Year: 1875

PRIZE ESSAY.


Written for the Grand Eisteddfod, at oal
Hill, by d. Sebastion Jones.


SUBJECT.


The proper observance of the Christian
Sabbath and its relation to the civil Law
of the United States.


! CONTENTS.


1. The Divine authority of the Sab
bath.


II. The perpetuity of the Sabbath
III. The advantages and blessings OF
the Sabbath, in the preservation of health
in intellectual improvements foundation
of morality and virtue; a means of Ma
/ tional prosperity; a means of keeping
/ religious and of holiness and eternal life
therefore,


/ " 1t ought and should be observed
by all How? Not by travelling and Wis
iting; not by following the multitude to
! do evil; but by preparation; by rest; by
discharging Sabbath duties.


V. 1t is invested with claim to the
protection of public law.
vi. Exortation


VII. Divine promises.
THE DIVINE AUTHORITY OF THE SABBATH
w n6Q Inc Q&Q uulSneO LQS
work of creating "the heavens and the
earth" and 'all the host of them, He
rested on the seventh day from all His
works which He had made" and He
blessed the seventh day, and sanctifed
it: because that in it He had rested from
all His work which God created and
made"


This we regard as the origin of the Sab
bath, day set apart by Jehovah himself,
having at once His authority, example,
and blessing, enforcing its observance; /;
holy day one universal day of worship
and of praise.


THE PERPETUITY OF THE SABBATH.


Remember the Sabbath day to keep it
holy. Six days shalt thou labor, and do
all thy work; but the seventh day is the
Sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou
shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son,
nor thy daughter, thy man-servant, nor
thy maid-sesvant, nor thy cattle, nor the
stranger that is within thy gates; for in
six days the Lord made heaven and
earth, and all that in them is, and rested
the seventh day; therefore the Lord
blessed the Sabbath day, and hallowed it.
This is the law. Has this law been re-
pealed; and if SO, when? Where is the
account of it2 If law is enacted, and





force, unless it expires by its own limita-
ton, or there is something in the reason
of the law which restricts its obligation
to a limited period. Can this be said of
the law of the Sabbath ? Does it expire
by its own limitation ? Or is the reason
of the law applicable to one nation, or
one age of the world


Hear the reason: For in six days the
Lord made heaven and earth, the sea,
and all that in them is, and rested the
seventh day; wherefore the Lord blessed
Sabbath day, and hallowed it.


If this was the reason why the Jewish
people should keep seventh part of
their time holy, is it not equally a reason
why every Gentle nation should also
Are not all mankind equally Interested
in the creation of the world Do not all
alike need memorial of it? But why
need l spend time in showing that the
Sabbath was not exclusively a Jewish
institution Our Savior, it seems to me,
settles that point. He says, THE Son of
Man is Lord also of the Sabbath. Now
it seems to me, that He would not be the
Lord of it, if there was. to be no Sabbath
under His dispensation, unless some one
will say that He was the Lord of it just
to do it away, in opposition to His own
declaration that he came not to destroy
any part of the law; and in detect of any
precept repeating it; and in contrariety
to His own practice, which was strict
observance of it.


There is another remark of Christ
which, seems to me, decides, beyond all
question that the SABBATH was not exclu-
sively a Jewish institution. He says,
"the Sabbath was made for man" en-
ploying the most unrestricted and uni
versal term He could select. 1t was
not made, not for this or that man-the
Jewish man, the man of past centuries
but for man in all l. is universally and
perpetuity-in all his generations and
dispersions. 1t is a law for the whole
race, and for all time; an institution
adapted to human nature. and intended
for the human family. The Sabbath was
made for man. l stand upon this pas
sage and proclaim the institution uni
versal and perpetual. 1t belongs as much
to the American of the 10Th century, as
it did to the Jew before the Christian
era.


But some will say the day was changed,
and why? Why was the liberty taken
with the Sabbath If that might be
taken, why not another, and still an
other2 But would you annihilate the
Sabbath because the day of celebrating
it is changed? The change is not mate
rial the substance OF Jne law Is retalneui
only q circumstance of 1t is altered. Now,
does change in a mere circumstance of
a law authorize taking away of the en-
tire substance of it? The Sabbath is still
a seventh portion of the time. The week
is no longer, and the day is as long, and
comes as the other did, o day of rest af-
ter six days of labor.
| WHERE IS THE VERY GREAT CHASGE2



1t is true we call our Sabbath the first
day of the week, but it is the seventh