Divine Mercy: or the temporal advantages of the Sabbath

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Title: Divine Mercy: or the temporal advantages of the Sabbath
Author: Bryan, George
Language: English
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ADVANTAGES OF THE SABBATH***

Transcribed from the 1849 Partridge and Oakey edition by David Price.

[Picture: Decorative cover from pamphlet]

THE
Chelsea Working-Man’s Sabbath Essay.

~~~~~~

DIVINE MERCY;

TEMPORAL ADVANTAGES OF THE SABBATH.

INTERSPERSED WITH
EXPOSTULATORY REMARKS.

* * * * *

BY GEORGE BRYAN,
ONE OF THE LATE COMPETITORS FOR THE SABBATH ESSAY PRIZES.

* * * * *

“’Tis not in artful measures, in the chime
And idle tinkling of a minstrel’s lyre,
To charm His ear, whose eye is on the heart;
Whose frown can disappoint the proudest strain,
Whose approbation prosper even mine!”—COWPER.

* * * * *

LONDON:
PARTRIDGE AND OAKEY, PATERNOSTER ROW;
W. F. RAMSAY, BROMPTON ROW, BROMPTON;
J. L. POUTER, SLOANE STREET; AND D. ROBERTSON, GLASGOW.

1849

* * * * *

CHELSEA.
PRINTED BY T. WILSHER, MANOR STREET.

TO THE
RIGHT HON. THE EARL OF HARROWBY,
_&c. &c. &c._

MY LORD,

Towards the termination of the year 1847, J. Henderson, Esq., of Park,
near Glasgow, a gentleman distinguished for his piety and universal
benevolence, offered prizes for the three best Essays on “the Temporal
Advantages of the Sabbath, and the consequent necessity of preserving its
rest from all the encroachments of unnecessary labour.” In the short
space of three months 1045 Essays were forwarded by Working-Men to the
Adjudicators. Some time afterwards, ten additional prizes were
munificently given by His Royal Highness Prince Albert, in addition to
many others which had been previously announced.

One month had elapsed before I was informed of the original intention,
and at that period the health of my wife was in a very precarious state,
besides which I was myself labouring under great distress of mind.
Notwithstanding these evident disadvantages, the subject being congenial
to my feelings, I resolved on making an effort to express my individual
views respecting the temporal value and importance of the Sabbath-day.

Although unsuccessful in obtaining a prize, there were reasons which
induced me to conclude that my Essay, in its original state, maintained a
most favourable position amidst the host of its competitors. Since its
return to me I have made several material amendments—which I deem it
right to acknowledge in justice to the arduous duties of the
Adjudicators. Several Inhabitants of Chelsea, who had perused my amended
Essay, expressed a desire that it should be printed; and, having since
received increased encouragement, I have been induced respectfully to
submit it to the ordeal of Christian opinion. It is entirely my own
composition, even to its final revision for the press.

It may be necessary for me to inform your Lordship, in order to remove
any doubts as to my being a working-man, that I was apprenticed to the
late Messrs. Tilling and Hughes, Printers, then of Grosvenor Row,
Pimlico; the latter gentleman was a son of the Rev. J. Hughes, M.A., one
of the Founders of the British and Foreign Bible Society.

Permit me, my Lord, to express now my heartfelt gratitude for the prompt
and kind permission to dedicate the following feeble production to your
Lordship. I am aware that it must be very imperfect, but I know that God
can impart a blessing even to the most apparently futile means to promote
His glory.

I have the honor to be, my Lord,

Your Lordship’s obliged and humble Servant,
GEORGE BRYAN.

6, _Little Camera Street_, _King’s Road_,
_Chelsea_, _Oct._ 1849.

DIVINE MERCY; _&c._

“God blessed the seventh-day, and SANCTIFIED it.”—GEN. ii. 2.

“Remember the Sabbath-day to keep it HOLY.”—EXODUS xx. 8.

“If keeping holy the seventh-day were only an human institution, it
would be the best method that could have been thought of for the
polishing and civilization of mankind.”—ADDISON.

Barren and debased must be that man who is insensible to the lovely
character and genial influences of the Sabbath-day! It is a day on which
the heart, if only susceptible of the ordinary feelings of conviction,
must ever beat with the sweetest emotions of gratitude for the many
blessings which it confers; for, in whatever condition we contemplate the
varied members of society, whether individually or collectively, it is
alike beneficial and indispensable. Hence the first dawn of the Sabbath
beams with sympathy towards every human creature. To despise such an
invaluable boon—by a wilful violation of the beneficent but absolute law
of God—is to be utterly regardless of life in this world, and to exhibit
no desire to participate hereafter in the blissful joys of heaven!

But we have to consider more especially the temporal advantages to be
derived from the Divine institution of the Sabbath. It having been
stated, however, that the working classes were willing to be employed on
this sacred day for the benefit of themselves and families, and that they
were indifferent to the agitation of our question, a few preliminary
remarks cannot be considered as irrelevant; but, on the contrary, may
fairly be admitted as introductory or collateral arguments in support of
our general proposition. We need not enter into any lengthened
controversy to prove that the first statement is a mere subterfuge to
evade the responsibility of Sabbath desecration, nor do we intend to
refer to any speculative opinions as to the causes of the asserted
declension, as implied in the second declaration. It will be sufficient
to confine ourselves here, as we shall occasionally do throughout our
observations, to undeniable facts—not offered in extenuation, but simply
to account, if true, for such flagrant and sinful anomalies.

During the last comparatively few years, in consequence of the vast
increase in the population, and a more universal extension of knowledge,
many great and salutary improvements have been adopted in this country.
But notwithstanding this, and all the continued indications of
progression, there is much over which the Christian must necessarily
deplore. If the once quiet village has now become a populous town, and
the busy town a mighty city, it must be admitted, that, while these
changes are evidences of the magnitude of our trade, &c., they have also
been accompanied by an immense amount of poverty, immorality, and
irreligion. {7} It is true also that the swampy level has been elevated
and magnificent buildings now occupy its place, still the streams of
iniquity flow around them with almost irresistible rapidity. The
blessings of education have likewise been very properly diffused—and it
is to be hoped that they will be far more extended, and based on a
recognition of Christian principles—yet who will deny that there is much
in our literature, and more particularly in our minor publications, which
subvert the minds of youth, and too often lead them ultimately to
entertain sentiments averse to religion, and detrimental to the general
interests of society? Utilitarianism is not always associated with
Christianity. Again, the Beer Act Bill must ever be regarded as having
had a very injurious tendency on the morals of the rural and suburban
populations, while the costly edifices in our large towns and cities, for
the retail sale of ardent spirits, which have been so unaccountably
tolerated and sanctioned by the Legislature, have most direfully
increased pauperism and crime. Lastly, the labour performed by a large
portion of the working classes has either been oppressive or altogether
inadequate to their necessities. Impelled by the current of trade on
some days with an impetuosity unknown to former ages, and soon afterwards
standing idle for many others on the bleak shore soliciting freight for
their fragile vessels of industry—if not carried away by the boisterous
waves of intemperance, or rendered incapacitated by previous merciless
lengthened hours of labour—the natural sensibilities of many among them
even to appreciate the temporal advantages of the Sabbath very often
become chilled, and when that blest morn arrives they are frequently
enduring the greatest possible privations, or else secretly if not openly
working with an activity surpassing the legally appointed days for
labour. Exposed to such temptations, or placed in such an uncertain
condition, uninfluenced by the rays of heavenly light, they consent to
the avaricious demands of their employers, fearful of dismissal from
their ordinary toil as a consequence of their refusal, {8} and not
unfrequently too become the deluded followers of men who are avowed
disbelievers in the truths of Christianity—the blind adherents of what is
falsely called Socialism! If, therefore, we have advanced in many
respects, it is equally evident that stagnant and putrifying waters are
still to be seen, in every direction, which emit a deadly influence over
nearly the whole surface of the nation.

It must be obvious then, avoiding all remarks of a political nature, that
the present period is well-suited for the consideration of the temporal
importance of the Sabbath. Without a _fixed_ Sabbath we should be
reduced to a state of imbecility or else inflamed by unnatural
excitement, and the greatest disorder would prevail throughout society,
{9} which would render us unable to devise means to remove acknowledged
evils, and to maintain those laws which are truly valuable and essential.
The Sabbath affords a day for entire repose from all worldly cares, so
that we may be in a better state, at other times, to devise such
beneficial measures as cool deliberation might suggest. The following
well-known lines, with the slight alteration of a word, may here be
profitably applied:—

“Would you then taste the tranquil scene?
Be sure your SABBATHS are serene;
Devoid of hate, devoid of strife,
And free from all that poisons life.”

Happy would it be for each of us if we possessed more of this necessary
serenity of mind, and if all our efforts, whether in connection with
politics, science, social improvement, or our daily pursuits, were
conducted in strict accordance with the revealed will of God! The latter
is an essential without which we can neither enjoy individual happiness
or experience national mercies. Past and present events most painfully
demonstrate that a country may abound with wealth; that it may be fertile
in its productions and possess great resources, and that the
philanthropist may gaze with delight on its many noble Institutions;
still, if its inhabitants daringly attempt to abrogate the Divine law of
the Sabbath, a dark cloud will assuredly be seen that will cast a fearful
gloom over the most highly-favoured land. “There is none like unto thee,
O Lord; thou art great, and thy name is great in might. Who would not
fear thee, O King of Nations! for to thee doth it appertain: forasmuch as
among all the wise men of the nations, and in all their kingdoms, there
is none like unto thee.” Jer. x. 6, 7.

We will now proceed more in order with our subject, and, in doing so, it
is necessary we should remember that we intend to confine ourselves
almost exclusively to “the temporal advantages of the Sabbath to the
labouring classes, and the consequent necessity of preserving its rest
from all the encroachments of unnecessary labour.” This mode of
procedure is in agreement with the contemplated object, viz. to procure
from the sons of toil themselves an evidence of the mercy and love of God
in commanding one _special_ day in seven to be devoted for rest from
labour. To contemplate and enforce the importance of the Sabbath, in a
spiritual view, is a duty which is being continually discharged by the
Ministers of religion.

1. The Sabbath is indispensable, as a day of rest, both to body and
mind; without it neither could be exerted with natural vigour.

The BODY of man, although admirably adapted to perform the varied and
arduous duties of life, is nevertheless compared in Scripture to the
fading flower and the withering blade of grass. The material from which
the Creator formed us, in his infinite wisdom, seems at once to convey an
idea of its frailty and tendency to bend downwards, when overcome by
excessive fatigue, to its separated component part. This is confirmed by
experience, for we know that long continuous labour, without adequate
rest, is certain to impair health, and to destroy the body before the
allotted period for human existence. The usual hours for repose,
excluding the Sabbath, are not sufficient to re-invigorate nature. We
need not only to rest on our beds at night, but it is necessary that we
should rest at suitable short intervals for an entire day. In thus
reasoning, however, let it not be considered as encouraging slothfulness
or inactivity in business. Honest labour is an essential duty, the
proper discharge of which is incumbent on us as members of the community,
in order that we may supply our absolute necessities and procure the
conveniences and comforts of life, by doing which we promote the general
happiness of mankind. Religion and reason equally enforce it. But
slothfulness, or habitual idleness, is not justly attributable to the
working classes. True, the number of those who are addicted to
intemperance is very great, and it may be said of such that they are
indolent men; yet, taking another view of them, they are the most
slavish—and they endure more bodily and mental fatigue than any others of
the human race—

“Labour dire it is, and weary woe;”

but our remarks have reference only to the excessive labour of the
steady, industrious, and persevering man.

This leads us to notice the close connection between the LATE HOUR SYSTEM
and SABBATH DESECRATION—a system which has been justly denounced as
“reducing man to a state little short of slavery.” When God divided “the
light from darkness,” there can be no doubt that one of His merciful
objects was to give us an opportunity to obtain suitable repose. Indeed,
this is quite evident from many passages of Scripture which we might
quote. We will merely select one single sentence from the Psalms, to
shew that night work is contrary to the general tenor of the Word of
God—“Man goeth forth unto his work, and to his labour, _until the
evening_.” Here we see a clear and defined limitation to the hours of
labour. To this it may be replied that the altered state of society
renders it necessary that men should toil much longer now than in more
primitive days. We are perfectly aware that there may be occasional
periods, under peculiar circumstances, when this suggestion might be
considered conclusive. It is not, however, to the _occasional_ or
_accidental_ infringement on an extra hour or two that we object—it is to
the _system_ of compelling men, almost habitually, to labour far beyond
the period which DIVINE MERCY has evidently intended. Is not this the
course pursued in many of our workshops and in various retail trades? It
is a well-known fact, as regards the former, that it is a common practice
for the same men who have been toiling all the day to continue their
labour until a very late hour, if not throughout the whole night, and not
unfrequently during the entire Sabbath-day! What must be the melancholy
condition of the men and boys employed in such places? The Sabbath is
awfully desecrated; the doctrines and precepts of religion are rendered
nugatory; public morals are totally disregarded; and the bodies and souls
of youth and age are alike sacrificed as victims to the idol of the
world—WEALTH! Let us now refer to the indisputable testimony of Dr.
James COPLAND, who may be considered as one of the most eminent
physicians of the present day, in reference to the latter class:—“It is
well-known to medical men that the labour in shops, which extends to
fourteen or fifteen hours a day, is the most fruitful source of disease
which is furnished in the Metropolis. We are sure to see induced more or
less slowly those insidious diseases which undermine the constitution,
and which perpetuate themselves to the third or fourth generation. I
believe that no less than three-fourths of the diseases to which human
life is liable in the Metropolis actually arise from this cause.” What
an awful subject does this afford for the serious consideration of
masters, parents, and especially the Christian community! Nor is the
magnitude of this source of sickness, sorrow, and death, attested and
deplored alone by the Medical Profession.

Lord John RUSSELL says, “It is, I think, one of the greatest evils of
this country that toil has become so excessive, that all considerations
of health—all attention to intellectual improvement, and even all that
time which ought to be devoted to spiritual worship—is lost in that
excess of labour which the people of this country are compelled to
undergo.” Lord ASHLEY, in commending the efforts of “The Metropolitan
Early-Closing Association,” {14} likewise most justly asserts, that “the
struggle which is taking place at the present time is neither more nor
less than a great conflict between materialism and spirituality. It is a
struggle between things temporal and things eternal—it is a struggle
between the creation of wealth and the objects for which wealth should be
created.”

But let us briefly reflect on the melancholy statement made by Dr.
Copland, and we shall see that late hours of business inevitably destroy
the sacred character of the Sabbath, and cause many to spend it in some
of those modes of desecration for which the facilities are now so
numerous and so seductive. The Writer of this Essay has two sons who
have been brought up to respectable retail trades; the youngest was
compelled, some short time since, to attend a shop from seven in the
morning until eleven at night, and on Saturday it extended frequently to
one, making it nearly two o’clock before he could possibly retire to
rest. When he came home, on the Sabbath, instead of being enabled to
attend a Church or Chapel, it became absolutely necessary that he should
again obtain additional sleep during the greater part of the day, thus
completely depriving him of the opportunity to be present in the
sanctuary of God. This youth formerly attended the Park Chapel Sabbath
School, at Chelsea, and the conviction naturally is that to this
iniquitous and baneful cause may be attributed much of the demoralization
which is so painfully apparent in many of those who have been similarly
instructed.

The present century has unquestionably presented some of the most
mournful and singular anomalies which it is possible to conceive. We
have seen the rich Indian Proprietor expending large sums of money in
this country for general charitable purposes, and devoting his most
powerful energies to obtain justice for every British subject, while, at
the same time, the winds that howled around him, as he softly reposed on
his luxurious couch, echoed an appeal from his more distant fellow-man to
be emancipated from the chains of slavery! Nor has the conduct of _some_
employers towards their workmen been less paradoxical, although the
nature of their oppression has been of a widely different character.
They seem not to understand that there are relative essentials, secondary
only to the payment of wages, which it is their duty to encourage and not
to oppose. As we shall, however, have occasion to refer to such
instances, as we proceed, it is unnecessary now to dilate on them. It
will be seen that the inconsistencies to which we allude are subversive
to the best interests of masters, and are still more injurious to those
they employ—they excite more debasing desires, which unfit them for
labour, and they snap asunder the link of confidence and kindly feeling
which ought ever to unite them. Alas! how many seem to consider the poor
labouring man almost as a mere machine, without a frame susceptible of
fatigue, destitute of the least intelligence, and without a soul to be
saved!

It appears quite unnecessary further to prove that the seventh-day is
absolutely requisite for bodily rest, even were the hours for labour
limited universally to a just and natural period. Ask the poor factory
children, the domestic servant, the apprentice boy, the mechanic, the men
who work in pits and mines, the ill-paid but industrious needlewomen, the
tradesman and the shopman, the merchant, the man of literature and
science, the senator—nay, ask our august and beloved QUEEN and her ROYAL
CONSORT—each will readily acknowledge the vast utility of the Sabbath as
an indispensable means to maintain their bodily strength.

“Rest! without thee what strength can long survive,
What spirit keep the flame of Hope alive?”—BLOOMFIELD.

All nature is loud in its cries for rest. The powerful horse becomes
weary, and treads instinctively into his stable, and the little birds are
glad to rest on the slender branches of a tree. It is the universal
requirement of all animated creatures.

The MIND, if it is possible to consider it as distinct from the body,
equally demands the preservation of the Sabbath. The entire separation
of them, however, is impracticable. We all know that it is impossible to
proceed advantageously with our daily employment if the mind is not
intently fixed on the object of labour. When oppressed, by unremitting
exertion, it is deprived of its influence, and cannot effectually govern
the actions of the body. It would be, indeed, as absurd to suppose a man
could perform his work, under such circumstances, as it would be for him
to expect the corn to ripen without the genial influence of the rays of
the sun. The supposition is not tenable. Whenever the mind appears to
triumph over the body it is caused by violent excitement, passion, or
powerful stimulants, which operate on the brain, the organ of the mind,
so as to effect temporarily the mechanism of the body, as with those who
resort to spirituous liquors, {18} after a hard day’s work, to deaden the
depressive sensations produced by subsequent prostration of strength.
But this instantaneous relief is only of short duration—it is, in fact,
the brain and mind operating conjointly on the body in the same manner,
only _at first_ in a less degree, as it does on the maniac! The ultimate
effect of a stimulated brain is to corrode and weaken the mind, and, when
this is the case, the brightness of its comprehension is at once
darkened. We will endeavour to proceed a little further with this very
important part of our subject, as drunkenness, by producing a temporary
aberration of the mind, is one of the principal causes of the desecration
of the Sabbath.

The clouds are generally said to be formed of the vapours and moisture of
the earth, and the body of man was created from the dust of the earth.
There is here something like an analogy, viewing the body previous to
life being imparted, which, although it may appear in some respects not
quite parallel, we will admit to be so. The beauty of an evening cloud
is caused by the reflection of the sun, which gives to it various bright
hues and colours. Without such an agency it would impart no pleasure
whatever to the eye of the beholder. The body of man, too, became
appreciated only when it received vitality from the Creator. We here
perceive two evident influences—a lesser and a much greater—the
brilliancy of the rays of the sun on the otherwise darksome cloud, and
the pure breath of the Almighty infused into worthless dust! Let the
splendid sun withdraw, by the power of Omnipotence, and the cloud
immediately loses its attraction—it is then simply the vapours and the
moisture of the earth. Now, the mind—which may be considered as the
intellectual luminary—gives value to the body, and excites likewise
terrene attraction, in the same manner, although in a far more important
sense. But if the mind is obscured, the capabilities of the body are
deteriorated, while the cloud, notwithstanding the absence of its
beauteous influence, retains its original ordained utility. Rain
descends from it, which refreshes the inhabitants of the earth, and makes
all nature smile. Man, when his body is greatly depressed, although the
mind is partially operating on it, becomes an abject mass—of no benefit
to his fellow-creatures. Still, let it not be forgotten, that the mind
is the _expression_ of the soul, and that the soul will exist when all
clouds and this earth shall have passed away for ever! How important is
it, then, to preserve the mind, seeing that it governs the body, the
actions of which, if not directed by the Spirit of God, decide the
eternal destiny of the soul! What, we ask, can possibly more effectually
maintain both body and mind in their primitive vigour—so as to enable us
not only to discharge satisfactorily our relative duties in this world,
but to share that sweet and eternal ‘rest which remaineth for the people
of God’—than the strictest adherence to the Divine commandment, “Remember
the Sabbath-day to keep it holy?”

2. The Sabbath is necessary for the preservation of health, on account
of the impurities of the atmosphere, arising from a variety of pernicious
causes.

The unwholesome impregnations of the atmosphere, in densely populated
cities and towns, afford another reason for strictly enforcing the Divine
law as regards working on the Sabbath. The great amount of mortality,
attributable to this cause, has of late happily excited the most intense
interest. It appears that many thousands of the labouring classes are
annually consigned to the grave through inhaling obnoxious air. If we
required proof of this fact we need only observe the pallid cheeks and
sunken eyes of too many working-men—not those who are unemployed, and are
in a destitute condition, but those who labour daily in places and
situations where the refreshing breeze never scarcely penetrates. We may
attribute much of this to the erection of Gas Works, Varnish and other
Manufactories, which emit their abominable and destructive effluvia in
the very centre of our large cities and towns. To the men employed in
such places, and to the inhabitants who dwell around them, how peculiarly
beneficial must be the return of the Sabbath! Again, fully admitting the
undeniable fact that gas is an incalculable benefit, we know that to toil
throughout six evenings in the week, and occasionally whole days at
particular seasons of the year, in addition to the oppression arising
from breath and the frequent want of proper ventilation, particularly
where there are many men employed in the same room, too often terminates
in Consumption, {21} or some other fatal disease. Gas is of great
utility; but if, for illustration, the sun reflected equal intensity of
heat _every day_ alike, it would not only destroy all vegetation but
every human creature—withholding its influence at intervals, when it
shines forth with meridian splendour, it makes the seed prosperous, the
vine fruitful, and imparts cheerfulness to man. Thus it is as respects
gas, the Sabbath is a grateful relief, and affords a highly necessary
cessation to re-supply the waste of strength which is incurred by it.

We might proceed to a very considerable length with this part of the
division of our subject, but it really would appear superfluous. The
following startling and melancholy facts must be considered conclusive.
In a late Return of the Registrar-General, it is stated, that the average
life of a gentleman in London is 43, while that of the artizan, &c., is
but 22 years! The same official document informs us that the chances of
dying among men above 35 years, in London, is to that in the country as
three to two! With such statements before us, is it not a duty we owe to
ourselves and families to maintain inviolably the Sabbath? It was
ordained by the Creator in mercy to man, and shall we daringly reject and
despise such a gracious boon?

Some latitudinarian and impious persons have boldly asserted that the
labouring classes have no desire for religious instruction—on what
positive evidence this general accusation is made it is impossible to
conceive—and that therefore the Sabbath may as well be considered as an
ordinary day. This idea is as unjust as it is monstrous. Because the
Sabbath is not by the majority esteemed as a sacred day, is that a
sufficient reason why it should be desecrated by labour? Many do exhibit
an utter indifference to its lovely character and genial influences, but
are others in consequence to be deprived of its inestimable blessings,
and are the great mass of the people tacitly to bow with submission at
the shrine of infidelity? Because many descend into the dark abyss, are
none to take their flight to heaven? It has been said, likewise, that
many young men, not so utterly debased, make our foregoing argument a
pretext for resorting to distant places where the Sabbath is most
daringly profaned, and where maddening pleasure is the sole inducement,
and that the occasional restriction of employment is of no importance.
To admit the soundness of this expedient defence would be to destroy all
religious and moral obligations. The _natural_ inclinations of youth are
thoughtless and volatile, and it is the duty of the more reflecting
portion of the community to check their vicious career, by pourtraying
the inevitable fatal consequences which must ultimately attend them.
Perhaps the following beautiful lines, which convey a just and stern
reproof, may possibly attract the attention of some among the number:—

“Thy thoughts are vagabond; all outward bound;
’Midst sands, and rocks, and storms, to cruise for pleasure;

* * * * *

Fancy and sense, from an infected shore,
Thy cargo brings, and pestilence the prize.”—YOUNG.

But, happily, there are multitudes of working-men and youths who “call
the Sabbath a delight, the holy of the Lord honourable,” and who look
forward to its return, in order to enjoy its spiritual as well as
temporal advantages, with almost more anxiety than the husbandman, in
anticipation of his gains, to the produce of a bountiful harvest.
Without a Sabbath man would become puerile, sickly, and spiritually dead.

3. The Sabbath affords an opportunity to the labouring classes to attend
to one of the greatest social duties—CLEANLINESS.

If there is any truth in the preceding remarks, the necessity for keeping
the body properly cleansed, and changing every seventh day our
habiliments, is so palpable that any arguments to enforce either the one
or the other would almost appear unnecessary. Let us reflect, however,
for a short time on this part of our subject. The injurious properties
mixed up in the materials used by many trades are of a nature that
require more than customary slight ablutions to prevent them from
penetrating into the system. When the working-man returns to his home,
at night, he is generally so exhausted that he finds scarcely the least
disposition to undergo the process of “a thorough good wash;” and, in
truth, although in no respect regardless of becoming decency, or ignorant
of the benefits which it would confer on his health, he rests satisfied,
_for this once_, with a slight rince of the hands and face, if he does
not yield to the suggestion that it may be dispensed with altogether—but
“this once” has sometimes no defined period for termination, at least not
until the Sabbath morning arrives. In such cases, considering the short
time allotted for social and other purposes, and the great depression of
body and mind, the evil is more the result of uncontrollable causes than
of wilful disinclination to perform a salutary duty. There is, however,
no palliation for an habitual daily deviation from a procedure which is
so highly beneficial to health and comfort. But, observe this toil-worn
labourer on the Sabbath, and then there will be seen a man whose general
appearance denotes that he is fully sensible of the advantages to be
derived from cleanliness. It is, nevertheless, much to be regretted that
any portion of the working classes should be so much harassed, when in
employment, as to render it justifiable that a considerable portion of
the early part of the Sabbath should be devoted to such necessary
purposes, in order thoroughly to purify themselves for another week.
Still, in a temporal view, how salutary is the seventh-day to these
individuals! There are others for whom we can offer no such excuse—who
seem to place no value whatever on propriety of appearance, and who
display no outward respect for a proper observance of the Sabbath. The
characters to whom we here allude may be seen standing at the corners of
our streets, or strolling along the public pathways, covered with the
dirt of their weekly occupation on the Sabbath morning. These men
altogether reject the implantation of wholesome and necessary duties.
The orderly and cleanly apartment of an industrious wife affords them no
delight. They can witness, unmoved by shame, their neighbours dressed in
their best attire, and many of them repairing, with cheerful hearts, to
the house of God. These latter partake even now in part of the eternal
rest of heaven!

“The Sabbath gathers to their common home.”

But it may be truly said of the former that they have not yet learnt
“what is their chief business upon earth, and what is the reckoning that
awaits them at the Divine Tribunal.”

Another class of working-men habituate themselves to a custom, in some
trades more prevalent than in others, which is particularly censurable,
and the impropriety of which deserves their most serious consideration.
We refer to the practice of wearing an apron on the morning of the
Sabbath. Surely the journeyman and the labourer behold the emblem of
toil sufficiently during the six days without unnecessarily exposing it
to public gaze on the Sabbath-day! It is a usage which is generally
condemned. The worldling objects to the practice, because it does not
harmonize with the fashions and gaieties of life; the moralist
disapproves of it as not consonant with secular polity; but the Christian
condemns it, from a pure and holy motive, as giving countenance to a
breach of the law of God!

Still, notwithstanding, how delightful it is to observe the universal
appearance of cleanliness on the Sabbath-day! In whatever house we
enter, with few exceptions, we see on this special day every thing in
comparative order; the inmates neatly attired, and the furniture cleansed
and placed in its proper position. If we look at the exterior of our
dwellings, we see a public evidence of the value of female industry.
Without a stated Sabbath this could not be the case. One family would
select a different day to another, while the sloven, not being forced by
general example, would certainly pay far less attention to the discharge
of these salutary duties. Indeed, it is very doubtful, under such
altered circumstances, whether contagious or other diseases would not
depopulate, to a most awful extent, the inhabitants of our crowded cities
and towns. Thus we again see the importance of the Sabbath, as regards
cleanliness, both to individuals and the nation. {27}

4. The Sabbath is essential for the preservation of SIGHT.

Much as we are impressed with the wonderful construction of the various
parts of the human frame, in respect to their applicability to perform
the respective functions assigned to them, the eye unquestionably creates
the greatest interest, on account of its vast utility, the Divine
ingenuity of its mechanism, and its liability to receive injury from the
slightest accidental cause. The sight is one of the most invaluable
blessings. The rich who are deprived of the faculty of vision, although
they may possess extensive domains in a country whose vallies are as
Eschol, whose forests are as Carmel, and whose hills are as Lebanon,
cannot enjoy the magnificence and beauty of the scenery which surrounds
them; but they can listen with almost unalloyed pleasure to the melodious
notes of the warbling bird, or to the sweet and powerful intonations of
musical sounds, and their wealth supplies every other earthly luxury and
enjoyment, which tends materially to lessen the otherwise severe
poignancy of their deprivation. How widely different is the melancholy
situation of the labouring man, when his eyes are impaired by weakness or
disease, or when he is totally deprived of sight! At once he is reduced
to abject poverty, and becomes either the recipient of private charity,
or the inmate of a workhouse. The fine landscape, much as he too may
desire to gaze on it, is to him of trifling or no consideration—it will
not satisfy the hungry stomach, nor shelter the body from the midnight
blast! Such is the mournful effect of the loss of sight to the labouring
classes. How important is it, then, that they should avail themselves of
every established right to abstain from work, in order that this
susceptible and essential faculty may receive additional strength?

We have previously shown that the prolonged hours of labour are
incompatible with bodily health and mental vigour, and that the Sabbath
is absolutely requisite to enable man to perform his accustomed
employment—so it is with regard to the eye. The vision is affected by
lengthened intensity of observation on any one particular object. It
requires variety and relief, both of which the Creator has abundantly
provided. The variegated flowers, the different shades of colour in
minerals, the lofty trees and the little plants, the mountainous
districts and the level plains, the brilliant and diversified hues that
frequently decorate the heavens, all combine to testify that the eye
cannot retain its perfection, if it is continually fixed on the same
scene. The poor needlewomen, who sit the entire day, and sometimes do
not cease from their tedious and spirit-subduing work until the light
dawns on the following morning, afford a very striking exemplification of
the great and unspeakable advantages of the Sabbath. What would be their
sad condition—wretched and deplorable even as it is now—were it not that
on the seventh day the eye was relieved of its monotonous and weary
application? Alas! many of these pitiable females, even with this
gracious opportunity to repair the injury inflicted by almost incessant
toil, are often at an early age incapacitated, by defective vision, from
pursuing their ill-paid occupations, and are then left destitute of their
former scanty pittance to procure even sufficient sustenance to preserve
life. Take, also, the men who work in pits and mines—where the
glimmering lamp is the only source of light, and where all else around is
chaotic darkness—how essential and benignant must be the Sabbath to them!
Defective vision would completely prevent such men from pursuing their
hazardous employment. Thus we once more prove the temporal advantages of
the Sabbath to the labouring population.

* * * * *

Having directed our attention to these four important divisions of our
subject, we will now proceed to make some promiscuous observations in
connection with them. Reckless competition, in order to acquire wealth
at all hazards in an unusually short period—not the competition which
emanates from a natural and laudable desire to increase trade by
equitable and just efforts—and the secret influence of infidel
impressions, may generally be considered as the two primary causes of
“Sunday labour.” The plea of necessity cannot be admitted. We often
hear it asserted, however, especially in reference to the periodical
press, that there exists this ‘necessity,’ in order that the public may
not be disappointed in receiving on a precise day their publications.
But surely the page of classic lore, or the Magazine of Literature, Arts,
and Sciences—the bright gems of civilization—need not the foul impress of
Sabbath labour! A very little judicious extra arrangement would render
it entirely unnecessary, and the same remark is applicable to every other
description of work on the seventh-day. Is it not a most humiliating and
distressing fact, that, on some of the most interesting and valuable
literary and scientific productions of the present age, there are
thousands employed on the Sabbath-day? It is impossible to contemplate
the probable baneful effects, which are almost certain to be produced on
the minds and bodies of those industrious young females who on that day
fold and stitch the sheets, without apprehending the most fearful
consequences, even as regards their temporal welfare. The statistics of
Police Courts disclose many melancholy facts in corroboration of this
almost general result. Now, will any reflecting practical man justify
the word ‘necessity’ as applied to this description of Sabbath
desecration? None whatever. Then there can be no vindication for an
unnecessary act which is so injurious to morality, and which induces so
frightfully to the commission of sin. It is quite clear, as regards the
general performance of trade labour, that, if consistency of moral
principle—we say nothing of religious conviction—was duly appreciated, a
most cheerful negative would be given to all such propositions, the
result of which would be far more satisfactory at the termination of the
year.

We must not pass over the sad condition of many of the journeyman
tailors. Here is a trade where it may be truly said that ‘reckless
competition has destroyed by want, or excessive labour, hundreds of its
members,’ and has undoubtedly led them to disregard the Divine origin and
temporal advantages of the Sabbath. We will prove our assertion. Many
of the fashionable master tailors, as well as the large establishments
which continually advertise cheap clothing, allow the work to be taken by
the journeymen to their own lodgings, or some hired room for the purpose,
where, according to one of their statements, “the families of those
unfortunate men are in a great measure totally neglected, their wives
become careless and void of all cleanliness, and often contaminated by
the obscene language of the men, even while at work frequently during the
Sunday.” If we look at the splendid shops of their employers on the
Sabbath, we see every outward indication of a strict observance of it—but
turn to the above demoralized neighbourhood, glance at the filthy garret,
and what a wretched and revolting scene is exhibited! The heart sickens
with disgust, pity is mingled with abhorrence. What can such masters
offer in extenuation for such wilful neglect of the religious, moral, and
social happiness of those they employ?

In speaking to a very poor journeyman tailor, some short time since, he
said it was not an unusual circumstance for him to be employed on the
Sunday in making a suit of mourning—a very frequent but reprehensible
practice which prevails amongst dress-makers, &c.—and that often they
were the garments intended to be worn by those he esteemed as Christian
individuals, who, if they had thought that such must have been the case,
would most assuredly not have permitted it. The Christian community must
be held responsible for much of this species of Sabbath labour. We do
not expect the worldly-minded would forego any desired request, but the
members of a Christian church—those who profess to love God—we have a
right to conclude would delay for a short time, by making some temporary
substitution, what otherwise must be considered as one of the last
manifestations of mournful respect to a deceased friend or relative. It
would be well if Ministers of religion would occasionally impress on
their congregations the possibility of their becoming, through an
inconsiderate desire to have their orders completed at a certain
unreasonably short period, the unintentional instruments of sin in this
way. In most cases the ‘necessity’ might be easily removed. Let the
tradesman frankly state that Sabbath labour must be the consequence of
compliance, and that the command of God is clear and imperative: “Six
days shalt thou labour, 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.” There
can be no doubt that the effect of such a reply would be, as an especial
mark of approbation for his pure and conscientious motives, the
recommendation of many additional customers. But the truth is that many
employers are apprehensive that they may disoblige their patrons, and to
secure their support, as they think, they sacrifice the health and
happiness of their workmen, and destroy any latent inclination to the
formation of religious habits.

Much of the discontent and bad feeling, which at present exists between
working-men and their employers, might be removed if the Apostle’s
injunction was more mutually respected:—“Look not every man on his own
things, but every man also on the things of others.” Is this the
principle manifested in the present day? We admit our many
delinquencies, but are not many masters equally culpable? It has been
already proved. If employers evince no sympathy for the steady and
attentive workman—if they view him as a mere inanimate instrument to be
used only as occasion requires, without the least knowledge of his social
condition, and utterly regardless of his happiness, what otherwise can
naturally be expected than that he should be indifferent to the promotion
of their interests? The subject is a serious one, and it is to be hoped
that these observations will tend to check a continuance of such
unquestionable evils, and to create a more reciprocal feeling of
good-will between them. The situation of the working population is at
present most painful, and we unhesitatingly affirm that Sabbath
desecration renders it still more so. Man in general, by strictly
adhering to an observance of this sacred day, would possess not only
great temporal advantages, but enjoy an inward peace the value of which
the wealth of this world cannot purchase.

It will be well here to remember that it is the _universal_ observance of
the Sabbath which is commanded. The day was made for man—not for a
portion of the human race—and it is consequently a general law, which, as
regards at least public labour, {35} cannot be accommodated to suit the
circumstances or peculiar dispositions of any class of individuals. This
remark is extremely applicable to railway and other excursions on the
Sabbath. We are fully aware that the above mode of reasoning is not
congenial to the natural inclinations of man, and that some very
apparently plausible objections are frequently urged to prove its
fallacy. The only course, however, which the Christian can take to
decide the question is by a direct reference to the Word of God. There
is nothing contained in the Bible which is inimical to the welfare of
mankind. The restraints which it imposes are in reality the most evident
proofs of the love of God. Whatever He has commanded, we may rest
assured is for the universal benefit of His creatures. The believer is
experimentally acquainted with this fact, and he therefore considers a
cheerful and strict obedience to the laws of God both a duty and a
delight. Now, in reference to the great national and social importance
of railways, it must be admitted that the most evident general beneficial
proposition may be alloyed with objectionable considerations, the
dismemberment of which is a positive duty. Such is the view which the
Christian takes of railway and steam-boat excursions on the Sabbath. But
it is said that they are indispensable for the preservation of the health
of the labouring population. It is true that rational recreation and
diversified scenes are essential to them, still, we must repeat the
question, Why should the hours for labour be so protracted that the
Sabbath must be almost exclusively devoted to temporal enjoyments? The
poor man has no just right to work in this way until his strength is so
completely exhausted that it becomes a ‘necessity’—in order to preserve
his very existence—that he should violate the command of his merciful
Creator. Is the Sabbath the only day when the labourer is to partake of
the sweet fruits of his industry? Are all the endearments of life, the
caresses of his children, and the comforts of the domestic circle, to be
only enjoyed by him on the Sabbath? Is his little garden, should he
happily possess one, to exhibit nothing but wild weeds throughout the
year unless he cultivates it on the Sabbath? The evergreen and the
beauteous flower would equally as well thrive in the soil that is
attached to the humble abodes of the mechanic and labourer, provided they
had time to attend to this elevating source of delight, {36} as they do
in the ornamental parterres of the rich in this world. Again, we ask,
why should every moral, intellectual, and social duty be reserved for
performance on the Sabbath? Those who advance such false sympathy for
the working classes are themselves supporting a system which perpetuates
injustice and deprives the poor of true earthly happiness. Let the
advocates of Sabbath railway and steam-boat excursions apply their minds
more closely to the consideration of our social condition, and they will
learn that the ‘necessity’ is to be solely attributed to the avaricious
or thoughtless disposition of man, in despite of the intervention of a
merciful Creator. The defence is a most wilful imputation on the wisdom
and universal beneficence of God. A strict compliance with the Divine
law, in any state of society, infuses peace and joy into the dwellings of
the poor, and sheds a bright beam of hope across the rugged path they
tread!

We cannot avoid here referring to a reply, and to a certain extent a just
one, which is almost invariably made whenever any remark is offered
respecting the desecration of the Sabbath either by labour, railway and
steam-boat excursions, or by journeys taken in vehicles. Not to do so
would be partial and unjust. The reference is to the number of
carriages, belonging to the wealthy, which are seen in the metropolis on
that sacred day. It is easy to understand the motives which govern the
fashionable _élite_, who exhibit their splendid equipages in our
beautiful national Parks on the Sabbath, but it appears and is altogether
contradictory when we see the more reflecting and domestic portion of the
Nobility and Gentry pursuing the same gay and sinful practice, and thus
setting a baneful example to those around them who occupy a more humble
position in life. “_They_ have,” it is said, “six other days in the week
when they can take their salutary ‘carriage-airings’—it is not so with
the poor mechanic.” Nor can we pass unnoticed the number of carriages
which are seen every Sabbath at the entrances to our Churches and
Chapels—even while some faithful Minister of Christ is sounding the
trumpet of alarm to impenitent sinners—with the servants waiting outside,
unconscious of the awful warnings which are being uttered within those
sacred edifices. Can it be said, in all such cases, that bodily
infirmity, age, distance, or even the state of the weather, renders it
necessary? Does it not more resemble the boisterous and imperious
swellings of the reckless wave than the gentle flowings of the calm
waters? While such inconsistencies prevail, the infidel will exult for a
time over his supposed triumph, the ribaldist will continue to sneer at
the efforts of Christians, and the more cautious worldling will not fail
to advance it as a justification for Sabbath desecration.

Let us now make a few consecutive observations on the religious, moral,
and social divisions of our subject. At the commencement nearly of this
Essay, we observed that it was the temporal advantages of the Sabbath to
which our especial attention was to be directed; but true morality,
social happiness, and even intellectual attainments, are all so closely
blended with religion, or ought to be, that they cannot properly be
separated. “It would be absurd,” says a popular author, “to treat first
of the advantages of virtue, and next of those of justice or temperance,
because the first head evidently comprehends the second.” So it would be
if we were to attempt to exclude religion from the consideration of moral
and social principles. Religion is the parent, and the others are the
legitimate offspring. This has been most eloquently enforced by a writer
well-known for his piety:—“Every thing which wants religion wants
vitality. Philosophy without religion is crippled and impotent; poetry
without religion has no heart-stirring powers; life without religion is a
complex and unsatisfactory riddle: the very arts which address themselves
to the senses, never proceed so far towards perfection as when employed
on religious subjects.” May we not, then, fairly attribute the failure
of many schemes, intended to improve the condition of the working
population, to the entire absence of religious considerations? Such
propositions may be congenial to the thoughtless multitude and the
infidel, but they invariably terminate in disappointment—because the
overruling providence of God is not acknowledged, nor are His daily
mercies at all recognised.

We will now first notice the origin of the Divine obligation for ceasing
from labour on the Sabbath. It is not essential that we should here
discuss the question respecting the Christian or Jewish observance of it,
nor is it absolutely material whether it is designated the Lord’s-Day,
the Sabbath, or Sunday, although the two former appear to be the most
appropriate. {40} There can be no doubt, notwithstanding all that may be
advanced to the contrary, that the Sabbath was instituted by God at the
creation of the world. “The heavens and the earth were finished, and on
the seventh-day God ended his work which he had made; and God blessed the
seventh-day and SANCTIFIED it.” If there is any intelligible inference
to be drawn from this simple narration, it must be plain that it was the
Divine intention to separate one day from the other six for sacred and
devotional purposes, and to afford man an opportunity to obtain repose
from labour. God not only blessed this day, but he _sanctified_ it,
thereby imparting to it a peculiar heavenly and hallowed influence. We
will pass over any intermediate passage in the Old Testament which might
be brought forward to prove our conclusion, and quote the positive
command given by God on Mount Sinai—“_Remember_ the Sabbath-day to keep
it HOLY.” Here is a plain and indisputable enforcement of the original
obligation, laid on man, to preserve the Sabbath as a previously
_sanctified_ day. The same injunction, in a variety of ways, is enforced
throughout the entire Word of God. If, in the New Testament, it is not
so explicitly commanded, there are abundant instances where Christ
himself inculcated and respected a proper observance of the Sabbath. The
early Christians universally considered it as a sacred day, and nearly
all the ancient writers testify to its being a day set apart for at least
outward recognition. Josephus asserts, “There is no city or nation,
Greek or Barbarian, in which the custom of resting on the seventh-day is
not preserved.” Philo Judæus declares, “It is a festival celebrated not
only in one city, but throughout the whole world.” Justin Martyr also
says, “We all meet together on Sunday (_diem Solis_), on which God having
changed Darkness and Matter, created the world; and on this day Jesus
Christ our Saviour arose from the dead.” This last record particularly
confirms our previous assertion respecting the origin of the Sabbath.
These questions now naturally arise:—Shall the present generation
impiously attempt to disannul the primæval law of God, which all ages
have formally respected? Is the power of wealth to bid defiance to the
eternal law of God? Are the pleasures and luxuries of this world to be
held in higher estimation than the undescribable joys of heaven? Is
infidelity, in a word, to triumph over Christianity? The Writer must
here pause and seriously reflect, and he entreats the reader to do so
likewise, on the melancholy if not awful consequences that have befallen
individuals, even in this world, who have wilfully violated the
Sabbath-day. TRUTH MAY WHISPER DIVINE MERCY RESCUED THEE. * * * If we
have done so in an humble and contrite spirit, we ought at once to
exclaim, with the penitent Psalmist, “Have mercy upon me, O God,
according to thy loving kindness; according unto the multitude of thy
tender mercies blot out my transgressions.”

The adoption of this course will assuredly lead to a great improvement in
our present temporal condition. The testimony of Judge Hale, although so
frequently adduced, seems to force itself on the memory:—“I have found,”
said he, “that a due observing of the duty of the Lord’s-day hath ever
joined to it a blessing upon the rest of my time; and the week that hath
been so begun, hath been blessed and prosperous to me; and, on the other
side, when I have been negligent of the duties of that day, the rest of
the week hath been unsuccessful, and unhappy to my secular employments.”
But what is the assurance and the promise contained in the Word of God?
“Blessed is the man that keepeth the Sabbath from polluting it.” Isaiah
lvi. 2. “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, honourable; and shalt honour 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.” Isaiah lviii. 3. God will bless us in this
world, and we shall enjoy hereafter an eternal Sabbath in the Celestial
City, where we ‘shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; for the
Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed us, and shall lead us
unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from
our eyes.’ Rev. vii. 16, 17.

These are, however, truths which but few seem to believe. No doubt the
willing compliance of masters to make their men work on the Sabbath has
created much scepticism. It conveys to the unenlightened mind an idea
that religion is a mere speculative theory, and hence that day is treated
with but little veneration, if not with perfect indifference. When such
individuals are told, in justification, that “little differences about
religion may occasionally be waived when business requires their
attendance,” the effect must be, in a greater or less degree, to create a
dislike for all subjects which have a religious reference. Do we not
observe this in many working-men, who decry everything which relates to
religion? Honesty and general morality they can clearly understand; but
their souls are too barren and unproductive to appreciate the loveliness
of those things which relate to another and a better world, and are
consequently unable to discern the unsullied purity of the Divine
character. Hence it is that we so frequently hear it asserted in the
workshop that the Bible contains a strange admixture of virtuous
principles and gross immorality. The best reply to such wicked and
depraved assertions may be found in the words of a most distinguished
Minister of the Church of Scotland, whose writings in defence of
Christianity, together with the force and beauty of his compositions,
have gained for him universal celebrity amongst Christians of every
denomination:—“The Scripture is an exact portrait of man; if it shews the
bright in his character, it also records the black; if it proclaims that
which ennobles and exalts him, it discloses that which tends to depress
and humble him. There is also, in the present day, what is thought
delicacy of language, which was unknown even two or three centuries ago,
and still more so when the Bible was written.” {44} To this we may add,
that the Christian reads every sentence in the Word of God with the
simplicity which denotes his profession, being too much influenced by the
many precious promises which it contains to cavil about the expediency of
accommodating the ancient custom of phraseology to suit that of modern
times. It is the sceptic and the sensual who alone raise the objections.
We may remark, as regards the Bible containing the details of the
depravity of man, that they were placed there in order to warn us, and to
remind us of the justice as well as the unbounded love of God. Let us
illustrate our meaning by a reference to fading creation. How often do
we view with ecstacy some lovely garden, admire its varied compartments,
and gaze with pleasure on the choice flowers which adorn it, yet, at the
same time, see many obtrusive blades of grass, or straggling weeds, which
are intended to convey a silent but serious reproof to us? The scattered
blades of grass, if united in close compact, would excite our admiration.
Who can behold the simple but beauteous appearance of a lawn, or the
grass that covers the distant hill, and not feel emotions of delight? It
is their isolated and estranged position that creates our censure. Just
so it is as regards the Bible. The sinner, while living apart from God,
is compared to the weeds and stubble, and is threatened, unless he
repents and believes in the Saviour, as ‘willing and able to save all
that come unto Him,’ to be also condemned and to receive that awful
sentence which awaits the impenitent. When pardoned, however, he is
brought into close communion with God, and, being united, becomes a
lovely plant in the garden of the Lord. If our hearts were more fixed on
the entire purity of God, we should peruse the Scriptures with an
emphatic earnestness which would elevate us far above sensual and infidel
conclusions.

The real character of many of the declaimers against the Bible is thus
portrayed:—“In the middle classes, among the half-thinking,
half-instructed young men, a sort of infidelity is not unfrequent, which,
after deducting something for the influence of worse motives, is
attributable to affectation more than to any other cause. It is a mere
impertinence, and indicates a want of sense, or profligacy of manners.”
{46} And, now, what says the late eloquent and pious Robert Hall?
“Settle it in your minds, as a maxim never to be effaced or forgotten,
that infidelity is an inhuman and bloody system, equally hostile to every
human restraint and to every virtuous affection—that, leaving nothing
above us to create awe, nor round us to waken tenderness, it wages war
with heaven and earth; its first object is to dethrone God; its next to
destroy man.” Would that these sentiments, so forcibly expressed, could
be engraven on the hearts of the rising generation throughout the world!

The greatest researchers after truth, and the most eminent philosophers,
have borne witness to the exalted worth and power of the Holy Scriptures.
“I thank God,” says Mr. Locke, “for the light of revelation, which sets
my poor reason at rest, in many things that lay beyond the reach of its
discovery.” Lord Bacon observes, “It was only by the light of Scripture,
and the exercises of devotion, that I attained to that acquaintance with
God, which I had sought for in vain amidst the hurry of secular affairs,
or in the course of my philosophical pursuits.” And yet there are some
men—possessing very extensive knowledge on nearly all other subjects—who
impugn the truths of Christianity without anything like close and serious
investigation. They possess a Bible, but, with the exception of a few
abstract and familiar sentences, they are entirely ignorant of its
contents. Is it surprising that such individuals merely consider the
Sabbath as a day for cessation from labour, altogether irrespective of
its being first sanctified by God, and afterwards enjoined to be kept as
an holy day? Such persons are naturally, when interest or desire prompts
them, willing either to labour or to seek worldly pleasure on the
Sabbath.

We have made the above somewhat lengthened remarks because the entire
question of Sabbath desecration, after all, rests on a firm belief in the
Scriptures. The Divine commandment is contained therein, and if the
Bible is rejected, or believed only in part, our main argument must fail
to produce conviction; but, if implicit credence is given to it, then, we
assert, the law of God is absolute and universal.

In order to confine our observations within a limited space, although our
subject is as prolific as it is important, we must now shortly bring them
to a conclusion. The effect of an abrogation of the Divine law of the
Sabbath would be most fatal, as we have already proved, to religion,
morals, the advancement of intellectual knowledge, and even the existence
of man. Who can depict the horrid condition of the poor factory children
if they were deprived of a Sabbath? Why, our manufactories—wherein are
produced some of the richest fruits which emanate from refined taste and
from rapid progression in the arts and sciences—would then become
national nurseries for prostitution and general profligacy, or else the
infected receptacles of emaciation and disease! Such a supposition may
be ridiculed by the tolerants of infidelity, and even the pure and tender
feelings of sympathy may suggest a doubt as to the possibility of such an
awful event, but the same iniquitous motive that lately consigned
children to twelve and fourteen hours labour each day—until the voice of
Christian humanity declared it should no longer be tolerated—is equally
likely, if not resisted, to deprive this infantine section of the
community of the spiritual and temporal blessings of the Sabbath.
Besides, it is just in proportion as we permit the rest of the
seventh-day to be taken away from the adult, that we weaken the barrier
that protects youth from its encroachments. But we may extend these
considerations to the children of the entire population. Were it not for
this blest day they would be reduced—in civilized England, with the lull
and benign beams of Gospel light shining now in every city, town, and
village—to as low a state of degradation and barbarism as the
unenlightened savage. The latter are totally uninstructed, (what a
powerful incentive is this fact for increased Missionary exertion!) and
they therefore roam about in the wildness of their natural state. In
this country crime is progressive. The boy who is a pickpocket to-day
may become a burglar to-morrow; the youth who purloins from his master’s
till not unfrequently commits afterwards a more daring offence; and the
once little innocent girl, who was permitted to roam in the streets,
becomes too often the future companion of thieves, and herself branded
with infamy. It was as remedial measures that Sabbath and Ragged Schools
were established; yet, with all these and other Christian efforts, the
number of juvenile offenders has immensely increased. What would be the
condition of children, and more advanced youth, were it not for the
instruction afforded to them on the Sabbath? Every species of crime
would be considerably augmented, and life and property still more
endangered.

How appropriately might we here dwell on the value and importance of
Sabbath Schools! They would afford almost an endless theme for the most
consolatory and sublime considerations. But our space will not allow us
to enumerate the many temporal advantages which such institutions confer
on society, and man can never pourtray the heavenly bliss of the myriads
of once otherwise neglected children, who, having been first taught in
these Schools to lisp their Saviour’s praise, are now singing continually
“the song of the Lamb” in the kingdom of their God!

“On harps of gold they praise His name,
His face they always view;
Then let us followers be of them,
That we may praise Him too!”

It is impossible adequately to estimate the temporal advantages of the
Sabbath. The opportunity which it affords for parental and social
intercourse is most important. The industrious classes have scarcely any
time, unless it is on that day, to discharge their responsible duties,
and consequently their children are exposed to every species of
depravity. It is true that a Christian mother is daily with her
children, and, possessing perhaps a greater natural warmth of affection,
is more likely to be a blessing to them than the father; still, how very
desirable is it that the latter, particularly as they advance in years,
should exercise a judicious superintending control, and thus strive to
maintain the discipline, and carry out the instructions, which have been
so anxiously and affectionately imbued by the mother during the six days?
Deprive us of our Sabbath, and fatherly influence is as unproductive as
the soil of the desert! We lose one of our greatest privileges—the
natural right to assist in the formation of the religious, moral, and
intellectual characters of our offspring.

Again, as respects the adult population, has the preaching of God’s Word,
and the congregating of all grades in society on the Sabbath, no effect
on the mass of the people? Does it not, leaving out of consideration the
eternal results, create deeds of charity which impart temporal relief to
the poor? The Sabbath is the peculiar day when the streams of
benevolence flow rapidly through the land. It is principally by the
contributions then given that our humane and benevolent Institutions are
sustained.

We might also prove that civil governments rise or fall in proportion as
the people venerate and observe the Sabbath, but it is assuredly
unnecessary. If it is an institution of paramount importance to a
family, it must be equally so to a nation.

* * * * *

Working-Men! the subject which we have been discussing demands your most
calm and serious consideration. If we tacitly permit the Sabbath to be
wrested from us, even in part or whole, we give up the most invaluable
right which we possess—a right which the Almighty Creator conferred on
man when He first gave him existence, and which no earthly power can
justly take from us. Shall we then bear the yoke of continuous labour
around our necks? The Sabbath is a fixed and indispensable day of rest,
and we should therefore manifest a decided determination to resist all
encroachments on it. Let us remember that by working on this sacred day
we destroy the universality of it, which is the essence and beauty of the
Sabbath. When we are so requested to labour, let us respectfully but
resolutely decline it. Considerate employers will respect our motives;
and, in order fully to prove that we are sincere, we should evince a full
sense of the value of our right by a constant and assiduous attention to
our respective duties. May the dawn of a happier day be not far distant,
when the dark clouds which now cast such a fearful gloom over our country
shall be dispersed, and when both masters and men shall unitedly resolve
to obey the law of GOD—“REMEMBER THE SABBATH-DAY TO KEEP IT HOLY!”

* * * * *

THE END.

* * * * *

CHELSEA:
PRINTED BY T. WILSHER, MANOR STREET.

FOOTNOTES.

{7} “The progress of bricks and mortar and of inclosures has sadly
restricted the spaces on which the English peasantry could take healthful
exercise. Respectable people keep away from these crowded spots. The
influence of their example is lost, and in its place is substituted the
influence of the idle, the dissolute, and the depraved.”—_Moral Economy
of Large Towns_, _by_ Dr. W. C. TAYLOR.

{8} The Writer was, some years ago, addressed in the following manner:
“It is monstrous, you have no right to let _your religious opinions_
interfere with business in this way.”

{9} In the French revolutionary mania, in 1800, “the year was divided
into twelve equal months, of thirty days each, completing the year by the
ingenious invention of five complemental days. The month was divided
into three decades, or weeks each of ten days, by which the days of rest
were reduced to three in each month, which were substituted for the four
Sundays. * * * * In some towns, workshops and warehouses were closed (on
the regular Sunday), in others they were closed upon the Decadi (or tenth
day); nay, frequently, in the same town, in the same street, THE CONTRAST
PRESENTED THE SPECTACLE OF A MISCHIEVOUS DIVERSITY IN THE IDEAS AND IN
THE MORALS OF THE PEOPLE.”—_Thier’s History of the Consulate and the
Empire_.

{14} There are some very excellent little Tracts published by this
Association on the above subject, which can be procured by application to
J. Lilwall, Esq., the Secretary, 32; Ludgate Hill.

{18} Although the Writer was at no period of his life “a dram-drinker,”
he has nevertheless suffered severely from occasional intemperance, and
he would therefore most earnestly commend the consideration of this
subject to the labouring classes.

{21} “Of the 45,000 deaths occurring every year in the Metropolis, about
5,600 arises from this fatal disease; and upwards of 11,000 persons,
being about one in 170 of the entire population of the metropolis, and
more than one per cent. of the adults, are constantly wasting away under
the attacks of this lingering malady. Of these 11,000 cases, about
three-fourths occur in males, of whom a large proportion are working-men,
unable to provide for themselves and families. Many—very many—of these
poor sufferers are the acknowledged victims of unventilated workshops,
ill-constructed dwellings, vitiated atmosphere, long hours of work, and
the want of open places for exercise and recreation.” There are 81
Patients at present in the Hospital, and the number prescribed for daily,
as Out-Patients, is at the rate of 36,000 in the year!—_Report of the
Hospital for Consumption_, _and Diseases of the Chest_, _at Brompton_,
1849.

The Writer of this Essay cannot refrain from making a most earnest appeal
in behalf of this truly Christian Institution. Gratitude prompts him to
the discharge of this duty, and he trusts that his humble position in
life will not weaken the effort to promote the interests of a Charity to
which himself, three sons, and seven daughters, are so greatly indebted.
During the period in which he was engaged in the composition of this
Essay, and for nearly 18 months previous, his wife was receiving the most
kind, attentive, and skilful treatment from the Physicians of this
Hospital, who considered her case as almost beyond medical relief. She
is now in a much improved state of health. Surely this simple statement
will be deemed as sufficient evidence of the value of this Institution.
It depends principally on the amount of its Annual Subscriptions for
support, and it would be a source of great pleasure to the Writer, if it
should be found that, through the publication of his feeble Essay, only
ONE Benefactor had been added to the list of its Patrons!

{27} It is very pleasing to observe that many thousands of the working
classes avail themselves of those admirable places for the preservation
of health and happiness, the Public Baths, which have been some time now
established. We may also notice the laudable efforts recently made to
encourage Open-Air Bathing in the Serpentine. A very interesting and
important pamphlet on this subject has been lately written by Thomas
Embling, Esq. It really appears essential that every Bather, and
especially youth, should peruse a copy of this invaluable
treatise.—_Published by_ W. F. RAMSAY, 11, _Brompton Row_, _Brompton_.

{35} “The Divine law prohibits civil labour, or work in the way of trade
on the Sabbath, but acts of mercy are acceptable to God on any day. We
have several instances of this recorded in the New Testament, in
reference to Christ and his disciples.”—Dr. S. SMITH’S _Dissertations on
the Bible_, 1737.

{36} “The flowers of a garden—those silent preachers to which Christ
himself referred his disciples as eloquent witnesses of the bounty of
Providence—speak lessons of loveliness to the soul, and give an immediate
check to gross vice and foul pollution. We too often forget the
humanizing and moral effects of a garden.”—Dr. W. C. TAYLOR.

{40} The Writer, since the completion of his Essay, has perused the
First Volume of _The Apocalypse Interpreted in the Light of the Day of
the Lord_, by the Rev. JAMES KELLY, M.A., Minister of St. Peter’s
Episcopal Chapel, Queen’s Square, St. James’s Park, from the Preface to
which he has gleaned the following particulars:—‘The word _Sunday_ is a
very ancient Heathen appellation, the days of the week having been called
by them after the names of the planets. The first day was denominated
_the day of the Sun_, or _the Lord Sun_. All the Oriental nations gave
the Sun the title of Lord. No doubt the early Christians elevated its
application. For this ennobling of the common term, they considered that
provision had been made by God himself, in the setting forth of Christ as
_the Sun of righteousness_. Malachi iv. By most of the early Fathers,
and from their time onwards, the term Lord’s-Day has been used to
designate the Christian Sabbath.’ The Writer of this Essay, therefore,
humbly submits that Christians should now call the seventh-day either the
Lord’s-Day or the Sabbath-Day. In the present times this “ennobling of
the common term” seems peculiarly necessary. The above Work explains
many hitherto apparently mystical passages in the Revelations, and a
perusal of it, in a right spirit, will supply arguments which will at
once silence the sceptic, and, at the same time, confirm the reader in
his belief that there is nothing contained in the Holy Scriptures, which
shall not be made manifest to those who seek to be enlightened by the
Spirit of God. It is published by Messrs. NISBET and Co., London.

{44} The reader is entreated to read “Is Christianity from God?” and
also “God in History,” by the Rev. JOHN CUMMING, D.D.

{46} History of the Transmission of Ancient Books to Modern Times, by
JAMES TAYLOR.

*** End of this LibraryBlog Digital Book "Divine Mercy: or the temporal advantages of the Sabbath" ***

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