The first intimation respecting the Sabbath is given in the second chapter of the Book of Genesis. This is a very important passage of scripture, and deserves our most serious attention; both as it respects the meaning of the words, and the period at which they were delivered. The second verse informs us what the Almighty did with regard to his own work. And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made. The third verse proceeds to state, And God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it; that is, he set it apart for holy purposes; for such is the meaning of the word sanctified in the Old Testament, when applied to inanimate things, or to persons with relation to any office or function. Thus the priests, the tabernacle, and all its furniture, were said to be sanctified, when they were set apart for the service of God. In no other sense can the word sanctified be understood with relation to the seventh day, without forsaking the scriptura! meaning of the term, and falling into absurdity.

This command, to set apart the seventh day for sacred purpo ses, was given to man in his primæval purity. Being created upright, he loved the Lord his God with all his heart, and mind, and soul, and strength. The labours of each day, in this happy state of mind, would be dedicated to God's service. There was ho need of a day of sacred rest to withdraw the mind from the carnal eagerness of worldly pursuits, or to recruit the body from oppressive labour. Man now enjoyed perpetual communion with God. His labour was light. The Lord God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden, to dress it and to keep it. (Ib. v. 15.) Thorns and thistles had not yet sprung up to create the necessity of laborious exertions. For out of the ground made thé Lord God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. (v.9.) The earth had not yet received the curse which caused man to eat bread in the sweat of his face.

If in this state the sacred rest of a seventh day was ordained by infinite wisdom, in what period of time can it become unnecessary to fallen man? Shall the consecration of a seventh day for the cultivation of our minds blinded by sin, and distracted by corrupt affections, be thought needless; when it was appointed to man in innocence and perfect holiness? Shall the mercies of creation require a frequently returning day for their celebration; and shall not those of redemption, in addition, call for an equal attention? In short, when we compare the state of fallen man with that of our first parents, during whose original purity this command was given, we shall find a variety of considerations urging upon him the superiour necessity of sanctifying a seventh day.

Besides, a general command thus given to the representatives of the whole species, must continue in force for ever; unless it be abrogated by the same authority by which it was enacted.

Whether there be any passages in scripture which abrogate the law of a Sabbath, with a clearness equal to that with which it was enacted, will be the subject of our future consideration.

The observance of a Sabbath cannot be opposed with reason, unless it shall appear that there is a clear abrogation of this com mand. It cannot be said with decency, that the neglect of the Sabbath is a more spiritual service to God than the observance of

it.

To attach any ideas of superstition to the observance of a Sab bath would scarcely fall short of blasphemy against the Almighty, whose wisdom made such an appointment before sin had entered into the world.

It is the duty of man at all times, and in every period of the world, to love God with all his heart, and mind, and soul, and strength; but particular exercises and proofs of this love may be enjoined at different periods. The worship of God, however, is required by a permanent obligation; and the exercise of this worship, especially when it is social, requires a cessation from other employments; and seasons appropriated to itself. Is it not then in the highest degree improbable, that man, when employed in the innocent labour of cultivating the garden of Eden, should be required to withdraw, during a seventh portion of his time, from this pleasing employment, to exercise himself in one still more pleasing to a holy soul; yet that we, who find it so difficult to abstract our minds from the too eager pursuits of worldly things, should be left to follow our own ways on the day originally set apart for the solemn services of religion? Such a supposition I cannot help thinking to be highly improbable, whether I consider the sanctification of the Sabbath in the light of a duty, or a privilege.

In whatever point of view we contemplate it, the Sabbath was instituted when mankind stood the least in need of that institution. Was the Sabbath designed to be a day of rest? It was instituted when the labour of our first parents was merely to keep and dress the garden of Eden. Was it designed to be a season of instruction? The law of God was then written upon the heart of man. He was made after the image of God in righteousness and true holiness. Was it designed to call off the mind from the anxiety of worldly cares? Our first parents had nothing to distract their minds: they saw God in all his works: they walked in innocence, and were not ashamed. Was it a day appointed for more immediate communion with God, in the exercises of holy worship? The pious pair enjoyed a perpetual communion with God: they approached him without fear, and served him with the profoundest reverence.

Can we then imagine, that an institution, appointed when there was the least possible need for it, should be set aside when every circumstance in the situation of mankind loudly calls for such an institution? How greatly do the incessant toils of many require a day of rest! What a powerful tendency have the anxious cares of life to shut out the due consideration of the world to come! The ignorance of many, especially of the lower classes of mankind, requires that time for instruction, which no other day, except the Sabbath, will afford; and without stated periods for the publick

worship of God, the very idea of religion would vanish out of the world.

These considerations forcibly impress my mind with the persuasion, that the sanctification of a Seventh day, that is, the setting it apart for holy purposes, was an appointment of God, and is of perpetual obligation.

FROM THE SAME.

TO THE EDITOR.

THE following short Catechism, the work of that venerable and eminently pious prelate archbishop Leighton, deserves to be universally known. I have extracted it from the fourth volume of his works, lately published by Ogle, and I submit to your consideration, whether the room which it would occupy in your Miscellany could be more advantageously employed, than in giving currency to this excellent summary of Christian doctrine and Christian duty.

You will, I trust, permit me to make one remark which forcibly struck my own mind on reading this Catechism. Its author unquestionably designed that it should be a compendium of all those great truths deducible from Scripture, the belief and practice of which are necessary to the formation of the Christian character; in other words, to the salvation of the soul. But how little do we find in it, which has been the subject of controversy among pious men in any age? How little do we find in it, to which any man of piety would now object? And yet have we not here a just and comprehensive statement of evangelical religion? If so, why will not good men agree to meet each other on such a common basis as this; and, leaving their endless debates, unite their labours in promoting the great objects of Christianity-love, purity, and peace?

"A SHORT CATECHISM.

"What is naturally every man's chief desire?

To be happy.

Which is the way to true happiness?

True religion.

What is true religion?

The true and lively knowledge of the only true God, and of him whom he hath sent, Jesus Christ.

Whence is this knowledge to be learned?

All the works of God declare his being, and his glory; but the clearer knowledge of himself, and his Son Jesus Christ, is to be learned from his own word, contained in the holy scriptures of the Old and New Testament.

What do those Scriptures teach us concerning God?.

That he is one infinite, eternal Spirit, most wisé, and holy, and

just, and merciful, and the all-powerful Maker and Ruler of the world.

What do they further teach us concerning him?

That he is Three in One, and One in Three, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost.

What will that lively knowledge of God effectually work in us? It will cause us to believe in him, and to love him above all things, even above ourselves; to adore and worship him, to pray to him, and to praise him and exalt him with all our might, and to yield up ourselves to the obedience of all his commandments, as having both made us, and made himself known to us for that very end.

Rehearse then the articles of our belief.

I believe in God the Father, &c.

Rehearse the Ten Commandments of the law, which are the rule of our obedience, and so the trial of our love.

God spake these words, I am the Lord thy God, &c.

What is the summary our Saviour hath given us of this law? Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and thy neighbour as thyself. What is the effectual means of obtaining increase of faith and power to obey, and generally all graces and blessings at the hand of God?

Prayer.

Rehearse that most excellent and perfect prayer that our Saviour hath taught us.

Our Father which art in heaven, &c.

In what estate was man created?

After the image of God in holiness and righteousness.
Did he continue in that estate.

No. But by breaking the commandment which his Maker gave him, eating of the fruit of that tree which was forbidden him, he made himself and his whole posterity subject to sin and death.

Hath God left man in this misery, without all means and hopes of recovery?

No. For he so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

What is then the great doctrine of the Gospel?

That same coming of the Son of God in the flesh, and giving himself to the death of the cross to take away the sin of the world, and his rising again from the dead, and ascending into glory.

What doth that Gospel mainly teach, and really persuade, all the followers of it to do?

It teacheth them to deny ungodliness and worldly lusts, and to live soberly, and righteously, and godly in this present world. How hath our Lord Jesus himself expressed the great and necessary duty of all his disciples?

That they deny themselves, and take up their cross and follow him.

Rehearse then some of the chief points wherein we are to follow our Lord Jesus Christ.

1. To surrender ourselves wholly to our heavenly Father, and his good pleasure in all things, even in the sharpest afflictions and sufferings; and not at all to do our own will, or design our own praise or advantage, but in all things to do his will and intend his glory.

2. To be spotless, and chaste, and holy, in our whole conversation, 3. Add a third. To be meek and lowly; not to slander or reproach, to mock or despise any; and if any do so to us, to bear it patiently, yea, to rejoice in it.

4. A fourth. Unfeignedly to love our Christian brethren, and to be charitably and kindly affected toward all men, even to our enemies; forgiving them, yea and praying for them, and returning them good for evil; to comfort the afflicted, and relieve the poor, and to do good for all as we are able.

Is it necessary that all Christians live according to these rules? So absolutely necessary, that they that do not so in some good measure, whatsoever they profess, do not really believe in Jesus Christ, nor have any portion in him.

What visible seals hath our Saviour annexed to that Gospel, to confirm our faith, and to convey the grace of it to us?

The two sacraments of the New Testament, Baptism and the Lord's Supper.

What doth baptism signify and seal?

Our washing from sin, and our new birth in Jesus Christ.
What doth the Lord's Supper signify and seal?

Our spiritual nourishment and growth in him, and transforming us more and more into his likeness, by commemorating his death, and feeding on his body and blood, under the figures of bread and wine.

What is required to make fit and worthy communicants of the Lord's Supper?

Faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, and repentance towards God, and charity towards all men.

What is faith in our Lord Jesus?

It is the grace by which we both believe his whole doctrine, and trust in him as the Redeemer and Saviour of the world, and entirely deliver up ourselves to him, to be taught, and saved, and ruled by him, as our Prophet, Priest, and King.

What is repentance?

It is a godly sorrow for sin, and a hearty and real turning from all sin unto God.

What is the final portion of unbelieving and unrepentant sinners? The everlasting torments of devils.

What is the final portion of them that truly repent and believe,

and obey the Gospel?

The blessed life of angels, in the vision of God for ever.

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