Purposes, namely, the Commeration of that great Work of the Creation, and paying Homage and Worship to that infinite Being, who was the Effector of it.

This Day, thus confecrated from the Beginning, for the Celebration of the 7 nous aviator, the World's Birth Day, as Fhilo calls it, was probably in fome meafure forgotten in the following wicked Ages, which God complains of, Gen. 6. 5 and fo after the Flood likewife. But after the Return out of Egypt, when GOD fettled the Jewish Polity, he was pleafed to renew this Day, and to establish it for a perpetual ftanding Law. And accordingly it was obferved down to our bleffed SAVIOUR's Time, countenanced, and ftrictly obferved by our great LORD and Mafter himfelf, and his Apoftles and Difciples in, and after his Time, and although for good Reafons the Day was changed by them, yet a Seventh Day hath been conftantly obferved in all Ages of Chriftianity, down to our prefent Time.

Thus we have a Day appointed by GOD himfelf, and obferved throughout all Ages, except fome few perhaps, which deferve not to be brought into Example.

And a wife Defignation of Time this is, well becoming the divine Care and Precaution; ferving for the recruiting our Bodies, and dispatching our Affairs, and at the fame time to keep up a Spiri tual Temper of Mind. For by allowing Six Days to labour, the Poor hath Time to earn his Bread, the Man of Bufinefs Time to difpatch his Affairs, and every Man Time for the Work of his refpetive Calling. But had there been more, or all our Time allotted to Labour and Bufinefs, and none to Reft and Recruit, our Bodies and Spirits would have been too much fatigued and wafted, and our Minds have been too long engaged about

world

worldly Matters, fo as to have forgotten Divine Things. But the Infinitely Wife Ruler of the World, having taken the feventh Part of our Time to his own Service, hath prevented these Inconveniencies; hath given a Relaxation to our felves; and Eafe and Refreshment to our wearied Beafts, to poor fatigued Slaves, and fuch as are under the Bondage of avaritious cruel Mafters. And this is one Reafon Mofes gives of the Refervation and Reft of the Seventh Day, Deut. 5. 13, 14, 15. Six Days fhalt thou labour, and do all thy work: but the Seventh is the Sabbath of the LORD thy GOD; in it thou fhalt not do any work, thou, nor thy Children, Servants, Cattle, or Stranger, that thy Man Servant, and Maid Servant may reft as well as thou. And remember, that thou waft a Servant, &c. therefore the Lord thy God commanded thee to keep the Sabbath Day. That carnal, greedy People, fo bent, upon Gain, without fuch a Precept, would have fcarce favoured their own Bodies, much lefs have had Mercy upon their poor Bonds-men and Beafts; but by this wife Provifion, this great Burden is taken off. But on the other hand, as a longer Liberty would too much have robbed the Mafter's Time, and bred Idlenefs, fo by this wife Provifion, of only one Day of Reft, to Six of Labour, that Inconvenience was alfo prevenwa

ted.

Thus the wife Governour of the World, hath taken Care for the Dispatch of Bufinefs. But then as too long Engagement about worldly Matters, would take off Mens Minds from God and Divine Matters, fo by this Refervation of every Seventh Day, that great Inconvenience is prevented alfo all being then bound to worship their great Lord and Mafter, to pay their Homages, and Acknowledgments to their infinitely kind Benefactor; and in a word, to exercise themselves in Divine, ReFf 3 ligious

ligious Bufinefs, and fo keep up that fpiritual Temper of Mind, that a perpetual, or too long Application to the World would deftroy.

This, as it was a good Reafon for the Order of a Sabbath to the Jews; fo is as good a Reafon for our Saviour's Continuance of the like time in the Chriftian Church.

2

And a Law this is becoming the infinitely wife Creator and Confervator of the World, a Law, not only of great Ufe to the perpetuating the Remembrance of thofe greatest of God's Mercies then commemorated, but alfo exactly adapted to the Life, Occafions, and State of Man, of Man living in this, and a-kin to another World, a Law well calculated to the Difpatch of our Affairs, without hurting our Bodies or Minds. And fince the Law is fo Wife and Good, we have great Reafon then to practife carefully the Duties incumbent upon us, which will fall under the Confideration of the

2. Thing I propofed, the Business of the Day, which God hath referved to himfelf. And there are two Things enjoyned in the Commandment, a Ceffation from Labour and worldly Bufinefs, and that we remember to keep the Day holy..

1. There must be a Ceflation from worldly Bufinefs, or a Reft from Labour, as the Word Sabbath (2) fignifies. Six Days thou shalt do all thy Work, but the Seventh is the Sabbath of the Lord thy GOD (not thy Day but his) in which neither thou, nor any belonging to thee, Jhall do any Work. In which Injunction it is obfervable, how exprefs and particular this Commandment is, more than others, in ordering all forts of Perfons to ceafe from Work. 2. We

2. We must remember to keep the Day holy. Which Remembrance is another Thing alfo in this, more than in the other Commandments, and implies,

I. That there is great Danger of our forgetting, neglecting, or being hindred from keeping the Day holy, either by the Infirmity and Carnality of our own Nature, or from the Advocations of the World.

And

2. That the keeping it holy, is a Duty of more than ordinary Confequence and Neceffity. of greatest Confequence this is,

1. To perpetuate the Remembrance of thofe grand Works of GOD commemorated on that Day; in the firft Ages of the World, the Creation; in the middle Ages, the Creation and Delivery from Egypt; and under Chriftianity, the Creation and Redemption by Chrift. Which Mercies, without fuch frequent Occafions, would be ready to be forgotten, or difregarded, in fo long a tract of Time, as the World hath already ftood, and may, by God's Mercy ftill ftand.

2. To keep up a fpiritual Temper of Mind, by thofe frequent weekly Exercifes of Religion, as hath been already mentioned.

3. To procure GOD's Bleffing upon the Labours and Bufinefs of our fix Days, which we can never expect fhould be profperous, if we are negligent of GOD's Time. For how can we expect GOD's Bleffing upon a Week fo ill begun, with a Neglect, or Abufe of GOD's first Day. And therefore if we become unprofperous in the World; if Loffes, Troubles or Dangers befall, let us reflect how we have fpent the Lord's Day; whether we have not wholly neglected it, or abused it in Riot, or made it a Day for taking Journeys, for more private Bufinefs, and lefs fcandalous Labour, as the Cuftom of too many is.

Thus

Thus having fhewn what Reason there is to remember to keep holy the Day dedicated to GOD, I fhall confider how we are to keep it holy, and fo conclude. Now the way to keep it holy, is not by bare refting from Work, for that, as a Father faith, is Sabbatum Boum & Afinorum, a Sabbath of Beats But holy Acts are the proper Bufinefs for a holy Day, celebrated by rational Beings. Among all which, the grand, principal, and most univerfally practifed, is the Publick Worfhip of GOD, the Affembling at the Publick Place of his Worship, to pay (with our Fellow-Creatures) our Homages, Thanks, and Praifes to the infinite Creator and Redeemer of the World. This as it is the moft reafonable Service, and proper Bufinefs for this Day, fo is what hath been the Pra ctice of all Ages. It was as early as Cain and Abel's Days, Gen. 4. 3. what was practis'd by Re ligious Perfons in the following Ages, till the giving of the Law; and at the giving of that, God: was pleafed to order Places, and his particular Worship, as well as the Seventh Day. The Tabernacle and Temple were appointed by God's exprefs Command; befides which, there were Synagogues all over the Nation; fo that in our Saviour's Time every great Town or Village had one, or more in it, and Ferufalem 460, or more (3),

The Worship of thefe Places, our bleffed SAVIOUR was a conftant and diligent frequenter of. 'Tis faid, He went about all the Cities and Villages, Teaching in their Synagogues, and Preaching, and Healing, &c. Mat. 9. 35. And St. Luke reporteth it as his conftant Cuftom or Practice, Luke 4. 16. And as his Custom was, he went into the Synagogue on the Sabbath-Day.

(3) Vid Lightfoot's Works, Vol. 2. f. 35.& 646.

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