A Word on the Sabbath Question.
By Burk
A YOUNG man who had just been ordained and was about leaving home to assume the duties for the first time as a pastor, received no more valuable advice from his old Christian mother than when she looked him earnestly in the eyes and said, "John, stick to your text." So in the consideration of this question, we must stick to our text, or, better yet, stick to God's command; and what is it? "Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy." The outside world says, "Yes, to keep it holy—I understand what that means," and they give a very elastic definition to the word "holy." We need not go to the dictionary to find out what holy means. Here is something which helps us to understand its meaning: "Six days shalt thou labor, and do all thy work; but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God; in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son," etc. And then we read that the Lord, having finished his work of creating the world, rested on the seventh day, "wherefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day, and hallowed it." Hallowed it? What is that? What is it to hallow? We find this definition: "To make holy." But can we get anything more definite than that? Yes, this: "To set apart for holy or religious use." Well, what is religious use? "Religious!" what does that mean? It means teaching or setting forth religion. Now, what is religion? Where can you find a more comprehensive and satisfying definition than this: "Religion is the recognition of God as an object of worship, love, and obedience." Well, then, we should be satisfied to believe that the Sabbath was set apart for us as a day of rest, and a day when we can worship God without being disturbed by the usual duties and cares which press upon us on other days; and so the day must be spent; whether we like it or not has nothing to do with it. You may have your theory about the Sabbath question, and I may have mine; but it will be better for us all if we stick to the command of God and "remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy."—Burk, in Christian Union.