Silas M. Andrews

“ And why should it be thought unreasonable that persons in our employment, and our children, who early notice the character of our religion, might receive some good impression, as to the nature of the Sabbath, by seeing us deny ourselves what on other days is innocent and right? I am not pleading that the Sabbath be made a day for afflicting our souls, but that we should not permit our sensual desires to interfere with our spiritual delight. ”

“ The influence of the Sabbath upon the rich is not so easily discerned. But among those, who, in a peculiar manner, receive day by day their daily bread, it may be seen. And unless I greatly err, it will be found, that those families who observe the Sabbath, and attend upon its public and private duties, with desire to be profited, have, in comparison with those who do not thus regard the day unto the Lord, more peace of mind, more family comforts, and are better prepared to meet the demands which every year brings against them. Can a man rob God and prosper? ”

“ In whose family does not the conversation become worldly and of little worth? In what visiting circle are the nature of religion, and the experience of the heart, the subjects upon which all unite profitably to pass the time? ”

“ The Sabbath on earth is a type of the Sabbath above. If we find no delight in the holy duties of the day, as now enjoyed, and feel the sacrifice of sanctifying it to be too great, how can we hope to enjoy it in the purity and holiness of heaven? ”

“ Thus we may in different ways, and various degrees, contribute to the sanctification of the Sabbath, or compel others, however reluctant, to spend the day without profit. This power is vested in no one exclusively, but in each member in particular. Each may contribute to the sanctification of the Sabbath; each may prevent the entire family from enjoying and profitably spending the day. Would we do good both to ourselves and others? Let us every one remember the Sabbath day at home, to keep it holy. ”

“ On days of unusual political interest, we count it no sacrifice to be deprived of a regular meal, or to take of that which comes to hand, because our delight is elsewhere. Let the same interest be felt in the Sabbath, and we shall be equally loth to permit that, which might be done on Saturday, to interfere with our enjoyment and spiritual profit. If each family would, on the preceding day, prepare, as far as practicable, for their table on the Sabbath, would not much time be redeemed for the appropriate duties of the Lord's day? ”

“ Again, the assembling of ourselves together, regularly on the Sabbath, greatly contributes to preserve that holy day from the danger of being profaned. All persons feel the confinement of the Sabbath. Nature seems to demand some recreation, both of body and mind. This is afforded us in public worship. The preparing of ourselves to assemble,—the ride, or walk, if we live near;—the variety in the exercises of the sanctuary,—the reading, singing, prayers, and sermons, are exceedingly refreshing to such as have a heart to enjoy them. ”

“ Is not duty plain, that we ought to relax our labours on Saturday, that we may not lose the most precious hours of the Lord's day? Were we our own, we might exercise our pleasure. But we are not. Man's chief end is, to glorify God, and enjoy him, in this world, as well as hereafter. Suppose you hire a man, to labour for you—you have a right to all his time; but you give him five days in the week for his own employment on condition that he will devote himself wholly to your work on the sixth. ”

“ Do we find it difficult to rise as early on that day as during the week, that with the morning we may commence our duties? Let conscience speak, and we shall wake early. Let our love to God, and his service, only be as strong as our attachment to the things of the world, and no more of the Sabbath will be wasted in slumber, than of Monday morning. Men who labour through the week, contend for this indulgence ”

“ Members of the same family ought, on the Sabbath, to converse together on the state of their souls. Much may be done for their comfort and the promotion of religion, by thus communing together. We may speak in public of experimental religion, make the exercises of others the subject of remark; we may talk to Christians of other families about religion; but if our children and members of our household never hear us speak of these things, when only our own little circle is around us, they will very readily infer that it is not a subject greatly interesting to us. ”

“ Nor shall I attempt to show, from the Scriptures, that the Sabbath is a Christian institution, as well as a Jewish ordinance; or call your attention to the satisfactory reasons we have for observing, as holy time, the first day of the week, and not the seventh. No controversy will be maintained with any who object to the Sabbath as commonly acknowledged by Christians. He who sincerely seeks for instruction, has no need of such argument; he already believes the Sabbath is the Lord's, and that it is to be sanctified by a holy resting all the day. ”

“ If they are not present, and put themselves in the way of instruction, they cannot be taught. For all the family to be at home on the Sabbath, is one of the best preservatives against temptation. Is it possible for young people of different households, to associate on the Lord's day, and not be led into the sin of light and vain conversation? Can the world be shut out of such company, no matter how strict the injunctions of parents, and sincere the resolutions of those going from home? ”

“ What must I do, in the observance of the Sabbath, to promote the glory of God? If we will allow conscience to speak, her voice may be heard; if we attend to her admonitions, guided by the light of Scripture, we shall not commonly, we shall not often, be left in doubt what is duty. For example, you may feel much wearied with the exercises, public and private, of the morning; and the recreation of a walk for half an hour in the afternoon, would be very refreshing to your exhausted system. ”

“ If the Sabbath were more devoted to the study of such books as Doddridge's Rise and Progress, Scougal's Life of God in the Soul, Flavel on Keeping the Heart, Owen on the Spirit, and Baxter's Saints' Rest, we would feel in ourselves, and others would see in us an increase of grace, which it is to be feared we do not enjoy from the food prepared to our fastidious palates. ”

“ The arrangements of the shop, the labours of the farm, and the business of the office or counting house, must be closed on Saturday evening, or in vain we wake early the next morning to enjoy the Sabbath. Did we look no further than to success in this world's affairs, a maxim of prudence and economy would be, to bring our plans, as far as possible, to a close once every week. It promotes order in the transaction of business. It gives efficiency to our labours. ”

“ In every well ordered family, where industry and economy are found, there are certain duties assigned, by custom or common consent, to each member of the household. These are attended to by the persons on whom they devolve, during the week, much to the facilitating of business, and the prevention of trouble or confusion. Now if such be found a measure of expediency during days of labour, we may safely presume upon its utility when applied to the Sabbath. If it is important to save moments of six days, it cannot be less desirable to secure the remnants of one day. ”

“ When we engage in them, we are from our families. But home is our place on the Sabbath. We put ourselves in the way of temptation, before which, repeated trials have shown that we must fall. The family that receives the visit is deprived of as much of the Sabbath as we spend with them; for a cold family dinner, such as best adorns the Sabbath, is altogether out of character when our friends become guests ”

“ The remark of one who was deprived of preaching an entire day, we have probably all found true in our own experience,—That a Sabbath without public worship, when we have all the time to spend in duties at home, is no gain to the reading of the Scriptures. For want of variety in our duties, we become languid, and profit but little.
Attendance upon public worship is favourable to a profitable spending of the Sabbath at home, because it promotes religion generally. It is in the house of God that we are taught what we must do to be saved, and how we are acceptably to serve our Creator. ”

“ It depends upon the number of the household,—upon the occupation of the different members,—whether they all think alike on the sanctification of the Sabbath, and are disposed to unite in bringing their worldly affairs to such an issue, that they may have all the following day for holy rest. With some, Saturday evening is a time of more leisure than any other of the week; while with not a few, it is a time of more hurry and pressure of business,—collecting debts, paying bills, fulfilling promises of the shop or store, than will again be encountered until Saturday returns. ”

“ The worship of God does not commonly demand the labours and exercise of the body; the mind only is called into healthful action; and this is also refreshing to the body. In answer to the plea, that being worn down with the cares of the week, and its toils, we may, consistently with duty, lie later on Sabbath morning than any other, it may be asked, Have we a right to expend our strength during the week, so as to unfit us for the duties of the Sabbath when they arrive? ”

“ In other households you will find the apparel appropriate to the Sabbath, must be subjected to certain emendations and improvements, before the family can be prepared for public worship. By this time the morning is gone, but the Sabbath of holy rest has not yet begun. How much more profitable, that all which pertains to our persons, "from a thread to a shoe-latchet," should be set in order before the Sabbath arrives, that as we have but one holy day in seven, we may enjoy it all. ”

“ Neither the one nor the other affords us any certain aid in determining upon what is our duty. But if the fear of God rule in our hearts, and his holy day be very precious to us, and its honour dear, the question, before so perplexing, becomes a very plain one. ”

“ While some are more strict, others will hardly admit that the Sabbath is more sacred than any other day. Spend the time as you please, you will be in character: you will be sustained. You may search the Scriptures, and engage with your family in pious conversation, and no one has a right to murmur. You may spend the day in idleness and sleep, or in conversation about worldly business: the professional man may arrange the papers and books of his office, ready against Monday morning ”

“ But there are certain times, when this duty can be performed with more profit, and in a manner more comforting to ourselves, than at others. Above all seasons, the Sabbath is appropriate for communion with God. And he who most frequently and devoutly converses with Jehovah on his mercy-seat, through Jesus Christ, on the Lord's day, will commune most with him during the week, will most profitably observe the Sabbath, and be most thoroughly furnished for every good word and work. ”

“ The mother was fretted and distressed, and the child had to remain at home, while the parent went to meeting, not in a state of mind to be much profited by the exercises of the sanctuary. The sound of one axe, in cleaving as much wood as will make one fire, can annoy, throughout the fourth part of a village, all who wish to keep holy the Sabbath day, and to see it hallowed by others. ”

“ Reading is an exercise that ought to be particularly attended to on the Sabbath. We would do well to converse intimately and constantly with pious men in their writings, when we are not called to other duties. The great variety of journals and semi-romances, with which the professedly religious presses teem, has, at least, a questionable effect upon intelligent and vital religion. ”

“ That which possesses [17] our hearts we love to dwell upon in conversation with our own family.
Meditation, though a difficult duty, is essentially necessary to a healthful state of mind, and is suited to no day more than to the Sabbath. The cares of the world are then shut out, and every thing seems to constrain us to turn our thoughts within.
Prayer is the duty of the Christian, the duty of every one, at all times. Our Saviour said, men ought always to pray and not to faint ”

“ The more retired we are, the more independent we feel, of either the approbation or ridicule of others. Though a regard for the character of our families may influence us, in some considerable degree, to sanctify the Sabbath, while there is no inducement to the contrary ”

“ If there was nothing more to be said in favour of families never being deprived, on the Lord's day, of their presiding members, we might reasonably plead, that much evil would be prevented by the restraint of their presence. ”

“ A store keeper may post his books; another may load his wagon for market; a printer may set his types; young people may spend the day in reading novels; I may go into my study and work problems in navigation, or for literary improvement, read Latin and Greek in heathen authors, and we shall none of us be disturbed ”

“ But if part of [8] your family are from home on Sabbath morning, a double portion of necessary duties devolves upon those who remain; and as the duties they are called to perform in the place of the absent members, are not their own regular share of domestic cares, much additional time and attention will be demanded properly to fulfil them. It requires scarcely a trial, to convince us that the whole morning may thus be lost, in performing what devolves upon others ”