S C R I B N E R ' S M A G A Z I N E Important ... - Rparchives.org

July 2S, 1913,
oicd institucions whose very existence is now
uircMcacu must be maintameu ana ueienaed
at ml ;aazarQs. in'Cs.e,^are: the Lord s L»ay, tne
Lnnstian nome, tne Church as a Uivme institution,
the Hiblc as the only rule ot F'aitn
'ana Lite, it has been made apparent ttiat
mtn are seenng the practical bearing ot their
Illations as never -betore, and are i>eginnmg
to apP^y it in the solution of industrial, social
and pohtical problems. W e rejoice in
'fhis and call upon all good
citizens to help
'inject a strong solution of Christianity into
rar"; public, education, our social order, and THE SABBATH.
.political life.
Have not our hearts burned
within us as
Ibrothers from over tbe seas have told us in
eloquent and glowing terms of the progress
in England, Scotland, Ireland, France, Germany,
Scandinavia, Switzerland, Italy, the
fvant, India, China and Japan, This splen-'
1 vision has given us new courage and en-
. er0 in the service of our Blessed Master.
iThe Conference closed on July 6th, and after
ja growing attendance day by day it culmina-
, ted on Sabbath evening with a conservatively
Jegimated audience of 15,000, over which
The spirit withers without it; it thrives in
floated an illuminated American flag of our
proportion to tlie fidehty of its observance.
"stars and Stripes. Dr. R. C. Wylie, of Pittsjtmrgh
made the following motion: "The
The enemies of Christianity understand this
subject. They know that to make the Gospel
/coming of the kingdom of Jesus Christ in-
Jvoilves the Christianizing both of laws and of Christ of none effect and to under­
mine the Christian Church, they must blot
j^the^yery frame-work of civil government. out the Sabbath as a religious day. Therefore
'.This is done not by the union of church and
their jnost violent attacks are against this
^istate but by tbe state recognizing and dis- stronghold of the Christian religion. It is
^TOrging its own functions as a part of the
'^kingdom. The formal organization of civil
Igovernment will differ in different countries
'• I
; but they all sustain the same relation to God
^ as the source of all authority, to Jesus Christ
_;ias the Ruler of nations, and to His revealed
Iwill as of supreme authority in the realm
,_lof national life. These truths should enter in
^|some definite form into the organic law of
jwery nation." After unanimously adopting
^ttiis, it was moved that the same be sent to
"ifc proper officials in China, for their con-
'laderation in the forming of tbeir new con-
;|iution.
J. The final note of th-e Conference was
Jtrifck by Dr. 5^. A. MacDonald of Toronto
^j|On the United Brotherhood of Nations, a
^^^i^all to stand shoulder to shoulder, and let
•^.Chnst as King reign over all. One of the
Jttosti.delightful things about the Conference
l^was the optimistic note while fully conscious
J ot the great problems before us, the injustice
of the present social order, and the prevalent
,,V-standards of Christian Citizenship. W e
[1 see rapid progress being made, and con-
'Pifeitly await the dawning of a better day.
yiie kingdom of God is coming here on earth
1^ each day brings it nearer. W e have an
UjJ^l'^''^^Ie conviction that the old Gospel of
J ^'"•ist rigihtly interpreted and applied is the
^lanacea for all our woes—apolitical, economic,
T°«al, morail and domestic maladies are all
A t'AMlLY PAPER.
susceptible to the Christ-icure. Jesus is God's
provision for man's need, sufficient and invincible,
for the day is coming when "from
the rising of the sun even to the going
down of the same. His name shall be great
among the Gentiles."
"Tbe world sits at the feet of Christ,
Unknowing, blind and uncontrolled.
Yet it shall touch His garments' fold.
And feel the heavenly Alchemist,
Transform its very name to gold."
By the Rev. H. G. Patterson.
The question of Sabbath observance is one
of great importance to all men, but it is of
vital importance to the Christian. Without
the Christian Sabbath it would be impossible
long to perpetuate the Christian religion, or
to maintain public morality. The setting
apart by the whole community of one day in
seven, \yherein the thoughts of men and their
physical activities shall -be turned into another
than their accustomed channel, is the
greatest safeguard of national and spiritual
hfe.
a fact many times proven that the loosening
of public conviction on this subject and the
allowed desecration of the Christian Sabbath
is followed by a corruption of the Church
and a decline in morality. On the contrary
it is equally true, that the strict observance
of the Sabbath, results in well kept laws, a
purified church and higher morality. Sir
William Blackstone says: "A corruption of
morals usually follows a profanation of the
Sabbath." Who are the criminals who are
executed by the state? With few exceptions
they are Sabbbath breakers. Who are
the law breakers who fill our penitentiaries?
A large percentage of them are Sabbath
breakers. Who become maniacs and aresent
to the insane asylums, or commit
suicide? The great majority of them are
desecrators of the Sabbath.
Go through all the byways and highways
of society from the lowest and] most degraded
of mankind to the most wealthy and
proud and ask, who are the vicious, who are
the swearers, the thieves, the gamblers, murderers
and adulterers? Who are sowing the
seeds of death and the fire-brands of hell?
The most comprehensive answer to these
questions is. Sabbath breakers.
In speaking of Sabbath breakers, we are
accustomed to point to the railroads, the mail
service, the newspapers, the building contractors,
saloons, theatres, .baseball and auto
riding for pleasure. We are constantly endeavoring
to have laws passed and enforced
which will prohibit the operation of all these
on the Sabbath day. Every Cbristian ought
to labor for and rejoice in the prohibition of
all such forms of Sabbath desecration, for
they molest the devotions of those who would
observe the Sabbath and have a tendency to
destroy their feelings that the day is sacred.
But let us not forget that the passing and enforcing
of such laws do not insure the
proper observance of the Sabbath. The fact
that many postal clerks were relieved froth
service on the Sabbath day when the order
was given that all first and second class
post-offices should not be opened on Sabbath
for the purpose of delivering mail to the general
pubhc, and -the fact that many holding
government positions at Washington were
relieved fro-m service on the Sabbath when
President Wilson ordered the executive offices
to be closed on the Sabbath,, does not
guarantee that these men will "spend the
whole day in public and private exercise of
God's worship."
The man who has no more regard for the
Sabbath than to accept a position which requires
him to Continue his regular worldly
employment on that day, will not be very
likely to observe the Sabbath properly when
free from labor on that day. Some may
plead that it is an absolute necessity for them
to accept positions and follow occupations
which compel them to labor seven days in the
week, in order to provide fo-r themselves and
those depending on them. But it never is.
When a man gives up the effort to provide
food and raiment for himself and those depending
on him without breaking God's command
it is a lamentable evidence of his laC^
of faith in God. Those who have faith
enough to trust in God and keep his commands
will never lack anything that-is for
their good.
Making. and enforcing laws to prevent
Sabbath desecration is much like trying to
stop the Mississippi (River by damming it
near its mouth instead of stopping its source;
or trying to prevent drunkenness -by persuading
drunkards to take the Keeley cune in- .
stead of prohibiting the manufacture of intoxicating
liquor. The fbod of Sabbath
desecration can -be checked most effectively
by dealing with it in the heart; for that is
where it has its source. In our own hearts
first, then in the hearts of those in our own
homes and our own congregations and our
own denomination; by convincing the heart
that the Sabbath is an original, a permanent,
and a Divine institution; that it is a
sacred day, set apart for the worship of
God, as were the sacred vessels bf the Temple,
and to be used for nothing else; that
to desecrate it is a sin which provokes the
anger of our Creator.
Earl Cairns, of Great Britain, says: "The
institution of the Sabbath is only maintained