEEPING THE SABBATH.
1. We should Do Good on the Sab
bath. 1t was very rarely that Jesus
cured any person unless he hae been
requested TO do so. but when on
Sabbath day. while in the synagogue,
he saw a poor woman with an inflrm-
ity which bowed her almost double
his heart was touched with sympathy
and he called her TO him, and cured
her. There were other similar good
deeds which Jesus did on the Sabbath
day. and for which the scribes and
pharisees found fault with him. But
he SO defended himself that they
were speechless, and he has left us
the statement that il is lawful TO do
good on the Sabbath day While the
Sabbath is a blessed rest day, the rest
itself is simply from our usual Occu-
pations ana does not imply that we
are to be totally inactive on that day.
Ii is a good day 10 visit the sick, to
help the poor. TO carry the gospel to
those who know il not, to look up dis
couraged people and TO fill them with
hope. 1t is a good day to speak to
people about the great salvation, TO
teach a Sunday school class, or a
ragged school, or to do any sort of
good work. 1t is a day for meeting
in our various places of worship, to
praise Of God; it is a day of reading,
contemplation. and for the admira-
ton of the wonderful works of God.
>. We Should Rest on the Sabbath
Day. As just intimated rest is not
generally a cessation OF all activity,
it is frequeStly a change of work; it
is our duty~and blessed privilege to
rest from our usual occupation, or
business, on the Sabbath day, and
thus recuperate our minds and bodies
for the coming week. Men who work
seven days week are slaves. and per-
haps all the more slaves when they do
it of their own free ill. There should
be law in every STATE, as there is
in some TO make unnecessary work
on the Sabbath day criminal offense.
Those who are employer of labor
should not be allowed to work their
employees on the Sabbath day, and in
the same way - ought to be made ille-
gal for any person to work on this
rest day Ii is true that under mod
ern conditions it is impossible for all
the people to cease work on the same
day but such necessary labor should be
reduced to a minimum. Christ said
THE Sabbath was made for man."
whatever therefore must be done on
that day to conserve the interest of
humanity, may be done, and the do
ing of it really keeps the spirit of the
Christians. rest day.
3. We Should Limit Our Travel and
Contract Our Needs on the Sabbath
1t may be impossible to make rules
/ for individuals which are of universal
adaptation, and therefore large
measure of liberty must be given to
the individual but so far as rules or
laws can be made to restrict Sabbath
/ labor, they should be made. and in
\ N L. Oh, on
instructed concerning the value of the
Sabbath and the force of their indi-
/ vidual example in the keeping of that
/ holy rest day AS a rule we should
not start on long Journey on the
Sabbath. and If every person would
keep this rule 1t would greatly limit
/ labor on that dag. We may easily see
that it is impossible To restrict all
travelling on the Sabbath, but il
/ should be reduced to the utmost pos
sible limit. Then we should restrict
our needs on this rest day. Ii is not
q day for visiting, for big dinners. for
excursions: our domestic servants
should have as little to do as possible
on this day. We should use public
utilities only when absolutely neces-
sary such as the postOffice, the tele-
4 phone, the telegraph, street cars and
similar things. We should be gov
/ erned by the law Of love in keeping
\ the SaDD2th DAY.
\. We should Spend the Sabbath
( With God and Our Souls. We ought
\ TO aim TO make the Sabbath a real
/ delight in our home, it should not be
sad day for the children, but a
glad day and this can be accom-
/ plished with a little thought We
should however train the children
and ourselves, to make this holy day
! a time of quiet. of meditation, of the
/ exploitation of our own souls. A time
+ to think about God and eternal things,
/ q time Of communing with him. There
/ is such a wealth of inspiring Chris
tian literature that every home should
/ be supplied with a sufficient variety
\ TO meet the needs of all in the home.
\ We should seek to read those books
/ which VIII cultivate an acquaintance
with God and good men. IL is clearly
/ the duty Of everybody TO attend public
worship on the Sabbath day, either
once, or twice according TO circum-
stances. and il would be a good thing
/ II old and young were TO attend Sun
\ day school, or Bible class, in order to
! study the Bible and to discuss mat
\ ters pertaining to the soul, and the
eternal life with our fellows There
\ IL no pleasure for Christian people
comparable 10 the JOY which is devel-
/ Oped in the study of the Bible and
/ in comp ting Christian experiences.
] fCOnyriof - hxr Il nax-fdcOn \