EARLY CLOSING.

Evening Star, Issue 3453, 17 March 1874, Page 3

EARLY CLOSING.

The following appeal on behalf of the early closing movement was addressed to his congregation on Sabbath morning last by th° Rpy. Dr Roaeby I h»ve been requested by the members of the Harly Closing and Saturday Half holiday Association to bring under the notice of this congregation the evils arising from late shop ping, especially on Saturday evenings, and the service you can render a large number of young men and young women by assisting in curtailing their . nonrs of labor. I have very great pleasure in complying with the request of the Asso- * .1! , 1 ii i *

elation, and that on many grounds, 1. Asa matter of religious obligation. Religion is not a mere matter of dogma and theory, but a very practical thing, and religious teachers have often bad to protest against the utterly mistaken idea that the Service of God is something apart from the service of man. Thus the Prophet in God’s name exclaims, “They seek me daily and they like to know my ways; they take delight in approaching to Gqd. Thou call this fast.'and an acceptable day to the Lord* Is not this the fast that I Lave chosen to nndo the - heavy burdens and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke/ Then shall thy light break forth as the morning, and thy righteousness shall go before thee The glory of the Lord shall be thy reward.” And to this agrees the whole spirit of the New Testament teaching. The Gospel desires mercy and not sacrifice ; the ministry of Christ was a ministry not only of spiritual blessing hut of physical, domestic, and social helpfulness, In every department of human necessity he went Sn?!}* he exprChsly wwhfs i: h» difcdplea to imitate hi» example. After telling the story of the good Samaritan, he adds, “Go and do thou likewise.” ('ne who spent some years in intimate -converse with Jesus, the beloved disciple, tells us, “This command have we from him ” While James boldly summarises the characteristics of religion thus“p«re religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this : to visit the fatherless and the widow in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world, i e., to alleviate human distress and help men. 2. But the question may b§ ft W& m, tp bp obeyed here 1 f ♦ ffißiy! PgWCna wnp are engaged ip shops have to work as hard, and should be allowed to work as long, as th< ee engaged in any other labor. Ido not think it is fair «T\ th^ burd ? of toil is being lightened on the shoulders of every other that it should be strappec the more tightly on the back of the shopman. Ido not see why he should not snare m the general alleviation. And it is a downright injury and injustice— to bodv and BOui-to keep men and women employed till late at night. Man is not a grindstone—if he was he might be held bv the handle, and kept at it ail the hours of the day and of the night; but flesh and blood have their limits of endurances. The shopman has a mind, and should have leisure for its- culture. The shopman has a' anal. He cannot live by bread alone, but by every word of God, and it is a shame that in a Christian community he should be So overtaxed on the ’ Saturday evening as to be hindered from attending or fiom enjoying the service of God on the Lord’s Day. ‘ 3. Ahd; after all, the remedy is a simple one. These jonng men and women are not appealing to Government, nor even to their employers, but fd the pOblic,

Ail that is needed is a little forethought *r; arran 6 enien t beforehand on the part of the people. Herbert tells ns that “good words are worth much and coat little.” So in this case, how valuable is the service, and yet how cheaply it can be rendered 1 Make your purchases early. Keep out of the shops on Saturday afternoon. “ Look not every man onhisow* things, hut every man also on the things of others.” Learn Christ’s great lesson of unselfishness—“ Even Christ pleased not himself ’ “and all things whatsoever ye would that men should do unto ypu.dp, yeevensonnto xhem. for this is the few «ud the and the'gospel,