We

Pleasure, nor fpeaking their own Words. We fee absolute Ruin threatened for the Profanation of it. fee a Time foretold, when from one Sabbath to another all Flefh fhould come to worship before the Lord. And in Confequence of this, when their Captivity had taught the Jews a ftricter 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: whofe Religion being intended for all Mankind equally, the Deliverance from EgyptianBondage, in which the Jews alone were concerned, was mentioned no longer in the divine Laws: but inftead of the Commemoration of this, was fubftituted that of the Redemption of the World, from the Dominion and Punishment of Sin; which our bleffed Redeemer accomplished by his Death, and proved himself to have accomplished by his Refurrection. Accordingly, the firft Day of the Week, being the Day of his Resurrection, was appointed, in thankful Remembrance of it, for the Time of public Worship amongft Chriftians, and therefore is called by St. John the Lord's Day; though in common Language it be more ufually called Sunday: as it was even before our Saviour's Time, and may be for a better Reason fince, because on it Chrift, the Sun of Righteoufnefs, arofe. Accordingly fome 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 Paffages of St. Paul, that we are not bound to observe the Day of the Jewish Sabbath: and it ftill more plainly) appears, in the Scripture Hiftory of the Apoftles, that they did obferve, and direct the Obfervation of our prefent Chriftian Sabbath; as the whole Church hath conftantly done fince, from their Times to this, though it

i Ifa. lviii. 13, 14. m Acts xv. 21.

k Jer. xvii. 27. n Rev. i. 10.

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1 Ifa. Ixvi. 23.

doth

doth not appear, that they called it the Sabbath Day for many hundreds of Years. One Day in feven being ftill kept, the Memory of the Creation is as well preferved, and the Intent of this Commandment as fully anfwered, as before: and that one Day in feven being chofen, on which our Saviour rofe again, the Memory of the Redemption wrought by him, and called in Scripture a new Creation, is, in the propereft Manner, as well as with the greatest Reafon, perpetuated, along with the former.

The Day then being thus fixed, which we ought to keep holy; it remains to confider, how it ought to be kept. And

1. It must be a Day of Reft, in order to commemorate God's refting, as the Scripture expreffes it, from all his Work, which he created and made; and to allow that Eafe and Refreshment, which, with fo great Humanity, the Commandment requires fhould be given, not only to Servants, but to the very Cattle. Befides, it cannot be a Day of Religion to Mankind, without fuch Vacation from the ordinary Labours of Life, as may give fuficient Leifure to diftinguish it by Exercises of Piety. But then, as Chriftians are not under a Difpenfation fo rigorous in outward Obfervances, as that of Mofes; they are not bound to so strict and scrupulous a Reft, as the Jews were. Though indeed the Jews themselves became, at laft, much more fcrupulous in this Matter, than they needed; and are accordingly reproved by our bleffed Saviour: from whom we learn this general Rule, that the Sabbath was made for Man, not Man for the Sabbath and therefore all Works of great Neceffity, or great Goodness and Mercy, if they cannot be deferred. to another Time, be they ever fo laborious, may very allowably be done then. Only fo far as the public Wifdom of the Laws of the Land hath reftrained us, we ought certainly to reftrain ourselves, even from fuch Things, as, in our private Opinion, we might other

2 Cor. v. 17. Gal. vi. 15.

? Gen. ii. 3.

9 Mark ii. 27.

wife

wife think innocent. As to Matters of lefs Labour; what Propriety, and Decency, and reafonable Convenience require, we furely need not omit. And what the Practice of the more religious and confiderate Part of those, amongst whom we live, allows, hath without Queftion no fmall Title to our favourable Opinion. But the Liberties, taken by thoughtlefs or profane Perfons, are not of any Authority in the leat. And the fafelt general Rule to go by, is to omit whatever may be finful, and is needlefs; and neither to require, nor fuffer, thofe who belong to us, to do, on this Day, what we apprehend it unlawful to do ourselves.

:

2. A reasonable Part of our Day of holy Reft must be employed in the public Worfhip of God. This, you have feen, the Jews understood to be requifite on their Sabbath and the earliest Account, which we have of ours, informs us, that on the first Day of the Week, the Difciples came together to break Bread: which means to celebrate the Lord's Supper. That with this was joined the Apostles Doctrine and Prayer, we learn from another Place of the fame Book of Scripture. And that every Lord's Day was dedicated to the public Offices of Piety, the Hiftory of the Church fully fhews from the Beginning. To ftrengthen the Obligation of attending on thefe Offices, the Laws of the Land alfo enjoin it. And as all Perfons need Inftruction in their Duty both to God and Man, and the Generality have scarce any. other Seafon for it, than the Leifure of the Sunday if this most valuable Time be either taken from them, or thrown away by them; they must become ignorant and vicious; and of Confequence miferable in this World and the next. How wicked then, and how unwife, is it, either to throw Contempt on fuch an Inftitution, or on frivolous Pretences to neglect improving by it!

3. Befides affembling in the Church on the Lord's Day, every one fhould employ fome reafonable Part of it in the private Exercifes of Piety; in thinking over

Acts xx. 7

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$ Acts ii. 42

their

their past Behaviour, confeffing their Faults to God, and making prudent Refolutions against them for the future; in praying for the Mercies, which they more efpecially want, and returning Thanks for the Bleffings, with which Providence hath favoured them; in cultivating a Temper of Humanity; in doing Acts of Forgiveness, and fetting apart fomething according to their Ability, for Acts of Charity; (for which laft St. Paul hath particularly recommended this Time:) and in feriously confidering at Home, whatever they have heard in God's House. For our public Religion will foon degenerate into an useless Form, unless we preferve and enliven the Spirit of it, by fuch Means, as thefe, in private: to which they, above all Perfons, are bound on the Lord's Day, who either have little Leifure for them on others, or make little Use of it.

When once Perfons have brought themfelves to spend fo much of the Sunday as is fitting in this Manner; it will then, and not before, be Time for them to ask, how the Remainder of it may be spent. For it is a very bad Sign, to be careless of obferving what is commanded; and zealous for extending to the utmoft, what at beft is only permitted. Over great Strictnefs however must be avoided. And therefore decent Civility and friendly Conversation, may both innocently and usefully have a Place in the vacant Part of our Lord's Day: of which it is really one valuable Benefit, that it gives even the lowest Perfons an Opportunity of appearing to each other in the most agreeable Light they can, and thus promotes mutual good Will. Nor is it neceffary at all to banish Cheerfulness from our Conversation on this Day; which being a Festival, though a religious one, we fhould partake of all God's Bleffings upon it with joyful Hearts. But then fuch Inftances of Freedom and Levity, in Talk and Behaviour, as would scarce be proper at any Time, are doubly improper at this; and

† 1 Cor. xvi. 2.

tend

tend very fatally to undo whatever Good the preceding Part of the Day may have done.

And as to the taking further Liberties, of Diverfions and Amusements, though they are not in exprefs Words forbidden, for the Defire of them is not fuppofed, in the Word of God; yet by the Laws both of Church and State they are. And what Need is there for them, or what good Ufe of them? If Perfons are fo vehemently fet upon thefe Things, that they are uneafy to be fo much as one Day in feven without them; it is high Time, that they should bring themfelves to more Moderation, by exercifing fome Abftinence from them. And if they are at all indifferent about them, furely they fhould confider, what muit be the Effect of introducing and indulging them what Offence and Uneafinefs thefe Things give the more serious and valuable Part of the World; what Comfort and Countenance to the unthinking and irreligious Part: what a dangerous Example to the lower Part: what Encouragement they afford to Extravagance and the mad Love of Pleafure: what a Snare they place in the Way of all, that think them unlawful; and yet will thus be tempted, to these Liberties firft, and then to others, against their Confciences and, to add no more, how unhappily they increafe the Appearance (which, without them, God' knows, would be much too great) of Religion being flighted and difregarded; efpecially by the upper Partof the World, who fhould be the great Patterns of it.

And if this be the Cafe of merely unfeafonable Diverfions; imprudent and unlawful ones are ftill more blameable on this Day: but most of all, that crying Sin of Debauchery and Intemperance, which perverts it from the Service of God to the Service of the Devil; and leads Perfons more directly than almost any Thing elfe, to utter Deftruction of Body and Soul. Therefore let us be careful, firft to guard ourselves against these Tranfgreffions, then to keep our Children, Servants, andDependants from the like, if we make any Confciences of doing well by them, or would have any Prospect of Comfort

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