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If the worldly circumstances of the generality be fuch as they can have but little time through the week for worshipping God, minding their fouls, and preparing for eternity; then it is their duty clofely and diligently, to employ the Lord's day for these ends, in which God grants them freedom for the fame :

But the former is true; therefore, &c.

The connexion of the major propofition is certain; for, if our whole lives be little enough for accomplishing the great work of our falvation, the feventh day, or seventh part of our time, is never to be thought too much.

And for the truth of the minor propofition, that the circumstances of the generality. are fuch as above reprefented, I do appeal, to the experience of the whole country where we live. How many poor men are there every where, tradefmen, tenants, fervants, workmen, &c. whose worldly poverty and neceffities are fo great and many, that they can fearce get fo much fpare time for their work and labour through the week, as is fufficient for eating and fleeping? They are commonly fo toiled through the day, that, at night, they are hardly fit for any thing but fleep. Now, what time have thefe through the week for holy duties and religious exercises? What time for reading and praying, and learning the principles of Chriftianity? But ance God is graciously pleafed to give them the Sabbath, in which they may retire from the world, and employ themselves wholly in the forefaid religious concerns; have they not the greateft need, clofely and diligently to fpend and improve the whole Sabbath therein, without any kind of unneceffary diverfion from the fame?

Are there not many poor fervants, whose masters are fo fevere, that they will not allow them half an hour in a day to serve God, or mind their fouls and hould they not greedily lay hold on the opportunity of the Sabbath for thefe ends, and let no part of this blessed day pass away idly? Now, for minifters or others to tell fuch, that the whole Sabbath day is too long for the forefaid fpiritual exercifes, and teach them to spend away part of it in carnal recreations or idleness,

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in my opinion, is a moft compendious way to promote atheism, ignorance and profanity amongst them. And, doth not daily experience confirm this fad truth? Do we not fee, that profaning the Sabbath opens a door to all profanity? and that in thofe places where people neglect the Sabbath, or spend the half of the day in recreations and idlenefs, there ignorance and immorality of all forts abound, and family-worship and piety are nie. glected; whereas, on the contrary. in thofe places where the whole Sabbath is closely observed, and recreations difcouraged, there we fee Chriftian knowledge, morality, the fear of God, and family-godlinefs, do flourish and profper? Ocular experience fhews us, that the fourth command is a hedge about all the reft; and the religious obfervation of the whole Sabbath day, is the most effectual method for promoting Chriftian know ledge and univerfal pity. People may hear a fermon or two on a Sabbath, and yet ly itill in their ignorance, if they spend the rest of the day in idieness and recreations, and neglect the private means of reading, praying, catechifing, conference, repetition of fermons, &c. I never expect to fee knowledge or piety flourish in congrega tions or families, till thefe means be ufed, and pains taken, after the public worship is over, to inftruct children and fervants. O! doth not the lamentable ignorance of many poor fouls plead aloud for the strict and diligent obfervation of the whole Lord's day? Had minifters and others a due fenfe of the mifery and perishing ftate of ignorant fouls, I am fure they would prefs it more, and never set up to teach them carnal recreations on this day.

O poor men, fervants and labourers, in the name of God I exhort you to fpend more of God's day in heaven's work: You have little time through the week for it; therefore God, in pity to your fouls, looses you this day from your weekly work, and cries to you from on higl,"come up hither," lay afide the thoughts of things below, and fet your affections on things above." As your bodies reft this day from labour, let your fouls think on eternal reft in heaven, and ufe all the appointed means for attending to it.

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~IV. A fourth argument I make ufe of is this; If God prohibits worldly employments on the Sabbath then certainly he difcharges carnal recreations: But the former is true; therefore, &c.

The minor propofition is undeniable; fo that all I have to prove is the connexion of the major propofition, which may be easily done thus: The great reafon of prohibiting worldly employments on the Sab bath is, because they hinder the holy employment of the foul, and would interrupt the duties of the Sab bath. But if carnal recreations do hinder the duties, of the Sabbath, and spiritual employment of the foul, as much as fervile labour; then by purity of reafon they are forbidden alfo: But fo it is, that they do hinder as much, yea, more than fervile labour would do. Nay, I may be bold to fay, that a man may be more ferious, and have his mind more exercised with heavenly meditations, when plowing, fowing or threshing. than when he is about carnal entertainments, recrea tions, or pastimes; or when he is in vain promifcuous. company, jetting, fporting, and telling ftories, or walking and talking idly in the ftreets or fields. Thefe do" far more distract the heart from God's fervice, than fer vile labour doth: A man will find himself more indif pofed for prayer and holy duties after them, than after the works of his calling. It was the fenfe of this that made Auguftine fay, "That it were better for maids to fpin, or for men to plow, than for them to dance and sport on the Sabbath day. Quanto melius et arare quam faltare in Sabbato." Aug. in titulum Pfal. xcii. He very well knew, that carnal pleasures are inconfiftents with devotion, and wholly unfit the foul for communion with God, which is the work of the Sab bath. Hence we fee, lovers of pleasure, and lovers of God, are fet in oppofition, 2 Tim. iii. 4.

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I might go on to multiply arguments to this parpofe ; but this truth is fo clear from found reafon and the word of God, and particularly from Ifa. lviii. 1 3. to fuch as believe the feriptures, that I think it almost needlefs to fay any more."

But,

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But, in regard this truth hath many adverfaries, (and no wonder though fatan mufter up all his forces against it, fince it levels fo directly against his kingdom) I fhall endeavour to anfwer the chief objections brought against it.

Particularly, there is one 7. S. who calls himself a Prefbyter of the Epifcopal church of Scotland, that in his pamphlets upon the Sabbath, lately published, pleads for Sabbath days recreations, both as lawful and duti ful, after the public worship is over; providing (as he qualifies them) there be nothing immodeft or indecent therein, nor too much time spent thereby: Though he neither tells how much time he allows for them, nor what are the immodeft or indecent things which he difallows in them; but leaves every man to his own conftruction and choice therein.

I fhall confider the ftrength of the arguments adduced by him and others, for thefe recreations; and I fhall begin with the chief one.

Object. I. "To hinder these recreations after fermon, were to tye us, who are the difciples of Chrift, to as strict a reft, and as burdensome an observation of the Sabbath, as the Jews were obliged to under the law, which were to judaize, and build that again which Chrift hath deftroyed."

Anf. 1. The fourth command being moral and perpetual, as hath been proven, doth oblige us to as ftrict a reft and ceffation from worldly actions, as it did the Jews. I grant indeed, the Pharifees invented a great many fuperftitious additions to the rest of the Sabbath, which were not of divine appointment, and would have had all to conform thereto, as if they had been divine laws. The affigned fuch a precife fpace for a Sabbath-day's journey; they frequently would not allow the relieving of mens bodies and beafts in diftrefs this day: Some came this length, that though they allowed beasts to be fed or watered, yet, if any of them fell into a ditch, they must not draw him out on this day, but feed him where he was till the Sabbath was over. Nay, I have read of Jews fo ridiculoufly fuperftitious, that they would not allow themselves to be drawn out

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of pits or dangerous places into which they had fallen on the Sabbath, and therefore have fmarted with death for their folly. Some held, that it was unlawful to kill a flea, take the fkin off an apple, or do any thing of that kind on the Sabbath day: Nay, further, they taught, that it was unlawful to defend themfelves a gainst their enemies this day; by which means they sometimes became a prey to their enemies: Till Mattathias the priest better inftructed them, as we are told by Jofephus, and the author of the first book of the Maccabees.

I fay, these were nothing but human additions; for the fame things were lawful to the Jews on the Sabbath, that are allowed to us, viz. the works of piety, neceffity and mercy; as manifeftly appears by the commentary which Chrift gives upon this command, both by his words and actions. Christ defends his practice in healing, and his difciples in plucking the ears of corn on the Sabbath; and shews, that the works of neceffity and mercy, the relieving of men and beafts in diftrefs, were lawful on the Sabbath. Our bleffed Saviour, by his reafoning against the Pharifees on this fubject, intends only to reprove their fuperftitious additions, and to fhew what things were lawful to the Jews on the Sabbath from the beginning, but not what things are now lawful to us under the gospel; for he gives no more liberty for worldly things this day than what was before, fince he "came not to deftroy the law."

2. I grant indeed, that our Saviour hath freed Chriftians under the gofpel, from the Jewish method of celebrating the Sabbath, by a typical service and ceremonial worship, confifting of facrifices, washings, and manifold rites, which were a burdenfome yoke. Now, to reintroduce abrogated ceremonies on the Sabbath, is (I confefs) to judaize, and rebuild what Chrift hath destroyed; and whoever are chargeable with this in any degree, let them fee to it. But what man will call abftaining from carnal recreations on the Sabbath, an abrogated Jewish ceremony? or compare the ftrict fanctification of the Lord's day, by the pleafant evangelical facrifices of prayer and praife, to the burdenfome

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