366 STUDIES, SCIENTIFIC AND SOCIAL chap. 



thus disobeying the scriptural commandment in the most 

 flagrant manner, they are salving their consciences by 

 abstaining, and trying to force others to abstain, from 

 things which are not forbidden by the commandment, and 

 which are not in any way opposed to its spirit. To walk 

 for health or pleasure, to row in a boat, to play at cricket, 

 or at chess, to whistle, or sing, to read amusing books, to 

 look at great pictures in art galleries, or to admire the 

 beauties and wonders of nature in museums or gardens — 

 all these things have been, and many of them are still 

 considered by the more strictly religious to be " breaking 

 the Sabbath," and are denounced as such in many a tract 

 and sermon. And the good people who hold these views 

 seem quite unconscious that they themselves are far 

 greater sinners than the people they denounce as " Sabbath 

 breakers ; " for to direct Sabbath-breaking they add the 

 sin of Pharisaism, inasmuch as they condemn in others 

 what is, at the worst, a far less offence than their own, and 

 are guilty of impious presumption in venturing to add to and 

 improve upon the divine commandment, while constantly 

 and knowingly disobeying the commandment itself Do 

 not the words of Christ exactly apply to such, when 

 He rebuked the Pharisees from the mouth of Esaias ? — 

 " But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines 

 the commandments of men." 



And when we inquire the reason for this strange and 

 inconsistent conduct, we find only a series of excuses. They 

 say, that the requirements of health and decency render a 

 certain amount of work necessary on Sunday ; that we keep 

 a Christian and not a Jewish Sabbath ; that we reduce the 

 work of our labourers as much as possible ; and that we only 

 recognize works of necessity and of mercy as permissible on 

 the holy day. It is true that Christ justified deeds of 

 charity and of mercy to both man and beast on the Sabbath, 

 but He nowhere abrogates the law of rest for each labourer, 

 whether man or beast, from his six days' work. To tend 

 the sick and supply the wants of the animals which serve 

 us in various ways is not to break the Sabbath ; but all 

 these things and much more may be done without infring- 

 ing even the letter of the Commandment, if we choose to 



