THE DAY OF REST

Evening Post, Issue 98, 27 April 1936, Page 10

THE DAY OF REST

PLEA FOR OBSERVANCE

SERMON BY CANON JAMES

A QUIET SUNDAY

In a sermon at St. Paul's Pro-Cathe-dral yesterday, Canon Percival James spoke of the future of Sunday. The prospect of increased leisure for most people, he said, seemed likely to afford the opportunity of rescuing the valuable heritage of the English Sunday and restoring to the people the blessings of a Sunday well spent. "We do not seek to impose rigid • Sabbatarianism upon the community," he said, "or to return to what is called the 'Puritan' Sunday. Certainly-a dull or gloomy Sunday is not a Christian ■ Sunday. But there is a great mass of thoughtful people in this land who do wish to keep (or rather return to) a quiet Sunday, which will afford the rightful opportunities to all those who wish to keep a religious Sunday." There was some confusion of thought regarding the principles of Sunday observance, said Canon James. The Christian Sunday should not be identified with the Jewish Sabbath. It was a different day, with a different origin. The Christian Sunday was primarily a day of worship, the weekly commemoration of our Lord's Resurrection. But, though rigid Sabbatarianism was not essentially Christian, the principles of the Fourth Commandment underlay the keeping of Sunday, with certain Christian principles added. FOUR PRINCIPLES. Four principles of Sunday observance might be distinguished: (1) Its primary purpose was for worship; (2) it was a day of rest from labour—and, as far as was .'possible, the same day from all; (3) there was the duty of securing .for all their rightful opportunities for rest and worship on the Lord's Day; (4) on the Christian was laid the obligation to find opportunities for Christian service on that day, and especially for Works, of loving kindness. Sunday rest was a means to an end. "Sunday was made for man, and not ■ man for Sunday." The pressure of modern life had greatly increased the need of the human organism for regular periods of adequate and assured ■ rest. But Sunday rest need not be inerted — mere negative absinence from labour. Often the most satisfying rest was to be found in change of ■ occupation. Sunday rest should provide, the, relaxation, revivifying, re- ■ freshing, rebuilding the. whole manmind and spirit as well as body. It was impossible to say that any particular occupation or amusement, which was not wrong on other days, was posilively forbidden to the conscientious Christian disciple on Sunday, though the principles governing Sunday must set a limit to his Sunday amusements. "When these obligations are observed, the religious man will not be mainly concerned with what he may not do on Sunday, but with what he should do," said the preacher. .CORPORATE WORSHIP. ' "Dedicate Sunday, first of all, to worship," said Canon James, "and everything else on that day will fall into its place. For you the Sunday question will be solved. I appeal to the great number who do in their hearts respect the religious aspect of Sunday, however lax their practice may have become. I stress the importance of your pefsonal example, and the example of thoso' like-minded. Upon it depends the maintenance of the sense of God in a large proportion of the people of this generation, and the generations to come. It is in corporate worship—worship .in fellowship—that they may most surely experience communion with a Higher Power.' If they do not thus acquire the habit of worship, they will presently starve spiritually, and lose all desire: for communion with the Unseen and Eternal." To the man who said, "I can find God everywhere. Am I less religious than another because I find him in the fresh air and the great open spaces?" the Canon replied, "No, certainly not. But do you find Him everywhere? Do you seek him anywhere? I have found that for,"such people 'everywhere' turns out to mean precisely the same as 'nowhere.' It is a man who is accustomed to seek God regularly in some particular place who is most likely to find Him everywhere. If God has not a definite place in our thoughts on one day of the week, almost certainly He ' will have.no place at all on the other six days. COMMERCIALISING AMUSEMENTS. The Canon made a strong appeal for the preservation of Sunday as a social institution—the day of rest. Works of riecessity and mercy must be done; but the whole community (not only those to whom, the religious observance of Sunday was paramount) was concerned to check the spread of Sunday labour which ministered to the amusements of others. He said: ; "It has been necessary in the past, arid may become necessary again, to impose legislative restriction upon those who are turning Sunday into a day of profit. I deplore the supine acquiescence of the community in the ' increasing commercialising of Sunday . amusements. The 'Continental. Sunday is a day of amusement for half the population at the expense of additional labour'for the other half. We must 'save the weakest and least organised sections of the community from such exploitation. Every good citizen is concerned to resist the growing commercialisation of Sunday and the destruction of the quiet Sunday, with its opportunities for worship and rest for the greater number. Apart from ■that, it is impossible to say that outdoor recreation and games on Sunday are wrong, provided that the rights of others and the consciences of others are respected."