Mark 6:30-31 And the apostles gathered themselves together to Jesus, and told him all things, both what they had done, and what they had taught.… Duty of religious teachers to point out and rebuke social evils. One of these is the want of leisure. A fair amount of labour is necessary and desirable, but when work is so absorbing that mind, affections, and spiritual life are neglected, we sin against law of nature and God. So far as labour out of doors is concerned, God Himself interposes by drawing the curtain of night; but in certain trades, through the ambition of the trader or the carelessness of the general public, young people are often kept on their feet twelve or fifteen hours, with scarcely time allowed to swallow a morsel of food. The wrongs of these silent sufferers ought to be redressed. Let us not forget — I. THAT EARNEST WORK IS DIVINELY APPOINTED. Before the Fall in the Garden of Eden. Afterwards in the fourth commandment. Labour and rest are linked together by God in indissoluble bonds. Work is necessary to (1) human progress; (2) the preservation of society; (3) the nobility of man.I confess that I sympathize very much with the American who was told by an English tourist that he was surprised to find no "gentlemen" in his country. "What are they?" was the reply. "Oh," said he, "people who don't work for their living." "Yes, we have some of them," replied the shrewd New Englander, "only we call them tramps." Thank God if the necessity of work, and the opportunity, and the power for work are yours; and in whatever sphere of life you are placed, pray that you may deserve at last the epitaph which was put, at his own request, on the tomb of one of the bravest and most brilliant Christian soldiers England ever had: "Here lies Henry Lawrence, who tried to do his duty." II. THAT SUITABLE LEISURE IS IMPERATIVELY REQUIRED. Observe the evils resulting from long hours of labour. 1. Physical. Constant strain and tension. 2. Mental. No chance of improving the mind by reading, classes, societies, etc. 3. Moral When the young people do get free, scarcely anything is open to them but what may tend to their corruption. And the temptation comes at a time when there is the more danger of yielding to it, from the reaction which follows continuous work and induces a craving for excitement. 4. Religious. Home training rendered impossible. Lord's Day almost necessarily devoted exclusively to bodily rest and recreation, and so worship neglected. III. THAT THIS JUST CLAIM FOR LEISURE IS OFTEN DISREGARDED. Things are, in some respects, much better than they were. The wholesale houses, and many offices, close earlier than before, and Saturday is a half holiday. But this improvement only affects certain trades and districts. Those in retail shops — milliners, dressmakers, etc., remain unrelieved. Leisure is the more required now, because work is done much more strenuously and exhaustingly than hitherto. IV. REMEDIES. 1. Combination among employes. 2. Agreement among employers. It is for their own interest. 3. More enlightened public opinion, resulting in altered practice. (1) Give up late shopping, so that there shall no longer be a demand for protracted labour. (2) Encourage employers who show their willingness to do what is right in this matter. (3) Allow a reasonable time for execution of orders, so that the beautiful dress at a party shall not be hideous in the sight of angels by the stains of tears and blood they alone can see. (A. Rowland, LL. B.) Parallel Verses KJV: And the apostles gathered themselves together unto Jesus, and told him all things, both what they had done, and what they had taught. |
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