Evening journal., 1916-04-29
TOPIC FOR SUNDAY EVENING,
APRIL 30.
~USING SUNDAY FOR THIS WORLD
AND THE NEXT.--Isa. 5Si LII.
THE COMMENTATOR
REV. VAUGHAN $. COLLINS. ID, ID.

The Christian Endeavor Society in
naming Using Sunday for This World
and The Next" as the topic for Sun
day evening April 30, brings every
thoughtful member face to face with
the question, "Why did the All-Wise
God set apart one day in seven as a
Sabbath II depends upon the answer
one gives to this question as TO how
he will regard the Sabbath.
Rest and. Efficiency.
All agree that Sabbath" means
rest" so evidently the Creator
intended that man should rest one day
in seven. In the law given on Sinai
this command is plainly stated: I'm IL
thou shalt not do any work; thou.
nor thy son, nor thy man servant, nor
thy maid servant, nor thy cattle, nor
the stranger within thy gates" And
II would be both easy and interesting
to prove scientifically (did space per-
nit that mans body demands the
seventh day rest in order to its
highest efficiency; and to prove
also that a man, or a company of men,
can do more work, and better work,
during term OF years by working
six days week, than it is possible to
do by working seven days a week. But
physical rest, though important. is not
the reason that God set apart the
Sabbatic rest.
Rest For Your Soul.
The scriptures clearly teach that
the Sabbath was instituted as a day
for Va Oh ar.H sfr,
your souls"
"A Sabbath unto the Lord your
Cod Remember the Sabbath day to
keep it holy" Such references as
these might be multiplied almost in
definitely and combined they show
with unchallenged unanimity that in
the very dawn OF creation God insti-
tuted the Sabbath primarily for the
good OF mans soul Knowing that
man would be sorely tempted to make
the body supreme, to place physical
ease and comforts and fleshly appe-
tites above the needs of his spiritual
nature, God commands, with all the
emphasis at His disposal that one
day In seven man shall cease being 8
slave 10 his body. and give his immor.
tai soul an opportunity for develop
ment.
llOly-days and Holidays.
The passage from Isaiah chosen FOL
the scripture basis of the lesson is Z
i powerful indictment OF Israel for de.
parting from this divine ideal Of the
Sabbath. Twelve verses OF the four.
teen are taken up with arraignment ol
sins in connection with fasts and holi.
days that ought to be holydays. Isaiah
says that instead OF fasting to brinl
the body into subsection. and devotina
that from which they abstained to the
good OF the poor that they "founC
pleasure" in fasting: that is. they
changed fast into feast. and thus not
only perverted but inverted the whole
meaning of the ordinance. "Ye fasi
for strife and debate" says Isaiah. anc
TO smite with the fist OF wicked
ness Instead Of using the leisure o
God-ordained holidays to mediate OF
God and His ways. and TO try to shap,
their lives according 10 His will they
used the leisure to gain still further
power over those whom conditions haC
placed in subsection unto them.
The Employer and the Sabbath.
But there were those who did no
allow even the leisure that the fas
day was meant to bring, but exact al
their labors." Just as today there ar,
those who want their employees
whether mechanic, or chauffeur. OF
cook. or housemaid, TO be Just as trul,
a slave on the Sabbath as any other
day, so ii was in Isaiah's day. Tn,
Sabbath idea, the fundamental idea il
1t was just the reverse of this. It wal
evidently the plan of the divine Faith
er that on the Sabbath every maj
b should be a free man. and given
chance to realize that in Gods sigh
he was the equal OF any man. Graph
cally does Isaiah picture this in tn
sixth verse: els not this the fast tha
! have chosen? TO loose the bands o
. wickedness. to undo the heavy bur
dens and to let the oppressed go free
I and that ye break every yoke?" o.
the Sabbath il was intended that ever
man, even the humblest, should b
made to realize that he was "a MAJ
for a that, and a that"