public worship and instruction: it is not only expedient, but necessary, that there should be also fixed times appointed for it by sufficient authority. And how much and what time should be devoted to this purpose, every society must have determined for themselves, and would have found it hard enough to agree in determining, if God had given no intimation of his will in the case. But happily we are informed, in the history of the creation, that the Maker of the world, having finished his work in six days, (which he could as easily have finished in one moment, had it not been for some valuable reason, probably of instruction to us) blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it*: that is, appointed every return of it to be religiously kept, as a solemn memorial, that of him, and therefore to him, are all thingst. It is much the most natural to apprehend, that this appointment took place from the time, when it is mentioned; from the time when the reason of it took place. And it is no wonder at all, that, in so short a history, notice should not be taken of the actual observation of it before Moses: for notice is not taken of it in five hundred years after Moses. Yet we know of a certainty, that in his time, at least, it was ordered to be observed, both in this fourth commandment, and in other parts of the law, which direct more particularly the manner of keeping it. The thing most expressly enjoined the Jews, in each of these passages, is resting from all manner of work; and not suffering their families, their cattle, nor even the strangers that lived amongst them, to labour on that day. And the reason of this rest, given in the commandment, as you have it in the book of Exodus, is, that the Lord rested on the seventh Gen. ii. 3. + Rom. xi. 36. Not that this, or any For the Creator of neither is weary*. day from his work of creation. thing, could be a fatigue to him. the ends of the earth fainteth not, But the expression means, that having then finished the formation of the world, he ceased from it; and required men also to cease from their labours every seventh day; in memory of that fundamental article of all religion, that the heavens and earth were made, and therefore are governed, by one infinitely wise, powerful, and good Being. And thus was the Sabbath, which word means the day of rest, a sign, as the Scripture calls it, between God, and the children of Israel; a mark to distinguish them from all worshippers of false deities. But besides this principal reason for the repose of every seventh day, two others are mentioned in the law that it might remind them of that deliverance from heavy bondage, which God had granted them; Remember, that thou wast a servant in the land of Egypt, and that the Lord brought thee out thence; therefore he commanded thee to keep the sabbath-day: and likewise that their servants and cattle might not be worn out with incessant toil; that thine ox and thine ass may rest; and the son of thy handmaid, and the stranger, may be refreshed§. Such mercy indeed is little more than common prudence: but there are in the world multitudes of hard-hearted wretches, who would pay small regard to that consideration, were they left to their own liberty. Now merely abstaining from common work on this day, in obedience to God's command, for such religious and moral ends as these, was undoubtedly sanctifying, or keeping it holy. But then we are not + Exod. xxxi. 13. 17. Ezek. xx. 12. 20. § Exod. xxiii. 12. Isa. xl. 28. * Deut. v. 15. to suppose that the leisure, thus provided for men, was to be thrown away just as they pleased, instead of being usefully employed. God directed the Jews: Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy soul, and with all thy might; and the words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thy heart; and thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children; and shalt talk of them, when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up*. Now as he required them to attend so constantly to these duties: he - could not but expect, they should attend more especially to them on that day, when the great foundation of all duty, his creating the world, was appointed to be commemorated; and when they had nothing to take off their thoughts from what they owed to God' their Maker. There was a peculiar sacrifice appointed for that day: there is a peculiar psalm composed for it, the ninety-second: and these things are surely further intimations to us, that it must have been a time, peculiarly intended for the offering up of prayers and thanksgivings to heaven. Few indeed, or none, of God's laws were well observed in the days of the Old Testament. But still, as the priests and Levites were dispersed through the Jewish nation, that they might teach the people religion; so we read, that in good times they did teach it accordingly and when could this be, but on the sabbath-day? We see it was the custom of religious persons, on that day, to resort to the prophets, that were in Israel; doubtless to hear the word of God from their mouths†. We see public happiness promised on this condition, that men should honour the sabbath of the Lord, not doing their own ways, nor * Deut. vi. 5, 6, 7. + 2 Kings iv. 23. finding their own pleasure, nor speaking their own words*. We see absolute ruin threatened for the prophanation of it†. We see a time foretold, when from one sabbath to another all flesh should come to worship before the Lordt. And in consequence of this, when their captivity had taught the Jews a stricter regard to their duty, synagogues, and houses of prayer, were erected in every city: where the Maker of all things was publicly adored, and his law read and preached, every sabbath-day §. Such was the state of things, when our Saviour came into the world: whose religion being intended for all mankind equally, the deliverance from Egyptian bondage, in which the Jews alone were concerned, was mentioned no longer in the divine laws: but instead of the commemoration of this, was substituted that of the redemption of the world, from the dominion and punishment of sin; which our blessed Redeemer accomplished by his death, and proved himself to have accomplished, by his resurrection. Accordingly, the first day of the week, being the day of his resurrection, was appointed, in thankful remembrance of it, for the time of public worship amongst Christians, and therefore is called by St. John, the Lord's day; though in common language it be more usually called Sunday; as it was even before our Saviour's time, and may be for a better reason since, because on it Christ, the Sun of righteousness, arose. Accordingly some of the earliest fathers give it that name. And that no one may doubt the lawfulness of this change of the day; it plainly appears, from several passages of St. Paul, that we are not bound to ob Isa. lviii. 13, 14. § Acts xv. 21. Jer. xvii. 27. Isa. lxvi. 23. serve the Jewish sabbath: and it still more plainly appears, in the Scripture history of the Apostles, that they did observe, and direct the observation of, our Christian sabbath; as the whole church hath constantly done since, from their times to this, though it doth not appear, that they called it the Sabbathday for many hundreds of years. One day in seven being still kept, the memory of the creation is as well preserved, and the intent of this commandment as fully answered, as before: and that one day in seven being chosen, on which our Saviour rose again, the memory of the redemption wrought by him, and called in Scripture a new creation*, is, in the properest manner, as well as with the greatest reason, perpetuated, along with the former. The day then being thus fixed, which we ought to keep holy; it remains to consider, how it ought to be kept. And, 1. It must be a day of rest, in order to commemorate God's resting, as the Scripture expresses it, from all his work which he created and made†; and to allow that ease and refreshment, which, with so great humanity, the commandment requires should be given, not only to servants, but to the very cattle. Besides, it cannot be a day of religion to mankind, without such vacation from the ordinary labours of life, as may give sufficient leisure to distinguish it by exercises of piety. But then, as Christians are not under a dispensation so rigorous in outward observ ances, as that of Moses; they are not bound to so strict and scrupulous a rest, as the Jews were. Though, indeed, the Jews themselves became, at last, much more scrupulous in this matter, than they needed; and are accordingly reproved by our 2 Cor. v. 17. Gal. vi. 15. + Gen. ii. 3. |