SANCTITY OF THE SABBATH.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XXIII, Issue 223, 3 October 1901, Page 2

SANCTITY OF THE SABBATH.

PU3LJO WEKNCt. , These was a large attendance at the public meeting in the Presbyterian Church Sunday School last night to consider what should be done to maintain the sanctity of the Sabbath Day. Mr. N. K; McDiarmid* oooupied the chair. The Revs. Osborne, Serpall, Nixon and Woolley were also on the Aft& a few remarkslw the chairman, Raif. Qaborce moved, !" Believing the Sabbath Day is a I divine appointment, and that its' due observance has helped in no small measure to place us as a cation among the foremost peoples of tbe world, and believing also (hit Any failure tq Maintain the sanctity of the day .mwt ultimately issue innnta t peril or disaster, this views with deep concorn the growing desecration of'the' Lord's Day. We deplore the general disposition to turn the day appointed for rest and worship into a day of pleasure." Mr. Osborne spoke very forcibly in, support of the motion, de ding wi*h the Divine appointment of the Sibbath, the foremost oeoupied by the British we, and the danger of failure to maintain the sanotity of tbe Sabbath, and he deplored the tendency of the present day to make Sunday a <foy of pleasure.

Mr. Asher briery ocQonded the motion, \*as earned. tion from this meeting be appointed to wait upon his Worship tbe Mayor and the members of the Borough Council, urging them to refuse permission for entertainments and concerts to be given in the Theatre Royal on the Lord's Day," and spoke briefly in support. Mr Oollis, sen., seconded the motion/

Dr Hutchinson opposed the motion on ground that we should rather strive to inou'oate Christian principles than lean on the law to maintain the observance of the Lord's Day. The motion was carried after some discussion, and the following deputation appointed:—Revo. Osborne, Ser* pell, and Nixon, and Messrs OoHis, sen., S. B. Holder, Ambury, and the chairmen . SgrpeM then proposed, "That tha christian publio of New Plymouth be urged to use every effort to conserve the Sabbath, and by precept and example maintain its sanctity." Mr Serpell said he stood there to plead for the Christian Sabbath. What was really wanted was a healthy Qhtfafciaft conscienc. He ta» value of the Sabbath. Tjfte exrstenee of the religion depended on the Christian Sabbath, He reviewed the efforts which had been made to destroy the Christian religion, without success, with the single exception of the attacks on the Sabbath. The Book of Sports had done more harm to religion than anything else. He referred to the temptations to vihich youth were exposed, the, need of; parental example yj, the matter of observing % wnctity of the Sabbath. was not afraid of opsn attack, but 'he was afraid of our lapislitor*, of our theatres, and of our leading citfens who openly de°ecrats the Sabbath Day. Dr. Hutchinson feconded the motion, he preferred the tferm [' Lord's Diy," in rnnmwy of our Lord's resurrection, instead of the Sabbaoh Diy. He thought there was too much leaning on the arm of flesh. He held that if a thing was bad, it was as bad on the week day as on the Sabtyith. Mr Se< pell sayi ha had no objection to insef(jio£|. th-' term " Li d's Diy." I The motion was c irried unanimously. The BenedioMou was pronounced by Rev. Nixon, and the meeting dosed.