Lord's Sabbath. 3. We are to glorify the Holy Ghost, by afcribing to him the honour of applying the purchafed redemption to believers, in his work of regeneration and fanctification, which he began in a glorious manner by that wonderful effufion on the church in the day of Pentecoft, being alfo the Lord's day. In this manner we ought to glorify God, giving honour to the Father, Son, and Holy Ghoft, upon this holy day, if we would keep the Sabbath acceptably to the Lord.

(2.) Let us mind the direction of the Holy Ghost in Ifa. lviii. 13 with refpect to the keeping of this day, to wit, to "call the Sabbath a delight, the holy of the Lord, honourable, and honour him, not doing our own ways, nor finding our own pleafure, nor fpeaking our own words." Which direction teacheth us, that the best way to prevent Sabbath-breaking, and to honour God on his own day, is to " call the Sabbath a de light." that we knew what this meaneth!

Quef." When may we be faid to call the Sabbath our delight?"

2.

Anf. We call it our delight, when we rejoice at the approach of the Sabbath, and make due preparation for it; and when we folace our fouls, in the joyful expectation of communion with God on his own day, faying with David, Pfal. xliii. 4. "Then will I go unto the altar of God, unto God my exceeding joy. When we give the Sabbath an early welcome, and ftir up ourselves to feek God betimes upon it; like David, Pfal. xii. 1. "O God, thou art my God, early will I feek thee." 3. When we are diffàtisfied with thefe things that would hinder us from the right keeping of the Sabbath, and are grieved that we can keep Sabbaths no better. 4. When we efteem every minute of Sabbath-time to be most precious, and are careful that none of it be wafted away; but order matters so wisely, that one duty of the Sabbath may not juttle out another; that is, to be fo early in our clofet-devotion, that the clofet may not hinder family-duties and fo to perform thefe, that they may not encroach upon God's public-worthip. 5. When we are concerned to have

all

all belonging to us to keep the Sabbath as well as ourfelves, and glad to fee this holy day regarded and ho noured by all about us. Then it may be faid, we "call

the Sabbath a delight."

Now, after all I have faid, let me come in the end, in the name of that great Lord who inftituted the Sab. bath for his own glory, and the good of men, earnestly to exhort, beseech and obteft, all ranks and degrees of perfons, whether they be parents or children, masters or fervants, magiftrates or people, young or old, to put all honour and respect upon this holy day; to fanctify it as God requires, and abstain from all worldly employments and recreations upon it. Do not grudge your Maker his one day of feven, but be willing to de dicate it wholly to his worship and fervice. O how do you think to spend a whole eternity in God's holy prefence, and in holy spiritual exercises, if you cannot bring yourselves to spend one day in a week in holy work? Again, fee that you be impartial in his fervice; be as willing to hear what God faith to you from his word, as you would have God to hear what you fay to him in prayer. Some are all for prayers, as if they were only to tell God what they would have from him; but care not for fermons, or for hearing what God requires and expects from them: But, if you would have God to hear your prayers when you speak to him, you muft diligently hearken to his word when he speaks to you. It is by hearing the word upon the Lord's day, that God hath converted many thoufands to himself. The Sabbath is a merciful inftitution to loft finners for their falvation, and many have been, and will for ever be thankful for it: For hereby they have been led to make proper ftands in life, and to review their bypast actions, fo as to order their courfe more wifely for the time to come; which they had never done, if they had not been led to a religious retirement on the Lord's day. Seeing this holy day is such a bleffing and privilege to the world, let me intreat parents, masters, magistrates, and all who have power, to exert it for promoting the keeping of it. You are not only to fanctify the Sabbath yourselves, but also you must do your utmost that

thofe

thofe under you do it likewife. This you are bound to by the Lord's exprefs charge in the fourth command, where it is faid, "Thou, thy fon, thy daughter, thy fervants, the ftranger within thy gates;" importing, that you are to ufe your power and influence over all within your gates, to caufe them obferve the Sabbath, and keep them from profaning it; left God impute their fins to you, as to Eli in the like cafe, for not using your power to restrain them. It is not indeed in the power of perfons in authority, to make all thofe religious who are under their jurifdiction; but it would put them in a likely way of being fo, to keep them from fuch things as would hinder the religion of that day, and caufe them attend the means of inftruction; and alfo to tell them in private of the reft and happinefs of the world to come, purchafed by Chrift, which the right keeping of the Sabbath leads unto.

This ought to be the great care of parents with refpect to their children in younger years. It is one of the first things that children are capable of, namely, to distinguifh this day from others: And then they fhould be taught to lay afide their other days diverfions, even before they are capable of godly exercises; and thus they aré gradually to be inured to Sabbath keeping, as the beginning of wifdom. This method took God to introduce religion into the world: It was his first appointment and institution, to reft on the feventh day, and to fanctify it, Gen. ii. 3. as if he defigned this to be the foundation and beginning of all religion. Let all heads of families follow this great example.

your

In like manner, the

Likewife, we fee God requires mafters to take care that their fervants, and all within their gates, keep the Sabbath And, indeed, it is highly their intereft and wifdom to do fo; for, if you be careful that your fervants do their duty to God, God will take care that fervants do their duty to you. civil magiftrates, who are the fathers of cities and states, fhould use their power over all within their gates or jurifdiction, to caufe them obferve God's holy day. We fee Nehemiah threatened bodily punishment on the men of Tyre for breaking of the Sabbath, Neh. xiii. 21.

And

And Jeremiah, by God's appointment, calls upon the princes to fee that the Sabbath be not profaned, and that upon their highest peril, Jer. xvii. 19. 25. 27. and hence it is, that our kings and parliaments have made fo many excellent laws against the profanation of the Sabbath. May God put it into the hearts of thofe, who ought to be prefervers and executors of laws, to put them in execution! This would tend much to the glory of God, and the welfare of nations, cities, and families. But, lafly. Let me exhort all in inferior flations, both young and old, to observe the fourth command, as they regard the falvation of their precious and immortal fouls in the eternal world, and the peace of their confciences when they come to lie on a death bed, which they fhould be looking out for every day. Let me addrefs both young and old upon this head.

I. As for you that are young, I entreat you to " remember the Sabbath-day, to keep it holy." Improve this day with all care and earnestnefs; for it is the day wherein poor finners ufually begin their acquaintance with God, and converfion to him: And the proper feafon for this work is the time of youth, for now the heart is moft tender and pliable, and fooner melted for fin, that afterwards, when you come to greater age : For, the longer you go on in fin, the heart will turn the harder, and the confcience more feared. The longer you forget God, the more eftranged you will grow, and unwilling to return to him. The branches of a tree while young, may be bowed and trained up any way; but when they are old they will not ply.

Again, confider, that the fooner you begin to fanctify the Sabbath, and be serious about your fouls, God will love you the better. See how he remembers the kindness of youth, Jer. ii. 2. "Thus faith the Lord, I remember thee, the kindaefs of thy youth, the love of thine efpoufals, when thou wenteft after me in the wilderness," &c. He loves those who come in at the firft found of the gospel, far more than rebels, who stand out till the last, that they can do no more. The fewer calls and invitations you refift, the more kindly will you be accepted of Ged: He loved a young Abijah, a young VOL. IV,

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Jofiah,

Jofiah, a young Timothy; and John is called the "difciple whom Jefus loved," John xiii. 23. because he was youngest and earliest converted. See how affectionate. ly Paul falutes Epenetus, by the title of his "well-be loved," becaufe of his being "Chrift's first fruits in Achaia," Rom. xvi. 5. And if Paul loved him fo, much, to be fure Chrift loved him far more.

Moreover, do not think that juftice will spare you, if it find you in fin, and out of Chrift, because you are young. Prefume not upon mercy upon, this account; remember that threatening, Pfal. Ixviii. 21. " God (hall wound the head of his enemies, and the hairy fcalp of him that goeth on Aill in his trefpaffes." You have no ground to think that he will fpare you till you be old and bald-headed: No, he may even take you by the hairy fcalp while you are in your youthful vigour and freshness, and punish you, as he hath done many others before you.

O young folk, if you would mind your fouls, and fanctify the Sabbath in the days of youth, take thefe few directions:

1. Look always on death as near, and within a few fteps of you. Alas! many young folk think it as im proper for them to be thinking on their graves, as to think of going to bed at noon: their fun is high, and it is a long time to night; they look on death at forty or fifty years diftance. O what folly is this! Do you not fee graves of your length, and skulls of your fize, in the church-yard? Yea, do you not fee twenty die young, to one that lives to old age? Let death and eternity be then the frequent fubjects of your meditation on the Lord's day.

2. Think much this day upon your vileness and mifery by nature; that you are" children of wrath, heirs of hell, enemies to God, and ftrangers to Chrift, and the covenant of grace; yea, fervants to fin, and bond flaves to the devil" For the prodigal never thought of turning to his father, till he faw himself in a loft and undone condition.

3. Think much on Chrift's fitnefe, fulness, and fuitablenefs for all your wants and maladies. In him you

may