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ever fince, to continue to the End of the World, which is the Chriftian Sabbath.

Q. 1. What special Marks of Honour hath God fet upon this fourth Commandment ?

A. God hath fet four peculiar Marks of Honour on it. (1.) It is the largest of all the Commands.

(2.) It hath a folemn Memento prefixed to it.

(3.) It is delivered both pofitively and negatively, which the reft are not. And,

(4.) It is enforced with more Arguments to ftrengthen the Command on us, than any other.

Q. 2. Why will God have a Sabbath obferved on Earth? A. God will have a Sabbath on Earth, to give us therein an Emblem of that eternal Sabbath in Heaven, wherein his People fhall be ferving him, and praifing him without Interruption, or mixture of any other Bufinefs throughout Eternity; Heb. iv. 9. There remaineth therefore a Reft to the Prople of God.

Q3. For what other Reasons will God have a Sabbath? A. he will have a Sabbath for the Honour of his Name, Ifa. lviii. 13. If thou turn away thy Foot from the Sabbath, from doing thy Pleafure on my holy Day, and call the Sabbath a Delight, the holy of the Lord, honourable, and shalt honour him, not doing thine own Ways, nor finding thine own Pleasure, nor Speaking thine own Words. For the good of Mens Souls, Mark ii. 27. And he said unto them, the Sabbath was made for Man, not Man for the Sabbath. And in Mercy to the Bodies of Men and Beafts.

Q. 4. Is this Commandment moral and perpetual, or ceremonial and temporary?

A. It is, and muft needs be moral, and not ceremonial; becaufe all the Reafons that enforce it, are perpetual, and the Sabbath continued, when the ceremonial Law ceased, and was vanished, Matth. xxiv. 20. But pray ye, that your Flight be not in the Winter, neither on the Sabbath-Day.

Q5. What Day of the feven is the Christian Sabbath? A. The first Day of the Week is our Sabbath, fince the Refurrection of Chrift. This is the Day which was foretold to be our Sabbath, Pfal. cxviii. 24. This is the Day which tne Lord hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it. The

Lord

Lord hath marked it for himself by fetting his own Name on it, Rev, i. 10. I was in the Spirit on the Lord's Day. And the Apostles and primitive Church conftantly fet it apart to religious Ufes and Ends, Acts xx. 7. And upon the first Day of the Week, when the Difciples came together to break Bread, Paul preached unto them, &c. 1 Cor. xvi. 2. Upon the first Day of the Week, let every one of you lay by him in Store, as God hath profpered him, that there be no gatherings when I come.

Q. 6. When doth the Chriftian Sabbath begin?

A. It appears that this Day is not to be reckoned from Evening to Evening, but from Morning to Morning; becaufe. the Chriftian Sabbath must begin, when the Jewish Sabbath ended, but that ended towards Morning, Matth. xxviii. 1. In the End of the Sabbath, as it began to dawn, towards the firft Day of the Week, came Mary Magdalene, and the other Mary to fee the Sepulchre.

Q. 7. What is the Ground of changing the Day?

A. The folemn Commemoration of our Redemption by the Refurrection of Chrift from the Dead, is the Ground of tranflating the Sabbath from the feventh to the first Day of of the Week, Pfal. cxviii. 24. This is the Day which the Lord hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it, Mark xvi. 9. Now when Jefus was rifen early the first Day of the Week, be appeared firft to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had caft Seven Devils.

Q. 8. Is it the whole Day, or only fome Hours of the Day that are fet apart for God?

A. Not a Part, but the whole Day is the Lord's, and it is as dangerous to halve it with God in Point of Time as it was for Annanias and Sapphira to halve their dedicated Goods, and bring in but a Part. Remember that thou keep holy the Subbath Day, is the Command.

Q. 9. Is there any other Day holy befide this?

A. No Day but this is holy by Inftitution of the Lord; yet Days of Humiliation and Thanksgiving may be lawfully fet apart by Men on a Call of Providence; but Popish Holydays are not warrantable, nor to be obferved, Gal. iv. 10. Ye obferve Days, and Months, and Times, and Years.

Q10. But feeing every Day fhould be a Sabbath to a Christian, what needs any other fet Time?

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A. Though

A. Though Chriftians muft walk every Day with God, yet every Day cannot be a Sabbath, becaule God calls us to other Duties on thote Days, but will have this to be a folemn and entire Day to himself.

Q. 11. But if a Man fcruple the change of the Sabbath, may he not keep both Days weekly?

A. No; for then by doing more than God requires, he breaks a plain Command, Six Days fhalt thou labour.

Q. 12. At what Time fhould Chriftians be up, and at, their Duties on the Lord's Day?

A. As early in the Morning as their Strength will permit, to prepare by private for publick Duties; yet the publick are not to be entrenched on by private Duties, As x. 33Now therefore are we all here prefent before God, to hear all Things that are commanded thee of God.

Qreft. 60. H

Of the Sabbath.

OW is the Sabbath to be fanctified?

A. The Sabbath is to be fanctified by an holy refting all that Day, even from fuch worldly Employments and Recreations as are lawful on o her Days, and pending the whole Time in the publick and private Exercifes of God's Worship, except fo much as is to be taken up in the Works of Neceffity and Mercy.

Queft. 61. What are the Sins forbidden in the fourth Commandment?

A. The fourth Commandment forbiddeth the Omiffion or careless Performance of the Duties required, and the pros faning the Day by Idleness, or doing that which is in itself finful, or by unneceffary Thoughts, Words or Works, about our worldly Employments or Recreations.

Quelt. 62. What are the Reafons annexed to the fourth Commandment >

A. The Reafons annexed to the fourth Commandment are, Gods allowing us fix Days of the Week for our own Employment, his challenging a fpecial Propriety in the fe venth, his own Example, and his Bleffing the Sabbath Day. Q. What is the reft which God requires on the Sab

bath?

i.

A. It is not a meer natural or civil, but an holy Reft, refembling the Reft in Heaven, wherein the Mind'is molt active and bufy in the Work of God, though the Body be at rest, and the Spirit not wearied with its Work, Rev. iv. 8. And the four Beafts bad each of them fix Wings about him, and they were full of Eyes within, and they reft not Day and Night, faying boly, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and

is to come.

Q. 2. May not any. Works of our civil Calling be ordinarily done on that Day?

A. No; it is finful to put our Hands ordinarily to our Callings on that Day, and God ufually punishes it, Neh. xiii. 15, 16, 17, 18. In those Days Jaw I in Judah, fome treading Wine-prefes on the Sabbath, and bringing in Sheaves, and leading Affes, as alfo Wine, Grapes and Figs, and all Manner of Burdens, which they brought into Jerufalem on the Sabbath Day; and I teftified against them in the Day wherein they fold Victuals. There dwelt Men of Tyre also therein, which brought Fish and all Manner of Ware, and fold on the Sabbath, unto the Children of Judah, and in Jerufalem. Then I contended with the Nobles of Judah, and Jaid unto them, What evil Thing is this that ye do, and profane the Sabbath Day? Did not your Fathers thus, and did not our God bring all this Evil. upon us, and upon this City? Yet ye bring more Wrath upon Ifrael by profaning the Sabbath.

Q. 3. May we not refresh our Bodies by Recreations, or our Minds by Thoughts of Earthly Bufinefs or Difcourfes on that Day?

A. Recreations of the Body which are lawful on other Days, are finful on this Day; and all the Recreations of the Mind, allowed on this Day, are Spiritual and Heavenly, Ifa. Iviii 13, 14. If thou turn away thy Foot from the Sabbath, from doing thy Pleasure on my holy Day, and call the Sabbath a Delight, the holy of the Lord, honourable, and halt honour him, not doing thine own Ways, nor finding thine own Pleafure, nor Speaking thine own Words: Then halt thou delight thyself in the Lord, and I will caufe thee to ride upon the high Places of the Earth, and fed thee with the Heritage of Jacob thy Father; for the Mouth of the Lord hath poken it.

Q4. What Works may lawfully be done on that Day? A. Chrift's

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A. Chrift's Example warrants Works of Neceffity, and Works of Mercy, but no cther, Matth. xii. 3, 4. But he faid unto them, have ye not read what David did, when he was an hungred, and they that were with him, How he entred into the Houfe of God, and did eat the Shew-Bread, which was not lawful for him to eat, neither for them which were with him, but only for the Priefs. And ver. 7. But if ye had known what this meaneth, I will have Mercy, and not Sacrifice, &c.

Q5. What are the holy Duties of the Sabbath?

A. The publick Worship of God in reading and hearing the Word preached, Ifa. lxvi. 23. And it fall come to pass that from one new Mcon to another, and from one Sabbath to another, fhall all Flesh come to worship before me, faith the Lord, Luke iv. 16.-And as his Custom was, he went into the Synagogue on the Sabbath Day, and stood up for to read. And Prayer, Acts xvi. 13, 14. And on the Sabbath Day we went out of the City by a River fide, where Prayer was wont to be made, &c. And receiving the Sacrament, Acts xx. 7. upon the firft Day of the Week when the Difciples came together to break Bread, Paul preached unto them, &c.

And

Q. 6. Are private Duties in our Families required, as well as publick on the Sabbath?

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A. Yes; it is not enough to fanctify the Sabbath in publick Ordinances, but God requires it to be fanctified in Family and private Duties, Lev. xxiii. 3. But the feventh Day is the Sabbath of Reft, an holy Convocation, ye shall do no Work therein: It is the Sabbath of the Lord in all your Dwellings.

Q. 7. With what frame of Spirit are all Sabbath Duties, both publick and private to be performed?

A. They are to be performed with fpiritual Delight, Ifa. Iviii. 13. If thou turn away thy Foot from the Sabbath, from doing thy Pleasure on my holy Day, and call the Sabbath a Delight, &c. And all grudging at, and wearinefs of fpiritual Exercifes is a Sin forbidden, iv al. i. 13. Ye faid alfo, bebold what a Weariness is it, and ye have fnuffed at it faith the Lord of Hofts, and ye brought that which was torn, and the Lame, and the Sick: Thus ye brought an Offering; fhould I accept this of your Hand faith the Lod? Amos viii. 5. When will the

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