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COPYRIGHT, 1885, BY THE AMERICAN SUNDAY-SCHOOL UNION. ALL RIGHTS EESE8VED. THE JOHN C. GREEN FUND BOOKS. This volume has been prepared and issued under the prov.,ons of the John C. Green Income Fnnd. The fimd wa. founded in 1877. by Robert Lenox Kennedy, on eha f of the residuary legatees of John C. Green. Amon. otte be s; Lide 1 > , " ""' """^ ''""""'' "' ""^ f""d shall be set aside and whenever the same shall amount to one .ousand dollars, the Board of Otfieers and ManaLrs of the Amerieau Sunday-School Union shall annlv r? " for the ni„.„„ ,> e -J- . PP'> *•'*' 'ncome or the purpose of aiding them in securing a Sundav- school literature of the highest order of merit" \IT bo done " eiUier by proeuig .orks upon a'giveltb":! gemane to , e object, of the society, to'be written orcm p^d by authors of established reputation and LoTn S; 'f • ■ Z- ^'- ""^""S P"""""^ f- nianuserip" suitable for publication by said Union, in accordance with the purposes and objects of its institution, . "^ sZh :^ dTtlTn^ ''^ ''' ^'-' "' "^^^^ -' ^-4- eve'ry^thTtires""'" ' " "^ ^°"°*^'^ ^' '-' "^ ^ of unaei this fund shall become the exclusive property of the American Sunday-School Union, with no chargj for opyrig t to purchase, of the book, it being thet fn.ion IX— t;ttf::^-'-»^----- wmmfiKmn PUBLISHER'S PREFACE. The Christian Sabbath is one of the most important institutions of the Christian religion. What we are going to do with it is a foremost question of our day. It was therefore selected as the subject for a premium book, under the conditions of the John C. Green Fund. In conformity with the trust creating that fund, the society published the following offer in July, 1883 : ONE THOUSAND DOLLAES PREMIUM. The American Sud day-School Union offers a premium of one THOUSAND DOLLARS for the best book, written for the society, upon THE OBLIGATIONS AND ADVANTAGES OF THE DAY OF REST. The book must be popular in character, of a "high order of merit," and consist of not less than 60,000 nor more than 100,000 words. The treatise may be descriptive, narrative, expository or didactic. The obligations of the Sabbath may be based upon historical, phys- ical and scriptural grounds, and its advantages urged upon physi- cal, economical, spiritual or other considerations. Each author may also suggest any appropriate title for his work. The manuscripts must be submitted to the Committee of Publi- cation on or before October 1, 1884. Each manuscript should have a special mark, and the name and address of the author be sent at the same time in a sealed envelope bearing the same mark, and both addressed, post or express prepaid, to the American Sunday-School Union, 1122 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia. The manuscript approved by the Committee is to be the exclusive property of the Union, and the premium will be paid when the copyright of the same is secured by the society. • • Vll Vlll Publisher s Preface. 1^ '''i. The society reserves the right to decline any and all manuscripts oflcrcd, if unsuitable for its purpose. Unaccepted manuscripts will be returned to the writers at their expense. This premium is oflerod in accordance with the terms and con- ditions of the John C. Green Trust. The manuscripts received in response to this offer were numbered in the order of their reception. Each sealed envelope containing the name of the author was given the same number as its accompanying manuscript. After a paini inking and protracted examination of the numerous essays, the Committee of Publication recommended that the premium be awarded to manuscript " No. 8," and this was approved by the Board. The essay was found to be by A. E. Waffle, then Professor of Rhetoric and English Literature in Lewisburg University, Lewisburg, Pa. The treatise clearly presents the argument for a weekly rest, as grounded in the nature of things, in the nature of man, and in the word of God. With the exception of some slight revision', and the insertion of a few additif)nal facts in further illustration of some phases of the argu- ment, the treatise is presented to the public as originally submitted by the author. The society trusts the work will aid in promoting a better knowledge of the authority and necessity for a weekly rest, and a more reverent use of the Lord's day, thus accomplish- ing the purpose of the generous founder of the fund under which the book has been secured. CONTENTS AND ANALYSIS. INTRODUCTION. THE STATE OF THE QUESTION. An important question — A living question — Increase of Sabbath desecration — Inadequate means of counteract- ing — Friends of the Sabbatli divided — DilTercnt grounds of Sabbath observance — Sabbatarian, Antinomian, Ec- clesiastical, Dominical, Humanitarian and Christian Sabbath — A better doctrine of the Sabbath needed — Purpose and plan of this work, , , , , , PAOE 17 PART I. NECESSITY OF THE SABBATH. CHAPTER I. THE AEGUMENT STATED. God gives what we really need — Proved and illustrated — Its necessity tests the divinity of an institution — Neces- sity of the Sabbath presumptive proof of its divine origin — Also of its universal and perpetual obligation — The hypothesis to be established, 36 CHAPTER II. THE SABBATH NECE8SAEY TO MAN'S PHYSICAL WELFARE. Importance of physical health and vigor — To the individ- ual — To the race — Necessity of labor — Waste and re- pair — Need of rest — The general law of periodicity — Applies especially to man — He needs days of rest — The right proportion — Proof from nature — The testimony of physicians — Proof from experience — Various ex- iz X Contents and Analysis, amplcs — The Jcwh in Europe — Proof from the iifle of domoHtic animals — Man more than an animal — Con- clusion, 45 CHAPTER III. THE 8AHBATH NECESSARY TO MAN's IFTELLECTUAL WELFARE. The greatness of mind — Its relations to human progress — All minds should be cultivated — Uninterrupted manual labor dwarfs the mind — Time and strength needed for its cultivation — These afforded by the Sabbath — Intel- lectual advantages of — Necessary to all classes — Illus- tratioua — Conclusion, 71 CHAPTER IV. THE SABBATH NECESSARY TO MAN'S MORAL AND RELIGIOUS WELFARE. Man a religious being — Religion essential to manhood — Man a moral being — Relation of religion and morals — They are inseparable — The religious feeling man's chief glory — Necessity for religious training — Impossible without the Sabbath — Its suggestions — Necessary for public worship — The real source of its value — Necessary for instruction in morals — Conclusion, . . . .82 CHAPTER V. THE SABBATH NECESSARY TO MAN'S SOCIAL WELFARE. Man a social being — Relation of the Sabbath to his social welfare — It promotes cleanliness — It humanizes — The Sabbath and the family — The Sabbath and class dis- tinctions — The Sabbath and the " labor question " — A boon to workingmen — How to preserve it — The Sab- bath and social duties — The Sabbath and communities — Illustration — The Sabbath and nations — The weekly rest-day promotes prosperity — Testimony — Conclusion of the argument, .97 Contents and Analym, XI 45 82 PART II. THE BAnBATH OF THK BIBLE WAS MADE FOR ALL MEN. CHAPTER VI. EARLY INSTITUTION OF THE SABBATH. A change in the lino of proof— The Edenic establishment of the Sabbath jirovcrt its universality — Palcy's opinion — The correct interpretation of (Jen. 2 : 1-3 — Absence of later mention not a valid objection — References to the week in Genesis — The week and tho Sabbath among ancient nations — The Chinese — The Assyrians — Other nations — The great antiquity of the week — Sacredneaa of the number seven — Explanation of these facts — The Sabbatii in the wilderness — Not then first established — Proved from the record — The terms of the fourth com- mandment — The Sabbath not a purely Jewish institution because commemorating events in Jewish history — The nature of this ear'; Sabbath, . . . , , ,115 CHAPTER VII. THE COMMAND TO KEEP THE SABBATH A PART OP THE MORAL LAW. A disputed proposition — Positive and moral precepts of the law — The fourth commandment moral though it has positive elements — An integral part of the decalogue — Founded in the nature of things — Necessary to the per- formance of the highest duties — Involves severe pen- alties — Made important by the teachers of Israel — If moral it is for all men, 137 CHAPTER VIII. THE LAW OF THE SABBATH HAS NEVER BEEN REPEALED. Its entire repeal asserted by many — Hessey, Robertson, Becon and others — Who has repealed it? — Christ did H xu Contents and Analysis, li ! not — Needless to re-enact it — He corrected its abuses — This shows his intention to retain it — The Sabbath for all men — His words contain no repeal of it — His actions indicate none — The apostles did not rej^eal it — Thtir teaching on the subject of the law — llo\^ Christians are free from it — Still binding as a rule of conduct — Paul writes against Judaizcrs, not against Sabbath -keepers — Proof of this — Examination of Gal. 4 : 9-11 ; Rom. 14:5, 6; Col. 2.16, 17, 157 CHAPTER IX. THE CHRISTIAN SABBATH-DAY. A troublesome question — Must we keep Saturday? — The change of day — The authority for it — The teaching and example of the apostles — The change gradual — Reasons for the change — What influenced the apostles — The res- urrection of Christ — His epiphanies — The Pentecostal baptism — All these on Sunday — History of the change — Teaching of Paul, , . . . , • . 184 CHAPTER X. THE CHRISTIAN SABBATH-DAY. — CONTINUED, Post-apostolic testimony — Its value — An ap^'>eal to the Fathers — "Epistle of Barnabas" — Pliny's Letter — "Teaching of the Apostles" — Justin Martyr — Irenseus — Tertullian — All this testimony of one kind — Sunday kept holy by the early Christians — Seventh -day Sabbath disregarded — The change not fat? 1 to the institution — The terms of the commandment — Tlie primitive Sab- bath — The purpose of the Sabbath equally served — Hebrew testimony — We may accept ihe change, . 203 Contents and Analym, xiu PART III. NATURE AND IMPORTANCE OF THE SABBATH. CHAPTER XI. grounds of the obligation to keep the lord's day. Review — Why keep the Lord's day ?-- Various reasons given — Alford's reasons — Tlieir inadequacy — The view of Luther and his fellow reformers — Bad results in Europe — George B. Bacon bases the obligation on love — Why inadequate — The Dominical view as presented by Hessey — These men favor a Sabbath — The Anti- nomian doctrine — W^ould destroy the Sabbath — Heng- stenberg's reply — The true ground the law of God — His laws not arbitrary — Obedience not legalism, . CHAPTER XII. THE JEWISH SABBATH. Nature of the Sabbath should be understood — Importance of Jewish Sabbath indicated — By the manifestations which accompanied the promulgation of the Decalogue — By the form of the commandment — By the events with which it was associated — By the many repetitions of the command — By its penalty — By the emphasis placed upon it by the prophets and reformers — The Sabbath as a day of rest — A great privilege — Its typical significance — Relations to the religijus life of the Hebrews — Reminded them of Jehovah — Used for in- struction — A day of worship — Nature of the Jewish Sabbath — A religious day — Also a day of rest and glad- ness — Yet made obligatory, CHAPTER XIIL THE lord's day. Abuses of Jewish Sabbath — Puerile rules — Christ freed it from these abuses — The true Sabbath — A day of Chris- 227 258 XIV Contents and Analysis. tian activity — Yet a day of rest — The best type of heaven — Apostolic view of the Sabbath — Christiana have less restraint than the Jews — The death-penalty abolished — Without affecting the command — Jewish and Christian Sabbaths contrasted — The Lord's day peculiarly Christian, 284 CHAPTER XIV. THE PROPER METHOD OF OBSERVING THE LORD'S DAY. G "^neral principles — Things prohibited — Labor for gain — Labor for any worldly end— The pursuit of worldly pleasure — Sunday excursions — An irreligious use of the day — Depriving others of their Sabbath — Things allow- able — Works of necessity — What is necessary work ? — False pretences — Sunday newspapers — Sunday railroad- ing — Sunday mails — Work connected with public wor- ship — Necessary rest and recreation — Things required — Public worship — Religious work — Sunday in the family — What to do with the children — W orks of mercy — Religious reading and meditation, .... 310 CHAPTER XV. OUR OBLIGATIONS RESPECTING THE LORD'3 DAY. Nature of the institution — It must be maintained — A duty to God — A duty to our fellow men — A duty to our- selves — A duty to our families — A duty to our country — Sunday laws — Their justice and propriety — Necessary to protect the Sabbath and Sabbath-keepers — Desired by the majority — Not inconsistent with liberty — Not legislation on religion — The Sabbath necessary to the welfare of the state — Necessary to free government — God blesses Sabbath-keeping nations, .... 357 Contents and Analysis. XV APPENDIX. A.— The Literature of the Subject, 393 B.— Diagram and Explanation, showing effects of contin- uous labor, and of a weekly rest, on the human system, gg-r C— Scriptural Passages Relating to the Sabbath, .* .' 398 D.— Abstract of Suaduy Laws in the United States, . \ 408 E.— Eeport for 1885 of Massachusetts Labor Bureau on " Sunday Labor," ^^^ F.— Practical Suggestions: Negative Duties — Positive ^'^^^i^^' 412 310 THE LORD'S DAY: ITS UNIVERSAL AND PERPETUAL OBLIGATION. INTRODUCTION. THE STATE OF THE QUESTION. The Sabbath Question is one of the great living questions of our day. Stated in its sim- plest and briefest form it is, Shall men work seven days in a week, occasionally using a day for play and recreation, as may be necessary, or shall one day in seven be set apart for rest and religious purposes ? It is certainly an important question. If it involved no more than the use which men should make of one seventh of their time, it would be of great moment. To ask men to withdraw from their ordinary avocations for such a proportion of their time, and devote it to specific purposes, is no small demand, and one which ought not to be made without good rea- sons. Can such reasons be discovered and pre- sented? Would men be just as well off, or better off, without a weekly Sabbath? Are 2 (1) A % 18 The Lord^s Day. II yi they, by its observance, depriving themselves of time that, used in other ways, woukl add one seventh to the productiveness of their Libor, and so accelerate the progress of the race ? Or would they save this time for industrial pur- suits at the expense of benefits infinitely more valuable ? The Sabbath bases its claim for recognition upon two grounds : first, that it is necessary to the welfare of man ; second, that its observance is commanded in the law of God. It denies that the divine command which requires its observ- ance is arbitrary ; but asserts that it is founded upon the nature of things. Can this two-fold claim be made good ? Either the Sabbath in- volves a mere waste of time, or it is an institu- tion without which men will become godless, morally and intellectually degraded, and physic- ally enervated. Which is the true alternative ? The question is of such transcendent import- ance that every intelligent human being is bound to give it careful and patient consideration. Since the assumption is that the Sabbath is vitally related to the best interests of the indi- vidual and of the race, every man should be able to give an answer to the questions here pro- pounded. He must answer them in one way or another ; for though he may not be able to give a (2) The Slate of ihe Question. 19 selves \ add labor, ? Or 1 pur- moie ^nition Eiry to rvance is that (bserv- )unded V 0-fold itli in- ns titu- dless, hysic- ive? nport- boinid ation. ath is indi- able pro- vay or good reason for his course in life, his conduct will be a practical answer to them. But the subject is so important that no man should decide to neglect the observance of the Sabbath until ho has examined it in all its bera*ings. The Sabbath question is always a living ques- tion, for in its practical form it is always before us. In this country, at the present time, it is assuming an unusual degree of prominence. As a nation we have not yet passed the formative period. Many things are yet to be determined before our national character will be fixed. Many questions are constantly presenting themselves for the decision of our people. Matters that once seemed settled are again disturbed by the influ- ence of the foreign additions to our rapidly- growing population. New conditions are con- stantly arising to which it is demanded that we shall adjust our institutions. Among the ques- tions thus reopened is the Sabbath question. It was once understood to be a settled thing that the Lord's day would be sacredly observed by all our people, except the depraved and morally reckless. But that is no longer the case. To say the least, the question is now an open one, whether we shall have a Sabbath, or whether Sunday sh.dl be a mere holiday when it is not devoted, like the other days of the week, to 20 The LortVs Day. . secular toil. There is some clanger that the question will receive a practical answer over which all good men would lament. Is not the recent action of California in repealing its Sunday laws indicative of a change in the opinions and practices of the American people in respect to the Sabhath ? It is certain that the relative amount of work done on Sunday in this country is constantly increasing, while the disregard of the Sabbath by pleasure-seekers is one of the most striking features of our times. The increase of labor is especially noticeable in the cases of railways and steamboats, Sunday new.spnpers and Sunday mails ; but it may be seen in other lines of industry. Says Dr. W. W. Atterbury, secretary of the Sabbath Association of New York city : ^' With the immense extension of our railway systems, Sunday labor is increasing at a rapid pace." Most of the railroads run a large number of Sunday trains. Of the half-million men employed by the rafilroad companies, a large proportion are obliged to work on Sunday or lose their places. The same is true of the horse-car companies in the cities, and of the companies that run steamboats upon our rivers and along our coasts. The great daily newspapers, with a few exceptions, issue a Sunday edition, which is sent over the country (4) It' The State of the Question. 21 on tho morning of the Lord's day, and eagerly bought and read by the p 3asons ; 1 not be They ous, and cularize naintain as we know, they do not constitute a separate denom- ination of Christians or an organized party of any form. It is easy to see that their influence is not calculated to counteract the tendency to destroy the sanctity of the Lord's day. Those who would maintain the sanctity of the Lord's day are divided into various parties, on account of the different reasons which they pre- sent for regarding it as a holy day. Some say that the only reason for keeping it holy is that the Church has ordered it.* Romanists and all those who agree with them concerning the author- ity of the Church are satisfied with this reason. But the great majority of the American people do not recognize this authority, and therefore the acceptance of such a view would be fatal to the general observance of the day. Other friends of the Lord's day maintain that its claim to observance rests wholly upon the ex- ample of the apostles and ea^ly Christians ; that there is no law concerning it, but that we ought to follow in the footsteps of those holy men.f This may have some force with those who regard the apostles as acting under inspiration ; but the great mass of men will never stop to inquire * Known as the " Ecclesiastical " view, t Known as the " Dominical" view. (H) 28 The Lord's Day. whether they were or not; and even if the force of their example be acknowledged, it teaches us nothing except that we ought, in some way, to mark the first day of the week as a memorial of Christ's resurrection. Others would have us keep it holy as a mark of love to Christ, because it is the Lord's day. This would be a good reason to those who love him, but has no force with others. And many will say that Christ was very pitiful to the poor when he was on earth, and that it is contrary to his disposition and purpose to deprive them of any lawful recreation and pleasure. They will argue that he never made any strict rules to put people under bondage, and so long as our actions in themselves are not wrong we can best show our love to him by accepting the liberty he gives us to follow our own pleasure. Others would have us observe the Lord's day for the sake of our felJow men, in order that they may have a day of rest and opportunity for mental, moral and religious improvement.* But this leaves every one to judge what is best, not ordy for himself but also for others. The great majority do not recognize at all man's religious needs, and, if they conceded the advantage of an * Sometimes called the "Humanitarian" view. (12) |l!i » The State of the Question. 29 occasional holiday, would not admit that there was any need of holy days. Others maintain that the law of the Sabbath, as given at the beginning of the world's history and re-enacted on Sinai, is still binding, and that the Sabbath has simply been transferred to the first day of the week.''' To this it is objected that there is no proof of the existence of a Sab- bath before the time of Moses, and that it must, therefore, be considered a purely Jewish institu- tion, which was never designed for any other people ; and that there is no evidence sufficient to satisfy men's minds that the Jewish Sabbath was ever transferred to the Christian Church. These objections, presented by those who would have the Lord's day kept sacred, but who base its claim to observance on other grounds, are gladly taken up by those who do not wash to observe the Sabbath at all. Thus the ungodly scoff at the proposal to perpetuate the Jewish Sabbath by simply changing the day of the week on which it should be observed. Still others hold that the fourth command- ment is now binding ; that the permanent elements of the Jewish Sabbath have been preserved in * The extreme position of those whc hold the " Christian- Sabbath" view. (13) ir 30 The LonVs Day. the Lord's day, but that it has been modified to suit the needs and conditions of the Christian Church.* While the friends of the Lord's day are thus divided in their counsels, the multitude of those who yiolate its sanctity is steadily increasing. When the former enter their protest against its desecration, the latter ask, '^ What good reasons can you give for keeping it holy ? You do not know yourselves why it should be sanctified ; what right have you to ask us to observe it simply because you tJiink we ought ? ' It is true that something is being done by the various Sab- bath associations of the country to preserve this institution ; and the influence of the churches is not without its effect, though far too often their members seem to have no decided convictions of duty on the subject ; but comparatively little will be accomplished until we have a clear, well- founded doctrine of the Sabbath. If professing Christians waver and hesitate, and doubt whether they may not do on the first day of the week whatever they Co on other days, because they feel themselves bound by no law concerning it * The ordinary " Christian-Sabbath " view. The more im- portant of these reasons for keeping holy the Lord's day are fully considered in Chapter XI. For the literature maintaining them, see Appendix A. (14) The State of the Question. 31 led to ristian 3 thus those casing, nst its easons io not tified ; rve it is true IS Sab- ^e this 3hes is I their )ns of le will well- essing 1 ether week they ing it ore im- lay are taining much more w^ill those who are indifTerent to re- ligion feel that the notion of a holy Sabbath is a superstition of the past, and repudiate all obliga- tion to observe it, until it can be shown that it is a divine institution, established to meet a great want in ibe nature of man. We have no real fear that the Sabbath will be finally destroyed. God will care for his own. Already there are signs that the efforts of those who would destroy it will be met and baffled at every point. The conscience of the Christian public is awakening on the subject, and hence- forth its influence in favor of a proper observ- ance of the Lord's day will be more vigorous and efficient. Nevertheless, we believe that one of the crying needs of our times is a correct doctrine of the Sabbath presented in plain and simple terms, so that all may understand the reasons for its observance. This essay is an attempt to prove that the Sabbath originated in a law of Jehovah ; that it was meant for all men ; and that the obligation to observe it is perpetual. In the examination of its history we hope to arrive at the truth con- cerning the foundation on which the institution rests. We hope to show that God commanded it, not arbitrarily, but because a weekly Sabbath is necessary to the highest welfare of man. So far (15) 32 1; I 'U The Lord's Day. as possible controversy will be avoided in the discussion ; but in examining the conflicting theories of the Sabbath which have been put forth it will be necessary to show to what extent they are false or defective, in order that we may arrive at the truth. Some of these will have to be rejected as utterly false and worthless. In the case of others we shall find that they contain much of truth, which may be of great advantage to us in framing a correct opinion concerning the nature and obligation of the Lord's day. He is not a wise man who rejects truth because he finds it mixed with error. As well might the gold- hunter throw away the specks of gold w^hich he should find imbedded in the rocks, and say he would have none but the pure. Our aim is to reach the exact truth concerning the Sabbath. We are not committed to the defence of any par- ticular theory. We confess that we love the Lord's day, and that we hjtve been accustomed to regard it as a great blessing; but if fair investigation of the subject should lead to the conclusion that it is a human and needless insti- tution, established by men in a mistaken effort to perpetuate a feature of Judaism which God meant to be temporary, we wnll accept the fact. It is in this way alone that men can discover the truth. We ask only that those who go with us into the (16) f" » The State of the Question. 33 investigation shall, in the same way, dispossess their minds of every preconceived theory, and be ready to give every fact and argument its exact weight. And if the conclusion is that the Sab- bath is a divine institution, resting upon a sure foundation of natural law, and therefore essen- tial tu the welfare of man, then may we do all in our power to secure its universal observance. This work has been prepared for readers of ordinary intelligence, and is not addressed espec- ially to scholars. For those who have made a thorough and scholarly examination of the sub- ject, there is nothing new in the facts which it discusses. It makes no pretence to great learn- ing. In most cases it quotes authorities which are accessible to every reader, and only so many of these as are necessary to the line of proof which is followed. The literature of the subject is so immense that it would be useless to direct attention to more than a small portion of it. The book is simply an attempt to place within the reach of those who have not time or opportunity to study the matter for themselves a clear, con- cise statement of the reasons for believing that the Sabbath is a necessity for man and a divine institution, and, in its essential features, of per- petual obligation. The writer asks attention to the subject because of its intrinsic importance, 3 (Hi 34 The Lord's Day. and because it is a living subject for the American people. He asks that the facts and arguments here presented may receive fair and candid con- sideration, because he believes that he has adopted a method of discussion which will make it easy for every honest and intelligent reader to discover the truth concerning the Sabbath. The nature of the subject is such that he does not expect readers of any other character. (18) tncrican juments id con- adopted it easy liscover } nature , expect PART I. NECESSITY OF THE SABBATH. CHAPTER I. THE ARGUMENT STATED. Come now, and let ua reason together. — Isaiau 1 : 18. To show that any institution is universally necessary to the welfare of man furnishes pre- sumptive evidence that its establishment has not been neglected by the Creator. In this state- ment it is taken for granted that God is a benev- olent being. It is not necessary to prove this point by a labored argument, for if God exists he must be a being of infinite perfections, and so of infinite benevolence. If he is such a being, it is inconceivable that he would create other beings and place them in circumstances where they could not reach their highest development, or deprive them of anything essential to their welfare. For example, if man is to reach a high destiny, it is absolutely necessary that he should know God, his character and laws, and that he should know (1) 86 Necessity of the Sabbath. his own origin, nature and destination. This need furnishes a kind of proof that God will reveal himself to men ; that he has revealed himself and made known all the truths which the human soul must have or perish in darkness. Suppose an earthly parent knew that his beloved child, lost in a forest, was about to walk over a precipice and perish, and that by a word, or a flash of light from a lantern, he could save him ; would he with- hold the warning? Or suppose the child was not in imminent danger of destruction, but was wan- dering about in the darkness vainly looking for his home, and the father could guide him by placing a light in the window ; would he leave the loved one still to wander and perish ? Have we any right to suppose that God is any less be- nevolent and kind than a good earthly parent? Do we not instinctively feel the truth of Christ's words when he says, "If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him ?" * We know that God must be too good to withhold anything from us which is really necessary to our welfare, and which we are capable of receiving. This is one of the strongest arguments for an «4. i < * Matthew 7 : 11. (2) The Argument Stated. 37 inspired reveljition. Wc know that man needs it; that he is lost and will inevitably perish without it; and so we believe that God has spoken through ^' holy men of old " for our in- struction, guidance and salvation. Men, over- learned and over-wise, may find fault with the form of the revelation; they may pick flaws in the book that contains it. But while we feel this deep-seated craving for light upon the great sub- jects that concern our eternal destiny, and know that it is a noble craving for what is essential to our highest welfare, we cannot believe that our Father has left us in darkness. The cry of the nature he has created will be heard. Jehovah must be of those gods that have eyes but see not, and ears but hear not, if he can leave us to strug- gle alone. We know that the Infinite One is not thus indifferent to our needs, but " like as a father pitieth his children, so the Lord pitieth them that fear him." Thus we rejoice in the belief that our need — a need which he has created and which belongs to our very nature — has moved him to give us an inspired revelation. The same argument applies to anything which may be supposed to have a divine origin. If it can be shown that it supplies some real and uni- versal want in -the nature of man, but that, never- theless, man would not have been likely to dis- (3) 38 Necessif// of the Sahbulh. cover it for himself, it is roiiderod extremely probable tliat it cumc from (Jod. Of course, if tlie need is an artificial one, if it is merely a desire for that which serves no good })urpose, the argument does not lh)ld. IJut just as bodily hunger finds its supply in food, and thirst in water, so a real and universal hunger of man's nainre will find its supply in some provision of a benevolent deity. When, therefore, the origin of an institution which serves such a purpose is ascribed to God, the only way in which the asser- tion can be successfully controverted is by show- ing that man has established and maintained it for himself. The benevolent character of the institution *s indirect proof of its divine origin. When there is manifest congruity between an act and the person who is said to have performed it, less evidence is- required to fix it upon him than when it seems out of all harmony with his char- acter. When a man is charged with a crime, to prove that he hni a bad character is ordinarily the first step in ej-iablishing his guilt. If this can be effected, his guilt at once becomes probable, and much less direct evidence is needed to convict him. A previous good character, on the contrary, is held to be proof of innocence, and nothing but the strongest evidence will fasten crime upon one who can establish a claim to it. The same line (4) The Argument Stated. 39 of proof holds good in tho case of virtuous acts. If you hoar that a nism has performe<^ an act of reni.'irkablo liberality, it will not bo incredible to you if you know him to ])e a '.nny generous man. Let us supi)os'> a case which exact ly illustnites our argument. You know a lad who, you think, ought to have a college education. You know that his father is a wise and good man, and that he has a])undant meaiis to educate his children. If you should hear some day that he has decided to send his son to college, would you doubt it ? Would you require any great amount of proof to convince you that tha report was true ? Why is not this argument good in its bearing upon an in- stitution which is said to have a divine origin? If the institution is good in its nature, if it meets a universal want in man, is not all objection to ascribing it to God removed ? This is the first argument which we propose to use in establishing the divine origin and perpetual obligation of the Sabbath. If we can show that the Sabbath is an institution which is necessary to the welfare of man, that it meets a real want in his nature, and that it could have had only a benevolent origin, we shall be prepared for the ready reception of any direct evidence that it came from God. If man has always needed this institution; if God created him with a nature (5) § III Hill 40 Necessity of the Sabbath, which could not reach its highest development without the Sabbath ; if such a rest-day is essen- tial, not only to his happiness, but also to his moral redemption and improvement, — we are pre- pared to believe that God has given it to him, and that to reject it would be to scorn a divine gift and to sin against a divine law. We do not say that proof of its necessity is proof of its divine origin. We claim only that proof of its necessity to our highest welfare makes it probable that God established it, and prepares us to ascribe to it a divine origin with a less measure of direct proof than would be otherwise required. And this is not all. If the Sabbath is neces- sary to the well-being of man, if it meets a real want in his nature, then it belongs alike to all races and nations of men, and its observance is equally binding upon all. If this institution had its origin in the benevolence of God, moved to action by his perception of man's need, it was not meant to be limited to the Jewish nation, or to any particular time, but was intended to be per- petual, and serves its purpose only when it is observed by all people \ God hath "made of one every nation of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth." * In the Bible men are treated in accordance with this fact. One of its central («) Acts 17 : 2b, Revised Version. The Argument Stated. 41 principles is that, in his dealings with men, God looks straight through all that is superficial and accidental, and considers only the essential nature that is at the centre. He treats man as man. This is true of his estimates of character. "The Lord seeth not as man seeth ; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart," * It is true of rank. When Naaman came to Elisha to be healed of his leprosy, " he wanted to be treated as a great man that happened to be a leper ; Elisha treated him as a leper that happened to be a great man."f It is true of races. " God is no respecter of persons ; but in every nation he that feareth him, and worketh righteousness, is accepted with him. "J If one characteristic of Christ's work is more prominent than any other, it is that he wrought in behalf of mtii^ and not of any particular class. His last command was that his gospel should be preached to all the world. These facts suggest an import- ant truth. They show that the Bible was meant to be a book for the whole race. It is a mistake to say that its revelations and precepts were meant for the Jews alone. It is not safe to say that of any command or any institution, unless *1 Samuel 16 : 7. t Alexander Maclaren, Sermons, series iii. p. 244. X Acts 10 : 34, 35. (7) 42 Necessity of the Sahbath. we have a warrant for such a limitation in some statement of the Bible. Otherwise we are to conclude that these commands were given through the Hebrew people to all mankind. This could fitly be done, because they were a part of the race. The Jew was a man, and his nature did not differ essentially from universal human nature. What was good for him as a man is good for all men. What was binding upon him as a man is binding upon all men. If he needed the Sabbath, all men need it. If it was a sin for him to vi« ' te it, it is a sin for any man in any age or country to violate it. This is true, of course, only on the supposition that it was given to him as a man and not, primarily, as a Jew. On certain conditions a thing may be good for one race or one age, and useless or baneful to another. When a people are ignorant and depraved, incapable of thought and self-control, an absolute monaichy is, perhaps, the only form of government that can be main- tained among them. An intelligent and virtuous people know how to appreciate and preserve the priceless gift of liberty, and to exercise self- government. But this difference is the result of certain accidents which do not affect the real nature of each individual man in either nation. These differing conditions are superficial, and do not touch the essential human nature of every (8) Tlie Argument Stated. 43 man among them. There are no such differences among men that a need growing out of the nature of one is not felt by every other. For example, all need the gospel, and none are so civilized that they can be saved without repentance and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. All have a sense of sin, and all believe in some form of a future life. Every mother loves her child, and the love of the sexes for each other is everywhere the strongest passion. These, and other things which might be mentioned, show the essential unity and solidar- ity of the human family. It follows that if the Sabbath is good for any race of men, as men, it is good for all races. If it meets a want of our nature, and w^as established for that reason, it was established for all men, and will be obligatory so long as the present conditions of human existence continue. When these conditions are changed, when the millennium comes, or when we have " a new heaven and a new earth," men may not need what their natures have hitherto demanded. But this argument is meant to apply only to man in his present state — to man with an earthly life to live, and with human duties to perform. So far our statements have been hypothetical. To make the argument of any value, we must show that the Sabbath is essential to the welfare of man. If that cm be done, we shall have pre- (9) ; 1 ( 1 ( it In w - 1 ijj i 1 1 1 i 1 1 f 1 BR i i f ii :! 1 t. 44 Necessity of the Sabbath. sumptive evidence that God established it for the whole race and for all time. It may be asked at this point, " What do you mean by the Sabbath ?" We mean the cessation of ordinary work on every seventh day, and the devotion of that day to rest and religious exercises. This is a very general definition, but it is sufficiently precise for our present purpose. It will be time enough to con- sider how we are to keep the day when we have determined whether we are under obligations to keep it at all. What we now undertake to show is that the devotion of one day in seven to rest and religious exercises is essential to man's physical, intellectual, social, moral and religious welfare. We go farther than to say that it is desirable or expedient. If it is not essential, our argument falls to the ground. If the loss or the universal disregard of the Sabbath would not result finally in the ruin of man, if its proper observance by all would not result in elevating him to a nobler position than he has yet attained, we are willing to surrender the case and acknowl- edge that the Sabbath should be classified among obsolete and worn-out institutions. And we desire to assert only so much as can be established by a fair appeal to the facts of experience and conscious- ness. Let us now address ourselves to the task of considering whether the Sabbath is a necessity. (10) for the 5ked at bath ?" L every to rest general for our to con- e have ions to show to rest man's jligious it it is ial, our or the Id not proper Bvating ;tained, ;knowl- among ) desh'e }d by a iscious- he task 3essity. CHAPTER 11. THE SABBATH NECESSARY TO MAn's PHYSICAL WELFARE. Fresh glides the brook and blows the gale, Yet yonder halts the quiet mill ; The whirring wheel, the rushing sail, How motionless and still ! Six days of toil, poor child of Cain, Thy strength the slave of want may be ; The seventh thy limbs escape the chain — A God hath made thee free. — Lytton. Man's nature is complex. He has both a soul and a body. The interdependence of these two makes it almost as important to care for one as for the other. It may be said that man's primary duty is to care well for his body. For all the practical duties of life, he needs to be a good animal. If he cares only for the body, he be- comes a mere animal; but if he neglects the body altogether, what can he do in life that is worth doing ? When its strength is gone and its functions deranged, he becomes a helpless and miserable creature. If he has been dependent upon manual labor for his livelihood, he now be- . comes a beggar or a burden to his friends. If he has been an intellectual toiler, he finds that the mind will not work when the body on which it de- (11) r 1 II' i 31 i i k ,ii«. II ill u •iill 1 n II*' m-i 46 Necessity/ of the Sabbath. pends has become diseased. There can be no clear thinking, no steady and profitable application to intellectual pursuits, when the digestion is im- paired, the nervous system shattered and the body generally enfeebled. The enjoyment of life de- pends more upon the state of the bodily health than upon any other condition. " Health is the vital principle of bliss." Men grow despondent, gloomy, foreboding and fretful when the general health is impaired. They feel that their efficiency is gone, that they have nothing to hope for, and that life is not worth living. Acute pain in some bodily member may be borne with resignation and cheerfulness, but disease which enfeebles the whole body destroys the enjoyment of life. It acts upon the spirits, the mind itsel'f becomes diseased, the will is powerless to resist the baleful influences, and even the consolations of religion are hardly sufficient to make life tolerable. Faith itself is darkened when body and mind are thus disordered. But the damage is not confined to the individual or to a single generation. Our natural descent is dependent upon bodily functions, and so disease, or a tendency to it, in parents is transmitted from generation to generation. This is especially the case with feebleness. Weak or worn-out parents (12) clear ition to is im- le body life de- health ling and i. They ey have »t worth ber may less, but destroys spirits, will is ind even [icient to iarkened idividual escent is disease, ted from ially the t parents The Sabbath and Mans Physical Welfare. 47 never have strong or healthy children. Thus a whole race may, in a few generations, become enervated and enfeebled. It is evident that man cannot reach his highest development without due attention to the body. This is true both of the individual and of the race. Boast as we may of our possession of mental and moral powers, the fact still remains that the body cannot be neglected without disas- ter to the whole man. Bodily health is the only foundation on which can be built the superstruc- ture of a noble life or a noble civilization. Other things being equal, the men who win in the race of life are the men w^ho have the best bodies. Those peoples who have the most physical strength and endurance are the peoples who rule or will rule the world. The power of the Hebrews to suffer and to endure and still to persist as a separate people is largely owing to their careful observance of the laws of health. The Anglo- Saxon is gaining the mastery of the world as much by virtue of his superior physique as for any other reason. These facts serve to illustrate the great principle that if man is ever to reach the ideal standard of development, he must take the best possible care of his body. Physical de- velopment is not the end in view, but it is an essen- tial means to the attainment of the highest ends. (13) 1 48 Necessity of the Sahhath. y -1, Labor is a necessity for the great mass of men in this life. Even existence cannot be maintained without it, and the more well-directed labor there is performed, the more rapid is the progress of the race. If any do not work, either with brain or hands, it is because they are unable or unwilling to contribute their share to the promotion of the welfare of humanity. When men can work and will not, it is because they are selfish and mean enough to live upon the labor of others without making any return. Though a few may be re- lieved from the necessity of labor, the great majority of mankind have no choice in the matter. They must work or perish, and gener- ally they need to employ all their powers. The tax of labor must be paid chiefly by the body. This is readily perceived in the case of manual labor, 'but it is also true of intellectual work. The toil of the brain exhausts the physical strength more rapidly than the toil of the hands. A healthy man can work at the latter from ten to fourteen hours a day without injury, but few men can do brain work for more than eight hours a day, and most find themselves exhausted with six. We do not need to dwell upon facts so well known, but may recur to the fact that labor primarily taxes the body. The great problem of every toiler is to do his work and, at the same (14) of men ntained )r there s of the brain or nwilling n of the ?ork and nd mean without ty be re- he great s in the ad gener- s. ly by the case of tellectual physical he hands, om ten to t few men t hours a sted with its so well hat labor problem of the same The Sabbath and Mans Physical Welfare, 49 time, maintain his physical health and strength. This is because the body has only a limited amount of power and endurance. Even the strongest cannot labor unbrokenly for more than a few hours. Man is so constituted that the forces of his system are soon exhausted. He soon becomes weary, and after a time further ex- ertion is simply impossible. But it is possible to recuperate his body and restore its wasted strength and energy. This law of waste and re- pair is well known, though the best methods of preserving the proper balance are not so well un- derstood. If the repair is more than the waste, there is a constant addition to the strength. This should be the case with the young who have not roached full physical development. If it is less, the strength is impaired, the health is injured and death soon ensues. This is what takes place as men grow old, though very slowly when the con- ditions of health are observed. When one has reached full physical development he should en- deavor to make the repair at least equal to the waste. This is essential to the preservation of health and the prolongation of life to its greatest practicable limit. We have already shown how important physical vigor and health are to the happiness and efficiency of individuals and to the welfare of the race. If human life and energy 4 (15) m i ri '.' !i! 50 Necessitf/ of the Sahhath. n 1 : i^B 1 !■■ f ; ^m * i I are of any value, it is important to prolong life as lar as possil)lo. Every premature death robs society of a working force, on which it has estab- lished a claim by its care of the worker during his early yoars. To rep lir the waste caused by labor, so as to preserve the health and keep the strength at the maximum of efficiency, two agents must be em- ployed. They are food and rest. These are the great restoratives of the laborer's exhausted en- ergies. Neither alone will avail ; both must be employed. However, it does not belong to this discussion to treat of the former ; we are, at pres- ent, concerned with the necessity for physical rest. To show that man needs a weekly day of rest, we shall present the arguments which may be found (1) in the constitution of nature, (2) in the testimony" of physicians, and (3) in the results of experience. We find hints of this necessity in the period- icity which marks the activity of every form of organic life. It may be questioned whether this law of periodicity, in modified form, does not ex- tend even to the inorganic world. It is now well known that metals and woods which are used in implements of various kinds will render greater service, if given intervals of rest, than they will if subjected to constant strain. For example, it (16) m The Sabbath and Mans Physical Welfare. 51 y life as ,th robs IS estab- p (luring so as to th at the ,t be em- e are the arited en- must be ig to this e, at pres- physical ly day of hich may ire, (2) in :he results ne period- y form of lether this )es not ex- s now well ire used in er greater they will jxample, it is found to he economical (o lot car-wheels "rest" after they have been some time in use. But the law is most evident in the activity of living and organized beings. Plants have their regular periods of growth and rest, or of fruit-bearing and rest, during each succeeding year. The higher we go in the scale of life the shorter are the periods. Animals can maintain uninterrupted ac- tivity for only a short time. At regular intervals there is a demand for sleep — a complete cessation of all voluntary activity — which no effort of will can resist. The action of this law may be tempo- rarily suspended, but it is impossible permanently to modify it. After a time the spur and the whip are applied in vain to the jaded beast : he will fall asleep in his tracks. In the case of man, nature insists upon a long period of sleep every twenty- four hours. Rigorously each day she demands for him this time of complete repose of mind and body. If disease or torture render it impossible for several days in succession, death is the inev- itable result. So absolute is this law, and so sudden and terrible are the penalties of its viola- tion, that very few ever think of disregarding it. In fact, it cannot be violated long by the unaided will, for nature will push her demand for sleep until the will is broken down. Thus, on the constitution of nature we find (17) ii i 141 If 52 Nccemty of the Sahhath. plainly written this ln,w of periodic activity with intervals of rest. It does not matter whether we call it a law of nature or a law of God, we must obey it or perish. But does nature indicate that anything more than a daily rest is demanded for man and other animals of the higher orders ? We need not be surprised to find that these complex organizations require more than one kind of rest. In the case of man careful and scientific obser- vation has shown thjit the daily rest is not suffi- cient. Men who work hard every day, as hard as most men must work, soon become ded and worn, even though they are careful t ke the requisite amount of sleep. The waste is greater than the repair, and health and strength fail. Whether this would be true if men were physic- ally perfect, and perfectly observed all the laws of health, it is impossible to say. We are obliged to take men as they are, and to consider their I)resent necessities. In his present condition man needs dai/s as well as hours of rest. Indeed we are beginning to discover that it is a good thing for hard-worked men to have, now and then, a week or even a month of rest. The man who works every day in the year exhausts his vital force faster than it can be replenished by food and sleep. One physiological reason for this can be (18) [ The Sabbath and Mans Ph/jsical Welfare. 53 ty with thor we ve must !ate that :ided for orders ? tit these one kind fie obser- not suffi- , as hard ded and ke the 8 greater gth fail. ;e physic- the laws re obliged lider their ition man Indeed is a good and then, man who ^ his vital food and lis can be stated in a few words. It is well known that health and vigor and oven life itself are depend- ent upon a proper supply of oxygen. A man is constantly inhaling oxygen and consuming it in the support of his vital force, producing thus the carbonic acid gas which ho expires. In order to keep his vit^il force good ho must take in as much as he consumes. I3iit when he is working, or actively exercising in any way, it is impossible to do this, and the extra supply demanded is taken from his blood and muscles. While thus engaged the amount of that which is necessary to the support of his life- -which is really his life — is constantly lessening. Some interesting ex- periments conducted at Munich show that a hard day's work diminishes the amount of oxygen in the system about one ounce.''' It has been found that the laborer does not recover during the night the oxygen he has thus overdrawn. If he re- covers five-sixths of it — and this is a liberal esti- mate — in one year of entirely unbroken drudgery he will have consumed about four pounds more of oxygen than he has inhaled. As this repre- sents his life-force more fully than any other element of his body, it does not require an elab- orate calculation to show that he must soon be- * See " The Annual of Scientific Discovery " for 1869, p. 298. (19) H M ! I 54 Necessity of the Sahhath. come exhausted. A few years of such unrespited work must wear him out and send him to his grave. In the natural course of things the rate of his exhaustion will be rapidly accelerated, for, if the support of himself and his family requires a specific amount of work, as he grows weaker he must make a constantly-increasing effort to per- form his allotted task, and it is the amount of effort that determines the rate of exhaustion. But an occasional day of rest will make good this overdraft. When his system has been thus over- taxed for a time, if he takes a day of rest he in- hales more oxygen than he consumes. If the rest day comes just at the right time, it will serve completely to restore the equilibrium and make him as good as new. The man thus gets back the life which has been spent ; he is literally re- created. The man who labors continuously must die early, but the man who takes sufficient rest to keep his vital force at the normal point may live on to a good old age. This is not fanciful ; it is a simple physiological fact. It is not a mat- ter of religion ; it is a question of science. What- ever power made man so that he inhales and consumes oxygen and exhales carbonic acid gas, so constituted him that periodtJ of rest must fol- low protracted seasons of labor. Whether or not the soul of man needs a Sabbath — whether or (20) ii smmmmm respited L to his the rate ted, for, quires a ;aker he : to per- ount of laustion. ;ood this Lus over- st he in- If the ill serve id make ets back irallv re- sly must ient rest )int may fanciful ; 3t a mat- What- ales and acid gas, must fol- er or not ether or The Sahhath and Mans Physical Welfare. 55 not he has a soul — it is certain that his body needs days of rest which shall come at regular intervals. But how frequent shall be these rest-days? Here nature does not, perhaps, furnish us with an unerring guide. When night comes she says to all workers, " It is now time to rest and sleep," but she has set no unmistakable mark upon any day as a sign that it must be used for rest. Men feel the need of occasional rest-days, but how to obtain them and how frequently they shall come are points difficult to arrange. Left to their own judgment, they could not agree upon the requisite number of rest-days in a year. But men are so bound together in their occupa- tions that it is impossible for any considerable portion of a community to cease from their ordin- ary work unless all do. Certain classes might be able to stop work whenever ih^y pleased, but the majority could not. Here, then, is a want which man cannot supply. We claim that in the weekly rest-day the want is exactly met. In the fust place, here is a point of agreement, or at least the suggestion of a common basis of agreement. When every seventh day is suggested as the right proportion by a people who claim to have received it from God, who have tried it for cen- turies and found it to work well, it is worth while (21) r ii" I - i ! 1 56 Necessity of the Sahhath. for others also to try it. Wherever this arrange- ment has been tested the results have proved to be in its favor. Wherever they have been brought into contrast with the results of other arrangements, they have furnished striking proofs of its wisdom. The French republic tried one day in ten and found that this did not give rest- days enough. Those Asiatic peoples who have no rest-days show by their want of physical vigor and strength the disastrous effects of un- remitting toil. Certain classes of workmen in Europe have no rest-days, and the result is that they are feeble and short-lived. Horace Greeley says that he saw no old men in the workshops of Paris. On the other hand, the Roman Catholic Church has, by its system of fast-days and festivals, given to some of the peoples of Europe rest-days more numerous than one day in seven. The results are idleness and enerva- tion. One day in seven for rest seems to be exactly the right proportion. It has been found that the amount of exhaustion of the oxygen of the system — in other words, of the life-power — by six days of labor is the amount that can be sup- plied by a day of complete rest.* With this arrangement the working man is enabled to hold (22) * See Appendix B. The Sabbath and Mans Physical Welfare. 67 his own in the matter of physical vigor, provided he has sufficient food and sleep. William Von Humboldt was not a special friend to revealed re- ligion, but he was an eminent scientist and a close student of man's physical needs. On this sub- ject he bears valuable and important testimony in the following words : '^ I completely agree with you that the institution of fixed days of rest, even if it had no connection with religious observance, is a most pleasing and truly refreshing idea to every one who has a humane mind toward all classes of society. The selection of the seventh day is certainly the wisest that could have been made. Although it may seem, and to some extent may be, optional to shorten or lengthen labor one day, I am convinced that six days is the just and true measure suitable to men in regard to their physical powers and perseverance in a monotonous employment. There is likewise something humane in this, that the beasts that aid man in his labor share in the rest. To lengthen the time of returning rest beyond measure would be as inhuman as foolish. I have had an example of this in my own experience. When I spent several years in Paris in the time of the revolution, I saw this institution, despite its divine origin, superseded by the dry and wooden decimal system. Only the tenth day (23) Hi It! ■ '!l|l I il r :!i;i 11 ■llll 58 Necessity of the Sabbath. was what we call Sunday, and all customary work continued for nine long days. This being evidently too long, Sunday was kept by several as far as the police laws would permit it, and thus again too much idleness was the result. Thus we are always between two extremes so soon as we remove from the safe and regulated middle path." * Proudhon, the French political writer and socialist, was another man who looked at the question purely from an economic point of view. After praising Moses for his skill and wisdom in fixing the right proportion between days of labor and da3^s of rest, he says : " The certainty of the science is proved by the result. Decrease the week by only one day, and the labor is insufficient for the repose ; increase it by the same amount, and it is too much. Fix every three days and a half, a. half-day of relaxation, and you increase by dividing the day the loss of time, and by breaking the natural unity of the day the numerical balance of things is broken. If you grant, on the other hand, forty-eight hours of rest after twelve consecutive days of work, you kill the man with inertia after having exhausted him with fatigue." f *" Letters to a Friend,"' London, 1849. t " On the Observance of Sunday," p. 67. (34) "^ i 1 I -1 3 1 The Sabbath and Mans Physical Welfare. 59 omary , being ;everal it, and result, aes so ^ulated olitical looked Dint of ill and etween "The result, nd the e it by every xation, loss of of the 3roken. y-eight ays of having i I I We turn now to our second line of argument, namely, that which may be found in the testimony of those who make the laws of health the study of their lives. A large number of able and experienced physicians have borne witness to the necessity which is upon workingmen to rest on every seventh day. These testimonies have so frequently been published as to make their quotation here unnecessary. They have never been refuted ; so far as we can learn, no one has ever attempted their refutation. With remarkable unanimity they assert that men, whether toiling with brain or hands, who rest one day in seven, will be healthier, will accomplish more work year by year and will live longer than those who work every day. They say that members of the latter class nearly always break down, that the brain- workers among them frequently become insane, and that the hand-workers become enfeebled and diseased. This is the substance of statements made by Dr. J. R. Farre before a committee of the British House of Commons in 1832 ; bv six hundred and forty-one medical men of London in a petition presented to Parliament in 1853 ; by Dr. Carpenter, the great physician and physiolo- gist of England ; by twenty-five physicians of the New Haven Medical Association ; and by Drs. Thomas Sewall, Mussey, Harrison, Alden and (25) >i I ! !'; f !■ ,1 ( i i] I m iiiiUi 60 Necessitf/ of the Sabbath. other eminent physicians of this country.* Dr. Paul Niemeyer, professor of hygiene in Leipsic University, pubh'shed in 1876 a prize essay on •^ Sunday Rest from a Sanitary Point of View." In this he argues strongly for a weekly day of rest as essential to the preservation of health. He says that, aside from all religious considera- tions, Sunday should be observed as a day of rest for the sake of its hygienic benefits. No sane man wouM disregard the testimony of an authority oo eminent as Dr. Niemeyer. But we are not limited to evidence which others have placed before the public. While pre- paring this book the writer addressed personal letters to a few of the eminent physicians of this country, asking for their opinion on this subject. Among the replies received were the following. The first is from. Dr. Alonzo Clark, long recog- nized as standing among the very first of his profession in New York city, and ex-president of the College of Physicians and Surgeons. He writes, " I cheerfully give my testimony in favor of the Sabbath as a benevolent institution to all — brain-workers as well as others. I have in my own family a person in whose case the remittance * Most of this testimony is presented at length by Gilfillan: " The Sabbath,"' pp. 173-183. (126) m m ;l ii The Sahhath and 3fans Phf/sical Welfare. 61 ^ Dr. Leipsic say on View." (lay of health. Lsidora- lay of s. No of an which lie pre- ersonal of this ubject. owing. recog- of his lent of He n favor 1 to all of labor on the Sabbath is almost a renewal of life. It is my belief that as much labor, mental as well as physical, can be accomplished in six days as in seven. There are men who can work seven days in a week and not impair their health, but at hard work the human frame generally gives way sooner or later." The second is from Dr. William Pepper, provost of the University of Pennsylvania, and generally acknowledged to be at the head of his profession in Philadelphia. He says, " You ask my opinion as to the advantage of observing the weekly Sabbath as a means of maintaining good health. I have no hesitation in saying that it is my clear opinion that the regular observance of the Sab- bath does tend to prolong life, to improve health, and to increase in quantity and quality the total work done by the individual. There are excep- tional men who are able to apply themselves without such remissions to their labors, through- out a long life-time, without injury, but such exceptions do not invalidate the general rule I have stated. I must add that, in my judgment, the proper observance of the Sabbath, in order to secure the greatest physical, mental and moral good from it, involves much more than attendance on divine worship, with intervals of monotonous inaction. Provision should always (27) I ■' • :ii ^d !Wi 1 'PC' I iir '1 1 1 11 i J 62 Neeessity of the Sabbath. be made for healthful exercise of body, and for innocent and agreeable distraction of the mind." Dr. 11. J. Levis, another eminent physi- cian of the same city, writes, " I believe that, besides its moral influences, the observance of a weekly Sabbath is favorable to the maintenance of health. A weekly day of rest, with moral safeguards and restraints, is a blessing." Such testimony is not to be disregarded. It is based upon a careful study of man's physical constitu- tion and upon observation of the results of dif- ferent habits in the matter of work and rest. It goes to show that a weekly day of rest meets a real want in the nature of man. The evidence we have derived from science and from the testimony of medical men is con- firmed by experience. Experiments have been tried, the results . of which have tended to estab- lish the opinion we have advanced. Mill owners, manufacturers and contractors have tried work- ing their men every day in the year. Then for some reason they have changed and granted the men the weekly day of rest. In the state of Pennsylvania there is a place known as " Sab- bath Rest." The name was given to it from the fact that some years ago the blast-furnaces located there were owned and managed by a :-ian who believed in observing the Lord's day, and who (28) y, and of the physi- e that, GO of a tenance L moral Such 3 based onstitu- of dif- 3St. It neets a science is con- '^e been estab- owners, 1 work- 'hen for ited the tate of " Sab- rom the located an who nd who The Sabbath and Man's Physical Welfare. 63 would not allow them to be run in violation of the Sabbath. The almost universal opinion among iron-workers is that to let the furnaces lie idle over Sunday must result in great loss and incon- venience ; hence tb'^y are usually kept going every day, and previous to the time mentioned these furnaces had not been an exception to the rule. But a gentleman who was well acquainted with the facts told the writer that, in this case, just as much iron was smelted as when the furnaces were run seven days in a week, that the men were healthier and happier, and that they were much better satisfied with their wages, though they did not receive quite as mu^h. It is related that two thousand men " were employed for years seven days in a week. To render them contented in giving up their right to the Sabbath as a day of rest, that birthright of the human family, they paid them double wages on that day — eight days' wages for seven days' work. But they could not keep them healthy or make them moral. Things went badly, and they changed their course, employed the men only six days in a week and allowed them to rest on the Sabbath. The consequence was that they did more work than ever before. This, the super- intendent said, was owing to two causes — the de- moralization of the people under the first system, (29) '%. I h 64 Necessity/ of the Sabbath. li |:i!! and ^heir exhaustion of bodily strength, which w/is visible to the most casual observer."''' Dr. Humphrey mentions a case which is still more striking. He says, *' A contractor went on to the West with his hired men and teams to make a turnpike road. At first he paid no regard to the Sabbath, but continued his work as on other days. He soon found, however, that the ordinances of nature, no less than the moral law, were against him. His laborers became sickly, his teams grew poor and feeble, and he was fully convinced that more was lost than gained by working on the Lord's day. So true is it that the Sabbath-day laborer, like the drunkard and the glutton, under- mines his health, and prematurely hastens the in- firmities of age and his exit from this world. "f " One of these experiments was made in a large flouring establishment. For a number of years the mills were worked seven days a week. The superintendent was ihcn changed. He ordered the men to stop the works at eleven o'clock on Saturday night, and not to start them till one o'clock Monday morning, thus allowing a full Sab- bath every week. And the same men during the year actually ground fifty thousand bushels more i- 1 J * Permanent Sabbath Documents, No. 1, p. 33. t Quoted by Giifillan, p. 180. (30) _ The Sabbath and Mans Physical Welfare. 65 than had ever been ground in a single year in that establishment before. The men having been permitted to cleanse themselves, put on their best apparel, rest from worldly business, go with their families to the house of God, and devote the Sab- bath to its appropriate duties, were more healthy, punctual, moral and diligent. They lost less time in drinking, dissipation and quarrels. They were more clear-headed and whole-hearted ; knew better how to do things and were more disposed to do them in the right way."* In every case where the experiment has been fairly tried, by bringing the two methods into contrast, it has been found that the men could do as much work in six days, with one of rest, as they had before done in seven, and that the work was less wear- ing upon them. One would naturally think that he could do more in seven days than in six, and so he could for one week, and perhaps for a year ; but by the end of the year the balance would be on the other side, and the Sabbath-keeping man would have more years, for his life would be pro- longed by his rest-days. The longer these experiments are continued, the more striking becomes the contrast. The religious peculiarities of the Jews furnish us with .|i * Charles Elliott, "The Sabbath," p. 18. (31) 66 Nccessitt/ of the Sabbath. \ i. ■; , 1 If || ' 1. 9 ' ' f - ' iiiii what amounts to an experiment on a vast scale. In Eurojx; they are noted for the strictness with wliifh they observe their Sabbatli, while their Christian neighbors are very lax in observing Sunday. Many of the latter work seven days in a week, with no change except an occasional holiday. Now, it is a well-known fact, referred to by many writers, that the average life of the Jews is ten years longer than that of Chris^ tians in the same countries. It has also been noticed that in times of epidemic diseases, such as cholera, the Jews enjoy remarkable immunity from attack. These facts speak volumes in favor of the hygienic advantages of a weekly rest-day. Light has been thrown on this subject in a very interesting way by experiments with those lower animals which man employs as his servants. It has been found .t' it if they do not have their weekly day of rest, they are prematurely worn out. Two or three illustrations are all we can find room for. " A hundred and twenty horses were employed for years seven days in a week. But they became unhealthy, and finally died so fast that the owner thought it was too expensive, and put them on a six-days arrangement. After this he was not obliged to replenish them one fourth part as often as before. Instead of sink- ing continually, his horses came up again, and (32) The Sabbath and Mans Phf/mcal Welfare. G7 lived longer tli.ni they could have done on (he other plan. A nuimiliu'turiMg ('()iii[)jiny wliicli iiad been accustomed to carry tlieir goods to market with their own teams kept them employed seven days in a week, as that was the time in which they could go to the market and return. But by permitting the teams to rest on the Sabbath, they found they could drive them the same distance in six days that they had formerly done in seven, and with the sjime keeping preserve them in bet- ter order."* The case of Bianconi, the great car or stage proprietor of Ireland, has become famous. At one time he owned fourteen hundred horses, and the result of his vast experience was that he would not allow one of them to be driven on Sunday. He said, " I can work a horse eight miles a dny for six days in the week much better than I can six miles a day for seven days a week. By not working on Sunday I save at least twelve per cent."-!- Those who undertake long journeys with domestic animals, such as emigrants to the West in this country used to take, find that they lose far more than they gain in speed by travel- ling seven days in a week. Such cases are instructive for us, because man *Charles Elliott, ''The Sabbath," p. 19. t From a leaflet entitled " How to Get On." See Gilfillan, p. 183, and Craft's " Sabbath," etc., p. 199. (33) I \' ,t I Sill 63 Necessity of the Sabbath. \ 1 1! ' ;■ 11 1: ft If ^il 'if iff i:!!!' Ill is related in his physical nature to the lower animals. His body is subject to the same laws of waste and repair as the bodies of other ani- mals. These experiments go to show that if man were a mere animal, he would still need the weekly Sabbath as a day of rest. But he is more than an animal, and for that reason is in greater need of a Sabbath even for the sake of his body. Every one knows how much a cheerful mind has to do with the preservation of the heaUli and strength. ^'A merry heart doeth good like a medicine." In war, the men who endure the long marches an 1 the exposure and who recover from wounds are the men who keep brave and hopeful hearts in their bosoms. No one can doubt that unceasing toil — toil relieved by no days of rest — breaks the spirits and renders the toilers despond- ent and gloomy.' A traveller in France speaks of the " moroseness occasioned " among some of the laboring classes ^' by the want of a Sabbath." Low-spirited and despondent drudges, such as laborers must become when doomed to unbroken toil, lose their strength and are short-lived. The Sabbath, by affording a day of rest to which weary men can look forward with joy, and by diverting the mind from the irksome round of toil to soci'id and religious privileges, adds enjoyment to life, and so preserves the health and strength (34) The Sabbath and Man's Pht/sical Welfare. 69 of the body. On this account alone it is neces- sary to that vast majority of mankind who must earn their bread by manual labor. It is evident that the Sabbath is necessary to the physical welfare of man. Without it it is impossible for him to gain and preserve bodily health and vigor. Without these he can never reach the high destiny for which he was intended, but must remain the weak and degraded creature which he appears in many heathen lands. In man's physical constitution God has given promise of his purpose to establish a weekly Sabbath. The heathen, who have only the light of nature, have had a dim perception of its necessity. " Where the true religion has been unknown, it has always been found necessary to appoint, by some constituted authority, a certain number of holidays, which have often, even in heathen coun- tries, exceeded, rarely anywhere have fiiUen short of, the number of God's instituted Sabbaths. The animal and mental, the bodily and spiritual natures of man alike demand them. Even Plato deemed the appointment of such days of so benign and gracious a tendency that he ascribed them to that pity which the gods have for man- kind, born to painful labor, that they might have an ease and cessation from their toils. And vdiaf is this but an experimental testimony to the truth (35) |l jm • :hi: m if; ' 1 H ' ' 1 il.lk; 70 Necessitt/ of the Sabbath. of God's having ordered his work of creation with a view to the appointment of such an insti- tution in providence, and to his wisdom and goodness in having done so? ... It seems as if God, in the appointment of this law, had taken special precautions against the attempts which he foresaw would he made to get free of tlie institu- tion, and that on this account he laid its founda- tions deep in the original framework and constitu- tion of nature."* In quoting these sentences from Prof. Fairbairn, we anticipate somewhat our con- clusion, for at this stage of the argument we claim only that, since the Sabbath is necessary to man's pliysical welfare, it is probable that God has established it. A benevolent deity wouLl not fail in revealing to us whatever it is necessary for us to know more fully than it can be learned from the light of nature. Whenever he creates a need he invariably follows it with the creation of a suitable supply. The promise of a Sabbath which he has thus written upon the constitution of things he will surely fulfill in his revelation to man. * Fairbairn'a ''Typology," vol. ii. pp. 116-120. (36) •| 4 4 ation insti- and ns as taken ch he istitu- mnda- istitu- s from ir con- nt we lary to it God would essary earned creates eation abbath itution tion to CHAPTER III. TH^ SABBATH NECESSARY TO MAN's INTELLECTUAL WELFARE. " In the world there is nothing great but man ; In man there is nothing great but mind;" The favorite aphorism of Sir William Hamilton, which we have taken as a motto for this chapter, is not true unless the word " mind " is so used as to include all the faculties of the soul. The intellect is not the only great thing in man ; he has other faculties even more worthy of attention and admiration. And yet it would be difficult to overestimate the importance of the human intel- lect as a power in the world, or in its relation to the progress of the race. In the last chapter it was mnde to appear that man could do little with- out prop r attention to his physical nature. We now go . step higher, and put forth the claim that he is dependent upon his intellectual powers not only for material progress, but also for ad- vancement in morals and religion. It is by the intellect that the truths taught by nature are discovered, and even revealed truth must be apprehended by the intellect before it can affect r 72 Necessitf/ of the Sabbath. i I !l the heart and life. There could be iio progress for a race of idiots, even if it were possible to suppose them endowed with physical perfection and moral sensibility. Consider the greatness and glory of the human intellect as they are manifested in its intrinsic nature, its grand achievements and its limitless possibilities. Is it conceivable that God would create anything so noble as the human intellect and not make provision for its proper develop- ment ? And besides its intrinsic value, we must remember that it is at the foundation of all social, moral and religious progress, both for the indi- vidual and the race. If men are placed in such conditions that their minds cannot be cultivated, they must forever remain in degradation. It must not be supposed that the Creator has intended that only a few minds shall be cultivated. While it is true that the great thinkers of the Avorld are few, and that most of the thinking has been done by those who were thus endowed above their fellows, it does not follow that any mind should be left without some measure of cultivation. God has given intellects to all men, and while they differ much in power, it is not only the in- alienable right of all to enjoy the means of growth, but is an absolute necessity to the eleva- tion of the race. (38) ■I'-: 1 igress )le to Bction luman Drinsic litless would tellect !velop- ) must social, e indi- [1 such ivated, t must tended While rid are n done i their should vation. i while the in- ans of J eleva- The Sabbath and Mans Intellectual Welfare. 73 Now the one means by which the mind grows is exercise. Men must think, if their thinking powers are to be developed. Time and opportun- ity must be given for the exercise of their minds, or they will inevitably fall into stagnation. Per- ception, memory, imagination, reason, must all be exercised or they will become dormant. They must have proper objects on which to act, time in which to act and freedom from distraction while acting. How are these conditions to be secured for men who labor with their hands ? Let us remember that these constitute, and must ever constitute, the great majority of the race. Hence, in discuss- ing a question like this, they are the first to be considered. Let us suppose that they are com- pelled to work every day ; what must be their mental condition ? In most cases no time could be procured for mental improvement; but even if there were time, there would be no strength. Every one who has had experience knows that it is impossible to use the mind to any good pur- pose when the body is exhausted with manual toil. Labor is honorable, but the inevitable tend- ency of protracted and exhausting labor is to dull the mental faculties. A human being has only a limited amount of force or energy, and if it is all expended in physical labor, nothing is left (39) : !j :3 1 'J w '4 II i .11 .1 . 't nHf' i j ! Ill H '' i'i : B! l.,l t "' t ! i ' II 'i ^ li; m i !■(('■ •• jH :;:-i : .. fl J if,, 1 j Mi: 1 1 IP f 1 - lii ; ■t 111!': !• 74 Necessity of the Sabbath. with which to carry on mental exercises. This is often forgotten. Persons who have had no experience sometimes wonder why laboring men do not use their evenings for mental improvement. The fact is that in most cases it is simply impos- sible ; after their day's work is done they have not the requisite strength and energy. This is certain to be the case with those who are doomed to toil continuously day after day. They will soon become so enfeebled that every particle of their force will be exhausted in performing their daily round of toil. The inevitable consequence of unceasing toil is intellectual degradation. Under such conditions men will become ignorant, stupid and brutish. Their minds will be dwarfed and their sensibilities blunted, until they are little better than beasts of burden. The noble temple of the intellect, which our Maker has planned for every man, is either never built or soon becomes a shattered and desolate ruin. This is the outlook for the mass of mankind unless a portion of their time can be redeemed from toil and employed in exercises which are adapted to the cultivation of their mental powers. No one can believe that it is or ever has been the divine intention to doom intelligent creatures to such a life. We are created for something better than a life that crushes the intellecit and leaves (40) The Sahhath and 3Ians Intellectual Welfare. 75 only a jaded animal. Here, then, is a great want whicli can be supplied only by having a part of the time left free from ordinary labor. We claim that this want is met in the institu- tion of a weekly Sabbath. In this, two necessary provisions are made. In the first place, sufficient time is given for study and thought, so that one who uses it well may have a richly-stored mind and well-developed intellectual powers. This time should be so free from toil, and even from its physical effects, that the hardest worker will have time to devote to intellectual i)ursuits. One day in seven does not eem much for such a pur- pose, but in reality it is a great deal. Suppose a man to live seventy years, and to be engaged in manual labor or in business from his fourteenth year. During those fifty-six years of toil, his Sabbaths would amount, in the aggregate, to eight years. If he had a fair education for a boy of his age at fourteen, eight years more for study and thought would enable him to make great mental progress. Of course, he could not be a specialist in any department of investigation, but he could be a well-informed and intelligent man. In the second place, the Sabbath furnishes means for intellectual improvement through the ministrations of the pulpit and the instruction of the Sabbath-school. Here the grandest themes, (41) p'j . i Hi ! ! ii! 76 Necessity of the Sahhath, \ m 1 i \ 1 ill! 1^1 R 1 1 1 ^ II ' ill 1 t ;, 1 " i 1' 1 i 1 those best calculated to enlarge the mind, to quicken the pei'ceptions, to strengthen the reason and to inspire the imagination, are discussed. Relative to the influence of pulpit instruction. Dr. Spring says : " Many a sleeping genius, re- posing within the curtains of its own unconscious powers, has been awakened to hope and action by the instructions of the sanctuary. It were a curious and not unprofitable inquiry to institute, How many well-educated men in Christian lands have received the first impulse and suggestion in their lofty career from the instructions of the Sabbath ?" * In this country these are supple- mented by books and periodicals almost without number, so cheap that they are within reach of any industrious man who really desires them. It will be objected that men who have the Sabbath do not use- it or any part of it for mental improvement ; that most of them prefer to spend it either in absolute idleness or in seeking amuse- ment. This may be true, but it has no relation to the present discussion. We are not here dis- cussing the proper method of observing the Sab- bath ; we are simply trying to show that days of cessation from ordinary toil are absolutely neces- sary to the proper development of the mind. If * Quoted in " The Sabbath for Man," p. 225. (42) I t The Sabbath and Mans Intellectual Welfare. 77 men have the days and will not u^-.e them rightly, it is only one instance in many of the way in which they disregard their privileges find abuse their blessings. The value of the opportunity is not diminished, and it does not follow that it should be taken away from those who know how to use it. So for we have discussed the subject chiefly in its relation to those engaged in manual labor. What has been said of them applies with equal force to men engaged in most kinds of business. The farmer, the tradesman, the railroad employe, the skilled mechanic, and others who combine some measure of mental activity with their man- ual toil, have exactly the same need of time for intellectual improvement. Ordinarily the mental exercise required in their business develops but one faculty, and that perhaps not the highest. They may be, and often are, more devoid of gen- eral intelligence and mental breadth than the common laborer or the factory operative. Their hours of work are longer, and their absorption in business more complete. Merchants, bankers, lawyers, physicians, ministers, teachers, officers of the great corporations, and others whose work is almost wholly mental, need the Sabbath more for physical than for intellectual reasons. They can usually command time for any line of study (43) Is ■ !i ■! . \i i i 1 tiilil 78 Necessity of the Sabbath. « ' i: which they choose to follow. And yet there can be no doubt that their minds are made broader and are better developed by the complete change of occupation for which the Sabbath affords oppor- tunity. That is the true rest of the mind. In our waking hours it never ceases its activity, but it needs change. If it does not have it, if^it is kept continually upon the strain in one direction, the effects are disastrous. These are, no doubt, the immediate results of physical derangement; but as they are often manifested through the mind, we may speak of them in this connection. Only a few of the grt i number of facts at hand can be referred to. Sir David Wilkie, the celebrated painter, said that " those arti.sts who wrought on Sunday were soon disqualified from working at all." The editor of the London Standard, after many years of observation among intellectual workers, said, "We never knew a man work seven days a week who did not kill himself or kill his mind." * The Rev. J. Scott, of Hull, England, in a discourse on Wil- berforce said, " I have heard him assert that he never could have sustained the labor and stretch of mind required in his early political life, if it had not been for ilie rest of the Sabbaths; and .■^i (44) * See Gimilan, p. 181. The Sabbath and Mant Intellectual Welfare, 79 r, said ' were editor s of '^We who Rev. Wil- lat he ;retch ,if it and i that he couM name several of his contemporaries in the vortex of political cares, whose minds had actually given way under the stress of intellectual lahor, so as to bring on a i)reniature death, or the still more dreadful catastrophe of insanity and suicide, who, humanly speaking, might have been preserved in health if they would have but con- scientiously observed the Sabbath." Dr. Car- penter, to whom we have referred in tlie pre- vious chapter, said in a letter to a friend, '' My own experience is very strong as to the import- ance of the complete rest and change of thought once in the week." '^ Dr. Farre, in his report on the observance of the Sabbath, bor<' still stronger testimony to the value of the weekly rest for the mind.t "A distinguished merchant, who for twenty years did a vast amount of business, re- marked to Dr. Edwards, ' Had it not been for the Sabbath I should no doubt have been a maniac long ago.' This was mentioned in a comi)any of merchants, when one remarked, * That is the case exactly with Mr. . lie is one of our greatest importers. He used to say that the Sabbath was the best day in the week to plan successful voy- ages, showing that his mind had no Sabbath. He * Woohvich Lectures on the Sabbath, p. 53. t See Report, p. 119. (45) ~7»" lUPif' 80 Necessity of the Sabbath. ill has been in the insane hospital for years, and will yirobably die there.'" Bearing directly upon this point is the curious and somewhat startling fact that among those nations of Europe where the Lord's day is least observed, tho Sabbath-keeping Jews are gaining and holding far more than their share of the positions which require intellootiuil vigor. In Geimany they control ninety per cent, of the newspapers; a large proportion of the teachers, lawyers and physicians are Jews; they are surpassing all others in thu aci|Ulsltion of wealth ; and they are laigely represented in the German Parliament. In France there is the same state of things in respect to intellectual pursuits, while the influence of the Jews in the govern- ment is much greater than in Germany.* Who can doubt that their power to outstrip others in the race for intellectual pre-eminence is in part due to their habit of keeping a weekly Sabbath ? At any rate they are not having the same success in England and America, where the Lord's day is more generally observed. The rest and change which the Sabbath brings to brain-workers are absolutely essential to the health of the mind. While those who labor with 'UUUlt * See "The Sabbath for Man," p. 146, and Appendix 35 for authorities. (46) The Suhbath and MifHff Intellectual Welfare. 81 tboir Iwuuls need to «h«^ fVom their ordinary toil in onl people of going out to meet one another, clean washed and well dressed, is of incalculable (64) i ft.A The Sabbath and Mans Social Welfare. D9 value. It has a humanizing, refining, elevating tendency. Tlie influence of it will go with them all the following week. They cannot quite fall back to the same brutish indifTerence to neatness and good manners that would otherwise charac- terize them. Thus the Sabbath is a frequently- recurring bright spot in lives that would other- wise be all dark. Again, the Sabbath exerts a salutary influence upon the family life. Marriage and the Sabbath were given to man in Eden, and they seem to be so related that one cannot be preserved in its purity and sacredness without the other. It is a striking fact that in Sabbathless countries and in countries where the Lord's day is little regarded, free divorces or crimes against the marriage law, or both, prevail to an alarming extent. This is due in part to the absence of the moral restraints of the Sabbath, and in part to the fact that with- out the leisure afforded by the Lord's day for the cultivation of family affection, it is hardly possible for husband and wife to retain right relations to each other. Dr. Lowe, an eminent physician of Berlin, in a speech in the German Parliament on a bill to prevent employers from compelling their work- men to work on Sunday, said, " I have had occa- sion in my career as a physician to visit more than nine thousand workmen who worked on Sun- (05) I ' :Jll m Iff 1 1 I' hi i s ! i-'i ji i!'!! ni 100 Necessity of the Sabbath, days in their shops or at their homes, and I have it on proof that Sunday labor has the most disas- trous effect. In their homes slovenliness and discord reign ; the life of the wine-shop has sup- planted the family life."* Men who work hard, either at manual labor or in business, see very little of their families. A tradesman told the writer that often a whole week passed when he did not see his children awake, though he slept under the same roof with them. He went away in the morning before they were up^ ate his dinner down town, and did not return until they weie in bed. Perhaps not many cases are so bad as this ; but most busy men see very little of their families during the week. When a man, about to retire from business, was asked what he intended to do, he replied, " I am going to get acquainted with my wife and chil- dren." It ought not to require much discussion to convince any one that the head of a family owes something more to its members than to pro- vide them with shelter, raiment and food. He is responsible for their intellectual, moral and relig- ious welfare. To fulfill this obligation he must know them well, making a careful study of each child ; he must superintend their school life ; and m Quoted by Crafts, " The Sabbath for Man," p. 230. (66) ■ft \. The Sahhath and Mans Social Welfare. 101 he must himself instruct them in moral and re- ligious duties. How shall he get time for these things in this busy world ? Plainly a large part of it must be obtained on the Lord's day, when ordinary toil can be laid aside. Here the Sabbath meets a great w{int and touches human society at the very core of its life. It should be, and may be, a healing touch, and blessed is that people where the Lord's day is thus used ; for if the family, which is the heart of society, is right, all else will soon be right. Again, the Sabbath is necessary to prevent the inordinate growth of class distinctions. When the laboiii g tnan washes himself clean and puts on his best clothes, he is for the nonce, outwardly at least, on the same level with the rich man or the professional man who dresses alike on all days. The broad mark which distinguishes them as they pass in the streets on working days, on the Lord's day is obliterated. And then, if they go to the house of God, they meet there as equals. " The rich and poor meet together ;" and both feel that " the Lord is the maker of them all." If they meet in the spirit which the day was in- tended to promote, the rich will be made humble and sympathetic, while the poor will learn a les- son of self-respect. If the day were thus kept by all, we should soon hear little of the conflict (07) 102 Necessity of the Sahhath. between labor and capital — of the hatred and jealousy ou one side find of the contempt and distrust and oppression on the other which now exist. In this connection a word may be said on a re- lated subject. The Sabbath, riglitly observed, protects the poor man from the greed and oppres- sion of the rich and powerful. If it were not for this, laboring men would be compelled to toil all days in the week, wdienever it suited the in- terests of their employers. That this is true may be seen in the action of railroad corporations and horse-car companies at the present time. When labor is plenty men are at the mercy of their em- ployers, and many of the latter would force Sun- day work upon all in their employ, if it were prof- itable and any reasonable excuse could be found for doing it.'^' In -the majority of cases no more wages would be paid for seven days' work than for six. As John Stuart Mill, a man who had looked carefully into the subject, said of a special class, " Operatives are perfectly right in thinking that if all worked Sunday, seven days' work would have to be given for six days' wages." '\ * In proof of this assertion see the facts collected and pub- lished in the documents of the New York and Philadelphia Sabbath Associations. t Essay "On Liberty," p. 156. (68) The Sahhath and Mans Social Welfare. 103 Even those who oppose the religious observance of the Lord's ihiy see this danger, and infnhjls and free-thiidvci's demand that the right of the working man to one day in seven for rest and recreation shall be secured by law. There is especial need for such a demand in this country, where the greed for wealth, which is such a uni- versal and absorbing passion, would certainly impel capitalists to rob employes of their weekly day of rest, if it were not secured to them by law. But it is vain to hope that working men can retain Sunday as a day of rest if its religious sanctions are destroyed. In Germany, in France, and in other countries where Sunday is a holiday, the poor have no day of rest. Mary Gordon, writing from Germany to The Advance of Chicago, after giving a multitude of facts to sustain her assertion says, " We believe it vain to think of introducing the diversion^ of the European Sab- bath without its labor. Once take away the sacredness of Sunday, and you only open another twenty-four hours to the avarice and cupidity of man. This has been the unfailing result both in Catholic and Protestant countries ; even laws to the contrary are of no avail." On the strength of abundant evidence from many countries. Rev. W. F. Crafts, who quotes the above, says, '' Those who will not have the Sabbath as a holy day can- (69) (|n^ 1 i ■ i } iM 104 Necemty of the Sabhath, lii'', u not hnvo it long us a rest day. When the Sab- bath is not niado a day of prayer, but of phiy, it soon becomes to the poor a day of toil." * This has been very forcibly put by S. D. Waddy, a member of the British Parliament, who says, " Let Sunday once come to be used by the nation generally for amusements, and the collar of work will be fastened as tightly around the necks of the working men on Sundays as on any other day." If the working man would have his weekly day of rest, let him beware how he dis- turbs its religious sanctions. lie should take all possible pains to preserve it, for since he would get no more for six days' work than for seven, it is to him clear gain. It is almost the only means he has of preventing himself from sinki*ng to the level of a beast of burden. It is the one day on which he may assert his equality with the rich, having earned the right to rest ; his one protec- tion against the oppression of greed ; his one means of improving his mind and heart. There are certain duties which men owe to one another which are best performed on the Lord's day — which, indeed, are not likely to be per- formed upon other days. Such are those deeds of kindness by which the brotherhood of man is (70) *"The Sabbath for Man," pp. 134-15L It The ^alfbutli and Man 8 /Social Welfare, 105 best expressed, and which tend to unite closely the different members of society. On this day, the ignorant, especially those ignorant of religious truth, may bo instructed ]>y those who have had better opportunities of learning, the sick may be visited by the well, the aflliiitcd may be com- forted by the synipnlhetic, the poor may be fed by the bounty of the rich ; in a word, those works which our Saviour describes as expressing the spirit which the Lord will approve at the judgment mny be performed. They are not to be limited to this day, but they are especially appropriate to it. This subject belongs to the discussion of the proper method of observing the Lord's day, but we allude to it here in order to show that such {> lay is necessary for the fullest expression and consequent cultivation of the feel ing which must bind men together in society. Rightly observed, this day is the best antidote to that selfishness and self-seeking which drives the members of society asunder or makes them mutually destructive. Other days are devoted mainly to the pursuit of personal advantage, and if all were alike devoted to this purpose how hard and selfish men would become ! The Sabbath is the day on which men are to devote themselves to the good of others, and thus it becomes the fostering parent of that social sympathy the cul- (71) I ! 106 Necessity of the Sabbath. E;l It'll ii3 tivation of which i« so necessary to the welfare of the race. It is rot necessary to speak at length of the salutary influence of the Sabbath upon communi- ties and nations. These are made up of individ- uals, and must have the character given them by their 'members. If the people of a country are strong, intelligent, virtuous and God-fearing, the nation which they constitute will have these characteristics. In showmg the necessity of the Sabbath to individuals and describing its influence upon them, we have shown what it will do for a people or a nation. Illustrations of its influence are abundant. Two communities, side by side, with other conditions similar or exp.ctly the same, one of which observed the Sabbath while the other did not, have shown marked differences in moral character, intelligence and temporal pros- perity. Let one of these cases serve as a type of many others. In New Hampshire there were two communities, one consisting of five families, the other of six. There was no great difference in the outward circumstances of the two except that the former was about three miles further away from a church than the latter. The five families kept tiie Sabbath with great care, abstaining fiom all secular work and worldly amusement on Sun- day, and always attending church. They were (72) The Sabhath and Maris Social Welfare. 107 sometimes jeered at by their Sabbath-breaking neighbors for their puritanical habits, but they went on doing what they believed to be their duty. The six families of the other neighbor- hood, when they did not w^ork, spent Sunday in visiting from house to house and in out-of-door sports, such as fishing, ball-playing, hunting and riding. None of them ever went to church. What were the results ? Before the third gener- ation had pasficd away the two neighborhoods presented a most striking contrast. All those descended from the five families were enjoying peace and prosperity. Only two out of the whole number were grossly immoral. Most of them were members of a Christian church and adorned their profession. Several \vere officers of churches, some were ministers of the gospel, and one was a missionary to China. No divorce or separation of husband and wife except by death ever occurred among them. Those who remained in their native place maintained the principles of their ancestors and were prospered in worldly affairs ; while a colony which w^ent out from them formed a similar community in the West. How was it with the six families who paid no heed to the Lord's day ? FivG of these families were broken up by the separation of husband and wife, a^id the other by the fother becoming a thief (73) III '|! ini ill k 9 !i'. 108 Necessiti/ of the Sahbath. and running away. Eight or nine of the parents became drunkards, one died by his own hand and all came to poverty. Of the forty-five descend- ants, twenty were notorious drunkards, jockeys or gamblers. At different times four or five were in state's prison. One was killed in a duel. Some, going to sea or entering the array, w^ere never afterward heard from by their friends. Some died in almshouses. Of the whole number only one became a Christian, and he after spending his youth in wickedness and dissipation.* Other causes besides the neglect of the Lord's day on the one hand and the observance of it on the other contributed to the production of this re- markable contrast; but who can doubt that, if the six families had kept the Sabbath as did the five families, they Avould have been saved from vice and the disasters which vicious habits brought upon them ? Would not the proper sanctification of that day have made it impossible for them to use the other days as they did ? Here, then, we have a remarkable illustration of the value to a community of Sabbath-keeping. Those nations which have most carefully ob- served the Lord's day have distanced their com- * This account was written by a member of the Sabbath-keep- ing community, and was first published, I believe, in the Puritan Eecorder. (74) The Sahhath and Mans Social Welfare. 109 potitors in the race for wealth and power. England and the United States owe much of their greatness to this observance. Contrast them with Italy, Spain and Mexico, where the Sabbath is little regarded. Though this is not the only cause for the difference, it must be reckoned among the most potent. So great an authority upon political economy as Adam Smith said, " The Sabbath as a political institution is of in- estimable value, independently of its claims to divine authority."* The reason for this opinion is not far to seek. The observance of the Sab- bath fosters the elements of national greatness. Says Blackstone, " The keeping one day in seven holy, as a means of relaxation and refreshment, as well as for public worship, is of admirable service to the state, considered merely as a civil institution. It humanizes, by the help of con- versation and society, the manners of the lower classes, which would otherwise degenerate into a sordid ferocity and savage selfishness of spirit. It enables the industrious workman to pursue his occupation in the ensuing week with health and cheerfulness ; it imprints upon the minds of the people that sense of their duty to God so neces- sary to make them good citizens, but which yet * Quoted in Chambers' " Life of Sir John Sinchiir." (75) fft» 1-^ t fc- ' '. 1 ■'■ 1- ;; 'i-' ~ ., 1 . i . '' ^1 I.- «i L ■ ^ I- ' 1 1 1 i »» •''.. ;■ . a ^" ■ { B ■ I i \ i| '!s !ii !,i 110 Necessity of the I^ah1)ath, may be worn out and defaced by an unremitted continuance of labor without any stated times of recalling them to the worship of their Maker."* There can be no doubt that, aside from the moral results, it is economical for a people to keep the Sabbath. But moral character and temporal prosperity cannot be separated. Industry, economy, temperance and intelligence are the bases of wealth, and these cannot co-exist with vice. It is a matter of common observation that when a community becomes morally degraded, it soon becomes poor. The increase of vice in any neighborhood diminishes the value of property already existing. The only assurance which a nation has of continued prosperity is in the health, virtue and intelligence of its people. If the Sabbath is necessary to the preservation of these, it is necessary to Tiational existence. On this point we may quote the well-known words of Lord Macaulay : " Man ! man ! this is the great creator of wealth. The difference between the soil of Campania and Spitzbergen is insignificant compared with the difl'erence presented by two countries, the one inhabited by men full of moral and physical vigor, the other by beings plunged in intellectual decrepitude. Hence it is that we (76) * " Commentaries," bk. iv. ch. 4. The Sabbath and Mans Social Welfare. Ill are not impoverished but on the contrary enriched by this seventh duy, which we have for so many years devoted to rest. This day is not lost. While the machinery is stopped, while the car rests on the road, while the treasury is silent, while the smoke ceases to rise from the chimney of the factory^ the nation enriches itself none the less than during the working days of the week. Man, the machine of ail machines, the one by the side of which all the inventions of the Wattses and the Arkwrights are as nothing, is recuperating and gaining strength so well that on Monday he returns to his woik with his mind clearer, with more courage for his work and with renewed vigor. I will never believe that that which ren- ders a people stronger, wiser and better can ever turn to its impoverishment."* In confirmation of the truth of these words, we may quote the statement of Rev. George T. Washburn, in a letter from India. As the result of extended observation he says, '^ There is not a non-Sabbath- keeping nation that is not abjectly poor." f In a subsequent chapter J we shall consider the re- lations of the Sabbath to free institutions and national prosperity. Many statesmen and political * Speech in Parliament on the Ten-hour Law. t " The Sabbath for Man," p. 221. X Chapter XV. (77) .11 .ii;i 112 Necessity of the Sahhath. !< n r. i •■; 1 ii 1 i i i - i i ii 8 (79) w FTTT 1 :■ Tl i \ i i a. yi " ' J ' ' mm mtiM' ^m*^ i! 'Ml 'u' ' lij'liliMli I ■ '■ i ^i-i- f'l PART II. THE SABBATH OF THE BIBLE WAS MADE FOR ALL MEN. CHAPTER VI. EARLY INSTITUTION OF THE SABBATH. The sabbath was made for man. — Mark 2 : 27. In the preceding chapters we have attempted to show that the necessity of the Sabbath to man's welfare makes it probable that it is a divine institution established for all men. We have, so far, done little more than to amplify the saying of our Lord, " The sabbath was made for man." These words, fairly interpreted, certainly mean that it was intended to meet real wants in the nature of man, and, since these wants exist in all alike, that the Sabbath was designed for all. It would be hard to see how this idea could be ex- pressed in clearer or more unambiguous terms. All do not admit that the words have this mean- ing. For this reason we propose now to examine the direct evidence that the law of the Sabbath (1) 116 The Sabbath made for All. i) 1 "W.'is meant to bo of universal application and per- petual obligation. For this evidence we must go to the word of God. Our fust argument is founded upon the fact that the Sabbath was instituted at the beginning of human history, long before the formation of the Jewish nation. It is admitted that if this early institution of the Sabbath can be shown, it will go far to establish its claim to universality. In his work on " The Principles of Moral and Political Philosophy," Paley says, "If the divine command was actually delivered at the creation, it was addressed, no doubt, to the whole human species alike, and continues, unless repealed by some subsequent revelation, binding upon all who come to the knowledge of it. If the command was published for the first time in the wilderness, then it was immediately 'directed to the Jewish people alone, and something further, either in the subject or circumstances of the command, will be necessary to show that it was designed for any other. The former opinion precludes all debate upon the ex- tent of the obligation ; the latter admits, and, prima facie, induces, a belief that the Sabbath ought to be considered as part of the peculiar law of the Jewish polity." * This is probably a hi (2) * Boston ed. 1811, p. 308. -i-i Early Institution of the ISabbath. 117 fair statement of the case, though all do not admit that proof of the early institution of the Sabbath settles the question. But Paley denies its early institution,* and expresses the opinion that the Sabbath was first heard of in the wilder- ness, after the exodus of the Hebrews from Egypt. In this he has been followed by a con- siderable number of writers upon the subject, some of them able and scholarly. Let us ex- amine the record for ourselves, and see which conclusion is warranted by its statements. In the first three verses of the second chapter of Genesis, we read, " Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made ; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made. And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it : because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made." *)* This seems to be * Paley would have us observe the Lord's day, but he tau«;ht that while the appointment of puldic worship on that day was of divine origin, making it a day of rest was a human arrange- ment. " Philosophy," Boston ed. 1811, p. 315. fin the body of the work the scriptural quotations are from the King James Version ; but for the convenience of readers who may desire to see them, I have placed in the appendix the passages relating to the Sabbath as translated in the Revised Version. Appendix G. (3) H! ii'i 118 The Sabbath made for All. V~ •»-j a perfectly dear and (Icfinitc statement. It is here put as part of the history of whjit occurred im- mediately subsequent to the creation. To say, as Paley and his followers do, that the order of connection here is not one of time but of associa- tion, and that these wc ds, written after the giving of the law on Sinai, only state the reason for what was afterward done in the establish- ment of the Sabbath, is a gratuitous assumption which looks as if it were made in support of a preconceived theory. The fair method of inter- pretation would be to let the words stand as a record of what then took place, unless there is some insuperable objection to this view. The principal objection is that nothing more is said about a Sabbath for more than two thousand years. It is siiid that if there was such a thing as a Sabbath 'during the age of the patri- archs, it is very strange that no mention of it is made in the history. But the mere absence of mention proves nothing. Does any one doubt that the ordinance of circumcision was strictly observed throughout the whole history of the Hebrew people? And yet it is not mentioned from the time of Joshua to that of John the Bap- tist. From the date of Deut. 16 : 2 the passover is not mentioned until the time of Isaiah ; and yet no one doubts that it had a prominent place (4) Early Imtitution of the Sahhath. 119 in tho life of the people. The command to keep the Sjibbuth was given with all possible solemnity on Sinai, and was carefully observed by pious Hebrews from that time ; but it is not mentioned in the record for about five hundred years after the death of Moses. Tho Bible record is so brief — so many centuries are often covered by a few pages — that many things are omitted which one would expect to find in an extended history. It it is not fair to base any argument upon these omissions. As Tayler Lewis has well said of the history of the patriarchs, " To object that the Bible, in its few brief memoranda of their lives, says nothing about their Sabbath-keeping, any more than it tells us of their forms of prayer and modes of worship, is a worthless argument." * But we are not without positive proof that the Sabbath was observed during this period. There are indications of a weekly division of time which must have originated in this institution. Noah was warned seven days before the beginning of the flood.f Twice he waited seven days before send- ing out the dove from the ark. J In the history of Jacob's marriage there is a direct reference to the week.§ This division of time is not accidental. *Lange on Genesis, p. 197. t Genesis 7 : 4. X Ibid., 8 : 10-12. I Ibid., 29 : 27. (5) ' h I is , . 'I t iiiiti i iB 120 The Sabbath made for All. To quote again from Tayler Lewis, " There is certainly indicated here a sevenfold division of days, as already recognized, whatever may be its reasons. Of these, no one seems more easy and natural than that which refers it to the tradition- ary remembrance of the creation, and its seventh day of rest, although some of those who claim to be the higher school of criticism reject it. . . . Now it may be regarded as well settled that such a division of time existed universally among the Shemitic and other Oriental peoples." * This learned and able writer here touches upon a fact which is of < onsiderable importance to our line of proof. If it can be shown that the most ancient nations had the hebdomadal or weekly division of time, or divisions that may have grown out of it, we shall have strong confirmatory evidence that it originated with the institution of the Sabbath at creation. It is well known that the Chinese nation is so old that its origin is lost in the obscurity of prehistoric times. It has com- monly been referred to as a nation without a Sab- bath, and its known antiquity has led many to suppose that its want of this institution is an indication that the Sabbath was appointed after the progenitors of the Chinese separated from the «->) * Lange on Genesis, p. 311. Early InstiUUion of the Sabbath, 121 rest of the human family ; but recent investiga- tions have changed this inference. The Chinese have many ancient writings, and their historical records have been preserved with great care. Their classics are so old that they were regarded as venerable at the time of Confucius, five hun- dred years before Christ. In these there are two p*\ssages which, according to a translation made by Dr. James Legge, of Oxford, the greatest Chinese scholar of our time, plainly refer to a weekly division of time and to a Sabbath rest on every seventh day. In the funeral rites and mourning customs of the Chinese there are periods of seven days for the different ceremonies. In the imperial almanac, which can be issued only with the sanction of the emperor, every seventh day is marked with a character which is said to mean " secret " or ^' closed." Their scholars tes- tify that it has been there from time immemorial, though the reason for its p'*esence has been lost. All these facts, and others which might be cited, are indications that the Chinese once had a Sab- bath which they long ago ceased to observe be- cause they had no direct or written revelation on the subject.* , ' '» * For a fuller presentation of the evidence see "Primitive Sabbath Restored," by Rev. James Johnson, pp. 0-12. (T) Jl! I'iil',: !; lil 122 The Sabbath made for AIL The Accadians, who lived in the valley of the Tigris, were probably the primitive Hamite race. Their descendants who remained in the same re- gion are known to us as Assyrians. The only history, outside of the Bible, that we have of this primitive people is in cuneiform writing upon stone tablets which have, during the past few years, been discovered and exhumed on the site of Nineveh. These tablets, which are themselves very ancient, are probably copies of manuscripts yet older. There is reason to believe that the latter were in existence before the time of Abraham.* From translations of these tablets made by George Smith, W. Fox Talbot and Rev. A. H. Sayce, it appears that these ancient people had both the septenary division of time and the weekly day of rest. Of a calendar discovered at Nineveh in 1869 Mr. Sayce says, "The chief interest attaching to it is due to the fact that it bears evidence of a seventh-day Sabbath, on which certain works were forbidden to be done among the Babylonians and Assyrians." He refers to the fact that what he renders " Sabbath " is expressed by Accadian words, indicating the an- tiquity of the obserA^ance. He says, however, that " the word Sabbath was not unknown to * See George Smith's " Chaldean Account of Creation." (8) Early Institution of the Sabbath. 123 the Assyrians, and occurs under the form ^ Sab- batu.' " Then follows an enumeration of the things prohibited on that day, in which it had some resemblance to the Jewish Sabbath.'^ The great Orientalist, Le Normant, says that " the Assyrians recognized the Sabbath. This fact may be positively inferred from the passage of a fragment of a lexicon of Assyrian synonyms, wherein *yum nuh libbi,' day of repose of the heart, day of joy, is translated ^ Sabbatuv,' ' Sabbath.' " f Thus in the records of two of the most ancient nations we have discovered evidences that the weekly division of time and the Sabbath existed centuries before the time of Moses. This method of dividing time was also in vogue among the ancient Hindus, Scandinavians, Persians and Egyptians. According to a statement of Dion Cassius, a Roman historian of the second century, it was introduced into Rome from Egypt not far from the beginning of the Christian era, prDbably in 46 B.C., when the calendar was reformed. J The fact that a different division of time prevailed among other peoples rather confirms than rebuts the evidence for the early origin of the week, * " Records vof the Past," 7, 157. f ** Beginnings of History," p. 249, note. X "History of Rome," 37, 17, 18. (9) W ' 124 The Sahhath made for All. since it was inevitable that a change of this kind would be made in the lapse of time by those who had gone far from the original home of the race or departed from many of the primitive customs. In attempting to discover the antiquity of the week, we are chiefly concerned with its observance by the most ancient peoples. We have already discovered enough to warrant the saying of La Place, " The week is perhaps the most ancient and incontestable monument of human knowledge." Whence did it arise ? Those who attempt to account for it on natural grounds are puzzled by the fact that there is no such natural division of time. The nearest approach to it is the lunar month ; but this is not twenty-eight days, but tvventy-nine and a half. The changes of the moon, therefore, do not furnish a natural division of time into periods of seven days. That it could not have had an astronomical origin of any kind is appar- ent from the fact that it existed before there was any systematic observation of the heavenly bodies. The fact that the days of the week were named after the sun and moon and the five planets known to the ancients does not prove that the week was established in their honor. There is every reason to believe that the week is older than the names, and that they were given to the days of the week when the heavenly bodies came to be re- (10) ii; Earlt/ Institution of the Sabbath. 125 >» garded as objects of idolatrous worship, signifying that one day was specially appropriated to each divinity. It is impossible to find in nature any satisfac- tory explanation of the week. But it is easy to see how some special mark put upon the seventh day at the beginning would lead to such a divis- ion of time. Dr. Lewis remarks that this ex- planation would be considered ample by all schol- ais, if they were willing to live up to their own rule, that " the Bible is to be interpreted like any other ancient writing." There are many who will accept the most improbable theories rather than admit that the Bible and its institutions had a divine origin. This explanation of the origin of the week is rendered more probable by the fact that, in ancient times, the seventh day was widely re- garded as sacred. Some idea of sacredness has been connected with the number seven from the earliest times. Le Normant says,'^ " The sacred character of the number seven . . . dates back to the remotest antiquity among the Chaldaio- Babylonians, and is greatly anterior to the appli- cation of the hebdomadal conception to the group of the five planets, with the addition of the sun : i Ft 1 J 1 f 1 ' w ft' 'i re- * " Beginnings of History," p. 249, note. (11) '^-M If ' m M 12G T/ie Sabbath made for All. and moon." The sacredness of the number seven among the Hebrews is well known. That it should have been so regarded in later time is not strange, but it had this character from the very beginning. Its use in the threatened vengeance upon the slayer of Cain,* in the boasting of Lamech,f in Jacob's terms of service for Rachel, J in the number of times he bowed before Esau,§ in the dream of Pharaoh and its fulfillment according to Joseph's interpretation, || all indicate that it had a sacred and symbolic character. The number seven and the seventh day were sacred among many other peoples. Philo, a contem- porary of Christ, writing of the seventh day said, " That day is the festival not of one city or country, but of all the earth." ^ Whence this sacredness of the number seven? It has been shown that it did not come from any peculiar place which it had in the mathematical studies of the ancients. What more reasonable supposition can there be than that it arose from the fact that in the beginning God sanctified the seventh day ? That the sacredness of the number seven and the seventh day existed at so early a date and was so * Genesis 4 : 5. t Ibid., 4 : 24. X Ibid,, 29 : 19, 20. (12) § Ibid., 33 : 3. II Ibid., 41 : 2-7, 25-30 ; 47 : 53, 54. ^ Bohn's Eccl. Lib., vol. i. p. 26. Early Institution of the Sabbath. 127 universal is clear proof that the Sabbath must have been given to our first parents. That the Sabbath was not first heard of when the Hebrews were in the wilderness of Sinai is evident from the terms in which it was then men- tioned. The occasion was as follows : When the people came into the wilderness they murmured on account of their lack of food. To supply their wants the Lord sent manna from heaven, which they were to gather daily as they needed it. If any attempted to store it, it bred worms and stank. To this rule there was to be a single ex- ception. The Lord instructed Moses that on the sixth day they were to gather a double portion. Whether or not he told this to the people is un- certain, but it appears not, from the statement that when the people did gather the double por- tion, " all the rulers of the congreg-ation came and told Moses." * His answer was, " This is that which the Lord hath said, To-morrow is the rest of the sabbath unto the Lord."f They were directed to prepare food sufficient for the follow- ing day, for they would not then find any mann.! in the field. However, some of the people went out to gather it on the seventh day. " And the Lord said unto Moses, How long refuse yc to keep * Exodus 16:22. t Ibid., V. 23. (13) ii I 11 bi: mlt' -1- i ■ ■ 1 i : ■'! 1 g 1 ' ll . ^ ■' |; : ,v-«- J ! |r 128 The Sabbath made for All. my commandments and my laws ? See, for that the Lord hath given you the sabbath, therefore he giveth you on the sixth day the bread of two days : abide ye every man in liis place, lot no man go out of his place on the seventh day." '^' Any one who roads this account with an unbiased mind must admit that it does not seem like the first mention of an important institution like the Sabbath. There is no formal announcement of a law. The first allusion to the Sabbath is in the "words addressed to Moses, '^ Audit shall come to pass, that on the sixth day they shall prepare that which they bring in; and it shall bo twice as much as they gather daily." f Such an inci- dental mention of the Sabbath is the best possi- ble proof of its previous existence. No reason is given for this direction, implying that one already existed which would be well understood. If this is the first mention of a Sabbath, it is very strange that no reason is given for its observance. Never before or since was a law of such import- ance announced in such a way. Again, if the Sabbath had not before been heard of, what perti- nence or force is there in the inquiry of the Lord, " How long refuse ye to keep my commandments and obey my laws ?" Here the law of the Sab- * Exodus 16: 28,29. (14) t Ihid., V. 5. Early Institution of the Sabbath. 129 bath is referred to as though it had been long in existence. Tliat some of them disobeyed it is no objection to this view. They had been about four centuries in Egypt, and probably had been deprived of the Sabbath. Enough had been able to observe it, to keep knowledge of it alive among the people, but, no doubt, those who had wrought as common slaves hnd had no Sabbath at all. It is for this reason, probably, that the idea of rest is here emphasized. The phrase in the twenty- third verse is, " the resting, the rest of holiness unto the Lord"; for the two words are the same, and "sabbath" is the Hebrew word for "rest." The people were surprised, it is true, at the double portion of manna on the sixth day, but that is not strange, even though they were an- ticipating a day of rest on the morrow, and the explanation given by Moses that it was the Lord's provision to enable them more perfectly to keep the Sabbath seems to have readily satisfied them. Our conclusion is that the terms of the narrative indicate that the Sabbath was not at this time first instituted. The form of the fourth commandment shows that the Sabbath had been previously known. It is, " Hemember 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 9 (15) m ■m t ,1 •J! I 'i it Hi Hi Jij: hi 11 ;l,' 130 7^e ^abhath made for All. 4 -r li! I' '■''■ - \i 1' i \ )■; lliy Goil : in it thou shnlt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates : 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 the sabbath day, and hallowed it." * Notice that it is said, " Re- member the sabbath day," as though they had known of it but were in danger of forgetting it. This danger had been augmented by the enforced non-observance of the day in ^gypt. There was, therefore, special pertinence in telling them to re- member it. Again, the reason given for the com- mand is what God did at the creation. He '' rested on the seventh day," and "blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it." It is almost an exact repetition of. the words in which the Sab- bath is first mentioned. It is not said that God rested and that he Messes and Jiallotvs the Sab- bath, but all these acts are put in the past. There is a plain allusion to events that had occurred long before. There is no reason whatever for putting a long interval of time between his rest- ing and the act of blessing and hallowing the Sabbath. It is true that in another place f the * Exodus 20:8-11. (16) t Deuteronomy 5:15. r-'^uj 'f '^i Early Institution of the Sabbath. 131 reason given to the Hebrews for kee])iiig the Su!*- balh is that God brought thiMU up out of the l.'nul of Egy})t, and tliis has Ijoen referred to as prov- ing that it is an exclusively Jewish ins!,ilution. But this is not stated as their onlf/ reason for keeping it; it was an additional reason, having special force with them because the day of rest, as a blessed privilege, stood over against their former bondage. It also suggested to them the propriety of giving their servants one day of rest in seven, since their suflering in Egypt from unremitting toil should make them careful not to oppress others in the same way. The statement* that the Sabbath was to be a sign between God and his chosen people has been used to establish the same opinion. But the mere appointing of an appropriate thing as a sign does not prove that it never before existed. In Genesis we read, *' And God said, ... I do set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a token of a covenant between me and the earth" ; f but everybody knows that there must have been rainbows from the time when the present order of things began. The same use has been made of a similar passage in Ezekiel. It occurs in the twentieth chapter, and reads, " And I gave them my statutes, and shewed * Exodus 31: 13-17. t Genesis 9: 13. (17) f^^ 132 The Slahhath made for All. !^ 1 : I "1 ; J thom my judgments, which if a mjin do, ho shall oven live in tliciii. Moreover also I gave them my sabbaths, to bo a sign between mo and tliem, that they might know that I am the Lord that sanctify them."* It cannot be argued from this that the Sabbath was devised especially for the Jews un- less it is, at the same time, admitted that the ^' statutes " and "judgments " of the Lord had not before existed and were for no otliers. They are all connected in this statement. The " statutes " and "judgments " were not invented for the Jews ; they were eiernal principles, but were fully made known to them in the giving of the law. The Sabbath was also made known to thcni more fully than tj others, and they were instructed in the manner of keeping it, but it was not invented for them. Almost the same forms of expression occur in the ninth chapter of Nehemiah, except that there it is said, "And madest known unto them thy holy sabbath." This seems to imply that the coniniTi d to keep the Sabbath was simply a full revelation of an institution which God had previously established; else why are they called his Sabbaths, and why is it said that they were made knoiviiy and not that they were instituted for the chosen people ? (18) *Ezekiel20: 11, 12. •% Wf Earlt/ Insltiuti'on of (he Sabbath. 133 The nature of this early Sn})hnth is hinted at in the woi'ds which record its institution, (lod rested from tlic work of (U'eation. This is evidently meant to teach men that on the seventh dny they are to cearo from sccuhir toil and rest. The question might here arise whether the statement that God created tlio world in six days and rested on the seventh d;iy has reference to the periods of creation or to days of twenty-four hours. So far as the history is concerned, it refers to the periods of creation ; hut the lesson drawn for man from God's action applies to mans days. The difference in lengLh is an element which need not he considered in a discussion of the Sahbath. It is not stated that God became inactive. The work of material creation was finished, but he continued to work upon the minds and hearts of men. He turned, so far as this w^orld is con- cerned, from the material to the spiritual. And this gives us a hint as to the true nature of the Sabbath. It is the day in which to care for the soul. This idea is more fully developed in the statement that God blessed and sanctified the seventh day. He made it a blessing to man, not only because on it he was to rest, but also be- cause it allbrdcd him the means of caring for the wants of his higher nature. Sanctifying the day means that God set it apart as a day to be de- (19) i I ill! I 134 The Sabbath made for All. til! m voted to holy uses. It could have no higher use tlifiri to keep man near to liis God and to cultivate his moral and religious nature. But have we any indication that a Sabbath of this kind was kept in the early days of human history ? There can be no doubt that men have worshipped God from the first. Cain and Abel offered sacrifices.* In Genesis 4 : 2G we read, '^ Then began men to call u})on the name of the Lord." It is generally agreed that this is an ac- count of the first public religious services. Says Lange, '^ it must be that here is narrated the be- ginning of formal divine worship."*!* Noah, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob built altars unto the Lord. This seems to indicate tliat there were stated places of worship. We have seen that the number seven and the seventh day were, in ancient times, regarded as sacred. What more natural than tj suppose that the worship which is here clearly referred to was held on that day ? This view is confirmed by the words with which the account of the offerings of Cain and Abel is begun. ''' And at the end of days, it came to pass that Ca.in brought of the fruit of the ground an offering uiiio the Lord." " At the end of days " niuist mciin at the end of some fixed and * Genesis 4 : 3, 4. (20) t ComuicinUry on Genesis, p. 262. i,i 3 :.»ftH»ssj>« Earl?/ Institution of the Sabbath. 135 well-known period. We know of no such period at that time except the week, at the end of which the Sabbath came. The references to a Sabbath in the Chinese, Hindu and Assyrian records and books of worship show that it had, in the earliest times, a somewhat similar use r.mong these peo- ples. It is hardly possible to avoid the conclu- sion that a Sabbath, on which men rested from secular toil and engaged in the worship of God, was instituted at the beginning of human history. Just as the law of nuu'riage and the law of prop- erty are older than the decalogue, so the law of the Sabbath, having its origin in tlie needs of man and in the benevolence and wisdom of God, was given to the first man, and but repeated and emphasized on Sinai. This agrees fully Avith the view already presented that the Sabbath is neces- sary to the welfare of man, and that it was made for him. If this institution has the rehition to man's welfare which we have pointed out, it is probable that God would not withhold it for twenty-five hundred years, and then give it to one nation and limit its application to them alone. The probability is changed to ap})roximate certainty by the evidence we have examined that he did proclaim a Sabbath to our first parents. The bear- ing of this conclusion upon the general discussion Will be readily perceived. If the Sabbath did (21) I ' * ) i ' 1 ' ; (■ 1 •: i n I 136 The Sabbath made for All. ii M '\ V, ■ : (lii ril: ill II I- ! nil hnYQ this early origin, it was given to the whole race, and should be observed by every human being. It takes it at once out of the category of Jewish institutions, and gives it a general charac- ter. We are aware that this is denied by some, though generally admitted. Dr. Thomas Arnold, in attempting to prove the abrogation of the Jewish Sabbath, said, ^^ If the law itself be done away in Christ, much more the things before the law."* But that depends on whether "the things before the law" were in the mitui of moral precepts and had a vital relation to the welfare of man. The moral law itself is not done away in Christ; no more are the things be- fore it which God made obligatory upon man. Unless it can be show^n that the law of the Sab- bath, given at the creation, has been repealed by a new legislative act of God, it is still binding upon all men v/ho leai'n of it. For, coming at this time, it w%'is not given to one man or to one nation, but to the whole human ftimily. That i^' has become known to us through the Mosaic law docs not change the nature or the extent of this obligation. When God spoke moral precepts to Moses, he meant them to reach the ear and the heart of the world. * Sermons, vol. iii. p. 250. (22) CHAPTER VII. THE COMMAND TO KEEP THE SABBATH A PART OP THE MORAL LAW. '■irBfi i; f k 1 Men do not know what they are doing, when by their teach- ing or example they encourage the neglect or profanation of the Lord's day. — Hodge. The proposition which we have made the head- ing of this chapter is fiercely disputed by the enemies of the Sabbath, and is more or less strongly controverted by some of its friends. These friends of the Sabbath, thinking that the fom'th commandment is not a part of the moral law, have sought for other grounds on which to maintain the sacredness of the Lord's day. As we hold that it is difBcult to prove the divine origin and perpetual obligation of the Sabbath without maintaining the truth of this proposition, it will be necessary, in the present discussion, to define our position with some care, and to be sure of our ground at every step. It is customary to divide the commands of God, especially those delivered to the Jews, into two classes, and to call them })osiilve precepts and moral precepts. These are technical terms (23) li!- 138 The Sahhath made for All. Il which have been found convenient to express a distinction which we shall now try to make clear, in order to show the true place of the fourth commandment. By a positive precept is meant one which is not founded in the nature of things, and which, therefore, is not universal and permanent, but provisional and temporary. It is a command given for some temporary purpose, and ceases to be binding when that purpose is accomplished. At one time it might be a sin to disobey such a command, and at another time circumstances might arise which would make it a sin to obey it. It might be given to one people and have no binding force upon any other. Of this nature were the commands of the ceremonial law concerning the temple service, circumcision, the offering of sacrifices and other rites of the Mosaic dispensation. They were given to the Jews alone, and were meant to be temporary. The ceremonies they involved were largely typ- ical, and disappeared with the coming of their antitypes. Obedience to these commands by those to whom they were addressed was a duty, because God is the supreme Lawgiver, and be- cause his purposes could not have been accom- plished without it; but they had no natural foundation. In most cases it would be wrong for Christians to obey them, because it would (24) % ^m The Comfnand Part of Moral Law. 139 imply a rejection of the work of God by which they have been superseded. On the other hand, a moral precept is one which would have been binding upon us if it had never been expressed in formal terms. It is grounded in the constitution of things, and is part of an eternal and unchangeable law. Whatever it enjoins or prohibits is not made right or wrong by the special enactment. It commands only what was always right and prohibits what was always wrong. Such precepts can never be re- pealed. They are as unchangeable as the law of gravitation, which will continue to act until the material universe is reconstructed on an en- tirely new plan. This is not saying that God is not the author of moral law : it is only saying that he wrote the moral law upon the nature of things before he wrote it upon tables of stone. Of this class are the commands to love and wor- ship and obey God, to tell the truth, to be honest, and to be chaste. Men were bound to abstain from the worship of idols, to worship their Cre- ator as the supreme Being, and to do his will in all things, before the law was given on Sinai. It could never have been riglit to lie, or steal, or commit adultery or murder, if these acts had not been prohibited in a written law. The right to expect the truth in the statements of others, the (25) S '.■■' ' I ! ill: III m \m I 140 The Sabbath made for AIL right to hold and use property acquired by lawful means, the right to demand marital faithfulness in husband or wife, and the right to one's own Mfe, are natural and inalienable rights which are not created by any formal legislation. Laws stating these rights are binding upon all men, and can never be innocently disregarded. We do not limit his power when we reverently say that God himself cannot repeal them, for he can never make wrong right, or right wrong. There can never be any occasion for repealing them so long as the present order of things exists. The law of property or of marriage may not be need- ed in another state of existence ; but we cannot conceive of changes which will make it right to lie. Such are the differences between 2^ositive and moral precepts. It is not claimed that all moral laws are so obviously written on the nature of things that men will at once discover them and see the reason for their existence. It is claimed only that such a reason exists, and that it may be perceived when any such law is promulgated. Though this distinction between positive and moral precepts is a useful one, it is not to be sup- posed that every law which God has given to men in the Scriptures is wholly moral or wdiolly positive. Some of the commands which are (26) M.- ^i^"^ m m The Command Part of Moral Law. 141 plainly morjil in tlioir foundation and substance were to be enforced, among the Hebrews, by rules and regulations which w^ere positive an ■! i 11 10 (31) ■4-1 146 The Sabbath made for Ail. Every man is under obligation to make the most of himself, to secuie the fullest development of all his powers. lie ou^ht jilso to adopt and advocate that method of life which, in general, would bring jibout the best results for the race, if it were adopted by all mon. If these prin- ciples are correct — and we do not see how their correctness can be denied — the observance of the Sabbath takes its place among universal duties. If it is essential to the welfare of man, he who disregards it neglects an important part of the first duty which he owes to himself and to his fellow men. If the Sabbath was made *br man — for the promotion of his higher in ^ts — the fourth commandment must remain a part of the moral law. III. A third reason for this position is that the Sabbath is necessary to the performance of some of man's most important duties and to the enjoyment of some of his highest privileges. These belong to all men ; but if the Sabbath was not meant for all, they are rendered impossible to some. They are duties and privileges which do not change with the lapse of time ; but if the law of the Sabbath has ceased to be obligatory, they have now passed beyond the reach of man. A study of the purposes of the Sabbath, in this respect, will make it evident that the command (32) The Command Part of Moral Law. 14 7 ,J ,H that ;e of the leges, was issihle kvhich if the titory, man. this imand to observe it is a moral precept. The most im- portant oi' tlieso purposes were — (1) To celel)rate the creation of the worhl. It is [daiiily implied that the Sabbath was appointed as a perpetual memorial of the fact that in six days God cre- ated the heavens and the earth, and rested on the seventh day.'** Men would need such a memorial^ or they wouhl forget the fact. Tlie Sabbath and knowledge of the origin of the woild were lost together. Then came vain speculations and fool- ish theories which have not yet become things of the past. It is iiiportant for man to know and remember the truth in this matter. If the world and its inhabitants were ''evolved" or have "developed" from chaotic matter, man's destiny and duty are very different from what they would be in case the Bible account of cre- ation is true. The Sabbath is a constant reminder of the fact, which we apprehend by faith, that " the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear." j* (2) To keep alive in the minds of men the knowledge of God. This point is very closely related to what pre- cedes ^ for if men remember that God created the * Genesis 2 : 2, 3 ; Exodus 20 : 11. t Hebrews 11:3. r,. it (33) 148 llie Sahhath made for AIL world, they will not altogether forget him. And yet, irrespective of their theory of creation, there is a constant tendency among men to lose the consciousness of God from their minds. The heathen are described as " the nations that forget God";* and we know how universal that state was before the coming of Christ. The Sabbath reminds men that they arc in a world which God created and sustains ; that they themselves are the creatures of his care and subject to his laws ; and that he has made himself known by inter- positions on their behalf. The Sabbath, as re- established on Sinai, reminded the Jews of their deliverance from Egypt ; and as confirmed by the apostles reminds Christians of the resurrection of their Lord. It stands as God's day, made holy unto him, and thus keeps alive our knowl- edge of him. (3)' To give men opportunity to think of eternal things and to care for their souls. As we have already shown, the inevitable tend- ency of constant occupation in secular pursuits is to make men forget the spiritual and to live only for the carnal and the present. They need to have their minds called off from these things and turned toward those that are higher. It is of little use to remind them of the existence and * Psalm 9:17. (34) The Command Part of Moral Law. 149 claims of God, if no opportunity is given them to worship him and to study his word. To make such a reminder of any vjdue, a set time must be fixed when ordinary occupations shall cease, so that all may be released from work on the same day, and gather for public worship, Men need complete change from secular work in order that their rninds may be free to acquire knowledge and receive impressions from God through his accredited messengers. It is only thus that they can be prepared for life in this world, or for their eternal destiny. (4) To afford rest and recuperation for the body. It has been shown that this is a universal and pressing need. It is a blessed privilege, making almost the dif- ference betw'een slaves and freemen for the great mass of mankind. Now, in what sense does any one of these pur- poses affect a Jew more than any other man? If a Sabbath, given with these ends in view, was good for one people, why is it not good for all peoples ? How can any of these purposes be temporary or provisional ? They are good things in themselves, and are not preparatory to some- thing higher in the future earthly life of the race. If they are provisional at all, it is only with re- spect to the future world. Is it not good for all men to remember that God created the world, I !• I ! i 1^ I ' ' i i it,' 150 The Sabbath made for AIL (ii ,1 iHi ll 1 '1 1 ; ;;| 1 :!i 1 ' ' ! 1 and that ho still reigns and claims our worship and obedience ? Do not all men need to care for their souls, and to have physical rest in order that they may recuperate their strength ? These privileges are also duties. To remember God as Creator, Ruler and Redeemer, to worship him, to come out of the confusion and noise of the world's work and listen to his voice in the midst of Sab- bath stillness, to meditate upon the eternal future, and to care for the soul's interests, are among the primary duties of all men. If these are duties which cannot be performed without the Sabbath, then the observance of the Sabbath is a moral duty. These are so connected that to disregard the latter is to neglect all the others. A man is put in charge of a house and bidden to keep it in good repair. He digs out its foundation so that the house falls, and- then justifies himself by say- ing that he was not told to care for the founda- tion. The plea is insuiferably silly, but it is exactly the argument which men use when they say that the command to keep the Sabbath is not a part of the moral law. They would de- stroy the possibility of performing certain pri- mary and important duties, and then deny that there was any immorality in the act. They would make men godless, and then say that their deed was not ungodly. (36) The Command Part of Moral Law. 151 IV. This view of the fourth commandment is confirmed by the penalty which was attached to disobedience of it. Under the Jewish law Sab- bath-breakers were adjudged worthy of death. No such penalty was ever attached to a cere- monial law. The violation of those that were most important incurred no greater penalty than separation from the congregation of Israel and forfeiture of its privileges. The question here is not whether that penalty was meant to be per- petual and ought now to be inflicted. On this point there would be no dispute. We are not now under a formal theocracy, and the death- penalty is not inflicted for sins, but only for cer- tain crimes. The abolition of the penalty, how- ever, does not imply the abrogation of the com- mand. If this were the case, the commands for- bidding idolatry, abusing a parent, and adultery, would also be abrogated, for under the Hebrew law those who disobeyed them were punished with death."*' But the severe penalty does clearly distinguish the law of the Sabbath from the cer- emonial law. It shows that more importance was attached to it than to any law not having a moral bearing. V. Finally, we believe that tho fourth com- *For a complete answer to this objection see Chapter XIII. (37) N! II j : I U i i 1 1 ' : ii ■ ,j Jij T-j. : ■LC-:K.At3'ir SP 152 The Sahhath made for All. ii If II If' ! ti i h t i !i Ii iH :,ii ;-4 .y ili -^11 'M^ I- I mandmerit is part of the moral law because the inspired teachers so often and so emphatically speak of the violation of the Sabbath as a great sin, and of its observance as a practice which secures the blessing of God. The command to keep it holy is repeated five times in the book of Exodus, twice in Leviticus and once in Deu- teronomy. If we turn to the prophets, we find that they place Sabbath-keeping among the most important virtues, such as keeping judgment and doing justice. Says Isaiah, '^ Thus saith the Lord, Keep ye judgment, and do justice : for my salvation is near to come, and my righteousness to be revealed. Blessed is the man that doeth this, and the son of man that layeth hold on it; that keepeth the sabbath from polluting it, and keepeth his hand from doing any evil. Neither let the son of the stranger, that hath joined him- self to the Lord, speak, saying, The Lord hath utterly separated me from his people : neither let the eunuch say. Behold, I am a dry tree. For thus saith the Lord unto the eunuchs that keep my sabbaths, and choose the things that please me, and take hold of my covenant; even unto them will I give in mine hon.se and within my walls a place and a name better than of sons and of daughters : I will give them an everlast- ing name, that shall not be cut off. Also the (38) i5 MW ■■ m p The Command Part of Moral Law. 153 sons of the stranger, that join themselves to the Lord, to serve him, and to love the name of the Lord, to be his servants, every one that keepeth the sabbath from polluting it, and taketh hold of my covenant; even them will I bring to my holy mountain, and make them joyful in my house of prayer : their burnt offerings and their sacrifices sliall he accepted upon mine altar; for mine house shall be called an house of prayer for all people."* Also, "If thou turn away thy foot from the sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on my holy day; and call the sabb.'ith a delight, the holy of the Lord, honorable ; and shalt honor him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words; then shalt thou delight thyself in the Lord ; and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth, and feed thee with tlie heritage of Jacob thy father : for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it."f The message of Jeremiah on this subject was: "Thus said the Lord unto me ; Go and stand in the gate of the children of the people, whereby the kings of Judah come in, and by the which they go out, and in all the gates of Jerusalem ; and say unto them, Hear ye the word of the Lord, ye kings * Isaiah 5G : 1-7. ]Ihid., 58:13, 14. (39) !|: 154 The Sabbath made for All. H of Judah, and all Judali, and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, that enter in by these gates : thus saith the Lord ; Take heed to yourselves, and bear no burden on the sabbath day, nor bring it in by the gates of Jerusalem ; neither carry forth a burden out of your houses on the sibbath day, neither do ye any work, but hallow ye the sabbath day, as I commanded your fathers. But they obeyed not, neither inclined their ear, but made their neck stiff, that they might not hear, nor receive instruction. And it shall come to pass, if ye diligently hearken unto me, saith the Lord, to bring in no burden through the gates of this city on the sabbath day, but hallow the sabbath day, to do no work therein; then shall there enter into the gates of this city kings and princes sitting upon the throne of David, riding in chariots and on horses^ they, and their princes, the men of Judah, and the in- habitants of Jerusalem : and this city shall re- main for ever."* The severest judgments were announced against those who profaned the Sab- bath. "We have seen that the death penalty was attached to its violation by individuals. When the people generally disregarded it, they called down upon themselves by that act the judgment * Jeremiah 17:19-25. (40) The Command Part of Moral Law. 155 of an offended God, In immediate connection with the passage just quoted from Jeremiah, we read, '^ But if ye will not hearken unto me to hallow the sabbath day, and not to bear a bur- den, even entering in at the gates of Jerusalem on the sabbath dfiy ; then will I kindle a fire in the gates thereof, and it shall devour the palaces of Jerusalem, and it shall not be quenched."* Ezekiel, acting as the mouthpiece of the Lord, thus explains some of the past judgments upon Israel : '' Yet also I lifted up my hand unto them in the wilderness, that I would not bring them into the land which I had given them, flowing with milk and honey, which is the glory of all lands ; because they despised my judgments, and walked not in my statutes, but polluted my sab- baths : for their heart went after their idols." f In passages like this the profaning of the Sab- bath is certainly not classed with violations of the ceremonial law. Those stern preachers of righteousness, the prophets, cared little for rites and ceremonies. They distinctly announced that sacrifices and offerings and formal assemblies were offensive to God if the hearts of the people were not in them. But the keeping of the Sabbath is described as something which he will rigidly re- * Jeremiah 17:24-27. t Ezekiel 20 : 15, 16. (41) ■ 'I f:|j I mw^' M 156 The Sabbath made for AIL v., i if ll j ill :'|i '■■¥> fi \ ill quire. If they use it for their own purposes, if they seculjirize it, or if they use it for the wo^'- ship of idols, they may expect his judgments. From these considerations it seems clear that the fourth commandment is part of the moral law. As such it is for all men and for every age. Just as every man is bound not to lie or steal or commit murder, or worship idols, or take the name of God in vain, so he is bound to keep a Sabbath. It is not a question of expediency, except as the right is always expedient. It may be that the necessity for keeping the Sabbath w^ould not have been discovered by man as soon as the necessity for truth-telling or honesty or chastity, because his interests are more indirectly affected by it ; but now that it has been revealed, it is easy to understand that the law enforcing it is a moral law which can never be annulled. After we have made the most of the positive ele- ments which it contains — and we are willing they should all be eliminated — there is still a moral element in this law that makes it binding upon the consciences of all men. That element of the law enjoins the duty of reserving one sev- enth of our time from worldly pursuits and mak- ing it holy unto the Lord. The manner in which this is to be done will appear as the odbject is more fully developed. (42) CHAPTER VIII. il THE LAW OF THE SABRATH HAS NEVER BEEN REPEALED. Think not that I am cot lo i.'^ destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all bo fulfilled. — Matt. 5 : 17, 18. Do we then make void the law tliroup;h faith? God forbid: yea. we establish the law. — Rom. 3 : 31. If the conclusions of the preceding chapter are just, the law of the Sabbath can never bo abro- gated. So far as it is a moral hiw it must remain binding u})on all men wlnle the world stands. The positive, but not the moral, elements can be changed. But those who claim that it is only a positive precept assert that it has gone by, with all the rest of the old dispensation. Some who teach that Sunday should be used, in conformity to the example of the apostles, to celebrate the resurrection of our Lord, deny that the Mosaic law concerning the Sabbath has any relation to us, or that the Christian Sabbath has been substi- tuted for the Jewish. This view has been most fully elaborated by Dr. Ilessey in his lectures on " Sunday." He concludes the fourth lecture with these remarks : " First, that the Sabbath, prop- (43) I; u I 168 The Sabbath made for All. erly so called, the Sabbath of the Jews, with everything connected witli it, as a positive ordi- nance, was swept awjiy by Christianity. Secondly, that tliis is without prejudice to the Lord's day. Thirdly, tliat it is not necessary to seek, for the Lord's day, either identity in substance or direct- ly antitypical connection with the Sabbath."* No language could assert more plainly that the Sabbath commanded on Sinai has disappeared, and that the Lord's day, or Christian Sabbath, is an entirely new institution. He is not by any means alone in his view that the Jewish Sabbath has wholly disappeared. F. W. Robertson, after speaking of the reasons which the early Chris- tians found for observing Sunday as a sacred day, says : " Carefully distinguish this, the true his- torical view of the origin of the Lord's day, from the mere transference of a Jewish Sabbath from one day to another. For St. Paul's teaching is distinct and clear that the Sabbath is annulled." "j* From the connection it is plain that he means to assert that the fourth commandment has been completely and finally abrogated. In another place he maintains even inore strongly its repeal, for he says, " The observance of one day in seven * Page 128. f Sermons, second series, p. 204. (44) The Law has never been Repealed. 159 is purely Jewish/'"' Of course oven that, if it is ''purely" Jewish, is not binding upon us, and a weekly Sabbath Liioundc^d n^ton divine authority is a thing of the past. This opinion seems to be shared by Dr. Geoi'ge B. Bacon, for, in " The Sabbath Question," he says, " When I say that Christianity superseded the Jewish hiw, I mean just as Paul meant, that it superseded the whole of the Jewish law." Tie exphiins his meaning by the remark that " it is safe to ground all Tlie Law has never been Repealed. 163 even more plain. He said, " The Sabbath was made for man ; and not man for the Sabbath." '*' The direct purpose of these words was to correct a misuse of the Sabbath. The Jews had made it a burden ; had even gone so far as to say that human life was of little consequence compared with keeping it inviolate. Christ wished them to understand that it was intended to be a blessing to man; that except for this it was useless, and that, therefore, no real human good was to be sacrificed for the sake of a particular method of observing it. This is the direct meaning of his words; but indirectly they teach that the Sabbath was made for all men, and was designed to be a universal and perpetual blessing. It was not made for any particular class or race of men, but for man, the generic man, the whole human fam- ily. His words cannot be twisted into meaning anything else. Because the definite article is be- fore the Greek word for man, it has been main- tained that the reference is to a particular class of men, as though Christ had said the man, that is, the Jewish man. But competent scholars have shown that this is the ordinary niethod of ex- pressing in Greek the idea of man in general. The authors of the Canterbury version give it M I < * Mark 2 : 27. (49) Iftf! T i --rt i n i riW" lllli " ■ III II I niW I l i riinni fflWHIWH 1G4 The Sabbath made for AIL \i\, : ■!'. I* I ;■ f ill; this meaning. Alford so translates it, and com- ments accordingly. Professor A. C. Kendrick, in explaining this, remarks, '' The Greek language has no other wny of properly designating the (/e7ius homo.'' The objection is too trivial to re- quire further notice. Christ certainly said that the Sabbath was made for man. This is, in effect, a recognition of the law of the Sabbath as binding upon all men, only it must be rightly understood. If Christ had intended to repeal this law, it is quite certain that we should have from him an express statement to that effect. If that had been his purpose, he would have declared it in his conflicts with the Pharisees on the Sabbath ques- tion. When they criticised him — even sought to slay him — on account of his violation of their rules for keeping the Sabbath, what could have been more natural than for him to say, " I abolish this institution altogether"? He did say, '^ The Son of man is Lord even of the Sabbath djiy," * asserting his right to do with it as he pleased. Why did he not inform them then that the Sab- bath was a thing of the past ? That would have been the easiest way to settle the dispute. He was accustomed to go to the root of matters. Such a course would have made them no more * Matthew 12 : 8. (50) The Law has never been Repealed. 165 angry than they were. Suppose a committee of citizens in one of our states should wait upon a legislature to complain that they were violating a law which that legislature had already repealed : would the legislature conceal their action and go into an elaborate argument to show that they had not violated it in its true meaning ? Would they not, instead, say at once, " Why, we have repealed that law ; it is no longer binding upon any one in the state," as the shortest and most complete an- swer they could make to the charge ? The very fact that Christ said nothing of the kind concern- ing the law of the Sabbath is good proof that he had no intention of repealing it. We can find no words of Christ derogatory to this institution as it was originally established, or as it was intended to be observed. All his utterances on the subject were for the purpose of removing misapprehen- sions or of correcting abuses. It is strange that he should tfike so much pains to establish the Sabbath upon a proper foundation and promote rig! t views of it, if he had any intention of doing awa with the institution altoo;ether. What his correutions were, and how he would have us keep it, we shall try to discover when we come to dis- cuss the nature of the Sabbath.'*'" Our only pur- ^\■\ * See Chapter XIII. (51) ■ ^vr-jntrr^i ■i'ij"Hi«iLln JMllJBJJlig rHi^j mjum^ammmm i*i M'. ; III 1 ■ lli :; ■Jit \ III 1- i'1 166 7%^ Sabbath made for All. pose, at present, is to show that th;jre is nothing in his words which indicates an intention on his part to abolish it. The same is true of his actions. There is no record that he ever did anything upon the Sab- bath not consistent with its purposes from the beginning. He healed the sick ; but works of mercy on that day were never forbidden except in the rabbinical perversions of the Sabbath. He defended his disciples when they plucked a few heads of wheat to satisfy their hunger, but this was not really work, any more than the ordinary process of eating is work ; and he showed his accbFers that the law of hunger was hidier than their view of the Sabbath law. It may be said that if Christ had recognized the law of the Sab- bath as binding upon himself and his disciples, they would not have been walking in the fields on that day. But nothing is said of the purpose for which they walked. They may have been going to or from a synagogue, or to some place of assembly where Christ was to deliver one of his discourses. The first supposition seems very reasonable when we remember that other Jews were with them. We may be sure that they were not on a journey or walking for pleasuie, or that would have been the ground of the charge made against them for Sabbath-breaking. It is (52) The Law has never heen Repealed. 167 IS said that Christ went to a feast on the Sabbath, and thus showed that he did not regard the foui'th commandment. The most that can truly be said is that he went on that day to eat at the house of a Pharisee. That it was at the house of a Pharisee is sufficient proof that no violation of the Sabbath occurred. There is no intimation that it was a feast. It was probably an ordi- nary meal. Christ was not compelled by the law of the Sabbath to fast; he had no home of his own : why should he not eat in this house as well as in any other? Whoever will read this chapter* will be compelled to admit that he went there for religious conversation, and that nothing occurred to offend the strictest observer of the true Sabbath law. It is fair to conclude that Christ never in- tended to abolish the Sabbath. The only con- ceivable ground for such a statement is the fact that he opposed the notions of it prevalent in his time. But his efforts to correct these furnish the best evidence that he was desirous of preserving the true Sabbath. He said that it became him to " fulfil all righteousness." He voluntarily placed himself under the law, including the law of the Sabbath. Thus he not only maintained the * Luke 14. (53) m ! ; Ui !■'■ t i .! '> ■ m • ^.....Jwiiii A a..ii.tf?ii'-fw'aa: tpw ^WHBBIP 168 ^/ie Sabbath made for All. sacredness of the Sabbath by his words, but he also kept it as an example for us. Says Lyman Abbott, " Jesus never said or did anything which a reasonable construction can interpret as indi- cating a desire to pluck away from a weary Avorld its divinest institution, a weekly Sabbath. He distinctly asserts that he did not come to abrogate the Mosaic laws, but to fulfill them ; and the Sabbath will never have its final fulfillment until the day when the wicked cease from troubling and the weary are at rest. There is no indica- tion that Jesus engaged himself in secular work on the Sabbath, or encouraged his disciples to do so. If they had plied their customary labor, casting their nets, for example, on that day, it would certainly have been recorded against them. But not even Jewish tradition contains any such charge. His followers did not understand that he took from them this ancient Jewish priv- ilege." * II. But do the apostles teach that the fourth com*nandment is no longer in force ; that it is not binding upon Christians ? It is asserted by many that they do, and appeals are made to their epis- tles to maintain the assertion. Let us examine these writings and see whether any such view is (54) "Jesus of Nazareth," pp. 203, 204. m The Law has never been Repealed. 169 warranted. A general survey of what they wrote on the subject of the Mosaic law brings out clearly three points : First, the ceremonial law was fulfilled in the death of Christ and in the establishment of the spiritual Church, and is no longer in force. This law was but "a shadow of good things to come.'"^ There is to be no more a line of priests to inter- cede between God and his people, for " we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God."*!* No more sacrifices are to be offered in the temple, for " Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many." J Even circum- cision, the distinguishing mark of the Hebrew, is done away, '^ for in Jesus Christ neither circum- cision availeth anything, nor uncircumcision ; but ftiith which worketh by love." § That the cere- monial law has thus passed away no one will deny. Second, Christians — believers in Christ — are no longer subject to the law as a standard of final judgment. Obedience to its requirements is not a condition of acceptance with God. Failure to attain the absolute perfection which it requires will not necessarily involve their condemnation, for they may obtain mercy and forgiveness of m ! H * Hebrews 10 : 1. t Ibid.y 4 : 14. X Pnd., 9 : 28. § Galatians 5 : G. (55) rsmmmmmm ii ^J I ft I ' 'i i I : ' ^1 I I '' '' I ■ ' ■ \ \ m ■ i ;i t 170 The Sabbath made for Ail. sins. " Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us." * " For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth." f " There «5, therefore, now no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus." J " Ye are not under the law, but under grace." § Third, true Christians are not subject to the bondage of the law. " For the law of the Spirit of life in Chnst Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death." || ^' If ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law." ^ " Ye also are become dead to the law." ** ^' We are delivered from the law." -j-j- This is what Paul meant by " the glorious liberty of the children of God." Xt They are not unwilling subjects of the law. Having been made " new creatures " in Christ, they love Gjod and delight in his law. They do not feel its restrictions as a burden, for they are glad to observe them. They take pleas- ure in performing the duties it enjoins, and are not constrained to them by fear of punishment or hope of reward. Thus they are made free from * Galatians 3 : t Romans 10 : X Ibid., 8 : 1. § Ibid., 6 : 14. 11 Ibid., 8 : 2. (56) 13. 4. T[ Galatians 5 : 18. ** Romans 7 : 4. ft Ibid., 7 : 6. tt Ibid., 8 : 21. The Law has never been Repealed, 171 the law by rising above it. Thus *Move is the fulfilling of the law." A fourth point seems equally clear, namely, that the law still remains as a restraining and constraining power upon those who, because of weak faith, do not enjoy this liberty, and as a rule of conduct for all, *' enlightening the eyes " even of those who have the most perfect love. While the Christian should be able to obey its precepts with a different spirit, he must still obey them. He cannot trust to his own impulses, even when these have been partly purified by the Spirit. The "inner light" is not always clear. So much of evil remains in us that, if we trust to our impulses, we shall be led into vagaries and even into positive sins. This has always been the history of those who have depended upon the "inner light." Men who have maintained their independence of the law have become lawless in the worst sense of the word. True Christians do not feel the law as a burden, but the best need it as a guide. If it be said by Christians, " We look for instruction to Christ and his apostles, and not to Moses," we reply that Christ and his apostles appealed to Moses, and quoted his law as the best rule of conduct. The apostles make this use of it after the death of Christ, by which, in a sense, we are freed from the law. Paul says, (•'">7) li , :i 'l % iisf^* ■^''^^^'Wmmmm 172 T/ie Sffhbafh made for All. iiiff ni " Wherefore the Inw is holy, nnd the comTnandmcnt holy, and just, jiiid good."'* How could ho have given it higher praise ? And this ho says just after the declaration, ^' We are delivered from the law." Does he mean thjit we are delivered from that which is "holy, and just, and good," and that we are henceforth to disregard the things required in the law? Not at all. Tie simply means that we are freed from the penalty jind the bondage of the law. Again he says, "Do we then make void the law through faith ? God for- bid : yea, we establish the law." f TTere his meaning obviously i that the law is not only honored by the redemption through Christ, but is established in the minds of those who through faith enjoy this redemption, faith giving ability to appreciate its excellence, and power joyfnlly to obey it. But he is even more specific. When he wants a summary of our duties to our fellow men, he can do no better than to take the second table of the law. " Owe no man anything, but to love one another : for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law. For this. Thou shalt not commit adulteiy. Thou shalt not kill. Thou shalt not steal. Thou shalt not bear false witness. Thou shalt not covet; and if (here he any other com- ^ Romans 7 : 12. (58) t Ibid., 3 : 31. The Law has never been Repealed. 173 11 n- inandnicnt, it is briefly conipri iiondcd in this say- ing, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thy- self. Lcve worketh t;o ill to his neighbor : there- fore love is the fulfilling of the law."* That is, if one loves his neighbor he will obey these pre- cepts, and will find them easy. His obedience of them will be the test of his love. Again he says, '* Children, obey your parents in the Lord : for this is right. Honor thy father and mother; which is the first oominandmont with promise; that it may be well with thee, and thou mfiyest live long on the earth." f How strange that a man who had declared the law to be " done away" should not only quote one of its precepts as still binding, but should even adapt to the children of Christians an attendant promise made expressly to the Jews ! Does this look as though nothing was to be brought over from the Jewish law for the regulation of our lives ? Paul was hardly so inconsistent as to quote thus from a law which had been abrogated as a rule of life. He is not alone in this practice. St. James says, "Who- soever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all. For he that said. Do not commit adultery, said also, Do not kill. Now if thou commit no adultery, yet if :l * Romans 13 : 8-10. t Ephesians 6 : 1-3. (59) ! : rt mmmm 174 The Sahhath made for All, i « II thon kill, thou art become a tran.sgressor of the law."''' What of it, if the law is aiuiulled ? Tt does not inattor if we violate ohsolete laws. lUit James would have said that those laws wore still binding, and that no one of them could be vio- lated with impunity. His main point is the in- tegrity of the law — the impossibility of wroni^l^ ing out one of its members without destro} iug all. The way in which Paul and James and Peter and John urge upon the Christians to whom they write abstinence from cenain -^pccillu sins, and the performance of specific duties, shows that those who believe in Christ have need of law. This general view of the rehition of Christians to the law will help us to understand what is said by Paul concerning the law of the Sabbath. It is plain that no part of the moral law is abol- ished. This is still recognized as of binding force upon all. The law of the Sabbath is a part of it, and any apostolic precepts which appear hostile to the Sabbath must be interpreted in the light of this fact. Three passages are quoted from the Pauline epistles to show that this institution was to be a thing of the past. The first is in the epistle to the Galatians : " But now, after that ye have known God, or rather are known of God, how (60) * James 2: 10, 11. The Z«fP has never been Repealed. 175 tnrn yo agaiti In the weak nnd beggarly elements, whoroMutuyo tli»Hire agHin to be in boiidago? Ye oh.sorvo {\i\\H, n\\\\ niontbs, ami times, and years. 1 am t\ih\\\\ of )uu, lest I have bestowed upon you labor in VHln."* This has been interpreted as monniu^ that all days are alike to the Chris- tian, and \\\M \v«> subject ourselves to the yoke of Jewish bondage when we set apart one day in seven as sacred. A passage which is supposed to have a similar meaning is that in Romans, which reads, " One man esteemeth one day above another : another esteemeth every day alike. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind. He that regardeth the day, regardeth it unto the Lord ; and he that regardeth not the day, to the Lord he doth not regard it." f A passage thought to be perfectly decisive is that which occurs in Colossians : " Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of a holyday, or of the new moon, or of the Sabbath da^s : which are a shadow of things to come ; but the body is of Christ." J We desire to give these words a perfectly fair interpretation. It is not our purpose to adjust them to a preconceived theory. But since they are frequently quoted to %' ill * Galatians 4 : 9-11. t Romans 14 : 5, 6. X Colossians 2 : 16, 17. (61) ill Wh 'e I i is i 1 176 The Sahhat\ made for All. prove that the Sabbath is abolished, it is neces- sary for us to give them a careful examination. We shall mu.st readily arrive at their meaning by taking into account the intention of Paul in writ- ing thorn. What wjis his purpose ? What did ha mean to accomplish by these words ? It is well known that the early churches were much troubled by Judaizers, who attempted to impose upon Gentile Christians the observances of the Jews. In many cases these churches had originated among the Jews, and these converts from Judaism w^ere prone to think that Chris- tianity was simply an addition to their former religion. Hence they kept up the observances required of them by the Mosaic law. Even cir- cumcision, t^ey insisted, should be continued; and it was iti deference to them thtit Paul cir- cumcised Timothy.''' They were equally decided in maintaining that the seventh di-.y should be observed as the Sabbath, according to the Jewish law. So long as these observances were not directly antagonistic to Christianity, and were confined to Jewish converts, they w^ro matters of indifference to the apostle. He was content to believe that they would gradually cease as ^he nature of Christianity was more fully appre- * Acts 16 : 3. (62) nn le The Law has never been Repealed. 177 bended. But when the attempt was made to require them of the Gentile converts, it became quite a different matter. Every such attempt Paul and his colleagues strongly opposed. Paul's refusal to circumcise* Titus, because the latter was not a Jew, well illustrates his position. They would not allow Judaism, an obsolete sys- tem so far as its forms were concerned, to be extended by means of Christianity. This became one of the b*. ning questions of the day. A partial account of this widespread conflict is re- corded in the fifteenth chapter of Acts : "And certain men which came down from Judea taught the brethren, a^id said, Except ye be circumcised after the manner of Moses, ye cannot bo saved. "•!* Paul and Barnabas stoutly resisted tl^em. Aft- erward, when the matter was reported at Jeru- salem, " there rose up certain of the sect of the Pharisees which believed, saying. That it was needful to circumcise them, and to command them to keep the law of Moses." J A meeting was called to deliberate upon the matter, and the de- cision finally reached was that the apostles should write to them " that they abstain from pollutions of idols, and from fornication, and frovi things * Galatians 2 : 3. t Acts 15 : 1. 12 t Ihid.^ 15 : 5. i m '^\ m '-, ! 1 178 The Sabbath made for All. stmngled, and from blood," * and that no other burden in this respect be laid upon them. But the work of the Judaizers went on, nevertheless, and Paul had frequent occasions to combat them. Among the requirements which they tried to impose upon the Gentiles was that the latter should observe the Jewish holy days and festivals. These were very numerous, including not only the weekly Sabbath and certain other " sabbaths " or rest-days, but also the festivals of the new moons and of the various appointed feasts; and the observance of them all would constitute a heavy burden. The idea inculcated was that by these appoint^uents certain days had been made holy. It is this idea which Paul combats. The observance of times and seasons was something that belonged wholly to the Jewish dispensation. To mark certain days as holy because on them occurred certain Jewish ceremonies is the very spirit of Judaism. So Paul warns the Galatians, who had yielded to this influence more than che other churches, that in observing times and sea- sons they are dishonoring Christ and going back to an obsolete ritual. For the same reason he writes to the Christians at Home that while any one who feels that he ought to observe these * Acts 15 : 20, 29. (64) ■'■iiii^ The Law has never been Repealed. 179 days can do so to the glory of God, he must not make his conscience a law for others, for now each man is at liberty to observe them or not as he pleases. The passage quoted from the letter to the Colossians does not differ from this except in the fact that it mentions specifically the Sab- bath. In the original the word translated " Sab- bath days " is in the plural number, and for this reason some have supposed that the reference is to the numerous rest-days of the Jews. If this were the case, it would be perfectly clear that Paul was opposing the doctrines of those who would force upon Christians the peculiar observ- ances of the Jews. But it is generally agreed among translators and commentators that the weekly Sabbath is meant, the plural form being commonly used to designate that institution. But if he does here refer to the weekly Sabbath, does Paul mean to say that it is abolished ? Not at all. In this case, as in the others, he is opposing the doctrines of the Judaizers. One of their strong points was that the Sabbath must be observed upon the seventh day of the week. But already the Gentile Christians were observ- ing the first day, and Paul wishes to show that the insistence upon the seventh is a part of that Judaizing spirit which belittles Christ by looking for salvation to a useless ritual, and which sub- (6.5) I ^1 ;•• tl li i\ m I 'm 180 The Sabbath made for All. verts Chiistmn liberty by imposing upon the con- sciences of others useless burdens. While the Jewish Christians might, if they chose, observe both the sevent)i-(lay Sabbath and the Lord's day, they must not seek to force their views upon others. This is what they were doing. Paul was not writing to the Colossians against the observance of the Lord's day as a weekly Sab- bath. The action of those who were "judging" them would not call for any such counsel as that. " It is certain that the persons who were judging them were pressing the duty of observing the Jewish Sabbath, not the Christian Lord's day." In such action the^'e was nothing to prompt Paul to write against the observance of a weekly Sab- bath. There is no intimation that the institution is to be abolished. It is only the idea that it must be kept on a particular day of the week because the Jews had kept it on that day, which he combats. No other view is consistent with his general purpose in writing these passages. He is contending against what is Jetvish, and not against v/hat is moral and universal. Keeping in mind this purpose, we cannot agree with Alford when he says, " It would have been quite impos- sible for the apostle to have spoken thus " * if the * Commentary, in loro. (66) fv tes. in )rd )0S- Ithe The Law has never been Repealed. 181 Sabbath was to have been of perpetual obligation. It is only by disregarding the occasion which prompted Paul to write and his purpose in writ- ing these words, that they can be interpreted as antagonistic to the Sabbath. Not to observe these is unfair to any writer, and violates the first principle of exegesis. EUicott, who is better authority than Alford on a question of exegesis, says in his comments on the first of these pas- sages, " It can scarcely be considered exegetically exact to urge this verse * against any theory of a Christian Sabbath, when the apostle is only speaking of legal and Judaizing observances." In respect to the other passages, it has been well said by Dr. Riddle that Paul is certainly speak- ing of disputed matters, and there is no evidence that there was, at that time, any dispute about the observance of the Lord's day or Christian Sabbath.f It is extremely improbable that he would thus summarily abolish an institution which had existed from the beginning, which had been re-established with special sanctions in the moral law, which Christ had said was made for man, and which he had taken great pains to clear from misconceptions and abases. If his words * Galatians 4 : 10. t Laiige on Romans, p. 418, note. Mu C-^T) HPWIBI 182 The Sabbath made fo, AIL were capable of no other interpretation, we should be forced to accept this view; but, taking them in their connection, this is not even their natural meaning. He is combating something quite dif- ferent from the institution of the Sabbath. We are strengthened in this opinion when we remem- ber that at tliis very time Paul and his associates were instructing the followers of Christ to meet for worship on a particular day, and thus marked it as the Lord's day — a day made holy to him. Would he write against the Sabbath while him- self observing' the essentials of it ? And this fact shows also the error of supposing that Paul meant to teach by these words that Christians have no need of a Sabbath, since all days are alike holy to them. We shall have occasion to notice this theory again,''' but may say here that it is not founded upon the practice and teaching of the apostles. The denial that any special sanctity attaches to " times and seasons " is not a denial that men need seasons of release from toil and set times for worship. This need is deep- seated in the nature of man, and none knew it better than Paul. The most advanced Christians not only need such times, but most thoroughly appreciate and enjoy them. The result of trying Chapter XI. (68) The Law has never been Repealed. 183 to make all days alike holy is that all become secularized. He who will have a Sabbath on every day will have no Sabbath at all. Our conclusion is that there is nothing in the writings of the apostles which, when fairly inter- preted, implies the abrogation of the Sabbath. They do hint at certain changes in the form of the institution ; but the law of the Sabbath, in its essence, is not repealed. They honored the moral law as the highest expression of God's will, and say no word to indicate that the law of the Sabbath was not a part of it. Thus both Christ and his inspired apostles have given their sanction to this institution. They have not taken away this choice gift of God to men. Rather, they have enlarged and ennobled it, and shown us how to make it a greater blessing than it ever was to the Jews. The law still stands and is binding upon us, but is no longer a burden. We have learned in Christ how to make the Sabbath " a delight." •itiHi (fiO) |i i CHAPTER IX. THE CHRISTIAN SABBATH DAY. This day my Saviour rose, And did enclose thia light for his, That, as each beast his manger knows, Man might not of his fodder miss. Christ hath took in this piece of ground. And made a garden there for those Who want herbs for their wound. George Herbert. AccEPTiNa the conclusion that the fourth com- mandment is still in force, it may very properly he asked, " Why then do not Christians obey it by kepi»ing holy the seventh day of the week, as it directs? By what right is this plain precept disregarded and the. first day of the week ob- served ?" This question is a natural one, and unless a satisfactory answer can be given, the Christian world must stand convicted of error. The fjict that the observance of the first day of the week is so nearly universal and has been of such long continuance is very significant. It suggests that there must have been some good and sufficient reason for the change. Too much should not be made of this, for the Church has sanctioned many false doctrines and been (70) The Christian Sabbath Day, 185 tainted by many corrupt practices ; but no error of great magnitude has prevailed almost without question for eighteen centuries. We have taken the custom of keeping the Sabbath on the first day of the week as we found it; and while this does not exempt us from the duty of inquiry, it throws upon those who question our course " the burden of proof" The Seventh-day Baptists be- lieve that to separate the Sabbath from the day on which the Jews observed it is virtually to destroy the institution ; hence they strongly hold that it should be observed upon the sev- enth day of the week. Others say that if the fourth commandment is binding upon us at all, the part which designates the day is binding afso. But this, they say, plainly has been abro- gated ; hence the Sabbath is done away, and we must look for other grounds on which to base the observance of the Lord's d ty.* These parties agree as to the necessity of a weekly day of rest and worship. They must not be reckoned as enemies of the Sabbath, and it is unfair for oppo- nents to quote their views as though they sought the destruction of the institution. But they are widely at variance as to the grounds on which *F. W. Robertson, Sermons, first series, p. llfij George B. Bacon, "Sabbath Question," p. 179; Uessey, "Sunday," lecture v. (71) p In H \i.>.„ i'i I' I I- I i i I 186 TVic Sabbath made for AIL thev base its observance. We believe that both positions are untenable, and that a persistent attempt to maintain either must result in an in- creased disregard of the Sabbath. Though their conclusions are so different, the argument of each proceeds from the fundamental error that the Sab- bath has not been transferred from the seventh to the first day of the v^eek. It devolve; upon us to show that such a change was made, and by what authority. The authority must be sought in the words or in the example of the inspired apostles. Up to the time of Christ's death, no change had been made in the day. We would not expect to find one previous to that time ; for the Church of Christ was not really born until the day of Pen- tecost. He had laid the foundation, but the super- structure was to be. erected by his inspired apos- tles. They were appointed by Christ to organize the Church, and to legislate for it in respect to all matters of detail. That they would not de- viate from his plans and purpose was implied in their inspiration ; at the same time he left them to be the organizers and legislators of the Church. He said to Peter — not in his personal capacity, but as leader of the twelve — " I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven; . . . and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall (72) The Christian Sabbath Day, 187 to be loosed in heaven."''' That this was meant for all is proved by its subsequent repetition to the twelve. Again, we read that he said, " Whose- soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them ; and whosesoever siuh ye retain, they are retiiined."f It is generally understood that these words gave to the apostles supreme authority in legislating for the Church. One of Christ's part- ing promises to them was, " When he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth." J The apostles did exercise the author- ity thus conferred upon them. They decided, in a meeting at Jerusalem, how much of Jewish law should be laid upon Gentile converts ; § they gave directions concerning discipline ;|| they pro- nounced anathemas upon the incorrigible ; ^1 they even exercised the power of death, as in the case of Ananias and Sapphira.** There can be no question about their authority to make a change in such a matter as the particular day of the week on which the Sabbath should be observed. So far as the record shows, they did not, how- ever, give any explicit command enjoining the abandonment of the seventh-day Sabbath, and its * Matthew 16 : 19. t John 20 : 23. X Ibid., 16 : 13. I Acts 15 : 23-29. II 1 Corinthians 5 : 13. i Galatians 1 : 8 ; 1 Timothy 1 : 20. ** Acts 5 : 5-10. (73) ■US [\a ^^' <>^< IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) 4 t 1.0 m iiM •- K 1112 2 I.! 1^ L25 i 1.4 1.6 P^ *^ Photographic Sciences Corporation 23 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, NY. 14S30 (7t6) 872-4503 4- %^ ■■^ 4f- ^ >^ ^K\ ^Z^'"" ■^ ^'^''^^ V^ which we have already quoted, but which may be repeated in this cjn- nection : " One man esteemetn one day above another; anothei esteemeth every day alike. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind. He that regardeth the day regardeth it unto the Lord ; and he that regardeth not the day, to the Lord he doth not regard ?V." * " Let no man judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect * Romana 14 : 5, 6. (86) The Christian Sabbath Day. 201 n of nn holyrlay, or of the new moon, or of the sab- bath day^ : Avliich are a sha(U)w of things to come ; but the body is of Christ." * These words are directed against that which was distinctly Jewish in the hnvs and ordinances of the ohi dispensation. They admit cf no other interpretation than that men were at liberty to observe or not to observe the seventh day as the Sabbath. It was not to be imposed upon the Gentile converts. But there is not a word to indicate that the Sabbath as an institution was abrogated. If the particular day was a matter of indifference, and the Sabbath was .-(ill to be kept, tvJicn should it be observed ? Man- ifestly, there could have been no intention on the part of the apostles to have some Christians keep one day and some another. Neither would they be likely to order that all should keep two days. For reasons which seemed to them good, they had fixed upon *Mhe first day of the week" for the Sabbath day. If they had oalebrated the resurrection of Christ once a month or once a year, there would have been no indicntion of a change in the Sabbath day ; but a weekly cel- ebration reveals a ]>nrpose to substitute the first day for the seventh. The correspondence of periods reduces the matter to a certainty. Put l! * Colossians 2 : 1 '■, 17. (87) ■K— lip 'l%tt t\ I I 202 The Sahhath mad' for AIL the two facts that they asserted the particular day to be of no consequence and that they hal- lowed the first day of the week over against each other, and any other conclusion is impossible. That this was understood by Christians of their wn and later times to be their purpose will ap- pear from an examination of the history of the early churches, which we will attempt in the next chapter. (8S) CHAPTER X. THE CHRISTIAN SABBATH DAY CONTINUED. Christ was crucified and buried on the sixth day. He lay all the seventh day in the grave. The seventh-Jay Sabbo,th -w&a buried with him, and remains buried; for he arose from the dead on the first day of the week, when the seventh-day Sabbath was past. — Dr. N, West. We are under no obligation to follow the ex- ample of Christians who lived in any age subse- quent to that of the apostles. Perversions of Christian doctrine and corrupt practices sprang up so early and prevailed so widely as to make such an imitation altogether unsafe. Why, then, should it concern us to know anything about the Christians of the first and second centuries ? We study their history because it throws additional light upon the teaching and example of the apos- tles. If it can be shown clearly that an}' custom prevailed very soon after their death, we have good reason to believe that it rested upon a basis of apostolic authority. Especially would this be the case if the custom was universal, or nearly so, among the churches ; for the origin of unscrip- tural practices can usually be traced to some particular locality. A brief and cursory exam- (89) Mlil^^HHUaM I 204 The Sabbath made for All. ination of the history of the early Christians will reveal the following three important facts : First, that Sunday was observed as a holy day — a Christian festival — during the first and second centuries. Second, that the Jewish converts to Christ were in the habit of observing both Satur- day and Sunday as holy days — the one because they thought it commanded in the law of Moses, the other because it w^as the custom of all Chris- tians to observe it in commemoration of Christ's resurrection. " Those churches which were com- posed of Jewish Christians, though they admitted with the rest the festival of Sunday, yet retained also that of the Sabbath."* But it w^as soon felt that such an arrangement involved more days of rest than could be afforded in this world of work. It Avas not consistent with the proper performance of life's duties. To observe two Sabbaths was going beyond any Luv, human or divine. Third, that thus it gradually came to pass that the seventh-day observance was abandoned by nearly all Christians, and the substitution of Sunday in its place became complete. To find confirmation of these statements let us look at some of the writ- ings of the fiithers. For the convenience of the general reader, we quote mainly from translations * Neander : ChurQh History, vol. i. p. 296. (90) The Christian Sabbath Day, 205 of thepe writiniTs which may be found in the "Antc-Niccne Librniy " and in "The Apostolic Fathers." Both of these may be regarded as en- tirely trustworthy reproductions of the originals. Whatever may be said of the doctrinal value of these works, it is quite certain that their authors would not make false statements about matters of common knowledge in their own time, for such statements would have exposed them to the contempt and ridicule of their contemporaries. Ignatius was a disciple of John, and died at an advanced age in the year 115. In his '^Epistle to the Magnesians " he says, " If, therefore, those that were brought up in the ancient order of xhings have come to the possession of a new hope, no longer observing the Sabbath, but living in the observance of the Lord's day, on wdiich also our life has sprung up again by him and by his death . . . how can we live without him ?" * The genuineness of this is now generally admitted. The text is somewhat obscure, but it indicates plainly enough that already the Jewish Christians were giving up the observance of the seventh day and that the Lord's day was generally regarded as sacred. The '* Epistle of Barnabas " was probably not written by the companion of Paul li! *To the Magnesians, sec. 9, Ant. Nic. Lib., vol. i. p. 180. (91) mma 206 The Sabbath made for All. who bore that name, but it was certainly in exist- ence soon after the close of the first century. In this the writer |says, " We [Christijins] keep the eighth day with joyfulness, the day also on which Jesus rose from the dead." * The first day of the week was then often called the eighth because it came next after the seventh. If any doubt should exist as to which day is meant here, the allusion to the resurrection is conclusive. A letter written to the emperor Trajan by Pliny the younger, about a.d. 112, who was then gov- ernor of Pontus and Bithynia, has often been quoted in proof that it was the custom of the early Christians to meet on stated days for wor- ship and the Lord's Supper. He was ordered to crush out the new religion, and says that, when brought before him for examination, " they affirmed that the whole of their fault or error lay in this, that they were wont to meet together on a stated day, before it was light, and sing among themselves by turns a hymn to Christ as God, and to bind themselves by an oath, not to the commission of any wickedness, but not to be guilty of theft or robbery or adultery, never to break a promise, or to deny a pledge committed to them v;hen called upon to return it. When * Epistle, sec. 15, Ant. Nic. Lib., vol. i. p. 128. The Christian Sabbath Day. 207 these things were performed, it was their custom to separate, and then come together again to a meal, which they ate in common without any disorder."'^' This testimony is especially valuahle, as it comes from a heathen witness. The antiquity of the recently-discovered manuscript known as the *' Teaching of the Apostles " is disputed, but it unquestionably belongs to a very early period. So many eminent scholars have agreed in placing it in the first half of the second century that we may quote it in this connection. In the fourteenth chapter we read, ^' But every Lord's day do ye gather yourselves together and break bread, and give thanksgiving, after having con- fessed your transgressions, that your sacrifice may be pure." This is part of the instruction given to early Christians with regard to their religious services. It was for Jewish converts as well as for others. The mention of the Lord's day, and the entire absence of any reference to the seventh- day Sabbath, are significant and almost conclusive on the point we are now considering. Justin Martyr, who wrote about 138 a.d., says, " On the day called Sunday all [Christians] who live in cities or in the country gather together in one place, and the memoirs of the apostles or the writings of Epitetles, X. 97. (93) \m 208 The tSahhath made for All. '■ M wm m # the prophets are read as long as the time permits ; then, when the reader has ceased, the president verbally instructs and exhorts them to the imita- tion of these good things." Then follows a full de- scription of their worship, including the collection for the needy. He continues, " Sunday is the day on which we all hold our common assembly, because it is the first day on which God, having wrought a change in the darkness and matter, made the world, and Jesus Christ our Saviour on the same day rose from the dead."* In another workf he says, " The command to circumcise in- fants on the eighth day was a type of the true circumcision by which we are circumcised from error and wickedness through our Lord Jesus Christ, who arose from the dead on the first day of the week ; therefore, it remains the first and chief of all days." While the reference to cir- cumcision is fanciful, the passage gives in the reference to the resurrection the reason which was then generally accepted for observing the Lord's day. Irenajus, bishop of Lyons a.d. 178, is quoted by an early subsequent writer as say- ing, '^ This custom of not bending the knee on Sunday is a symbol of the resurrection, through * Apology L, G7 ; Ant. Nic. Lib, ii. pp. 65, 66 ; *' Apostolic Fathers," p. 179. f " Dialogue with Trypho," see. 41. (94) The Christian Sabbath Day. 209 I u le n h ic which we have been set free, by the grace of Christ, from sins and from death, whicli has been put to death under liim. Now this custom took its rise from apostolic times, as the blessed Irenajus, the mf'tyr and bisliop of Lyons, de- chires in his treatise ^ On Enster,' in which he makes mention of Pentecost also ; upon which we do not bend the knee, because it is of equal sig- nificance with the Lord's day, for the reason already alleged concerning it." '^' To understand this last reference it must be remembered that, among the early Christians, the Lord's day was a day of rejoicing, on which it was improper to kneel. It will be noticed that Irenseus seems to exalt Pentecost by making it equal to the Lord's day, showing that the latter was held in high estimation. Eusebius, the great church historian (2G2-340), quotes Iren^eus as saying "that the mystery of our Lord's resurrection should be cele- brated on no other day than the Lord's day ; and that on this dny alone we should observe the close of the paschal fast." f This remark originated in a discussion on the question whether Easter should be celebrated in connection with the Jew- ish passover, on whatever day that might happen 14 * Ant. Nic. Lib., vol. ix. pp. 162, 163. t Eccl. Hist., vol. ii. p. 256. (95) 210 The Sabbath made for AIL ^:^ to fall, or on the Lord's duy ; but it shows the regard in which the latter was held and the reason for observing it. Tertullian, the great bishop of Carthage, who lived and wrote in the latter part of the second century and first part of the third, has a number of passages on the Lord's day. He says, " We have nothing to do with the Sabbath or the other Jewish festivals, much less with those of the heathen. We have our own solemni- ties, the Lord's day for instance and Pentecost. As the heathen confine themselves to their festi- vals and do not observe ours, let us confine our- selves to ours and not meddle with those belong- ing to them." ''' In another work he says, " If we give Sunday to joy, it is from a very different reason than the worship of the sun; we are also separate from those who spend Saturday in idle- ness and feasting, departing from the custom of the Jews of which they are ignorant."-)- Regard- ing the method of observing Sunday he says, *''We consider it wrong to fast on the Lord's day, or to pray kneeling during its continuance." J In his treatise *•' On Prayer "§ he makes these further remarks on the proper observance of the day : " But we (just as we have received), only on the * On Idolatry, chap. 14. % On the Soldier's Crown, chap. 3. t Apolof);etic8, chap. 16. I Chapter 21. (96) The Christian Sabbath Day, 211 day of the Lord's resurrection ought to guard not only against kneeling, but every posture and office of anxiety ; deferring even our business, lest we give place to the devil." Here we find a plain intimation that no secular work should be done on the Lord's day. It was probably on this account that Neander says of Tertullian, " we find in him indications of the transfer of the law of the Jewish Sabbath to Sunday."* The testimony of Tertullian is important, for in his voluminous writings references f to the Lord's day and to its proper observance are so frequent that there can be no doubt about the manner in which it was regarded by the Christians of his times. Those to which we have called attention are by no means the only references to the Lord's day which can be found in the Christian writings of the first two centuries ; but they are sufficient to show that it was then a day of worship and of religious festivity. We limit our inquiry to this period. If we were writing a history of the Lord's day, it would be necessary to make citations from the writings of later periods ; but our sole purpose has been to show how the early Christians — those * Church Hist., vol. i. p. 259. fFor some of Tertullian's references to the Lord's day, English readers may consult Ant. Nie. Lib., vol. xi. pp. 85, 162, 163, 199, 449, 450, and vol. xv. p. 428. (97) A^i 212 Hie Sabh((th made for AIL 'V ■4 i,JHt::saj'.--'.M nearest llio apostles — regarded the day. The witnesses we have so far examined are uniform in testifying that tliey kept the first day of the week as a holy (hiy. It is a significant fact that there is no record < " any dilferences or dis- putes on this suhject among the early Christians. But how, meantime, did they regard the Jew- ish Sabbath dny ? The evidence all goes to show that the Gentile Christians felt themselves under no obligation to observe it, and that the Jewish converts gradually abandoned its observ- ance. The ''Epistle of Barnabas" says that the Lord abolished Jewish sacrifices, new moons and Sabbaths, and represents Christ as saying, "Your present Sabbaths are not acceptable to me."'^' Ignatius, perhaps the earliest post-apos- tolic writer, speaks- of Christinns as no longer observing the seventh-day Sabbath.-|* Justin Martyr said, " We too would observe the fleshly circumcision, and the Sabbaths, and in short all the feasts, if we did not know for w^hat reason they are enjoined upon you. How is it, Trypho, that we would not observe those rites which would not harm us ? I speak of fleshly circum- cision, and Sabbaths and feasts." J This plainly (98) * Ant. Nic. Lib., vol. i. pp. 103, 128. \Ibid., p. 150. Xlbid., vol. ii. p. 139. The Christian Sabbath Day. 213 enoiip"li i*m[>lios that the neventh-dny Ssiblmth was no longer considi'iod obligalory. The romnrk we have ah'eady quoted from Tertidliiiii, " we have nothing to do with Snl)h;iths or other Jewish festi- vals," indicates that in his time it was disregarded by Gentile Christians at least. But he is more explicit and emphatic. Tn his treatise " On Idolatry,"''' he says, "The Holy Spirit upbraids the Jews with their holy days. * Your sabbaths, and new moons, and ceremonies,' says he, * my soul hateth.' " Again, " lie who argues for Sabbath- keeping and circumcision must show that Adam and Abel, and the just of the old time, observed these things." f Perhaps his most explicit state- ment is this, " The observance of the Sabbath is being demonstrated to have been temporary." \ lie is not speaking of the Lord's day, for that had its own distinct name and was not then called the Sabbath as sometimes with us, but only of the seventh-day or Jewish Sabbath. It was this the observance of which was being demonstrated to be temporary. How long Jewish Christians con- tinued to observe it cannot be accurately deter- mined, but they soon came to be so small a mi- nority of the whole Church that, probably, such * Chapter 14. t Against the Jews, chap. 2. X Ant. Nic. Lib., vol. xviii. p. 211. (99) riPh: 214 The Sabbath made for All. B W ! obsei'vance was not common long after the end of the period we have been considering. We might quote further testimony, but surely it is not necesstry. It all bears in one direction and forces us to one conclusion. It is character- ized by a remarkable uniformity. Every state- ment bearing upon the subject, that can be dis- covered in the writings of the fathers, is to the effect that the Christians of the first two centu- ries were accustomed to keep holy the first day of the week, and that most of them regarded them- selves at liberty not to keep the seventh-day Sab- bath. Thus they strengthen the conclusion we have reached from our examination of the exam- ple and teachings of the apostles, that the latter intended to transfer the Sabbath from the seventh to the first day. The Christians of their own time and of the age immediately following cer- tainly understood that to be their purpose. Those who were in such immediate connection with them could hardly have made a mistake con- cerning the import of their words and actions. We may, then, consider it as settled that we have apostolic authority for disregarding the claims of the seventh day and keeping the Sabbath upon the first day of the week. But does not such a change involve the de- struction of the Sabbath ? It does not affect it (100) The Christian Sabbath Day. 215 in the least. Here we must carefully distinguish between the institution and the da/j. The Sab- bath is one thing, and the day on which it sliall be observed is quite another thing. A careful consideration of the facts in the case will make this evident, and also show that the day may be changed without affecting the institution. So far as the element of time is considered in the fourth commandment, the proportion of days is all that is essential. There is nothing in Scripture or in common sense to contradict this view. It is the tixing upon one day as more holy than another that Paul, when writing on the subject, expressly condemns. In the nature of the case, there is nothing that forbids putting the Sabbath upon any day in the week, if good reasons could be given for selecting it. The fourth commandment itself does not fix the day of the week on which the Sabbath shall be ob- served. It simply says, " Remember the sab- bath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labor, and do all thy woi-k ; but the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God." There is no allusion to the week here, or to any particular day from which the counting shall begin. It is simply required that every seventh day shall be kept as a day of rest and a holy day. The most precise litcialist could hardly find more in these (101) : H ; '■ 'J ' 216 The Sabbath made for All. words. Certainly the command as it here appears is obeyed by one who works six days and then uses the seventh for rest and religious purposes. If it is to be interpreted in any other way, obedience to it is practically impossible. Exact identity of time for all men cannot be secured. Travel around the world from east to west, keep- ing every seventh day, and you will find, at the end of your journey, that your Sabbath has some- how got changed from Sunday to Saturday. Go around in the opposite direction and it will trans- fer itself to Monday. Go into the Arctic regions and you must take simply a seventh of the time, or keep as a Sabbath every seventh year. These facts show that it is contrary to nature to insist upon the seventh day of the week as the only possible Sabbath dny* But this is not all. There is good reason to believe that the primi ive Sabbath was kept on the first day of the week. It should be noted that God's rest-dny was man's first day of exist- ence. It is a significant fact that the day whi.h was especially honore^l among those ancient peo- ples who had the septenary division of time was the first day of the w^eek. The very name of the day. Sun-day, the day consecrated to the principal of the heavenly bodies, is a memento of this custom. The equivalent of this exists in the (102) ■^ 'I The Christian Sahhath Day. 217 languages of nil these peoples, and it was applied by all to the same day of the week. Nor was it improbable that the Sabbath of the Jews would be appointed on a day different from the principal holy day of other nations. There was good rea- son for such a change. They were a peculiar peo- ple and were to be separate from the heathen. Their Sabbath was to commemorate their de- liverance from Egypt as well as the creation of the world. Some have supposed that it came on the seventh day from the first fall of manna. Plowever this may have been, it is not hard to believe that God appointed it on a new day. The evidence on this point ie not perfectly conclusive, but it is strong enough "^ to raise a doubt W' hether those who insist on the seventh-day Sabbath are not worse Judaizers than has generally been sup- posed. There is certainly presumptive evidence that the Jews, in their isolation, would have a Sabbath day of their own, and that Christ, who is to be the Saviour and King of all men, would re- store the original Sabbath day. But whether there has been one change or two, the institution has not been thereby affected. Every purpose for which the Sabbath was in- * It is well presented in " The Primitive Sabbath Restored," a pamphlet by Rev. Jaraes Johnson. 218 The Sabbath made for All. mB stituted can be accomplished as well upon one day as another. The proportion of time — six days of labor followed by the day of rest — secures the commemoration of God's creative week. It makes no conceivable difference when we begin to count; this observance stands as an imperishable monument of creation, reminding men that the universe is God's handiwork. This purpose of the Sabbath is not violated or impaired in the least by changing it from the seventh to the first day of the week. But the change, makes it commemorative of another and a greater event than the creation. This was re- demption day — the day on which a fallen race received assurance that a way of salvation had been provided. Previous to that sin had reigned rampant in the world, and had made creation lit- tle more than a source of misery. That day changed the tears of the world to laughter. It change 1 the world from a hearse to a triumphal chariot. It took the blackness of despair out of human hearts and filled them with the light of a great hope. It assured us that God had not ut- terly cast off the race and left us to perish. Now we may look for " a new heaven and a new earth." Now we may hope that the re.'il purpose of creation — the fitting of intelligent beings for eternal service of God and eternal glory and blessedness — may (104) The Christian Sabbath Day, 219 be accomplished. How much greater is retlemp- tion than creation ! God made the workl by the breath of his power; but when he would save sinful man he must give his only begotten Son to die on the cross. He dies and is laid in the tomb, and the hope of the world seems to die with him. But no ! He lives again, and men take up the song of hope and joy. His resurrection is so fraught with solemn and ecstatic meaning for us all that the day on which he rose must remain ever memorable. It is impossible for us to make too much of this event. It was because the apostles saw, as we do not, the transcendent importance of the resurrection that they gave Sunday prece- dence over the Jewish Sabbath day. But while it commemorates this greatest of all events in the world's history, it in no less degree commem- orates the creation of the world, since it conies in regular round after six days of labor. The Sabbath may be of exactly the same serv- ice to man upon the first day of the week as upon the seventh. So long as its real purpose is served, what conceivable difference does it make on what day it is observed ? God is not an arbi- trary and tyrannical taskmaster whose precepts originate in mere freaks of fancy. The Sabbath he requires us to observe is one which will promote our welfare, and such a Sabbath is (105) U \ -■^ Tr.' , "aipil^ l jp jsi 220 The Sabbath made for AIL ■r< entirely independent of any particular day of the week. The correctness of this opinion receives con- firmation from an unexpected source. A Hebrew rabbi delivered in the city of Philadelphia* a course of Sunday lectures for the instruction and edification of those of his people who could not, on account of their occupation, attend the synagogue on Saturday. The movement created some excitement among the Hebrews of Philadelphia, and gave rise to various rumors. A reporter of the Record, a daily newspaper of that city, called upon the rabbi, who made the following remarks in the course of the interview : "As a matter of fact, however, there is no rea- son why the Jews should not observe a Sunday as a holy day of re§t, and observe it as such in- stead of Saturday. Any day of the week might be selected as holy day, or Sabbath, without doing violence to the conscience. The command was, ^ six days shalt thou labor.' One day of the week was to be a day of rest, and without affect- ing the Jewish religion, any other day than Sat- urday would do as well. The acceptance of Sunday, therefore, if that is what we propose, would not be fatal to our religion. But we only * Winter of 1883-84. (106) H^ The Christian Sabbath Day. 221 have in view a system of lectures by which the Jews who cannot observe the Sabbath can be in- structed on Sundays. I think that this is right. A Jew in a Christian country like this is in a dilemma. If he does not work six days, he com- mits a sin ; for the command is, ' six days shalt thou labor.' The law does not allow him to labor on Sunday, therefore he must labor on Satur- day. One day he must also observe as holy day. He cannot observe Saturday. We pro- pose to give him a chance to observe Sunday. The Jewish wives and children continue to observe Saturday. It is not thought of changing that. We only want to give the Saturday workers a chance. But I do not believe, if we should even accept Sunday for the Sabbath, that any great harm could come to Judaism." This is a re- markable admission for a Hebrew rabbi to make, and indicates an unexpected degree of enlighten- ment and liberality on the subject. When a Hebrew who does not believe in Christ at all, who has no desire to commemorate the resur- rection or the consummation of Christ's redemp- tive work because he scornfully rejects both, who has the influence of thousands of generations of his people to make him prejudiced in favor of the seventh-day Sabbath, and who takes into account only the nature of the institution, admits that the (107) ! ( UN 222 The Sabbath made for AIL true Sabbath can be observed as well upon one (lay as another, how preposterous it is for Chris- tians to say that there can be no real Sabbath which is not kept upon the seventh day of the week ! We may adopt it as a settled conclusion that the Sabbath is independent of the day on which it is observed, and that the change of day has in no wise affected the institution. If there were good reasons for the change, nothing in the nature of the case interfered with making it. We have seen that there Avere such reasons in the purpose of our Lord to clear the Sabbath of the abuses which the Pharisees had bound upon it, in the necessity of adapting it to the situation of the Gentile Christians by removing their prejudices against what was distinctively Jewish, and in the divine intention to make the day commemora- tive of the resurrection as well as of the com- pleted work of creation. The day was changed, but the institution remains intact. Three points which have been in dispute seem to be settled by our examination of the reasons for this change, the authority on which it was made and the absence of any effect produced by it upon the Sabbath itself. First, those Christians who insist that we ought to keep the seventh day of the week as the Sabbath have no good reason (108) lit . The Christian Sabbath Day. 223 for their position. They are adherents to " the letter" which " killeth," and totally disregard *' the spirit " which " iiuiketh alive." They ar<3 worse Judaizers than the Jews themselves. Thoy exalt that which is wholly non-essential aho\ e other things of vastly greater importance. Con- scientious and earnest as they may he in their persistent and vigorous eiforts to bring all Chris- tians to their way of thinking, we cannot but feel that they are wasting their energies in trying to attain an object which, if attained, would be of no value. On the contrary, it would be a positive injury to Christians if they should all go back to the seventh-day Sabbath ; for in that case they would lose what is distinctively Christian in the Sabbath as we now have it. To use a familiar figure, they would turn back the hands upon the dial-plate of the world's history. For the sake of a worthless literalism, they would deprive the Sabbath of all the sweet and blessed associations which have gathered around it as " the Lord's day." There is almost as much reason for going back to the sacrifices of the Jews. It is this spirit of devotion to the letter of Jewish law which Paul again and again condemns, and against which he urges Christians to assert their liberty. Second, it is made evident that there is no ground for the assertion which is so often made that the (109) l^ I 'm ' - i 4 ' -■ip .h(,i i I, I to: 4'' •I- i' : 224 The Sabbath made for All. cbaiige of day involvfMl a coinplete abrogation of the 8abbath law or the fourth (.'OUiMiaudmont. It is certainly a misai)prehension of the Sabbath which leads men to say that to keep it at all in- volves kee[)ing it on the seventh day. Though there is abundant authority in the actions and writings of the apostles tor changing the day, they say not one word about the abrogation of the Sabbath. The institution, therefore, stands, for the law establishing it must be considered as having binding force until it is repealed. What they say about the moral law as the highest rule of human conduct would lead to this conclusion. In all the writings of the fathers there is nothing to indicate that they thought men had been re- leased from the obligation to devote every seventh day to rest and religious purposes. To say, as many writers do, that Christians have virtually asserted the abrogation of the Sabbath by keep- ing the first instead of the seventh day of the week, and that '^ the Lord's day " is in no sense the Sabbath and rests upon an entirely different foundation, if it has any good foundation at all, is to make a statement that is not warranted by ' the facts. Good and able men have expressed this opinion, but they have strangely misunder- stood the nature of the Sabbath, and strangely disregarded the necessary permanency of the law (110) The Christian Sabbath Day. 225 th as )- IG >0 fcd ly by which it was established. Third, there is no reason wliatever for those Christians who keep the first day of the week as the Sahbalh to feel that they are without sulhcient warrant for their practice. They sometimes wonder whether the custom to which they are conforming is not, to some extent, responsible for the growing indifier- ence in this country to the claims of the Sabbath. No one should be disturbed by such questionings. There is nothing shadowy or uncertain about the foundation on which " the Lord's day " rests. We have the authority of inspired apostles to warrant us in its observance. We reject the seventh-day Sabbath on the same authority. If the conscience of any Christian troubles him on this account, it must be because he has been af- fected by the same Judaizing influences which Paul so much deprecated in his day. The change of day does not free us from the law of the Sab- bath, neither have we transgressed that law by observing the Sabbath upon the first day of the week. Secure in following the example of the apostles, we may continue in the observance of " the Lord's day," feeling certain that the Sabbath itself will stand unshaken until we are ready to enter into the enjoyment of that eternal Sabbath which remains for the people of God. f' 15 (111) i PART III. NATURE AND IMPORTANCE OF THE SABBATH. J 1 CHAPTER XL GROUNDS OF THE 013LIGATI0N TO KEEP THE LORD's DAY. One day thou wilt bo blest ; So still oboy the guiding Imrul that fends Thee safely through these wonders for such ends.— Keats. In the previous chapters we have shown that the Sabbath is a divine institution, which God established for all men and which he designed to be of perpetual obligation. In maintaining this we have examined two lines of proof The first was that which is derived from the consideration of the fjict that the Sabbath is necessary to the welfare of man. This was held to make it prob- able that God would establish it at the beginning, and require its observance of all men in every age. The second was the direct evidence which appears in the Bible that God did sanctify the seventh day, and require men to keep it holy. We have found that, according to the record, the Sabbath was instituted at the creation ; that its (1) ol 228 Nature and Importance of the Sabbath. V\ i f observance was commanded in the moral law given on Sinai, which law has never been re- pealed ; that Christ, instead of abrogating the Sabbath, sanctioned it, and gave instructions con- cerning the proper method of observing it; and that, while the apostles changed the day on which it was kept, they said no word to indicate that the Sabbath was abolished. We are now pre- pared to examine the grounds on which the obli- gation to keep the Lord's day rests. Why should men "remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy " ? The all-sufficient answer is. Because God has commanded it, and he would not command an unreasonable or useless observ- ance. We are content to rest the obligation upcn the " holy, and just, and good" law of God. That law, which is the expression of the divine nature, and which perfectly' conforms to the "course and constitution " of things, is the one safe and sure foundation on which to rest any observance. Obeying that law, it is impossible to go wrong. The law of the Sabbath is part of the universal law which men vioLite only at the expense of throwing themselves out of harmony with the universe and with God, and of being crushed by those forces which the Omnipotent marshals to destroy whatever puts itself in the way of his beneficent purposes. (2) t \ ' Obligation to Keep the Lord's Day. 229 True, all are not agreed that there is any re- quirement in this case. Maintaining that the law of the Sabbath is abolished, many writers assert that if we are to have any Sabbath, its observ- ance should be secured, not by teaching men that it is commanded in the law of God, but by show- ing them that it is a privilege, or that it is expe- dient, or that it is for the good of society, or that the Church requires it, or that love for Christ will prompt it. It is necessary to examine these pro- posed foundations for the Lord's day, and to dis- cover how far any one of them is likely to afford a secure and lasting basis for the institution. Among those Christians who feel that the Church, or that particular branch of it to which they belong, has authority to create or abolish in- stitutions of this kind, no further authority is needed for the Lord's day than that their *' Church" requires its observance. The devout Romanist will yield instant and complete acquiescence to the decrees of his ^' Church." And there are others, not of that communion, who appeal to the same kind of authority in trying to enforce the duty of observing the Lord's day. Alford, in commenting on Romans 14 : 5, says, ^' I there- fore infer that sabbatical obligation to keep any day, whether seventh or first, was not recognized in apostolic times. It must be carefully remem- (3) 230 Nature and Importance of the Sabbath. X ■ >{ II- i f ! 5 '-h bered that this inference does not concern the question of the observance of the Lord's day as an institution of the Christian Church, analogous to the ancient Sabbath, binding upon us from considerations of humanity and religious expe- diency, and by the rules of that branch of the Church in which Providence has placed us, but not in any way inheriting the divinely-appointed obligation of the other, or the strict prohibitions by w hich its sanctity was defended." * We have already show^n that he is in eiroi with regard to the repeal of the Sabbath law. The apostle is not, in this passage, arguing against the Sabbath, but against the enforcement upon the Gentiles of the requirement to observe it upon the seventh day of the w^eek. Let us see whether Dean Alford's reasons for keeping the Lord's day are adequate. lie calls it an '^ institution of the Christian Church," by which he means, undoubt- edly, that it originated in the action of the Churci' subsequent to the time of the apostles. But we have seen that it had an apostolic and not simply an ecclesiastical origin. If it had only the latter, it had no basis of divine authority. lie would have us keep it because it is *' binding upon us" by the rules of that branch of the Church in w'hich (4) * "Greek Testament," vol. ii. p. 452. * i Obligation to Keep the Lord's Day. 231 Providence has placed us. As Protestants we deny the right of the Church to make such rules. The Bible is our " only rule of faith and prac- tice." A " Church " derives its right to control the conduct of its members from the inspired word, and cannot require anything beyond what it commands. But suppose we admit that a *' Church " may legislate for its own members, its action in no wise affects those who do not belong to it. Are they at liberty to enact contradictory and conflicting laws ? If one denomination of Christians may, on its own motion, require its members to keep the Lord's day holy, another denomination may certainly give its members liberty not to keep it, or may even require them not to. What would we say of a '^ Church " which should take such action^ We could not resist the feeling that it had transcended its rights and violated the law of God. He says also that the Lord's day is '^ binding upon us from considera- tions of humanity and religious expediency." We do not deny it. Both of these are reasons why we should keep the Sabbath. It is an institution fraught with manifold blessings to the world, and he sins against his fellow men who does anything to impair it. It is especially needed by the poor, and common " humanity " would require us to give it to them. It is '' expedient" to observe it, (5) m \ 'i r !i m h'i 1 : i„, I J ii %■% ' : \ 232 Nature and Importance of the Sabbath. for it is only by keeping it that men are enabled to meet for worship and religious instruction, and to perform other duties incumbent upon them. But only a very small portion of the race can be made to see these reasons. They require a " thus saith the Lord." A manufacturer might feel that his employes were just as well off without a Sabbath, and so an appeal to his ^' humanity " would be vain. Large numbers of men, probably a majority in any Christian land, would say that it was more " humane " to allow them to hunt or fish or ride or walk in the fields, or go on an ex- cursion, than to ask them to attend church, and would regard it as more " expedient" for them to do it. The practical results of placing the ob- servance of the Lord's day upon such grounds alone have always been disastrous. It is giving the average man a nluch larger measure of liberty than he is capable of wisely enjoying. It leaves so much discretionary with us that most men will follow their impulses rather than any lofty regu- lative principle. The position taken by Alford is substantially the same as that taken by the reformers of the sixteenth century. They had felt the require- ments of the Papal Church as intolerable bond- age, and it Avas natural that, in the reaction, they should go to extremes. And so we hear Luther (6) i % 1 Ohligation to Keep the Lord^s Day. 233 Raying, " Keep it holy for its use's sake both to body and soul ; but if anywhere the day is made holy for the mere day's sake — if anywhere any one sets up its observance on a Jewish foundation — then I order you to work on it, to ride on it, to dance on it, to feast on it, to do anything that shall remove this encroachment on Christian lib- erty." * Afterward he qualified this so as to make it only an exaggerated expression of his opinion that the observance of the Lord's day cannot be required by law. In the " Larger Catechism," commenting on the fourth commandment, he says, *^ We celebrate festivals, not for the sake of intelligent and in- structed Christians (for these have no need of them), but first, even for the sake of the body. Nature herself teaches the lesson that the w^ork- ing classes, servants and maids are to be consid- ered ; they have spent the whole week in laborious employment, and require a day on which they may take breath from their work, and refresh themselves, and restore their exhausted frames by repose. The second reason, and indeed the chief one, is this : that on such a day of rest, leisure and time may be obtained for divine wor- ship (a duty for which, otherwise, no opportunity * a Table Talk.' (7) m I : ^'n* ' i IS I -' f ■-■ ' • .11,'' i ■fl 234 Nature and Importance of the Sabbath. could be found), so that we may come together to hear and handle the word of God, and, further, that we may glorify God with hymns and psalms, with songs and prayers." This is a fuller statement of what is meant by "humanity" and "religious expediency." But suppose every one should set himself up as an " intelligent and instructed Christian," and claim that he needed no Sabbath, what would become of the Lord's day, even as Luther would have it observed ? Luther's view was shared, with some modifications, by his fellow reformers, Calvin, Zwingli, Bucer, Peter Martyr and others.* What has been the result ? The practical destruction of the Sabbath. Every one familiar with the state of things on the continent of Europe knows that the Lord's day is very little regarded. The great mass of men- are not moved by shadowy notions about " humanity " and " expediency." Comparatively few of those in Europe who have come under this influence use any part of the Lord's day even for church-going, and those who do, feel themselves at liberty to spend the re- mainder in amusements. As these peoples of Europe have been taught to believe that there is nothing holy about the day, they make it a hol- (8) See Hessey, pp. 168-172. ' Obligation to Keep the Lord's Day. 235 iday, so far as it differs from other days. In many places business goes on as usual, and " humanity" constrains no one to have mercy on the working classes. This violation of the Sabbath is the direct result of wrong doctrine concerning it. This exaggerated notion of Christian liberty may have a certain attractiveness to those who cannot see the beauty of law ; but it is very dangerous for the great mass of mankind. Teach men that they need not observe the Sabbath, and most of them will not. In England and America we have been taught to believe that to violate the Sabbath is a sin against God, a transgression of his law. The diflbrence between the continental and the Anglo-American Sunday is sufficient proof that wrong doctrine of the Sabbath is at the founda- tion of its non-observance in the former case. Conduct is regulated by belief Men may be worse than their opinions, but it is quite certain that they will never be better. Dr. Philip Schaff, whose acquaintance with the facts will not be questioned, and whose judgment concerning the cause is entitled to the highest respect, says on this subject, '■' There has been no radical reform of the Sabbath on the continent of Europe since the Reformation, but rather a fearful progress of Sabbath-desecration in insep- arable connection with a growing neglect of public (9) 236 Nature and Importance of the Sabbath. r ■ \\\ .J 1 1 ft i ' !=^ll- worship. This crying evil forms one of the greatest obstacles to (he spread of vital religion among the people, and can never be successfully overcome except on the basis of a stricter theory than that which generally prevails in the greater part of the old world." * We hear much about the continental Sunday, and good men are troubled with sad forebodings lest it should be transplanted to American soil. There could be no surer way of br'nging about this dreaded calamity than for Christian teachers generally to announce that we are under no other obligation to keep the Lord's day holy than that which grows out of '^ humanity " and " religious expediency." This is not sufficiently solid ground on which to build an institution which the greed and carnality of men will incite them to destroy. Differing but little from this is the opinion or theory that the obligation to keep the Lord's day holy rests upon our love for Christ and for our fellow men. This view has been presented and strongly advocated by Dr. George B. Bacon. He says, " I hope to show in the particular case which I have taken in hand how our Lord's day has greater gloiy than the Jewish Sabbath. Only let us first complete and fortify the argument for (10) * Princeton Review, vol. xxxv. p. 551. •'I' Mr ibl Obligation to Keep the Lord's Day. 237 its observance. For since the law written and engraven in stones, with all its glory, is done away, we have no right to rest the argununt on the commandment. And, since the living Spirit of the Lord prompts the observance, we have no need to rest the argument on the commandment, but appeal directly to the liberty of love. Does the love of Christ constrain us to it? Does the love of God, the love of man, the love of our own souls, impel us to the voluntary commemoration of this first day of the week ? Or does this love find fit and useful expression in such a commem- oration?"-* All these questions he answers in the affirmative, and his answers are true. No one can doubt that these are the noblest motives by which men can be actuated to keep the Lord's day. Every one who is capable of feeling them must acknowledge that one who is moved by them can keep it with far greater joy and profit than are possible to him who regards it as a bur- den, and keeps it only because he feels that he ought. At the same time, this theory is weak just where the one previously noticed is weak. These motives are not felt by any except the most advanced Christians with sufficient strength to impel them to observe the Sabbath at all. It (f * " Sabbath Question," pp. 209, 210. (11) 238 Nature and Importance of the Sabbath, makes us blush for our common humanity to acknowledge it, but it is nevertheless true. This is, no doubt, the ideal of Christian liberty that men should do right because they love to ; but if you say to men in general, do as you please, th .y will please to do wrong. Paul found that the Chris- tians of his time were ready enough to abuse the liberty which he proclaimed as their right in Christ, and even claimed the liberty to indulge in gross sin. The history of the Church shows that whenever liberty has been asserted to the exclu- sion of law, license has been the immediate re- sult. The plain teaching of Scripture is that men can never rise above the law as a rule of conduct, and that so long as they do not obey it spontaneously and gladly, they are to obey it from a sense of obligation. This was clearly shown in another part af the discussion. Happy is the man who can rise superior to the law because " the love of Christ constraineth " him gladly to obey it; but until we are perfect we must ac- knowledge the law's restraints. If love to Christ and to your fellow men and to your own soul impels you to observe the Lord's day, you may forget the fourth commandment ; but if it does not, you are yet under the law. The law has never been repealed ; it is still binding upon every one of us. Christ has not changed it. He has only (12) . I Obligation to Keep the Lord's Day. 239 changed some of us so that we can obey it witli joy. Hence we insist that the attempt to make love the sole foundation of the obligation to observe the Lord's day is unsafe, because it will be understood by those in whom this motive is not sufficiently strong that they need not keep it at all. It may be said that they ought to love Christ, and that this is the first obligation to put before them. We grant it; but we must not tell them that they are at liberty to lie or steal until they do love him. We thus come back to the fundamental principle that law must be en- forced — that the conscience must be appealed to — until liberty is safe because the heart is right. Another difficulty with this view, as with the preceding, is that it leaves too much discretionary with the individual. On this theory it is sub- mitted to his judgment whether he will keep the Sabbath or disregard it. He is also at liberty to choose in what manner he will observe it. Now God has not left men with this degree of license. He knows too well how certainly men go astray when allowed to choose their own course. We are so full of sin, our desires are so corrupt, our hearts are so selfish, that we need an infallible guide in all matters of conduct. As well leave a man delirious with fever to choose his own med- icine, as to leave a man to take his own course in (13) \ ;f 11 p \ i 1 i ■.i - 1, 1 ^^ i i jr. I! •:m 240 Nature and Importance of the Sabbath, 51 matter so vitally related to his eternal welfare as the o})servance of the Lord's day. And this loads us to notice a third foundation uhich has been laid for tlu; obligation to keep the Sabbath. It is maintaiiicMl thiit the Jewish Sab- bath has been wholly abrogated, and that the Lord's day is an entirely new institution, resting upon the basis of apostolic example. This is the position taken by Dr. Ilessey, though he admits that there is an analogy between the Jewish Sab- bath and the Lord's day. He says, " The Lord's day is not a continuance, in the strict sense of that word, of the Sabbath, but i ^ upon a foundation of its own." * This he has previously explained to be the example of the apostles. Thus, '^ the Lord's day (a festival on the first day in each week in memory of our Lord's res- urrection) is of divine institution, and peculiarly Christian in its character, as being indicated in the New Testament, and having been acknowl- edged by the apostles and their immediate fol- lowers as distinct from the Sabbath (a Jewish festival on the seventh day in each week), the obligation to observe which is denied, both ex- pressly and by implication, in the New Testa- ment." f With this we have little fault to find. * " Sunday," p. 136. (14) t Ibid., p. 14. Ohligation to Keep the Lord's Day. 241 a There can bo no question thjit wo have apostolic authority for changing tli<3 Sabbath from tho seventh to the first day of the week. IJut wo deny that tho Lord's day is wholly independent of the Jewish Sabbath. It is the same institu- tion modified to suit the needs of the Christian Church; otherwise we are wholly in the dark as to the proper method of observing it. If you say that we may learn this from the fourth com- mandment as interpreted by Christ and the apos- tles, you admit all that we claim, njimely, that the Sabbath has been transferred to the first day of the week. But where else shall we go to learn it? We have simply the two facts that the apostles and early Christians were accustomed to hold religious meetings on the first day of the week, and that they declared the seventh-day Sabbath to be abolished. They do not tell us, however, that the Sabbath as an institution is done away, neither do they give any instruction about how to keep the Lord's day. If they had been founding an entirely new institution, which had no direct relation to anything in the past, would they not have been likely to have given some hint, at least, as to the proper method of observing it ? If it be said, in reply, that this was their usual method — that they left the form of organization and the ordinances of the Church 16 (ift) 1 1 SI \\ ml ;f f V i^Ml .■'i » 'h 242 Mature and Importance of the Sabbath. to be shaped by the inworking Spirit and subse- quent events — we answer that, in our opinion, these matters were very definitely determined by their commands and example, and that we should expect the same thing with regard to the observ- ance of the Lord's day if it Avere an entirely new institution. We do not deny that we are bound, in matters of Christian observance, by the ex- ample of the apostles ; but we have something far more plain and explicit concerning the Sabbath in the fourth commandment, which they did not repeal and which is still binding upon us. Men need this explicitness. The average mind is more readily moved by a direct command than by an inference drawn from the example of even inspired men. They may dispute the inference, but they cannot dispute the command. We desire to know and teach the truth. Men may be temporarily injured by knowing the full measure of their liberty; bat, in the long run, they had better know the whole truth. We would not pretend that the fourth commandment is still in force simply because we feared to declare the contrary. That is not our argument. We have already shown that there is no evidence in the Scriptures of its abrogation. What we here claim is that this conclusion is borne out by the fact that no other ground of obligation to keep the Sabbath is (16) Obligation to Keep the Lord's Day. 243 adequate. On no other basis will it commend itself to the judgment and consciences of the great mass of mankind. We do not fear liberty when its enjoyment is in accordance with the divine plan ; but we have no evidence that it is God's plan to annul the oriffinal law of the Sab- bath and leave us to find wholly new reasons for keeping it. It should not be inferred from anything that has been said that Dean Alford, Dr. Bacon or Dr. Hessey wrote in antagonism to the Sabbath. Nothing in their writings shows any but the strongest desire that this blessed institution should be sacredly preserved. Their desire to promote its proper observance led them to study and think and write upon it. They tried honestly to find the best ground on which to base such an observance. It is because we think they erred, in departing from the plain letter of the law and seeking something else for a basis of the Lord's day, that we have criticised their presentation of the subject. The reasons for observing the Lord's day which they have advanced onglit to be suf- ficient to lead all men to observe it. We do not reject these reasons ; we only say that the first and strongest and best reason is in the law of God. But we must notico in this connection one )rth by Christian men, which, if theory put (17) 5 .*, 4 u I ( 1 I ir ,V. • M 244 Nature and Importance of the Sabbath. adopted, would be totally destructive of the Sab- bath and of everything closely connected with it — of true religion itself. This is the view that to the true Christian all days are alike holy ; that, since he is to do all things to the glory of God, he must consecrate all his time to God's service ; that to set apart one day as sacred is to belittle and secularize the others, and that he does not need any such day, since he carries the spirit of perfect consecration into all that he does. This, it is claimed, is what Paul meant when he said that one day is as good as another. It argues a low state of religion when men need special days and seasons. If they were only far enough advanced in the divine life, they would need nothing of the kind. F. W. Robertson seems to favor this theory, for he says, speaking of Paul's doctrine of holy days, " The gospel of Christ had sanctified all time ; hence no time could be specially God's. For to assert that Sunday is more God's day than Monday is to main- tain by implication that Monday is his less right- fully."* He maintains the need of the Sabbath, but holds that it is a need growing out of our imperfections as Christians. He says of Paul, ^' His heart would have sunk within him could he (18) * Sermons, second series, p. 203. liul, he Ohligation to Keep the Lord's Day, 245 have been told that at the end of eighteen cen- turies the Christian Church would still be observ- ing days and months and times and years — and, still more, needing them." * This implies that a time may come when there will be no need of Sabbath. On its surface this theory has a very attractive look ; but a careful examination shows that it is utterly fallacious. It is a half-truth, and on that account the worst of falsehoods. It is true that Monday is just as much God's day as Sunday, but it is his, by his own command, for a different purpose. If all our time belongs to God, that is a sufficient reason why we should use it as he directs. Now, he has told us to labor six days, and to use the seventh for rest and religious exercises. " To obey is better than sacrifice." To have an obedient spirit and to act in accordance with God's will is a better means of sanctifying all our time than some fancied notion that, since it all belongs to God, it is all to be used in one way. Whatever we do in obedience to God's will — the meanest toil that ever occupied the hands of a common laborer — is thus rendered holy. It is the spirit in which one uses his days which determines whether or not they are sacred. Moreover, this theory, if carried out in practice, * Sermons, second series, p. 205. (19) I i P ¥-'4 Km • i J1 I iff "I 1 ! ( 1 I ! 1 ) . 'J Elf ac I , ; M ill 1 1 I: 246 Nature and Importance of the Sabbath. would result in the secularization of all days and the sanctifying of none. When will men be so holy that they will not be obliged to toil for their daily bread, to work on farms, in shops, in stores, in factories, in offices, wherever a livelihood may be gained ? This work will always take their attention, occupy their thoughts and exhaust their strength ; hence they will always need ^ays when they can rest, and give their attention to other matters. The Sabbath has a foundation in the needs of men, but those needs will continue as long as time lasts. They are not imperfections, they are constitutional needs. It would work disaster to the spiritual life of the best Christian if he were to attempt to do the same things on Sunday that he does on other days with the idea that he could make them all religious. We shall always need the quiet and meditation, and private and public worship, of the Lord's day in order that on other days we may maintain a spirit of consecration. Instead of importing the occupa- tions of the week into the Sabbath day, we must import the spirit of the Lord's day into the other days of the week. The defects of this view have been so well exposed in the strong and beautiful words of Hengstenberg that a somewhat extended quota- tion from him will be pardoned. He says, " The (20) Obligation to Keep the Lord's Day. 247 ell of ta- he notion that this want (/. e., the want of fixed and periodical occasions on which all outward hin- drances to the service of God are removed) only existed under the Old Testament — that, because (in one sense) every day is a Sabbath to the Christian, the setting apart of certain days is only desirable for those who are merely outwardly members of the New Testament, but inwardly belong to the Old — will certainly find no advocate in the truly advanced Christian, but only in those who have been so absorbed in their immjinanj self as to lose sight of what they really are. The false spiritualism from which such assertions spring is a worm which gnaws more destructively at our spiritual life than legality ever can. That which is true in theory is not always true with- out restrictions when put into practice by indi- viduals ; and this is more than ever the case in our day, whcse impurities are so great, whose faith is so feeble, and whose seeking for holiness is so destitute of earnestness. If we w^ere mem- bers of Christ and nothing else, we shouhl no longer require to set apart certain times, for our whole lives would be an uninterrupted worship. But the flesh still exists in us as well as the spirit, and its strength is always so much the greater in proportion to our unconsciousness of its existence : and, therefore, the louder and more (21) k i I it it 248 Nature and Importance of the Sabbath. confident a man's assertions that fixed times for assembling are superfluous, and the more he de- spises those who think them necessary, as though they could not tell the signs of the times, the stronger the proof that he needs them still. For flying, something more is required than simply to fancy that we have wings. He who is conscious that he has none, and pursues his pilgrimage humbly leaviing upon his staiT, will have made the greatest progress in the end. The continu- ance of sin in us always brings with it suscepti- bility to external impressions and to the influ- ence of evil around us, together with wanderings of mind. The spark may fall on iron without danger, but not upon the tinder. For this rea- son, in order that we may pray without ceasing in a manner befitting our station, ' we must some- times enter into our chamber and shut the door behind us ;' and in order to keep every day as a day to the Lord, we must keep one day free from everything that can disturb our devotion. Such disturbance arises most from our earthly employ, ments. ^ Thus we come back to the position that, pri- marily, the ground of obligation on which the observance of the Lord's day rests is the law of * Quoted by Hcssey, " Sunday," pp. 144, 145 (22) ^iU Obligation to Keep the Lord's Day 249 God. It was commanded in the moral law, and that law has never been repealed. It had an earlier origin than the proclamation of the ten commandments on Sinai ; but, even if this were disproved, it would still be binding upon all men, for those commandments are expressions of the divine will, and are universal rules of human conduct. This, then, is the primary reason for remembering " the sabbath day, to keep it holy." It is a duty which the law of Jehovah imposes upon us. He has given the institution special sanctions by making it commemorative of the finished work of creation, and of the finished work of redemption wrought out for us by his Son. "The Sabbath, then, rests upon a threefold basis — the original creation, the Jewish Ici/lsluilon and the Christian redemption^ * His law has made it the monumental sign of his works. Yet the laws of God are never arbitrary. He never lays any commands upon men, obedience to which will not promote their highest interests. They may feel that his commands restrict their liberty, but the only true liberty is that which renders glad obedience to law. And when men obey God, they come to see, after a while, that benevolence was at the foundation of his law- * Schaff: Princeton Review^ vol. xxxv. p. 539. (23) 250 Nature and Importance of the Sabbath. {«:<•' i i >« I • 14 ! making. He does not commund a thing in order to make it right, but because it is right. If he puts restraints upon us, it is that they may hold us as the anchor holds the ship and keeps it from being driven upon the rocks. If he compels us to go in paths that seem to be rough and thorny, and to lead in a direction exactly the contrary of that which we would take, it is only that we may be brought home at last. In perfect keeping with this method of treating us, we have found that the Sabbath is necessary to the physical, mental, moral, religious and social welfare of man. God gave it, not for his own sake, but for our sake. To poor, toiling, suffer- ing, sinful humanity it comes laden with the choicest blessings. Hence, love for our fellow men suggests an additional reason why we should "remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy." We shall be enemies of our race if we do not. It is also good for all of us as members of the race. The body, mind and soul of every man need it. Hence, self-love — love for our noblest and highest selves — will prompt us to obey the law of the Sabbath. These are parts of the foundation of w^hich the law of God is the chief corner-stone. For obedience to the law of God is always and everywhere the best means of pro- moting the welfare of our fellow men, and the one (24) I Obligation to Keep the Lord's Day. 251 lid sure way of serving our own highest interests. Considerations of the advantages of the Sabbath help us to obey the law requiring us to observe it, for they show us how reasonjible it is, and make us feel that in keeping it we are receiving a blessing for ourselves, instead of bearing a burden, and that in keeping it for the sake of others we are co-workers with God, instead of slaves of an arbitrary power. It is objected that this is mere legalism, a return to that from which Christ has made us free, and that a better way to build up character — the only purpose in the kingdom of Christ — is to appeal to love as a constraining motive. We answer, as we have answered before in substance, that legal- ism is a spirit, and not an action or a series of actions. The moral law can never be done away or changed. Jesus said, " It is easier for heaven and earth to pass, than one tittle of the law to fail."* Christ himself obeyed the law. When John objected to baptizing him, he said, " thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness." f lie said, " My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work." J "I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me." § He " became obedient unto death, * Luke 16 : 17. t Matthew 3 : 15. X John 4 : 34. g lUd. .5 ; 30. (26) 252 Nature and Importance of the Sabbath, 1 <': ■ ' , ;« Ki I I ■n--' even the death of the cross." * Was he, there- fore, a legalist, a mere slave of the law ? Was he less manly, heroic, self-denying, benevolent, divine, because he made it his chief purpose in life to obey the law of the Father ? When the matter is put in this light, it is seen at once to be sheer nonsense to say that there is any higher or nobler reason for doing a thing than because it is in the law of God, which is loved and gladly obeyed by every one whose heart is right in his sight. As though to put a ban upon all sentimentalism of this sort, Christ said, " Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven ; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven." f " If ye love me, keep my commandments." % Love may be the impelling motive, but after all the great thing is to keep the commandments. Let no one hope that he can find higher ground on which to base the Sabbath than that it is among the things commanded. We shall rejoice when we are enabled to see that among all peo- ples the law of the Sabbath is written, " not in tables of stone, but in fleshly tables of the heart ;" § but it will still be a law, and obedience to it will still be a necessity. * Philippians 2 : 8. t Matthew 7 : 21. (26) X John U : 15. g 2 Corinthians 3 : 3. CHAPTER XII. THE JEWISH SABBATH. And call the sabbath a ik'li^ht, the holy of the Lord, hon- ora])ie. — Isaiah 58:13. However clear it nuiy be that the Snbb.'ith is a divine institution designed for all men, that its observance is of perpetual obligation, and that it rests upon the secure foundation of the eternal and immutable law of God, our work would not be complete should we fail to present iii full the teaching of God's word upon the nature, import- ance and proper observance of the Sabbath. If men are told that they are under obligation to keep it holy, they will ask what the Sabbath is. An exposition of the nature of the obligation is essential to its enforcement. While it is un- doubtedly true that each man must be left to his own individual conscience as to the precise method of keeping the day, a general statement of the Lord's design in sanctifying it, as that de- sign appears in the Bible history of the institu- tion, is justly demanded by every one who is required to observe it. Furthermore, a fair ex- position of the nature of the true Sabbath will (27) 254 Nature and Importance of the Sabbath, r. f ■•: < I i I i [j ii. furnish us with additional reasons for believing that the obligation to observe it is universal and perpetual. Nothing is better calculated to con- vince one of its necessity and reasonableness than a careful study of what is taught in Scrip- ture concerning its purpose and character. False doctrine as to what the Sabbath was designed to be has been a potent cause of its desecration. If the law defining it is made too strict, as in the case of the Pharisees and of the Puritans, men revolt against it as unnatural and injurious ; if it is made too lax, as in the case of the Papists, its sanctity is wholly destroyed. A clear expo- sition of what the inspired writers mean by a Sabbath is, therefore, essential to the enforcement of the obligation. We hope that the aisoussion of the Jewisii Sabbath, and of that Sabbath as modified by the gospel, which we propose to un- dertake in this and the following chapter, will remove any remaining doubt in the mind of the reader respecting the command to observe it as both reasonable in its nature and benevolent in its purpose. Let us first give our attention to the Jewish Sabbath. As we "search the Scriptures" of the Old Testament for light on this subject, we are strongly impressed with the vast importance which they give to this institution. It is (28) J The Jewish Sabbath. 256 r a ent ion as mn- ill he as in to )ld ire we is spoken of with all possible (nn])hasis by legis- lators and piophots. The necessity of observ- ing it is made very prominent in the niiixls of the people. '' It was re-enacted in the fourth commandment, which gave it a rank above that of an ordinary law, making it one of the signs of the covenant. As such it remained, together with the passover, the two forming the most solemn and distinctive features of the Hebrew religious life. Its neglect or profanation ranked foremost among national sins ; the renewed ob- servance of it was sure to accompany national reformation."* This importance is indicated in a variety of ways : (1) By the awful manifesta- tion of the divine power and glory which accom- panied the promulgation of the law on Sinai. These were designed to impress the people with the importance of the moral law. They could but feel that a law the giving of which was accompanied by these miraculous displays was invested with a peculiar sanctity. It is true that this affected the ten commandments as a whole ; but the command to keep the Sabbath had so prominent a place among them that it would naturally come in for a large share of the * Francis Gardner : Smith's Bible Dictionary, p. 2758, article " Sabbath." (29) ■f ■' V \ \ m '^ % n ^ 256 Nature and Importance of the Sahhath. consideration due to them all. With a single exception it is the longest of the commandments. It is more minute in its directions than any other. It was inevitable that as the Hebrews thought of that summary of God's law which he had given in circumstances of so great solemnity, they would attach peculiar importance to the fourth commandment. (2) By the form in which the c^inmand to observe it was given. We have already noticed its minuteness and length as bringing it into con- trast with the others. It was also distinguished f.om the rest by being affirmative in its form; all the others are negative. They are simple prohibitions ; this requires positive duties. Of course, something more than mere abstinence from evil is implied in the others, but they are negative in form. Both the precepts of the fourth commandment require the doing of some- thing : " Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy." At once this starts the question tvUf/ is this required and hotv is it to be done ; and thus men are set to thinking of their religious inter- ests. " Six days shalt thou labor, and do all thy work." Here the duty of industry is en- joined in the positive form. That they may know how to appreciate the day of rest, they must work on the other six days. A command (30) The Jewish Sabhath. 257 it is us r- so directly and positively regulative of the whole life could not fail to impress them with its im- portance. (3) By the events with which the command was associated. The first and greatest of t'lt' ' was the creation of the world and the resl of God which followed it. The origin of the world has always had a profound interest for thought- ful men. An institution which was a perpetual memorial of the fact that the God of their fathers created it would naturally have a large place in the minds of the Hebrew people. And then, that rest of God, that mysterious cessation from work while the divine energy was as active as ever, — what significance would they attach to that ! They could not understand it ; no man has quite understood it; but its very mystery would impress them with a sense of awe. That the life of man should in some way be patterned after the life of God in the creation would give them a sense of nearness to him. More than any other one thing it would make them feel that they were his people. The other event of importance to the Hebrew mind, with which the Sabbath was associated, v^as their deliverance from Egyptian bondage. This was the greatest event in their national his- tory. From a throng of oppressed and degraded 17 (31) h')' 11 N* = ' f ' t -1 ■: ' iii ii ilii ii,'' il 258 Nature and Importance of the /Sabbath. slaves it made them into a free nation, inspired with the hope that their glory should fill the whole earth. It had nearly the snme place in their minds that the Declaration of Independ- ence and the struggle to maintain it have in the minds of the American people. The main difference was that it was more their habit than it is ours to refer their deliverance directly to the power of God exercised in their behalf. God commanded them to keep the Sabbath holy on account of what he had done for them : "Re- member that thou wast a servant in the land of Egypt, and that the Lord thy God brought thee out thence through a mighty hand and by a stretched out arm : therefore the Lord thy God commanded thee to keep the sabbath day." * The Sabbath thus became to the Hebrew people a sort of sanctified Fourth of July. As a memo- rial of their deliverance, it was a distinctively Jewish institution; as a memorial of creation — and it is in this relation that it appears in the moral law — it is universal, having a claim upon the attention of all men. (4) By the number of times the command to keep the Sabbath holy is repeated. In the law given by Moses it occurs not less than eight V (32) * Deuteronomy 5:15. ) The Jewish Sabbath. 259 times. No other command except the first — that prohibiting idolatry — is thus emphasized. Moses seemed to act on the idea that with regard to the Sabbath "precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept ; line upon line, line upon line."* Some of these repetitions were very formal and solemn. One of them reads, "And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Speak thou also unto the children of Israel, saying. Verily my sabbaths ye shall keep ; for it is a sign be- tween me and you throughout your generations ; that ye may know that I am the Lord that doth sanctify you. Ye shall keep the sabbath there- fore ; for it is holy unto you : every one that defileth it shall surely be put to death : for who- soever doeth any work therein, that soul shall be cut off from among his people. Six days mny work be done; but in the seventh is the sabbath of rest, holy to the Lord : whosoever doeth any work in the sabbath day, he shall surely be put to death. Wherefore the children of Israel shall keep the sabbath, to observe the sabbath throughout their generations, /or a per- petual covenant. It is a sign between me and the children of Israel for ever : for in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, and on the * Isaiah 28 : 10. (83) 260 Nature and Importance of the Sahhath. I 1 ■, wi J.' I'J t 14. ■ X f 1 i I AM; fl^ lit lil seventh day he rested, and was refreshed." * It was not because this command was more likely to be forgotten than the others that it was so often repeated ; it was because the institution was so important and had such a vital relation to the religion of the Hebrews and to their wel- fare as a nation. (5) By the penalty attached to the violation of the Sabbath. In the passage just quoted the penalty of "defiling" it was stated to be death. In another place it is said, "whosoever doeth work therein shall be put to death." f In spite of these explicit prohibitions, the people and even the elders did not seem clearly to under- stand what kind of work would " defile " it. But it was not long before an event occurred which made the matter perfectly plain. It is narrated in the following words : " And while the children of Israel Avere in the wilderness, they found a man that gathered sticks upon the sabbath day. And they that found him gathering sticks brought him unto Moses and Aaron, and unto all the con- gregation. And they put him in ward, because it was not declared what should be done to him. And the Lord said unto Moses, The man shall be surely put to death : all the congregation shall * Exodus 31 : 12-17. (34) t Ibid., 35 : 2. The Jewish Sabbath, 261 \ stone him with stones without the camp. And all the congregation brought him without the camp, and stoned him with stones, and he died ; as the Lord commanded Moses." * This strikes us as a terrible penalty for such an offence. We are shocked at the apparent disproportion be- tween the punishment and the sin. If the Sab- bath was a blessing and a privilege, why not let ' the man who deprived himself of it simply suffer the natural consequences ? But when w^e look a little more carefully into the nature of the case, the punishment does not seem so harsh or severe. God was educating his people, and through them the world. Here was an institution which was not only vitally related to their welfare, but which would bear an important part in the glo- rious work of redeeming the whole race. The law establishing it had just been re-enacted with a degree of solemnity calculated to make them all feel that if must be obeyed. To gather a few sticks upon a holy day was in itself a small mat- ter; but to perform an act which, if allowed to pass unpunished, would tend to destroy an insti- tution like the Sabbath, w^as quite another thing. If a company of soldiers were storming a fort- ress, and if, just at the critical moment, the com- li II * Numbers 15:32-36. (35) I :•■* i.i\ i m I: 11 1 262 Nature and Importance of the Sabbath. manding officer should see that one of the men was about to perform an act of disobedience that would throw the whole h'ne into confusion, and about which there could be no mistake, would he not be justifiable in shooting the insubordinate or cowardly man on the spot? In so doing he might save the lives of many others and win for his country an important victory. Well, the case was somewhat like this in the early history of the Sabbath. They were at the critical point of determining whether God should have a people in the world. Far more than we may think, the result depended upon the observance of the Sabbath. The institution could not be destroyed without defeating God's purposes and robbing the world of countless and immeasurable blessings. It was necessary, therefore, that an open infrac- tion of the law should be severely punished. In no other way could the transcendent importance of the institution be impressed upon the minds of the chosen people. No injustice was done to the transgressor, for he had been fairly warned t but he might have obtained mercy had it not been for the necessity of impressing the people with the importance of the Sabbath. His act was calculated to destroy that which God, in his infinite wisdom, had determined to maintain. How could he maintain it if, at the very outset, The Jewish Sabbath. 263 one who had violated its sanctity was allowed to go unpunished ? (G) By the prominence which is given to it, in the reproof and instruction of the reformers and prophets of Israel. We have already noticed this in showing that the fourth commandment is a part of the moral law ; but we may consider it from another point of view. In spite of the sol- emn emphasis placed upon this command, it was not always obeyed. Just in the proportion that the worship of Jehovah declined and idol- atry took its place, the Sabbath was desecrated. In the two or three troubled centuries that fol- lowed the reign of Solomon and the dismember- ment of the empire, the Sabbath was little re- garded. In the time of Amos the people, greedy of gain, came to look upon its observance as a burden. They are represented by that prophet as saying, " When will the new moon be gone, that we may sell corn? and the sabbath, that we may set forth wheat, making the ephah small, and the shekel great, and falsifying the balances by deceit?"* Isaiah frequently denounces their formal and heartless observance of the Sabbath, or their entire disregard of it. The Lord spoke through him saying, ^' Bring no more vain obla- 11 ! tl i * Amos 8 : 5. (37) 264 Nature and Importance of the Sabbath, "t ':'X \ II'-: w -■-r r ' • ) tions ; incense is an abominjition unto me ; the new moons and sabbaths, the calling of assem- blies, I cannot away with ; it is iniquity, even the solemn meeting." * Read again the glorious promises f which are made through him to those who keep the Sabbath, and learn how important it was in the mind of this greatest of the proph- ets. In the time of Jeremiah it had become cus- tomary to transport merchandise on the Sabbath, and for this it is threatened that the judgments of God shall lall upon Israel. J These prophecies were speedily fulfilled in the Bjibylonish captiv- ity of seventy years. It was distinctly under- stood that this terrible calamity w\as brought upon them by their sins, among which the viola- tion of the Sabbath was prominent. Ezekiel, who lived in the time of the captivity, explains not only past§ but also present judgments by referring to this profanation. The Lord says through him, " Her priests have violated my law, and have profaned mine holy things : they have put no difference between the holy and profane, neither have they showed difference be- tween the unclean and the clean, and have hid their eyes from my sabbaths, and I am profaned * Isaiah 1:13. t/6shHdowod the rest from wandering and daugi'V which tbey would enjoy in lb(» promised bind. It stood always as a symbol of the rest of the soul in God, which could be perfected only as they passed one by one into that " bet- ter country," the "heavenly," into which Abra- ham and Isaac and Jacob had gone. It spoke of a time when they, as a people, would have rest from the endless round of sacrifices and offerings, from wearying and fruitless efforts to obey the law, from doleful experiences of trans- gression and consequent judgments ; of a time when they should have peace through "the Lamb of God that taketh away the sin of the world," and when, in "the glorious liberty of the children of God," they would obey gladly the law written "in fleshly tables of the heart." The rest of the Sabbath and the rest of the promised land were not perfect ; " For if Jesus [Joshua] had given them rest, then would he not afterward have spoken of another day. There remaineth therefore a rest" — a sabbatiz- ing — " to the people of God." * It spoke also :^r' m i IP it:, * Hebrews 4 : 8, 9. (43) 1 ^ M.i 11 270 Nature and Importance of the Sahhath. of the perfect rest beyond the grave, when all their toils and struggles and difficulties would be over, and when they would know in its full- ness \\\Q peace of God. It is not probable that many of them attached this meaning to the weekly day of rest. They were children in the faith, and saw but dimly the great spiritual ver- ities which the forms and ceremonies of their religion symbolized. But some of them " died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and w^ere per- suaded of them, and embraced them, and con- fessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth."* The Sabbath was designed to teach them the blessed truth that the faithful should not finally fail of entering into perfect rest. Thus, as a day of rest it was both a priv- ilege and a promise of better things to come. The Sabbath was very important in its rela- tion to the 7xligioiis life of the Hebrews. They were the chosen people of God, and as such were to keep alive his worship. They were exposed on every hnnd to the influence of heatherism. In keeping the Sabbath of the Lord they were distinguished from the heathen around them ; and just in the proportion that it was desecrated * Hebrews 11:13. ; (44) i The Jewish Sabbath. 271 i J did idolatry make inroads upon the worship of Jehovah. This connection \vas inevitable, as will be seen from a study of the nature of the antagonism between the He])re\v reliiTion and the religions of their heathen neighbors. Many of the latter worshipped Baal and Astarte, the god and goddess who were supposed to give the increase of the ocks and fruits of the earth. Being the impersonation of those forces of nature which are operative for the support of man— ^-having, as was supposed, power to produce a famine or to give plenty — they were naturally the most important of the heathen deities. But the Hebrews were constantly reminded by the Sabbath that " God created the heaven and the earth," and that he reigned with sovereign power over all its forces. The heathen were accustomed to look to their divinities for protection from danger and for vic- tory over their enemies. The Sabbath was a standing memorial to the Hebrews of how Jeho- vah had wrought mightily in delivering them from Egypt — of how he had brought them " out thence through a mighty hand and by a stretched out arm." So long as they kept it holy, it was an assurance that the same power was always ready to be exercised in their behalf Again, the prosperity of the Hebrew people was conditional upon their obedience to the law (45) 272 Nature and Imimrtance of the (Sabbath. of God. In keeping that law they would be blessed. If they despised and disobeyed it, calamity would surely fall upon them. Such was the announcement of Jehovah. But how were they to know the law from generation to generation? There were no printed books in those early days, and only a few copies of the books of Moses would be in existence at any one time. The people generally could not oe- come acquainted with it hj rending. They were wholly dependent upon oral instruction. When would there be time ^or it? When could they congregate for the purpose ? Manifestly the nat- ural and proper time for it was the weekly Sab- bath. Thus w(^ read, " Six days shall work be done : but the seventh day is the sabbath of rest, a holy convocation." '^'' There can be little doubt that this "convocation" was not only for worship but also for instruction in the law. Two passages in Joseph us throw light on this question. He says, " The seventh day we set apart from labor ; it is dedicated to the learning of our customs and laws : we think it proper to reflect on them p,s well as on any good thing else, in order to our avoiding sin."f In another place, speaking of the superior excellence of * Leviticus 23 : 3. f "Antiquities," b. xvi. ch. 2, sec. 3. (40) juld be yed it, Such ut how ition to )oks in of the at any not oe- y were When d they he nat- y Sab- )rk be ilh of little ly for liiw. this e set rning er to -hing >ther I of BC. 3. The Jewish Sahhath. 273 Moses as a law-giver over the law-givers of other nations, he says that *' Moses demonstrated the law to be the best and the most necessary in- struction of all others, permitting the people to leave off their other employments, and to assem- ble together for the hearing of the law and learn- ing it exactly ; and this not once or twice, or oft- ener, but every week ; which thing all the other legislators seem to have neglected." * Thus pro- vision was made for that instruction in the law which was necessary if it was to be obeyed and if the blessings promised to obedience were to be secured. In this relation the Sabbath was essential to the maintenance of true religion and of national existence. But it was not used alone for instruction; it was also the regular day of worship. The morning and evening sacrifices were doubled on that (x'^..y.'\ On that day the shewbread in the holy place was to be changed. There can be no doubt that the "holy convocation" of the Sab- bath was held as much for worship as for instruc- tion. The question put 'xiy the husband of the Shunammite woman to his wife, concerning her proposed visit to Elishu — '* Wherefore wilt thou go to him to day ? it is neither new mo?n, nor 18 * " Afifiinst Apiun," b. ii. sec. 18. t NiiniLors 28:9. m (47) 274 Nature and Importance of the Sahhath. t1 'hV'. !• ?V] fl : sabbath"* — indicates that it was the custom of tlio people to assemble on that day with the prophets and other religious teachers. Singing praises to God must have constituted a part of the worship, for the ninety-second psalm is marked "A Psalm for the sabbath day." This does not imply that no other psalm was used on that day, but that this was peculiarly ap- propriate for it. A frequently-recurring day on which they could gather for worship was very necessary to their religious development. They were to be (distinguished as the worshippers of Jehovah. Christ said it had been written, '^ Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve." f This was a sum- mary of many of the commands of the Mosaic law. Man must, worship something. The in- stinct is strong within him to stand in awe of the Supreme and do reverence to his name. This tendency to worship is the unconscious testimony of the soul to its divine origin. It is this which places man above all other earthly creatures ; " For what are men better than sheep or goats, That nouriah a blind life within the brain, If, knowii^o- God, they lift not hands of prayer Both for themselves and those who call them friend?" % * 2 Kings 4:23. t Matthew 4 : 10. (48) X Tennysov . '' Morte 'i'-4;:"hur." The Jewish Sabbath. 275 I It is certain that frequent days of worship would be divinely appointed for a people through whom the religious education of the world was to be largely accomplished. It is scarcely conceiv- able that fullest provision would not be made for the development of the spirit of reverence and adoration, since this underlies all religion and all religious possibilities. How highly de- veloped this spirit of devotion was among the Hebrews is shown by the Psalms — those mar- vellous hymns which voice the religious needs and aspirations of the human soul as no other productions have done, and which sing the praises of God in strains so lofty and power- ful that the world will never outgrow them. It is clear that the Sabbath was made import- ant in the minds of the Hebrews for good and sufficient reasons. It was so great a blesniug to them as a day of rest, it taught so many great truths, and it was so vitally connected with their religious system, that we should expect all the means to be employed by which its careful observance could be secured. Those means were the solemn circumstances in which the command to keep it holy was uttered, the extended and particularizing form in which the command was given, the greatness of the events v/ith which the Sabbath was associated, the fre- (49J i ■it fy. 276 Nature and Importance of the Sabbath. ii'i- iJ i ^ quency with which the command was repeated, the death penalty attached to its violation, and the prominence given to it in the warnings and promises addressed to the Hebrew people. This discussion of its importance in the He- brew polity throws light on the nature of the Sabbath as observed by them. The day was not one of idleness. It did not require the sus- pension of all activity, as the rabbis afterward taught- Tbe origiial terms of the command to keep iL holy show that the kinds of work for- bidden were servile work and secular business. Nothing of a worldly or purely selfish nature was permitted. " If thou turn away thy foot from the sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on my holy day; and call the sabbath a delight, the holy of the Lord, honorable ; and shalt honor him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine oivn words : then shalt thou delight thyself in the Lord ; and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth, and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father : for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.'"* Words could not set forth more clearly the fact that the day was the Lord's, and was not to be used for the earthly * Isaiah 58 : 13, 14. (50) The Jewish Sabbath. 277 i n pleasure or profit of man. Notice how they were not to find their own pleasure, and yet to call the Sabbath a delight; "pleasure" here meaning the gratification of carnal and worldly desires. There are not many specific prohibi- tions. They were forbidden to have fires in their houses on the Sabbath ; * but as fires, in that climate, were used almost exclusively for cooking, this prohibition was plainly designed to secure rest for the women and domestic servants. In one case they were forbidden to go without the camp ; f but this was in connection with gathering manna, and was not, probably, meant to be a permanent regulation. With these ex- ceptions the prohibitions were simply general, and included work, business and carna! pleasure. But abstinence from labor did not mean inaction. Whatever work was necessary to the conduct of worship and to the offering of sacrifices was allowable. J The mind was to be diligently em- ployed in studying the law of God, and the heart was to be alive in his worship. It was not a day of restraint and gloom. Though it was a holy day, it was full of joy and gladness. The true Hebrew never thought it necessary to M! HI * Exodus 35 : 3. t Ibid., 16 : 29 X Matthew 12 : 5. i^l) I .-ri- i- 4 278 Nature and Importance of the Sabbath. be gloomy in order to be religious. With him song and dance and feast could all be conse- crated to the service of tlie Holy One. They were taught to *^be glad in the Lord." A re- markable illustration of this is found in the book of Nehemiah. When the people were taught out of the law and shown their sins, they were filled with sorrow. Then Nehemiah and Ezia Jind the Le- vites " said unto all the people, This day is holy unto the Lord your God ; mourn not, nor weep. For all the people wept, when they heard the words of the law. Then he said unto them, Go your way, eat the fat, and drink the sweet, and send portions unto them for whom nothing is prepared : for this day is holy unto our Lord : neither be ye sorry ; for the joy of the Lord is your strength. So the Levites stilled all the people, saying, Hold your peaco, for the day is holy ; neither be ye grieved. And all the people went their way to eat, and to drink, and to send portions, and to make great mirth, because thay had understood the words that were declared unto them."* There is no evidence that this was on the Sabbath day ; on the contrary, it is quite clear that it was not. The feast they were directed to hold was evidently the " feast of Ift-l-- fl l! * Nehemiah 8 : 9-12. (62) The Jewish Sabbath. 279 trumpets," * which occurred on the first day of the seventh month, and which was a specially joyful occasion. Still the day is three times declared to be "holy unto the Lord"; and we quote the passage to show that the Hebrews did not regard the rejoicing as inconsistent with the proper observance of the day. It may be said that their religion was fairly expressed in the words " The joy of the Lord is your strength." This has led to a misapprehension of their prac- tice in keeping the Sabbath. Our tendency to eliminate rejoicing from our religious exercises, and to feel that whatever is mirthful must be irreligious, makes it hard to understand how David could dance "before the Lord,"f how we can properly be exhorted to "praise his name in the dance," J an'' these people could " make great mirth" on a day "holy unto the Lord." The explanation is simple. They were accus- tomed to give expression in bodily signs to their religious joy ; hence a thing was not irreligious because it was mirthful. Their Sabbath was never a holiday in our sense of the tcim. They did nothing on it inconsistent with a strictly religious observance. They upvor devoted it * Leviticus 23 : 24, 25. t 2 Samuel 6 : 14. X Pselm 14y : 3. (53) I; 44; 280 Nature and Importance of the ISabbath. to niero amii.soinent. That such a Ihing would have been coiisidenHl a sin is plain from the pas- sago just quoted from Isaiah. If they visited on that day, it was in order that they might gather with friends for religious conversation. 11" they made " feasts," they were like the a A.. ^^-•i» .0^. \^; W IMAGE EVALUATJON TEST TARGET (MT-3) J: ^ ^ z:^ t^^ « fA f/- i.O ^ il I.I 1.25 IS fal kVO lllll M Z2 2£ 1.8 H 11.6 6" Oj v^ A. -v '/ Phofcygraphic ^Sciences Lorporation 23 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, N.Y. 1^<> "C^-V^ V >r' nrd\ Densation no sin, however enormous it may be, receives immedi- ately its full punislmient. The state may punish crimes, but can inflict no penalty for sins. This is the day of sahation, not the day of judgment; that is coming hereafter. The disciples, angry with certain Samaritans because they had not given Jesus a good reception, asked, " Wilt thou that we command fire to come down from heaven, and consume them, even as Elias did ?" His an- sw^er was a sharp rebuke : " Ye know not what manner of spirit ye are of For the Son of man is not come to destroy men's lives, but to save themr * While the race was in the primary school of God, the nature of sin could be revealed only by inflicting severe penalties upon trans- gressors. The lesson having now been given and the minds of men who heed God's voice having been enlightened, we can see that sin may best be left to work out its own penalty. Ananias and Sapphira were smitten dead for lying about their property. Because those who tell similar lies now are not so punished, does it follow that their sin is less ? That was a special case, and * Luke 9 : 54-56. (75) 302 Nature and Importance of the Sabbath. ».;■■■ I j! ' - I! 1- I i" designed to give a terrible warning to the Church at the very beginning of its history. At the be- ginning of the Mosaic dispensation a similar mark was put upon tlie sin of violating the Sabbath; but now, while the sin is just the same, the pen- alty is not inflicted. Those who break the Sab- bath are not stoned to death ; they are left to receive in their own souls and bodies the natural consequences of their sin. Since this is the day of salvation, opportunity for repentance is given ; but if they do not repent, their punishment will be worse than stoning. Even in this life they will become morally degraded and physically enervated. Their souls will be farther and far- ther separated from God, and thus fitted for an eternal imprisonment in " outer darkness." They have had ample instruction and warning ; but " be- cause sentence against an evil work is not exe- cuted speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil." * If men were stoned to death now for Sabbath-breaking, very few would be guilty of it. Let it be known that the sin is not less because the penalty is changed. We are now prepared to examine in detail the differences and resemblances between the Jewish * Eoclesiastes 8 : 11. (70) I The Lord's Day. 303 Sabbath and the Lord's day. Most of these have been noticed in previous parts of the discussion ; but it is desirable that they be grouped together in a brief suinnuiry. In what do they ;igree and in what do they differ ? In respect to their essential naiure they are one and the same institution. The foundation of both is the fourth commandment, which forms part of the moral hiw ; but while they are both command- ed, neither was meant to be a burden, and the Lord's day especially is a day of liberty and re- joicing. In this they are sliglitly different, the Lord's day having less of prohibitory restraint, and the motive for keeping it being love for Christ rather than fear of penalty. Both are memorial days. The Jewish Sabbath was designed to commemorate the work of cre- ation and the rest of God which followed it. The Lord'fj day serves the same end. With the six days of work which precede it, it furnishes the same reminder of God's creative work and his subsequent rest. But here there is a dilTerence as well as an agreement. The Jewish Sabbath was made commemorative of the deliverance of the Hebrews from Egyptian bondage ; the Lord's day commemorates the delivcnince of the world from the bondage and curse of sin by the Re- deemer. In this respect the glory of the Lord's (77) 'i! 304 Nature and Importance of the Sabbath. ; > I !:■ m h i day is infinitely greater than of that which has passed away. If the Jews cared to celebrate the day which reminded thoni of their former bondage and i)resent liberty, mucli more ouj^ht we to celebrate the day on which Christ proved himself the conqueror of death and hell. As me- morials of deliverance, they both teach, to those for whom they were designed, lessons of humil- ity and gratitude. Both are prophetic of a higher and more per- fect rest than they have given or can give. Both point to the rest of the soul in God through faith in the Lord Jesus — the one dimly, the other with clearer symbol — and to the perfect rest which can come only when all the toils and cares of this life are over. Both were designed for the benefit of man, affording him opportunities for rest and for the cultivation of his religious nature. In this re- spect the only difference is that the Lord's day, being commemorative of greater events and tak- ing its character more from the gospel dispensa- tion, is calculated to be far more useful to Chris- tians than it was possible for the Jewish Sabbath to be to the most devout Hebrew. They differ in respect to the dat/ of the week on which they should be observed. The Jewish Sabbath came upon the seventh, the Lord's day (78) The Lord's Ihtfj. 305 re- tak- pnsa- iris- )ath \veek ash Iday is the first, day of the week. This change was made by the authority of the inspired a])()slles, and does not afl'cct the nature of the institution. The particular day of the week on which it shoukl be observed was a positive, not a moral, element of the Sabbath law, and is abolished. It is commonly asserted that the proportion of time was also positive, and that the only moral element is the duty of setting apart some portion of time to the service of God. This nuiy be true ; but it is not worth while to dispute about it, for the apostles retained the seventh-day division in the establishment of the Lord's day, and thus the proportion of time is for- ever fixed. In so far as the Jewish Sabbath was commem- orative of the deliverance from Egypt, it w^as local. This feature of it could have no interest for any other people. But the Lord's day is to be universal. Wherever men acknowledge the lordship of Christ, his day will be observed. It is prophesied in holy writ that he is to be king over the w^hole earth : " God also hath highly ex- alted him, and given him a name which is above every name : that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of thincjs in heaven, and tkiuijs in earth, and things under the earth ; and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, 20 (79) : t 306 Nature and Lnportancc of the Snhhath. : .7 1 i ! 4 i s , m ii "« to the glory of God the Father." * It is scarcely conceiv}i})lo that ihc religion of Christ can bo uiiy- whcre e.stublislied aiul the Loi'd's day not be ihore observed. There can hardly be preaching of the gospel in any systematic Way without this insti- tution. It is quite certain that as soon as love and loyalty to Christ begin to be f(;lt in the hearts of men, they are ghid to keep holy the Lord's day. Its [noniise of universality sep- arates it widely from the Jewish Sabbath. The latter could never have found general acceptance. The fact that for centuries no other people had kept the Sabbath loft the impression upon the minds of the Gentiles that it was altogether a Jewish institution. This would have rendered futile any attempt to make it universal. It was, no doubt, for this reason, among others, that the day of the week was changed, and that other changes were made adapting the institution to the needs of the Christian Church. There is nothing in the nature of the Lord's day to pre- vent its universal adoption by all those who re- ceive the Lord Jesus as their Saviour and King. And this leads to the notice of another striking difference between them. To a certain extent the Jewish Sabbath took its character from the religious system of the Hebrews. It was so con- (80) *Philippian8 2:9-11. tircely any- ) ill (3 re of the ; insti- -s love in the ly the y sep- . The ptance. lie had on the jther a nilered It was, it the other on to lere is :o pre- ho re- King, riking extent )m the cori- The Lot'da Day. 3U7 nccted with every part of Ihnt system that such a conformity was inevitable. It was a Jewish fes- tival whose observance did not r('([uiro them to consider the welfare of any one wlio was not a Jew. Bnt this was no more true of the S;ibbath than of any other feature of Juduism, Jind does not argue that it was made for th(!m alone. The peculiar forms of their religious system modified the original Sabbath. The essentials remained the same, but it took on enough of Jewish shape to make it necessary to reform it for the Chris- tian Church. Even as the Jew observed it, it could not differ materially from the Lord's day, for the same God established both, for essentially the same purpose. Still, as known among them it was the Jewish Sabbath. On the other hand, the Lord's day is distinctively a Christian insti- tution. The reason for observing it on the first day of the week is to commemorate the resur- rection of Christ. It is to be kept in the spirit of Christ. It is to be marked by such deeds in behalf of men as signalized the hfe of Christ. It is to be so used as to promote the extension of the kingdom of Christ. It symbolizes the perfect rest wiiich comes to the soul only by means of faith in Christ. Thus it is peculiarly adapted to the needs of the followers of Christ. In conclusion, we may observe that it is im- (81) I I II p I ( 11 li! .' 308 Nature and huportance of the Sabbath. possible to see how the Lord's day is any less important to Christians and to the whole world than was the Sabbath to the Hebrews. On the contrary, it is much more important. It is the heir of all that w^as essential and of all that would be useful to the world in the Jewish Sabbath. Every feature in which the Lord's day differs from its prototype is an improve- ment. The changes in this institution conform to the law of growth according to which the establishment of God's kingdom among men has been accomplished. Every purpose which could be served by the Jewish Sabbath can be better served by the Lord's day. We have seen how the importance of the former was impressed upon the minds of the Jews by its association with the greatest events known to men. But the resur- rection of Christ, with w^hicli the Lord's day is associated, was an event greater even than the creation. We have seen that the principal rea- son for giving this importance to the Sabbath of the Jews w^as that it was vitally related to their religion. But the Lord's day is even more closely connected with the extension and maintenance of Christianity, w4ii(!h is to Judaism as the glory of noonday compared with the dim light of the early morning. Judaism was but the scaffolding of the great temple which God was building in the world. (82) The Lord's Day. 309 y less world 3ri tho is the il that Fewish Lord's iprove- 3nform 3h the 3n has could better n how upou th the resur- iay is .n the 111 rea- ,th of their [losely Lce of •ry of early .f the '^orld. The Sabbath, as the Jews knew it, was an import- ant part of that scaffolding ; but the Lord's day is an important part of the temple itself. By its commemoration cf our Lord's resurrection, by its conformity to the genius of Christianity, by its spirituality, by its demand for the performance of benevolent deeds, it becomes a powerful in- strument in the redemption of the race. If God made the Jew feel that it was necessary- for him carefully to observe the Sabbath, much more are we made to feel that it is unspeakably important for us to keep sacred the Lord's day. We admit that men are saved by the power of God. We admit that gospel truth is the instrument which he uses. Nevertheless, we hold that the hope of the world is in the preservation of the Lord's day in all its purity. Destroy this, and soon no gospel could be preached, no religions services could be held ; Christ would be forgotten and his religion banished from the face of the eartli. Judaism could not live without its Sabbath. Without the Lord's day, Christianity would soon be but a glorious memory. If it is important to have men saved from sin and its awful conse- quences — if it is important to have the human race go forward in working out a noble destiny — it is important for all men to remember the per- petual obligation of the Lord's day. (83) \f. li CHAPTER XIV. THE PROPER METHOD OF OBSERVING THE LORDS DAY. r » Ml ii Now let us repose from our care and our sorrow, Let all that ia anxious and sad pass away ; The rough cares of life lay iside till to-morrow, And let us be tranquil and happy to-day. Let us say to the world, should it tempt us to wander — As Abraham said to his men on the plain — There's the mountain of prayer, I am going up yonder, And tarry you here till I seek you again. James Edmeston. Our study of the nature and purpose of the Sabbath, in the two previous cnapters, has pre- pared the way for a discussion of the proper method of observing it. It has almost dispensed with the necessity for such a discussion. Evury person who perceives the ends which the Sabbath was designed to accomplish can decide for him- self what lines cC conduct are consistent with that purpose. At the most, we can deal only with generid principles. To attempt to lay down specific rides, prescribing exactly what must be abstained from and what done on Sunday, would result in giving the institution the repulsive char- acter that it had under the teaching of the rabbis. (S4) Method of Observing the Lord's Day. 311 with only Ibbis. The gospel of Christ is a gospel of liberty ; and while there was some excuse for such restrictions under a dispensation of law, there can be none whatever for them under the present dispensa- tion. Furthermore, rules that would be appli- cable in one case would not apply at all in an- other. The circumstances of different individuals vary so widely that what would be permissible for one might be clearly wrong for another. The same diversity of circumstances at different peri- ods in the life of the same person would have to be provided for in any set of rules for the observ- ance of the Sabbath. It follows that much must be left to the individual conscience. While the law is plain and explicit that the Lord's day should be kept holy, just hoiv it is to be done eac^ man must decide for himself. This is the method of legislation and instruction which per- vades the whole New Testament. Hundreds of questions arise to which no specific answer is given by Christ or his inspired apostles. They knew thnt minute rules for the regulation of the whole life could not be given within the compass of a book which any one would read. They also knew — and this is far more important — that the only way to build up strong and beautiful char- acter is to allow the individual to govern his own life in accordance with certain general principles (85) 'i i if I! ■■1. ' m 5 1! I • •11 :! : I fc^ If 312 Nature and Importance of the Sabbath. of coiidiict. Always to swim on a float does not make a strong and active swimmer; and always to be in the leading-strings of precise rules crip- ples the mental faculties, and prevents the devel- opment of the moral sense. The general law of the Sabbath is, keep steadily in mind the purposfis for w^hich it was established. Whatcvei is calculated to defeat these purposes, in respect either to ourselves or others, is prohibited ; Avhatever is calculated to promote them is required. We have discovered that the purposes of the Sabbath are to secure needed rest for the body, to give those engaged in manual labor opportunity to improve their mental and social condition, and to promote the religious welfare of man. The last is the most important. It W9.s to accomplish this that the Sabbath was made a memorial of creation and of redemption, that it was set apart for the worship of God, and that it was made a type of spiritual and eternal rest. Now% in respect to specific ac- tions, any man ought to be able to decide whether they are calculated to defeat or to promote these purposes. It is only by way of expanding and illustrating this general principle that we under- take the discussion of the proper method of keep- ing the Lord's day. The subject naturally divides itself into three (86) Method of Observing the Lord's Day. 313 parts: 1. Things prohibited: actions which are plainly violations of the law of the Sabbath. 2. Things allowable : actions which in some circum- stances would be inconsistent with the purposes of the Sabbath, but which, in other circumstances, are justifiable by a higher law than that of the Sabbath, or are necessary to the accomplishment of its purposes. 3. Things required : duties pe- culiarly appropriate to the Sabbath, and for the performance of which it was appointed. I. Things Proiudited on the Lord's Day. — Many difficulties beset this part of the subject. The path to a right judgment on every question that can arise is by no means easy and plain. And the dilTiculties are increased by the fact that the teaching of Christ and his apostles concerning the Sabbath contains no prohibitions or declarations of what is unlawful on that day. Hence we must go to the fourth commandment and to the Old Testa- ment expositions of it for any express prohibitions. But wo are not shut up to these, for the purpose of the Sabbath appears more clearly in the words of Christ than in any other part of the Bible ; and it is by keeping in mind that purpose that we are able to formulate prohibitory laws concerning it. Whatever tends to defeat the purpose of the Sabbath is wrong, and therefore prohibited. The statute does not make it wrong, but it is forbid- (S7) lir il' :■•,-:., . ■■- 314 Nature and Imjwrtance of the Sabbath. )W\ 1 * .'5 >^s 4 1 \¥ ^ ' i ) '• i \ i^ i 1 den by the statute because it is wrong in the nature of the case. In this discusvsion the word *' prohibited" is not applied only to tlmt which is rorbidden by an express command, but also to whatever is, in its nature or tendency, antag- onistic to the Sabbath. Adopting this as our principle, we shall find that the law of the Sab- bath forbids — 1. Atl labor for gain. This is evident both from the terms of the commandment and from the purpose of the Sabbath. The word in the fourth commandment which is translated " work" means servile work — primarily, such work as could be done by means of servants ; more widely, all kinds of business. That it included the latter is plain from the prohibitions against buying and selling which we. find in Nehemiah. We have seen that the disciples of Christ did not pursue their ordinary avocations on the Sabbath day, since, if they had, it would certainly have been recorded against them. That it is required by the commandment is not the only reason for abstaining from work for gain on the Lord's day. Such work would have a direct tendency to defeat every purpose of the institution. Entire cessation from the ordinary pursuits of the week is at the foundation of Sab- bath observance. Without this, its purpose to (88) Method of Observing the Lord's Day. 315 f'li iq give rest to the exhausted body of the toiler, to provide opportunity for mentul ini})rovoinoiit and social curiuio, and to promote the religious de- velopment of all men, could not be accomplished. To secure any one of these objects requires com- plete abstinence from all kinds of secular work. It may be asked whether such work on the Lord's day is in itself wrong — whether a part of the day might not be used for it without defeating its purpose, allowing each one to choose for himself what portion of the day he needs for rest and religious exercises. It has already been deter- mined that one seventh of the time must be re- deemed from toil for these purposes. This is the divine arrangement ; and whenever men have i tried to be wiser than God^ they have soon found out their folly. Men are so bound together that . some cannot rest unless all do. But these are not the only reasons for the prohibition of all secular toil on the Lord's day. The constant tendency is for the pursuit ot gain to encroach upon the higher interests. So worldly and greedy of gain are men by nature, so prone are they to forget all their spiritual interests in their eagerness for things that can be seen and handled, that if they were allowed to use any part of the Lord's day for secular work they would soon come to use it all in that way. (89) if*'i I t m \ r 1 i \ i;i)! i:i Mi! ill 310 Nature and Importance of the Sabbath. Where a community or a people has accepted the theory that work'on the Lord's day is not wrong per sey that it is only a question of expediency, and that, in determining what is expedient, abso- lute cessation from Sunday work is not to be con- sidered, but only the amount which it is advisable to do, the day has become thoroughly secularized and the Sabbath practically destroyed. It is wrong to do any amount of work for gain upon the Lord's day, not only because it takes part of the time set apart for higher uses, but also be- cause the tendency of doing a little is to lead us on to do more, until the Sabbath disappears alto- gether. It is the old story of the sea of sin mak- ing a small break in the dyke, which the over- flowing stream gradually wears larger, so that it lets in more and more of the flood, until the fair fields of life are devastated. This tendency is directly contrary to the spirit of the gospel. Christ and his apostles would have us think just as little as possible of the things of this world, and to give our attention mainly to preparation for the world to come. They would not have us allow the pursuit of worldly gain to encroach upon the hours devoted to religious purposes, but would, rather, have us carry the spirit of the Lord's day into the other days of the week. The Sabbath was intended to Method of Ohserviny the LorcVs Day. 317 serve as a check to the spirit of worldliness. So far as it is occupied with work for gain, this pur- pose is defeated. It is evident that the rule con- cerning the Lord's day must be, *' in it thou shalt do no manner of work " the direct object of which is to make money. To this rule there are no exceptions. On that day men are not permitted to work with their hands, with their brains, or by means of servants, if the moving impulse to such work is the desire for gain. This law is very simple, and no one need find any difficulty in applying it to specific cases. It foi'bids the manual toil of the laborer, the farmer and the mechanic, the exercise of the mind in the solu- tion of business problems by the merchant and the professional man, and the employment of men to work in factories or mines, to print and sell newspapers, to run cars or ships, or to carry on any business which men do through servants. God is no respecter of persons. lie does not say to the poor man, " You must not add to your slender income by working on the Lord's day," and then graciously permit the managers of a great railroad to run their cars on this day as on- all others. There is one law for all, and that law is, no work for gain on the Lord's day. Whether an exception can be made in the case of those who do work on that day which seems necessary, (91) 318 A'uhirc and Importance of the l^abbath. k .■», so far as to justify them in receiving the ordinary compensation for it, is a question the discussion of which properly belongs to the next topic. But the law that men are forbidden to engage, on Sund.'iy, in any work or business to which they are prompted only by the desire to increase their worldly gains, is so grounded in the very nature and purpose of the institution that its necessity and justness will be admitted without further discussion. 2. The law of the Sahhath forhids labor for any worldly end. Men have other objects which are just as worldly as the attainment of wealth. The acquisition of knov/ledge, the cultivation of the mind, the increase of one's reputation and the improvement of one's social condition may all be sought in a worldly spirit. It may be said that the law of Christ forbids us to seek them with that spirit on any dty, and that is true. But may they be sought at all on the Lord's day ? May the student whose business in life is the attainment of knowledge carry on his studies on that day the same as on other days, justifying himself with the plea that he is gaining knowl- edge in order that he may be a more useful man in the world ? May the author continue to write because one of his motives in writing is that he may do good ? May the professional man — the (92) Method of Ohscrrinj the LonVii Di(f/. o 1 1) lawyer, the physicijin or the editor — read hai-d on Sund.'iy in tlie direct line of his })r()(ession, on the plea tliat he needs such reading and cannot get time for it on other days ? In these and in all similar cases the answer must he a decided negative. Such work is calcidaled to defeat at least two purposes of the Sahltath. One is that of giving to men needed rest for mind and hody. If the mind is used vigorously six days in the week, the seventh day should bring a complete change. Absolute inaction is not required, but there should be a change of subject, — a turning aside from the ordinary linos of work. The other is the purpose to provide for tlie cultivation of man's religious nature. These pursuits are sec- ular. Though they do improve the mind, they have no tendency to draw men nearer to God. Indeed, few things are so fatal to the religious life as the exclusive occupation of the attention in mental pursuits. We have seen that the chief purpose of the Sabbath is to give men opportun- ities for religious development. Any pursuit that radically and fatally interferes with this is forbid- den by the law of the Sabbath. 3. This km forbids tJie jmrwit of tvorldJ// jdeao- ure on the Lord's day. Here there is need of careful discrimination. If the law is too literally understood, one of two undesirable results will fol- (93) I- i .JiS lili m. 320 Nature and Lnpotiance of the Sahhath. , S it '■■'ii I i t - f •I' \ !• V low. Eillior Snnd.'iy will bocomc a dny of gloom and iiiiwliolcsonie rcstrnint, or tlio law will be de- spised 5111(1 disohoyod. A inisuudcrsl.'indiiig of this part of the Sabbath law has nclually lod to these opposite but equally lainontablc results, the one appearing in the case of the Puritans, the oihor in the case of those who have looked upon the Sabbath as an institution whose restrictions were unendurable. In other parts of this discussion we have tried to show th.'it the Sabbath was designed to be a day of rejoicing in the Lord. This was true even of the Jewish Sabbath. It was a day of joyful wor- ship, of praise and thanksgiving, of cheerful inter- course with loved ones. The Lord's day, as com- memorating Christ's triumph over death, is still more joyous in its character. When, therefore, we say that the law of the Sabbath forbids the pursuit of pleasure on that day, we must not be understood as meaning that it is wrong to make Sunday the most cheerful and happy day of the week. The enjoyment of rest, of freedom from the toils and cares and anxieties of the week, the joys of the sanctuary where hymns of praise and thanksgiving are sung in honor of the risen Lord, the pure delights of intercourse with the members of one's family, and the sweets of religious read- ing and meditation, belong to the proper observ- (94) Method of Observint/ the Lord's Day. 321 serv- ar.cc of the Lord's day. For one to sjiy that he can find no pleasnro in those things is for him to condemn himself, and not the hiw of the Siihhath. Bnt we are here speaking of tilings prohihited, and must he more specific j'he pleasure the i)ur- suit of which on the Lord's day is forhiddeu is worldly or secular or carnsil pleasure. It is such pleasure as is derived from theatres, dances, ex- cursions, picnic parties, drives, hunting and fish- ing, novels, games, unusual eating and drinking, and all similar forms of indulgence. It is pleas- ure that consists in mcfntal excitement, or diver- sion, or in the gratification of the hodily senses. While some of these sources of pleasure are per- fectly legitimate, and may be employed at will on other days, they are forbidden on the Lord's day. The principal reason is the same as that given in the case of prohibited labors : the gen- eral tendency of such pleasure-seeking is to de- feat every purpose of the Sabbath. One of these purposes is to secure needed rest for those who labor with brain or hands. It would be useless to deny that some form of recreation is needed by all toilers — simple rest is not enough — and it may be that there are persons who must ob- tain this needed recreation on the Lord's day or go without it. However that may be, we are not 21 (95) !l Hv ir ■;! f N i iii li ! li I i' i! M 322 Nature and Importance of the Sabbath. now speaking of such cases, but only of the pur- suit of pleasure for its own sake. When men devote Sunday to this purpose, instead of being refreshed for the labors of the week to follow, they go to their work on Monday morning fagged and exhausted. For example, it is claimed that Sunday excursions must be allowed, in order that the laboring people of the towns and cities may have a chance to get needed recreation and fresh air. What with the crowd, the hurry, the con- fusion, the excitement, the dissipation and the long hours of such an excursion, it is generally found that it exhausts the strength instead of renewing it. Ask any honest workman how he feels on the Monday morning after it, and he will reply that he is all tired out with yesterday's excursion, but that he will get ov^r it in a day or two. He thus confesses that it has not served to renew his bodily strength. If drinking and carousing are added — as they too often are — he will be unfit for work for half the week. It is no uncommon thing for manufacturers to refuse to pay their workmen on Saturday, because so many of them will p.pend their wages and the hours of Sunday in the pursuit of "pleasure," having so "good" a time, that they cannot re- turn to their Work before Tuesday or Wednes- day. Even innocent pleasures become injurious (90) » Method of Observing the Lord's Day. 323 when they deprive one of needed rest. The writer feels quite certain that the young men with whom he was associated in early life, all of whom had to labor on farms, impaired their physical health by pLiying ball, hunting, fishing and picking berries on Sunday, when they ought to have rested. On a Sunday afternoon in sum- mer, when one sees in a great city the crowds of people packed into street-cars, half of them stand- ing, as they return from the parks, and notes how hot and tired and hungry and fretful they seem, he cannot help feeling how much better off they would have been if they had spent the day in the cool, comfortable churches and in their own homes. A large number of employers report that of the two classes, church-goers and Sunday excursionists, the former were the better fitted for work on Monday morning. Of one hundred and ^ fifty replies received nearly all testified in favor of church-goers. Most of them were very em- phatic as to the disastrous effects upon the phys- ical health of the ordinary Sundny excursion.* No doubt there are forms of worldly pleasure which can be i)ursued on Sunday without injury to the body ; but the tendency is as we have indicated. Seekers of pleasure, especially when * See " The Sabbath for Man," pp. 209-214. (97) ^ fl '■ 'S ; rt 3 I 11 j j i 324 Nature and Importance of the Sabbath. they give up one day in a week to its pursuit, are almost certain to run into excesses of some sort. But if there are exceptions to the rule that Sunday pleasure-seeking is not good for the body, beyond question no form of it is good for the mind and heart. When one gives his week- days to toil and his Sundays to amusement, he deprives himself of every chance of intellectual growth. He makes himself a mere beast of bur- den which, ce a week, gets a day off for kick- ing up liis heels in the pasture. This method of spending the Sabbath also ig- nores its most important purpose, namely, the cultivation of man's religious nature. The day which was given us in order that we might have opportunity to prepare for heaven is used to get the most of earth. On Sundays we are to com- memorate the creation of the world and the res- urrection of Chris' . we are to remember and wor- ship God as the C c ■u?v and Redeemer. On that day we are to condi.er especially the interests of the immortal spirit, and to promote them by the study of the word, by worship, and by en- gaging in Christian work. This is the great end of the Lord's day ; but how can it be reached if the day is given up to the pursuit of worldly pleasures ? Mf«n needs recreation, but far more he needs religious cultivation. Even needed bod- (98) Method of Observing the Lord's Day, 325 it, are sort, e that )r the od for week- 3nt, he lectual )f bur- ' kick- lIso ig- [y, the 16 day have to get com- Ue res- wor- iii that ;erests em by by en- !at end hed if worldly more ;d bod- ily refreshment is dearly bought at the sacrifice of his religious interests. To make a holiday of Sunday is completely to secularize it. If man has no holy day, he will soon forget God and the interests of his own soul. It may be asked whether any part of the day may properly be devoted to pleasure-seeking; whether, part of it having been given to relig- ious services, the rest may not be taken for amusement, after the manner of the Roman Catholics. No doubt a part of each Lord's day should be given to rest and recreation j but it must be such rest and recreation as will not de- stroy the religious influences of the day. One seventh of the time is none too much to devote unreservedly to the welfare of the soul. How much religious influence will remain from a day the larger part of which has been spent in the eager pursuit of worldly pleasure ? No doubt the over-worked and over-anxious American peo- ple need more time for recreation than they are accustomed to take ; but it does not follow that they should steal the time from the Lord, or from their own souls. The true method is to take time for necessary recreation during the week and keep the Lord's day intact for relig- ious purposes. With the vast resources, the abundant provisions and the labor-saving ma- (99) 4!i 32G Nature and Importance of the Sabbath. chinery of this country, very few Deed to work more than five or five and a half days in a week. This would be sufficient for the commonest laborer to earn a livelihood, if he were paid proper wages ; and some of the evils of over-production, about which we hear so much in times of business de- pression, would be diminished by such a custom. The time thus gained could be used for recrea- tion or mental improvement, and Sunday would be left free for religious purposes. The Satur- day half-holiday movement ought to receive the support of all who seek the welfare of their fel-' low men. Wherever it is possible for them to do it, employers should give this time without a decrease of wages. Another very important reason why it is for- bidden to use the Lord's day for pleasure-seeking is that such a course generally deprives others of the privilege of properly enjoying it. If some go upon the Sunday excursion, others, who run the cars and the steamboats and keep the places of refreshment, must work, in violation of their right to rest, and perhaps of their principles. If some have their Sunday paper, others must labor seven days in a week. The big Sunday dinner or the evening party compels the servants to work as hard on Sunday as on other days. The spirit of that old Hebrew law to do no cooking (100) Method of Observing the Lord's Day. 327 work week, aborer vages ; about iss de- ustom. recrea- would Satur- ve the 3ir fel- lem to ihout a is for- eeking lers of some no run places their If t labor dinner tits to The joking on the Sabbath, in order that the servants of the household might rest, seems to be quite forgotten in our day. We boast of our humanity and of our sympathy with laboring people, but in this matter we are ftir behind the old Hebrews of three thousand years ago. The justice and mercy toward servants, which they were taught to exercise, are swallowed up in the selfishness of our times. We must gratify our appetites even at the expense of the rights and welfare of those who serve us. It is true of many of our Sunday pleasures that they can be obtained only by depriving others of their Sabbath. Even when we indulge on the Lord's day in that which does not require the service of others, we often interfere with their enjoyment of it, by destroy- ing the quiet and peacefulness which it ought to have. But we do the greatest wrong to those who render us unnecessary service on that day. It may be said that if they render the service voluntarily and we pay them for it, no wrong is done. This is but a specious plea. Money is no adequate compensation to those who violate the Sabbath on our account. For money men have bartered their dearest treasures ; women have sold their virtue and men their honor. In these cases does the payment of money render the purchasers guiltless ? When we hire others (101) 328 Nature and Importance of the Sabbath If \ !!l to break the Sabbath for us, we become not only Sabbath-breakers, but corrupters of mankind. We are guilty of a double sin. Thus there are two important reasons for the divine prohibition against pleasure-seeking on the Lord's day. The first is that it defeats the pur- poses of the Sabbath, especially the great purpose of promoting man's religious welfare. The second is that its general tendency is to deprive others of the right to enjoy the Sabbath. We have found that substantially the same reasons exist for the law against labor for gain or any worldly end on that day. We must pass now to consider II. Things Allowable on the Lord's Day. — This di\i.sion seems necessary because every possible action on the Sabbath cannot be class- ified as prohibited or required. Some things are allowable at one time and prohibited at another. Peculiar circumstances may justify a course of action on the Lord's day without making it obli- gatory. And then, there are classes of actions which one may or may r^ot perform and still keep the Sabbath holy. Of things allowable it is necessary to mention only those which are most likely to enter into the life of the ordinary individual. 1. First among them are works of necessity. These are labors which are necessary to save (102) Method of Observing the Lord's Day. 329 jssitt/. save human life or health, or to rescue property from impending destruction. There can be no ques- tion that any amount of labor to save life would be justifiable on the Sabbath. Indeed, we might have classed such work under things required, but for the fact that it is required on all days alike. It is equally clear that we are permitted to do whatever is necessary for the restoration of health to the sick. They must have medical attendance and nursing on the Lord's day the same as on other days, and often the labors of those who care for them are heavy and arduous. But who can doubt that such labors are not only justifiable, but that the omission of them would be a sin? The question might fairly be raised whether physicians and others who attend the sick should not refuse to take pay for what they do on the Lord's day. It is a question which they must answer for themselves. Perhaps if physicians undertook to do their Sunday work gratuitously, they would find it impossible on account of a consequent tendency of people to make that the day for all their sicknesses. But whether it be done as a work of mercy or as " business," all necessary care of the sick is al- lowable on the Lord's day. Careful discrimination ought to be made with reference to work for the saving of property. (103) k ill 330 Nature and Importance of the Sabbath, a HiL,lii'; M im ! i'l 111 '« u^ ■ ; Pi > rrT e II! 11 j! !■ 'I ''1 - i That it is justifiable to a certain extent seems to be clear from the teaching of our Saviour. When he asked the ruler of the synagogue, who accused him of violating the Sabbath because he had healed that day an afflicted woman, "Doth not each one of you on the sabbath loose his ox or Ms ass from the stall, and lead Mm away to watering?"* he certainly approved their doing so ; for otherwise there would have been no force in his argument. If property were being de- stroyed on Sunday by fire or flood, no one could doubt the right of the owner and his friends to put forth every effort to save it. Domestic an- imals must be cared for on the Lord's day, lest they suffer pain and their owners be subjected to loss. In some kinds of business a certain amount of routine work must be done on Sunday. For example, on dairy farms the cows must be milked and some disposition must be made of the product. In some kinds of manufacturing the work cannot wholly stop on Sunday, lest large quantities of goods be damaged or destroyed. In every house- hold some work must be done on the Lord's day. Many other instances might be mentioned in which Sunday work seems necessary, and there- fore allowable. In all such cases the law is that * Luke 13: 15. (104) Method of Observing the Lord's Day. 331 only necessary work should be done. Many claim that work is necessary, when the necessity is cre- ated wholly by their own inordinate desire for gain. Because Christ said, " Which of you shall have an ass or an ox fallen into a pit, and will not straightway pull him out on the sabbath day ?" * and thus approved such an action, they claim that, no matter by what means property is jeopardized, it is right to work on Sunday to save it. For example, a farmer will cut down a quantity of hay or grain on Saturday and claim that it must be taken up on Sunday to keep it from spoiling. It is evident that a little calcula- tion, or a slight sacrifice in delaying his work, w^ould have obviated the necessity. But here we open the very broad question of what is nec- essary work. It is claimed that the methods, the extent and the complications of modern business, and the crowding of vast numbers of people to- gether in the cities, make absolutely necessary a great amount of work on the Lord's day. The horse-cars, the cars on the elevated roads, and the steam-cars, must run to accommodate church- goers and excursionists. Drug-stores and groce- ries must remain open, and milkmen and bakers and icemen must go their regular rounds, in order * Luke 14 : 5. (105) i Hi T 332 Nature and Importance of the Sabbath. that pcoi)lo mny have the necessaries of life. We must have our Suiithiy dailies ; and so editors, compositors, pressmen and newsdealers must work seven days in a week. The amount of freight to be carried on the railroads is so great that much of it must be moved on Sunday, when the ordinary number of passenger trains is dimin- ished. So many people are willing to save time by travelling on Sunday that the managers of the roads find it necessary to favor the public, for whose service they live, with a few Sunday trains. We might add almost indefinitely to the apparent necessities for Sunday labor which have arisen in our modern civilization. The question which every man who seeks to obey God's law must ask himself is. How much of this work is really necessary? Any one who gives to the matter honest consideration must be convinced that in almost every case the so-called necessity grows out of a desire for pleasure or for gain which makes those who are ruled by it unwilling to give the Lord one seventh of the time. Few indeed are the cases in which the plea of neces- sity is not a lie. It is better to use plain lan- guage on this subject, for many good, conscien- tious people who would like to see the Lord's day properly observed are deceived by this spe- cious plea. So many and great are the violations (106) law >rk is the need ssity gain illing Few leces- lan- scien- (Ord's spe- tions 3Ietho(l of Observing the Lord's Day, 333 of the Sabbath which are excused or justifiod by false claims of necessity, and so far-reaching and pernicious is their influence, Ihat we must con- sider the matter somewhat in detail. The worst case of this kind is the Sunday ncivs- paper. Nothing is better calculated to destroy the sanctity and rest fulness of the Sabbath than the publication of these papers, and they are en- tirely without excuse. The plea that they are necessary is not worthy of serious consideration, and few newspaper proprietors have the hardihood to make it. The most that they can say is that the public " demand " Sunday newspapers. Tliis is only half true ; and even if it were wholly true it would not justify their publication. Because there is a "■ public " that wants obscene literature it does not follow that the publication and sale of obscene literature should be tolerated. The same argument applies to the Sunday newspaper. The simple and obvious fact is that the only reason for publishing Sunday newspapers is to make money. There is no necessity in the case. But it may be asked, What are the objections to the Sunday newspapers ? There are many and seri- ous objections to them, only a few of which can be here presented. The first objection is that they deprive thou- sands of persons of their Sabbath by compelling (107) S34 Nature and Importance of the Sabbath. thorn to work seven days in a week. This work extends fur beyond the ofliccs {'roni which tho papers are issued. It includes editors, reporters, tyj)e-sctters, pressmen, mailing-agents, carriers, newsdealers, newsboys and many others. It does not meet the case at al) to say (liat in the offices of many seven-day papers the men are allowed one day a week for rest, for they are only a small part of those who are con)i)elled to work on Sunday. The plea is commoidy put forth that it is not the Sunday, but the Monday morning, ]mper wh'^'h necessitates Sunday work. This is not true f no paper were issued on Sunda} , Saturday would be free for w^oi k on the Monday paper, and most of the work for it could be done before ten o'clock Saturday night. What re- mained could be done after ten o'clock Sunday night. Thus the whole twenty-four hours of the Lord's day could be free from work, and the priv- ilege of attending church would be undisturbed. Newspaper-men themselves admit* that this is the case, and thus out of their own mouths are they condemned. A second and more serious objection to Sunday Mi * See the New York Tribune, November 15, 1871, the Chicago Daily News, August 12, 1884, and an address by J. L. Perry, of the Cincinnati Gazette, published in the International Sabbath Association Reporter, No. 4, May, 1882. Others might be cited. (108) Method of Observing the Lord's Day. 335 priv- rbed. inday Ihica^o irry, of \ahhath cited. nowspse who d those li elating Lon of ing of an evil mper ; too a undred ire de- )rst of Mep operty ite the papers of our land are putting a premium on Sabbath- breaking, and are practically announcing that they do not want Christians in their employ. The movement of trains from town to town on Sunday destroys the quiet of the day, and creates the impression on the minds of the people that the Sabbath is obliterated. The running of Sunday trains encourages and promotes Sunday travel and Sunday excursions, and thus tends directly to the destruction of the Sabbath among the people. The cause of this evil is justified on the plea of necessity. It is claimed that not only do the public demand Sunday passenger trains, but that great and irreparable loss w^ould be occasioned by stopping freight trains on Sunday. Prominent railroad men have admitted* that the plea of necessity is not well founded. President Samuel Sloan, of the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad, says, " In my judgment the necessity so much urged does not exist, nor do the public demand from railroad management more than ordinary labor." They all admit that the running of Sunday trains is largely the result of compe- tition, and that if the managers of the different roads would come to an agreement on the subject the amount of Sunday traffic might be largely * See the pamphlet entitled " Sunday Railway W^ork" for a statement of their opinions in full. 22 (111) ^^^^fffl mr ?f .' V I 5 M 338 Nature and Importance of the Sabbath. diminished. The cases of necessary Sunday travel are very few, certainly not enough to justify the running of trains. It is claimed that if through trains which require more than twenty- four hours to complete their trips should lie over all day Sunday, passengers would be subjected to loss of time and heavy expenses. People lose a day from worldly occupations wherever they keep Sunday, and this plea only shows that those who make it want to rob the Lord of his day. As to the matter of expense, few would need to incur it, for they would not be obliged to start upon a journey which they could not complete before Sunday morning. It may be that a few trains carrying perishable freight would have to be run on Sunday, but they would be very few. Ordinarily there is no neces- sity for shipping such freight so late in the week that it cannot reach its destination before Satur- day night. The fact is, if the managers of rail- roads, and the people who patronize the roads, were minded to observe the Lord's day, there would be no real difficulty in the case. It might occasion at times some inconvenience, but conven- ience is not necessity. That Sunday trains are not necessary to the prosperity of a railroad is proved by the case of the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western. Under the influence of the -late Will- (112) Ih. Method of Observing the Lord's Day. 339 Sunday 3ugh to [led that twenty- lie over ected to e lose a ley keep ose who . As to to incur j upon a e before jrishable 3ut they neces- he week 3 Satur- 1 of rail- e roads, y, there t might convert- are not proved ma and te Will- iam E. Dodge and President Sloan, it has always refused to run Sunday trains, but from the begin- ning of its history it has been one of the most prosperous roads in the country. When, in 1873, the Central Railroad of New Jersey decided to run Sunday trains, Mr. Dodge retired from its management and sold out his stock, getting a high premium. In less than two years the road was bankrupt, its stock selling for ten cents on a dollar. We do not claim that this bankruptcy was a penalty for Sabbath-breaking, but it shows that Sunday trains do not make a road prosperous. We do not see how a Christian man can con- sistently own stock in a railroad that runs un- necessary trains on Sunday, or take any part in its management, or act as one of its employes. Some good men do it, but it would be better for their souls and better for the world if they re- fused. The fact is, such a refusal unanimously made by Christians would put a complete stop to Sunday railroad traffic. We need more courage and consistency in this matter. One of the most shameless things connected with the running of Sunday trains is that the managers and patrons of camp-meetings sometimes ask for them. No Christian man ought ever to be seen in a railway car on Sunday. This may seem like a stringent rule ; but this gigantic evil will never be sup- (113) f W ■ J i ) i 'TT T 340 Nature and Importance of the Sabbath. pressed so long as professed Christians encourage its continuance by their patronage/'' Another form of Sunday work for which a false plea of necessity is made is that occasioned by the Sunday mails. In this country they compel not less than one hundred and fifty thousand per- sons to lose the whole or a part of their Sunday rest. They disturb the rest of hundreds of thou- sands more by keeping up the steady flow of business and mental activity directed to secular ends, among those who write and receive letters on Sunday. For this work there is really as little necessity as there is for Sunday newspapers or Sunday trains. If not a letter were posted, carried or delivered on Sunday, no interest of the country would suffer. Practical and conclusive proof of this is found in the fact that in London, England, the great business centre of the world, letters are not gathered or delivered on Sunday ; and in Toronto, Canada, there is a total cessation of post-office business without sensible inconven- ience to any one. It is sometimes urged that in cases of sickness or in business crises it is import- ant that letters should go as quickly as possible. But in such cases the telegraph cm be used on Saturday or Monday, and the message reach its (114) See Appendix E. ii'H *. courage L a false >ned by compel Lncl per- Simday 3f thou- flow of secular J letters ally as spapers posted, : of the iclusive iondon, world, Lmday ; ssation onven- liat in mport- ssible. sed on ich its 3Iet1iod of Observing the Lord's Day. 341 destination more quickly than a letter woidd, even if it were carried and delivered on Sunday. Since theVe is no real necessity in the case, the government ought to abolish the Sunday mails. It has no right to force its employes to work on Sunday. It has no right to allow the force of its example to act against the observance of the Lord's day, and so against the Christian religion. But the people also have a duty in the matter. They ought not to make use of the Sunday mails nor go to the post-office, but refuse to have their letters delivered on Sunday. Much of the so-called necessary work of cities is really unnecessary. This is shown by the fact that in Toronto there is an almost total cessation of all kinds of work without inconvenience to any one. It is claimed that the running of street- cars is a necessity ; but is this true ? Their only legitimate service on Sunday is to carry people to and from church. But how many people are really obliged to go to church in the horse-cars ? It will generally be found on inquiry that those who do use them for that purpose go directly by a church of their own faith, in order to reach a favorite church which is farther from their homes. How many families are there, even among the poor of the great cities, that could not store all necessary provisions over Sunday ? It is a little (iir,) 342 Nature and Importance of the Sabbath. easier and a little pleasanter to purchase on Sun- cln}', but the mjiximuin of ease and pleasure is not a necessity. If drugs must be procured on Sunday, why could they not be obtained only on a physician's prescription, and the drug-store opened only in answer to a bell ? We have re- ferred to those cases in which the plea of necessity is most strongly urged, and need not particularize further. The simple fact is, if ninety-nine hun- dredths of the Sunda- labor and traffic in our cities should be stoppea, people could soon adjust themselves to the new conditions, and would be in no respect the worse for the change. If every one really desired to obey the law of God and to see others obey it, these " necessities " for Sun- day work would soon disappear. But the major- ity have not tbis desire, and they make our busi- ness and social arrangements. What shall the minority who v^^ould keep the Sabbath do ? They are so bound to their neighbors that it is hard not to conform in some degree to their habits. The only rule that can be laid down for them is, to give the least possible support and countenance to Sunday w ork. In respect to particular cases the individual conscience must be the guide. It should be remembered that only works of neces- sity, not work for gain or for pleasure or to meet fictitious wants, are allowed by the law of God. (iir.) f 'I. m Sun- sure is ired on d only ig-store ave re- jcessity 3ularize ne hun- in our 1 adjust ould be 'f every L and to or Sun- ) major- ar busi- lall the They ard not The a is, to enance r cases ie. It neces- meet God. Method of Ohsei'ving the Lord's Day. 3i3 Persons who really desire to keep the Lord's day sacred are often puzzled to know whether w^ork which they must do in order to retain the positions in which they earn a living for them- selves and their families may not fairly be oc- counted necessary work. In thousands of cases the alternative is placed before employes to work on Sunday or to be thrown out of work altogether. When to be thrown out of work means to lose one's only visible means of support, the case is a hard one. What ought one to do in such a case ? It is clear that a Christian ought never to accept a situation which he knows beforehand will in- volve Sunday work. But if he is already in the place and the work comes upon him, shall he give it up and take the chances of starvation ? If he has a little Christian heroism and considerable faith, that is just what he will do. But if his strength is not equal to that, let no one condemn him. Perhaps he cannot see that it is not neces- sary for him to have bread, but that it is necessary for him to keep his integrity before God. How- ever, he may be assured that if he obeys his con- science he will not suffer. Hundreds of inquiries have been made, and no case has ever yet been found in which one suffered permanent injury or loss because he refused to work on Sunday. Such a man may be subject to temporary incon- (117) f I w^m I -^ il M !! 344 Nature and Tmporta7ice of the Sabbath. vcnience, but the final result will be the better- ment of his condition. Let every man wlio is thus tried be very sure that the work is really necessary before he engages in it. 2. Our Saviour tauyht that work connected with the conduct of public ivorship and with attendance on it is allowable on the Sabbath. In answer to the charge of the Pharisees, he asked, " Have ye not read in the law, how that on the sabbath days the priests in the temple piofane the sabbath, and are blameless?"* In modern c'aurches the pastor must do his hardest day's work on the Sabbath. The sexton must work in order to have the house of God ready for the people. In many cases a certain amount of work must be done in getting to the place of worship. But all this is permitted, because without it the highest ends of the Sab- bath could not be reached. 3. Such rest and recreation as may he necessary to the 2)reservaiion of health are certainly allowable on the Lord's day. Here again we are upon ground over which it is difficult to make our way. But since the original idea of the Sabbath was rest, it cannot be wrong for us to use for that purpose all of it that may be needed, if one can best reel ait his wasted energies by a little extra * Matthew 12 : 5. (118) !lii Melliod of Observing the Lonfs Day. 345 upon way. 1 was that lie can extra sleep on that day, let him take it. If one is sliiit up in a mill or a store or an office all the week, so that what he needs is a few hours in the open air, let him take a walk along a country road, if he can find one, or in the woods or in a park ; only let him do it in an orderly and decent manner, trespassing upon no one's property and indulging in no rude and hoisterous behavior. If he go alone, let him meditate on things appro- priate to the day ; or if he have company, let the conversation be of suitable matters. In some cases invalids and those not able to walk may have need of riding on the Lord's day. If they go only for health, and if no other day can be found for the purpose, they can go with a clear conscience. In all such cases, the oidy objection to be considered is the influence which one's action may have on the conduct of others or upon one's own reputation. If it is likely to be misinterpreted, he must judge for himself w^hether the benefit will counterbalance the evil. Perhaps these hints with regard to what is allowable on the Lord's day are sufficient. As stated at the outset, definite and precise rules cannot be given. We must pass now to consider III. Things Required on the Lord's Day. — There are positive duties connected with the observ- ance of the Sabbath. As we discovered in studying (119) 340 JSaiurc and Importance of the Sabbath. the nature of the institution, the day is not prop- erly observed by one who spends it in idleness. 1. Among the first of these positive duties is that of engaging in public tvorship. Unless it is Jibsolutely impossible, every person should spend a part of every Lord's day with the people of God in his sanctuary. No one who believes in the existence of God can question the duty of public worship. It is a duty which we owe to him as the Creator and Sovereign of the universe. Private worship is not enough, since we are under obligation to exalt his holy name before all his intelligent creatures. It is a duty which we owe to ourselves. It is a duty which we owe to others. All who are regular at the house of God exert a salutary influence upon the world by their example. They remind the ungodly of their religious duties, and indirectly preach the gospel of Christ every time they go to the place of public worship. We can do nothing better for the irreligious than to exert upon them such an influence. The more carefully one considers it, the more thoroughly he will become convinced that the duty of public worship is among the most important duties of every human being. The only available time for this — the only time when the people of any community can unitedly engage in it — is the Lord's day, when (120) Method of Observing the Lord's Day. 347 there is a cessation in the ordinary avocations of life. How much of the day nhall be used for this purpose every person must determine for himself Few are in danger of s|)cn(ling too much in this way, though occasionally that error is committed. Perhaps in ordinary cases, one half the hours of the Lord's day should bo spent in public worship and in the study of God's word in the Bible- school. This is mennt as a general average; circumstances will often compel wide deviations from it. When we speak of spending one half the hours of the Lord's day in public religious exercises, we must not be u derstood as advocat- ing the " once-a-day " habit of church attendance, much less the habit pursued by the Roman Catholics, of giving the forenoon to religion and the afternoon to the purs uit of j )leasure. But ^^ ^^^w t^^ suppose the day to consist of fourteen hours, then seven of them might be profitably spent in religious meetings and in going to and from the house of God. This is about the time required to attend three services. Some, owing to feeble health or domestic duties, cannot attend so many. In some cases religious work of other kinds may present itself as a higher duty. These are among the circumstances which modify the application of a rule which we have simply suggested as a good general rule for healthy, unencumbered per- (121) 348 Nature and Lnportance of the ^ahhatli. \\' \ - sons. While here and thoro a misguided person desires to spend the whole day in religious asseni- hlies, Mud is thus in danger of religious dissipation, the great majority are unwilling to spend one half the day in this manner. But one who has spent no part of it in public worship, and who has not been prevented by higher duties, may be sure that he has not properly observed the Lord's day. 2. Another thing which is required on the Lord's day is rcl'ujhns work. What form this shall take and how much of it shall be done must be determined by circumstances. Tejiching in the Bible-school is religious work. Presenting to the unconverted the claims of Christ in per- sonal conversation is religious work. Distribut- ing Bibles or tracts is religious work. One very important duty appropriate to the Lord's day is that of giving religious instruction to the children of the household by the parents. As Sunday should be emphatically a family day, it will be appropriate in this connection to speak somewhat fully of the manner in which it shovdd be observed in the flimily. This part of our subject is of transcendent importance. More depends upon how Sunday shall be used in the family than upon its use in any other relation. It is here that chil- dren are to get their ideas of its proper observ- ance ; it is here more than anywhere else that (122) Method of Ohservinrf the LonVa Day. 349 tlio Sa])])fith as a r(»li*ii()U.s and national institution is to bo preserved. On the other hand, the Sah- Itatli may he so great a blessing to the family that nothing should bo allowed to interfere with its proper use. Every household should insist on having it for a family day, and should not allow the enjoyment of its in'ivileges or the per- formance of its duties to be interfered with by visiting or any other disturbance. In the family the difference between Sunday and other days should be made as marked as possible. All necessary preparation for the proper observance of the day, such as setting the house in order, getting the clothes ready and bathing, should be made on Saturday. No un- necessary work should ))e allowed in the house- hold. So far as possible the atmosphere of the day should be religious. Pains ought to be taken to keep the conversation awav from secular, worldly or frivolous topics. And yet the day should not be one of restraint and gloom, lest the children learn to hate it. It should be the brightest and gladdest day of the whole week. It is an important and perplexing question to know what to do with the children on Sunday. If they are compelled to abstain from their ordi- nary play and work, and other means are not found to occupy their time, the day will be long (123) Pfl II .1 I V-ii :1 <', I >, I'l !'''!! Ml 850 Nature and Importance of the Sabbath. and wearisome to them, and they will be certain not to use it properly unless they are instructed and led by their parents. While the working out of the details must be left to the piety, good sense and ingenuity of parents, a few general suggestions may be given. In the first place it ought to be the rule of every household that the children shall be taken to church and Sunday-school. It is not enough that they go to the school ; attendance at church is far more important. They should go to both as soon as they are old enough to keep quiet, and by a little care they can be trained to do this at a very early age. Aside from the direct benefits of attending church, the liabit thus formed is in- valuable. Should they be compelled to go against their will ? Certainly ; it is no greater hardship to be compelled to go to church than it is to be compelled to wash their hands and faces and keep their clothes clean. But will not compulsory attendance at church make them hate religion? Does compelling them to be neat in childhood make them love dirt when they are grown up ? The amount of current nonsense on this subject is astonishing. Of course the exercise of author- ity in the matter should be resorted to only when necessary, and should be loving and tender, not arbitrary and harsh. But when the habit of (124) Method of Olserving the Lord's Day. 351 jertain ructed orking , good general ule of ) taken enough church to both iet, and this at benefits d is in- a gainst ardship s to be 3 and pulsory jligion ? Idhood ,vn up? subject author- y when ler, not abit of church-going is once thoroughly formed, they will take it as a matter of course that they must go. And the best of it is that the habit will last them through life. As soon as the children are old enough to go ou^ "^ any purpose in the even- ing, they should a- \3iiing that society. Sunday |1 liberty hich re- ed uca- crime, hers of ow the what suppose which t once the law steps in to prevent him, and it docs him no good to cry out that his personal liberty is violated. May not a man use as he pleases an animal which he has bought witli liis own money? But if he starve his horse or beat it unmercifully, the law places its restraining hand upon him, and tells him to desist. Even dumb brutes are thus protected from brutes that are not dumb. It will be seen at once that every law which is framed for the protection and benefit of society must interfere with the individual when he undertakes to do that which is injurious io society. It is on this principle that men may justly and properly be told what they may and may not do on the Lord's day. So long as society believes that to destroy the Sabbath w^ould be injurious to itself, it has a perfect right to inflict any penalty it pleases upon the man whose conduct is calculated to impair its sanctity. Again, it is pertinent to ask whether those who desire to keep the Lord's day shall be protected in their right to observe it, or whether those who desire to make it a day of pleasure or business shall be protected in violating it. The rights of one class should be as sacred as those of another. iSuppoL^e the two parties to be equal in number ; the question would then turn upon wdiich would suffer the greater WTong in granting the other his (155) f-'* U .' ,1 382 Nature and Importance of the Sahhath, desire. In one case men would sim[»ly be re- strained from that which would gratify their worldly ambition or their love of [>leasure ; in the other case they would be compelled to do violence to their consciences or to suffer loss. It certainly cannot be a matter of conscience for a man so to occupy himself on the Lord's day as to make it impossible for his neighbor to keep it holy. It is a matter of conscience and of relig- ious conviction with thousands to observe the day as the Christian Sabbath. But the parties are by no means equal, and the question really is whether a godless minority shall be allowed to trample upon the rights of the majority. It should not take long to decide such a question. But the cry is raised that the government should have nothing to do with religion, and the Sunday laws are the result of legislation on re- ligious matters. Here a half-truth is so pushed into the foreground that the other half is hidden. It is true that governments have no right to make laws favoring one religion or one sect at the ex- pense of another. For example, if the govern- ment should tax all our citizens for the support of some particular form of Christianity, those who do not accept that form would have just cause of complaint. The government has no right to prescribe forms of worship, to subject (156) h. be re- y their jire ; in [1 to do OSS. It rie for a ;iy as to keep it of relig- the day rties are really is lowed to )vity. It estion. eminent and the )n on re- pushed s hidden, to make t the ex- govern- support ty, those lave just has no subject OhliycUions Respecting the Lonrs Day. 383 any person to political or civil disabilities on account of his religious belief, or in any way to coerce the consciences of men. At the same time no government can entirely ignore religion. A nation is made up of men, and men are relig- ious beings. It would be just as sensible for a government to make its laws regardless of the fact that men have bodies whose health must be preserved by observing the principles of sanita- tion, as for it to ignore the religious nature of man. In constituting a nation and in framing a government men act as religious beings, and their religion must mark their national institutions. Now, in the sense that it is not a Mohammedan or a Buddhist or a Roman Catholic nation, this is a Christian and Protestant nation. Protestant Christianity was the accepted religion of most of those W'ho settled . this country, who organized the nation and framed its laws. It was natural and even necessf^.y that that form of religion should be considered, and, since the observance of the Lord's day was an essential part of it, that provision should be made to allow all who chose to do so, to observe it without disturbance. The nation has so far retained that character, and those who have come hither from other lands have generally been aware of it; if they have not, they could easily have informed themselves ; and (157) m 111 :■ 384 Nature and I)nportance of the Sahhath. it is preposterous for thorn to coinc here and ask us to ch.'ingc our institutions to suit their notions. A company of men and women Ibim a society for certain purposes, and lay down such rules for its government as seem to them best. Sup[)Ose that one of these rules is that the meetings of the society should open with prayer. After ji little, some atheist or infidel who wishes to join the society asks them to omit this ceremony in order not to hurt his feelings. What would be their answer? If they had any self-respect they would say to him, ^' You can enter the society as it is and abide by its rules, or you can stay out.''' In the same way we have the right to say to foreigners who scoff at our Sunday laws, " You are not compelled to come to this country; but if you come, you must come among us as we are and adjust yourselves to our institutions. We certainly shall not adjust our institutions to your ideas and habits." We conclude that our government has the right to make it impossible to do public business on the Lord's day, and that the state governments may justly pass laws requiring all to abstain from wdiatever practices tend to prevent its proper observance. So long as the nation is Christian and Protestant, such Liws but fairly express the will of the majority, and are necessary in order (158) Obligations Respecting the Lord's Da//. 385 that they may enjoy one of their sacred rights. It is not only our right hut our duty to have such laws, if we believe that keeping the l^ord's day is for the public good. And when such laws are passed, it is the duty of every good citizen to see that they are obeyed. Nothing can be worse for any people than a disregard for law. A law that is trampled upon with impunity is worse than no law. The seeds of license and anarchy and vio- lence are being sown whenever a law can be broken without the infliction of the penalty, and the people who allow it will reap a terrible har- vest in the future. The Sunday laws should be so framed that their enforcement will not violate the real rights of any citizen, but will serve sim- ply to preserve the Sabbath as a public institu- tion and to secure to every one the opportunity to observe it; and then they should be enforced. To put forth every ef!brt to secure these desirable ends is the first duty which we owe to our coun- try respecting the Lord's day. If the conclusions reached in the first part of this book are correct, it is easy to show that the observance of the Lord's day by our people is essential to the welfare of the nation. In a country like ours the only hope of abiding pros- perity is that furnished by the virtue and intel- ligence of the people. These are the chief found- 25 (159) I t r I 386 Nature and Importance of the Sabhnth. ation-stoncs on which a republic must be built. If these prerequisites of good povernmout are absent, the ^sovereign people may be a worse sovereign to live under tliau the most despotic monarch that ever disgraced a throne. Without these there can be no assurance that law will be respected, no permanent security for life and property, and no hope of anything in tlie future but a relapse into barbarism. Just in the pro- portiv^n that the average citizen has become less virtuous and intelligent on account of the enfran- chisement of the negroes and the immigration of ignorant Jind vicious people from foreign lands, have we reason to fear for the future of our country. There is no doubt that the proper observance of the Lord's day has an important relation to the maintenance of virtue and intelligence among the people. It keeps their thoughts upon God and upon the necessity of obeying his law. It gives an opportunity for preaching the gospel and the pure morality which forms a part of it. It makes it possible for Christian men and women to instruct in Bible truth those children and youth who would otherwise be neglected. On the Lord's day, while tired bodies are rested, vacant minds can be filled with food for thought. Its influence is calculated to make men thoughtful ; and none (IfiO) h. Ol)/if/atiovfi Bespectinr/ the Lord's Datj, 387 D built, ent are , worse lespotic >Vith()iit !i\v will life and ) future :ho pro- mo less enfran- atiou of n lands, of our ervance ation to e among )on God law. It gospel irt of it. I women id youth le Lord's t minds nfluence nd none 1 but a thoufrhlful po()[»le are fit for freedom nnd self-goveniment. It saves tlie working classes from oiipression, ;nid ])r()iii()tos their self-respect; it has lessons of humility to teach tin; rich and great. It is a constant check upon the world- liness and the greed for gain which, in a country of such unlimited resources, tend to absorb the minds and hearts of the people. In a word, it is an essential condition of the existence of those virtues which are the root of all prosperity. Said an eminent judge of the Supreme Court of the United States,* " Where there is no Christian Sabbath, there is no Christian morality ; and without this, free government cannot long be sustained." There is a close and vita^ relation between the maintenance of a free govornment and the proper observance of the Lord's day. It is almost ax- iomatic that "a free people must be a thoughtful people." liow^ can they be thoughtful if every day in the year is given to toil or to pleasure ? Despots are always anxious to amuse their peo- ple, but dread to have them think. The right use of Sunday is the best possible promoter of the thoughtfulness and sobriety which a people must have if they are to be fitted for citizenship * McLean. (IGl) 388 Nature and Importame of the Sabbath. 'a h M in a republic. Those who cry out against the tyranny of Sunday laws are probably too blind to see that the abolition of the Lord's day would be the first step in the preparation of themselves to be deprived of all liberty. But we who love our free government, and believe that it is the best form of government for intelligent human beings, will do well to guard by every means in our power the sanctity of the Lord's day. Says Joseph Cook, " I am no fanatic, 1 hope, as to Sunday ; but I look abroad over the map of pop- ular freedom in the world, and it does not seem to me accidental that Switzerland, Scotland, Eng- land and the United States, the countries which best observe Sunday, constitute almost the entire map of safe popular government.' * It is hardly possible to doubt that the pros- perity of England and of this country in the past is owing largely to the happy influence flowing from a careful observance of the Lord's day. One does not have to be a partial witness in order to bear this testimony. Says the celebrated Count Montalembert, himself a Frenchman and a zealous Roman Catholic, " Impartial men are con- vinced that the political education by which the lower classes of the English nation surpass other * Boston Monday Lectures: "Bio'ogy" (prelude), p. 162. (162) } the blind ^ould elves love s the uman .ns in Says as to f pop- seem , l^ng- which entire pros- ^e past [owing day. order Ibrated and a •e con- (jh the other 162. Obligations Respecting the Lord's Day. 389 nations — that the extraordinary wealth of England and its supreme maritime power — are clear proofs of the blessing of God bestowed upon this nation for its distinguished Sabbath observance. Those who behold the enormous commerce of England, in the harbors, the railways, the manufactories, etc., cannot see without astonishment the quiet of the Sabbath day." Until recently our observ- ance of the Lord's day has been fully as strict as that of England, and we do not doubt that our rapid growth in material wealtli and in civilization is traceable to this as one of its causes. We have spoken only of the natural results of keeping the Sabbath. We believe that, beyond such results, we may also expect it to secure the blessing of God. He conditioned the prosperity of Israel upon their faithfulness to this obligation. Is there not here a lesson for us ? Are we not under the same moral law, with clearer light and greater privileges ? Unless God has ceased to reign over the nations, we cannot hope to piosper •while trampling upon his laws. On the other hand, we believe that " blessed is the nation whose God is the lord." Pro.s[)erity or calamity will come according to established conditions; but behind all law is the Omnipotent, and the des- tinies of nations are in his hands. If we become a people without a Sabbath, we may certainly (163) 390 Nature and Importance of the Sahhath. 1 look for the decay of our institutions and the destruction of all that we hold dear. Moreover, Ave may expect to see the masses of the people degraded and brutalized, while a cynical disre- gard for the rights of the poor, and a slavish devotion to the pleasures and honors of this world, will take possession of the more favored. There is something terribly suggestive in the Oriental legend which narrates that a certain colony of Jews degenerated into monkeys on account of long-continued neglect of the Sabbath. We shall not become a nation of monkeys, even though we give up the Lord's day ; but we may become something worse. We do not think Dr. Schaff puts the matter too strongly when he says, "Take away the Sabbath, and you destroy the most humane and most democratic institution which in every respect was made for man, bat more par- ticularly for the man of labor and toil, of poverty and sorrow. Take away the Sabbath, and you destroy a mighty conservative force, and dry up a fountain from which the family, the church and the state receive constant nourishment and sup- port. Take away the Sabbath, and you shake the moral foundations of our national power and prosperity ; our churches will be forsaken, our Sunday-schools emptied, our domestic devotions will languish, the fountains of public and private (164) Ohligatmis Respecting the Lord's Day, 391 virtue will dry up ; a flood of profanity, licen- tiousness and vice will inundate the land ; labor will lose its reward, liberty be deprived of its pillar, self-government will prove a failure, and our republican institutions end in anarchy and confusion, to give way, in due time, to the most oppressive and degrading military despotism known in the annals of history. Yea, the end of the Sabbath would be for America the begin- ning of the unlimitpd reign of the infernal idol- trinity of Mammon, Bacchus and Venus, and overwhelm us at last in temporal and eternal ruin. * Our conclusion is that to keep the Lord's day holy, and to do all in our power to induce others to keep it holy,f are duties which we owe to God, to our fellow men, to ourselves, to our families and to our country. We have reached this con- clusion by a consideration of the origin, history and importance of the Sabbath. We may be certain that if each one of us does his duty in relation tc it, this blessed institution will be pre- served for toiling and sinning humanity, and will perform its glorious mission in lifting our race to a loftier state of being. Indeed, we feel confident * Princeton Review, vol. xxxv. p. 570. f See Apperdix F for methods of doing this. (165) i.^4. t4is>-^:Jt;-; I' i; ia ,lBlk Ml ■! 3H| H ' '^H H H i^HH ^^H ' ^*^ H 1 IMEli 392 Nature and Importance of the Sabbath. that, though the prospects appear now somewhat unfavorable, the Lord's day will be more and more widely observed, and that its observance will be more and more in accordance with the precepts of the gospel. Just as we believe that "Jesus shall reign where'er the sun Does his successive journeys run," SO we believe that the day which commemorates his triumph over death and bears his name will be universally observed. But we may miss the blessing and the glory, we may fail to share in the triumph, if we do not do our duty respect- ing it. If we would enjoy hereafter the endless Sabbath of unspeakable delight which awaits the redeemed, we must, while here on earth, lea^-n to enjoy the rest and the worship and the Christian work of our Lord's day. " Welcome that day, the day of holy peace, The Lord's own day I to man's Creator owed And man's Pedeemer; for the soul's increase In sanctity, the sweet repose bestowed ; Type of the rest when sin and care shall cease, The rest remaining for the loved of God." (166) APPENDIX. APPENDIX A. The following is a partial list of works on the Lord's day. Only the more important are mentioned, as a com- plete list would be of little value to the general reader. No attempt has been made to enumerate the review articles on the subject, since they can easily be referred to in Poole's Index, which may be found in every well-equipped library. For the convenience of those who may wish to investigate the subject, I have classified the works men- tioned according to the views which they present. I. — WORKS ADVOCATING THE CHRISTIAN-8ABBATH VIEW. 1. The Doctrine of the Sabbath, Plainely Layde Forth and Soundly Proved, etc., by Nicholas Bound, D.D., of England. London, 1606. 4to. Pp. 479. 2. The Sabbath Viewed in the Light of Reason, Reve- lation and History, with Sketches of its Literature, by Rev. James Gilfillan, of Scotland. American Tract Society. Pp. 635. 3. Prize Essays on the Temporal Advantages of the Sabbath, by English Workingmen. Published by the Presbyterian Board of Publication, Philadelphia. 4. Prize Sermons on the Sabbath. (1883.) S. W. Part- ridge & Co., London. Pp. 292. 5. The Abiding Sabbath, by Rev. George Elliott. (Fletcher Prize Book, 1884.) American Tract Society. Pp. 275. (167) I ' \ 394 Appendix. 6. The Sabbath for Man, by Rev. W. F. Crafts. (1884.) Funk & Wagualls, New York city. Pp. 638. 7. Eight Studies on the Lord's Day. (1885.) Anony- mous. Houghton, INIifflin & Co., Boston. 8. Among the review articles, I woukl call special atten- tion to a series of able articles in the Bibliotheca Sacra (1879-81), by Rev. William DeLoss Love, D.D., and to an article by Dr. Philip SchaflT, in the Princeton Review, vol. XXXV. p. 570. II. — WORKS ADVOCATING THE DOMINICAL VIEW. 1. Sunday : its Origin, History and Present Obligations (Barapton Lectures for 1860), by J. A. Hessey. Pott, Young & Co., New York city. Pp. 436. 2. An article entitled Sunday Question. Fortnightly Review, vol. iv. p. 764. III. — WORKS ADVOCATING THE ECCLESIASTICAL VIEW. 1. History of the Sabbath, by Peter Heylin, D.D., of England. Published in London, 1636. 2 vols., 4to. Pp. 190 and 272. 2. The Lord's Day (1853), by E. W. Hengstenberg, of Germany. Translated into English by James Martin, London, 1853. 8vo. Pp. 106. (His view differs some- what from the ecclesiastical, but we must place his work here rather than in any other of our lists.) 3. Sunday, by E. H. Plumptre. Alexander Strahan, London. 4. Sermons on the Sabbath, by F. D. Maurice. IV. — WORKS ADVOCATING THE OBSERVANCE OF THE LORD'S DAY ON GROUNDS OF EXPEDIENCY. 1. liie Sabbath Question, by Geo. B. Bacon. G. P. Putnam's Sons, New York city. Pp. 263. (Includes (168) 'iv \ k^ Sat. Night. y N s. Sunday. Sun. Night. \^ \ y ^ / Monday. \ \ Mon. Night. / 4 / Tuesday. \ \ \ Tues. Night. ? / Wednesday. \ \ Wed. Night. y J Thursday. \ Thur. Night. J? J ^r Friday. >v \ \ Frl. Night. / y > Saturday. > V \ Sat. Night. / / \j S(^ Sunday. \ N Sun. Night. Monday. I / 1- i 398 Appendix, .:1 ■ U i I' ' 1 M U Iff ,|4 JJ- li • AITENDIX C. I give below the principal jiassjiges of Roriy)tnrp relntiiig to the Sabbath, quoting from the Revised Version (1881- 1885). It WDuld take too much space to (piote every verse in which the Sabbath is referred to, but enough are given to represent accurately and fully the teaching of the Bible on the subject. No important passage is omitted, and none which contains a doctrine different from those presented in the quoted passages. This collection will be found con- venient by the student of the subject, and any one who reads through these words of holy writ cannot but be im- pressed by the importance which is given to the Sabbath in the word of God. THE EARLY SABBATH. And on the seventh day Gt)d finished his work which he had made : and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made. And God blessed the seventh day, and hallowed it : because that in it he rested from all his work which God had created and made. — Gen. 2 ; 2, 3. And it came to pass, that on the sixth day they gathered twice as much bread, tMo omcrs for each one : and all the rulers of the congregation came and told Moses. And he said unto them, This is that which the Lord hath spoken, To-morrow is a solemn rest, a holy sabbath unto the Lord : bake that which ye will bake and seethe that which ye will seethe ; and all that remaineth over lay up for you to be kept until the morning. And they laid it up till the morn- ing, as Moses bade; and it did not stink, neither was there any worm therein. And Moses said. Eat that to-day; for to-day is a sabbath unto the Lord : to-day ye shall not find it in the field. Six days ye shall gather it ; but on the seventh day is the sabbath, in it there shall be none. And (172) Appendix. 899 p reljvting m (1«H1- ,'cry verse are given the Bible , and none •esented in ;oiuul con- ^ one who but be im- ae Sabbatli •k which he Tora all his he seventh 'd from all en. 2 : 2, 3. y gathered jiiid all the And he ,th spoken, I) the Lord : pich ye will you to be il the morn- was there to-day; for all not find but on the one. And it came to pass on the seventh day, that there went out some of the people for to gather, and they found none. And the Lord said unto Moses, How long refuse ye to keep my cornnjandnients and my laws? See, for that the Lord hath given you the sabbath, tlierefore he givetli you on the sixth day the bread of two days : abide ye every man in his place, let no man go out of his ])lace on the seventh day. So the people rested on the seventh day. — Ex. 16 : 22-30. THE SAnnATH OF THE LAW. Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work : but the seventh day is a sabbath unto the Loud thy God : in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates : 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 the sabbath day, and hallowed it. — Ex. 20 : 8-lL Six (lays thou shalt d"> thy work, and on the seventh day thou shalt rest : that thine ox and thine ass may have rest, and the son of thy handmaid, and the stranger may be refreshed.— A'^c. 23 : 12. Six days thou shalt work, but on the seventh day thou shalt rest: in plowing time and in harvest thou shalt rest. —Ex. 34 : 21. Six days shall work be done, but on the seventh day there shall be to you an holy t him without the camp, and stoned him with stones, and he died ; as the Lord commanded Moses. — Num. 15 : 32-36. Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work : but the seventh day is a sabbath unto the Loud thy God : in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, nor thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thine ox, nor thine ass, nor any of thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is •within thy gates : that thy manservant and thy maidservant may rest as well as thou. And thou shalt remember that thou wast a servant in the land of Egypt, and the Loud thy God brought thee out thence by a mighty hand and by a stretched out arm: therefore the Loud thy God commanded thee to keep the sabbath day. — Ueut. 5 : 13-15. THE SABBATH OF THE PROPHETS AND REFORMERS OF ISRAEL. And she called unto her husbai^d, and said, Send me, I pray thee, one of the servants, and one of the asses, that I may run to the man of God, and come again. And he (174) Appendix. 4o; Iv (lay is sluill do D iu all Idorucss, )ath (lay. ight him ^regation. been de- iOUi) said II : all the the camp, the camp, the Lord k : but the :iod: in it Q, nor thy rvant, nor , nor thy want and thou shalt of Egypt, iuce by a Tofore the •bath day. )RMERS ?end me, I pses, that I And he flftid, Wherefore wilt thou go to him to-day? it ia noithor new moon nor aahbath. And she wuid, It .sliail he well. — 2 KimjH 4 : 22, 23. Tiiou earnest down also upon mount Sinai, and spakest with tljcni fnmi heaven, and gavest them rigiit judgments and true laws, good siututcs and eoniniaiidnients : and madest known unto them thy holy subhath, and eommand- edst them commandments, and statutes, and a law, by the hand of Moses thy servant. — Neh. 9 : 13, 14. They . . . entered . . . into an oath . . . that ... if the peoples of the land bring ware or any victuals on the sabbath day to sell, that we would not buy of them on the sabbath, or on a holy day : and that we woukl forego the seventh year, and the exaction of every debt. — Nch. 10 : 29-31. Then I testified against them, and said unto them, Why lodge ye about the wall ? if ye do so again, I will lay hands on you. From that time forth came they no more on the sabbath.— AWi. 13 : 21. Blessed is the man that doeth this, and the son of man that holdeth faat by it ; that keepeth the sabbath from pro- faning it, and keepeth his hand from doing any evil. Also the strangers, that join themselves to the Lord, to minister unto him, and to love the name of the Loud, to be his servants, every one that keepeth the sabbath from piofan- ing it, and holdeth fast by my covenant ; even them will I bring to my holy mountain, and make them joyful in my house of prayer ; their burnt offerings and their sacrifices shall be accepted upon mine altar : for mine house shall be called an house of prayer for all peoples. — Isa. 56 : 2, 6, 7. If thou turn away thy foot from the sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on my holy day ; and call the sabbath a de- light, and the holy of the Lord honourable ; and shalt 26 (170) f./'^h^- <^.' t^ i ' 402 Appendix. honour it, not doing thine own ^vays, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine oimi words : then shalt thou delight thyself in the Lord : and I will make thee ride upon the high places of the earth ; and I will feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father : for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it. — Isa. 58 : 13, 14. Thus saith the Iii - I • * 412 Appendix. APPENDIX F. It may be that some Cliristian readers of tliis book will desire to know more specifically what they can do to pro- mote the proper observance of the Lord's day. The follow- ing suggestions are made in the hope that they may be of practical value to such inquirers. For tha sake of a better classification I have divided these hints into two classes: first, those which relate to the things which Christians should not do on Sunday, if they wish to promote its better observance; second, those relating to some positive duties which they must perform before this object will be accom- plished. To one class I will give the name Negative Duties, and to the other, Positive Duties, of Christians in regard to the Lord's day and its better observance. NEGATIVE DUTIES. 1. Abstain not only from all labor for gain and all un- necessary work, but also from pleasure riding, worldly visiting, feasting and everything of the kind on Sunday. 2. Do not patronize any Sabbath-breaking institution, corporation or individual. Do not buy or read Sunday newspapers. Do not ride on the horse-cars or steam-cars on Sunday. 3. Do not receive at your house on Sunday meat, ice, milk or any other article of consumption, unless sickness or some other cause makes it absolutely necessary. 4. Do not allow your servants to buy anything for your family on Sunday. 5. Do not write and mail letters, go to the post-office or receive letters from carriers on Sunday. 6. Do not go on Sunday excursions, or allow any one to go who is under your control. (18G) Appendix. 413 iiaus 111 7. Do not join the crowd who go to the seashore or to watcring-place.s to spend Suiulay. 8. Do not employ the barhir, the cigar vendor or the hoot-bhick on SuiuUiy. 9. Do not aUow your chihh-en to phiy in the street on Sunday, or to phiy noisily in the yard. 10. Do not belong to a corporation or own stock in a eonipauy which persistently violates the Sabbath. If all Christians would abstain from these and similar forms of Sabbath desecration, they would not tempt others to break the Sabbath, and their examj)le would have a mighty influeuce in promoting its better observance. Many kinds of Sabbath-breaking are sustained by the patronage of professed Christians ; other forms are allowed to go on because of their silent approval. They have it in their power to destroy much of it by steadily and faithfully refusing to have any share in it. POSITIVE DUTIES. 1. Make the better observance of the Lord's day a sub- ject of prayer in })rivate and Christian assemblies. 2. Hold meetings to promote this object, of a character similar to the temperance meetings. 3. Let these meetings request pastors to preach on the subject at stated times or whenever they may see fit. Pas- tors should give more attention to the subject both in their private and public ministrations. 4. Introduce in assemblies, conferences and associational meetings resolutions condemning current violations of the Sabbath, and urging Christians to be faithful in its ob- servance. 5. Let churches discipline thi'r members who openly violate the Sabbath. (187) ri!Wfi i\V II n 414 Appendix. 6. Let Sunday-.^chools be ho conducted as to inculcate reverence for the day. 7. Parents and teachers should carefully instruct the young in re, 20, is.'i; modern Judaizers, 217, 222, 223. Barnabas, Epistle of, 205, 206, 212. Bianconi quoted, 67. Bible record. Silence of early on tho Sabbath, 118, 119. Blackstono quoted, 109, 110. Boardman, Dr. 0. D., referred to, 94. Body, Importance of caring for tho, 45, 47. California, Sunday laws of, 20, 408. Captivity, The Babylonish, 264. Carpenter, Dr., referred to, 59 ; quoted, 79. Cassius, Di n (forrcdto, 123. Clianyo of da>, 184-225; apostolic example for, 187, ISS, IS1»; grad- ual, l.Sit; I'aul on, 200, 2(tl ; rea- sons tor, 190-102; Sabbath not atlected by, 21 I, 225. Cheerfulness promoted by tho Sab- bath, OS. 60. Children on Sunday, 319-353. China, Tho Sabbath in ancient, 120, 121. Chri.-'t corrects abuses of Sabbath, 16;!, 164, 165, 287, 288, 280; did not repeal fourth coMimandiuent, I60-16S; his method of kec])ing the Sabbath, 166, Km, 168, 201, 202, 293 J on tho Sabbath, 16;i, 164. Christians, Example of post-apos- tolic, 203, 201 ; kept holy tho lirst day, 197, 198, HOO; tlio'ci'tly, re- jected seventh-day Sabbatli, 190, 191. "Christian-Sabbath" view of Sab- bath, 29, 30. Cities, The Sabbath in, 21, 331, 332, 341, 342. Clark, Dr. Alonzo, quoted, 60, 61. Cleanliness promoted by Sabbath observance, 07, 98. Communities, Influence of Sabbath on, 106-108. Conscience, Nature of, 84, 85; uni- versality of, 85 ; our guide, 311. Contractors, Experiments of, in Sab- bath -kccj)ing, 62, 64. Cook, Joseph, cjuoted, 94, 388. Crafts, llev. W. ¥., quoteil, 103, 104. Diagram ; efl'ect of no Sabbath on man, 306, 397. "Dominical" view of the Saljbath, 27, 28; criticised, 240-242. Driving on Sunday, 22, 345. ¥ 416 Index, Duty, Our, respecting Lord's day, 359, ;560, ;^01 ; to (iod, :!61, 362; to our Kedceiiicr, 362, 3C3 ; to our follow men, 365-309 j to ourselves, 369, 372. Early Sabbath not abrogated, 136. "Ecclesiastical" view of Sabbath, 27; criticised, 229-231. Eden, The Sabbath in, 117, 118. Egypt, Dcliveranco from, commem- orated in the Sabbath, 131, 132, 258, 271. Elisha mentioned, 41. Ellicott quoted, 181. Emerson quoted, 368. Epiphanies of Christ on Sunday, 193, 194. Europe, The Sabbath in, 234, 235, 236. Eusebius quotes Irenaeus, 209. Example, Apostolic, 160. Excursions, Sunday, 21, 22 ; are in- jurious, 322; violate the Sabbath, 321. Experience, what it teaches on the Sabbath, 50, 62-69. Ezekiel on the Sabbath, 155, 264, 265. Fairbairn quoted, 70. Family life. Influence of the Sab- bath on, 99-101, -in, 373. Family, Sunday in the, 350-353. Fanner, The, and the Sabbath, 77, 331. Farre, Dr. J. R., referred to, 59, 79. Fathers, The, testimony of to change of day, 204-213 ; testimony of, conclusive, 214; unanimity of, 214. Fourth commandment an integral part of the decalogue, 141, 142- 144; circumstances of delivery, 142, 143, 255, 258 ; death-penalty of abolished, 300,301,302; events associated with, 257, 258; form of the, 129, 130, 256,257; founded in the nature of thing.-<, 141, 141- 146; frequently repeated, 257, 258, 259; made important by proj)hets and teachers, 142, 151- 156; never repealed, 157-183; not repealed by apostles, 168-183 ; part of the moral law, 137> 141, 156; prohibitions of, 276, 277, 311; related to highest duties, III, 146-150, 303, 304, ;;Cj; re- quires one seventh of the time, 214, 215, 216; severe penalties of, 142, 151, 259, 200, 201; still bindin,.;, 228, 229, 241, 242,243. See Sttibath and Lord's Day. France, its Sabbath experiment, 56. Free government, 111, 112; Sabbath necessary to, 385, 386, 387, 388. Gordon, Mary, quoted, 163. Greeley, Horace, quoted, 56. Green Fund, Books of, v. Half-holiday, The Saturday, 326. Hamilton, Sir William, quoted, 71. Heathen, The testimony of, 69. Heaven a place of activity, 297. Hebrews, Keligion of, joyous, 277- 281 ; wrong ideas of the Sabbath. 284-289. Hengstenberg quoted, 246-243. llessey. Dr., quoted, 157, 158, 190; referred to, 185 j quoted and crit- icised, 240-242. Hooker quoted, 143. Horse-cars, The Sabbath and, 20, 331. " Humanitarian " view of the Sab- bath, 28, 250, 365, 366 ; criticised, 231, 232, 2\>Z, 234, 236. Humboldt, Will' am Von, quoted, 57, 58. Humphrey, Dr., quoted, 64. Idolatry prevented by Sabbath ob- servance, 270, 271. Ignatius quoted, 205. Iniidel views of the Sabbath, 25, 96. Intellect, The human, dwarfed by uninterrupted labor, 73, 74 ; great- ness of, 72 ; should be cultivated in all, 72, 73; the Sabbath and, 75-81. Intellectual workers need the Sab- bath, 77-81. Irenaius quoted, 208, 209. Isaiah on the Sabbath, 152. 153, 263, 264. Jeremiah on the Sabbath, 153-155, 264. Jew, The, like other men, 42. 276, 277, est duties, i, '.',Go; re- tho time, eniilties of, 2i;i; still , 212, 213. riment, 56. 2 ; Sabbath 387, 388. 93. 56. lay, 326. [uoted, 71. of, 69. ty, 297. jyous, 277- be Sabbath. l6-243. r, 158, 196; ed and crit- ;h and, 20, of the Sab- criticised, quoted, 57, 64. abbath ob- ath, 25, 96. iwarfed by 74 ; great- cultivated bath and, ll the Sab- 1. 153, 263, |i, 153-155, 42. Index. 417 Jews, Intellectual superiority of, in Europe, 80 ; superior health of, 65, 66. Josephus quoted, 272, 273. Judaizers in the early Church, 176, 177, 178 ; some modern, 222, 223. Labor, NeccJsity of, 48 ; physical exhaustion of, 48, 49. "Labor question," The, and the Sabbath, 102-104. La Place quoted, 124. Law, The ceremonial, fulfilled, Iftl, 169 ; necessary to secure blessings, 281, 282; not arbitrary, 249, 260; not repealed, 160, 251 ; reaffirmed by Christ, 162 ; relations of Chris- tians to, 169-171 ; the apostles on, 171-174. Laws, Sunday, 374-385 ; abstract of, 408-410; desired by majority, 376, 379, 380; not inconsistent with personal liberty, 380, 381 ; not religious legislation, 375, 376, 382 ; promote public welfare, 378, 385, 386 ; protect Sabbath-keepers, 377, 378, 381, 382; should bo preserved and enforced, 384, 385. Legge, Dr. James, referred to, 121. Le Normant quoted, 123, 125. Levis, Dr. R. J., quoted, 62. Lewis, Tayler, quoted, 119, 120, 125. Liberty, ChrisLian, 170, 171, 177, 178, 179, 238, 239, 310, 311. Lord's day. The, a Christian insti- tution, 306, 307; a day of activ- ity, 292, 293, 294; a day of re- joicing, 320 ; a memorial day, 303, 304; based upon the fourth commandment, 241, 242, 243, 245, 248, 249, 358, 359; becomes the Sabbath, 184-225 ; how observed by apostles and early Christians, 297, 298 ; importance of, 282, 283, 308, 309, 359; Jewish Sabbath contrasted with, 302-309; Jewish Sabbath transformed into by Christ, 287, 288, 289 ; kept holy by early Christians, 197, 1"J8, 199; losing positions to keep, 343, 344; motives for observing, 299, 300 ; nature of, 284-309, 357, 358; our obligations respecting, 357-392 ; proper observance of, 310-356; proper rest and recreation on, 27 344, 345 ; reasons for observing, 227-252 ; rules for securing better observance of, 411-414; the first day of the week, 30 1, 305; things allowable on, 328-345; things prohibited on, 313-328; things required on, 315-356; to bo uni- versally observed, 305, 306, 391, 392 ; symbolism of, 296, 297. 30 I ; work to be done on, 291, 292. See Snhbnth ; Funrth Comiiiandmvnt. Love, Dr., quoted, 99, 1 00. Luther, his views of the Lord's day, 232, 233, 234. Macaulay quoted, 110, 111. Maclaren quoted, 41. M.ncleod, Dr., quoted, 91. Mails, Sunday, 340, 341. Man a moral boing, 84, 85 ; a relig- ious being, 82-8 1 ; a social being, 97; Bibie method of treating, 40, 41; needs days of rest, 52, 53. Manufacturers, Experiments of, in Sabbath-keeping, 62. Martyr, Justin, quoted, 207, 208, 2 1 2. Massachusetts report on Sunday labor, 410, 411. Meditation, Religious, 355. Mill, J. S., quoted, 102. Mill-owners, Experiments of, in Sabbath-keeping, 62, 63, 64, 65. Montalembert quoted, 91, 388, 389. Moral influence of Sabbath, 92, 93. Moral training impossible without Sabbath, 93, 95 ; necessity of, 85, 86. Munich, Experiments at, 53. Nation, Our, character of, not fi xed. 19 ; Christian and Protestant, 383, 384. National prosperity, influence ai Sabbath-keeping on, 108, 112, 388, 389, . '390, 391. Nature, Constitution of, 50, 51, 52; moral law in, 144-140. Neander quoted, 190, 204, 211. Necessity, False pretences of, in Sumlav work, 331-343; works of, allowable on Sunday, 228, 329, 330. Neheniinh on the Sabbath, 265, 266, 267, 314. Newspapers, Sunday, 20, 332, 333- 336. i j [ 5 \l u h I ^11 418 Niemeyer, Dr. Paul, quoted, 60 Index. Oberlicnco, not legalism, 251, 252; secures divine blessings, 271, 272, 370, 371, 372. Opinions, Various, on the Sabbath, 24-30. Oxygen exhausted by labor, 53; means of restoring, 54. Paley quoted, 116; view of the Sabbath, 117. Patriarchal Sabbath, The, 118, 120 ; nature of, 1 34 . Patriotism a virtue, 373, 374, Paul on the law, 169, 170, 171, 172, 173; on Sabbath observance, 174, 175, 176, 178, 179, 180, 1^\ 182. Penalty, 151. Pentecostal baptism oix :aii ^.^.y , 195, 196, 197. Pepper, Dr. William, quoted, 61, 62. Periodicity, General law of, 50, 51; applies especially to man, 60, 51. Physicians, Testimony of, 50, 59-62 Philo quoted, 126. Pleasure-Peeking, Sunday, deprives others of Sabbath, 326, 327; injuri- ous, 323, 324; prohibited, 319-328 Pliny's letter to Trajan, 206, 207. Precepts, Positive, 138; moral, 139, 140. Premium, One thousand dollars, etc., vii. Primitive Sabbath on Sunday, 216, 217. Proudhon quoted, 58, Pulpit, Intellectual advantages of instruction from, 75, 76; and in- struction in morals, 94. Question, The Sabbath, stated, 17; a living question, 19; importance of, 18, 19; literature of, 393-395. Rabbi, A Hebrew, quoted, 221, 222. Rabbis, The puerile rules of, 285, 286. Railroading, Sunday, 20, 336-348. Reading, Religious, 354, 355. Reformers, their view of the Lord's day, 232-234. Religion, Existence of, dependent on the Sabbath. 91, 95, 96, 367, 368 ; and morality inseparable, 86. Religious feeling, The, strength of, 82, 83; man's chief glory, 87, 88; universality of, 81, 84. Religious training i-npossible with- out the Sabbath, 89-9G; necessity of, 89; opportunity for on the Sabbath, 148, 149. Repair, Means of, 50. Rest afforded by Sabbath, 55; change of occupation the truest, 295, 296; necessity of, 50, 52; Jewish Sabbath as a day of, 268, 269, 270. Rest-days, how frequent, 55, 58. Resurrection of Christ, 192, 193. Revelation, Necessity of, 36; proof of, 36, 37. Riddle, Dr., referred to, 181. Robertson, F. W., refeiicd to, 93, 185; quoted, 158, 159; quoted and criticised, 244, 245. Romanists and the Sabbath, 27, 56. Sabbath, The, better doctrine of needed, 30, 31, 235; books on, 393-395; commemorates creation, 147, 257; definition of, 44; des- ecration of, increasing, 20-23, 30; divine origin of proved, 35-44; early institution of, 115-136; first mention of, 117; for all men, 40- 43, 115-225, 135, 136, 149,150; friends of divided, 23-30; gen- eral law of, 312; good for all, 44, 250, 251; human intellect and, 71-81; its claim for recognition, it^: keeps alive knowledge of ^'^-136; first |l men, 40- 149, 150; [-30; gen- for all, 44, llect and, cognition, IV ledge of Christ a I, 236-239; , 97-113; 9 ; morals the early, 35-113, |on of, 227, es of, 45- reformers purposes \, to relig- Scripture ; secur- [s of, 90; 270; the see Lord's \ndmeut. i3-272; a day of rejoicing, 277-281 ; a day of worship, 273, 274, 275, 277; as a day of rest, 268, 270 ; import- ance of, 254-267 ; instruction given on, 272, 273, 277; nature of, 276-281; relation of to He- brew religion, 270-272; work prohibited on, 276, 277. "Sabbath Kest," Experiment at, 62, 63. Sabbaths, Two, not required, 201, 204. Sayce, Rev. A. H., quoted, 122, 123. Schair, Dr. Philip, quoted, 195, 235, 236, .390, 391. Scripture texts tn Sabbath, 398-408. Seven, Sacredness of the number, 125; among the Chaldeo-Baby- lonians, 125, 126; among the He- brews, 126 ; origin of, 126, 127. Seventh-day Sabbath, 184. Smith, Adam, quoted, 109. Smith, George, referred to, 122. Social distinctions and the Sabbath, 101, 102. Social duties and the Sabbath, 104, 106. Social refinement promoted by Sab- bath, 98. Spencer, Herbert, referred to, 85. Sports on Sunday, 22. Spring, Dr., quoted, 76. Standard, The London, quoted, 78. Steamboat companies, The Sabbath and, 20. Study on the Sabbath, 75. Sunday observance, etc., see Lord's Day. Talbot, W. Fox, referred to, 122. Talmud, Sabbath teaching of, 284- 287. "Tciii'hinjr of the apostles," 207. Tcrtuliiiin quoted, 210, 211, 213. Thciitrt'.s Sundav, 21, 321. Toronto, The Sabbath in, 340, 341. Trade, Sunday, 21. Virgil quoted, 23. Voltaire quoted, 96. Waddy, S. D., quoted, 104. Washburn, Rev. G. T., quoted. 111. Waste ami repair, Law of, 49. Week, The, among ancient nations, 120, 127; antiquity of, 124; men- tioned in Genesis, 119, 120; not astronomical, 121. 125. We.-*t, Sunday in the. 21, 22. Wilbcrfurcc quoted, 78, 79. Wilderness, Sabbath in the, 127- 129. Wilkie, Sir David, quoted, 78. Work, The present, purpose of, 31, 32 ; plan of, 32-34. Work, Secular, prohibited on the Lord's day, 314-318,319. Works required on Lord's day, Re- ligious, 348-363 ; of mercy, 353, 354. Working men and the Sabbath, 103, 104. Worship, Universality of, 8.S. Worship, Public, impossible with- out the Sabbath, 91, 92, 364 ; need of, 91, 274; work involved by, allowable on Sunday, 344; re- quired on Lord's day, 346, 347, 348.