114 



DISCUSSION ON SUNDAY OBSERVANCE, 



ticular to give eveiy iior&e in their service one day"s rest in seven. 

 We may oe quite sure thas was not done Irom a sentimental 

 regard ior Sunday, but because the companies found they could 

 get the best value out of the horses that way. So many horses 

 rested every day ; they were distributed through the whole service ; 

 they got one day in seven. Then, as mentioned by Dr. Schofield 

 and L>r. Morton, there is a danger of our thinking that change only 

 is required; but if we do that we shall soon get to an absolute 

 neglect of the Sabbath as a rebl. Y\'e remember, too, that in the 

 old days, when the Sabbath was strictly enjoined on the Israelites, 

 they used to find the manna every day when they went out. 

 There was none on the seventh day, but they were told — and this 

 was to reward them for their obedience to what was God's 

 command — that they should get a double quantity on the sixth 

 day ; and that was found to be the case. So there was no loss. 

 Many people tell you, " \Ye cannot afford to give it up ; we must 

 work on Sunday." We have an idea of looking on many of the 

 laws of God as being arbitrary, just like things which are merely 

 given in order to hedge us in and annoy us. That is a mistaken 

 opinion. If we understood the laws we should find they were 

 given us for our good. When we tell the child not to go near 

 the fire, it is not to spoil his amusement, but to prevent him from 

 tumbling in and burning himself. I have noticed, since I w^as a 

 young man, a great decadence m England on the observance of 

 Sunday. I remember when I joined the service, thirty-six years 

 ago, it was considered bad form in an officer's mess to play cards 

 cr. Sunday. W^e did not use the billiard room either. We did not 

 play lawn tennis, or enter into any sports or games on Sunday. 

 There was really no conscientious feeling against it on the part of 

 the majority of officers in those days, but it was not considered 

 good form to do those things on Sunday. There has been a change 

 in the feeling about it. France and the Continent generally, which 

 are always looked upon by us as rather leading us in this direction, 

 seem now to be coming round the other way. I read in the 

 " Morning Post," I think three days ago— I have the cutting here 

 — that there was the annual meeting in Paris of the Cardinals and 

 Archbishops of France, and amongst other things the Assembly 

 protested against the degeneracy of public morality caused by the 

 theatres, cinemas and dancing, and insisted that Catholics should 

 do all in their power to ensure the keeping of Sunday as a day of 

 rest. 



Mr. Sidney Collett : In the limited time one has to be very 

 brief, but in considering the subject we have to bear in mind 

 the three aspects of the Day of God. There is the Sabbath of 

 Creation, there is the Sabbath under the Law, and there is the 

 Sabbath under grace. With regard to the Sabbath of Creation, 

 it has its divine side and its human side. T believe the d'^ine 



