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ful, as to incroach upon God's time, or rob him of any part of it, more than they? The very light of nature, and principles of found reafon, befides the command of God, plead ftrongly for this: That, fince the Lord hath liberally given us fix days for our use, we should, without grudge, give him one day for his fervice; and, fince he gives us fix whole days, it continues morally juft and rational, that we fhould give him his one day whole too, and that we should spend as much of his day in holy duties as is ordinarily allowed on other days for fervile labour, and that is the whole day, except what is allowed for receflary bodily refreshments, viz. eating and fleeping.

The 2d Ground I shall infist on is, the Lord's propriety in the Sabbath, or in one day of feven. This reason binds us as much as it did the Jews; the Lord's right to a day in fever, is the fame that ever it was, other. wife the morality of the fourth command is not the fame; but I have already demonftrated the contrary. The Chriftian Sabbath is called the Lord's day, as well as the Jewish Sabbath was called "the holy of the Lord," Ifa viii. 13. to fhew that his propriety and title is the fame. And it is obfervable, that the Lord in that one verse, calls it twice his holy day; and it is from this that the Lord takes the principal argument, which he there uses against carnal recreations on the Sabbath ; "Ye fhall not speak your own words, nor find your own pleafures on this day." Why? It is my holy day, the holy of the Lord: The feventh part of the week is mine unalterably, fet apart for holy uses, confecrate for my holy fervice. This argument is moral, and perpetually obliges all men, Chriftians as much as Jews. For, if a day in seven be dedicated to God, certainly every part of it, yea, the whole of it, belongs to him; and to alienate any part of it to our own ufe or pleafures, is facrilege, and a direct infringement of the morality of the fourth command. The Lord tells us, Levit. xxvii. 28. "That every devoted thing is most holy unto the Lord." Here is a day both by God and man, folemnly and perpetually devoted to the Lord; and accordingly the Lord, Ifa. lviii. 13. affèrts his juft

right and title to it, and twice in one breath calls it his holy day, and, u on this account, prohibits carnal recreations upon it: And must it not be great prefumption for any creature, to venture deliberately to rob his Creator of his just property, and put that which is holy, and folemnly confecrate to God, to common use? Remember what Slomon fays, Prov. xx. 25 "It is a fnare to the man who devoureth that which is holy, and after vows to make inqu ry:" It is a fnre, i. e. it is a most dangerous thing, it brings heavy guilt, even God's curfe and vengeance, upon the man that doth fo. Thus you fee how the morality and unalterable reafons of the fourth command restrain Chriftians from carnal recreations on the Sabbath, as much as the Jews. The standing and perpetual rule, which God hath there laid down, can never be altered to the world's end: Still God hath one day, and man hath fix; but if we take any part of God's day to our own ufe, more than the works of neceffity and mercy require, then we have more than our fix, and God hath lefs than his one, which is contrary to the command. Moreover, if it

be in the power of man to alienate any part of this day from God, why not the whole of it? and fo the Sabbath might come to be wholly abolished, which is abfurd.

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Object.." The memory of Chrift's refurrection on the Lord's day, calls us to more joy and gladness upon our Sabbath than the Jews were called to upon theirs." Anf This fays nothing for carnal fports or recreations: It is not a worldly joy but a fpiritual joy, that we are called to this day; fuch a joy as is expreffed in pfalms, hymns, and fpiritual fongs. Again, if our mercies be this day greater than thofe the Jews had to commemorate, then we are in gratitude obliged to a more ftrict and holy fanctification of the day, to the honour and glory of the God and fountain of our mercies; which, I believe, no ferious Chriftian will think carnal recreations very confiftent with.

Object. 2." But thefe recreations are no where forbidden in the New Testament.

Anf.

Ant. It is fufficient if they be forbidden in the Old Teftament; for the Old Teflament is our rule, as much as the New, in actions which are moral, or not ceremonial and I fee not what fhadow of ground there is for calling abftinence from carnal pleasures on the Sab bath, a thing ceremonial, or lefs binding upon us than the Jews: But moreover, if we compare the 58th chapter of Ifaiah with the 56th, it will manifeftly appear, that the Lord, in injoining his people ftrictly to obferve the Sabbath, and abstain from carnal pleafures thereon, hath a refpect to gospel times after the Melfiah's coming. Ifaiah was a moft evangelical prophet, and ftill had the gospel-times in his eye; wherefore fome call him the evangelift Ifaiah: So that, in recom mending Sabbath-fanctification, and calling the Sab. bath God's holy day, he doth not confine himfelf to the Jewish Sabbath, which was foon to be abolished; but hath an eye to the evangelical Sabbath, which was to continue to the end of the world. is 47

Again, this is confirmed by the practice of the pri mitive Christians: they thought it unlawful to spend any part of the Lord's day in unneceffary diverfions from holy things; yea, they accounted the trict fan&tification of this day the prime character of a true faint. Auguftine faith, "It is not enough that we keep three or four hours of this day, but that we obferve the whole day." The ancient Chriftians did not think the work of the day was over, when the public worthip was ended. The younger Pliny tells us," That they used this day to meet before day light, and fing their hymns to Chrift." And Tertullian, in his apology, makes mention of their night prayers. They thought thems felves bound to begin the work of the day fo early, bel caufe Chrift rofe this morning before break of day. They neither thought nor pleaded that they had more freedom for worldly pleafures, or were lefs obliged to holy exercifes this day, than the Jews upon their Sabbath.

Nay, if we confider things narrowly, it will be found, that Chriftians are under greater obligations to a strict

and

and holy fanctification of the Sabbath under the gospel, than the Jews were under the law, for sever I reasons.

1. We have not only the creation, as the Jews had, but we have alfo the redemption of mankind, which is a greater work, this day to commemorate. Now if the Jews were obliged to celebrate the day which was inftituted for the memory of the creation, by a to tal abftinence from worldly employments and recre tions; much more are we b und to a strict fanctification of the day which is inftituted for commemorating of both creation and redemption. We have far greater mercies to commemorate this day than the Jews had, viz. "the redeeming love of a crucified J fus, and his glorious victory over death and hell;" and confequently have greater work and employment, and ought to be the more active and busy in doing of it; and alfo more delightful work, and therefore fhould be the lefs inclined to weary or fit up in it.

2. We have a far more pleasant and excellent manner of worship to perform upon the Sabbath, than the Jews had. Their worship was attended with manifold rites, washings, and facrifices, which were both chargeable and toilfome to their bodies; but ours is fpiritual, pleafant and easy.

3. The Jews had many other feftival days to obferve, by a strict and holy reft, befide the Sabbath; but, under the gospel, God hath freed us from the yoke of all other festivals, and hath institute none but the Lord's day, which, in gratitude, we ought to obferve more strictly and religiously than the Jews.

4. By baptifm, we come under more strict and folemn engagements to keep God's commandments, than the Jews; and alfo we have more fpecial promises of his Spirit to help us in keeping of them, than the Jews had; For, in the New Teftament times, the Spirit is poured out in a larger measure, than in the Old..

So that from the whole I infer, that if the Jews under the Old Testament were bound to keep the whole Sabbath day and wholly to abstain from their own pleafures upon it, yea, count the fervice of the Sab bath, a delight, according to Ifa. lviii. 13. though in VOL IV.

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itfelf it was burdenfome: Much more ought we, under the gofpel, to keep the whole Sabbath strictly, and call it a delight, when the work and fervice of it is fo pleafant and eafy.

H. Another argument, which I fhall bring against the forefaid Sabbath day's recreations, fhall be taken from the nature and greatnefs of the Sabbath day's work; and I fhall form it thus:

If the work of the Sabbath be so neceffary, weighty, and various, that it requires the whole day to be spent thereir, and challenges all our fouls faculties to be em ployed thereabout; then carnal recreations are unlawful thereupon:

But the former is true; therefore, &c.

The connexion of the major propofition is evident: for that which is weighty and neceffary ought always to take place of that which is not fo.

As for the minor propofition, that the work of the Sabbath is fo great and neceffary, is plain, if we confi. der, that the Sabbath is the great market day of heaven; upon which we ought to take in, and lay up provision for our fouls for the reft of the week, yea, for eternity itself. It is the ufual day of finners conversion and acquaintance with God: It is the day wherein we have our fins to bewail, our needs to get fupplied, our hard hearts to get melted, our dead affections to get raifed, our guilty confciences to get difburdened, our dark minds to get enlightened, our weak graces to get ftrengthened: We have this day God's word to teach our families, our children to inftruct, Christ's love to commemorate, death and judgment to provide for, and our Redeemer to treat with about the faving of our fouls. In a word, this is a day wherein we are to make vifits to God, and receive vifits for him. Now, I do appeal to every ferious foul, that knows any thing of real godliness, if these things be not fo weighty and neceffary, as to challenge the whole of the day, and the. attendance of all our powers and faculties: And if fo, then we are bound carefully to avoid every thing that may prove an avocation or diversion from doing them. III. Another argument may run thus:

If

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