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GOD

INTRODUCTION.

OD, in his infinite goodness to fallen mankind, has been pleased to give us the Holy Bible, or canonical fcriptures, as a perfect rule of faith and manners; containing at large the great truths, duties, and Inconcerns of the Christian religion. And thefe we have Abriefly comprised in three fuccinct compends, which neare owned and received by all Chriftians; viz. the Apoftles creed, as it is commonly called, the Lord's prayer, and the decalogue; the first being the fum of our credenda, the fecond of our petenda, and the third of our facienda.

The Decalogue or Ten Commandments, which were folemnly delivered to the people of Ifrael from mount Sinai, do contain the moral law; being a fixed and perpetual rule of righteoufnefs, which God hath given to be obfeved by all mankind, in all ages and periods, to the end of the world. This is that law which the royal pfalmift so much admires and commends, and makes his chief subject in feveral pfalms, particularly xix. and cxix. which deferves our special notice, and high esteem in that respect.

The moral law, differs vaftly in its nature from that of a pofitive law, which commands or prohibits things

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that before were indifferent, and only become good or evil by the virtue of the command, and not otherwise: Such was that command to our first parents concerning their eating of the tree of knowledge; fuch were the ceremonial, and many of the judicial laws, given to the Jews: Thefe were binding only upon particular perfons, and lafted but for a time. But the moral law, contained in the Decalogue, is of univerfal and perpetual obligation to every rational creature, and can never be abrogated, nor difpenfed with ; feeing it is evidently founded upon, and agreeable to the dictates of the light of nature, and the principles of found reason, naturally engraven on man's heart.

This moral law God hath divided into two tables, Deut. v. 22. In the first table, we have the first four commandments, which immediately belong unto the honour, of God, and inftruct us in the duties we owe to him. In the fecond table, we have the laft fix commandments, which refpect the welfare of our neighbours, and teach us our duty towards them.

As all God's works are very beautiful in their order, fo are the Ten Commandments, which have their place and rank affigned them, according to the dignity of the duties commanded, and the heinoufnefs of the fins forbidden. As for the first table, the order of its commands is admirable; for the first command determines the right object of our worship; viz. the eternal and only true God. The fecond directs to the means of worship; viz. that they be only thofe of God's inftituting, and not images, or means of our devifing. The third appoints the manner of our worship, that it be with awful fear and reverence; without blafpheming or prophaning of his name. The fourth commandment fpecifies the right time or season to be employed in his folemn worship, viz. one day in fever, which is the fubject of the enfuing treatise, the defign whereof is to promote the religious obfervation of the Chriftian Sabbath, as the best mean to revive religion when it falls under decay, and to maintain it in its life and pewer where it is.

Time

Time is a jewel of ineftimable worth, and upon the management of it depends the falvation of our immortal fouls for ever; and therefore it can never be enough valued, nor too carefully improven. Time is a golden ftream, continually running down by us out of one eternity into another; and yet its worth is feldom taken notice of until it is quite paft away from us. How fadly do we verify that word of Solomon? Eccl. ix. 12. "Man knoweth not his time."

But of all time, Sabbath-time is the most precious, and fhould be redeemed with the greatest care, as that upon which our falvation depends in a peculiar manner. It is the time in which the holy Spirit is especially at work for convincing, converting, and edifying the fouls of men; it is the time fet apart by infinite Wifdom for the happiness of the creature, and the glory of the Creator: And therefore it is the bufinefs of every one to enquire, how this time is to be improven aright. Now, for their encouragement and affiftance in this matter, i propofe to infift chiefly upon two heads: 1. To evince the morality of the Sabbath, and the divine appointment of the Lord's day. 2. Give directions how to Lanctify it aright.

CHAP. I.

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Concerning the Morality of the Sabbath, and the Divine appointment of the Lord's Day..

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N order to the handling of this fubject the more clearly and methodically, I fhall, through the divine affiftance, propofe and refolve feveral questions relative to it.

Queft. I. What is the proper fignification and import of the name Sabbath, fo commonly in ufe among us?

Anfwer. The name Sabbath is a Hebrew word, fignifying reft, the Sabbath being a day of holy rest :

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and it is fo called, because God hath enjoined us to rest this day from our earthly work and labour, that we may folemnly call to mind his refting from his works, both of creation and redemption; publicly adore him therefore, folace our fouls in his goodness, repofe and reft in the arms of his mercy, and meditate upon that "eternal rest which remains for the people of God" in the other world.

This being the true import and meaning of the word Sabbath, we ftill retain it, and commonly use it to fignify the Lord's day, our Chriftian Sabbath.

There are fome indeed who are offended at the retaining of the name Sabbath, under the New Teftament times, pretending that it is properly Jewish; though, in the mean time, they are fond of the words prieft and altar, which are much more so. But it is furely a mistake to say, that the name Sabbath is Jewith, or peculiar to the Jews, and fo not to be used by Chriftians: For we see the Lord gives it that name in the moral law, which is of perpetual use, binding Christians as much as Jews: "Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy." So it was not the Jews, but the great God, that gave the Sabbath its name. Nay, Christ our Saviour doth, in the New Teftament, call his own day by the name of Sabbath, Matth. xxiv. 20. "Pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, nor on the Sabbath day." Now, it is evident, that our Lord doth there mean the Chriftian Sabbath, or his own day; for he is not only fpeaking to Chriftians, but concerning the flight of Chriftians, which he knew was to fall out forty years after the Jewish Sabbath was abolished, and the Lord's day come into its place. Surely he would not bid Chriftians pray that their flight might not fall on the Jewish Sabbath, when he both forefaw, and intended, that then they would reckon themselves under no obligation to obferve the Jewish Sabbath, nor under any restraint of fleeing or travelling on that day: (which even the Jews themfelves believed at that time, they might lawfully do in time of eminent hazard, as appears by the decree which they made relative thereto. under the Hafmonians) and therefore he must mean

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the Chriftian Sabbath, upon which he bids Chriftians pray that their flight may not happen. Not that it was unlawful for them to flee or travel on that day in time of danger, but because it would be a great addition to their trouble, if their flight fhould happen at fuch a time, as to deprive them of the opportunity of God's worthip and ordinances.

It is of no weight, what is objected by fome, that / the Chriftians, who lived in Judea among the Jews, could not be allowed by them to travel on their Sabbath, and therefore (fay they) Chrift bids them pray that their flight might not fall upon it. For in the first place, The Jews not having the government then in their hands, they had no power of reftraining or punishing of crimes. 2dly, The time which Chrift fpeaks of was a time of war and confufion, occafioned by the Roman armies invading the land, when ho notice could be taken of fuch cases as travelling on the Sabbath 3dly, The moft fuperftitious were at that time put to flee and travel as well as the Chriftians which they then thought it lawful to do, as we told before. 4thly, If Chrift had spoke fo concerning the Jewish Sabbath, it had laid fome foundation for Chriitians to fall into mistakes concerning the obligation of the Jewish Sabbath, and other ceremonies: which, to be fure, our Lord would not have given them. And, if there had been any fuch occafion giver, the Judaizing Chriftians would certainly have improven it against the apostles which yet we do not find. Luftly, The learned Owen, Durham, Brown, and other writers on this fubject, understand Christ as fpeaking in this place of the Chriftian Sabbath.

But granting that the name Sabbath were indeed Jewith and improper, (as fome would have it) yet I am fure it is ftill preferable to that of Sunday, which is truly Heathenith, though commonly used by them in their liturgy to the offence of many Chriftians: For it is well known that the Heathen idolaters called this day Sunday, because of their dedicating it to the created Sun, which was the chief of their planetary gods that they ordinarily worshipped, as may be gathered alfo VOL. IV.

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