THE SABBATH DAY

The word “Remember” stands as a sentinel at the beginning of the Fourth Commandment. In fact, the only Commandment in the Decalogue which begins with the word “Remember” is the Fourth. The Divine Lawgiver saw that fallen and sin ruined men would be in danger of forgetting this Commandment. He was right. In the camp of Israel in the wilderness one was stoned for gathering sticks on the Lord’s holy day. Since then we have a sad record of Sabbath breaking. The god-fearing Nehemiah made a noble stand on the side of the Sabbath. In the days of Amos, they would say, When will the Sabbath be past? Their only reason for this question was —”that we may set forth wheat.” A worldly minded generation taking no delight in the Sabbath and longing to bring forth their wares to make gain and having no regard to honesty. Sad to say Sabbath breaking did not end with the ancient Jews.

Under a more enlightened dispensation the Saviour declared the Sabbath was made for man. However much man laughs at the Sabbath and turns it into a day of pleasure and recreation; in actual fact man cannot live without the Sabbath and prosper. The hotel and saloon in modern times, with their “seven day licences” have no regard for the Lord’s day. Their only concern is to make money through commercializing their fellow-men’s weakness. Let us be assured of this in our minds, where there is Sabbath breaking there will be no spiritual prosperity. We cannot warn our people too often about the evil of Sabbath desecration.

The Law of the Sabbath is wise and merciful. It is all-embracing in its designs and meets the needs of all men whatever their station in life. To our rulers who are constantly engaged in political work on God’s holy day we do not hesitate to say that they can never expect the blessing of God upon their work. In their sinful activities they are determined to remove “the ancient landmarks” which were treasured by our fathers. Will the Sabbath breaker prosper? Let us take warning. In Scripture we read, “He that sitteth in the Heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision,” and “Be wise now therefore, O ye kings, be instructed, ye judges of the earth.” It is written of Gladstone that he rigidly observed the Sabbath day. On Saturday evening he removed all newspapers from his library and politics were banished for one day in the week. The godly are grieved when they see that the Lord is a stranger among us because of our manifold transgressions. What is more harmful to the spiritual and moral welfare of any nation than Sabbath breaking? Sabbath desecration is detrimental to the temporal interests of men, it lowers down the moral tone of the community, lays waste true religion and brings down the judgments of God upon us. In our nation there is a sad deterioration and we are already reaping what we have sowed.

We remember our humble homes prepared for the Sabbath. Even the shoes that were to be used on the Lord’s day were in a row polished on Saturday evening, the Sabbath dinner was also prepared on Saturday and all newspapers put out of sight. Saturday was really a day of preparation in the real sense. When will there be wisdom exercised on our part? When will we turn to the good old ways? We have much need of the prayer of the Psalmist: “Turn us again O God of hosts, and cause Thy face to shine, and we shall be saved.” This prayer is needed in our day; the home needs it, the church needs it and the nation needs it. If we will exercise true wisdom (“If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God that giveth to all men liberally and up-braideth not; and it shall be given him.” James I. 5.) we will preserve our Sabbaths as a day of rest and worship. The two things are united together and let us safeguard against having them only in our memory when we ought to practice both in our lives. The practice of worship in the family and the church regularly promotes even temporal prosperity. The reward will be sure for those thus exercised — it will be the blessing of God that maketh rich. “Verily there is a reward for the righteous.” Ps. 58 v. 11. Not only that, but it will propagate true religion from one generation to another. “For He established a testimony in Jacob, and appointed a law in Israel, which He commanded our fathers that they should make them known to their children: that the generation to come might know them even the children which should be born, who should arise and declare them to their children.” Ps. 78 vv. 5 and 6. The end in view being: “That they might set their hope in God, and not forget the works of God, but keep His Commandments.” Ps. 78 v. 7. The neglect of duty will certainly bring the curse of a just God upon us. “Pour out Thy fury upon the heathen that know Thee not and upon the families that call not upon Thy name.” Jer. 10 v. 25.

Man may scoff at Sabbath observance but man, every man, needs a day of rest for mind and body. Above all he needs a day of worship for the benefit of his soul.

Experience has proved that our bodily energy cannot be maintained in a healthy way without a day of rest. We cannot live for a week without sleep at night. You will agree with me when I say that to-day there is excitement and a mad rush in every walk of life. Men work for their daily bread from Monday to Friday or it may be Saturday. Do they give their bodies a chance to rest on Sabbath? Do they say on that Holy day, “It la good for me that I draw near to God.” The answer in most cases is a definite “No.” On Sabbath there is a “Sunday excursion.” Man in his blind folly forgets that he is a “frail man”; not an iron made machine but a human organism “fearfully and wonderfully made” of nerves and tender tissues. Why are the doctors compelled to treat nervous disorders and prescribe periods of complete rest and seclusion? The answer is found in this — the majority of men in the world to-day live without God and they hold the view that they have outgrown the Sabbath and that there is no further need for it in a modern age. Whatever their view, our viewpoint is founded upon God’s Word. We, therefore, hesitate not to say that there was never an age when humanity needed this day of rest more than now.

The mind needs it. By working and grinding seven days a week the intellectual faculties will soon lose their keen edge. The obvious conclusion is that the mind needs a day of rest — a day to take us away from all mental toil. Science supports the Divine Law by showing that the Lord’s Day is a physiological necessity for the restoration of the energy we lose bodily and mentally. The recreation we need is not to become amateur gardeners, as so many do in this God dishonouring age, and wear themselves out every Lord’s Day. We need God and His worship.

The soul has its rights as well as body and mind. Of the Saviour we read, “He went as His custom was into the Synagogue on the Sabbath Day.” The Fourth Commandment positively says, “Remember the Sabbath Day to keep it holy.” Ex. 20 v. 8. How can we keep it holy if we neglect, without any legitimate excuse, God’s sanctuary and worship. The Sabbath is to be employed in the private and public exercises of God’s worship. “From one Sabbath to another shall all flesh come to worship before Me saith the Lord.” Is. 66 v. 23. Works of necessity and mercy are allowed on the Lord’s Day but work that could be done before the Sabbath or left over till after the Sabbath ought not be done on that day. It is so easy for fallen man to make excuses in order to cover his evil doings. Adam in a state of innocency needed the Sabbath for rest and communion with God. How much more do we who are fallen, ruined and depraved. The shell-fish on the seashore live while the tide is out but they always depend upon the tides return. If the tide on its return does not reach them the obvious conclusion is that they will die. This is only a simple illustration but it shows us our need of keeping our Sabbaths holy to God. Our souls are refreshed through the means of grace provided for us on God’s holy day. If we neglect worship and throw away our Sabbaths we bring spiritual death upon ourselves. Those guilty and who refuse to turn to God, eternal portion will be sorrow, world without end. “Let us search and try our ways, and turn again to the Lord.” Lam. 3 v. 40.

Let not then our pew be empty in the house of God on His day. Let us bear in mind that it is very wrong to appropriate a few hours of the Sabbath to religious exercises and then to spend the rest of the day in a careless worldly manner — speaking our own words and discussing our worldly employment and world-wide affairs.

Parents have a great responsibility. The only place where a family can be brought up properly is in a church where the whole truth is declared. We may add, that parents have a lot to answer for — they promise at baptism to bring up their children in the fear and admonition of the Lord. Alas! how soon this is forgotten. But we read, “and God requireth that which is past.” Eccles. 3 v. 15. And we will need yet to render our account to God the Judge of all men.

One cannot but be alarmed at what we read in the daily papers about the ways of the world. One great remedy is to return to the Sabbath and the sanctuary. Stand ye in the ways and see and ask for the old paths, where is the good way and walk therein and ye shall find rest for your souls.” Jer. 6 v. 16. The manner in which a man keeps the Sabbath Day will make its impress on the man’s life in the world and on his soul by the blessing of God. As that is the case, “Remember the Sabbath Day to keep it holy.” “Keep the Sabbath Day to sanctify it.”

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