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"works of our hands." Again, let us pray, and endeavour to bring much of a Sabbath.days frame into the business of the week, and retain much of it through the week that fo we may be the fitter for the next Sabbath, yea, and in cafe to long for it: This would be a fair way to obtain a bleffing on the labours of the week, and to profper the "works of our hands." Oh! thall we bring fo much of the week with us into the Sabbath, and will we bring nothing of the Sabbath with us into the week? O let us ftudy to be fo" in the Spirit on the Lord's day," as to "walk in the Spirit" all the week thereafter, mindful both of the Sabbath paft, and of the Sabbath next enfuing; because it is faid to us every day, "Remember the Sabbath day that ye may keep it holy." Had we more of Sabbath-days thoughts on week days, then week-day thoughts would lefs trouble us on Sabbath-days.

DIRECTION IV.

Concerning the Particulur Sins, whereby the Sanclification of the Sabbath is hindered, or the Sabbath profaned.

F we would duly fanctify the Lord's day, we muft

thofe fins which are oppofite thereunto; whether they be fins of omiffion, or commiffion, fins of the heart, of the tongue, or of the life.

Of Sins of Omiffion on the Lord's Day.

1. I fhall begin with fins of omiffion, and neglect of the duties of the Sabbath. There are many, alas! that make this altogether an idle day; they confume it away in doing nothing, and keep it no better than do the beafts; they abitain from the works of religion, as much as from the works of their calling, never confidering that the Lord's day is profaned by floth and idleness, as well as by fervile labour or im

moral

moral actions. There are many who place all their religion in negatives, like the Pharifees, Luke xviii. II. and foolishly think to be juftified by their negative holinefs. "I never wronged my neighbour, (fay fome) I did not mock at religion, fwear, drink drunk," &c. But remember, a man may abstain from evil, and yet go to hell for not doing good, Mat. iii 10. A tree is cut down for bringing forth no fruit, as foon as for bringing, forth bad fruit. It is as dangerous not to do things commanded as to do things forbidden, Matth. xxiii. 23. There is a woe pronounced against the one, as well as the other. The flothful fervant is reckoned a wicked fervant, Matth. xxv. 26. and adjudged to utter darkness, as well as the most vitious. Wherefore beware of pro faning the Lord's day by idleness, or neglecting of the public, private, or fecret duties above mentioned, which are requifite on this day: And, in a fpecial manner, beware,

First, Of neglecting the hearing of the word this day, or forfaking the affemblies of God's people upon it. What madness is it to flight the means of faving your lives, and delivering your fouls from hell? What contempt is it of Chrift's bowels of mercy? If a great king fhould fend an ambaffador to a condemned malefactor, with offers of remiffion; would it not highy exafperate him, if he refused to much as to hear him? O what may God fay to fuch foolish finners in the day of their diftrefs, when they cry to him? May he not fend you to the gods you have ferved, and tell you, "Ye would not come and hear me when I fent moft gracious propofals of peace to you, neither will I hear you now?" With what torture and anguifh will you eternally reflect on your folly? If you could now but lay your ear to hell's door, and hear fuch gofpel-flighters crying out against their fin, it would make your hearts tremble. Suppose you heard them fay, "O if time could be recalled, what would we give to hear one gofpel-fermon from the most defpifed minifter! How many miles would we go! Yea, we would run from fea to sea, to hear one encouraging fentence from Chrift's mouth, or his meffengers: Nay, we would be content to fuffer a

thousand

thousand years darkness for one day's gofpel light, a thousand years burning for one day of the Son of man, many whereof I have neglected: But, oh! there is no hope, the feafon is loft, the fentence paft, and we are irrecoverably undene !" O how will the devils wonder at your folly, and eternally upraid you with it?

Secondly, Beware of neglecting family duties on the Sabbath: The fourth command binds masters of families to be careful hereof; yet, alas! how fadly are they neglected? In many places no family prayers or praises, no family inftructions, no family reading of God's word is to be found. Inftead of "delighting in the law of the Lord," which is the character of the blessed (man, Pfal. i. 2. it is laid by as a fealed book. The dust, which many fuffer their bibles to gather befide them, will be a fearful witnefs against them one day. But more particularly, I shall speak,

Of the evil of neglecting Family Duties. 1. To deter you from the neglect of family worship, confider in what a miferable ftate prayerlefs families are. The Spirit of God ranks them into the fame cab tegory with the "heathen that know not God," Jer. x. 25.1 For how fhould the families of Christians be distinguifhed from thofe of Turks and Pagans, but by the badge of family-worship? Without this badge, then, i you are ranked in with heathens, or perfons excommun nicate, th is, fuch as are caft out of the church into the devil's hands; for of fuch Chrift faith, "Let him be to thee as a heathen." Again, confider what is there threatened against you; a black cloud continually hangsa over your families, ready every moment to pour out wrath and fury upon you, not in fmall drops, but in great showers, to overwhelm you at once, from which your houfes cannot defend you, though their foundations were on a rock, their walls of brafs, and their doors. of iron: For, while you are without family-prayer, you want a roof to keep off the fhower of wrath, and lie night and day expofed to this terrible threatening, "Pour out thy fury upon the heathen that know thee not, and upon the families that call, not on thy name." It

។

is

is not fimply anger that is threatened, but fury, wrath in the greatest height and rage. O let prayerlefs families through the land tremble at this threatening! I fear, if it were presently executed, it would make thin cities and parishes fomewhere: But though God be patient and long fuffering, yet, believe it, there are fecret and invifible curfes which light and lie upon prayerlefs families, and the works of their hands. Neglect of prayer doth uncover the roof to let God's curfes drop through upon your perfons, children, tables, and all your enjoyments; for you denude yourfelves of all fecurity and protection. Family-prayer is an excellent roof to your houfes; it is like the roof that is made of Irish oak, which no venemous fpider will touch, nor lodge in. Family-worship, duly performed, diflodges fin and vice; nay, it diflodges the devil also: And for these houses that are haunted

with evil spirits, whatever other reafon may be given for it, no doubt this is one; God's worship hath not been duly performed therein. And though the devil doth not appear in a visible or audible manner, yet he certainly haunts prayerlefs houfes; for he hopes for large draughts out of them. Why? fin and wickednefs are fair to reign there; malice, pride, deceit and intempe rance will bear fway; fwearing, curfing, and lying, will be the language of the house, and the children will learn it betimes. But, when prayer is introduced into a family, these vices are banifhed, and fatan removes: For either prayer will make you give over finning, or finning will make you give over praying; they cannot dwell well together. But the house which the unclean fpirit finds empty of prayer, is a houfe fwept and garnished for him and a black train of vices to enter and dwell in. If God's worship be not in the houfe, you may write, "Lord, have mercy upon us," upon the door, as they ufe to do when a house is shut up with the plague. What can we expect in a prayerlefs houfe, but the plagues and curfes of God? Ahraham expected no good in a prayerlefs place; therefore fays he of Gerar, Gen. xx. 11. "Surely the fear of God is not in this place; they flay me," &c. What a miferable place or houfe must that be, where God's fear is not? Surely it must be a fink of VOL. IV.

Hh

will

fin,

fin, a butt of wrath, a cage of unclean birds, and a habitation of devils.

C O mafters of families, will you pity the fouls of your families? Tremble left their blood be found in your fkirts. When a child or fervant dies out of

your famiit will be fad if confcience have it to tell you, Here one has died out of your houfe, with whom you never prayed; you dwelt together, eat together, wrought together many years, but you never prayed together. And what if his foul be gone to hell through your neglect! What if his blood be charged on you? How will you anfwer for it? Who knows but if he had feen and heard you pray, your words and example might have moved him to go into a fecret corner and pray for his own foul, and fo he might have been finging with the faints in heaven, inftead of howling with the damned in hell?"

But if the cafe be fo melancholy when they die from you, furely it will be far worse when you come to die yourfelves. You have all your days kept your families godlefs and prayerlefs; well, what accounts will you give of your ftewardfhips, when you may be no longer ftewards? and what anguish do you think will feize on you, when, with Dives, you fhall feel yourselves in hell, and then begin (not before) to lift up your eyes to heaven, and fee the godly praying ones, whom you defpifed, afar off, and a great gulf fixed betwixt you and them; and alfo, when you fhall fee thofe of your prayerlefs families, whom you ruined by your example and influence, brought down to the fame place of torment, to increase your mifery, and add fuel to your flames? O mafters of prayerlefs families, think on these things in time.

10

Oh! will neither the fear of hell, nor hopes of heaven perfuade you to family-prayer? I am fure far lefs would do it. could I affure you that the daily performance of it would gain you an eftate of ten thou fand merks a year: You would try it as you can, and be punctual in it too; you would no more pretend multitude of bufinefs, want of time, gifts or confidence. And are you fo atheistical, as to prefer a little of the

SWO

world