SUNDAY SPORTS AT FEILDING.

Manawatu Times, Volume III, Issue 11, 4 December 1878, Page 2

SUNDAY SPORTS AT FEILDING.

TO T£B EDITOR. SlEj-w" Somethingarian " evidently fails to appreciate the remarks X made re hjs. letter and the Sunday sports at Feilding. There are three questions asked which he ia anx.iou.9 to get answered,. I will try and deal with these at once, and after- that touch . briefly upon some other little painta contained m his letter. -But Sir, I would, of aU say that at the questions wereaaked m your columns, I presume you will favor me with apace for a reply, although your paper it not arowedly religious. Xam first asked. " fo* what reason was the Jewish Sabbath first instituted ?" Now, I can hardly conceive why mch a question .should be asked, unless " Some- i thingarian " has so long neglected: to. read the Bible that he wishes to hare his. memory refreshed, upon the matter. But^ however, the question is asked, and % will willingly try to answer it. $f he will now kindly ■ oblige by taking up the Bible and turn to Genesis ii., t. 2, 3, he will hare a full account of the original institution, of the. Sabbath, Two things, he. will ace t«*t clearly m it— First, the seventh d»y was set apart aa a day of reat, to commemorate the completion of the Creation. Secondly, it was intended to be a holy day— '-'God blessed it and sanctiGed it^" that is, separated it from all common * n< * profane. pujpnspft and dedicated it to a sacred use. The re-enactment of the Sabbath under the Mosaic la,w may be found m Exodus, xx. — 8, 11. Here it is not only spoken o_f aa still being a day of rest, bu.t it still retains aU that peculiar sanctity originally a tamped upon it by God. That the sacred observance of the Sabbath was enforced oa being of high moral obligation is evident .from the following B,erip.tttres t -=•. Nehoroiah vU.» IS, 22 x {aafeh lvi. r 2, f i &0., &o. It is n\io clear that the Sabbath wai a period m which public Divine, worship was carried on (see Leviticus XX»i-, * ; Act* xv.» 21 * liuk« ir. % 16 1 Matthew xii., 2 t 13.) " Scunethingarian H also asks, when was. the original Christian festival changed in,to a Jewish Sabbath ?- The phrase. " original Christian festival* is soniewhft WmnteW* gibje to me ; perhaps ho will kindly favour «*. with a, definition of it< It, however, he means by the second and third questions wh*t reatons have we to regard the sacred observance of the, Christian Sabbath a.s being as binding on men's consciences as the Jewish Sabbath, I will readily do my best to point out those reasons. Fiftt* the original Sabbath was. given to/o.nr first parent*— the then whole human race; secondly, it was re-published by Moses amid the solemn** ties of Sinai, and became a part of the Decalogu^ or moral code, which i« always referred to m Scripture as being of perpetual obligation. Hence no conceivable reason can be given why, the. Sabbatiq command should be detached from the rest and considered ceremonial* Thirdly, Christ taught that the Sabbath was made for ww»---.that is, man m its representative sense i hence universal man, A *•* words m*y now; be said respecting the change from the seventh to the first day of the week. The Sabbath was commemorative °f tn 9 greatest event known through the Patriarchal and 'Mosaic dispensations, ««., the finishing, of the work of creation j hence at its re-enajotment the original reasons for its sacred observance, was reiterated. But the greatest event a.sso,< sointed with the Christian dispensation i* the resurrection of Christ from the dead t for by raising his son from the dead the Diviu» Father affixed hit seal to the finished work of redemption, and. thereby testified to his acceptance of i«. Supremacy over death was also asserted, thereby, and immorality was clearly brought to light. Such h'eing the case, the first day of the week tos kept as the Sabbath hy the Apoatolio Church and early Christians, m com.memoration of this event {see Acts xx.., 6, 11; 1 Corinthians xi., 20, also xvj., g.) There are also other oiroumstancea pointing to the fact that the day was intended to. he peculiarly honored, Pfow, Sir x will " Somethingarian" oblige by disproving what is here said on Scriptural grouqd. 8 . or else show upon what authority he encourage* and helps to perpetuate such shameful Sab* bath-breaking as was witnessed by him and *' Settler." In his letter he classed me with those »ha are of wi intolerant spirit, und, would make people J pious by Apt of Parliament. Who ever read my letter will see that the latter part of this charge is purely gratuitous, m I recommended no legalised interference to effect m suppression of the evil m question.. As to being intolerant I would ask " Somethingarian " whether toleration is allowable m every oase? | Are there not aomeeviU so egregious that toleration would be utterly inconsistent? Well then, I should like to see haw be makes toleration m this case consistent with Holy Writ ? Where thing* fti*e doubtful and of minor importance, toleration m some oases is commendable, but to tolerate • manifest evil is undoubtedly ontninal. I . wish to have the propriety tit the application of the quotation from Hefoe'jud.geq of. in the light: of the latter remarks. He also Booms to speak as though there veere no other alterriat tive for the youths of Feilding than rather to remain at Sunday cricketing, or resort to the. foul practices thajt characterised Feild* ing's past history. Surely there is a more HceJJe«t way opened before them ihiyn

either' of" these. As for bis remarks rt Good Templars, I leave them to fight tbeir own battle; surely they will not allow tbe stigma to remain long upon their Order. " Sometbingarian's " prophecy ra the charaoter of future Sundays, is, I should thi»k, generated from the wish within his heart. In the meantime I remain iSi-BBATH-OBMBTIB,