Hence, by the fpirit of God, and ever fince Christ's refurrection upon this day, it is called the Lord's day, it being the most glorious day ever he had. It was in an eminent manner his birth day, for in it he was born from the dead in it God folemnly owned him to be his only begotten Son; hence that word in Pfal. ii. "Thou art my Son, this day I have begotten thee," is applied to the day of his refurrection, Acts xii. 13. "He was this day declared to be the Son of God with power," Rom. 1. 4. For, at his rifing, he made the earth to shake, the graves to open, the ftones to roll away, the dead to rife and appear, the foldiers to tremble and flee, and both faints and angels to come and attend him. And was not this a triumphant day to him? Yea, on this day he conquered the grave, death and hell, and thewed himself to be the Captain of our falvation, triumphing over his and our enemies. His birth and death did fhew him to be truely man, but his refurrection did manifeft him to be truely God, and the great Redeemer of the world. Hereby he gave full proof, that he had completely finished the work of our redemption, paid the elect's debt, fatisfied divine juftice, cancelled our bond and obtained an ample difcharge, fince he, as our great Cautioner, was now let out of prifon. Was not this then a joyful day, a day to be had in everlafting remembrance? The day our Jonas came fafe out of the whale's belly; the day our Samfon carried away the gates of Gaza. Now it was that death loft its fting; now the grave and hell loft their purchase; now the ferpent's head was bruised; now were they all fwallowed up in victory; now it was that our glorious Redeemer rested from all the works of fuffering and redemption, and rejoiced in the review thereof, with infinite complacency. And ought not we, who are fo much concerned, chear. fully to reft this day with Chrift, in a thankful remembrance of all he hath done?

IV. This day was prophefied of long before, Pfal. cxviii. 24"This is the day which the Lord hath made, we will rejoice and be glad in it." The current of expofitors understand this day of our Chriftian Sabbath, and of Chrift's refurrection thereon; for here plainly

there

there is a prophecy of Chrift, and of a remarkable day whereat the world fhould wonder, and the church rejoice. "This is the day which the Lord hath made," i. e. of which God is author. He made it, not by creation only, as he made all days; but by confecration, defigning and appointing it for a peculiar end, even for that strange and wonderful work of Chrift's refurrection from the grave, when he obtained his glorious victory, and our gracious deliverance from hell and deftruction. Again, he made it, i. e. (as the word from the original may be rendered) exalted it. This is the day which the Lord hath honoured and exalted above its fellows, above the feventh, or any other day of the week, because of the incomparable work of this day. That the day prophefied of in that place is fome remarkable day of the Meffiah, is very clear, if we confider the context, and the two preceding verfes of this Pfalm; by which it plainly appears, that the day there fpoke of is the day wherein "the ftone rejected by the builders," (i. e. Chrift, who was rejected by the elders, fcribes and pharifees, the pretended builders) became "the head of the corner :" Now what day was this, but his" refurrection-day?" in which God, by raifing him' from the dead, gloriously exalted him above all his enemies, rolled away his reproach, made him "Head of the corner," and Head of the church, by openly declaring him, to be his "Son with power," and that to the terror and confufion of all his enemies, and the joy and gladnefs of all his friends. And to put it beyond doubt, that this is the meaning of the place, fee it particularly applied by Peter, before the Jewish Sanhedrim, Acts iv. 11, 12. “Be it known to you, that this Jesus Christ whom ye crucified, God hath raised from the dead :" And therefore he subjoins, verse 12. "This is the stone which was fet at nought of you builders, which is become the head of the corner." Now, this being fuch a memorable day, the pfalmift's direction is, that all Chrif tians fhould rejoice and be glad in it; which indeed is a moft proper duty on our Christian Sabbath.

Again we have another prophecy concerning this day, in Ifa. xi. 10. " And in that day there thall be a root VOL. IV.

H

of

of Jeffe, which fhall ftand for an enfign of the people; to it fhall the Gentiles feek, and his reft. fhall be glorious." Now, what was that fpecial day, wherein Chrift was raised and exalted for an enfign, to invite and engage the nations to flee to him as their Redeemer? Was it not his refurrection day, on which he was declared to the world to be "the Son of God with power," Rom i. 4. This is the day then on which his reft was glorious. For as God the Father's "reft from the work of creation was glorious," and had great glory and honour put on it, by the world's keeping a Sabbath for about four thoufand years thereupon; fo God the Son's "reft from the work of redemption" was to have great glory and honour put upon it, by the Chriftian world's obferving a weekly Sabbath on it, to the end of time.

And was it not a glorious reft which the Son of God had on the first day of the week, from his great and Aupendous work, when he had laid the foundations of the new heavens and new earth, and had given the finishing ftroke to the new creation; when all "the ftars fang together, and all the fons of God fhouted for joy ?" It was on this day the Son refted from his works, "and was refreshed," as it is faid of God, Exod. xxxi. 17. with refpect to his refting from the works of the firft creation. Now, as God's reft from his works on the feventh day, and his being refreshed therein, was a fufficient indication of the precife day of rest which he would have observed by the world under the old difpenfation of the covenant; fo the rest of our Lord Jefus Chrift from his works on the first day of the week, and his being refreshed therein, is a fufficient indication of the precife day of reft which he would have obferved under the difpenfation of the new covenant. And accordingly, upon this indication, we immediatly find the difciples affembling themfelves together upon this day of their Redeemer's reft; and no fooner are they met, but Christ comes and graciously meets with them, folemnly bleffes them, and gives them the Holy Ghoft, John xx. 19. from

which time forward, the first day of the week was never without its folemn affemblies.

Moreover, we have the apostle to the Hebrews exprefsly confirming the forefaid prophecies concerning Chrift's reft upon the first day of the week, by telling us, that under the gospel," there remained a rest for the people of God," Heb. iv. 9. Now if this place be duly confidered, and rightly understood, it will mightily confirm the change of the Sabbath from the last to the first day of the week. For the word, which is there rendered reft, in the original is Sabbatifmos, and should be rendered a Sabbatifm or Sabbath-keeping, and fo the meaning is, (according to Doctor Owen and other learned commentators) "There remaineth a Sabbath keeping for the people of God, under the New Teftament as well as under the old." And this (as the apostle fhould in the context) behoved neceffarily to be a new Sabbatifm, in regard it hath a new foundation, in correfpondence to the foundation of the old Sabbatifm mentioned verfe 4. of that chapter. For he fpáke in a certain place of the feventh day on this wife, And God did reft the feventh day from all his works." Well (faith the apostle) the new Sabbatifm hath the like foundation, verse 10. "For he (viz. Jefus Chrift) that is entered into his rest, hath also ceased from his own works, as God did from his." Now, it was on the morning of the first day of the week that Chrift entered into his mediatory reft from his works of redemption, as God on the seventh day entered into his reft from the work of creation. And as God, by his refting on the seventh day, did determine that day for a facred fabbatical reft under the Old Testament; fo Chrift (who is the Lord of the Sabbath) by his entering into his reft on the first day, did determine that day of the week for a facred Sabbatifm under the New Teftament, The ceafing from his works, as God did from his mentioned ver. 10. can never properly be applied (as fome do) to the believer, but to Chrift's ceafing from his works of redemption; seeing it is abfurd to make our ceafing from the vile works of fin, a parallel to God's ceafing from his glorious works of creation. And it cannot be meant

of ceafing from the works of duty and service to God; for, to all eternity, believers never ceafe from thefe, Rev. xxii. 3.

V. Our Lord Jefus Chrift hath put honour upon the firft day of the week, and authorised the obfervation of it by his own example and practice, which hath the force of a law to us. It was on this day he met with the two difciples going to Emmaus, opened the fcriptures to them, and was made known to them in the breaking of bread, Luke xxiv. 13. Likewife upon the fame day he appeared to the eleven, when gathered to gether, and others with them, fhewed them his pierced hands and feet, comforted them, and opened their understandings that they might understand the fcriptures, Luke xxiv. 33. 36. 40. 45. It was on this day that Chrift came to his difciples, (being all convened to. gether except Thomas) gave them his peace and bleffed them, and alfo gave them their commiffion and the holy Ghoft, John xx. 16. 20. &c. Again, upon that day eight days, being the next first day of the week, when the disciples were affembled together, and Thomas with them, John xx. 26. Chrift chofe to appear unto them, and graciously convinced Thomas by the difcovery of his wounds. Though Chrift, after his refurrection, met with feverals of his difciples upon other days of the week, yet on the first day only (which is therefore exprefsly recorded) did he appear to them when affembled together; and therefore we fee how he left Thomas a whole week under his unbelief and doubtings, till the next Lord's day or first day of the week fhould come, that he might have occafion graciously to resolve him in the affembly of his difciples, for their common edifi cation and comfort. The first day of the week is the only day of the week, or month, or year, that is ever mentioned by number in all the New Teftament; and wherever it is fpoke of, we hear of the religious obfervation of it, by the difciples affembling together. And why are we told by the evangelifts fo exprefsly, and fo often, of Cbrift's making his vifits to his difciples upon the first day of the week? but to fhew us, that Chrift put a peculiar honour and respect upon this

day