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 surely the fubftance itself, 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 several accounts.

1. Because of its answering 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 reason 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 worthip 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 space, and resting the feventh. 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, saying, "Let there be light" But in a special manner, this day serves to perpetuate the memorial of this greater blessing 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 righteoufnefs arofe 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 fent 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 apoftles for the work of the gofpel: and he is the bleffed Applier of the redemption finished this day by Jefus Christ, and is in a more especial 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

Hence, by the fpirit of God, and ever fince Chrift'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 xiii. 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 stones to roll a way, 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 fhewed 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 everlasting remembrance? The day our Jonas came safe 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 bruifed; 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 remem. brance 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 underftand 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.. 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 ail 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 raifed from the dead :" And therefore he fubjoins, verfe 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 Chriftians should rejoice and be glad in it; which indeed is a moft proper duty on our Chriftian Sabbath.

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

H

of

of Jeffe, which shall stand for an enfign of the people to it fhall the Gentiles feek, and his reft fhall be glori ous." Now, what was that special 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 thousand 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 ftupendous work, when he had laid the foundations of the new heavens and new earth, and had given the finishing stroke 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 first creation. Now, as God's reft from his works on the seventh day, and his being refreshed therein, was a fufficient indication of the precife day of reft 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 themselves together upon this day of their Redeemer's reft; and no fooner are they met, but Chrift comes and graciously meets with them, folemnly bleffes them, and gives them the Holy Ghoft, John xx. 19. from

which