their minds; through which, fome neglect the public worship of the Lord's day in the forenoon, and others attend the worship drowfily: Therefore the General Affembly recommends it to all minifters, where fuch fioful customs are, to reprefent to the people, both publicly and privately, the fin and evil thereof; and to call them to redeem that time which they have free 'from bufinefs, and to employ it in coaverfe with God, about their fouls ftate, and in preparation for the Sabbath; which will yield more delight than all fenfual pleasures can do. And the General Affembly befeech and exhort all magiftrates of burghs to be affiftant to 'minifters in inquiring into and reforming such abuses. 4. 1795, at Edinburgh, April 10. The General Affembly, taking to their ferious confideration the great profanation of the Lord's day, by multitudes of people vaguing idly upon the streets of the city of Edinburgh, pier and fhore of Leith, in St Ann's-yard, and the Queen's-park, and in diverfe places about Edinburgh; and confidering the profanation of the Lord's day in other places, by unneceflary travelling and otherways; and the General Affembly being deeply fenfible of 'the great dishonour done to the holy God, and of the open contempt of God and man, manifefted by fuch heaven-daring profanenefs, to the expofing of the nation to the heaviest judgments; therefore they do, in the fear of God, earnestly exhort all their reverend brethren of the miniftry, and other officers of the church, to contribute their utmost endeavours, in their 'ftations for fuppreffing fuch grofs profanation of the 'Lord's day, by a vigorous and impartial, yet prudent exercife of the difcipline of the church, and by holding ' hand to the execution of the laudable laws of the nation against the guilty, in fuch a way and manner as is 'allowed by law. And, because the concurrence and 'affiftance of the civil government will be abfolutely neceffary for the better curbing and reftraining of this crying fin, the General Affembly do hereby appoint 'their commiffion to be nominate by them, to addrefs 'the Right Honourable the Lords of her Majefty's privy council, that their Lordships may be pleased to give 'fuch orders, and take fuch courfes, for reftraining fuch abuses, as they in their wisdom fhall judge moft ef'fectual.'

A.

A

A 178, at Edinburgh, April 27. Forafmuchas mi. nifters from diverfe parts of this national church do reprefent, that there is a general profanation of the Lord's day by travelling thereupon, carrying goods, driving cattle, and other abuses, to the great fcandal of religion, and manifeft breach of many good laws; therefore the 'General Affembly did, and hereby do appoint each presbytery within this church, to nominate two or three of their number, to attend the Lords Commiffioners of Jufticiary at their firft circuit that 'falls to be in their bonds, and to represent to their Lordfhips the profanation of the Lord's day, by the forefaid wicked and finful practices: And the General Affembly do feriously recommend to the faid Lords of Jufticiary, to take fuch effectual courfes as they in their 'wisdom fhall think fit, to restrain and punish the aforefaid abuses; which the Affembly will acknowledge as < a fingular service done to God and his church. 6 they do, in the mean time, injoin all the minifters of this church, from their pulpits, to advertise their peo ple among whom fuch practices are, of the great hazard their immortal fouls are in by fuch courfes,' &c. By all which we may clearly fee what a high efteem our zealous and godly ancestors had of the Lord's day, and of what great importance they judged the due obferva, tion of this holy day is to the intereft of true religion add godliness! And O what a pity is it, that we, who fucceed them, fhould come fo far fhort of them in zeal for fanctifying the Lord's day! O that all magiftrates and minifters were animated to fhew a due concern for the honour of this holy day, as in former times. A plea. fant token would this be of the revival of decayed reli. gion among us.

.

And

TREATISE

CONCERNING

THE SANCTIFICATION

OF THE

LORD'S DAY.

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 concerns of the Christian religion. And these we have briefly comprised in three fuccinct compends, which are owned and received by all Chriftians; viz. the Apofles creed, as it is commonly called, the Lord's prayer, and the decalogue; the firft being the fum of our cre denda, 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 fubject in feveral pfalms, particularly xix. and cxix. which deferves our special notice, and high esteem in that refpect.

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

that

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 firft 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 com mands 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 feafon 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 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 should 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 Wisdom for the happiness of the creature, and the glory of the Creator: And therefore it is the business 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 fanctify it aright.

CHA P. I.

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

N order to the handling of this fubject the more

I

vine affiftance, propose and refolve feveral queftions 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 ret, the Sabbath being a day of holy reft:

nd