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.