it is holy unto you: every one that defileth it shall surely be put to death; for whosoever doeth any work therein, that soul shall be cut off from amongst his people. Exod. xxxi. 14. This expression asserts with the great anathema, which was always followed by death. But whence proceed so many cautions, so many rigours, so many threatenings, so many promises? You cannot account for them, if the Sabbath be displaced from the positive injunctions of the Hebrew code.

3. God was wishful to promote humanity. With that view he prescribed repose to the servants and handmaids; that is, to domestics and slaves. Look on the situation of slaves: it is as oppressive as that of the beasts. They saw no termination of their servitude but after the expiration of seven years and it might happen, that their masters seeing the servitude about to expire, would become more rigorous, with a view to indemnify themselves beforehand for the services they were about to lose. It was requisite to remind them, that God interests himself for men whose condition was so abject and oppressive. This reminds me of a fine passage in PLATO, who says, "that the gods, moved by the unhappy situation of slaves, have instituted the sacred festivals to procure them relaxation from labour."* And CICERO says "that the festivals are destined to suspend the disputes between freemen, and the labours of slaves."+ For the motives of humanity, it is subjoined in the precept, Thou shalt do no manner of work, neither thou, nor thine ox, nor thine ass.

I may here put the same question that St. Paul once put to the Corinthians, Doth God take care for oxen? No; but there is a constitutional sympathy, without which the heart is destitute of compassion. So is the import of a text in St. John. No man hath seen God at any time: if we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfect in us.If any man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar. For he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen? There is here an apparent defect in the argumentation, because the faults we may see in our brother, may obstruct our attachment, which cannot be the case with regard to God. But the apostle's meaning was, that if an object striking the senses, as our brother, does not excite affection, we cannot love an object that is abstract as the Divine Nature. Now, those are habitually cruel to animals, are generally less tender, and they insensibly lose that constitutional sympathy which produces the affection of the heart and the mind. This constitutional sympathy excites in us a painful impression, that on seeing a wounded man, we are spontaneously moved to succour the afflicted. This sympathy is excited not only by the sight of a man, but also by the sight of a beast when treated with cruelty. Hence, on habituating ourselves to be cruel to animals, we do violence to our feelings, harden the heart, and extinguish the sympathy of nature. Ah! how suspicious should we be of virtues merely rational, and unconnected with the heart. They are more noble indeed, but they are not so sure. We may also remark, that those employed

in slaughtering animals, are often wanting in tenderness and affection. And this very notion illustrates several of the Mosaic laws, which appear at first destitute of propriety, but which are foundnd on what we have just said. Such is the law which prohibits eating of things strangled; such is the law on finding a bird's nest, which forbids our taking the dam with the young: such also is that where God forbids our seething a kid in his mother's milk. Gen. ix. 4. Deut. xxii. 6, 7. Exod. xxiii. 19. In the last, some have thought that God was wishful to fortify the Jews against a superstitious custom of the heathens, who, after having gathered the fruits of the vine, seethed a kid in his mother's milk, and then sprinkled the milk to Bacchus, that he might cruelly kill this animal which presumes to brouse on the vine consecrated to the God. But I doubt, whether from all the ancient authors they can adduce a passage demonstrative that this species of superstition was known to subsist in the time of Moses. This difficulty is obviated by the explication I propose: besides, it excites humanity by enjoying compassion to animals; a duty inculcated by the heathens. The Phrygians were prohibited from killing an ox that trod out the corn. The judges of the Areopagus exiled a boy, who had plucked out the eyes of a living owl; and they severely punished a man who had roasted a bull alive. The duty of humanity is consequently the third motive of the institution of the Sabbath. Hereby God recalled to the recollection of the Jews the situation in which they had been placed in the land of Egypt. The seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God,→

that thy man-servant, and thy maid-servant may rest as well as thou. And remember that thou wast a servant in the land of Egypt, and that the Lord thy God brought thee thence, through a mighty hand and outstretched arm: therefore the Lord thy God commandeth thee to keep the Sabbath-day. Deut. v. 14, 15.

4. In a word, the design of God in the institution of the Sabbath, was to recal to the minds of men the recollection of their original equality he requires masters and servants alike to abstain from labour, so as in some sort to confound the diversity of their conditions, and to abate that pride, of which superior rank is so common a source.

There was among the heathens one festival very singular, which they call the Saturnalia. It was one of the most ancient festivals of paganism. MACROBIUS affirms, that it was celebrated in Greece long before the foundation of Rome. The masters gave the servants a treat; they placed them at their own table, and clothed them in their own raiment. The heathens say, that this festival was instituted by King JANUS, to commemorate the age of Saturn, when men were equal, and unacquainted with the distinctions of rank and fortune. The institution was highly proper, being founded on fact, and it may serve as an illustration of our text.

God, in recalling to men the original equality of their condition, apprised them in what consisted the true excellence of man. It is not in the difference of rank, or what is called fortune. It consists in being men it consists in the image of God, after which

we were made and consequently, the humblest of men made in his image, are entitled to respect.

This important reflection, I would inculcate on imperious masters, who treat their domestics as the brutes destitute of knowledge. We must not, I grant, disturb the order of society: the scriptures suppose the diversity of conditions. Hence they prescribe the duties of masters to their servants, and the duties of servants to their masters. But rank cannot sanction that haughty and distant carriage. Do you know what you do in mauling those in whom certain advantages has placed in your power? You degrade yourselves; you renounce your proper dignity; and in assuming an extraneous glory, you seem but lightly to esteem that which is natural. I have said, that the glory of man does not consist in riches, nor in royalty, but in the excellence of his nature, in the image of God, after which he was made, and in the immortality to which he aspires. If you despise your servants, you do not derive your dignity from these sources, but from your exterior condition; for, if you derived it from the sources I have noticed, you would respect the persons committed to your care.-This may suffice for the reasons of the institution of the Sabbath, let us say a word on the manner in which it must be celebrated.

2. On this subject, the less enlightened rabbins have indulged their superstition more than on any other. Having distorted the idea of the day, they would ascribe to the Sabbath the power of conferring dignity on inanimate creatures: they even assign this reason, that God prohibited their offering him any