not move forward the hands on the great clock of

existence, even if it had the power. remarkable man Blanco White. thus addressed himself to

I cannot alter thy ways.

It was so with that In his last illness he God: "I cry to thee, knowing I cannot if I would-and I

would not if I could. If a word could remove these sufferings I would not utter it."*

"Blanco White's Life," iii. 303.

CHAPTER XXII.

SUNDAYS.

It would be out of place to discuss here the obligation of the Lord's day. We find it existing as a fact, just as we find government or any other social institution existing; and its advantages being self-evident it is the part of wisdom to accept the fact and to make the most of it. The question will therefore be treated here in a practical way. Even if Sunday were not a divine institution, yet a man would be most wise to devote one portion of it to physical and intellectual rest, and another to moral and spiritual improvement. The observance of this day is accompanied with priceless blessings, "which no man knoweth but he who receiveth them." Some have called it a waste day; but certainly they were not hard-working, laborious men, nor were they enlightened and philanthropic men. The great statesman and the enlightened physician perceive what the labourer and artizan feel— the recuperative virtue of the Christian Sabbath; and a man must be ignorant and reckless who would part with this priceless diamond for any small consideration. In the great French Revolution Sunday was abolished, and the period of rest was fixed at every tenth day, but the

labouring population were never able to establish the exemption from work on the tenth day, which the convention had prescribed.

Though Sunday is so beautiful in design and so beneficial in effect, it is well known there are many who dislike it; a dislike which is as unnatural as an antipathy to roses, which characterised a certain French. queen. But the dislike which others have felt towards the Sunday may be explained by its injudicious advocacy and its compulsory observance. For instance, some controversialists have alleged that the traces of a seventh day are universal, whereas a traveller so accurate and intelligent as Sir Rutherford Alcock states, "all over Asia this division into weeks is, I believe, utterly unknown to this day, as it is in Japan."*

It is generally supposed that Sabbatarianism originated with the Puritans in England, and with the Presbyterians in Scotland; but this was not the case: the Judaic observance of the Sunday was revived by the Roman Catholic Church,† and severe enactments were made for its rigid observance. If a lawyer pleaded a cause on Sunday, he was deprived of the privilege of pleading. If a monk broke the Sunday, he was shut out for six months from the society of his brethren. For the same offence, a rustic or a slave was beaten severely with rods.

*Sir R. Alcock's "Tycoon," i. 158.

In England, in the time of King John, Eustace, abbot of Flay, preached the Judaical observance of the Sunday, and professed to confirm his doctrine by a letter, purporting to be from our Saviour, and found at Golgotha.-Dr. J. A. Hessey's "Bampton Lectures," p. 120. A few other facts in this chapter are derived from the same source.

To yoke a pair of oxen to a cart and walk by the side of it on the Lord's day involved the loss of the right ox. In opposition to this, the Reformers treated the Sabbath as a Christian festival. John Knox received distinguished company to supper on Sunday. Calvin some

times played at bowls on Sunday. Luther fought against the superstitious observance. He said, He said, "If anywhere, the day is made holy for the mere day's sake; if anywhere any one sets up its observance on a Jewish foundation, then I order you to work on it, to ride on it, to dance on it, to feast on it, to do anything that shall remove this encroachment on Christian liberty."

The Christian Sabbath arose and was observed without

"Its

any prescribed forms. It was quite uncircumstantial, and therefore was eminently adapted for every people and every climate. This has been well remarked by Richard Cecil, who notices : observance was nowhere positively enjoined by Christ, because Christianity was to be practicable, and was to go to all nations : and it comes thither stripped of its precise and curious circumstances. 'I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day' seems to be the soul of the Christian Sabbath."

In Scotland, the observance of the Sabbath was enforced with more than Jewish rigour. At Aberdeen it was thought expedient that a baillie and two others should pass through the town every Sabbath day and note such as they found absent from sermons, either in the forenoon or afternoon; and for this purpose that they should pass and search such houses as they think meet; and especially, during the summer season, they attend, or cause some one to attend, and take down the

names of the excursionists, who embark on the ferryboat. The absentee from his parish church was fined six shillings and eightpence on each occasion for the use of the poor. Among the offenders we find a shoemaker and a butcher, and it is easy to conceive the vindictive feelings which the penalty excited.* The intense hatred of some to the church becomes intelligible, when we study facts like these. Even in our day, a sullen dislike pervades masses of the people. May it not be owing in some measure to the pacts and pledges which the Church has exacted from men who could not help themselves ?

It is better to attract three free men to church from affection and reason than three thousand slaves by spiritual terrorism. How much is he to be envied, who comes to church for the love of it; and how much is he to be pitied, who comes to church for the dread of it! Nor should we discourage people from coming to God's house, even if they come only from curiosity. A man often finds something better than he seeks: Belzoni, searching for ancient ruins, discovered emerald mines.

66

An unnatural instance has been found in the records of the Presbytery of Strathbogie, June 6th, 1658 :—“ The said day, Alexander Cairnie, in Tilliochie, was delaitit for brak of Sabbath, in bearing ane sheep upon his back from the pasture to his own house. The said Alexander compeirit and declarit that it was of necessitie for saving of the beast's lyfe in tyme of storme. Was rebukit for the same, and admonished not to do the lyke."

* Publications of the Spalding Club.