O PRINCETON, N. J. <^^ Presented by Mr. Samuel Agnew of Philadelphia, Pa. BV 110 .W53 1847 Williston, Seth, 1770-1851 Five discourses on the Sabbath F IV E \th;: DISCOUESES ON tSe SA:BBATH, IPIE^^AOmig© .^'iP lD)WIMiI=^IMg SSTa ITa SETH WILLISTON, D. D. LATE PASTOR OP THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH IN THAT PLACE. 'Yet ye bring more wrath upon Israel by profaning the sabbath."— Nbhbuiah. NEW HAVEN, CONN. PUBUSHED BY WILLIAM G. HOOKER. 1847. f^ The first edition of this work, published by Messrs. E. & E. Hosford, of Albany, in the year 1813, is now out of print ; and probably not a copy can be found except in public or private libraries. The subscriber having obtained leave of the Author to publish a new edition, and having employed him to revise the work, has caused it to be stereotyped, with a view of furnishing it to such persons as wish to take the same in quan- tities, not less than oiie hundred copies, at cost — that it may be circulated gratuitously, by those who are able and willing to do it, or at a small profit by those who purchase for sale. To promote the better observance of the Lord's Day, rather than pecuniary advantage, is the object of the republication of this very valuable work. W. G. HOOKER. New Haven, Conn. 1 SepUvnber 1, 1847. ) STEREOTYPED BY G. M. DAVISON, SARATOGA SPRINGS. P K E F A C E These Discourses were first published in 1813. They originated in a request, made to the author by persons who were then forming associations for the pur- pose of suppressing certain prevalent immoralities, to furnish them with a tract which would be calculated to aid them in making a stand against the profana- tion of the sabbath; which was one of those immoralities the suppression of which they felt themselves under obligation to attempt. Having no tract in his possession adapted to this exigence, nor knowing where such a one could be found, he concluded to attempt to prepare one himself By conversing with some of those friends of the sabbath, who were desirous of promoting its better observance, he learned that one great obstacle to their success arose from the different sentiments which were entertained, even among beUevers in the in- spiration of the scriptures, on the subject of sabbath sanctification and profa- nation, and concerning those things which aught, and those which oitgM 7wt to be done on this holy day. He was also apprized of the fact that among pro- fessed Christians there were some who held the sentiment, that the New Tes- tament dispensation had released us from all moral obligation to keep holy the sabbath day ; leaving us at liberty to observe it or not, as we should see fit. These considerations determined the author of this work, in case he should write a tract on the sanctification of the sabbath, to make this his plan ; to spread out before his readers all those passages which he should find, in the Old and New Testaments, relating to the subject of the holy sabbath ; accompanying them with some brief explanatory and practical remarks. He thought that nothing could be adapted to have so much effect on a Christian community, as to hear what the Lord of the sabbath himself had said concerning this institu- tion. He remembered that Christ had said, " The words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.'" The above plan was adopted and the work entered upon without any inten- tion of its being delivered from the pulpit. But before much progress was made in its preparation, it was determined to put it in the form of pulpit dis- courses ; for which a common text was selected suitable to the plan of the work ; (and which it is acknowledged might have been equally suitable to any other series of discourses undertaken on a similar plan.) The writer found it diffi- cult to bring so many passages of scripture into view, and accompany each passage with a few remarksj and yet compress his work into the small compass "which is occupied by a tract. Instead of a pamphlet, which was all that he first thought of, he found himself unable to carrj' out his plan short of pro- ducing a volume. If this work has already exerted any good influence in promoting the Sanctis fication of the sabbath, the author desires to be thankful that it was ever put into his heart to prepare it. And should its republication, at this interesting and critical period, do any thing to further the piety of the church and that of its offspring, particularly as it respects a more exemplary observance of the Lord's day ; and should it afford any aid to those men who are worthily employed in seeking to convince the public that sabbath desecration, while it is a sin against God, is at the same time destructive of our national prosperity, the writer will feel himself laid under new obligation to render thanks to the Fa- ther of lights from whom cometh down every good and perfect gift. Will not the friends of the sabbath and the friends of God, into whose hands this man- ual shall come, ask Him to make it instrumental of doing something to advance the interests of His kingdom, when he who wrote it shall have gone to his long home % That a Divine blessing may rest on all who shall read what is here written, is the devout wish of THE AUTHOR. Durham, N, Y. Sept. 1845. DISCOURSES ON THE SABBATH. FIRST DISCOURSE. John v. 39. Search the Scriptures. "The scriptures," or, as it is literally, the writings^ do evidently in this place mean those holy writings, which we call the word of God. The Old Testament scriptures were written before the coming of Christ. To these he repeatedly referred for the proof of his Messiahship, and of his doc- trines. Jesus Christ most certainly treated these writings as being the inspired word of God, and a perfect standard of truth ; by which every thing relating to him and his king- dom, should be tried and determined. The holy scriptures, including both Testaments, make a rich store-house, from which the man of God is thoroughly furnished to every good work. Here he may learn what to believe about God, his law, his government, and his grace. Here he may learn the whole of his duty, both towards God, his fellow men, and himself If he is ever at a loss on any point, let him immediately repair to these divine oracles, and he will here become acquainted with the decisions of Him who cannot err. Let him studiously and prayerfully search the scriptures, even as men search the mines for silver, and as they dig for hidden treasures ; and he will not fail to find instruction. This passage has not been chosen at this time, with a 1* b DISCOURSES ON THE SABBATH. view to prove the divine inspiration of the scriptures; or to show the importance of reading them ; or to point out the manner in which this duty should be performed, though these things would naturally grow out of the text : but it is my design, in this and several succeeding discourses, to comply with the Savior's command which is before us, so far as it relates to one specific point, namely, the weekly sabbath. By going through the Bible, with our eye fixed upon this one point, we shall be likely to obtain more dis- tinct views of it, than we should, if our attention were divided among a variety of objects. The inspiration of the scriptures will be taken for granted ; and the importance of hearing what God himself has said about his sabbath, cannot be disputed. Let us, my hearers, in the very outset of these discourses, feel how solemn a thing it is to come, to inquire at the oracles of the living God. A humble and a solemn frame of mind becomes us while making these inquiries, and while we listen to hear what God the Lord shall speak. Let it be remembered, that we are come to inquire on a very practical subject. If the Lord has made a sabbath, he has made it to be remembered, and to be kept holy. Therefore let us hear the will of God with an obedient ear. The scheme of the following discourses is, to search the Bible from the beginning to the end, to see what the sabbath is — what it is to sanctify it, and what it is to profane and pollute it — and to become acquainted with the scripture history of the sanctification, and profanation of the sabbath, that we may learn how different are the feelings of the divine Lawgiver towards such as sanctify, and such as profane his holy day : that we may also discover what an entirely con- trary influence these different ways of ^j ending the sabbath have on the cause of God and the ] )i osperity of nations. None of those ])assages, which are coj.-idered as capable of materially aiding us in these inquine,^, will be designedly DISCOURSES ON THE SABBATH. 7 passed over. After a new text on the subject is introduced, it is proposed to make such remarks and practical observa- tions, as are suggested by it ; and then proceed to the next in order. Without any further introductory remarks, I enter on my proposed plan, attended, as I hope, by your fervent prayers, that both the preacher and his hearers may be led into the truth ; and that through the truth we may be sanctified. The first information which we have about the weekly sabbath is Gen. ii. 2, 3. And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made : and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made. And God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it ; because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made. On this passage it may be observed, 1. That the weekly sabbath is not a human institution. It was God, the Crea- tor of the world, who instituted it. 2. He gave a sanction to the institution by his own example. Six days did the Creator work ; but on the seveiilh day he rested from all his work. 3. The weekly sabbath is a very early institu- tion. It Avas appointed, and observed the very first week of time. It is no part of the law of ceremonies, which law was occasioned by the entrance of sin ; for the sabbath was established before sin had entered, and would have been obligatory on Adam and his offspring if sin had not been known among them. Therefore the abolition of the law of ceremonies does not affect the weekly sabbath, though it does away those sabbatical institutions, which originated with the ceremonial law. These sabbaths, which were purely Jewish^ in their original, must have been the sabbaths 8 DISCOURSES ON THE SABBATH. referred to by the apostle in his epistle to the Galatians, chap. iv. 10, 11: " Ye observe days, and months, and times, and years. I am afraid of you, lest I have bestowed upon you labor in vain." This distinction between days, made by the ceremonial law, must have been what he had in view, Rom. xiv. 5, 6. " One man esteemeth one day above another ; another esteemeth every day alike."* On the passage before us we proceed to observe, 4. That God did two things to the sabbath, to distinguish it from the other days of the week ; 1st. He sanctified it ; and 2dly. He blessed it. The Lord has made the sabbath a holy day ; and when we keep it holy to the Lord, he makes it a day of blessings i. e. a day in which he will, in a peculiar sense, meet with us and bless us, and cause the sanctified day to be very useful to our best, our immortal interests. Objection. But how can time be sayictified 7 how can a day be holy? Ans. 1st. It is the language which God him- self uses, and therefore cannot. be foolish. 2ndly. No one supposes that time itself is capable of holy affections : nor does the holiness of the sabbath consist in our having holy affections on that day. Such affections we are required to have every day in the week ; and such affections Adam and Eve had continually until they fell ; but even then they were required to sanctify the seventh day, in distinction from the other days. Holy affections are implied in an acceptable sanctification of the sabbath ; but this is not all. We answer, 3dly. The holiness of time consists in its being separated from secular business and worldly concerns to the hnmediate service of God. The temple was called a holy place, because, in distinction from other houses, it was the Lord^s house ; it was the house of prayer. It was profaned by being made a house of 7nerchandise, as well as by being * Something more may be seen on these passages in a note connected with the Fourth Discourse. DISCOURSES ON THE SABBATH. 9 made a den of thieves. In the same sense in which the temple was a holy place, the sabbath is a holy day, — a day separated from the business and avocations of this \i[e, to the service of God in devotional exercises and religious duties. ExoD. xvi. 22—30. And it came to pass, that on the sixth day they gathered twice as much bread, tvw omersfor one man : and all the riders of the congregation cam,e and told Moses. And he said unto them, This is that which the Lord hath said, To-m^orrow is the rest of the holy sabbath unto the Lord ; bake that which ye will bake to-day, and seethe that ye will seethe; and that which rem^aineth over lay up for you to be kept until the morning. And they laid it up till the morn- ing, as Moses bade, and it did yiot stink, neither was there any worm, therein. And Moses said. Eat that to-day ; for to-d.ay is a sabbath unto the Lord : to-day ye shall not find it in the field. iSia; days ye shall gather it ; but on the seventh day which is the sabbath, in it there shall be none. And it came to pass that there went out some of the people on the seventh day for to gather, and they found none. And the Lord said unto Moses, How long refuse ye to keep my comm,and?nejits and my laws ? See, for that the Lord hath given you the sabbath, therefore he giveth you on the sixth day the bread of two days: abide ye every m.an in his place ; let no man go out of his place on the seventh day. So the people rested on the seventh day. On this passage we observe, 1. That the apostasy has not done away the obligation to sanctify the weekly sabbath. The same hallowed day, of which we read before the fall of man, we here find again ; and it still remains a holy day. 2. From this passage we learn, that it is our duty to remember during the week, that the sabbath is coming, and be so pre- pared for it, as not to be obliged to earn, or look up, or be 10 DISCOURSES ON THE SABBATH. engaged in any great labor in preparing our food on this day. The portion of the manna, which was to be the food of the sabbath, they were directed to gather, and bake, or seethe, on the day which preceded it. It is lawful to eat on the sabbath as we do on other days ; but not to gather. 3. The Lord's great concern for his holy day was strikingly manifested by his giving a double portion of the manna on the preceding day, and withholding it on that day ; and by his preserving that which was laid up the day before from breeding worms and becoming loathsome, as it did when it was at other times kept over night. 4. We are taught by this portion of scripture, that we need not be afraid of being impoverished by a holy resting one day every week. See^ for that the Lord hath given you the sabbath, therefore he giveih you on the sixth day the bread of two days. Let it never be forgotten, that it is the LORD who has given us the sabbath. And let it be remembered, that it is the same Lord that gives us our bread, and who supplies all our needs. We may therefore rest assured, that six days in the week are sufficient to procure the bread oi seven. To disbelieve this, is to deny the providence of the Lord of the sabbath, and is deeply tinctured with atheism. 5. We see that men are prone to seek gain on the sabbath-day by doing the work of the week, notwithstanding they may have been strictly cautioned against it. Some of the people went out on the seventh day to gather. The Lord was greatly displeased with the disobedient and covetous spirit which they mani- fested. " And the Lord said unto Moses, How long refuse ye to keep my commandments and my laws ?" Let us now turn our attention to the 4th commandment. It is contained in Exod. xx. 8 — 11. Remember the sabbath day^ to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labor, and do all thy loork : but the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God : in it thou shalt not DISCOURSES ON THE SABBATH. 11 do any work^ thou^ nor thy so7i, nor thy daughter, thy man servant, nor thy maid servant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stran- ger that is within thy gates : For in six days the Lord m^ade heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day : wherefore the Lord blessed the sabbath-day, atid hallowed it. Observe, L The weekly sabbath is placed among the ten commandments, which are a summary of the moral law. In this respect it is honored above the sabbatical years ; or the three annual feasts, the new moons, and such like institu- tions. These commandments were written with the finger of God on tables of stone, to denote their preciousness, im- portance, and durableness. It shewed that these command- ments were to last to the end, without waxing old and van- ishing away. The command, to sanctify one day in the week, has the same honorable place, as the command, to worship Jehovah alone; or as the command, to honor our parents, and the command, to do no murder. Objection. It cannot in itself be wrong to work on one day, more than to work on another ; therefore the require- ment to keep holy one particular day in the week, cannot be of a moral nature. Let tlie objector remember, that the other nine commands of the decalogue are evidently of a moral nature, and this, which enjoins the observance of a weekly sabbath, was placed among them by the Divine Lawgiver himself: neither ought we to suppose, that it was an oversight in him to place it where he did. He who lays his hand on the sab- bath, to drive it out from among the perpetually binding laws of God, let him beware Avhat he does. Let him review the matter — let him not think that in this he is doinsr God service ! A word more on the moral nature of the sabbath. The first commandment teaches, that we are under moral and 12 DISCOURSES ON THE SABBATH* indispensable obligation to love God supremely. The second commandment requires, that we worship him, and him alone. If it is our duty to love and worship our Creator, it is a matter of moral obligation to take some time from other concerns for this worship. It is essential to a godly life, that some portion of time every day should be redeemed from secular duties for the duties of devotion : and the all- wise God has seen that it was absolutely necessary for the best good of the human race, and especially for the promo- tion of godliness, that one day in seven should be a day of worship. The obligation to keep holy the sabbath, is as great as the obligation to seek the preservation and advance- ment of the cause of true religion in the world. 2. You notice, that the commandment, requiring the ob- servance of the sabbath, is introduced with a caution not to forget it — " Remember the sabbath day." It should be re- membered all the week, that after so many days the sabbath will return again ; and we should feel ourselves bound to shape our business through the week, so as to be in the best manner prepared for its return. And the caution at the be- ginning of the commandment, requires us to know when the holy day has returned, and to conduct ourselves ac- cordingly. 3. In looking over the commandment we notice, that all our work must be done in the six days before the sabbath. By our work, is not meant works of darkness (which are forbidden on all days,) but secular work, pertaining to things of this life. 4. Notice, On the sabbath we may not do any work, that is, any kind of this secular business. It would have made the commandment too long, if all kinds of worldly employ- ments had been particularized : but they are all included — • they are all forbidden to be done on the consecrated day. " Thou shalt not do any work." 5. It cannot but be noticed, that the commandment binds DISCOURSES ON THE SABBATH. 13 US to use all our tjifliience and authority^ to preserve the sabbath from being profaned by others. If we have sons and daughters, men-servants and maid-servants, horses, or cattle, we are required to see to it, that the sabbath is not profaned by any of them. This forbids us even to let a horse or carriage on the Lord's day : or to that man, who, in opposition to the commandment, we know designs on that day to pursue his journey. Let our rulers, the fathers of the country, inquire whether they are not bound by the commandment to exert themselves, not only to keep holy the sabbath themselves, but also to see to it, that all the in- habitants of the land, and the strangers, who sojourn among us, are not suffered so greatly to pollute it with impunity.* 6. This commandment seems to imply, that keeping holy the seventh day was an acknowledgment of God, as the Creator of the world ; and, of consequence, that the refusing to keep it holy, would be a denial of the God who is above. Let this thought weigh on all our minds. When we con- duct as though there was no weekly sabbath, we conduct as though there was no God — no Creator of the world. ExoD. xxiii. 12. ISix days shalt thou do thy work^ and on the seventh day thou shalt rest : that thine ox and thine ass may rest, and the son of thy handinaid, and the stranger may he re- freshed. From this passage it appears, that one design of the sab- bath is to give all an opportunity to rest from hard and * Magistrates are to be a terror to evil-doers. They ought to be a terror not only to murderers, thieves and forgers ; but also to adulterers, drunkards and profane svs^earers. So ought they to be a terror to sahhatK-hredkers. Profaning the sabbath is not only an impiety, but also an immorality. It manifestly has a demoralizing effect on society, like profane oaths, intemperate drinking and gambling. 14 DISCOURSES ON THE SABBATH. fatiguing labor. This reason is also assigned where the command is repeated in Deuteronomy. The benevolent Creator pleads the cause of the servant, and even of the dumb beast. He commands that we let them rest from their labor. In this connexion let me suggest this query : Is it consistent with the Creator's design in appointing the day of rest, to keep servants all day employed in cookery, and in waiting on visiting companies and parties of pleasure ? Not to ask in this place, whether such parties of pleasure are consistent with keeping the day holy to the Lord? Let me further ask, whether this design of the command, does not clearly forbid the teamster to proceed on his journey on the holy day. If there is ever a time when the ox and the ass (or the horse) need this rest which our common Creator has provided for them, it is when they are from day to day, through the whole week, employed on the road in drawing us, or our cumbersome loads. It ought not to be forgotten, that these creatures have another Owner beside us. We have no right to use them without His leave; and He has not given us leave to use them in this manner on the sacred day of rest. But it will by some be objected : " Then you have no right to use them to go to the place of worship." To this it may be replied : That we have a right to use them, if they are needed, wherever we have a right to go ourselves. If we have a right, in an extreme case, to go for a physician twenty, or even forty miles on the sabbath, we have a right to make use of a horse to carry us this distance. So, if we have a right to go to the house of God on the sabbath, (which none will dispute) we have a right to ride there, if the distance be such as to make this necessary or more convenient. DISCOURSES ON THE SABBATH. 15 ExoD. xxxi. 14 — 17. Ye shall keep the sabbath therefore : for it is holy unto you : every one that defileth it shall surely be put to death : for whosoever doeth any work therein^ that sold shall be ctit off from ainong his people. Six days may work be done ; but in the seventh is the sabbath of rest^ holy to the Lord : whosoever doeth any work in the sabbath day^ he shall surely be put to death. Wherefore the children of Israel shall keep the sabbath^ to observe the sabbath throughout their generations, for a perpetual covenant. It is a sign between me and the children of Israel for ever: for in six days the Lord made heaven and earthy and on the seventh day he rested, and was refreshed. On this passage I would remark, 1. That in the church of Israel, death was the punishment to be inflicted on the sabbath-breaker. Every crime was not to be punished with death ; but defiling the holy day, was among the crimes to be thus punished by divine command. Here we learn how God looks on the breach of the fourth commandment. It no doubt appears as ill-deserving to him now as it did then. The church of God then dwelt alone, and had, by the ex- press direction of heaven, power to exercise all the authority, which is now termed civil and ecclesiastical : They were therefore to inflict corporal punishments, as well as church censures and excommunications. This gave opportunity for the Holy One of Israel to show his feelings, even in this world, towards the man who defiled his sabbath. 2. We notice in this passage, that the attention of every individual is called np to the dreadful evil of profaning the sabbath. It is said, " Every one that defileth it shall surely be put to death." " Whosoever doeth any work therein, that soul shall be cut off" from amongst his people." Let every individual man and wo??ian, and child, throughout the land, remember the commandment comes to him and to 1ft DISCOURSES ON THE SABBATH. her. Not one of us has a right to wait for the nation to hear and obey ; God speaks to each one of us, in our indi- vidual capacity. 3. In this passage, the sabbath is said to be a sign between the Lord and the children of Israel. A strict, conscientious, and spiritual observance of the weekly sabbath, is through- out all generations one of the distinguishing marks of a true Israelite. It is one of those ways, in which the pious cheer- fully acknowledge the Lord as their God. Some have thought, that because the sabbath is said to be a sign between God and Israel^ that the obligation to keep it is not binding on us Gentiles. But as well may it be said, that because a holy life is that by which God's people are distinguished from others, therefore they alone are re- quired to be holy. ExoD. xxxiv. 21. Six days shalt thou work, hut on the seventh day thou shalt rest : in earing-time and in harvest thou shalt rest. The requirement to observe the sabbath in earing-time and in harvest, serves to give a clear idea how extensive the command is. It shows, that the obligation to regard the sabbath, runs through all the seasons of the year. It is not a duty confined to the winter when our harvests are all gathered in; but is binding in the summer, and even in harvest, the most hurrying part of the summer. Let those who think it is lawful to travel on common journeys on the sabbath-day, seriously examine the above passage. Let those who attend upon their maple orchards, and upon their distilleries, candidly ask, Avhether the com- mand to rest in earing-time and harvest, does not reach their case, and oblige them to rest.* It is unreasonable for us to * When this treatise was written, more than thirty years ago, the author was grieved with a practice, which he knew existed to some extent, of working at DISCOURSES ON THE SABBATH. ^ 17 require that the Lawgiver should particularize every thing. We may fairly reason from the greater to the less. If a more pressing and important work is forbidden to be done on the sabbath, then certainly a less important and necessary work must also be forbidden. ExoD. XXXV. 2, 3. Sis days shall work he done^ hut on the seventh day there shall be to you an holy day^ a sabbath of rest to the Lord : whosoever doeth work therein shall be put to death. Ye shall kindle no fire throughout your habitations upon the sabbath day. All that is new in this text, is the prohibition to kindle a fire on the sabbath-day. To understand this aright has been attended with some difficulty. Fire is needed in the winter to make us comfortable ; and the sabbath was not made to destroy our health and comfort. But it is a clear case, that all those fires which are not needed to render us comfortable through the sabbath, should not be kindled on that day. If it be ever necessary, that furnaces, brick-kilns, and coal-pits, should continue to burn during the sabbath, (on the necessity of which I shall not now pretend to decide) still it must be wrong to kindle such fires on this holy day. If it is right for mariners at sea to keep under sail on the Lord's day, still I cannot think that it is right for them to set sail and leave the port on the Lord's day : nor do I think such a thing will be practised in the Millen- nium. If in that period ships in the midst of the sea, where no anchor can hold them, keep on their course, no great work will be undertaken on the Lord's day, which unex- pected events do not render necessary ; but the day, even the distilling business on the Lord's day. He is now constrained to say, that in his opinion the whole business of making intoxicating liquors for a beverage, is repugnant to the best interests of the human family. 2* 18 DISCOURSES ON THE SABBATH. in the midst of the sea, will be distinguished from the other days of the week as holy to the Lord. Is it not to be ex- pected in that day, when the fear of God will be before the eyes of all, that steamboats, packets, and coasters, will riot only forbear to weigh anchor on the day of holy rest, but also, when sailing up and down the rivers and along the coast, that they will cast anchor^ if this can be done ; and so rest from their own work, and engage in the work pecu- liar to the day, even if they cannot go on shore and repair to a house of worship ? Levit. xix. 3. And ye shall fear every man his mother and his father^ and keep my sabbaths ; I am the Lord your God. We remark in this passage, that a filial respect to parents, and a sanctification of the Lord's sabbaths, are commanded at one breath. We can no more treat our Creator with re- spect, without keeping the holy sabbath, than we can honor our father and mother, without obeying their commands. Parents, God has told, our children to honor us, and at the same time has told us to honor him by keeping his sabbaths ; now if we do not keep holy the sabbath, and teach and command our children to do so. ou^ht we to expect that our children will honor and obey us? If children learn to treat their Father in heaven with respect, there is little doubt but that they will respect their earthly parents. Levit. xxiii. 3. Six days shall work be done, but the seventh day is the sabbath of rest, an holy convocation ; ye shall do no work therein : it is the sabbath of the Lord in all your dwelliiigs. This passage reflects some additional light on the com- mand enjoining a holy sabbath. We notice, 1. That it DISCOURSES ON THE SABBATH. 19 teaches that the sabbath is a day for public worship ; for this is what is meant by its being an holy convocation. Convocation is a meeting together ; and a holy convocation is a meeting together for holy or religious purposes. All other convocations or meetings on the sabbath, are a great desecration of holy time. But meeting together for worship, and for religious instruction, is perfectly congenial with the spirit of the command. There are none who love a holy day^ but that love a holy convocation on that day. And it is worthy of observation, that most commonly where public worship is not observed on the sabbath, there the day itself is not regarded. 2. We notice that the sabbath is to be kept holy to the Lord in all our dwellings. It was not only to be observed by those who were around the tabernacle ; or those who dwelt in the holy city ; but it was to be observed through all their camps, in all their tents — through all their cities, villages, and towns ; and in all their houses. During those twenty-four hours which the Lord challenges as his day, the time is holy ; as much when we are in our own houses, as when we are in the house of the Lord. If we can attend public worship, it is our duty to do it ; but if this be imprac- ticable, still the day should be kept holy to the Lord, in our dwellings. And if we do attend public worship, this is not all the holy time which belongs to the sabbath ; the other parts of the day belong to the Lord, as well as this. He who keeps holy time only while he is in the house of wor- ship, makes the sabbath no more of a holy day, than he makes any day of the week a holy day, if he should only happen to attend on some public and religious exercise on such day. But is the Lord's day no more holy than any day, in which we attend on a lecture or a funeral ? The minutes which we spend in worship on a week day, may be termed as it respects us, the holy parts of that day ; but the rest of the day is common ; and even these portions of 20 DISCOURSES ON THE SABBATH. the day, devoted to worship, might have been employed in business, and other portions devoted to worship instead of them, and this would not have been a profanation of the time : but the sabbath is all of it holy time, whether we are immediately engaged in worship, or not; and we have no right to substitute other time in its stead. Levit. xxvi. 2. Ye shall keep my sabbaths^ and reverence my sanctu- ary : I am the Lord. We find this command, in the same words, in another place in this book. Here we find the command to keep the sabbath, and to reverence the Lord's sanctuary^ are very properly joined together. They who are willing the Lord should have a day for his worship, are also willing that he should have a place for it. And it is uniformly the case, that they who love the sabbath, love the sanctuary. If in the house of the Lord, humble and spiritual prayers are offered to him, with suitable confessions and thanksgivings ; if his praises are sung, hi# word read and explained in a right manner, all who delight in the sabbath, will be pleased to be present. They will not forsake the assembling of themselves together, as the manner of some is. They will say, " How amiable are thy tabernacles, O Lord God of hosts !" They who come to the sanctuary to exhibit their costly apparel, to see their friends, and contrive parties for the ensuing week ; or who come from custom ; these do not reverence the sanctuary, nor keep holy the day of the Lord. That man, who views the sabbath as a day holy to the Lord, will feel, when he enters the place of worship, the impression of the patriarch, "How dreadful is this place! this is none other but the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven." DISCOURSES ON THE SABBATH. 21 Verses 34, 35. Then shall the land enjoy her sabbaths, as long as it lieth desolate, and ye be in your enemies^ land ; even then shall the land rest and enjoy her sabbaths. As long as it lieth desolate it shall rest : because it did not rest in your sabbaths when ye dwelt upon it. The same sentiment is repeated a few verses below. There were other days, and even years, of rest enjoined on the church of Israel, besides the weekly sabbath : but this alone was placed in the decalogue, and more is said about this than about the others; this is therefore undoubtedly included in the passage before us. From this passage we see that the people of God were forewarned, that a neglect of the sabbath would be one of those things which would provoke the Lord to give them up into the hands of their enemies. And let those nations who know that the Lord has reserved the sabbath as a day holy to himself, be assured that if they disregard this reasonable institution of the Su- preme Governor, their sin will find them out. Numb, xv: 32 — 36. And while the children of Israel were in the wilderness^ they found a man that gathered sticks upon the sabbath- day. And they that found him gathering sticks brought him unto Moses and Aaron, and imto all the congregation. And they put him, in xoard, because it was not declared what shoidd be done to him. And the Lord said unto Moses, The m,an shall be surely put to death ; all the congregation shall stone him with stones without the cam^p. And all the congregation brought him without the cam^p, and, stoned him with stones, and he died ; as the Lord coTnmanded Moses. On this passage it may be remarked, 1. That this breach of the sabbath was a presumptuoics sin. It seems to be 22 DISCOURSES ON THE SABBATH. introduced as an example of the sin of presumption, which had been just mentioned. The Lord had said to this man, as well as to others, " Thou shalt not do any work on the seventh day ;" and the man knew that he had said it. But just as if the Lord of Hosts were not worth regarding, he said, I will do some work on the sabbath-day. Let none of us plead the cause of this transgressor, since the Lord him- self has condemned him. It makes but little difference what kind of work we do on the sabbath, whether we gather sticks or logs^ if we do it in contempt of the author- ity of the Most High. 2. On this passage we are led to remark, that God has not made this law respecting the sabbath as a scare-crow ; what he has said, he will stand to. When he sits as a Judge, he will be found the same, as when he acted in the capacity of a Lawgiver. He had said, " Six days may work be done, but in the seventh is the sabbath of rest, holy to the Lord : whosoever doeth any work in the sabbath-day, he shall surely be put to death." Now a case had occurred of the violation of the command, and the matter w^as refer- red to the Lord, to know what should be done with him who had violated it. "And the Lord said unto Moses, The man shall surely be put to death." God has not made a law to be trifled with. He did not make it without good reason ; and there is the same reason for maintaining it, which there was for making it. If any should think that the Divine Lawgiver was too severe in punishing the breach of the sabbath with death, let them remember, that a sorer punishment will fall on sabbath- breakers in the coming world ! 3. This passage may admit of another remark, — it is this : That the whole community should set their faces against those who profane the sabbath : especially may it be ex- pected, that "all the congregation" of the Lord will unite DISCOURSES ON THE SABBATH. 23 in disallowing, and publicly manifesting their disallowance, of the profanation of holy time. Numb, xxviii. 9, 10. And on the sahhath-day tioo lambs of the first year without spot J and tico tenth deals of flour for a meat offer- ing, mingled icith oil, and the drink offering thereof ; This is the burnt offering of every sabbath, beside the con- tinual burnt offerings and his drink offering. On this passage we note, 1. That there are some religious duties to be performed every day in the week. According to divine appointment, there was to be a morning and eve- ning sacrifice every day in the year ; and the peculiar duties of the sabbath-day were not to supersede, or set aside, the continual burnt offering and his drink offering. One thing most evidently pointed out by this burnt offering, every morning and evening through the year, was the obligation lying upon us all to offer up a morning and evening sacri- fice of prayer and praise on the sabbath, and also on all other days. 2. It is worthy of notice from the scripture before us, that the sabbath is to be a day of extraordinary devotions. Be- sides the common religious duties of every day, other reliofious duties are to be added. The sabbath indeed is well described by being called, a day of religion ; as the other six days are called days of labor. Closet prayer, family prayer, reading the scriptures and books of piety, and communicating religious instruction to our households, and speaking of the things of the kingdom of God ; together with public prayers and praises, and hearing the preached word ; these, and such like duties, should be the busiiiess of the day holy to the Lord. 24 DISCOURSES ON THE SABBATH. SECOND DISCOURSE. John v. 39. Search the Scriptures. In obedience to this command of the Savior, I proceed to the examination of other portions of scripture ; especially as it relates to the subject of the holy sabbath. Nehem. ix. 13, 14. And gavest them right judgments and true laws, good statutes and comm^andments : And madest known unto them thy holy sahhath, and commandedst them precepts^ statutes, and laws, hy the hand of Moses thy servant. Note, 1. The holy sabbath is instanced as one of those right judgments, true laws, and good statutes, and com- mandments, which God gave to Israel. The sabbath ought ever to be viewed as a reasonable and good command. There are few commands in the book of God, which are more calculated to promote the good of society here, and to prepare for glory hereafter. Note, 2. The holy sabbath is not spoken of as a 7iew in- stitution, beginning with the Sinai covenant ; or confined to the people of Israel ; but this day, already sanctified, was m^ade knovm unto them. The sabbath, we have already seen, was instituted as soon as the work of creation was finished, and was appointed to be observed by Adam and all his children. But by departing from God, the holiness of the seventh day of the week was disregarded and for- gotten. When God revived true religion in the family of DISCOURSES ON THE SABBATH. 25 Abraham, he revived the knowledge of the holy, blessed sabbath. And in the passage before us, (which is a part of a solemn prayer to God,) it is spoken of as a great mercy shown to Israel, that they were made acquainted with the holy sabbath. O that we Americans might be disposed with united voice, to thank the Lord for making known to us his holy sabbath ! Nehem. X. 31. A7id if the people of the land bring ware or any victuals on the sabbath-day to sell, that we looidd not buy it of them on the sabbath^ or on the holy day. • On this text we remark, 1. That the commercial inter- course, which exists among men, is one fruitful cause of the profanation of the sabbath. The Jev/s might carry on a commerce with the heathen: but as the heathen did not observe the sabbath, they would be inclined to come to market on that, as well as on the other days of the week. This proved a snare to the Jews, as is evident from the scripture now before us. And no doubt it is a snare to many at the present day, who seem desirous to make the sabbath something more than a day of worldly business. 2. From the text before us we learn, that when we cannot restrain others ixom. the profanation of holy time, we should be sure and restrain ourselves. The Jews were now in a dependant state, and they were surrounded by those who did not regard the sabbath. If they could not prevent the heathen from bringing their ware and victuals to market, still they could agree together, that they would not buy it of them on that day. If others will profane the sabbath, we must see to it, that we do not suffer them to draw us into their loose and pernicious practices. If the people in the country will carry their produce to market on the sabbath, let the market towns not encourage this practice. If I can- 3 26 DISCOURSES ON THE SABBATH. - not prevent my neighbor from proposing to make a bargain with me on the Lord's day, still I may keep myself from manifesting a willingness to bargain with him ; and so keep from helping forward the profanation of the day. If I can- not prevent m)^ neighbor from introducing some worldly topic of discourse, unsuitable for the sabbath, still I may wave it, or propose a topic more suitable to the day. If you cannot prevent a neighbor from calling to pay you a visit on the Lord's day, you can certainly keep from returning the visit on that day, in case you cannot summon up courage to tell him plainly, that you do not wish to receive or pay visits on the holy sabbath. It Avould no doubt be highly proper to manifest your disapprobation of this practice, both by words and actions. We further notice in this text, that those Jews, who seemed disposed for a thorough reformation, agreed not to buy any wares on the sabbath, or on the holy day. By " the holy day" here spoken of, in addition to the sabbath, we are to understand any one of those holy days which the Lord had commanded them to observe ; and in which he had required them to refrain from servile labor. These holy days are not now binding on us, as the weekly sabbath is ; but the days which Ave set apart for fasting and thanksgiving resemble them. Our Fasts and Thanksgivings should be holy to the Lord. In them we should refrain from buying and selling, and that business of this life which we lawfully pursue on other days. Nehem. xiii. 15—22. In those days saw I in Judah so7?ie treading wine-jyresses on the sabbath, and bringing Ifi sheaves, and lading asses ; as also wine, grapes, an' figs, and all manner of burdens, which tJ nj brought i/no Jerusalem on the sab- bath-day; and I testified against them i7i the day wherein they sold victuals. There dwdl men of Tyre also therein^ DISCOURSES ON THE SABBATH. 27 which brought Jish, and all Ttianner of ware^ and sold 07i the sabbath unto the children of Judah^ and in Jerusalem. Then I contended with the nobles of Judah, and said unto theni^ What evil thing is this that ye do^ and profane the sabbath-day ? Did not your fathers thtis^ and did not our God bring all this evil wpon us^ and upon this city 1 yet ye bring more ivrath upon Israel by jn^ of ailing the sabbath. And it came to pass, that when the gates of Jerusalem began to be dark before the sabbath, I commanded that the gates shoidd be shut, and. charged that they shoidd not b. opened till cfter the sabbath: and some of my servants se, I at the gates^ that there should no burden be brought in on the sabbath day. So the 7Jierchants and sellers of all kind of ivare, lodged without Jerusalem once or twice. Then I testified against them, and said unto them, Why lodge ye about the wall? if ye do so again, I ivill lay hands on you. From that ti?ne forth came they no more on the sabbath. And I commanded the Levites that they should cleaiise themselves, and that they should come and keep the gates to sanctify the sabbath-day. Ronember me, O 7ny God, co7icerni7ig this also, and spare me ac- cording to the greatness of thy mercy. In this portion of scripture several lessons of instruction relative to the sabbath are taught : 1. That some of those to whom'the sabbath is made known, and even some who profess to be the people of God, are guilty of the most evident breaches of it. It was in Judah that some were seen treading wine-presses on the sabbath, and bringing in sheaves, and lading asses, and at- tending to other secular business. The command, which they had said they would obey, required that in the sabbath they should not do any work : but with that command be- fore them, they were doing all 7nanner of work. It is likely, however, that they invented some excuse for it all. 28 DISCOURSES ON THE SABBATH. 2. By the scripture before us we are taught, that, in Bible times, no distinction was made between bringing into market fish^ and other commodities, on the sabbath-da)'-. This dis- tinction must therefore be an invention of modern times. In the city of New- York, and in other cities, and sea-port towns, it is not* allowed to bring in flesh, vegetables and fruits, on the Scibbath-day ; but in these places, even on the morning of the holy day, you may hear the horns blow, to call you to the fish market. Let me ask, what reason can be given for this profanation of the Lord's day? Cannot the citizens do one day in the week without feasting on the fish which are newly caught? If it should be said, that the fish- ermen cannot preserve them from taking hurt through the sabbath, let them learn then not to catch them so near to the time of the drawing on of this well known day of rest. Let them remember the sabbath-day. 3. We learn from the passage before us, that those who would wish to reform the nation with respect to the obser- vance of the sabbath, may have occasion to contend even with the leadinof men of the nation. Nehemiah " contended with the nobles of Judah, and said, what evil thing is this ye do, and profane the sabbath-day ? " It is important to labor with them on this point, for several reasons. First, These, generally, either make the laws of the nation, or administer justice. They are therefore to be a terror to evil doers. Secondly, The nobles, or chief men, are very apt to disre- gard the sabbath themselves : Even those who make laws to punish others, will often conduct as if they themselves were above the law. Their bad example in this respect, has a most pernicious effect on the community. In the ihi?'d place, It is peculiarly important that the rulers and leading men of the nation should remember to keep holy the sabbath, because their contempt of the command of God peculiarly exposes the nation to judgments. David's pride in numbering the people, brought the pestilence on his DISCOURSES ON THE SABBATH. 29 realm. What the rulers and leading men of the nation are, that character the nation is considered as possessing. And this is one thing which gives significancy to that proverb, " When the wicked bear rule the people mourn." 4. By the passage before us we are taught, that the profa- nation of the sabbath is one of those things which may be expected to bring down God's judgments. '•' Did not your fathers thus, and did not our God bring all this evil upon us, and upon this city ? yet ye bring more wrath upon Israel by profaning the sabbath." On infidel minds, it is not expected this will have any weight. But to those who believe the scriptures to be a true declaration of the divine will, must not this record appear weighty? It is here declared that God brings evil on the nation and city — and this evil is a display of his wrath. And here his wrath is said to be aroused by seeing his holy day trodden under foot. It is God who sends the evil ; but it is we who jiro- cure it : '• Yet ye bring more wrath upon Israel by profaning the sabbath." Let the profaners of the sabbath, throughout this American Republic, know, that they are bringing more wrath on this nation by their contemptuous disregard of holy time I The nation are already groaning under the rod of Heaven ; and will ye bring more wrath upon this people by profaning the sabbath ? 5. From the passage before us we are taught how it be- hoves us to be in readiness to begin the sanctification of the sabbath, at its very commencement. There is a precise time when the sabbath begins and when it ends. And I can see no reason why the first and last parts of the holy day are not as sacred as the middle of it. It is pretty evident that the sabbath did commence, (if it does not now,) at the setting of the sun. Indeed, according to the Bible reckoning, all the days of the week began and ended at this time. If this original method of reckoning days is still to be observed in application to holy time, (and I cannot dis- 3* 30 DISCOURSES ON THE SABBATH. cover that the Bible has pointed out any other method,) then the sabbath is still to be sanctified from evening to evening, without being considered as a part of two days.* * It was not among one of the original objects of the author, in this work, to contend with those who differ from him in the time of beginning the sab- bath. Neither is it now his design to contend with them; but he has endeavored to follow where the scripture has led him : and the above passage out of Nehemiah, seemed naturally to lead him to say something upon the importance of being exact in beginning to sanctify the day as soon as it com- menced. There are many who agree with the author of these discourses in a belief, that the sabbath begins and ends at the setting of the sun. Certainly it is important that we, who believe this, should be taught to act consistently with our belief, by giving to the Lord what we consider as the beginning of the day which he challenges as his own. To stir us up to the duty of sanctifying the evening which precedes the day, we must see on what we ground our belief that this is a part of holy time. In the first chapter in the Bible we read, "And the evening and the morning were the first day." The first day began when time began ; and time began as soon as any thing was created. But the creation did not begin with light, but with darkness. The evening, or the dark part of the twenty-four hours, preceded, and the morning, or the light part, followed. After the sun was created to rule the day, its leaving the earth by setting beyond the western horizon, served to divide between the days. This appears by Judg. xiv. 18. Samson put forth a riddle which must be declared within the seven days of the feast. " And the men of the city said to him on the seventh day, before iJw sun •went down, What is sweeter than honey 1 and what is stronger than a lion T' This was as much as to say, when the sun went down the day would end, and it would be too late to expouxid the riddle. The setting, or ilie rising of the sun, is the most natural division of days ; it is a dividing line known to all, poor as well as rich — to those who are without clocks and watches, as well as to those who have them. It is therefore natural to suppose, reasoning a pi-io7-i, that the Creator would, especially on account of the holy day, fix upon one or the other of these, either the rising or the setting of the sun, as the time of beginning days. It is pretty evident that he did not fix on the rising of the sun, but on its going down. It appears this was the line which separated between the sabbath and the day which followed it, in the time of Christ ; as we infer from Mark i. 32, 33 ; " And at even, rvhe7i the sim did set, they brought unto him all that were diseased, and them that were possessed with devils. And all the city was gathered together at the door." From the con- nexion it will be seen, that this was a sabbath-day which is here spoken of. It will also be remembered, that such crowds did not gather around the Savior to obtain healing on the sabbath-day. The Jews even thought it unlawful for DISCOURSES ON THE SABBATH. 31 This pious governor of Judah, whose heart was greatly- set upon a thorough reformation, noticed that if the market was allowed to be kept up, and the gates of the city kept open until sun-down, the beginning of the holy day would be exposed to profanation, he therefore commanded, the gates of Jerusalem (which it will be remembered was sur- rounded by mountains) to be shut by that time the gates began to be darkened by the shadow of the mountains, before the sabbath. Twilight is not what is meant; for then it would have been said. When it began to be dark : but now it is, when the gates of Jerusalem began to be dark. The sun still shone on the hill of Zion. which was in the midst of the city. By this then we are taught, that it is sinful to order business so as just to get out of the mar- ket, the merchant's store, the justice's court, the military review, the mill, the raising-bee, or the social visit, at the him to heal those diseased persons, which naturally fell in his way. But at the setting of the sun, they al! flocked about hun, as though the restraint which had been imposed was now taken off. So late as this then it appears, that the setting of the sun was viewed as the end of the sabbath : and the Lord of the sabbath himself found no fault with them on this account, as though they had been guilty of an innovation. But it will be said. Does not that passage, John XX. 19, give a different view of the time of the ending of the day 1 " Then the same day at evening, being the first day of the week." The passage, at first reading, seems to give the idea that this evening belonged to the first day of the week ; but the clause, " being the first day of the week," may refer to " the same day," and not to the evening. When days were reckoned from sun-down to sun-down, still the evening was wont to be named in connexion with the day which preceded it. By comparing Levit, xxiii. verse 27, with verse 32, it appears that a part of that time which is first called the tenth day, is afterwards called the ninth day at even. The ninth day at even meant the beginning of the tenth day. I do not pretend with absolute certainty to know, that Christ did not change, not only the day, but the time of beginning it. But if he did, I have not yet seen sufficient e\ddence to convince me of it. If he did, I do not know what point of time he fixed on for its commencement. But in this matter let us not censoriously judge one another. Let all who regard the sabbath, however they may differ as to the time of beginning it, unite their influence to promote its sanctification. 32. DISCOURSES ON THE SABBATH. moment when our days of labor end ; and so be obliged to take the first part of the Lord^s time, to return to our homes. " The Lord is a God of knowledge, and by him actions are weighed."* 6. By the passage before us we are taught the great importance of zeal and perseverance in a reformer. This best of governors met with opposition : but it did not dis- courage him. He did not say, Nothing can be done. He did not bear the sword in vain. He was a terror to evil doers. Whether he made sabbath-breakers love the sabbath or not, he made them forbear to disturb the peace of Jerusa- lem. "From that time forth came they no more on the sabbath." IsA. Ivi. 2—7. Blessed is the man that doeth this, and the son of man that layeth hold on it: that keepeth the sahbath from 'pol- luting it, and keepeth his hand from doi?ig any eviL Neither let the son of the stranger, that hath joined hi??i- * It is quite a question, if we possessed the spirit of Neheniiah — if we had his zeal for preserving the purity of the sabbath, whether we should fix upon the preceding day for such business or recreation, as is likely to intrude itself into holy time. Would a justice of the peace, with the spirit of this refonrier, select from all the days of the week Saturday in the afternoon, to appoint his court 1 Would the military officer, with the same spirit, take this time for that military review which might be as well attended on any other day 1 If we all felt towards the sabbath like this noble governor, would that afternoon in the week, which shuts down upon holy time, be the most frequently taken to do those jobs, which collect such numbers as cannot be easily dispersed in season to prevent an encroachment upon its sacred hours 1 Will those females, who have a high reverence for the Lord's day, except in extraordinary cases, take the afternoon which immediately precedes it, for a visiting party 1 If in these parties, tlieir conversation should be a suitable preparation for the approaching sabbath, still there will be the appearance of evil, which we are commanded to avoid, as they will not usually be able, all of them, to reach their homes, until after the sabbath has commenced. In this point of view, the remark applies with force only to those who believe the day to commence at the going down of the sun. DISCOURSES ON THE SABBATH. 33 self to the Lord^ speak, saying. The Lord hath utterly separated me from his people : neither let the eunuch say, Behold, I am a dry tree. For thus saith the Lord unto the eunuchs that keep my sabbaths, and choose the things that please me, and take hold of my covenant ; even unto them will I give in inine house and tvithin my walls a jilace and a name better than of sons and of daughters : I will give them an everlasting name, that shall not be cut off. Also the sons of the stranger, that join themselves to the Lord, to serve him, and to love the name of the Lord, to be his servants, every one that keepeth the sabbath from polluting it, and taketh hold of my covenant ; Even them, loill I bring to my holy mountain, and make them joyful in 7ny house of prayer : their burnt offerings and their sacrifices shall be accepted upon mine altar ; for mine house shall be called an house of prayer for all people. 1. We notice that taking hold of God's covenant, and keeping the sabbath, go hand in hand. If the son of the Stranger becomes joined to the Lord, he is expected to keep the sabbath from polluting it. If he does the things which please God, this is sure to be one of them. 2. It is worthy of notice that keeping the sabbath is an important part of the obedience of the Gentile as well as Jewish church. The passage before us speaks of a time, when the house of the Lord is to become a house of prayer for all people : when eunuchs and the sons of the stranger shall have a place in the church. And from this prediction we learn that even in this gospel day, the sabbath of the Lord is to be greatly reverenced. Dr. Scott, commenting on this passage, observes, " The repeated mention of keeping the sabbath, in this place, which evidently gives a decided preference to spiritual worship and holiness of life, above all external observances, and refers to the time when the cere- 34 DISCOURSES ON THE SABBATH. menial law would be abrogated, strongly implies the obligation of the Christian sabbath." IsA. Iviii. 13, 14. If thou turn away thy foot from the sahhath, from doing thy 'pleasure on my holy day ; and call the sabbath a delight, the holy of the Lord honorable ; and shalt honor him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine ovm words : Then shalt thou delight thyself in the Lord ; and Iivill cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth, and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father : for the m^outh of the Lord hath spoken it. This passage reflects much light upon the holy sabbath. 1. It points out three ways by which the sabbath is trod- den under foot, or encroached upon. First. By doing our otvn ivays. Six days are our own, in distinction from the seventh, which the Lord calls his day. By " our own ways," in the place before us, we are to understand the same as our work, our business. In the commandment it is said. Six days shalt thou labor and do all thy work. In the same way we are to understand " our own," in this whole passage ; not as necessarily implying that which would be wrong to be done on the working days; otherwise, piety would lead us to avoid them on other days, as well as the holy day of the Lord. The second way, here mentioned, of encroaching on the sabbath, is by doing or finding our own pleasure. Pleas- ure, in distinction from work, is recreation or amusement. Some recreations nre vain and sinful on any day ; these must of course be forbidden on the day which is holy to the Lord. Others, when under due regulations, are admis- sible on the week days; such as visiting our friends, or riding abroad to take the air, please our eyes, and recreate DISCOURSES ON THE SABBATH. 35 our minds with the dehghtful scenes of nature : but these also are forbidden on the sabbath. In the passage before us, the laying aside of our amusements and recreations, is enjoined with emphasis : " If thou turn away thy foot — ■ from doing thy pleasure on my holy day." It is repeated in the same verse — "nor finding thine own pleasure J^ It is said, there are some who are very scrupulous in not doing their own work, who think it perfectly lawful to find their own pleasure^ or recreation, on the Lord's holy day. Do not such resemble the teachers in the time of our Savior, who made a mighty difference between swearing by the temple^ and by the gold of the temple? They said, Whoso- ever shall swear by the temple, it is nothing : but whosoever shall swear by the gold of the temple, he is a debtor. So these seem to say, Whosoever shall labor on the sabbath, he is an infidel : but whosoever shall only play on the sabbath, he is a good Christian. To such it might be said, Ye fools and blind, for whether is the greater offence, to siveat away the sabbath, or to sport it away ? There is a great difference between the Lord's holy days^ and men's holidays. The former are days eminently designed to prepare us for heaven ; the latter are days peculiarly calculated to fit us for hell. If the sabbath is considered as a holiday^ a day of pastime, instead of a holy day, a day of religion, it must be, instead of the best, the tvorst, and most dangerous day in the week. It would seem, that the devil could not have invented a stratagem more calculated to impede the progress of the Re- deemer's kingdom, and to build up his own, than this trans- formation of the Lord's consecrated day, into a day of sport. I fear there are some parts of our country, where even taverns are haunted on the Lord's day ; where games are played, and horses run over the race-ground. Others, who would be ashamed to be seen in these crowds, and taken up with these sports, are riding out for their pleasure ; or po- litely giving, or accepting, invitations to dinners, or to tea 3& DISCOURSES ON THE SABBATH. parties. If such are not down-right infidels, let them ask themselves, Is this keeping holy the sabbath-day ? Thirdly. Speaking our own ivords, is an encroachment on the sabbath. After being told that we must not find our own pleasure, it is added, " nor speaking thine own words." We may talk on the sabbath ; but it must be such talk as belongs to a day holy to the Lord : — It must not be vain ; it must not even be secular. Would there not be a strange incongruity in the command, if it strictly forbade labor and recreation, but allowed us to talk freely about them both ; and to lay out all the business and recreations of the week on the holy sabbath ? Some in quoting this passage, have added another clause, namely, ' nor thinking thine own thoughts.' This is not expressed in the text ; but the sentiment is just, and it is easily gathered from what is expressed. Thoughts about the business or pleasures of the week, do, when they are indulged, pollute the sabbath in His view, from whom no thought can be withholden. 2. From this important portion of scripture, we not only learn what we must not do ; but also what we must do, if we would keep the sabbath in such a manner, as to please the Lord of the sabbath. First. We must call the sabbath a delight. The sabbath, a day sequestered from business, recreations, and worldly discourse ; and consecrated to the worship of God, and spiritual improvement, is a striking emblem of heaven. The Lord requires that we love this day, considered as a holy day ; — that we anticipate it with desire, and welcome it Avhen it arrives; and that we drop our secular business, and go into, and continue in, its holy services with great delight. Surely, they who love God, and are preparing for the holy of holies, "vv ^11 call the sabbath a delight. Secondly. We are here rejuired to call "the holy of the Lord honorable.^^ The primitive Christians called the Lord's day, " The day of heaven," and " The DISCOURSES ON THE SABBATH. 37 queen of days." The sabbath is a standing memorial, that Jehovah is our Creator and our Redeemer. It becomes us not to to be ashamed of the day which our Creator has sanc- tified and blessed ; and which, in distinction from all other days, he calls his own. If it be a disgrace for us, to own ourselves to be his dependant offspring, and to be in need of his salvation, then we may well be ashamed of his day. We are ashamed of it, and of its Author, if we are ashamed to keep it, even in the strictest sense, holy to the Lord. We are not only to call, or esteem, the holy of the Lord honorable, but we are so to spend it as to " honor Him." The sabbath is not truly sanctified by ever so strict an ob- servance of it, if the glory of God is not regarded. The religion of the Bible requires that the ultimate end should always be to glorify God. Lastly. From the portion of inspired truth before us we learn, that God has promised great good to those who truly sanctify his sabbaths. " I will cause thee, (i. e. on condition of delighting in the sabbath and turning away from every encroachment upon it,) to ride upon the high places of the earth, and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father ; for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it." A regard to the sabbath is supposed to be connected with obedience to the other commands of God. And it is most certain, that such a regard to the sabbath, as is described by the piopiicii;, will be attended with correspondent obedience to other divine requirements. And this is also certain, that a nation or people to whom God has made known his holy sabbath, cannot expect his blessing, if they lightly esteem and dis- regard it. IsA. Ixvi. 23. And it shall come to pass, that from one neio moon to another., and from one sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before m,e, saith the Lord. 4 38 DISCOURSES ON THE SABBATH. This is a prediction of a period when the whole family of man, which is here denominated all fleshy shall become agreed in (what of all other things is the most important) their religion : 1. In the God whom they shall worship : " All flesh shall come to worship before me, saith the Lord." To be agreed in the worship of Baal, or any other idol god, would consti- tute an unlovely bond of union : but to be agreed in the worship of Jehovah, the true God, must be a most desirable agreement. 2. They will be agreed not only in the object, but also in the times of their worship : for " from one new moon to another, and from one sabbath to another," they will come to worship before the Lord. This implies the existence of public and stated worship at the period foretold. The sab- bath spoken of is doubtless that which was instituted at the beginning of time, and which was incorporated in the moral law; while the neio moons (this is Old Testament lan- guage for New Testament worship) may intend all the other seasons of holy convocation, whether monthly or not, which should be observed by the church under the gospel dispensation. 3. When mankind shall agree in the object of their wor- ship, and the times for its performance, they will also be agreed as to their constancy in the observance of those times. Then "from one new moon to another, and//-om one sab- bath to another^ shall all flesh come to worship before me, saith the Lord." This implies something more than an oc- casional attendance on the worship of the sanctuary. At the present period it is but a minority in Christian countries, and perhaps in the church itself, who make a point of ap- pearing in the house of the Lord every sabbath-day ; but in the time which is here foretold it will be entirely common. This will be a comely sight indeed, when all flesh shall DISCOURSES ON THE SABBATH. 39 come to worship before the Lord from one sahhath to another through the whole year. As tlie rehgion of the Bible spreads in the world, this prediction comes nearer to a complete fulfilment. Where Christian missionaries prove successful in turning heathen nations from idolatry to the worship of the true God, the Christian sabbath is immediately recognized by their con- verts as a holy day. We may therefore conclude that when the idols shall be utterly abolished, " and the Lord shall bo king over all the earth," His supremacy will be acknow- ledged by a universal sanctificatiou of that day of the week which he challenges as his own. A union of all the fami- lies of the earth in a holy observance of that day which is a weekly memorial of the great work of creation, and of the still greater work of redemption, will present a brighter pic- ture than earth has ever yet seen. Then will swords be beaten into plough-shares and spears into pruning hooks. The prospect of such a delightful period, is enough to sup- port and animate those friends of God and man, who live in these days when there is so much desecration of holy time, and so much destruction of human life by the sword of war. Jer. xvii. 19—27. Thus saith the Lord unto me ; Go and stand in the gate of the children of the people^ whereby the kings of Judah come in, and by the which they go outj and in all the gates of Jerusalem ; and say unto the7n, Hear ye the word of the Lord, ye kings of Judah, and all Judah, arid all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, that enter in by these gates : Thus saith the Lord ; take heed to yourselves, arid bear 710 burden on the sabbath-day, nor bring it in by the gates of Jerusalem ; neither carry forth a burden out of your houses on the sabbath-day, neither do ye any work, but halloio ye the sabbath-day, as I commanded your fathers. But they obeyed not^ neither inclined their ear^ but made 4Q DISCOIJRSES ON THE SABBATH. their neck stiffs that they might not hear, nor receive in- struction. And it shall come to j^ass if ye diligently hearken unto me, saith the Lord, to hihig in no burden through the gates of this city on the sahhath-d.ay, hut hallow the sahbath-day, to do no work therein ; then shall there enter into the gates of this city kings and princes sitting upon the throne of David, riding in chariots and on horses, they, and their princes, the men of Judah, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem : and this city shall reniaiii for ever. And they shall come from the cities of Judah, and from the places about Jerusalem,, and from the land of Benjamin, and from, the plain, and from the mountains, and from the smith, bringing buriit offerings, and sacrifices, and meat offerings, and incense, and bringing sacrifices of praise, ufito the house of the Lord. But if ye ivill not hearken unto m,e to hallow the sabbath-day, and not to bear a burden, even en- ter i7ig 171 at the gates of Jerusalem 07i the sabbath-day ; then will I kindle afire in the gates thereof and it shall devour the palaces of Jerusalem, and it shall not be quenched. Although this passage is long, I did not know how to omit any of it, as it is so solemn, and so suited to our own case. It is worthy of notice, 1. That the prophet was to deliver his message to the kings of Judah, to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the metrop- olis ; and to ail the people of the land. The Lord has a right to reprove kings and rulers, and the j)olished i?ihabi- iants of cities, as well as the common people. The mes- sengers of the Lord of hosts need not be afraid to lift up their warning voice, to reprove wickedness in high places. If the ruler sin against the Lord, he ought to know it. He ought to know that he is not above Divine Authority. The command, "Remember the sabbath-day to keep it holy," is binding on him, as much as on any other. The exalted station, even of a monarch, gives him no liberty to DISCOURSES ON THE SABBATH. 41 disregard one of the commands of the King of kings, and Lord of lords. All classes, high and low, rich and poor, are concerned to know what the Lo7'd hath spoken. 2. It is worthy to be noted, that the prophet Jeremiah was called to deliver this message in a time of general cor- ruption ; a time of heavy judgments, and a time when the kingdom of Judah was tottering to fall. And even now he had authority from God, to promise them the removal of these judgments, and the restoration of great national pros- perity, on condition of their amending their ways and their doings ; and particularly as it respected the sanctification of the sabbath-day. On the other hand, they were advertised, that if they would not hearken unto the Lord, to hallow the sabbath-day, — he would kindle a fire in the gates of Jerusa- lem, which should devour her palaces, and should not be quenched. Let us pause, and think — Does not the same God, who pronounced this threatening, still live, and reign ? And has he become reconciled to a profanation of his holy sabbath 1 Or has he become weak, and unable to vindicate his insulted authority ? 3. We notice, that the particular breach of the sabbath complained of, and cautioned against in this passage, is bearing burdens into, and out of the gates of Jerusalem ; and into, and out of their own doors. This is the only breach of the sabbath here particularized, and it is four times repeated in this one passage. The practice of the people of our land, will furnish a reason for the need there was of such explicit and reiterated mention of carrying burdens on the sabbath, in that time of great declension. It is probable, that going to and from market, and pursuing other journeys, had become a much more common, open, and allowed breach of the sabbath, than working in the field. This is most evidently the case in our country, in this time of declension. There are many men at the present day, who, when at home, do not think of yoking their oxen, 4* 42Si DISCOURSES ON THE SABBATH. or harnessing their horses, to go into the field to labor ; who, when they are on journeys, even of business or pleasure, think of nothing else but doing it, from sabbath to sabbath. It is a proof that religion is at a low ebb, when men's con- sciences will allow them to make such distinctions as these. The fourth commandment, which forbids any work on the sabbath, most evidently forbids carrying merchandize, or any thing of the kind. But if that is not explicit enough, how can this pointed passage in the prophet be gotten over? And yet men, who read this passagCj as a part of the re- vealed will of God, will not give up this abominable prac- tice. How are the children of God pained, from sabbath to sabbath, to see the great roads thronged with wagons loaded with the produce which a bountiful Providence has caused our fields to yield to us, going to the market towns; or groaning under hogsheads of rum and other merchandize, transported thence into the country! Is not this hearing burdens on the sabbath-day ? And yet, what a general prac- tice it has become— so general, that the number who disap- prove of it, feel (as it respects many parts of the country,) insufiicieHt to check it, though they have the statute laws, as well as the laws of God, on their side. And those, who pass along on the road in their chaises and coaches, on the sabbath, are none the less guilty of profaning the day, on account of their being destitute of cumbersome loads. If the inhabitants of this land will be inattentive to so plain a case J if, like the Jews, they will not obey, neither incline their ear, but make their necks stiff, that they might not hear, nor receive instruction, they must feel the weight of Jehovah's avenging arm. "O. that they were wise; that they understood this !'' Lam. i. 7. 77ie adversaries saw her, and did mock at her sabbaths. DISCOURSES ON THE SABBATH. 43 From this short passage we learn, that it is the adversa- ries of Zion, who mock at her sabbaths. Infidels make very- light of a holy day. They would destroy the remembrance of it, if it were in their power. A few years ago an experi- ment of it was made in France. The infidels, who man- aged the revolution, publicly denounced, not only the Christian religion, but the Divine existence. They mocked at the sabbath, and to throw it into oblivion, they divided the month into decades, or ten-day weeks, instead of seven-day weeks. It cannot be expected of those who hate God and the Bible, that they should call the holy day of the Lord honorable. But if this day is the Lord's, as his word de- clares, it must be a high contempt of Him to disregard it. It must be blasphemy to mock at it. " Now therefore be ye not mockers, lest your bands be made strong." EZEK. XX. 13. And my sabbaths they greatly polluted : then I said, I would pour ov,t my fury upon them in the wilder- ness to consume them. From this passage we learn, 1. That there is such a thing as an aggravated profana- tion of the sabbath-day. It may not only be polluted, but greatly polluted. The sabbath is polluted by every thing which the command, either expressly or impliedly, forbids ; whether it be in works, words, or thoughts. Those who set themselves most conscientiously to sanctify the day can always discover, at the close of it, that they have sinfully- deviated from the rule ; and such imperfections are bewail- ed before God. But something more than this common imperfection is meant, when it is said, "My sabbaths they greatly pollutedJ^ A wilful disregard of the sabbath, by- performing common labor, transacting worldly business, talk- ing unrestrainedly on topics not relating to holy things j or 44 DISCOURSES ON THE SABBATH. devoting the sacred hours to merriment and pastime:— they who do these, and such like things, greatly polkite the sab- baths of the Lord. A nation may be said greatly to poUute the sabbaths, when it is not here and there a solitary indi- vidual who practises these things ; but when such things have become common through the great mass of the peo- ple ; and especially when it is but little thought of, that all this is wrong, or worthy of being reproved, or even men- tioned. How far this charge of greatly polluting the sab- baths of the Lord our God, can be substantiated against us, as persons, as families, and as. a community, it becomes us all to examine. 2. Tliis passage teaches us, that when the sabbaths are greatly polluted, the Lord is greatly displeased. " Then I said, I would pour out my fury upon them in the wilder- ness to consume them." When the Most High sees that the day, which he has sanctified and blessed, and strictly and repeatly enjoined it upon us to keep holy to him, is wholly disregarded, and spent in a way altogether different from what he has commanded, his holy indignation is stirred up. It is a wonder that he bears so long with such heaven-daring rebels. If mercy did not dwell with justice, his fury would have been poured out ere this time, and we should have been utterly consumed. We have more concerning the sabbath in the same chap- ter, verses 16th and 24th. Because they despised my judgments ^ and walked not in my statutes, hut polluted my sabbaths, for their hearts loent after their idols. Because they had not executed m^y judgments, but had despised m,y statutes, and had pol- luted m,y sabbaths, and their eyes were after their fathers^ idols. We notice, 1. That those who pollute the sabbath, are apt to be guilty of other breaches of the law of God. They DISCOURSES ON THE SABBATH. 45 are apt to despise the holy rules, which the Judge of all the earth has given us, by which to regulate our lives; this they manifest by not walking in his statutes in other re- spects, as well as by a contempt of holy time. 2. We notice in the passage before us, that idolatry seems to be at the foundation of a profanation of the Lord's day. — "But polluted my sabbaths : for their heart went after their idols." They who are willing to obey the^r^^, second and third commandments, Avill most certainly be subject to the fourth. They who are willing there should be a holy God^ are willing there should be a holy day. But they, whose hearts go after their idols, are not pleased with a day sepa- rated from other days to the service of the true God. They who serve mammon, and they who are "lovers of pleas- ures more than lovers of God," will be disgusted with the sabbath ; and will be continually inclined to turn it out of its proper channel into one more congenial to their idol- worship. 3. It is worthy of remark, that if the sanctification of the sabbath were a matter of small consequence, it would not be so repeatedly mentioned by tlie God of Israel, (who is a Being that never trifles,) as a reason why he sent destruc- tive evils upon his covenant people. In such connexion, it is three times repeated in this one chapter. The repeated and particular mention which is made of their polluting the sabbaths, while many other sins were not thus particular- ized, shows that this was not a sin of small magnitude in the sight of God ; and also, that it was a sin of which they had been in no small degree guilty. It was a great sin, and greatly multiplied. It is a sin, which no doubt greatly en- dangers the peace and prosperity of that people where it is multiplied ; — and where, though the sin is so open and com- mon that it testifieth to their face ; yet, when they are called upon to return unto the Lord, they say, " Wherein shall we return ?" 46 DISCOURSES ON THE SABBATH. EzEK. xxii. 8. Thou hast despised onine holy things, and hast pro- faned Tiiy sabbaths. 1. We remark, that profaning the sabbath is very natu- rally connected with despising all the holy things of the Lord. The sacrifices, the sanctuary, the priesthood, and all those things set apart to the immediate service of God, were his holy things. Religious worship, in all its various branches, is a holy thing. Now, it is perfectly natural, that they who despise holy things, should despise a holy day. And as soon as you have learned that it is the character of a man, to tread under foot the holy sabbath, you expect nothing else but to see him tread under foot every thing which is sacred. 2. By comparing this passage with its context we are led to remark, that a profanation of the sabbath is placed in the midst of a black catalogue of crimes ; and must therefore appear in God's account a heinous sin. Jeremiah prophe- sied just before the destruction of the holy city by the Baby- lonians. In his message to the people, he pointed out to them the sins which would ruin them, if they did not repent and reform : and among other things, we have already seen that he warned them, that if they did not hearken unto the Lord, to hallotv the sabbath-day, he would kindle a fire in the gates of Jerusalem, which should devour her palaces, and should not be quenched. It is well known, that the people did not hearken to the voice of the Lord by his prophet ; — and that the fire which was threatened was actually kin- dled, and was not quenched until the city and the temple were laid in ashes. In view of the certainty of this awful destruction, the Lord, by the prophet Ezekiel, vindicated his conduct in bringing this evil upon the city which was called by his name. "Yea," said the Lord to his prophet, " thou shalt show her all her abominations." Then follows DISCOURSES ON THE SABBATH. 47 a catalogue of ahominations. In the midst of such abomi- nations, as shedding blood, making idols, setting light by father and mother, dealing by oppression with the stranger, vexing the fatherless and widow, carrying tales to shed blood, and committing lewdness ; we find this — " Thou hast despised mine holy things, and hast profaned my sah- hathsP If a profanation of the sabbath is with propriety put into such a catalogue of abominations, then surely, sab- bath-breakers need be ashamed of their company. And let them remember, if the fire which is kindled in our land, should not be quenched until the distress of the nation shall become extreme, that they^ as well as murderers^ and extor- tioners^ and the disobedient to parents, and the tale hearers^ and the adidtercrs, and drunkards, have kindled this fire, and must be accountable for the consequences. Further on in the chapter it is said, " They have made her many wid- ows in the midst thereof." This was the efl^ect of war, (as it always is :) but wicked men of their own nation were said to make these many widows, because their sins had pro- voked the Lord of hosts to send a desolating war upon them. The 26th verse of the same chapter is worthy of one or two remarks. Her priests have violated my laxo^ and have prof aned mine holy things : they have put no differejice between the holy and profane, neither have they shewed difference be- tween the unclean and the clean, and have hid their eyes from, my sabbaths, and I am, profaned among them,. 1. It may be remarked, that this text exhibits an additional trait in the character of that degenerate age, when the city and temple were, by the judgment of God, devoted to the flames ; it is this ; that the priests, the ministers of religion, whose lips should keep knowledge, and at whose mouth they should seek the law, as being the messengers of the Lord of hosts ; even the priests hid their eyes from the sab- 4o DISCOURSES ON THE SABBATH. baths of the Lord : they did not regard them ; they did not reverence them. They conducted as though they did not see the sabbaths when they arrived. They hid their eyes from them. Surely rehgion must have been at a low ebb, when its very ministers did not themselves regard that day which God had appropriated to religious worship and in- struction. When those who sustain the office of messen- gers of the Lord of hosts ; who are appointed to plead his cause with their fellow men, and to show them that it is not a vain thing to serve God ; when these profane the sab- bath by journeying, by finding their own pleasure, by speak- ing their own words, and especially, when they appear light and vain on this holy day ; then the Lord of the sabbath is greatly profaned among the people where they minister. " Brethren, pray for us," who minister in holy things, that we may not be suffered to be profaners of the holy sabbath. 2. From this passage we may learn what the character of those ministers will be, considered as iweachers^ who hide their eyes from the Lord's sabbaths ; or are very lax in their observance of them : " They will put no difference between the holy and profane; neither will they show difference between the unclean and the clean." This may character- ize both their fveaching and their discij)line. In their preaching there is nothing clear and distinguishing. They do not show any reaZ difference between a sinner and a samt. Then* hearers are rocked to sleep by their smooth discourses ; and Christless chrHstlans (if the phrase may be indulged) are not reminded of the sandy foundation on which they are built. Discipline is laid asleep. This gospel fan is not used to purge the floor of Christ. All this is implied in their putting no difference between the holy and profane ; between the unclean and the clean. And this is ascribed to those priests, or teachers in the church, Avho have hid their eyes from the holy sabbaths. If teachers do not distinguish between holy and common time, a thing DISCOURSES ON THE SABBATH. 49 SO plainly done by the word of God. it is not surprising that in other things they put no difference between the holy and profane. In the 44th chapter of this prophecy, teachers in the gospel church, and especially in its millennial state, are described as teaching the Lord's people the difterence be- tween the holy and profane, and causing them to discern between the unclean and the clean. It is also added, "And they shall hallow my sahhathsP There is but one more passage in the Old Testament, on which I shall at present remark : It is Amos viii. 5, 8. Sayings When ivill the neio moon he gone^ that we inay sell corn 7 and the sabbath, that we may set forth tvheat, making the ephah small, and the shekel great, and falsi- fying the balances by deceit. ^Shall not the land trem- ble for this, and every one monrn that dwelleth therein ? 1. It is worthy of notice, that in the days of the prophet Amos it was a given point, that the command, enjoining the sanctification of the sabbath, did peremptorily prohibit the selling of wheat, or other grain, or carrying on any traffic on the sabbath ; else why did they w^ish the sabbath to be gone, that they might set forth wheat? Are there not some at the present day, who do not wait for the sabbath to be gone, before they enter on their traffic? 2. In the passage before us we notice, that a greediness for gain will make the sabbath seem tedious to those who are thereby prevented from attending to their worldly busi- ness. The day seems long to such : — they say, J]7ien loill it be gone 7 They are out of their element. Their treasure is laid up on the earth, and their heart is there also. And no day is pleasant to them, in which they cannot be in- creasing their earthly treasure. What a dreadful symptom must this be of their unpreparedness for the kingdom of heaven ! They to whom one holy day in the week is tire- 60 DISCOURSES ON THE SABBATH. some, must be very far from being prepared for an eternal sabbath, 3. Another thing is worthy of remark in this passage, namely. That they, who, from an eager desire after the world, can hardly wait for the sabbath to be gone, before they engage in buying and selhng, are in danger of seeking gain by fraudulent means. In the same sentence, in which they are complained of for wishing the sabbath to be gone that they might sell wheat, they are also charged with falsi- fying the balances by deceit ; making the ephah (the meas- ure by which they sold) small, and the shekel (the weight of the money received in payment) great. They also sold the refuse of the wheat. It is not strange, if men who al- lowedly rob God, should be guilty of defrauding their fel- low men. At least, it is certain, that it is not from upright- ness of heart they are prevented from doing it. Men may for a pretence make long prayers, and have a shew of much regard to the sabbath, and yet be dishonest men ; but they, who from jjrinciple keep the sabbath holy to the Lord, may be depended upon as men possessing an honest dispo- sition towards their fellow men. True piety is never con- nected with an immoral life. The first and great command enjoins supreme love to God ; the second is like it, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself The man, who has no regard to the first of these commands, has no true regard to the second. 4. It is to our point to remark, that their wicked works, among which a dislike to the sabbath is mentioned, were about to bring dreadful judgments on the nation. "Shall not the land tremble for this, and every one mourn that dwelleth therein ?" Our land is trembling, and very many wear the badges of mourning. "For all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still !" DISCOURSES ON THE SABBATH. 51 THIED DISCOURSE. John v. 39. Search the Scriptures. Let us now search the New Testament scriptures, that we may see what they testify of the weekly sabbath. Some have thought, the New Testament has done away the sab- bath ; so that now one day is no more holy than another. Let us candidly hear its testimony, and then judge. The first three evansfelists, Matthew, Mark, and Luke, do in many instances record the same things. I shall examine their record concerning the sabbath, as nearly as I can, ac- cording to the order of time, instead of being governed by the order in which the records are placed in the Bible. In pursuance of this method, the first passage which presents itself is, Luke iv. 16. And he came to Nazareth ivhere he had been brought up : and, as his ciistom %i)as, he went into the synagogue on the sabbath-day, and stood up for to read. On this passage we are led to remark, 1. There was a sabbath-day in the time of Christ. 2. That it was common at that time to have meetings on the sabbath, for religious purposes; especially for getting instruction out of the scriptures. 3. We also learn from this portion of scripture, that Christ made a stated practice of attending these religious meetings on the sabbath-day. We are not only informed, 63 DISCOURSES ON THE SABBATH. that he went into the synagogue (or meeting house) on a certain sabbath-day ; but that it was his custom so to do. [See also Luke xiii. 10. Mark i. 21, and vi. 2.] From this scripture, and from the other parts of the history of our Lord, we have reason to conclude, that from his early childhood it was his custom to attend upon the worship and instruc- tion of the synagogue every sahhatli-day. So far, we have evidence in favor of a strict and constant sanctification of the holy sabbath by our blessed Lord. A constant attend- ance on public worship, is one of the ways that the people of God manifest their regard to the sabbath. If we would make Jesus Christ our pattern, (and we cannot have a better,) we must attend public worship, not once a month ; or now and then ; but it must be our custom to attend from sabbath to sabbath. Let me add, though it must be our custom to attend ; yet we must not attend from custom, but from re- gard to God. The next passage in order, which relates to the subject before us, is concerning the disciples of Christ plucking the ears of corn on the sabbath-day. This is recorded, Matt. xii. 1—8. At that tbne Jesus went on tlie sahhath-day through the corn ; and his disciples ivere an hungered^ and began to •pluck the ears of corn^ and to eat. But when the Phari- sees saiv it, they said unto him, behold, thy disciples do that ivhich is not laivfid to do ujjon the sabbath-day. But he said tmto them, have ye not read what David did, when he was an hungered, and they that were loith hirn ; how he enteredj into tJie house of God, and did eat the sheio- bread, which was not lawfid for lii'in to eat neitJier for them which were with him, but only for the priests ? Or have ye not read in the law, hoiv that on the sabbath-days the priests in the temple profane the sabbath, and are blameless 7 But I say unto you^ that in this place is one DISCOURSES ON THE SABBATH. 53 greater than the temple. But if ye had known what this tneancth, I icill have mercy ^ and not sacrifice, ye would not have condemned the guiltless. For the Son of man is Lord even of the sahhath-day. Let it be notedj 1. That the complaint brought against the disciples was not for theft ; because it was written, Deut. xxiii. 25, "When thou comest into the standing- corn of thy neighbor, then thou mayest pluck the ears with thine hand : but thou shalt not move a sickle unto thy neighbor's standing-corn." The complaint was for breach of the sabbath, for doing- " that which was not lawful to do upon the sahhath-day.^^ 2. Let it be noted, that Jesus, in clearing his disciples from the charge of doing that which was not lawful to be done on the sabbath-day, never pretended that the command, enjoinins: the sanctification of the sabbath, was repealed or altered. If Jesus had considered this commandment as no longer binding, it would have been perfectly in point to have said so. But he answered the accusers, fii^st, by referring them to the case of David, who in a time of extreme urgency satisfied his hunger with the shew-bread, which God had separated to the use of the priests alone. Christ justified the conduct of David in this extreme case, without design- ing to find the least fault with the law, which prohibited any but the priests from eating the shew-bread. Secondly. Christ answered these accusers by saying, "have ye not read in the law, how that on the sabbath-days the priests in the temple profane the sabbath, and are blameless ?" i. e. the priests and Levites were obliged to perform considerable labor in killing the sacrifices which were to be offered on the sabbath-days : and yet, as these sacrifices were divinely appointed, the labor must be performed. It is called profa- ning the sabbath, not because it was wrong, but because it was such kind of labor as was performed on other days, and 5* 54 DISCOURSES ON THE SABBATH. would have profaned the sabbath, if it had not been either enjoined, or necessary. Thirdly. Christ answered those who accused his disciples of profaning the sabbath, because that on this day they rubbed out a few ears of corn to satisfy their hunger, by referring to Hos. vi. 6 ; where the Lord says, "I desired mercy and not sacrifice." God had ap- pointed sacrifices, but he hated robbery for burnt offerings ; even if it was robbing the poor of those alms^ which they needed to sustain life. He had appointed the sanctification of the sabbath, but he allowed us out of this day a sufliciency of time to take our stated meals. Let vis now for a moment examine into this alleged breach of the sabbath. Tlie disciples were hungry. They had a right by the divine law, as honesty was respected, to gather a few heads of wheat or barley to satisfy hunger. They did not probably consume so much time, in the gathering, rub- bing out, and eating, this dry meal, as is consumed in merely eating a common meal, after it is all placed upon the table. Surely, if the Pharisees had not been disposed to find fault with what was done by Christ and his followers, they would not have thought of grounding an accusation on so small a thing. Indeed this accusation is good proof, that the disciples of Jesus were exemplary in their observance of the sabbath, else the Pharisees, who continually watched for their halting, would have been able to have produced some greater allegation. Christ told these accusing Pharisees, that he was Lord even of the sabbath -day. As the great Author of the com- mandment, he was able to tell what he meant by keeping holy the sabbath ; and to declare what things might be done, and we be guiltless of polluting the day. As Lord of the sabbath, his honor was concerned to guard it against every mihallowf d touch. Mark and Luke both give us an account of the Pharisees accusing the disciples of profaning the sabbath, because they DISCOURSES ON THE SABBATH. 55 plucked the ears of corn. Mark, in his account of it, relates one thing which our Savior said in his answer to the Pha- risees, which is omitted by Matthew. It is contained in the 2d chapter of his Gospel, 27th verse ; Aiid he said unto them^ The sahbath was inade for inan^ and not onan for the sahbath. Here let us observe, 1st. That tlie Lord of the sabbath tells us that there was a sabbath 7?iade. We have hereto- fore seen when the sabbatli was made, even as soon as the heavens and earth and all their host were finished. We have also seen, that the sabbath which was then made was renewedly enjoined by one of the ten commandments. We have also seen, by recurring to a number of inspired records, what things were forbidden to be done on that day, and how the hours must be spent to please God. Now this very sab- bath, instituted by the Creator, written with his own finger on one of the tables of stone, and guarded by many promises and threatenings, was the sabbath which our Savior must have meant. 2ndly. W~e observe, that this sabbath was made/or man ; — not only for man to obey ; but it was also made for the ben- efit of man. What is the inference from this ? Is this the inference, ' Then man may use the sabbath as he pleases V As well might it be inferred, that because Christ died for sinners, to do them an infinite favor, therefore they may treat him as they please. If sinners would have the death of Christ prove a blessing to them, they must receive him as he is freely offered to them in the gospel. So, if the children of men would have that sabbath, which was made for them, prove a real benefit to them, they must keep it ac- cording to the commandment; they must make it ii holy and not a common day. Yet it was natural to infer, since the sabbath was made for man, and was not made a fasting day, that man might satisfy his hunger in such a way as 56 DISCOURSES ON THE SABBATH. the disciples did, without being considered as treading under foot " the holy of the Lord." The great latitude, which some have taken from this declaration of our Savior, is very unreasonable. The Savior evidently recognized the command which obliges us to hal- low the sabbath-day ; nor did he say any thing to encourage a loose explication of the command. When he said, that "man was not made for the sabbath," he did not mean to throw the reins on our necks, and tell us that we were made to live unto ourselves, and do with the sabbath as we pleased. We were made to glorify God. This is our duty, and in doing this, we shall find the favor of God, w^hich is life. God is glorified by a conscientious observance of his holy day ; and not only so, but those, who thus observe it, are blessed in so doing, and are greatly furthered in their way to glory. Mark iii. 1 — 6. And he entered again into the synagogue ; and there was a man there lohich had a withered hand : and they watched him, whether he would heal him, on the sabbath- day ; that they might accuse him. And he saith unto the man with the loithered hand, stand forth. And he saith unto the7n, Is it lawful to do good on the sabbath-days, or to do evil ? to save life, or to kill ? But they held their peace. And when he had looked round about on them with anger, being grieved for the hardness of their hearts, he saith unto the m^an. Stretch forth thine hand. And he stretched it out : and his hand was restored lohole as the other. And the Pharisees went forth, and straightway took counsel loith the Horodians against him, hoio they m,ight destroy him. The same matter is narrated. Matt. xii. 9 — 13, and Luke vi. 6—11. DISCOURSES ON THE SABBATH. 57 Before I proceed to make any comment on this portion of scripture, I shall introduce two others from the Gospel of Luke, which are very similar to this ; so that the same re- marks will be naturally suggested by them all. The first is, chapter xiii. 10—17. And he was teaching in one of the synagogues on the sabbath. A?id, behold, there was a ivoman which had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, and was bowed together and could in no wise lift up herself. And when Jesus saio her, he called her to hbn, and said unto her, Woman, thou art loosed from thine infirmity. And he laid his hands on her : and immediately she loas made straight and glo- rified God. And the rider of the synagogue answered with indignation, because that Jesus had healed on the sabbath-day, and said unto the j)Gople, There are six days in lohich men ought to wm^k : in them therefore come and he healed, and not on the sabbath-day. The Lord then ansivered him, and said. Thou hypocrite, doth not each one of you on tlie sabbath loose his ox or his ass from the stcdl, and lead him away to watering 7 And ought not this icoman, being a daughter of Abraham, vJiom Satan hath bound, lo, these eighteen years, be loosed from, this bond on the sabbath-day 7 And xohen he had said these things, all his adversaries were ashamed : and all the joeople rejoiced for cdl the glorious things that loere done by him. The other is, chapter xiv. 1 — 6> And it came to pass, as he went iiito the house of one of the chief Pharisees to eat bread on the sabbath-day, that they xvatched Jtim. And, behold, there ivas a certain mem before him ivhich had the drojjsy. And Jesus ansicering, spake unto the lawyers and Pharisees, saying. Is it lauful 58 DISCOURSES ON THE SABBATH. to heal on the sahhath-day 7 And they held their peace. And he took him, and healed him, and let /izm go ; and answered them saying. Which of you shall have an ass or an ox fallen into a j)it, and will not straightway pidl him, out on the sahhath-day '? And they could not answer him, again to these things. From these scriptures we learn, 1. That there are certain works of necessity and mercy, which may be done upon the sabbath-day. The manner in which Christ speaks of the general practice, of loosing the ox or the ass from the stall to lead him away to watering on the sabbath-day, im- plies, that he does not disapprove of the practice, as being inconsistent with a holy observance of the day. Nothing- is to be done on the sabbath, for the sake of getting along with our worldly business; — for the sake of accumidating property. In this respect, the command is strict. Thou shalt not do any work. But this does not forbid us, even on the sabbath-day, to deal out to our cattle the hay and provender, which we have laid up on other days. All the business which can be done before the sabbath, to render us and our beasts comfortable through the day, is to be done ; and all which can be left until after the sabbath, is to be left undone. But even, when this direction is followed, some things of a secular nature, such as foddering and watering our cattle, and dressing food for ourselves, must be done on the sab- bath itself. The Lord of the sabbath allowed of loosing the ox and the ass from the stall, to lead them away to watering on this day ; but did he allow of loosing them from the stall, to drive them in droves to the market ; or to draw those bur- dens, which, in his word, he had expressly forbidden to be borne on the sabbath-day ? Who would think of inferring the latter from the former? The Divine Teacher also allowed of works of mercy ; and DISCOURSES ON THE SABBATH. 59 these had always been allowed ; for he did not abate the sanctity of the sabbath. If a beast had fallen into a pit, or was otherwise in distressed circumstances, he evidently con- sidered it lawful to afford it relief on his holy day. He considered healing the sick, as a thing not inconsistent with the sanctitication of the day. Christ himself healed without any labor ; yet I think we may learn from what he did, and from what he said on the subject, that it is lawful for phi/- sicians to minister healing medicines to the sick on the Lord's day. Yet I cannot think that Christ will approve of making the sabbath the particular day of resorting to the physician : nor do I think he is pleased to have physicians make this, more particularly than other days, the day of visiting their patients. He searcheth the reins and hearts, and knoweth who among this profession of men are desi- rous of resting from their labors, to devote the day to the exercises of religion.* Other works of mxcrcy, such as affording relief to those -who are in suffering circumstances, are consistent with keep- ing the day holy to the Lord. If one of you on a Lord's day morning, just ready to go to the house of God to attend on his worship, should be informed, that a family at the distance of several miles, was perishing with hunger, it would be no breach of the sabbath, to turn your attention to them, though for this time your seat in the house of God should thereby become empty. Mercy, in such an instance, would be more pleasing to God than sacrifice. Such a case would serve to explain the question put to the scribes and Phari- sees, "Is it lawful on the sabbath-day to do good, or to do evil ? to save life, or to destroy it ?" 2. From the passages of scripture now before us, we * Physicians are bound by the law of the sabbath, (as it stands in the word of God,) to do all they can towards preparing their medicines beforehand ; so that they may have as little diversion as possible from the appropriate duties of the holy day. 60 DISCOURSES ON THE SABDATH. learn, that men may even be rigid in the external obser- vance of the sabbathj and yet have no true piety. They who keep it as a day consecrated to the honor and Avorship of the Most High, and delight in it as such, are pious ; they are meetening for the inheritance of the saints in h'ght : but no degree of external strictness ought to be considered as decisive proof that we love God. Our blessed Lord plainly told the Pharisees, that the love of God was not in them ; and yet from the scripture before us, we find these very Pharisees found much fault with him, because he was no stricter in his observance of the sabbath. They were whi- ted sepulchres. Their religion was all outside. They had no principle of supreme love to God; and yet were ready to condemn Immanuel, God himself, because he was no more holy. Some have considered a strict regard to the external observance of the sabbath as a jDroof of hypocrisy; but this is wrong: God requires strictness. Nehemiah, a man greatly approved of God, was remarkably strict in ob- serving the sabbath, and in requiring others to do it. Christ did not find fault with the Pharisees for their strictness, even in paying tithes of mint, anise, and cummin ; but for omitting the weightier matters of religion. I do not know that he found fault with them for their external strictness in observing the sabbath, except in those instannes in which they condemned him as a profaner of the sabbath. And in these instances he showed them that their own allowed practice in other cases, such as relieving animals in distress, or leading their creatures to watering, would justify him, and make it appear, that he was in reality as strict as they were. But all their strictness was nothing pleasing to the holy Jesus ; " he looked round about on them with anger, being grieved for the hardness of their hearts." He looked into their hearts, and there saw none of the love of God : — he saw no godly sorrow for sin ; no faith in the divine promises : nor any of that meek, humble, sweet, benevolent DISCOURSES ON THE SAP.BATH- 61 temper, which is essential to an amiable character. If these are wanting, all is wanting. If, on the Lord's clay, we do no work, perform no journey, read no books but such as are on the subject of religion, have no discourse except such as is serious, and are still destitute of the love of God shed abroad in the heart by the Holy Ghost, let us not in- dulge a thought that we are Christians. Matth. xxiv. 20. But pray that your flight he not in the wi7iter, neither on the sahbath-day. In this passage Christ seems to put honor on the sabbath- day. Fleeing from an invading foe might be lawful on the sabbath ; but still it would be a great impediment to a spir- itual enjoyment of its sacred hours ; therefore it was suita- ble to pray, that such an event might, by the disposals of Providence, be prevented from occurring on that holy day. From this perhaps we may learn, that it manifests want of regard to the sabbath to make choice of that as the day of making an attack on our enemy ; and we ought to pray, that they may be prevented from taking that day to attack us. It is not only proper to deprecate conflagrations, inun- dations, and such unforeseen calamities ; but also to pray, if God sees it necessary to chastise us by them, that in mercy he would not send them on the sabbath-day, as they would tend to divert our attention from its appropriate and very important duties. The sabbath is the most important day of the week. So the scriptures consider it. The other days of the week are more immediately devoted to prepare to live here; but the sabbath is more peculiarly devoted to prepare to live in heaven. We ought therefore to prefer to be diverted from the secular pursuits of one of the working ' days, rather than to be diverted from the religious duties of the Lord's day. 6 62 DISCOURSES ON THE SABBATH. Luke xxiii. 55, 56. And the women also which came from Galilee^ followed after ^ and beheld the septdchre, and hoio his body was laid, and they returned^ and jyrepared spices and ointments ; and rested the sahbath-day^ according to the commandment. 1. It is worthy of observation, that these women who came from Galilee, from all the account which we have of them, were among the choicest disciples which Jesus had. From the eighth chapter of this Gospel we learn, that they ministered to him of their substance. They followed him to the cross, and to the sepulchre. They prepared spices and ointments to perfume his dead body ; and on the first day of the week, they came early to perform what they supposed would be the last kind office to him whom they loved. These women had all of them sat at the feet of Jesus, and heard his word. They had deeply drunk of his spirit. By following him from place to place, they had op> portunity to become acquainted with his practice^ as well as with his doctrine. 2. It is worthy of observation, that these holy women rested the sabbath-day, according to the commandment. It is not said, they rested according to the tradition of the elders, the sentiment of the Pharisees, cr the superstition of the Jews ; but that they rested according to the command- ment. From this we may safely conclude, that Jesus Christ taught his followers, both by precept and example, to keep the sabbath-day as a holy rest. 3. It is worthy to be observed, what these Christian women rested from on the sabbath : they rested from anointing the body of Jesus. This was the work which they were pre- paring to do, when the sabbath arrived ; and it was a work which their hearts were much set upon, as appears by the sequel ; and yet they rested even from this work of i^^^-^ on DISCOURSES ON THE SABBATH. 63 the sabbath, according to the commandment * Jesus Christ who being dead, yet lived in spirit, was no doubt more pleased to see these friends of his, resting- on the sabbath, according to the comma?id?jie7it, than to have seen them anointing his body with the most costly ointments ; else he would not have influenced the Evangelist to use such words in making a record of it. From this case we may learn, that the sabbath may be profaned by unnecessary work about the dead; such as digging graves, making coflins, or preparing mourning apparel. If a person dying on Friday, is to be buried on the sabbath, it would be a profanation of the day, to defer preparing the coffin and grave until the sabbath, because the3^ could then be seasonably prepared. To do unnecessary work relating to the dead, is only to make this a cover for the profanation of holy time. Let me ask. Would it be any more consistent with the fourth com- mandment, to go into the burying-ground, to set up grave stones on the sabbath-day, than to transact any secular busi- ness? It may often be necessary to dig a grave on this holy day, but it can never be necessary to set up grave stones : And when it is known to be no more necessary to do the one, than the other, then they are equally forbidden. 4. It may be worth noticing when this sabbath was, on which these Christian women rested according to the com- mandment. It was after Christ came into the world. It was after he had gone through with his public ministry, and expired on the cross. Even then^ his most devoted friends kept the sabbath, according to the commandment. If the sabbath out-lived the life of Christ upon earth, then all which is drawn from the example of Christ, or of his disci- ples, while he was yet with them, to do away the obliga- tion of sanctifying the sabbath, is of no force. * Cluery. Would not such women have also rested from the work of a daily on the sabbath, with a beUef that such resting was according to the com- mandment 1 64 DISCOURSES ON THE SABBATH. In the Gospel of John, we have two other instances of miracles of healing, performed by Christ on the sabbath. Of one we have the account in the fifth, and of the other in the ninth chapter. In both these cases we find the Jews object- ing against the piety of Jesus, because he did these things on the sabbath-day. As we have already attended to this objection, we shall not examine both these cases distinctly. But there is something in the reply which our Savior made to them, when they found fault with his healing the impo- tent man, which deserves some particular attention. John v. 16, 17. A7id therefore did the Jews persecute Jesus, and sought to slay him, because he had done these things on the sab- bath-day. But Jesus answered them. My Father worketh hitherto^ and I work. It may be said, Does not our Savior, in this answer to the Jews, acknowledge that he worked on the sabbath-day, and that he had ever made a practice of doing it ? If then he is to be our pattern, may we not work on the sabbath, and be blameless ? If any one has been led by this passage to such a conclu- sion, let him devote only a moment or two to a candid re- examination of it, and he will see, that no such conclusion ouofht to have been drawn from it. In this passage we notice, That Jesus brings into view the example of his Father, to support him in working on the sabbath-day ; " My Father worketh hitherto, and / work." But in the fourth commandment, and at the first institution of the sabbath, God's resting from his work on the sabbath, is proposed as our example for resting from our work on that day. And let it ever be kept in mind, that divine truth does not stand opposed to divine truth. When the scrip- ture iiiforms us, that on the seventh day God rested from his DISCOURSES ON THE SABBATH. 65 work, we are not to obtain the idea, that he rested from ail kind of work and became inactive during the sabbath. He rested from the work of creation ; but from the work of providence he could not rest a moment, without creation's returning to its primitive nothing. All things are constantly- upheld by the word of his power, and directed by his wis- dom. It was in this sense, that Christ declared that his Father had worked hitherto. In the same sense, He, as being one with the Father, continually worked and now works. His providential care of his kingdom, and of the works of his hands went on during the sabbath as much as on any other day. And he meant they should consider his preserving, or restoring the health of men, as a part of that providential work, which it became him, as God over all, to carry on Avithout regard to the distinction of days. Jesus was the S'on of man^ as well as the Son of God. As a man he kept the sabbath-day holy, accordii}g to the command- ment. He is called the carpenter. It is altogether probable that Avhile he lived with his lather Joseph, he pursued this occupation with him. Now let me ask, is there a single hearer, who entertains an idea, that Jesus, as a carpenter, worked on the sabbath-day? Was it such work that he meant when lie said, "And / work." If he had made a practice of pursuing such work on the sabbath-day, it must have been known ; and it would certainly have been ob- jected against him, instead of their objecting against him, that he removed a disease of thirty and eight years standing, merely by a word's speaking. Acts i. 12. Then returned they unto Jerusalem^ from the mount called Olivet^ ivhlch is from Jerusalem a sahhath-dafs journey. 1. It may be proper to ascertain the distance of mount Olivet from Jerusalem. By turning your eye to Zechariah 6* 66 DISCOURSES ON THE SABBATH. xiv. 3, you will see that it is contiguous to Jerusalem: " And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east." By com- paring the passage which is now under consideration witli Luke xxiv. 50, we learn that Bethany was on mount Olivet : and from John. xi. 18, we learn that Bethany was about fifteen furlongs off from Jerusalem. Fifteen furlongs are a little less than two miles. It was not therefore to exceed two miles from mount Olivet to Jerusalem. 2. It may be proper to inquire why this distance is ex- pressed by a sahbath-day^s journey. Let it be remembered, that the Holy Spirit had a reason for directing the writer to this particular mode of expression in telling the distance from the mount of Olives to Jerusalem. By this we are taught, that " a sabbath-day's journey" is not more than two miles. And this is as much as to tell us, that it is no day to pursue journeys on secular business : for those who are pursuing such journeys would not think of moving forward, for the sake of getting two miles on their way. It is proba- ble that in the land of Israel, thickly inhabited as that country was, the extremes of a congregation, meeting at the same synagogue, were not more than two miles from the centre ; from which circumstance it might become usual to term this distance " a sabbath-d^!y^; journey." If circum- stances are such as to render it necessary to enlarge the limits of a congregation, then it will take more furlongs to make a sabbath-day's journey. In fine, a sabbath-day's journey, according to the true spirit of it, is to each one of us, the same as the distance from his own house to the house of God. But pursuing journeys of business or of pleasure, and that without restraint, not only pollutes the sabbath, but is among the things which in our land greatly pollute it. It would appear worse than laboring in the field, if it were not sanc- tioned by the practice of so many. It is as much our work DISCOURSES ON THE SABBATH. 67 as labor in the field. The traveller interrupts more people in their sanctification of holy time, and places his bad exam- ple before a greater number of observers, than the man who labors in his field. He is the means of preventing the gate- keeper, (if he travels on a turnpike,) from attending on public worship ; and sometimes from attending on the pri- vate duties of religion. By means of the general practice of travelling, there are seasons of the year, when the sabbath is in many public houses nearly secularized, and reduced to a level with other days.* The smith is tempted by the traveller, to help him on his way, by those repairs which * I have no doubt but there are many tavern-keepers, who, with their fami- lies, feel burthened with this profanation of the sabbath ; and long to be freed from such a bustle and hurry of business on this day of rest. The tavern- keeper, who is pleased with it, because it brings money into his coffer, resem- bles those popish priests who get a great revenue by selling to the people indulgences to sin. But perhaps there are some of those who keep houses of entertainment, who think it would not relieve them from their cares, if travel- lers were to rest from their journeying ; as they would still have their share of travellers to provide for during the sabbath. To this difficulty, it may be replied : 1. If these travellers are doing right in resting during the sabbath, it is no sin to provide for them. They are your lawful family, if you keep a public house, and thus are to be considered in the light of boarders. God by the law of the sabbath tells them to rest from tlieir ii-ork, (which is now jour- neying,) and to put up at your house, where the sabbath has overtaken them ; and therefore he teUs you to take care of them as a part of your family. 2. It is not near as penjlexing to have a steady family to provide for, even if its steadiness lasts but for twenty-four hours, as to have the same number con- tinually coming and going ; and you know not what to depend upon. 3. If houses of entrrtainment are more desirous of a holy resting on the sabbath than of making money, they might, in the case of most travellers, dispense with maki.ig any extra preparations, intimating that the bill would be made out accordingly. Good breeding, if no higher principle existed, one would think, would induce travellers to be less particular, that the family might have as little diversion as possible from the appropriate duties of the Lord's day. 4. If tru\ oiling on the sabbath were to be considered as unlawful, and so be laid aside, many who now are on the road on the sabbath, would so order their journey as not to be from home on this day. Such a reformatior , without dimjiiiahing the quantity of travel, would lessen the number of travel] ?rs which wov.xd be from home over the sabbath. 68 DISCOURSES ON THE SABEATH. belong to his occupation. And even the farmer living on the great road, is sometimes drawn into a profanation of the sabbath by the sohcitation of the teamster who wants his assistance to enable him to rise a difficult liill ; or lo extri- cate him from some other embarrassment. To all the other aggravations of this particular way of profaning holy time, that already suggested is no small onep.'namely, that it sets an evil example before a great number of people, who are all of them apt enough to profane the sabbath, without be- ing emboldened to do it by the bad example of others. If to all this it should be replied, 'It is a genera] practice, and therefore ought to be tolerated ;' let me beg you to read Exod. xxiii. 2; "Thou shalt not follow a 7nultitiide to do evil." The greater the number who are in this practice, and the nearer the custom has become, as it were, a law, the more alarm ought to be excited. When the most evi- dent transgressions of God's law are sanctioned by general custom .) then may we expect to hear the Holy One of Israel say, " Shall not I visit for these things, and shall not my soul be avenged on such a nation as this?" 3. It is perhaps w^orthy of remark, that this mention of a sabbath-day's journey was posterior to the death and resur- rection of our Lord. From this we infer, that even as late as this, the Spirit of inspiration delighted to honor the Aveekly sabbath, by teaching us that it was not a day in which to pursue our common journeys. As journeying is, at this day, one of the most common profanations of the sabbath ; — one in which all classes, high and low, rich and poor, (not excepting church communi- cants) partake ; — and since it is such a profanation of the sabbath as is either justified or extenuated, even by some of those who profess a regard for the day, it may perhaps be useful to dwell longer on this part of our subject, by at- tempting an answer to some of the most popular objections, DISCOURSES ON THE SABBATH. 69 which are made against the ideas which have now been advanced. The following are some of the objections which are made :* 1. " When we are on a journey, we are away from our families, and we want very much to get home." Does your being away from your families give you any more right to transgress an express command of God, than though you were at home with them ? If so, when you are from home, you may take the Lord's name in vain and be guiltless ; when you are away from your families, you need not keep the sixth, seventh or eighth command- ments, but may kill, commit adultery and steal. " But we want to be with our families." It is agreeable to see men love their families, and to manifest it either by keeping at home, or returning home as soon as their business and duty will permit. But let me ask my brethren, whether their families lie upon their hearts with so much weight, that business of great consequence would not detain them one day longer ? Is not keeping the commands of God of as much consequence, as worldly business ? Brethren, if we love our families, let us be exhorted not to travel on the Lord's day, for the sake of being with them one day sooner. We had better leave them in the care of our heavenly Father, than to displease him for the sake of seeing them the sooner. "Blessed is the man who feareth the Lord, that delighteth greatly in his commandments ; his seed shall be mighty upon the earth." It may in this connexion be urged ; " our minds will be upon our journey, whether we pursue it or not ; therefore we had as good go on, as lie still and keep thinking of our journey." Why do you not say ♦ These objections, with the answers to them, will be found in the Con. Evan. Magazine, Vol. v. First Series. The author, in adopting these into his work, does not feel that he has abused any other writer ; or subjected himself to the charge of vlagiarisvi. 70 DISCOURSES ON THE SABBATH. SO about the other commands : — that you had as good oponly break them as have any desire that way? If, then, you covet any thing which is your neighbor's, you may as well steal it. " Resist the devil," is the command, and the prom- ise is, " he will flee from you." 2. "Works of necessity and mercy may be done." It will be granted, that to heal a broken bone, you may ride a distance even on the Lord's day, to obtain the aid of the surgeon. To relieve a distressed and starving family, whose distressing circumstances have just come to your knowledge, you may take the first moment, though it be the Lord's time, to carry them some relief. Here mercy is to be preferred before sacrifice. In this sense, works of necessity and mercy may be done on the Lord's day. But it is exceedingly wrong to apply this rule to our common journeying. I appeal to husbandmen, — Is not the harvest more pressing than journeying? Yet God himself has said, " In earing time and in harvest thou shalt rest." Is travelling, in its very nature, a work of necessity? then let a man only make this his constant employment, and the fourth commandment becomes wholly inapplicable to him. Is this, then, the true meaning of the command, " Remem- ber the sabbath-day to keep it holy," except you are on a journey ? 3. " But we do keep the sabbath-day holy, though we pursue our journey ; for we can have as good thoughts on the road, as if we were to suspend our journey." To this we answer; That having good thoughts does not, of itself, constitute a sanctification of the sabbath. A man may think of God and nothing else all the day, and yet not keep the day holy. There is an external as well as an internal sanctification of the sabbath. If the external be wanting, we do not keep the sabbath holy. — When man was in a state of innocency, his thoughts were all good and holy ; yet, even then, he was obliged to sanctify the seventh DISCOURSES ON THE SABBATH. ^ 71 day in distinction from the other days of the week. Sanc- tifying the sabbath must mean, then, something more than havins: pious thoughts. The children of God are some- times favored with remarkable nearness to God on week days, while they are pursuing their secular business, while they are laboring in their shops, or in their fields, or while their hands take hold on the distaff; but still this is not keeping sabbath-day. And we should all think they did very wrong, to plead the lawfulness of pursuing these occu- pations on the sabbath, by saying, that they could have as good thoughts while at work in their houses, shops and fields, as if they were worshipping in the house of the Lord. Let us, my brethren, be ashamed to make such a weak objection as this. If we hold it up to the light, we shall see it to be frivolous. Our having pious meditations on the road, no more makes a sanctification of the sabbath, than it would, if we were to have the same meditations while laboring in our fields. Here I would remark, that though the husbandman has precious thoughts in his field on a week day, yet he would have no reason to expect to be thus favored of God, if he were to go into his field on the Lord's holy day. — So the traveller, who is favored with the most delightful communion with his heavenly Father on Saturday, would have no reason to expect the continuance of this inestimable favor the next day, if he were to pursue his journey. We have no right to seek, nor reason to ex- pect communion with Gocl, out of the ways of his appoint- ment. If we would enjoy his favor, we must, like Enoch and Noah, walk with God. 4. " We sometimes fall in among a very wicked people on the sabbath, where they pay no attention to the day, except it be to behave worse than on any other days ; in such a case, we think we had better go on our journey, than to stay in such company." The very reason stated in the objection for proceeding on 72 DISCOURSES ON THE S.^EBATH. your journey, is a powerful reason against it. The com- mand of the Savior, is, " Let your light shine before men, that tliey seeing your good works may glorify your Father who is in heaven." Now let me ask, Where in the world do people need the light of your holy example, more than in such a dark place as the objection supposes? And in what do they need your example more, than in the sanctifi- cation of the sabbath ? If your hearts are full of love to God, and to the souls of men, can you let so fair an oppor- tunity of doing good pass unimproved ? The Lord has in his providence cast your lot for one sabbath among those who greatly pollute this holy day. You must stay and re- prove them. Good example is the most striking kind of reproof. If they see you lying by from your journey all the sabbath, for no other reason only because it is the Lord^s time and not i/ours, it cannot fail to arrest their attention, even though you should not speak one word on the duty of observing the day. This would command more atten- tion, and be likely to do more good, than all you could pos- sibly sal/ on the duty of observing the commandment, pro- vided you did not observe it yourself Words cost but little, but there is some expense of time and money in lying by at an inn one whole day. I know one man, who had his attention much called up to the duty of sanctifying the sabbath, by the circumstance of having a traveller put up at his tavern during this holy day. If such examples prove effectual only one time in a thousand, it is worth our while to set them before our fellow sinners continually. The objectors suppose that the sabbath cannot be enjoyed among these ungodly people so well as on the road : but let me ask such, whether they have made a trial, to see how well they can enjoy this consecrated day in a public house ? Perhaps you could obtain a chamber, where you might spend the day in secret duties, if there be no public worship DISCOURSES ON THE SABBATH. 73 in the place.* If the weather be mild, you might in al- most any part of the country find, in some neighboring woods or orchard, a place to pray, read and meditate; and this would be a suitable way to fill up this day of heaven. If you have not tried this method of spending the sabbath when on a journey, you ought not to say, that the wicked- ness of the place makes it necessary that you should pro- ceed on your way. But supposing you can have no retire- ment at all, (which is hardly a supposable case,) I think you have reason to expect a good sabbath, if you conscientiously refrain from proceeding on your journey, which is now your work. " If thou turn away thy foot from" encroaching upon "the sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on my holy day," saith Jehovah — " then thou shalt delight thyself in the Lord, and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth," — i. e. I will make thee prosper in spirituals and in temporals — thou shalt have much delight in communion with thy God, and he will bless thy substance. This will prepare us to answer another objection. 5. '' It is very expensive to lie by a whole day, when we are on a journey, and are all the while living upon our money." To this objection we answer, first. That profaning the Lord's day is a poor way to make money or save expenses. "Will a man rob God," to save expense? Is not this the way to bring down his curse on your blessings? Do not you, who believe the weekly sabbath to be a divine institu- * If those who make the above objection against lying by on the sabbath, do not cease to proceed on their journey, as soon as they come among a people, who attend public worship ; or if they do not stop their travelling at the first house, public or private, where the sabbath appears to be reverenced, (pro- vided they can have entertainment,) then it is manifest, that the reason which they offer for travelling is not the one which really influences them ; but is in- vented, either to still an accusing conscience, or to stop the mouth of the brother, who is so kind and faithful as to reprove them for disobedience to God's holy commands, 7 74 DISCOURSES ON THE SABBATH. tion, also believe that a nation, which carefully observe the institution, have reason to expect even greater temporal prosperity, than a nation which altogether disregard it, though this disregard gives them one more day in the week for labor? Why then have we any reason to expect to increase our wealth, by taking the Lord^s time for our \ journey? It is infinitely easy for God so to order his provi-| deuces, that what we appear to gain, by robbing him of the time which he has reserved to himself, we should lose in some other way, even before we have accomplished our journey. To the objection now under consideration, I would an- swer, in the second place ; Though it be expensive to lie by when we are out from home, still this is no reason why we should not do it ; for it is also expensive to rest from labor when we are at home. A large family will consume several dollars' worth of provisions on the sabbath, and they are earning nothing. Now, why may it not be plead in favor of their being at work in the field, or in the loom ; that it is very expensive for so many to be eating and drinking, while they are earning nothing? The same ar- gument, which you use to push you on your journey, you may use to drive your sons into the field, and your daugh- ters to their several domestic employments. It would be trifling to endeavor to make a distinction by saying, "but at a tavern I have to pay out money for my sabbath's pro- vision, while I have provision laid up for my family at home." What they eat and drink at home, either cost you money, or would have fetched you money ; therefore you may just as well say, " I cannot afford to have my family lie by upon the sabbath ; for they are upon expense." This objection against the expense of lying by on the sabbath, appears to be founded almost wholly in covetousness, or that love of the world, which is inconsistent with the love of the Father: and yet this is probably the greatest and DISCOURSES ON THE SABBATH. 75" most influential of all the objections. The losing^ of one clay's advance in our journey, together with the bill of ex- pense incurred in the mean time, no doubt, does more towards making people travel on the sabbath, than all other reasons put together. But can they, Avho seek first the kingdom of God — can they, who henceforth live not unto themselves, but unto him, who died for them — can they, whose treasure is in heaven— can they, who call the sab- bath a delight, the queen of days, and the day of heaven — can they offer such selfish reasons for trampling the holy sabbath into the dust? ^'Let us awake to righteousness and sin not," But some man will say, '-'These answers are all good, when applied to Christian professors. They ought not to travel on the sabbath, and it is a shame to their profession when they do ; but / make no pretensions to religion, though I believe the Bible to be the word of God." Do you think, then, my friend, that your making no profession, gives you any liberty to transgress an acknowledged law of God ? If you should command all your children to obey a certain precept, and only half of them should explicitly promise obedience, would the other half be under no obliga- tion ; or under less obligation to obey you ? Why do you not, on the same ground you have taken, plead an exemp- tion from yielding obedience to the 5th, 6th, 7th and 8th commandments ? When you are at home, you do not hold that it is right for you to work in your field on the Lord's day, any more than for your neighbor who is a professor ; why, then, should you have any more right than he, to pur- sue joux journey 7 Besides, my friend, if you are no Chris- tian, it is time that you were a Christian. To attain to this, the word of God orives this direction amonof others — " Let the wicked /or^rt^e his wayP Again, it is said, " Cease to do evil, learn to do well." Certainly, our impenitence can- not be offered as a reasonable excuse for any neglect of 76 DISCOURSES ON THE SABBATH. duty, when the impenitence itself is considered as highly criminal. " God commandeth all men every where to re- pent." He also requires fruits meet for repentance. He re- quires every thing which is right, and forbids every thing which is wrong ; and these requirements and prohibitions are binding on all men. Let no one therefore plead an exemption from the duty of resting on the sabbath accord- ing to the commandment ; or an exemption from any other duty enjoined in the word of God. DISCOURSES ON THE SABBATH. TT FOURTH DISCOURSE. John v. 39. Search the Scriptures. All believers in the inspiration of the scriptures, are agreed in the belief of the Old Testament sabbath. They all be- lieve, there was a sabbath-day ; but they do not all believe there is a sabbath-day now under the present dispensation. Here let it be remarked, That if the sabbath ever came to an end, it could not be until the death of Christ ; for the Old Testament dispensation lasted until that time : therefore nothing from the example of Christ, or of his disciples, while he was with them, can be pleaded against the present existence of a sabbath, without making it operate against the unexceptionableness of their obedience to the divine law. Christ evidently thought, that in fulfilling all righteousness, it behoved him to observe all the peculiar prescriptions of the Old Testament. He attended the passover, and the other Jewish feasts, not only while a child, but after he en- tered on his public ministry, and even until his death. He required a leper whom he healed, to shoAv himself to the priest, and offer for his cleansing what Moses had com- manded. It is a common thing, if I mistake not, for those who consider the law of the sabbath as binding only upon the ancient church, to make much use of the example of Christ, to justify their sentiment. But it is wrong to make this use of it ; for if we are not bound to keep the sabbath, Jesus Christ was bound to keep it as holy as the fourth commandment required. Let therefore a tender regard to the character of our Savior, induce every one to relinquish 78 DISCOURSES ON THE SABBATH. this argument^ which has been brought to favor the abro- gation of the sabbath. Instead of further pursuing my plan of going from one scripture to another in regular order, making remarks on each ; I propose to devote this discourse to prove the ferpe- tuity and change of the sabbath. In doing this, those ap- propriate passages, which are still forward of us in the sacred volume, will naturally be introduced. First. A few arguments will be brought to prove the 'perpetuity of the weekly sabbath. This will require the repetition of some of those arguments which have been al- ready used in another place. The perpetual obligation of keeping holy to the Lord one day every week, is capable of being proved by such arguments as these : 1. The sabbath was instituted before the fall, and could not therefore be a ceremonial institution. The various sacrifices and washings, of which we read in the Old Tes- tament, were added to the moral law because of transgres- sions. [Gal. iii. 19.]. These observances were binding on the church until the great sacrifice was offered, and the Spirit was marvellously poured out ; then they ceased to be binding. But how can the abrogation of these superadded institutions, affect the existence of the weekly sabbath, which was established by the Creator before there was even any room made for their establishment ? If man had not be- come an apostate, the law of ceremonies could not have been : but the sabbath existed before man apostatized, and would have continued from the beginning to the end of the world, (if an end had ever come,) provided man had re- mained innocent. Does any one hesitate, whether the weekly sabbath would have been a perpetually binding in- stitution, during the age of the world, if man had not fallen from his original rectitude ? I think no one can have any hesitation on the subject. How then can it be, that the in- troduction of sin, together with the plan of redemption, DISCOURSES ON THE SABBATH. 79 should set aside our obligation to keep holy to the Lord the weekly sabbath? As well might it be supposed, that when the ceremonial law was abrogated the law of marriage went with it. Marriage and the sabbath were both instituted at the same time, and before man became a fallen creature. The fall did not destroy the institution of marriage. It was before the fall, and after the fall : — It was under the law, and existed after the law of ceremonies had vanished away. All these chanfifes in the state of man, and the state of the church, produced no change in this institution, which was cotemporary with that of the holy sabbath. During all these changes, it is still the will of the Creator, ' that a man should leave father and mother and cleave to his wife, and that they two should be no more twain, but one flesh.' So, during ail these changes, the sabbath, which was divinely instituted before them all, must be supposed to exist. 2. The perpetuity of the weekly sabbath, may be argued from the perpetuity of the v^eek itself ; or the continued practice of reckoning seven days together into one portion of time, and then beginning a new series of days until the number of seven is again completed. The dividing of time into days and years, is natural ; but it is not so with dividing it into tveeks. No reason, that I know of, can be assigned for this, but that which is contained in the scriptu- ral account of the creation ; that in six days God created the heavens and the earth, and rested the seventh day. Thus God, the Creator, made the week of seven days; assigning six days to labor and one to a holy rest. His most express object, in this division of time, appears to be the establishment of the sabbatical day. And it would be natural to suppose, that if he intended at the commencement of the Christian era, or any other period, to abolish the weekly sabbath, he would abolish the week itself, which seems to have been formed on purpose to give existence and notoriety to the sabbath. When the French Convention 80 DISCOURSES ON THE SABBATH. chose to annihilate the weekly sabbath, they wisely struck the axe at the root of the tree, by annihilating the week itself. Instead of reckoning time by weeks, they determined to reckon by decades^ that is, periods of ten days. But we do not find that the Founder of the Christian religion, when he appeared on earth, changed the weeks into decades ; or into any thing else. He found seven-day weeks, and he left such weeks, as is manifest from the whole New Testament. This is a presumptive proof, that the sabbath, that eminent day of the week for which the week was made, is still to be continued, with all its pemliar duties. 3. We must be allowed to repeat the argument, derived from God's placing the law of the sabbath in the midst of nine other commandments, which, it is acknowledged on all hands, are binding on Christians^ as much as they were on Jews. Js it not very difficult to account for it, that Jehovah, who is a God of order, and not of confusion, should place a ceremonial institute, which was to vanish away, in such a situation as this? Is there no important instruction to be gained by these commandments being written on stone 7 There were other sabbaths apix)inted to the Jewish church, which were not from the beginning ; these were not written upon the tables of stone. Commandments perpetually oblig- atory, it is true, were written upon parchment, or paper; but when so few as ten short commandments were written upon stones, and that with the Jinger of God, can we sup- pose that one of these ten was a ceremonial precept, which has long since vanished away ? I fear the sentiment will lead, (whatever may now be thought of its harmlessness,) to make light of our obligation to obey the other nine com- mandments, which by the same finger of God were written on the same tables of stone. If we think that Christ has abolished one of the ten commandments, we shall flatter ourselves that he has, at least softened down the others; until we make the easiness of his yoke to consist in his DISCOURSES ON THE SABBATH. 81 giving us liberty unrestrainedly to fulfil the lusts of the flesh and of the mind. 4. Stated seasotis of public worship are foretold as exist- ing in gospel days. Isa. Ixvi. 23; "And it shall come to pass, that from one new moon to another, and from one sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before me, saith the Lord." It will be granted by all, that this refers to the gospel times. It refers particularly to the times of the Millennium. It clearly points out public worship. It also shows that it will be repeated from time to time ; and that all the world will be united in observing the same peri- odical seasons of worship. It is also explicitly said, that this public worship of Jehovah shall be performed from one sabbath to another. But it will be objected. That it is also said, that it will be from one new moo?i to another. The objector would argue, that since we do not from this prediction infer the continued observance of the new moon sabbath, neither ought we to infer the continued observance of the weekly sabbath. We acknowledge, that the continuance of Old Testament ordi- nances cannot be proved from the application of their distin- guishing names to the ordinances of the New Testament ; for the prophets made use of the things which then were, to express the things which were to come. The prediction which is now under our eye, proves at least, that in gospel days there would be stated and frequent seasons of publicly worshipping God, in which mankind would agree. My present object is not so much to disprove the continued observance of the new moon, as to prove that under the gospel dispensation, there is some stated time to be devoted to the worship of God. If any stated time is to be devoted to the exercises of religion, the weekly sabbath certainly has the^r^^ claim. This was instituted before all other times ; even before the revolt of man. And this was distinguished from all the rest, by being spoken by the living God in the B2 DISCOURSES ON THE SABBATH. audience of the chosen people, and written with his own finger in the midst of the moral law. If among all the holy- seasons enjoined on the Jewish church, any one has come down to the Christian church, I think there can be no man- ner of doubt but it must be that which was first enjoined on the human race, before the Jews existed ; and which, after their existence, was revealed to them in such a way as to mark its pre-eminence above all the rest. In connection with the predictions of stated and periodi- cal seasons of worship, to be observed by all who should embrace the gospel, it will be proper to notice, that the piety of gospel converts is foretold by their strict and conscien- tious observance of the sabbath. "Also the sons of the stranger, that join themselves to the Lord, to serve him — every one that keepeth the sabbath from polluting it, and taketh hold of my covenant;" Isa. Ivi. 6. How could the prophet speak of the piety of Gentile converts in gospel days, as manifesting itself by keeping the sabbath from pol- luting it, if 710 sabbath was to exist in gospel times ? 5. The same reasons exist for the perpetuity of the sab- bath, as for its being instituted : and no reasons exist for its discontinuance. One reason given for the institution of a weekly sabbath, is the need of a resting day. This is mentioned, Deut. v. 14 ; " That thy man-servant and thy onaid-servant may rest as well as thouP All will see in a moment, that as far as this is a reason in favor of the insti- tution, it operates equally in favor of its continuance. Another design of the institution of the sabbath, was to be a weekly remembrancer of our dependance on God, for our existence, and for all our possessions. The weekly rest is a standing memorial of the Mosaic account of the creation ; and the careful observance of this holy day, is a repeated acknowledgment that we give credit to this account. And though the holy rest is now changed to another day, to be a memorial of a still more important work than that DISCOURSES ON THE SABBATH. 63 of creation, it does not cease to answer its first design, namely, to remind us, that in six days God created the heavens and the earth, and all the host of them. A third reason for the continuance of the sabbath, is its necessity for the preservation of public worship, and giving opportunity for religious instructioti. The scriptures make it our duty to worship, not only every one in his closet, and every family at home, but that congregations should assem- ble to offer up united prayers, confessions and thanksgiv- ings to the common Parent of us all. " I will pay my vows unto the Lord now in the presence of all his people ; in the courts of the Lord's house." Public worship is greatly for the honor of God. It resembles heaven, where great multitudes unitedly adore and praise the Lord. Public worship is very improving to the piety and social harmony of those who heartily engage in it. But public worship cannot be attended, without a public day of worship. If God therefore designed that public worship should be kept up under the gospel, (and nothing can be more evident,) his wisdom would certainly lead him to appoint stated seasons for its observance. Religious instruction ought to be com- municated, more or less, every day ; but public instruction requires a particular day, as well as a place of assembling. The command to the gospel teacher, is, " Preach the word ; be instant in season ; out of season." This command sup- poses there are regular and stated seasons for preaching the word of God. In other words, it supposes a sabbath-day. If there were no day in the week which, by way of emi- nence, was a day of religion, religious instruction would probably be much more neglected even in families. God's design to perpetuate holy time to the end of the world, seems then nearly as evident as his design to preserve true religion from becoming extinct. For if it be so essential to the preservation of religion in the world, that time should be taken for public worship and preaching the word, it 84 DISCOURSES ON THE SABBATH. would never be left optional with us, whether to take this time, or not. And if He, who is the only Potentate, had not designated the very time to be devoted to pubhc wor- ship and instruction, it would have been much the same, as leaving it to our judgment whether or not to take any time for these purposes. If, in opposition to this, it should be said ; ' That those Christian denominations, which do not believe that God has fixed upon any particular time to be devoted to religion, do nevertheless statedly attend on the duties of public worship ;' it may be accounted for in one or the other of these two ways. First. They may have some belief still remaining upon their minds, that the weekly sabbath is not done away. Secondly. If they do not be- lieve that God has fixed on this time, and obliged them to devote it to his worship, still the circumstance, that the greater part of the Christian world do believe it, and there- fore statedly observe it as holy time, suggests it to them as a time proper for them^ also to meet together for religious purposes. For let it be remembered, that those religious denominations, and particular congregations, which do not believe that God has given the Christian church a holy day, observe the same as a day of public worship, (if they observe any) which loe observe, who believe that God has given a sabbath to the Christian^ as well as to the Jewish church. If all Christian denominations were at once to disbelieve the divine obligation of observing holy time; and if they could, with this, forget that God's people ever were under such obligation, or that there ever was any particular day, or portion of time, set apart from secular to religious duties, is it to be expected that they would all agree among themselves, to observe one day every week, and that the same day 7* * To all these arguments in favor of the perpetuity of the weekly sabbath, it is objected that a different doctrine is taught, Gal. iv. 10, 11 : Col. ii. 16, 17; and Rom. xiv. 5. DISCOURSES ON THE SABBATH. 85 Having attended to some arguments in favor of the per- petual obligation of observing a weekly sahhath, I proceed, Socondly ; To suggest some arguments in favor of a change of the sabbath from the seventh to the^r^^ day of the week. If in the passage in the epistle to the Galatians, the Lord^s day is included among the days which they are condemned for observing, it will follow, that it is wrong for us to observe it, or even to make it a stated season for public wor- ship. They who bring this text to prove the abrogation of the weekly sabbath, and to do away the moral obligation of Christians to keep any holy day, do nevertheless view it as an iniwcent thing to make a stated practice of meeting together on the first day of the week : But Paul says to those who observe iaijs^ " I am afraid of you." The church at Galatia was evidently much troubled, and not a little corrupted by Judaizing Christian teachers. These men were full of a Pharisaic spirit. They did not understandingly embrace the Christian system ; nor did they discern the true intent of the ceremonial law, and the Jewish economy. If they had, it would have served as a school- master, to teach them the necessity of Christ, and its own insufficiency to save. When Paul heard, that his brethren of the Galatian church, who were not Jews but Gentiles, were, by the insti action of these mongrel Christian preach- ers, adopting the peculiar rites of the J ewish dispensation ; such as the obser- vance of those days, and months, and tin es, and years, which were a part of the law which had waxed old and vanished away ; he was afraid of them, lest he had bestowed labor upon them in vain. But do you think that this apostle, if he were now present, would be afraid of those Christian churches among us, which are the most careful in their sanctifying the weekly sabbath, lest gospel labor had been bestowed upon them in vain '? We find at tlais day that those, who enter most fully into the scheme of salvation by grocc alor.p. pr°, r'.t the same time, apt to be the strictest in their observance of the Lord's day. The passage in Col. ii. 16, 17, has also reference to these ceremonial obser- vances : " Let no man therefore judge you in meat or in drink, or in respect of an holy day, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath-days ; which are a shadow of things to come ; but the body is of Christ." In this connexion, Christ is said to have blotted out the hand-writing of ordinances, that was against us. But he did not surely blot out any thing w^hich was written on the two tables of stone. There were many hoh days, and sabbaihs, (i. e. days and years of rest from secular business,) which the God of Israel enjoined on his people to observe, besides that weekly rest, or holy sabbath, which in the beginning he enjoined on Adam and all his sons. These sabbaths, being part of the ceremo- nial law, pointed to Christ and the privileges of gospel days. They were a shadow of which Christ was the body or substance. The apostle would not have any one judge and condemn these Christians, who held the Head — who 8 86 DISCOURSES ON THE SABBATH. 1. The first argument, which I shall make use of to favor the change of the sabbath, will be drawn from what is said in the scriptures about the work of redemption's eclipsing the work of creation. It is said concerning Christ, that all things were made for him. The first creation, which was had embraced the substance, because they disused the shadows. If it can be proved, that the grand design of the weekly sabbath was to serve as a type of the coming of Christ, this would do much toward proving that it is now no longer obligatory. But this I conclude has not been proved. The Gentile converts did not observe the same day of the week as a sabbath, which had been observed by the Jews : nor did they eat of the paschal lamb, or practise the rite of circumcision : but they kept holy the first day of the week ; they ate of the Lord's supper, and used the initiating rite of baptism. For these differences they were judged and condemned by the unbelieving Jews, though they held themselves as sacredly bound to attend on those institutions, in their New Testament form, as the Jews had done to attend upon them under the form of the Old Testament dispensation. The passage in the 14th chapter of Romans, may perhaps, be thought more decisively to level all distinction of days in New Testament times : " One man esteemeth one day above another ; another esteemeth every day alike. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind." To understand what the apostle meant in this passage it is proper to attend to the scope of his argu- ment. In another place, speaking of the day of judgment, he says. Then shall every man have praise of God. Yet this same apostle abundantly teaches, that many men will at that solemn and decisive day be condemned of God, and have tribulation and anguish ; that the wrath of God will come on them, and that they will reap corruption. " Every man who is to have praise of God," must mean every good man : It was of such men the apostle was speaking. So in the passage now before us, he is not speaking of all days, but of all ceremo- nial days. In the same argument, he says, " For one belie veth that he may eat all things : another who is weak eateth herbs. Let not him that eateth despise him that eateth not." There was no Christian who did not eat; there was none but that believed he had a right to eat something besides herbs ; for the Creator had most expressly given man liberty to eat fi£sh ; But in the Levitical law he had restricted him to certain animals. Among the primitive converts the dispute must have been about eating of the animals, which by that law were considered unclean. Some whose faith, and whose insight into Christianity, were weak, would sooner confine themselves to bread and vegeta- bles, than to eat of the meats which they esteemed as unclean. As the dispute was not about all meats, so it was not about ail days : It was only about the days distinguished by the ceremonial law. Some still viewed the new moon, the feast of passover, the pentecost, the day of atonement, &c. as holy days — DISCOURSES ON THE SABBATH. 87 finished in six days, is considered as the scaffoldings and the church as the temple which is to abide for ever. In Isa. Ixv. 17, 18, it is said, " For behold I create new hea- vens, and a new earth ; and the former shall not be remem- bered, nor come into mind. But be ye glad and rejoice for ever in that which I create : for behold, I create Jerusa- lem a rejoicing, and her people a joy." Here are two cre- ations brought into view. The first is that of which we have an account in the beginning of the Bible. It was fin- ished in six days, and on the seventh day God rested from his work, and therefore blessed the day, and sanctified it. The other creation mentioned in this passage, is called Jeru- salein and her people. It is Jerusalem which is above, which is the mother of all the children of God. This new and spiritual creation, the church of Christ, is spoken of as far surpassing the first in beauty and glory. In comparison to the 7iew creation, the first will not be worthy to be re- membered or come into mind. This prophetic account of the superior excellency of the new creation, very naturally suggests the idea of changing the day of rest, so as would be calculated to present the new creation, that is, the work OF redemption, in a more conspicuous point of view than the six days' creation. And this is evidently done by making tlie day, on which the Redeemer rested from his work of suffering and abasement, to be the Christian sab- bath. " There remaineth, therefore, a rest (a sabhatism) to the people of God. For he that is entered into his rest, he hath also ceased from his own works, as God did from his :?' Heb. iv. 9, 10. As God ceased from the work of creating the world, and made a sabbatis??i; so Christ ceased from his work of suffering, to redeem the world, and he also as better than other days : others viewed these days as now reduced to a level with common days. But as the ceremonial law, at its first establishmentj found one distinguished day, one day which was better than the other, neither its institution; nor its abrogation could affect that day. 88 DISCOURSES ON THE SABBATH. made a sabbaiism; vndi both are an emblem of the rest, (i. e. of the keeping of a sabbath,) which remaineth to the people of God in the coming world. 2. There are predictions in the Old Testament, which intimate a change of the sabbath. This is pretty clearly intimated, Psal. cxviii. 22 — 24. "The stone which the builders rejected is become the head stone of the corner. This is the Lord's doing, it is marvellous in our eyes. This is the day which the Lord hath made, we will rejoice and be glad in it." The New Testament scriptures make it cer- tain that this corner stone is Christ. He was in the most striking manner rejected of the Jewish builders, when they cried, "Away with him, crucify him, crucify him." And when he was declared to be the Son of God with power, by his resurrection from the dead, he did, in an eminent sense, become the head stone of the corner. " This,''' say the church, " is the day which the Lord hath made, we will re- joice and be glad in it." The event has explained this to mean, that Christians would make the day of Christ's resur- rection, their sabbath, in which to pray, and praise, and hear the word. A holy rejoicing, and not a frolicksome mirth, was predicted. It will be seen by Dr. Watts' version of this Psalm, that he viewed it as pointing out the resur- rection-day sabbath. " This is the day the Lord hath made, " He calls the hours his oii?)i ; " Let heaven rejoice, let earth be glad, " And praise surround the throne." There seems to be a prediction of the change of the sab- bath, at the close of the 43d chapter of Ezekiel. " Seven days shall they purge the altar and purify it, and they shall consecrate themselves. And when these days are expired, it shall be that upon the eighth day and so forward, the priests shall make your burnt-offerings upon the altar, and your peace-ofierings." It is generally agreed that these last DISCOURSES ON THE SABBATH. 89 chapters of Ezekiel refer to gospel days, and ultimately to the days of the Millennium. Gospel worship is predicted under the emblems of the ceremonial dispensation. But we are not to understand the predicted worship itself as typical, though the altai\ and the biirnt-offerwgs and peace-offer- i7igs, is the language of types. The New Testament has its ministers, and its altar which sanctifieth every gift offered upon it, and its offerings of prayer and praise. It must, therefore, have its da/^s of offering up these acceptable sacri- fices. And the prediction, now under our eye, seems to intimate that it would be a different day from what had before been devoted to the special services of religion. It shall be that upon the eighth da//, and so forward^ the priests shall make your burnt-offerings upon the altar. The eighth day is the next after the seventh, and is therefore the same as the^r^^ day of the week ; the day upon which Christian " priests " minister at the altar : and thus it is to continue to the end of time. 3. The first day of the week is in the New Testament called the Lord's day. It is so called. Rev. i. 10. "I was in the Spirit on the Lord's dayP There can be no doubt but that the first day of the week is meant. This has been the name, which Christians have given to it from the com- mencement of the Christian era, and is as much the distin- guishing name of the first day of the week, as Monday and Tuesday^ are of the second and third days. This is fully conceded by a writer of eminence, who nevertheless dis- putes divine authority for any sabbath under the Christian dispensation. He says, "I make no doubt but that by the Lords day was meant the first day of the week ; for we find no footsteps of any distinction of days, which could entitle any other to that appellation. The subsequent his- tory of Christianity corresponds with the accounts delivered on this subject in scripture." If this point is conceded, that ihe first day of th3 week is 8* 90 DISCOURSES ON THE SABBATH. what the apostle John means by the Lord's day, it will afford a strong argument in favor both of the perpetuity wa^ change of the sabbath. What can be meant, by giving the appropriate name of Lords day to a particular day of the "week ? The name marks the day as His ; as the Lords sup2)ej^, and the Lords house, distinguish the sacrament from a common supper ; and the temple or sanctuary from a common dwelling. Time is all the Lord's ; yet in Isaiah, fifty-eighth chapter, and thirteenth verse, we hear him chal- lenging a special property in a particidar day, by calling it His day. " If thou turn away thy foot from the sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on my holy day." Why does he say concerning the sabbath, it is 7?iy day, only to point it out as a day separated from common, to religious purposes, and consecrated by his own appointment to his immediate service? And why, in the inspired writings of the New Testament, do we read of the Lords day, if there be no day now set apart for the same holy purposes, and by the same divine authority 7 And this appropriate name being transferred from the seventh to the first day, proves, that the first day of the week, and not the seventh, is now the holy day ; and that it is to be observed as the weekly sab- bath. There may be some Christian readers who never thought that this name of Lords day, given in the New Testament to the first day of the week, did any thing to- wards determining their obligation to keep it holy to the Lord, or to pointing out its particular duties, any more than that the names of the other days of the week determine the particular duties belonging to them. But 1 am sure they will think otherwise, when they have duly examined this significant name. 4. A change of the day of keeping the sabbath, may be argued from the apostolic practice, that is, the practice of the apostles themselves, and the cotemporary practice of the churches which they planted. They evidently distinguish- DISCOURSES ON THE SABBATH. 91 ed the first day of the week as a day of asse?nbli7ig, and of attending on Christian ordinances. In the Acts of the Apos- tles, chap. XX. verses 6, 7, we have this account : " And we came unto them to Troas in five days, where we abode seven days. And upon the^r^^ day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul preached unto them." As Paul was at Troas a full week, he was there on the seventh day sabbath, but there is no mention made of their meeting on that day for public worship, for preaching, and the breaking of bread ; but when the first day arrived, the disciples met for these purposes. When the apostles preached to the unconverted Jews, they met with them on their own day. They watched every time and opportunity, to make known to them the mystery of the Gospel. But when they were with churches of converted disciples, they distinguished the first day, as the day of meeting together for the purposes of religion. That the first day of the week was thus generally distinguished among the primitive churches, maybe learned from 1 Gor. xvi. 1, 2: "Now con- cerning the collection for the saints, as I have given orders to the churches of Galatia, even so do ye. Upon the Jirst day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store, as God hath prospered him, that there be no gatherings when I come." From this it appears, that in the church of Corinth, and the churches of Galatia, and in fine, in Chris- tian churches in general, the first day of the week was dis- tinguished as a day of religious meeting, and would there- fore be a suitable day for a charitable contribution. If the arguments which have been brought to prove that there now exists a sabbath^ do actually prove it ; I think there is light enough from the apostolic practice to make it evident, that the first day of the week is that sabbath. 5. The practice of the Christia^i church since the days of the apostles, afiTords an argument of considerable weight in favor of the change of the sabbath. It is evident from 92 DISCOURSES ON THE SABBATH. the history of the Christian church, that she has all along had her holy day, her day for attending to the word and worship of God ; and also that this day has been the firsts and not the seventh day of the week. ^ This has been the day observed, not only by the corrupt church of Rome, but by all the protestant churches, with veiy few exceptions. Now it is very difficult to account for this, on the ground, that the seventh day is still the divinely appointed sabbath. It is difficult to see how the Christians should all make a mistake about the particular day to be kept holy. It is not so strange that there should be a mistake about some cir- cumstance, such as the time of beginning the day. It is also difficult to believe, that the King of Zion would suffer almost his whole church, in times of primitive purity, as well as times of apostacy ; and also in times of reformation, to mistake the very day which he had appointed for the sabbath. This at least, in connexion with other things, furnishes a presumptive proof of divine authority for the change of the day. 6. The transfer of the blesshig from the seventh to the first day, shows that this is now the hallowed day. " God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it." If it can be made to appear, that God now makes the first day eminently the day of blessings it will be a strong proof that he has sanctified it; or made it the holy day. I have already quoted a passage from the 43d chapter of Ezekiel, which predicts, that under the gospel, the priests (i.e. the ministers of Christ) should make their offerings thence forward on the eighth day ; which must mean the same as the first day of the week. In connexion with this new day of making their offerings, it is said, " And I will accent you, saith the Lord God." It is implied, not only that God would accept of the offerings, but also of the new sabbath, on which these offer- ings would in time to come be made. It was on the first day of the week, even the very day on DISCOURSES ON THE SABBATH. 93 which the Savior arose from the dead, that he made the hearts of the two disciples burn within them, by opening their understandings to understand the scriptures. This was properly the first Christian sabbath, (though it is proba- ble that the disciples did not yet understand the change which was to take place ;) and that sweet communion which the Savior granted to these disciples, and that increasing know- ledge of the scriptures which he afforded them, was no doubt designed as a specimen of the blessing which he would henceforth put upon that day. '' The same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut, where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, came Jesus and stood in the midst, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you." John xx. 19. This was a blessed sabbath evening ; the risen Savior was in the midst of them speaking words of peace.* The Pentecost fell on this day of the week, as will appear by reverting to Levit. xxiii. 15, 16. The first Pentecost after the resurrection of Christ, was surely a day blessed of the Lord. It was a day in which he stood by Peter, bidding him to cast his net on the right side of the ship ; and made him a most successful fisher of men. How many thousands of souls, since that day, have been pricked in the heart on the Christian sabbath ! And to how many has this been a spiritual birth-day ! When the history of the work of redemption shall be fully disclosed, it will no doubt strikingly * Those Christians, who believe that the holy day begins and ends at the setting of the sun, do notwithstanding frequently devote the evening which succeeds the day to devotional exercises in a social manner, in which they often find that Christ is with them. And though they do not consider this evening as a part of the twenty-four hours, which constitute the Lord's day ; still it grieves them to see this evening, which inunediately succeeds the day of prayer, made peculiar by mirth and levity, which are striking indications that the sab- bath, with all its solemn services, has made no deep and lasting impression upon the hearts of creatures bound to eternity. 94 DISCOURSES ON THE SABBATH. appear, that this is the day which the Lord hath blessed and honored, as a harvest day for souls. It was on the Lord's day, that the beloved disciple was in the Spirit. Peculiar manifestations were made to him on this day, and the probable reason why that day of the week is particularized on which he had these revelations made to him, is, to put honor on the day. The saints have com- munion with God on other days ; but they are apt to look forward to the Lord's day, as a peculiarly blessed day. By their own experience they have learned, that it is good for them to keep it holy to the Lord : and that when they keep it most agreeably to the requirement contained in the fourth command, it is then the most blessed. Another argument in favor of the holiness of the Chris- tian sabbath, may be drawn from the evils which have been connected with a profanation of it. This day has been greatly profaned, and vice and iniquity in general have been manifestly fostered, and brought to a greater height by its profanation. It was noticed by Judge Hale, of England, that among the many criminals which were convicted of capital crimes while he was Judge, he found few but that, upon inquiry, would confess that they began their career of wickedness, by a loose conduct on the Lord's day. Although such miraculous manifestations of God's displeasure are not to be looked for, as were common during the days of inspi- ration ; yet wise observers, in our own days, have noticed some pretty signal manifestations of God's displeasure against those, who have greatly polluted the Christian sabbath : and they have noticed his frowns on themselves for their own deviations from a conscientious hallowing of this day, which is called the Lord's. But to all which has been offered in favor of a change of the day, it will perhaps be objected ; That the command- ment says, " But the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God, in it thou shalt not do any work." To this objec- DISCOURSES ON THE SABBATH. 95 tion it may be replied: That to worship God is a part of the moral law. To take time from other services, to devote im- mediately to this worship, is also morally binding. While in this world, where a part of time must necessarily be de- voted to secular employments, it is morally and perpetually binding on us, to sanctify a seventh part of time ; for this is required in the moral law. The change of the day to be observed, does not destroy the command ; for this applies, with equal force, to the day which the New Testament calls the Lord's Day. I know we should have no right, of our- selves, to make such an alteration as this : but the Lord of the sabbath could point out a new day to be observed, with- out repealing the original law. And we think the reasons which have been given are sufficient to lead to a conclusion, that He himself has made the change. The fourth com- mandment still has all its force : Six days we labor, and then we have one day of rest, which is holy to the Lord. These holy days come in the same regular succession, as under the law. It is true, that now they are designed, not only to remind us of the work of creation, but of the still more wonderful and glorious work of redemption. Surely there is nothing in such a change as this, that looks like an annihilation of the commandment. The ten command- ments, delivered from Mount Sinai, are all of them still binding upon the children of men. And the Savior says, " If ye love me, keep my commandments." 96 DISCOURSES ON THE SABBATH. FIFTH DISCOURSE John v. 39. Search the Scriptures. A REVIEW of the scripture testimony concerning the sab- bath, will suggest some remarks and reflections. I. The weekly sabbath holds a very conspiaiotis place in the scriptures. We find it upon the first page of the Bible. We find it in the midst of the decalogue. We find it spread through both Testaments. The texts which have been introduced and remarked upon, in the preceding dis- courses, are not a few. If placed one after the other in continued order, they would be enough to make several chapters. Would all this be, in a book which was written by holy men, as they were moved by the Holy Ghost, if the sabbath were an unimportant institution ; or if it were un- important in comparison with other things? Where there is "precept upon precept, precept upon precept, line upon line, line upon line, here a little and there a little," concern ing any institution, it is evident, that such institution is considered to be of great importance. We infer the impor- tance of the subject from the frequent mention made of it in the scriptures ; and also from the great solemnity/ with which it is mentioned. The sanctification of the sabbath is strongly enforced, and the profanation of it most severely threatened. If God has scattered instruction concerning his holy day through the whole sacred volume, then it must be a subject worth engaging the attention of all those to whom the word of God comes. Let us on this point imitate the Jews of DISCOURSES ON THE SABBATH. 97 Berea, who searched the scriptures daily, to see whether the things which they heard were so. If any think it a matter of little or no consequence, they will not be much engaged to inquire what God has revealed concerning it. 11. It is important to remark, that there are two errors concerning the sabbath, both of which have a dangerous and pernicious tendency. One of these errors consists in making the sabbath a mere carcass^ without spirit and life : the other error consists in depriving it wholly of its body, the external part, under pretence of great regard to the spir- ituality of it. The first of these was the error of the Phari- sees, who lived in the time of our Savior. They were a generation very destitute of true religion ; yet they ap- peared, in a certain way, to pay great attention to the obser- vance of the sabbath. They were perhaps in the sight of God as wicked as those, who, in the days of Jeremiah and Ezekiel, greatly polluted the sabbath by their loose prac- tices. But their wickedness, as it respected the sabbath and many other religious observances, ran in quite a different channel. They adhered to the external of the command- ment, and were even unnecessarily scrupulous in some things ; but the external of it was all which they regarded. And this they did to establish their own righteousness, not submitting themselves to the righteousness of God. The opposite error, of spiritualizing avmy the external of the commandment, is no less dangerous ; and it may be done by those, who possess substantially the same character with the scribes and Pharisees. They will boastingly say, " We are no Pharisees ;" when God, who seeth their hearts, beholds them disregarding the letter of his precept, from a vain conceit of a high regard to the spirit of it. They may say, " We have the spirit of the sabbath, and you have the letter: — We have the sabbath within, and you have it without : — We keep sabbath evejy day, and you have it but once a week.^^ Let these claims to peculiar spir- 9 98 DISCOURSES ON THE SABBATH. ituality be canvassed. The letter or body, without the spirit, we acknowledge is dead ; but a man is not a man complete without spirit and body too. God has made, and designs to perpetuate, both the spirit and body. So God has made the spirit and the letter of the sabbath ; and designs that both shall be regarded. It must be displeasing to him, to see one part made use of to oppose and destroy the other, when he regards them both. It has been said by those who oppose the external of the commandment, " We have the sabbath within^ you have it withoutP In reply to this it may be asked ; How it is known that we, who have the sabbath without, have it not also within? Did not an apostle say, "Show me thy faith without thy works, and I will show thee my faith hy my works?" What works are so proper to show an inward regard to the sabbath, as refraining from all those things forbidden to be done on that day, and performing the duties required? Is it a suitable way to manifest that God's law is in our hearty by avoiding it in our 'practice 7 But, say our opponents, "We keep sabbath every day, and you have it hut once a loeek? What is meant by this? Does this mean that they have love to God, and other holy affections and meditations all the week ? It is in a figurative sense only, that this can be called a continual sabbath. In the paradisaic state, there was nothing but such holy affections continually, and yet there was but one sabbath-day in the week. In the ten commandments we are required to love the Lord our God with all our heart, and that perpetually every day in the week ; and yet in those commandments we are required to keep but one day in the week holy to the Lord. All the holy affections, which can exist in the heart, will not of themselves con- stitute a sanctification of the sabbath. Keeping the sabbath is a particidar way of manifesting love to God ; if this particular way is not taken, the commandment is not DISCOl-RSES ON THE SABBATH. 99 obeyed. It is so with the other commandments. The first commandment requires, that the living and true God should be the supreme object of love. The second commandment forbids the making of images, and bowing down to them as though they were gods. Now let me ask, Can this com- mand be inwarclli/ obeyed, and ou tw a rcllt/ disobey edl Can the outward part be disregarded from love to the spirit of the commandment ? If so, then j^apists, and even pagans^ give evidence of being more spiritual than any denomina- tion of protestant Christians, who are all so scrupulous as to attend to the external of the commandment. But let us proceed : Did any one ever suppose, that profane swearers and blasphemers gave peculiar evidence of love to the spirit of the third commandment, because they pay such little attention to the external of it? Or has any one supposed, that there was any way of keeping the third commandment, short of taking heed to our lips, as well as to our hearts, that they do not pollute the holy name of Jehovah ? The fourth commarKlniei3^,.as distinguished frorii the others, does not consist in any pajticu!ar