in a market-day on which they gain much of the world; and much more will they delight in the Lord's day, who find their love to God on it more inflamed, their defires after him more enlarged, and their hope of heaven more confirmed.

7. It is a delight when we come thereon, to discover our interest in the Lord Jesus, and are made to fee that it was he who died and rofe from the dead this day for us. O, how delightful to think, this is the day my Redeemer lived again. Do others delight in the day of their birth, and fhall not I delight in the day on which my Lord did live again?

8. It is a delight when we come on the Sabbath to get affurance, that we fhall keep an everlasting Sabbath with God above: And if a tranfient enjoyment of God in a Sabbath here be fo pleafant, how much more to have the full enjoyment of God on that Sabbath above to all eternity!

Quest. 3. Do not the fpecial delights of the Sabbath excel all other delights, and wherein do they excel?

Anf. 1. They tranfcend them in their foundation; they are well founded, not on mistakes and delufions, as carnal delights and pleasures are, but on the fure word of God, that is unalterable, his well ordered cove

Carnal men rejoice in fancies and delufions, but know not how matters are with them. If they knew how near hell and damnation they are; if they knew the shortness of their pleasures, and the length of their forrows, they would have little heart to fport or laugh; nay, it would foon turn their laughter into mourning

and lamentation.

2. Spiritual delights furpass them in reality; the pleafures of the wicked are but feeming and outward, but believers delights are real, hearty, and inward. In the midst of the laughter of the wicked, their hearts are fad ; though their fenfes be fomeway tickled and affected, yet the heart is not. But with believers it is otherwise, Pfal. iv. 7. "Thou hait put more gladness in my heart," &c. Spiritual delight goes to the heart.

3. They are fuitable delights, feeing they are intellectual. Carnal delights in drinking, fporung, &c. VOL. IV.

S s

make

make men more like beasts than men. Thebeasts have pain and pleasure by their fenfes, but not forrow nor delight, because these are intellectual. So the joy of carnal men is rather pleasure than delight; but the more intellectual and chafte our delights are, the more pure and suitable are they to the human nature: Yea, the more our delights are in loving, praifing, and worshipping God on the Sabbath, they make us more like angels than men.

4. They furpafs them in innocency. Carnal delights, the more we use them, the more we are enfnared by them; they pervert the heart, diforder the mind, and indifpofe for duty: But fpiritual delights have no fuch effect; they are fo far from perverting or difordering, that they corroborate and ftrengthen the graces; they compofe and purify the mind; they make fin the more odious, and fortify us the more against the baits of sense.

5. They excel them in fecurity. Spiritual delights are pure like cryftal ftreams, whereas carnal delights are imbittered with fear, ftings of confcience, and fenfe of guilt.

6. They excel them in ftrength and sweetness. There is delight in thinking on our temporal interefts, but much more in thinking on Chrift, and our interest in him, and the well ordered covenant: Yea, there is more delight in the hardest part of Sabbath-work, viz. in mortifying one fin or luft, than carnal men have in fatisfying a thoufand.

7. They are more profitable delights. There is more profit in one day, yea, one hour's communion with God, than, in the worldly gains of a thoufand market-day's. Oh! do men toil hard in labouring fix days of the week for gains of the world, and will we not labour one day for that which endureth to everlasting life?

8. They are more fatisfying than all worldly delights. Surely there is more fatisfaction in the spiritual recreations of this day, than in all carnal sports and paftimes whatsoever. Ŏ what fatisfaction is there in thinking on the work of redemption, and of all that Chrift did and fuffered for the accomplishment of it? What a pleasant recreation is it to find and feel the actings of

love

love and defire to God, and to have a fenfe of God's love unto the foul; to meditate on the eternal Sabbath of reft from fin, fickness, temptation, and all evil whatfoever, and of joining in the perfect love and praises of that bleffed company above to all eternity?

9. They furpafs them in this, that they end well, whereas carnal delights do not Carnal delights are like the crackling of thorns under a pot; they make a great blaze and noise for a little, but then they go out in darknefs; or, like the light of a candle, that doth fhine for a little, but then goes out in a ftinking fnuff. So with carnal delights, they make way for forrow," for the end of that mirth is heaviness," according to Prov. xiv. 13. Carnal delight and recreations, especially on the Sabbath, leave a fting behind them, whenever confcience is awakened, and thefe are the forerunners of hell.

Queft. 4. What are thofe things in the Sabbath we ought to delight in?

Anf. 1. In the restraints which the Sabbath lays on us, in hindering us from our worldly employments and recreations, and from all the pleafures of fin; this we fhould delight in.

2. In the duties and services which the Sabbath obligeth us unto.

Queft. 5. What are thofe duties and fervices of the Sabbath, which we ought to delight in ?

Anf. 1. There are public fervices and duties which we should delight in; as in the hearing of the word, prayer, praises, and receiving of the facraments.

2. Private duties, as reading of the word, prayer, meditation, Chriftian conference, mourning for fin, &c.

FAIR AND IMPARTIAL

TESTIMONY,

ESSAYED IN NAME OF A NUMBER OF

MINISTERS, ELDERS, and CHRISTIAN PEOPLE of the CHURCH of SCOTLAND, unto the laudable Principles, Wreftlings, and Attainments of that CHURCH; and against the Backflidings, Corruptions, Divifions, and prevailing Evils, both of former and present Times.

AND NAMELY,

The Defections of the ESTABLISHED CHURCH; of the NOBILITY, GENTRY, COMMONS, SECEDERS, EPISCOPALIANS, &c.

CONTAINING

A brief HISTORICAL DEDUCTION of the chief OCCURRENCES in this CHURCH from her beginning to the Year 1744, with REMARKS: And HUMBLE PLEADINGS with

our Mother CHURCH, to exert herself to
ftop DEFECTION, and promote
REFORMATION.

ATTESTED AND ADHERED UNTO BY SUNDRY MINISTERS.

PSAL. ci. 3. I hate the work of them that turn afide, it fhall not

cleave to me.

ISA. xliii. Io. Ye are my witneffes, faith the Lord.

EZEK. xliii. II. Shew them the form of the house, and write it.

in their fight.

KA. İviii. 1. Shew the house of Jacob their fins.