Part 5

Let, then, all who would see man redeemed from ignorance and slavery, vice and degradation--all who would see the working man refined in manners and elevated in character and condition, exert their utmost energy in the diffusion of knowledge, in the education of youth, but above all, in calling the attention of men to Divine truth, to the glad tidings of salvation; and for this purpose let them rejoice in, and employ the Sabbath as connected with religion, as affording time for spreading abroad the knowledge of God: this is the lever which is to lift man from the degradation of the fall, and make him fit to be the inhabitant of a new earth, wherein all the evils which at present surround him shall be unknown.

What varied agencies is not the Sabbath calling into operation, to press forward and give fresh impulse to the onward movement! Not only is the stolid mind of the untaught workman aroused, impelling motive and untiring energy imparted, to carry him on in the upward path of self-improvement; but the sympathies of his nature are also awakened, and, looking on the moral and intellectual degradation, and the physical wretchedness around him, his heart is yearning over his fellow-men, and the weekly rest affording him time, he is stretching out the hand of a brother to those who are sunk in ignorance and vice, he is pointing the upward path, and stimulating to the upward movement. See that young man, whose daily earnings, perchance, are needful, not merely for his own support, but it may be, for the support of aged parents, or of young and helpless brothers and sisters; the circumstances of whose early years had prevented his enjoying more than the limited advantages of a common grammar-school education, or, perhaps, not even allowed of his receiving so much as a common school education, but whose knowledge has been picked up in Sabbath classes, or at the fireside of hard-working parents, whose straitened circumstances required that even in his boyhood he should strain every nerve to assist them in supplying, by his labour, the wants of a young and numerous family: he is not only walking steadfastly and firmly himself in the path of improvement, but taking the lead, and urging on his fellow-men, devoting his little hour of Sabbath rest, and Sabbath leisure, not to mere repose, or sensual indulgence, but gathering his fellow-men around him that he may reason with them out of the Scriptures, or calling together, for instruction, a class of ragged, untrained children, or wending his way to yonder wretched garret, or that damp cellar, where want, disease, and vice have taken up their abode together, that he may ascertain why that squalid child was absent from the Sabbath-school class, and drop a word of encouragement to the boy, or address a word of warning and entreaty to the parents.

Who has not felt convinced, on viewing scenes like these, agencies like these called into operation, that it is the weekly rest in the hands of living, active religion, which is destined to reach the very lowest depths of society, to lift humanity from the degrading pollutions of vice, and from the servile dependence and helplessness of ignorance; and that to take from the children of toil the Lord’s-day, were to take from them at once the means of self-improvement, and also the opportunity of doing anything towards the improvement of others?

Let those, then, who seek the elevation and refinement of the labouring population, do all that in them lies to spread among them the knowledge of true religion and the observance of the Sabbath. Science may advance, art and philosophy instruct those who have means and leisure for their study; but of what avail would they ever become to labouring men, did not Religion by her Sabbath open up the way for them? Yes; Christianity is the pioneer, and they follow in its footsteps. Besides, what is man, with his moral nature unimproved? His intellect may be powerful and highly cultivated; he may be learned in art and science, acquainted with all the properties of matter, and with every system of philosophy, ancient and modern; he may be capable of bringing creation, animate and inanimate, into subserviency to his pleasure and convenience; the lightnings of heaven may, at his bidding, fly with his message; and the hidden treasures of the earth may come forth to the light of day: at the command of art and science, starting into motion, he may be conveyed almost with the rapidity of thought, to his desired destination; fire, water, and air, may accomplish his labour for him; but, if his religious feelings are dormant or misdirected, or if his moral nature is depraved, he is but the more capacitated to spread destruction and misery around him; to be miserable in himself, and a curse and a scourge to mankind. He can use, with more ability, the subtlety and the arts of the impostor; he can, with more dexterity, forge or use weapons of war, or set armies in battle array; or he may be a more able and dangerous leader in riot and insurrection; a more dexterous highwayman, robber, or assassin; but, without the cultivation of his moral nature by religion, he is neither fitted to receive happiness himself, nor impart it to others.

Religion not only awakens and cultivates man’s intellect, it also subdues and governs his animal propensities, exalts and refines his moral feelings, and by doing so, redeems him from much present suffering, and opens to him inexhaustible treasures of enjoyment in himself and others, impelling him to exert all the energies of his nature, not in seeking merely his own, but in securing the well-being of his fellow-men, making him more willing to impart than to exact, more yielding than commanding, more ready to bear with, than to claim forbearance--in a word, writing upon his heart, in living characters, the truth that it is more blessed to give than to receive, and thus putting an end to all strife, emulation, broils, and discord, and war in every form, with all its attendant miseries.

Yes; let those who long for that blissful period when men shall be united in one universal brotherhood; when peace shall make her dwelling among them, and good-will fill every heart; when the reward of the husbandman’s toil--the yellow fields of waving grain--shall no more be trampled beneath the hoof of the war-horse, nor his hard-won earnings wrung from his hand, to keep in repair the machinery of war--when men shall no more study the art of destroying each other, but shall beat their swords into ploughshares, and their spears into pruning-hooks; let those who long for, and labour to introduce this happy era, see in the Sabbath the oil which is to still the waves of human strife--in its memorials, its influences, its exercises, the links of that chain of love, which is yet to bind heart to heart, from one end of the earth to the other, and encircle the whole with an unbroken and everlasting bond of union.

When men meet together on the first day of the week, to break bread, to surround the table of their Lord, to pass from hand to hand the cup of blessing, to hear the words and study the character of Him who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, threatened not, but committed himself to Him who judgeth righteously; when they, as the children of that God who is by his love manifested in the gift of his well-beloved Son, subduing the enmity of his enemies and reconciling them to himself, meet thus together on the first day of the week, not to hear the voice of a human orator, nor to attend to the words of a fallible instructor, but to gather around the Scriptures of truth, the word of the living and true God, to learn his will, that with willing and ready feet, they may run in the way of his commandments; when they study his character, as he there reveals himself, that their moral nature may become assimilated to his, that they may be like their Father in heaven, who maketh his sun to shine upon the evil and the good; what must be the result? Who will hesitate to say, were working men all to meet weekly, thus to keep the Lord’s-day as appointed by Himself, that soon the oppressor would cease out of the land; that intemperance, ignorance, vice of all kinds, with all the poverty, disease, and wretchedness, inseparably connected with them, would be for ever banished; and peace, descending from the skies, whither sin had caused her to take her flight, again dwell with redeemed man?

And ever as we approach nearer and nearer to such a use of the weekly rest; and ever as the circle widens of those who feel it not their duty only, but their dearest, choicest privilege, thus to spend and enjoy this day--do we approach more nearly to the long-predicted age of millennial glory, to the dawn of the great Sabbath of the world, that Sabbath of rest from sin and suffering, strife and oppression, when the Lord himself shall judge the nations in righteousness, when the lofty looks of man shall be humbled, and the haughtiness of man shall be brought low, and the Lord alone be exalted.

The Lord’s-day can never be trifled with but at our peril. Like every appointment of our benevolent Creator, it was instituted for the benefit of his creatures, wisely adapted to fulfil its purpose; and he who sells its privileges for gain, or barters them for pleasure, makes a poor bargain indeed. Selfishness--narrow, ungenerous, short-sighted selfishness--generally outwits itself; and this is especially the case with employers, who, regardless of the comfort, health, or morality of the employed, engage them in labour on this day, and thereby deprive them of its benefits. The interests of employers are inseparably connected with the well-being of the employed. The labour of a healthy, steady, honest, intelligent workman, is of double value to that of him who cannot be depended upon, whose moral principles are unsound, or his habits irregular; whose mind is uncultivated, or his body debilitated by disease. And those who engage men in labour or business upon the first day of the week, may blame themselves, if, in a few years, they find it difficult to have their work well performed, and discover that their property is far from being secure.

The Sabbath has, with beautiful propriety, been called, “the poor man’s day;” and it seems, indeed, peculiarly adapted to confer important advantages upon him: not one of these, however, is obtained at the expense of the employers. Its blessings are suited to all classes, but the working-classes more especially require its provisions for their happiness. If the servant, after a week of labour, enjoys a day of rest, and appears in the meeting of the disciples of Jesus, clean, comfortably dressed, and respectable as his master, it is, that, fresh and vigorous, he may with hearty good-will enter upon the labours of another week. A feeling of self-respect, and a sense of moral obligation, raise him above eye-service, or anything like slight, sluggish, or improper performance of labour; a feeling which, though it cannot stoop to cringing servility, would sooner brook disrespect than show it to another, whether employer or fellow-servant; and a sense of moral obligation, which makes him faithful in whatever he is entrusted with, enables him to understand and claim his own rights, and induces him without reserve, to give to all others their due.

The Sabbath interferes with the interests of none but those who live by the ignorance, superstition, vice, and degradation of mankind; those who have their wealth from Babylon the great, who traffic in “slaves and souls of men.”

Let all, then, of every class and station, examine this subject; the more it is viewed in the light of truth, the more its importance will appear. He who is desirous of the well-being of his fellow-men, ought not, and cannot consistently, pass it lightly by; and even he whose contracted mind looks only at his personal interest, may not safely slight it.

[Illustration: FINIS]

THE

Christian Union and Religious Memorial.

EDITED BY

REV. ROBERT BAIRD, D. D.

PUBLISHED MONTHLY,

AT TWO DOLLARS PER ANNUM, IN ADVANCE.

THIS magazine is devoted to the cause of Christian Union among all Evangelical denominations, and its great object will be to make the Church below more like the Church above, by the infusion of that spirit of Christian love and brotherly kindness which should distinguish all the members of _Christ’s_ body, whatever name they bear on earth. It will contain essays on Christian union and collateral subjects, by some of the best writers at home and abroad.

Another essential feature of our work will be a monthly memorial or resumé of the progress of religion in all lands. We shall pay particular attention to missionary operations throughout the world, and keep our readers acquainted with the progress of religion in foreign countries by the various missionaries there employed.

Our foreign correspondence will be extensive and various, and our readers will thus be kept informed of the changes and progress of events in Europe.

Although we shall keep clear of discussions on doctrinal points, we shall feel at full liberty to animadvert freely on whatever we may deem errors in practice, wherever they may exist. At the same time, we shall advocate, with all our powers, every true Christian reform which shall tend to improve and elevate mankind.

Our work has already received the highest commendations, and our arrangements will enable us to make considerable improvements the coming year.

SAMUEL HUESTON, 139 Nassau street.

[Illustration]

RECOMMENDATIONS.

The _Christian Union and Religious Memorial_, edited by DR. BAIRD, is a rich repository of valuable matter, statistical and historical, bearing upon the interests of religion in all parts of the world.--_N. Y. Observer._

It breathes the spirit of Christianity, and contains notices of the progress of Christ’s kingdom among the different branches of the Church. Conducted by DR. BAIRD and his able associates, it cannot fail to do great good. Its view of foreign Churches is peculiarly valuable, from the Dr.’s long residence in Europe.--_Lutheran Observer._

Under the supervision of the Rev. DR. BAIRD, the Christian Union is becoming a highly valuable publication, and will, no doubt, obtain an extensive circulation. The principles of Christian Union, as advocated by the editor, are such as all evangelical denominations may unite in, without sacrificing any peculiar principles of their own.--_Christian Secretary._

It is a precious monthly, published by S. Hueston, 139 Nassau street, New York.--_Christian Intelligencer._

We deem the Union an important auxiliary in spreading a knowledge of the condition and prospects of religious denominations--a knowledge, which, we are sorry to say, is not as extensively cultivated as it should be, either by the ministry or the private members of the church.--_S. W. Baptist Chronicle._

Every bishop, minister, elder, deacon and class-leader should have this valuable monthly. Christians of every name must unite against the works of darkness, banish _for ever_ their little sectarianisms, or the world cannot be saved.--_Golden Rule._

The statistical information furnished by this publication, and its notices in a comprehensive view and permanent form, of the manifestations and progress of the Church of Christ in all lands, render it valuable and worthy of patronage.--_Southern Christian Advocate._

The missionary and statistical information upon its pages must render it of great value as a book of reference, while its essays and discussions combine much to interest and instruct the serious mind. Its catholic spirit entitles it to the confidence of Christians of every name.--REV. B. T. WELCH, _Pastor of the Pearl St. Baptist church, Albany, N. Y._

Each number of the work contains 64 closely printed royal octavo pages, and will form a yearly volume of 768 pages.

HEAVEN’S ANTIDOTE TO THE CURSE OF LABOR:

_Or the Temporal Advantages of the Sabbath to the Working Classes_.

BY JOHN ALLAN QUINTON.

With a Prefatory Notice by Rev. Stephen H. Tyng, D.D.

This beautiful Essay on the Sabbath, from the pen of a journeyman printer, of Ipswich, England, received the first prize which was offered by Mr. Henderson, of Glasgow, for essays on that subject by working men. The fact that it was selected for the first prize, out of 1045 compositions, must be sufficient proof of its merit. The American edition contains a very interesting preface by Dr. Tyng. It is illustrated, neatly bound in cloth, and is sold for 37¹⁄₂ cents.

NOTICES OF THE PRESS.

“It is a manly, direct, and most conclusive presentation of the temporal benefits of observing the Sabbath, which we should suppose no one could peruse without a definite impression. It should especially reach laboring men--its strong sense and clear logic are finely suited to make an impression upon the popular mind.”--_New York Evangelist._

“The work should be scattered broadcast over the land.”--_Protestant Churchman._

“The treatise considers the advantages of the Sabbath under the heads of Physical, Mercantile, Intellectual, Domestic, Moral, and Religious. The author does not write theoretically, but from personal experience; and no working man can read his essay without feeling that the Sabbath is one of the greatest temporal blessings. We trust that the volume will have a wide circulation among all classes in our own country; for all need its salutary counsels. It is written in a very attractive style, and neatly printed.”--_Independent._

“This is a strong, clear, and admirable essay on the Temporal Advantages of the Sabbath, considered in relation to the working classes.”--_Courier and Enquirer._

JUST PUBLISHED BY S. HUESTON, 138 NASSAU-ST., NEW YORK.

DOWLING’S CONFERENCE HYMNS.

A NEW COLLECTION OF HYMNS,

DESIGNED ESPECIALLY FOR USE IN

Conference and Prayer Meetings,

AND FAMILY WORSHIP.

BY J. DOWLING, D.D.

THE design of the present compilation is, in the first place, to add to the life and spirituality of the Conference and the Prayer Meeting; and, secondly, to be an acceptable pocket companion to the Christian, in the family or in the closet.

From most of the Conference hymn books which the editor has examined, a large number of devotional pieces, cherished in the memory and the hearts of the fathers and mothers in our American Zion, have been excluded; probably because the poetry was not regarded as of a sufficiently high order of excellence. The opinion of the present editor is, that sacred songs, embodying scriptural sentiments and genuine religious experience--when not objectionable on the score of vulgarity or grammatical inaccuracy--should not be discarded because they fail to stand the test of a rigid poetical censorship.

To mention a few of the favorite pieces omitted in some recent collections, many Christians will at once recognize the following, associated as some of them are with their sweetest seasons of holy religious enjoyment:--“_Sweet land of rest, for thee I sigh_”--“_Whither goest thou, pilgrim stranger_”--“_The Lord into his garden comes_”--“_Farewell, dear friends, I must be gone_”--“_Amen, amen, my soul replies_”--“_Come, my brethren, let us try_”--“_Vain, delusive world, adieu_”--“_O come, my loving neighbors, will you go to glory with me_”--“_Let thy kingdom, blessed Saviour_”--“_There is a land of pleasure_”--“_O tell me no more of this world’s vain store_”--“_To-day, if you will hear his voice_”--“_Beside the gospel pool_”--“The Good Old Way,” commencing, “_Lift up your heads, Immanuel’s friends_”--“The Harvest Home,” commencing, “_This is the field, the world below_”--“The Bower of Prayer”--“The Saints’ Sweet Home”--and Newton’s pious and expressive pieces--“The Beggar’s Prayer,” commencing, “_Encouraged by thy word, of mercy to the poor_”--The “Dying Thief,” commencing, “_Sovereign grace hath power alone_”--and, “The Lord will provide,” commencing, “_Though troubles assail and dangers affright_.”

One great motive in the present work was to restore, for the use of the Editor’s own congregation and of such others as desire them, the above, and a number of similar devotional and familiar “Sacred Songs,” omitted in some recent Conference hymn books.

▶ Copies for examination furnished gratis to post-paid applications--_unbound_ copies sent by mail.

Published by EDWARD H. FLETCHER, _141 Nassau Street, N. Y._

CHEAP CASH BOOK STORE.

EDWARD H. FLETCHER,

No. 141 Nassau street,

NEW YORK.

Has constantly on hand, at wholesale and retail, a general assortment of _Theological, Classical, Miscellaneous, School and Blank Books and Stationery_.

A complete Depository of SABBATH SCHOOL BOOKS.

Booksellers, Traders, Teachers, Schools, Academies and Individuals supplied, wholesale and retail, on the most liberal terms.

Religious books of every variety which are to be found in the market, may be obtained here at the _very lowest prices_.

SECOND-HAND BOOKS.

Valuable Standard Theological and other Books from private libraries will be sold at a fraction of the price of new.

MARRIAGE CERTIFICATES.

A new and beautiful article, with a silver border, samples of which will be sent gratis to post-paid applications.

Published by EDWARD H. FLETCHER, _No. 141 Nassau street_.

NOTICE.

THE copartnership heretofore existing between the Subscribers, under the firm of LEWIS COLBY & COMPANY, is this day dissolved by mutual consent. All accounts will be settled by Lewis Colby, who is authorized to use the name of the firm in liquidation.

LEWIS COLBY. EDWARD H. FLETCHER.

_New York, September 5th, 1848._

CIRCULAR.

The subscriber respectfully announces to his friends and the public that he has opened a store at 141 Nassau street, where he will continue the same line of the BOOKSELLING and PUBLISHING business which has been pursued by the late firm.

Having been _regularly bred_ to the business, added to which is his experience in the late concern _from its commencement_, he feels confident that he can offer to his patrons advantageous terms.

The primary object of this establishment will be the publication and sale of Religious Books.

A large assortment of Sabbath School Books will be kept, and to this department much attention will be paid. If Sabbath Schools, wishing to replenish their libraries, or to purchase new ones, will forward their funds, and a list of such books as they already have, their orders will receive prompt attention, and the selection will be carefully made.

Also will be kept, School and Blank Books, and Stationery of every variety--Sermon Paper, Marriage Certificates, &c.

FOREIGN BOOKS imported, for a small commission.

▶ A liberal discount will be made to Booksellers, Ministers, and Teachers.

EDWARD H. FLETCHER.

_New York, September 23d, 1848._

THE

BAPTIST SABBATH SCHOOL

HYMN BOOK.

A NEW edition of this work, which was compiled by Rev. JOSEPH A. WARNE, has just been issued. It contains five hundred hymns, in fair type, and is well printed.

_Extract from the Preface._

“The denomination for whose use this volume is prepared, is one of the most numerous in the land; and one which therefore may claim, as justly as any other, to have a volume of hymns for use in its Sabbath Schools, all of which shall be such as may be employed without doing violence to its denominational peculiarities, or covertly undermining its foundations; and if there is such a collection in existence, the compiler has not been so fortunate as to meet with it.