fet apart in memory thereof; fo, when the world was renewed by redemption, it was fit there thould be a day kept in honour and memory of that great work: For. if the perfecting the work of the first creation deferved to have a day fet apart for celebrating the power and glory of the Author, inuch more doth the finishing the new creation, or restoration of the world, deserve a day to be confecrated for the commemorating of that, in regard the glorious attributes of God do thine far more brightly in this, than in the other.

Quest. If it be afked, Why was the Sabbath changed to the first day of the week?

I anfwer, For many reasons.

I. The great reafon given for obferving the last day of the week, doth plead more strongly now for the obfervation of the first day of the week The reafon for obferving the feventh day was, becaufe the Lord rested. that day from the great work he had made, viz. of creation, which ought to be remembered with thankfulness and praife. Now, when God gave the ten commandments, there was no greater work in the world than the creation; and therefore it was fit that the day of God's reft from his greatest work thould be the Sabbath, or day of reft to the world. But, fhould God thereafter work a greater work than creating heaven and earth; then, by parity of reason, and even by virtue of the fourth commandment, the day of God's reft from that, should be the Sabbath of the world. Now, the work of redemption, which the Lord perfected, and refted from on the first day of the week, is far greater than the work of creation; it doth even eclipfe and fwallow it up, as the temple did the tabernacle: It is far more valued and efteemed by God the Author, and ought to be far more regarded and remembered by us on many accounts.

1. In regard, that in the world's redemption there. is a far more glorious difpiay of the divine attributes, God's power, wisdom, juftice, goodness, &c. than in the world's creation.

2. It is much more for our benefit and comfort than the work of creation; we could have had no comfort

in this without the other; for the whole creation groaned under the burden of fin, and, by reason thereof, all the creatures were at enmity with us. Without redemption what pleasure can we take in our creation, fince by it we are made capable only of everlasting mifery and diftruction? Alas! there are no comforts in being creatures, if we be not made new creatures ; and there is no doing of that, but by this new and glorious method.

३. In regard the fecond creation was a work of far greater difficulty and expence than the first. The first was finished by the word of his mouth, but the second could not be perfected but by the blood and death of his dear Son: The first was finished in fix days; but it coft the Son of God above thirty three years painful travail and fuffering in the world, to effectuate the fe cond. In the first there was no oppofition; for, fince the world was made out of nothing, there was nothing to make refiftance to the Creator: But in the fecond creation, or redemption of the world, there was a formidable oppofition made by juftice, men, and devils. It was wonderful for the glorious fabric of heaven and earth to be made out of nothing; but much more for the Maker of all things to be made of a woman, Jefus Chrift to be born of his own creature. In the first creation God made us like himself; but here the Lord makes himself like us. The glorious Creator is made a creature, yea, made fin, made a curfe, to fave man, his finful creature, from the curfe. We may indeed fay, "We are fearfully and wonderfully made;" but much more are we fearfully and wonderfully redeemed. Creation was the work of God's fingers, Pfal. viii 3. but redemption the work of his arm, Luke. i. 51. We ufe the ftrength of the arm, to effectuate what the fingers cannot do. So that we fee it is a far greater work and miracle to bring us back from hell, than to bring us from nothing; to make us faints, than to make us men and women. Well then, if God's refting from his work of creation on the feventh day, determined mankind to keep this day for a Sabbath in a thankful remembrance thereof, much more fhould God incar

nate's

nate's railing a new world at a far greater charge, and refting from his labour of love on the firft day of the week, determine us to obferve that day for a Sabbath, in an adoring remembrance of his infinite glory and goodnefs difplayed in this ftupendous work.

4. The Lord himself delights and rejoices much more in the new creation, than in the old, his glory being more confpicuous by the one than by the other; and that which is efteemed and preferred by him, ought to be fo by us. The Lord indeed took pleafure in the review of his works in the firft creation, when he at first rested from the fame: But thefe being afterwards all corrupted and deformed by fin, his complacency therein was exceedingly diminished. Hence, Gen. vi. it is faid, "It repented him he had made man:" Wherefore it was proper and neceffary to transfer the Sabbath to the day of the world's new creation or reftoration, effected and completed by the refurrection of Jefus Chrift the world's Redeemer, in which day the Lord refted from these his more glorious works, delighting himself in the review thereof with an everlasting complacency.

Lastly, To confirm what is faid, let it be observed, that God fo far preferred the work of redemption to that of creation, that he changed the beginning of the year (as Dr Lightfoot remarks on Exod xiii.) from the time of the world's creation, to the time of the paffover, and the Ifraelites deliverance from Egypt by Mofes, as being an eminent type of our redemption from fin and hell by Jefus Chrift. We have reason to believe, that, from the creation of the world, the year began in September, at the time of the autumnal Equinox; for we find the fruits were on the trees at the creation, Gen. i. 12. But when God inftituted the firft paffover, which immediately ufhered in the Ifraelites deliverance from Egypt which was in March, at the vernal Equinox; he changed the beginning of the year, and ordered it to commence from that time, Exod. xii. 2. "This month fhall be unto you the beginning of months, it fhall be the first month of the year to you." Now, if the beginning of the year was changed upon the ac

count

count of the type, a day might well be changed upon the account of the antitype. If the month of the figurative redemption was fo remarkable, that the month of the world's creation must give place to it; then furely the substance tfelf, when it appeared, might well be the caufe of the change of a day, and the feventh day of the creation give place to the first day of the finishing of our redemption.

II. Since there was a neceffity of changing the Sabbath from the feventh day of the week, as is already proven; it could be into no other day fo fitly as the first day of the week, on feveral accounts.

1. Because of its anfwering the intent of the command better than another day: For if the Sabbath had been changed into the fecond, third, fourth, or any other day of the week than the first, the morality of the fourth command had been infringed: For fo God would not have had one day, and man fix working days together of one and the fame week; as the command requires. But now it holds in a conftant course. God hath his one day, and we our fix together in one and the fame week; as it was from the beginning. And, by this wife alteration, there was never a week without a Sabbath, and never a week had two Sabbaths. For as the week ended with the Jews Sabbath, fo the next week began with the Christian Sabbath; which could not have been, if any other feventh day had been chofen.

2. Since there behoved to be a change, it was very agreeable to reafon to begin the week with God, and that our Creator and Benefactor should be first served, and have his portion of the week affigned to him in the first place, that his worship might have the preference to our labour; and alfo, that our confecrating the first fruits of the week to God, might in a manner fanctify the whole, obtain his bleffing on the week's labour, and make all our works therein the more acceptable to him.

3. The first day of the week is the fitteft for keeping up the memory both of the first and fecond creation of the world. For it being a day of reft always

fucceeding

fucceeding our fix days labour, puts us in mind of God's finishing the works of creation in fix days fpace, and refting the seventh. And especially, it being the first day of the week, ferves to mind us of the beginning of the world, and of its first creation; feeing it was on this day that God began his glorious work, say. ing, "Let there be light." But in a But in a fpecial manner, this day ferves to perpetuate the memorial of this greater bleffing of the world's new creation or redemption by Jefus Chrift; fince on it he finished this work by his refurrection. It was on this day that not only that temporal and perishing light did firft fhine at the first creation ; but also that eternal and heavenly light brake out in a meridian fplendor, the Sun of righteoufness arose from a dark grave, and fhined on a dark world, and brought light, life, peace, healing, and all mercies under his wings.

4. It is the fittest day for celebrating the honour and memory of all the perfons of the glorious Trinity; For though Jefus Chrift the fecond perfon of the Trinity, be honoured by this day in a peculiar manner, upon account of his glorious reft this day from the work of redemption; yet the Father and Holy Ghoft are this day remarkably honoured alfo. The Father did not only begin this day to create but he was the glorious contriver of our happiness, and sent his Son to carry on that bleffed work of redemption, which was this day happily completed. Alfo the Holy Ghoft is honoured by obferving this day, fince he gloriously defcended at Pentecoft on this day for fitting and furnishing the apostles for the work of the gofpel: and he is the bleffed Applier of the redemption finished this day by Jesus Christ, and is in a more efpecial manner at work this day, in making faving application of it unto elect fouls, by the preaching of the gospel.

III. The Sabbath is changed to the first day of the week, because it is the most honourable and glorious day to Chrift and his church, that ever dawned upon the world: The most honourable day to our Redeemer, and the moft joyful to the redeemed; and therefore ought to be kept in perpetual remembrance.

Hence