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known those laws to them, which respect the manner and time in which he will be worshipped, under the gospel-dispensa

tion.

The next thing to be considered, is, that the church in, and after the apostles time, universally attended to the religious observation of the Lord's day; which was celebrated as a Sabbath in all succeeding ages. This is so evident, from the history of what relates thereunto, that it needs no proof. That the apostles and the church, in their day, observed it, has been already considered; and that the observation thereof was continued in the church, after their death, appears from the writings of most of the Fathers, who speak of it as a day in which the church met together for public worship, and paid a much greater deference to it than any of the other days of the week, wherein they occasionally attended on the exercise of religious duties. Thus Ignatius, who lived in the beginning of the second Century, advises every one who loved Christ, to celebrate the Lord's day, which was consecrated to his resurrection; and he calls it the queen, and chief of all days*. Also Justin Martyr, who lived about the middle of the same Century, in one of his apologies for the Christians, says, That on that day, which they, viz. the Heathen, call Sunday, all who live in cities or villages, meet together in the same place, where the writings of the spostles and prophets are read, and we all assemble; it being the day in which God finished the creation, and Jesus Christ, our Saviour, rose from the dead. For the day before Saturday he was crucified, and the day after it, that is, Sunday, he appeared to his apostles and disciples, and instructed them in those things which we propose to your consideration f.

In the third Century, when persecution so much raged against the church, it is well known, that Christians distinguished them

Vid. Ignat. Epist. ad Magnes.

+ Vid. Just. Mart. edit. a Grab. Apol. 1. § 87, & 89. It may be observed, that that Father is not alone in his calling it Sunday; for Tertullian [Adv. Gent. Cap, xvi.] calls it so. And Jerom says it may be so called, because the Sun of Righteousness arose with healing in his wings; but it is generally called the Lord's day; and that not only by others, but by the same Fathers; except in their apologies for the Christian religion against the Heathen, they used the word in compliance with their mode of speaking. But that which is more strange, and savours a little of affectation, is, that Justin, and some other of the Fathers, should chuse to use a circumlocution, instead of Friday, as he calls it, the day before Saturday. And Ignatius, [in Epist. ad Trall calls it parasceva, or, the preparation for the Sabbath, as the Jews did; and Irenæits calls it the day before the Sabbath, [in Lib. v, adv. Her, Cap. xxiii.] which the learned Grabe supposes to be for this reason; that they might shew how much they detested the name of Venus, to whom Friday was dedicated by the Heathen. And they ought to have been as cautious of using the word Sunday, since that was not only dedicated to the Sun. But some took occasion from thence, to asperse the Christians, as though they had worshipped the Sun; which Pertullian, in[Apol, adv. Gen. Cap. xvi.] is obliged to exculpate them from.

selves, by the character of observers of the Lord's day, which they reckoned a badge of Christianity *.

I need not descend any lower, to prove that the Lord's day was universally observed by the church, in commemoration of Christ's resurrection, in all succeeding ages; for that is generally allowed. Therefore, all that I shall add to illustrate this argument, taken from the practice of the Christian church, from our Saviour's resurrection, to this day, is,

- 1st, That it cannot reasonably be supposed, that God would suffer his church universally to run into so great a mistake, as to keep a wrong day as a weekly Sabbath; and that not only in one or two, but in all ages, since our Saviour's time. Now, whatever error particular churches have been suffered to imbibe, God has not left them all in general; and that before the corruption and apostasy of the church of Rome, as well as since the Reformation, to be deceived, which they must be said to have been, had they esteemed that God's holy day, which he has neither instituted, nor owned as such.

2d, God has not only suffered all his churches to go on in this error, if it be an error, and not undeceived them, but he has, at the same time, granted them many signal marks of his favour; and has, to this day, in many instances, owned the strict and religious observation thereof; which we can hardly suppose he would have done, if it were not of his own institution; nor that he would have given a sanction to it, by being present with his people, when attending on him therein, in the ordinances of his own appointment. This leads us to consider,

IV. The proportion of time that is to be observed as a weekby Sabbath. Thus it is said in this answer, we are to keep holy to God, one whole day in seven. A day is either artifi cial or natural. The former is the space of time from the sun's rising, to its setting; the latter contains in it the space of twenty four hours. Now the Lord's day must be supposed to continue longer than the measure of an artificial day; otherwise it would fall short of a seventh part of time. But this has not so many difficulties attending it, as that has which relates to the time of the day when it begins. Nevertheless, we have some direction, as to this matter, from the intimation given us, that Christ rose from the dead on the first day of the week, very early in the morning, while it was yet dark, John xx. 1. Luke xxiv. 1. Therefore the Lord's day begins in the morning, before sun rising; or, according to our usual way of reck

* Dominicum agere, or celebrare, was a phrase well known in that age, in which many Christians were put to death, upon their being examined, and boldly professing that they observed the Lord's day; and the assemblies, in which all the parts of public worship were performed on that day, were generally called Synaxes.

oning, we may conclude, that it begins immediately after midnight, and continues till mid-night following; 'which is our common method of computing time, beginning the day with the morning, and ending it with the evening; and it is agreeable to the Psalmist's observation; Man goeth forth to his work, and to his labour in the morning, until the evening, Psal. civ. 23. Rest, in order of nature, follows after labour; therefore the night follows the day; and consequently the Lord's day evening follows the day, on which account it must be supposed to begin in the morning.

Again, if the Sabbath begins in the evening, religious wor◄ ship ought to be performed sometime, at least, in the evening; and then, soon after it is begun, it will be interrupted by the succeeding night, and then it must be revived again the following day. And, as to the end of the Sabbath, it seems not so agreeable, that, when we have been engaged in the worship of God in the day, we should spend the evening in secular employments; which cannot be judged unlawful, if the Sabbath be then at an end. Therefore, it is much more expedient, that the whole work of the day should be continued as long as our worldly employments are on other days; and our beginning and ending the performance of religious duties, should in some measure, be agreeable thereunto. Again, this may be proved from what is said in Exod. xvi. 23. To-morrow is the rest of the holy Sabbath unto the Lord. Whereas, if the Sabbath had begun in the evening, it would rather have been said, this evening begins the rest of the holy Sabbath.

Another scripture generally brought to prove this argument, is in John xx. 19. The same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut, where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, came Jesus, and stood in the midst, and said unto them, Peace be unto you; it is called the evening of the same day; so that the worship which was performed that day, was continued in the evening thereof. This is not called the evening of the next day, but of the same day in which Christ rose from the dead; which was the first Christian Sabbath.

Object. To this it is objected, that the ceremonial Sabbaths under the law, began at evening. Thus it is said, in Lev. xxiii. 5. In the fourteenth day of the first month, at even, is the Lord's passover; and ver. 32. speaking concerning the feast of expiation, which was on the tenth day of the seventh month, it is said, It shall be unto you a Sabbath of rest; and ye shall afflict your souls in the ninth day of the month, at even: From even unto even shall ye celebrate your Sabbath.

Answ. To this it may be answered; that the beginning of sacred days is to be at the same time with that of civil; and

this was governed by the custom of nations. The Jews' civil day began at evening; and therefore it was ordained that from evening to evening, should be the measure of their sacred days. Our days have another beginning and ending; which differ ence is only circumstantial. Whereas, the principal thing enjoined, is, that one whole day in seven, be observed as a Sabbath to the Lord.

QUEST. CXVII. How is the Sabbath, or Lord's day to be sanctified?

ANSW. The Sabbath, or Lord's day, is to be sanctified, by an holy resting all the day, not only from such works as are, at all times, sinful, but even from such worldly employments and recreations as are on other days lawful, and making it our delight to spend the whole time (except so much of it as is to be taken up in works of necessity and mercy) in the public and private exercises of God's worship; and to that end we are to prepare our hearts, and with such fore-sight, diligence and moderation to dispose, and seasonably to dispatch our worldly business, that we may be the more free and fit for the duties of that day.

QUEST. CXVIII. Why is the charge of keeping the Sabbath more specially directed to governors of families, and other superiors?

ANSW. The charge of keeping the Sabbath is more especially directed to governors of families and other superiors, because they are bound not only to keep it themselves, but to see that it be observed by all those that are under their charge; and because they are prone oft-times to hinder them by employments of their own.

IN

N explaining the former of these answers, which more especially respects the manner how the Sabbath is to be sanctified, let it be considered,

I. That we are to prepare our hearts, and with such foresight, diligence, and moderation, to dispose, and seasonably to dispatch, our worldly business, that we may be more free and fit for the business of that day. We do not read, indeed, that there is any time sanctified, or set apart by God, in order to our preparing for the Sabbath; but this matter is left to our Christian prudence. Yet we read in the New Testament, of the day of preparation for the Sabbath; that is, the day before the Jewish Sabbath; which persons who had any sense of the VOL. III. 3 R

importance of the work to be performed on the following day, thought it their duty to prepare for before-hand, at least, to give dispatch to their worldly business; that their thoughts might be fixed on the work on which they were to engage on the day ensuing. Thus we read, that that day was the preparation, and the Sabbath drew on: And they returned and prepared spices and ointments, and rested the Sabbath day, according to the commandment, Luke xxiii. 54, 56. The mixing of ointments and spices, which were compounded according to the custom of those times, for the embalming of the dead, was a work of labour, and not fit to be done on the Sabbath. Therefore they did this the day before, that they might not be brought under any necessity of performing that servile work therein, which might be done on another day. And this practice of dispatching worldly business, in order to their being prepared for the sacred employment of the Sabbath, seems to have been inculcated, when the observation of that day was revived by Moses in the wilderness of Sin; on which occasion he says, To-morrow is the rest of the holy Sabbath unto the Lord. Bake that which ye will bake, and seethe that ye will seethe: and that which remaineth over, lay it up for you to be kept until the morning, Exod. xvi. 23. The meaning of which is, they were to gather the manna, which would take up a considerable time, and grind or prepare it for baking or seething; which was a servile, or laborious work, that might as well be done the day beiore. Accordingly they were commanded then to dispatch or finish it, that they might rest in, and sanctify the Sabbath immediately following.

As for the time which the more religious Jews took, in preparing for the Sabbath before it came, something of this may be learned from the practice of holy Nehemiah; whereby it appears, that they laid aside their worldly business, in order to their preparing for the Sabbath the day before, at sun-set, or when it begun to be dark. Thus it is said, That when the gates of Jerusalem began to be dark before the Sabbath, he commanded that the gates should be shut, and charged that they should not be opened till after the Sabbath, Neh. xiii. 19. However, this is discretionary, and therefore some Jewish writers observe, that many of them began to prepare for the Sabbath the evening before, at six o'clock, and some of them at three; and others spent the whole day before in the dispatch of their secular business, that they might be better prepared for the Sabbath; and this, as to, what is equitable or moral therein, is, doubtless, an example to us: so that we may say as Hezekiah did in his prayer; The good Lord pardon every one that prepareth his heart to seek God; the Lord God of his fathers, though he be not cleansed according to the purification of the sanctuary, 2 Chron. xxx. 18, 19.

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