DISCOURSES (continued 6)

In the arguments, which may be adduced and illustrated, the divine authority of the writings of the Old and New Testament, will be taken for granted. Such only as believe in them, it is expected, will yield to the force of arguments drawn from them.—It is proper, likewise, just to remark here, before we enter upon the proposed proof, that if we reject the Old Testament, we may as well, and must if self-consistent, reject the New. For if one be divinely inspired, the other must be also. If one be false, or spurious, the other is also. Both, therefore, must stand or fall together, because they are intimately connected:—and so intimately connected, that both are either true or false. This every one will allow, who has carefully and diligently read and compared them, or taken proper pains to see their connexion. This connexion has been evinced by several very able and judicious writers.—Let it be further remembered, that nothing in the Old Testament is done away, but the positive or ceremonial part:—The moral part is as much in force, now, as ever. It never indeed can be repealed.—We have our Lord’s own words to bear us out in this assertion. He tells us most expressly, that he came not to destroy the law and prophets but to fulfil them—or to confirm them.

As the subject before us has been a good deal debated in the world, and is of a most important and interesting nature, it is hoped the hearer will give not only a candid, but a critical attention. The more critical, the better; for I am persuaded, that no part of truth or Religion will suffer by the closest inspection, or most severely critical examination.—We want and wish for no assistance from superstition to befriend the glorious cause of the christian religion. If it cannot stand upon its own broad basis, and do not recommend itself, by its own superlative excellence and reasonableness, let it fall; and let its enemies triumph.—We invite them to examine:—We urge them to a free and fair enquiry.—

In the words now read, St. Luke, the writer of the history of the Acts of the Apostles, gives us an account of public worship, as conducted by the inspired Apostles; the time when it was attended upon, and the different exercises of which it was composed. The time when, was the first day of the week, or what has generally been called, the Christian Sabbath. The Preacher, who was the apostle Paul, delivered a discourse to the professing Christians, who had assembled together to keep as holy time, the first day of the week. The Lord’s Supper was celebrated as a divine ordinance. They broke bread sacramentally. St. Paul administered the sacramental supper. And they had such comfort and sweet experience of God’s presence and blessing, that the exercises of public worship were protracted to an unusual length.—Here we have the example of the Apostles, and their converts to the Gospel, for keeping as holy time, the first day of the week.—The first day of the week appears from these words to have been the common time for public worship. For the historian speaks of their coming together, not as an occasional, but stated assembling. The very manner, in which he speaks of their meeting for public worship, must satisfy every candid mind, that it was a stated or common time. And most certainly the Apostles would not have ventured of themselves, or from their own power, to set apart, and to observe as sacred, a day for public worship. For this, they had a special order from him, who is head over all things to the Church. Their example in observing, as sacred time, and for public worship, the first day of the week is as binding upon us, as an express precept.

Many excellent and pious books have been written upon the sanctification of the Sabbath—the manner in which it is to be sanctified has been often well described—directions how to do it have been given—motives to induce people to keep it holy unto the Lord have been enlarged upon—and the change of the Jewish into the Christian, the seventh into the first day Sabbath has been, by learned Divines, clearly proved.—Much indeed hath been said and written concerning the Sabbath; and well said and well written. But the enquiry we propose now to consider, is whether it be the mind and will of God, that under the Gospel-dispensation there should be any distinction of days, or any time set apart as holy? This is seldom discoursed upon. It is however a very interesting question, and worthy of a careful attention.—When I cast my eye upon some few writers, who have employed their time and abilities to disprove the morality of the Sabbath, and to diminish the regards of Christians to it, I feel a deep sorrow. How unhappy that the mind should be puzzled and confounded by such writings! And how hurtful to religion is every attempt to dissuade people from esteeming the Lord’s day, as holy time. For if the Sabbath be once generally looked upon, as a human device, it will of course be neglected.—One writer, in a system of moral philosophy, which he saw fit to publish, has laboured to make it appear, that the Sabbath is not a divine institution. This single thing will tend much to injure the Churches, and to corrupt the public morals.——

In order to do justice, as far as we are able, to the subject before us:—we will begin our enquiry with the original institution of a Sabbath, or a seventh proportion of time, set apart from the common concerns of life, to religious purposes.

1stly. A sabbath is a day of sacred rest. The meaning of the word is rest; and it necessarily presupposes labour and toil as preceding it. A Sabbath day is a day of rest—a rest in God, or devoted to him, to his fear and service. The great question is when was such a day first appointed? Reason teaches us that we ought publicly to worship and serve God, the fountain of life and being. If it teach us this, it will teach us that some particular time, or day should be appointed to the important duty. It cannot inform us what portion of time, or what day. After we are told that God has set apart a seventh proportion of time, it consents to such a portion or part of time as altogether suitable. We cannot suppose that when God made man, that he would leave him without any assistance or direction about the time, when, he should worship and serve him. As he made him a rational being, so he would take care to favour him with all necessary guidance and instruction about his duty to him. And we accordingly find he was particularly attentive to him, to fix his duty, and point him to his only happiness. For man is only happy, when intent upon duty. If we turn to the Book of Genesis, ii. 1, 2, 3. We shall find that the Sabbath was appointed immediately upon finishing the great work of creation. As soon as God had made the heavens and earth, and had formed man in his own image, he instituted the Sabbath, not for his own, but for man’s benefit. Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the hosts of them. 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: and God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it, he had rested from all his work, which God created and made. There are three words here used respecting the seventh day. God rested on the seventh day: he blessed it, and sanctified it. No one can be so absurd and foolish as to imagine that the Supreme Jehovah wanted rest, because fatigued with the labour of Creation. With infinite ease, did he speak the whole Universe into existence. And it might have been instantly done, or all in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, as well as in six days, if it had been the divine pleasure. He had important ends in view, in employing six days in the formation of the heavens and earth, as he hath in all his conduct. The everlasting God, the Lord, the creator of the ends of the earth fainteth not, nor is weary. As therefore he was not fatigued or worried with labour, he needed no rest as to himself. The word rest here cannot mean eternal rest, or his own divine happiness, because in this sense of the word God always rested; for he was completely blessed from all Eternity. His happiness is the same from everlasting to everlasting. The meaning of his resting on the seventh day—blessing it—and sanctifying it, is setting it apart to religious uses, as a day in which his blessing may be hoped for eminently. To sanctify a day, is to distinguish it from others—to consecrate it to holy purposes. And his resting on the seventh day is an example to man, after six days of labour, to set apart to religious uses, the seventh. There are some circumstances respecting the original institution of the Sabbath worthy of notice. It was appointed as soon as God had ended the work of creation. It is the very first institution or express law of God. As soon as he had formed man, he gave him the law of the Sabbath: and he gave it to him because he had finished the work of creation. This is particularly expressed. The very institution of the day pointed out the use of it:—it was to lead man’s thoughts to the author of nature, to remember with gratitude and reverence the works of creation—to fix his mind upon God as the only object of religious homage and praise—and to keep him from Idolatry, and impiety. It was necessary that man should have a time ordained for worshipping and particularly glorifying his Maker. He was planted in Paradise. And Creation was filled with the glory of the Lord. It spake forth in silent language his praise. But man was not to be an idle spectator of the wonders of the divine workmanship. His business was to adore and rejoice in the fulness of his portion: to eye with rapturous delight the power that formed him, and spread around him in such rich profusion the beauties of nature. The Sabbath was ordained to furnish him with the stated opportunity, and to remind him of the duty of worshipping his Creator. God saw that he needed such an institution, though perfectly innocent; and though brought into existence in a state of complete maturity of reason and judgment. The Sabbath was appointed before sin had entered the world, and defaced the divine image in man. If man, in his primitive state of rectitude, and when sin had found no place in his heart, needed a day of rest in God—or a seventh part of time to be consecrated to the great exercises of religious homage, how much more does he now, in his fallen state?

There is but one objection that was ever raised, against the belief that the Sabbath was appointed at the close of creation, before man apostatised, and that is the account here in Genesis ii. 1, 2, 3 of the very appointment of the Sabbath, was inserted by way of anticipation; or that Moses mentions it in his narrative too soon. This is the same thing as to charge the sacred historian with inaccuracy. It is to say, he was incorrect, and made an unhappy mistake. And if the Sabbath was not instituted in Paradise, he indeed is extremely incorrect, and injudicious to mention the appointment of it more than two thousand years before it took place; as he did, if it were not instituted till the Children of Israel came out of Egypt, as is alledged by some. The only reason they offer for supposing the Sabbath is here spoken of, by way of anticipation, is the silence of the Scripture upon the subject, till we come down to the departure of the Children of Israel out of Egypt. They pretend not that it was unnecessary. That man needed it not.—Besides, whoever duly attends to the manner, in which the fourth Commandment is worded, will be compelled to admit that it refers to this original paradisaical institution of the Sabbath. The reference is very obvious. Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work. But the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy man servant, nor thy maid servant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates. For in six days the Lord made the heaven and earth, the Sea and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day, wherefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it. In these words, Moses refers us back, in the plainest manner possible, to the original appointment of the Sabbath, at the finishing of the work of creation.—It is true that we find no express mention of a Sabbath observed from Adam to Moses, a space of two thousand and five hundred years. But that there was one observed is probable. For it is not likely, that a merciful and gracious God would leave man for so long a period without setting apart some stated time for his worship, by his express authority. He revealed his will, in small degrees, from period to period, in the early ages of the world. There were pious people then to serve him. For he always had a seed to serve him, in the world, and to bear testimony to the truth. They undoubtedly maintained public worship. And they had stated times and seasons for it. For we read, then began men to call on the name of the Lord.

The account given us of the patriarchs is very short. But there are several things, which make it appear altogether probable, that they observed a day of sacred rest. It is said, Noah sent the dove out of the Ark at the end of seven days: and again at the end of other seven days. This intimates at least that he measured time by weeks; and that the end of each week was regarded by him, with some peculiar solemnity. Cain and Abel offered their sacrifice in process of time: the original is, in the end of days. While the Children of Israel were in Egypt, and there, for the first time, observed the passover, Moses commanded that, on the first day of unleavened bread, there should be a holy convocation, a day in which they were to do no manner of work, and were to convene to worship God. And this holy convocation, is called elsewhere the Sabbath Lev. xxiii. 24, 32, 39. Moses speaks of this holy convocation, as if they knew what it meant; and had been accustomed, in the house of their bondage, to observe it. About a month after giving the law from Mount Sinai, the Manna fell, as heavenly support to them, in the wilderness; and on the sixth day there fell double the quantity, as on other days. The people were surprised at this event, and could not account for the reason of it. Moses explains it to them, in these words, This is that which the Lord hath said; to-morrow is the rest of the holy Sabbath unto the Lord. We know not that God had spoken to them of the Sabbath, but when he had completed the work of creation. Moses addresses them, reasons with them, and reproves them, as if they were well acquainted with the Sabbath. Some have doubted whether they observed any Sabbath in Egypt. Their tyrannical Masters it is true greatly oppressed them. And most likely, forbid them to rest on every returning seventh day. The long time they were in bondage, had mostly destroyed no doubt the remembrance of the Sabbath. But some of them kept it, it is natural to suppose, as well as they could. God in a very solemn manner, renews the appointment of the Sabbath, in the fourth commandment.—It may be of weight here to ask, how the nations in general, in the first ages, and so down through all generations, come to divide and measure their days by sevens, or by weeks? That they do, and have done, all history declares. But no planet or heavenly body directed them to this, or suggested the hint. The celestial bodies measure out years, months, and days; but not weeks. Is not this a circumstance strongly indicative of the original Institution of the Sabbath—and division of time by weeks; that after six days of labour, a day of rest is to be observed?——The learned Grotius tells us, that two of the most ancient writers now extant, speak of the seventh day as sacred. And it is certain that one day in seven has been distinguished among many heathen nations, ancient and modern, with religious ceremonies and festivals. But how comes this? Must it not be conveyed down, from generation to generation, by tradition? Does it not then lead us to a belief, that there was a Sabbath appointed, when the world was made? And can we suppose that pious people, from the creation to the flood, and from the flood to the time of Moses, had no fixed day to assemble together for publicly serving and worshipping the Deity? Is this reasonable? Is it probable?—It appears then that the Sabbath was instituted, when God had finished the work of Creation, and was observed, in the world, from Adam to Moses.

Here it is proper to remark, that there is nothing in the fourth Commandment to militate against observing as holy time, the first day of the week. It directs us to keep as holy time, every seventh day. Six days shall thou labour, but the seventh is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God. The seventh part of time is here consecrated to God. The seventh is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God, a day to be kept holy to God, different from all other days. Every day indeed we ought to remember him who is the source of all good. But the seventh after six working days is, in a particular manner, to be kept holy unto God. Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy. We never could know from the fourth commandment, where to begin the Sabbath, or where to end the six working days; or when to begin to work or to rest. All that this commandment does, is to appoint for holy uses, the seventh part of time, or one day in seven. And so far, it is moral and not positive. There is a fitness, in the reason of things, that some part of our time, or days should be especially devoted to God, and religious worship; how great a part, or when to begin, or end our day of sacred rest, is left for God to decide by his own appointment; and accordingly is positive. It will then be asked, how the Jews could know, what day to keep as the Sabbath day, or when to begin, or to end their six days of labour? There was another precept pointing out the precise day. Exo. xvi. 23, 25, 26. And he said this is that which the Lord hath said, to morrow is the rest of the holy Sabbath unto the Lord. This is the first place that we have any mention of the Sabbath, from its institution at the close of creation, which is express, though there are some intimations of it, as before observed. The people, three days after they left the banks of the red Sea, where God so gloriously wrought for them, murmured at Marah, because of their thirst. They then came to elim, and thence to sin, on the fifteenth day of the second month after their departing out of the land of Egypt. And here they murmured again, for the want of bread; concluding that they were all to perish with hunger. God, again, by a standing miracle supplied them with food—he rained bread from heaven.—On the sixth day, there were to gather twice as much as on other days, as a supply for the seventh—which was the Sabbath.—Here the day was fixed, when to begin their Sabbath.—When, they had reached Sinai; the moral law was given to them in awful solemnity:—and one part of it, contained the due observation of a seventh part of time. It is then, as fully proved as any thing can be, that the christian Sabbath is, according to the fourth commandment, as much the seventh day, as the Jewish Sabbath. It is observed every seventh day, the seventh from our first working day, as well as theirs. When, therefore, we keep the first day of the week, as holy time, we do, in no sense, go counter to the fourth commandment. To object against the first day Sabbath, as a departure from this commandment, bespeaks great ignorance.—And Christ, when he instituted the first-day Sabbath, did not abolish, weaken, or destroy the fourth commandment.—I have dwelt the longer upon the original institution of the Sabbath, in Paradise, because if we can prove that God hath actually set apart a seventh portion of time, from the beginning, it will happily open the way, to establish, beyond all contradiction, that under the New-Testament-dispensation, we have a Sabbath: and if we have, it must be the first day of the week, as will be evinced from other arguments.

2dly. When God set apart the people of Israel to be a peculiar people unto himself, he directed them to devote, one day in seven, to him as holy time. In giving them the moral law, as an epitome of all their duty, he took care to insert the law of the Sabbath. Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy. The due observation of the Sabbath is placed among the great and essential points of morality. God blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it. The people were told it was the Sabbath of the Lord their God. It was his day. He had a special interest in it; a peculiar property. It was a day, in which he was to be honoured, the work of Creation commemorated, and their deliverance from a cruel servitude duly noticed. It is prefaced thus, I am the Lord thy God which brought thee out of the land of Egypt and house of bondage. It was a day to be observed by them to distinguish them from other nations, as worshippers of the true God, and to preserve them from Idolatry. The most rigid rules were prescribed for sanctifying it. The most severe penalties were annexed to the breach of it. A Sabbath-breaker was among the most vile and abominable characters. The whole day was to be devoted to God and Religion. When they kept the day as holy, they were prospered. Calamities and judgments were inflicted upon them, when as a nation, they neglected God’s holy Sabbath. All the prophets who were raised up, one after another, called them to observe the Sabbath, warned them against any contempt of it, and placed the sanctification of the Sabbath upon a footing of equality with the moral Virtues. As the priests were the guardians of the ceremonies and rites of their religion, so the prophets were the restorers, and guardians of moral duty. Their placing the due observation of the Sabbath so high, as a moral duty, is a full proof how they viewed it, and how God viewed it. A violation or profanation of the day was to be punished with awful severity. We find that God’s giving them the Sabbath, is enumerated among his great and signal mercies to them; the wonders of his Goodness, Nehemiah ix. 14. And madeth known unto them thy holy Sabbath. If a mere ceremonial rite, would it be called God’s holy Sabbath? God’s giving it unto them, or instituting it, is spoken of, as an instance of his distinguishing kindness. The prophet Ezekiel represents it under the notion of a sign between God and his people. Ezek. xx. 12, 13. Moreover also, I gave them my Sabbaths to be a sign between me, and them, that they might know that I am the Lord that sanctify them. But the house of Israel rebelled against me in the wilderness: they walked not in my statutes, and they despised my judgments, which if a man do he shall live in them: and my sabbath they greatly polluted. Here the Sabbath is spoken of, as God’s Sabbath, and a sign between him and his people: as a mean of their religious and moral improvement; of their sanctification. The sin of profaning or neglecting it, is represented as most heinous; and as calling down upon the people the heavy displeasure of the Almighty. Sabbath-breakers were a class of transgressors peculiarly odious to him. See, in what terms of profound respect, the prophet Isaiah speaks of the Sabbath: and how high, in the scale of duty, he placed the due sanctification of it. 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 shall honour him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words:—Then shalt thou delight thyself in the Lord, and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth, and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father; for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it. Do the prophets ever speak of mere ceremonial laws or observances in this manner? I appeal to every person, who knows any thing at all about the scriptures. Be pleased only to remark a moment. The people are called upon not to trample under foot the Sabbath—not to find their own pleasure upon it—not to speak their own words, that is, converse about worldly subjects as on other days, not to do their own ways. It is spoken of as God’s day by way of eminence, the holy of the Lord and honourable.—Again; the man who keepeth the Sabbath from polluting it, is pronounced blessed. Blessed is the man that doeth this, and the son of man that layeth hold on it: that keepeth the Sabbath from polluting it. Isaiah speaking of Gospel-days says that public worship is to be weekly attended upon—and on the Sabbath, as the appointed day. And it shall come to pass from one new moon to another and from one Sabbath to another, shall all flesh come before me, saith the Lord. This is a prophesy of Gospel-days. That it is so, every one will be satisfied, who reads it in its connexion. And no words can more expressly declare that there shall be stated public worship under the Gospel-dispensation; and that it is to be observed weekly—and upon the Sabbath, as the appointed day.—The people of God, then, under the Jewish dispensation were to keep the Sabbath, as a day of sacred rest, holy unto the Lord. When they neglected it they were frowned upon—when they strictly observed it, they were smiled upon—it was kept during the whole of that dispensation, till the introduction of christianity.—It was kept from Adam to Moses, and from Moses to Christ. The great original reason for setting it apart for holy purposes, in the beginning, was to remember the Creator and his works: to have a set time to worship and serve him, who is the author of all our mercies—and to cultivate a holy temper of heart, and prepare for a holy happiness after death. The superadded reasons for the people of Israel to keep a sabbath, a weekly day of sacred rest, were their deliverance from a cruel bondage, by the miraculous interpositions of Providence, and the distinguishing kindnesses bestowed upon them—as a people separated to God from the rest of the world. And remember that thou wast a servant in the land of Egypt, and that the Lord thy God brought thee out thence, through a mighty hand, and by a stretched out arm: therefore the Lord thy God commanded thee to keep the Sabbath day. These are the particular reasons why the Jews were to keep the Sabbath day.—The particular reasons why the Jewish Sabbath was to be kept, have long ago ceased, even when that dispensation, under which the Jews lived, was abolished. Therefore the Jewish Sabbath is done away. But there are particular reasons why Christians, under the Gospel-dispensation, should keep a weekly Sabbath; as well as why the Jews, under their dispensation, should keep a weekly Sabbath.

3dly. There is the same propriety that Christians, under the Gospel, should keep a day of sacred rest, weekly, to remember the work of redemption, as the Jews should, to remember their deliverance from oppression and servitude in Egypt; and much greater, as the former is infinitely more important than the latter, and as the one was only a type of the other. The great reason of the original appointment of a seventh portion of time to be consecrated to religious use, was to commemorate the work of Creation. That there was a Sabbath appointed, in the beginning, none can deny, who are capable of understanding the plainest words, and are not resolved to pervert them; and has also been satisfactorily evinced, I trust, in another part of this discourse. To this primitive institution of the Sabbath before the fall of man, the best expositors suppose our Lord refers, when he says, The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath.—We cannot forbear to remark, here, that, in these words, our Saviour does not intimate, in the most distant manner, the abolition of a seventh portion of time to be devoted to pious ends. He expressly says the Sabbath was made for man, for his comfort and benefit—that he might have a rest. If it ever were really for the good of man, that there should be a weekly Sabbath, it is always for his good—as necessary at one time as another: and under one dispensation as another. Jesus Christ, our blessed Redeemer, does not hint to us that the surpassing excellence of his religion would render a weekly Sabbath needless—or that all days were to be Sabbaths:—or that his people would be so holy, as to be above keeping any time as holy.

Besides, it is altogether pertinent to argue, as is always done by the friends of the Christian Sabbath, that there is such a day to be kept holy, weekly, to the end of the world, from the greatness of the work of Redemption. If it were fit to keep a Sabbath, weekly to remember the work of Creation, it is more fit to keep one in memory of the work of Redemption. Christ, as God, made all things. By the word of his Almighty power he spoke the heavens and the earth into being.—And he appointed a Sabbath to commemorate those works, which are great and marvellous.—But his work of redemption is still more marvellous. Its dimensions cannot be measured. We can only exclaim in devout admiration, O the height, the depth, the length, and breadth of it. All heavens admire and adore. Men may well stand in pleasing astonishment. It is so great and wonderful as to be called a new Creation. And the perfect felicity procured for man by it, is called new heavens and a new Earth wherein dwelleth righteousness. When Christ, as Creator, rested from the work of the first Creation, he instituted the Sabbath to commemorate it. When he, as Redeemer, rested from his work of redemption, he instituted a day of rest to be kept by all his followers, in memory of it. This is the very argument of the Apostle, Heb. iv. 10. For he that entered into his rest, he hath also rested from his own work: as God did from his. Christ rested from his work, when he arose from the dead, which was on the first day of the week. His humiliation was then finished, and his exaltation begun. The rest which remains for Christ’s followers is a sabbatism or keeping a Sabbath; a Gospel-Sabbath is then the emblem of the heavenly Sabbath.—God’s people of old were to keep a Sabbath in memory of the work of Creation: And Christians are to keep a Sabbath in memory of the work of Redemption. Christ, then, has a Sabbath in his dispensation. For he is the Lord of the Sabbath. But how could he be the Lord of the Sabbath, if there were none. If, then, God’s antient people of the Jews, were by an express command to keep the Sabbath as a memorial of their deliverance from Egyptian bondage; and if that deliverance were a type of our deliverance from sin, by the work of redemption, it will follow that Christians should keep a Sabbath, weekly, as a memorial of that work.—This is a common argument in favour of the reality of a Sabbath, under the Gospel-dispensation, to be kept to the end of the world; but is as forcible as common. The enemies of the Christian Sabbath may cavil at it, but can never, by all their art and sophistry, overthrow it.—With it, I close the present discourse. Only requesting the hearer, to weigh all that hath been offered, or that shall be, in the next discourse, in the balance of cool deliberate reflection and examination. If the New-Testament hath no Sabbath to be sanctified by the people of God, too long have we already, been attached to a human invention. We must bid it vanish.

DISCOURSE XVI.

The first day of the week proved to be holy time, and set apart by Christ to be a weekly Sabbath to the end of the world.

ACTS xx. 7.

And upon the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul preached unto them, ready to depart on the morrow, and continued his speech until midnight.

I do not know that I can introduce this discourse, more pertinently, than in the words of a pious writer.—“Let any man,” saith he, “show me in the law of the Sabbath, either weakness or unprofitableness, and I yield and bid it vanish. But it hath and will have, as much strength and force as any law can have, from the author, the consent, multitude, custom and express approbation of all ages. Profit it hath too; and that very great; as hath been experienced by serious and well-disposed minds in every age of the world. It is of importance therefore not only to the well being of a Christian, but even to the very being and keeping up of religion in the world.”—If I wished to know the state of religion among a people, or in the heart of a good man, one of my first questions would be, what attention or regard is paid to the Sabbath. The profane denier or neglector of the Sabbath cannot have any real love to Religion. If he imagine himself to be among the number of the friends of God and the Saviour, he must misjudge concerning himself, and be in a great delusion. A profanation and denial of the Lord’s day bespeak an unrenewed heart.—It is hoped the audience will renew their attention, while the subject before us is resumed.—I proceed to state and dwell upon the arguments, from scripture, to prove that the first day of the week is holy time, and set apart by Christ to be a weekly Sabbath, unto the end of the world.

We have already, in the former discourse, illustrated three arguments to establish this important point.

1stly. The Sabbath was instituted when God had finished the work of Creation, and was observed in the world from Adam to Moses:

2dly. The people of Israel were to observe and keep it holy unto the Lord:

3dly. If they were to keep the Sabbath as a memorial unto God, of their deliverance from servitude in Egypt, then Christians are to keep a Sabbath as a memorial of the work of redemption, of which deliverance from Egyptian bondage was only a type.—We proceed, now, to argue the institution of the Christian Sabbath from what—

4thly. Is said in prophecy, of a Sabbath to be observed in Gospel-times. The most remarkable passage to this purpose, is the following, The stone which the builders refused is become the head stone of the corner. This is the Lord’s doing, it is marvellous in our eyes. This is the day which the Lord hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it. These words, all expositors antient and modern, refer or apply to the day of our Lord’s resurrection. When he arose from the dead, and the tomb of Joseph of Arimathea resigned its charge, he was declared to be the head-stone of the corner. He was the stone, which the builders refused. What may convince all that these words are to be thus applied, is that the Apostles thus apply them. And while we interpret Scripture, as they do, we are infallibly right. Our Lord’s resurrection from the dead was evincive of his power; of the truth of his mission:—and it was on the first day of the week.—This is expressly declared by the Evangelists, and was never denied. And this is the day which the Lord made, or constituted, set apart for special uses, which must be the meaning of the word here. This is the day which the Lord hath made; made,—how did he make this day, the day of Christ’s resurrection? All time is his. The day is his; the night also;—darkness and light are his. If the first day of the week be the Lord’s day, in no higher or different sense, how could it be said, with any propriety, this is the day the Lord hath made? The day of Christ’s resurrection is then the Lord’s day, in some eminent, or peculiar way; is a day he hath made different from any, and all other days. We will rejoice and be glad in it. The reason why God’s people or Church were to rejoice and be glad in it, was that the Lord had made it, or appointed and instituted it. It was to be religiously celebrated and observed. Here, then, we have a plain account, in prophesy, of a Sabbath or day to be religiously observed by the people of God after Christ’s resurrection—and upon the very day;—the first day of the week. For he arose from the dead on that day. This must have great influence to convince all, who are willing to be convinced.—Can any shut their eyes upon the light, which is exhibited to us from this passage? Isaiah, at the very close of his prophesy, says, speaking of the Gospel-dispensation; And it shall come to pass from one Sabbath to another shall all flesh come to worship before me saith the Lord. This certainly implies, that in Gospel-times there shall be a weekly Sabbath, as a stated season of worship for all nations, who enjoy the Gospel.—Again, the same prophet speaking of the Gospel-dispensation, says, blessed is the man that doeth this, and the son of man that layeth hold on it; that keepeth the Sabbath from polluting. This man is a blessed man. He is happy in himself, and shall be blessed of God. The meaning of this prophesy of Gospel-times and blessings, is this. Under the Christian dispensation, there shall be a weekly Sabbath to the end of the world; and blessed is the person who duly observes it.—It is impossible for us to deny the Christian Sabbath, if we understand these prophecies of Gospel-times and blessings, in their plain and natural sense.——It cannot be the meaning of these prophecies, that the Jewish Sabbath was to be kept, because we have an express account of the abolition of the seventh-day Sabbath. All may be convinced that the seventh day Sabbath is abrogated from Rom. xiv. 5 and 6—compared with Col. ii. 16, 17. One man esteemeth one day above another, another esteemeth every day alike. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind. He that regardeth the day, regardeth it unto the Lord; and he that regardeth not the day, to the Lord he doth not regard it. He that eateth, eateth to the Lord, for he giveth God thanks, and he that eateth not, to the Lord he eateth not, and giveth God thanks.—Let no man judge you in meat or in drink, or in respect of an holy day, or of the new moon, or of the Sabbath days which are a shadow of good things to come, but the body is Christ. And Gala. iv. 10, 11. Ye observe days, and months, and times, and years, I am afraid of you, lest I have bestowed upon you labour in vain. In all these three different passages the Apostle puts the Jewish or seventh-day Sabbath upon the same footing with the rites and ceremonies of that abolished dispensation. Their seventh-day Sabbath, their meats and drinks, and laws about clean and unclean meats are all put together, and declared to be shadows of good things to come. We have the substance, that of which they were the types or shadows. We are not therefore to cleave to the shadows. They cannot be binding on us. We are no more obliged to keep the Jewish Sabbath, than any of their ceremonial laws and institutions. The ceremonial laws and ordinances are expressly abolished, and called rudiments of the world. Wherefore if ye be dead with Christ from the rudiments of the world: why as though living in the world are ye subject to ordinances. Touch not—taste not—handle not: which all are to perish in the using, after the commandments and doctrines of men? which things indeed have a show of wisdom in will worship and humility, and neglecting the body, not in any honour to the satisfying of the flesh. The levitical laws or Mosaic rites are stiled weak and beggarly Elements, and Christians are forbidden to observe them. But now after that ye have known God, or rather are known of God, how turn ye again to the weak and beggarly Elements, whereunto ye desire again to be in bondage? The whole Jewish dispensation is done away. It was but introductory to a more perfect system. The ceremonial institutions are called carnal ordinances. Which stood, says the Apostle, only in meats and drinks, and divers washings, and carnal ordinances imposed on them until the time of reformation. The Apostle in all these passages, has referenced only to the rites of the ceremonial law. He tells us, as plainly as words can express, that the Jewish dispensation, with all its rites and ordinances, is abolished. Circumcision—the Passover—the legal Sacrifices—the observation of the Jewish feasts—their holy days—months—new moons—their Sabbath—their priesthood—their laws about meats and drinks are all done away. These were the weak and beggarly elements, the rudiments of the world, the carnal ordinances, of which the Apostle speaks. And the passages of Scripture above cited have no reference, not even the remotest, to the Gospel-dispensation, to the Christian ordinances, or Christian Sabbath. And to apply those passages to the Gospel institutions, baptism, the Lord’s Supper, and the Christian Sabbath, is to pervert them, in the grossest manner. Some, I am sensible, cite these passages of holy Writ to prove that no particular day, under the Gospel, is to be kept as holy time; and no ordinances to be observed. This however is a horrible perversion of them. For the right way to understand Scripture is to attend to the connexion and subject-matter of the discourse. And that St. Paul is only speaking of Jewish days, meats and ordinances, every one may be fully convinced, who will take his Bible and read them. Because we are released from obligations to observe the Jewish Sabbath, and Jewish ordinances, will it therefore follow that we have no Christian Sabbath, or Gospel-ordinances? Certainly not. Such a conclusion can be deemed just by no man, till he have resolved to pervert all Scripture, which militates against his own particular tenets.—No person, who is willing to receive his principles of religion from Scripture, understood in its plain sense, can believe that the Apostle in Rom. xiv. 5, 6 rejects the Christian Sabbath—when in the whole chapter, he says not a single word about the Christian Sabbath or Christian ordinances.——We proceed to observe—

5thly. That Jesus Christ himself distinguished, by peculiar marks of honour, the first day of the week—the day of his resurrection. That he intended there should be a weekly Sabbath, in his Religion, to be observed as holy time, even as long as the world should stand, is fairly inferred from his mentioning the Sabbath in the manner we find he did, in the following passages. And he said unto them, the son of man is Lord also of the Sabbath.—But how could he be Lord of the Sabbath, if there were no Sabbath in his Religion, or under the Gospel-dispensation? And he said unto them, the Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath. How absurd would it be to say, the Sabbath was made for man, for his comfort, rest, and moral good, or his benefit, if there were to be no Sabbath from that time to the end of the world, or under the Christian dispensation? Speaking of the destruction of Jerusalem, and giving his followers the necessary warnings, directions, and instructions, our Lord says, But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the Sabbath-day. But if there were to be no Sabbath-day under his dispensation, his spiritual religion, how comes such a direction as this, from the mouth of our Lord? the destruction of Jerusalem was many years, after his resurrection. And he knew when it would be—how long it was to be after his religion had been instituted. And he directs Christians, his disciples to pray that their flight might not be on the Sabbath day. Did he mean the Jewish Sabbath? If he intended to have no Sabbath in his spiritual religion, why did he not say so? Why has he not intimated or given some hint that there was to be no Sabbath under the Gospel. Here was a fit opportunity for telling his disciples, that there was to be no Sabbath under the Gospel. Did he forget it? It could not be the Jewish Sabbath, for that was done away.

Further, none can deny but that he put marks of particular honour on the first day of the week, the day of his resurrection. Why did he do this? Had he not a design or meaning in it? With him, as acting in the character of the only Mediator between God and Man, nothing was contingent or accidental. He was pleased to appear, from time to time, to his Apostles, on the first day of the week. John xx. 19. Then 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 saith unto them peace be unto you. After seven days more had elapsed, on the next first day of the week, he appeared again unto his disciples:—he blessed them, and comforted them; verse 26. After eight days, again, his disciples were within, and Thomas with them: then came Jesus, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst of them, and said peace be unto you. This was the second time he set apart and honoured the first day of the week, the day upon which he arose from the dead, by meeting with his disciples, comforting and blessing them. Upon the first day of the week, he poured out his spirit, in such copious effusions, on his Apostles, at Pentecost. That Pentecost was the first day of the week, is manifest from Levit. xxiii. 15, 16. On this day, all the disciples were of one accord in one place. Acts ii. 1. To be of one accord in one place is to be there by agreement. They were not there by accident, but by previous appointment. The day of Pentecost, as the word signifies, is fifty days after the Passover, that is, on the first day of the week. They met to perform public worship, and preached. The holy Ghost, in his miraculous powers, was then given to the Apostles, which is called being baptized with the holy ghost and with fire. Moreover, Christ poured out his spirit, in the gift of prophesy, most remarkably, on his favorite disciple and Apostle John, on the first day of the week—the Lord’s day, Rev. i. 10. Now if we allow that Christ had his design in thus honouring, above all other days, the first day of the week; we shall be satisfied that he set it apart for religious purposes, as holy time, to be observed as a weekly Sabbath, in his dispensation, to the end of the world.——But,

6thly. What proves, beyond all doubt, the institution of the first-day Sabbath, is that it was sanctified as a day of public worship, by the primitive Churches, under the order of the Apostles. They usually assembled, on that day, for the great purposes of public worship, of celebrating the holy Ordinance of the Supper, of prayer, of preaching, hearing the word, and singing hymns of praise. They came together, on that day, by the order of the Apostles. For no man can suppose that the Apostles would administer the Lord’s Supper, and preach to them, and attend upon the other acts of public worship, if they, that is, the Churches had presumed to meet, without their order or direction. Besides, no person of common sense, can imagine all this was mere accident—or that the Apostles were rash and heady in it—or did what they did, without the mind and spirit of Christ. It was new times with them. They were in a critical situation. Every word, every action would be noticed. Enemies were on all sides. They would not, therefore, allowing them to have common prudence and discretion, proceed one step, without Christ’s order and direction, without the mind of the holy Ghost. And we are safe, and only safe, when in our religious principles and practices, we are built upon the foundation of the Apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone. And upon the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul preached unto them. Here is our warrant for keeping the first-day Sabbath. Here is a plain account of its institution presupposed, and that the Jewish Sabbath was changed into the Christian Sabbath.—Who, after this, can deny the institution of a Christian Sabbath? Who can, in the face of plain scripture, say that the New-Testament knows no holy time—no Lord’s day—No Sabbath? We may as well reject any duty and all duty, as to deny and disown the Lord’s day.—Again, works of charity and mercy, are peculiarly works proper to the Sabbath. And in all the Apostolic Churches, the charitable contributions were to be made, on the first day of the week, in preference to any other day. But why? plainly, because the Churches were then met together to attend public worship. And they were to make their collections on that day by order of the Apostles 1 Cor. xvi. 1, 2. Now concerning the collection for the Saints, as I have given order to the Churches of Galatia, so do ye. Upon the first day of the week, let every one of you lay by him in store, as God hath prospered him, that there be no gatherings when I come. If then, we say, that all days are alike holy, and that no one is to be honoured as holy, in a particular manner, we resist the holy Ghost. Christians were ordered by the Apostles to keep as holy time, the first day of the week. They were commanded to meet together for public worship. Heb. x. 24, 25. And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and good works; not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is, but exhorting one another, as so much the more as ye see the day approaching. Upon the first day of the week were they to assemble to worship God and honour the Redeemer—to pray—to preach, and to hear the word.—The first day of the week is then the Christian Sabbath, and to be sanctified as such, to the end of the world.

7thly. Another consideration of no small importance to prove that the first day of the week is holy time, and was set apart by Christ to be a weekly Sabbath, to the end of the world, is that, in the New Testament, it is expressly called the Lord’s day. Rev. i. 10. For I was in the spirit on the Lord’s day. Very frequently is the Christian Sabbath denominated the Lord’s day. This is, indeed the New Testament-name for the day. With Christians, in the early ages of Christianity, it went by this name. And so we now often call it. If it be asked, how do we know that the Lord’s day means the first day of the week? Is not God the proprietor of all time? Is not every day equally his, and every day a Sabbath? Nothing can be a greater departure from reason and common sense than to put such questions. It must be clear, as the Sun in the firmament, that St. John designed to inform us on what particular day he was favoured with those wonderful visions, which are contained in the Apocalypse. But admit that the Lord’s day meant any day indifferently, one as much as another, then his calling the day on which he received his visions, the Lord’s day, gives us no information at all concerning the day. It would be saying, I received the visions, on the day, I did receive them. The absurdity of this must be perceived by the weakest mental eye. No man can be so blind, as not to see how ridiculously silly it would have been for the beloved disciple to have talked in this manner. What is intended by the Lord’s day is exceedingly obvious. We know perfectly well what is intended by it, as well as we can know the import of any word, in the New Testament, or in any antient language. In the first ages of Christianity, the whole Church used this expression, the Lord’s day, to denote the first day of the week. In all the writings from the Apostolic times, we find the phrase employed to signify the first day of the week. I appeal to all the Christian Fathers up to the days of the Apostles; and to all men who have ever read any antient Church-history;—or any of the early writers in favour of Christianity, that this is the universal, invariable meaning of the expression the Lord’s day. The early writers in defence of Christianity, speak of the Lord’s day in terms of the highest esteem and respect—as the first of days—the best day—the queen of days. And the duties and exercises of public worship, they call Lord’s day solemnities. And the very word can import no less, than the first day of the week was set apart by our Lord, as his Sabbath—as a day to be kept holy—and as distinguished from all other days—to be sanctified to the end of the world, as it weekly returns, as the Christian Sabbath—a day to be devoted wholly to God and religion, and to be spent in the private and public exercises of Religion, except so much of it, as may be taken up in works of necessity and mercy. We say the Lord’s Supper, to distinguish it from our common meals, an ordinance by which his sufferings and death are commemorated. We say the Lord’s prayer: to denote by way of eminence one particular prayer—the prayer which he taught his disciples, and which is an excellent model of prayer. And to call every day the Lord’s day would be as great an absurdity, and abuse of scripture, and of words, as to say that every meal of ours, from day to day, is the Lord’s Supper: and every prayer we offer to the throne of grace, the Lord’s prayer. The Sabbath is God’s day by way of eminence; and he has put his name upon the first day of the week to teach us how to spend it, and what use is to be made of it: that it is holy—that it is to be devoted to him—and that we may not do our own work, or find our own pleasure in it.—Where, then, is the person that dares deny the christian Sabbath? That there is really therefore such a day, a time set apart, in which to perform public religious duties is very certain from the first day of the week, being called the Lord’s day.

8thly. A further argument, that there is really a Christian Sabbath, is taken from those passages of scripture, which represent the happiness of heaven as the constant keeping of a Sabbath. Heaven is an eternal Sabbath. It is a state of perfect rest, devotion, bliss; and holiness. A rest which God hath prepared for his people. It was customary among the Jews to represent future happiness under the idea of a Sabbath, and to expound many of those passages in their law, where the Sabbath is mentioned as typifying or prefiguring the heavenly state. The rest of the Sabbath is an emblem of the rest of heaven. The duties of it are to fit us for the employment of heaven. The worship of it, is to prepare us for the exalted services of the temple above, where there will not be one cold heart—one false worshipper—one dissenting voice. There remaineth therefore a rest for the people of God, a keeping of a Sabbath. But where would be the propriety of representing heavenly happiness, as an eternal Sabbatism—an eternal rest, if there were no Sabbaths to be observed on earth by Christians? None can suppose that the joys of a blessed immortality would be represented by an old abrogated Jewish rite. But if there be no Sabbath under the Gospel, or day of sacred rest weekly to be observed, they are so represented. And to say that under the New-Testament every day is a Sabbath, is to assert not only what is very unreasonable, but to confound language; and to affirm what is altogether contradictory to the whole New-Testament.

9thly. The last argument, which will be urged to prove the reality of a Christian Sabbath, is that the whole Christian Church, with very few exceptions, have kept the first day of the week, as holy time. However differing in other things; and they have differed very widely on many important points, still the different communions of God’s people, from age to age, since the time of the Apostles, have been intirely agreed in this, that there is a weekly Sabbath under the Gospel dispensation, to be kept holy unto the Lord, and to be devoted to religious worship. This must satisfy every candid mind which has no prejudice, that the spiritual religion of Jesus Christ hath a holy Sabbath, even were there no old-Testament-Sabbath, or were the fourth commandment expunged from the decalogue. That the fourth commandment is of perpetual obligation, and never was abolished has been the common belief; and is founded on arguments, which can never be overthrown. Men may cavil at and object against them. But it is one thing to cavil at, and another fairly to answer an argument. It is one of the ten commandments. And we may as well take away any other of them, or all of them, as this. It is of a moral nature. And what is of a moral nature is of perpetual obligation. It was, with the rest, given by God himself from Mount Sinai amidst thunder and lightning, fire and smoke. Moses, in all his directions to the people of Israel, speaks of it in terms of the highest respect, as a branch of the moral law.—The prophets, all place it upon a level with other parts of the laws of virtue, and duties of morality. And it would be exceedingly improper to insert a merely ceremonial or temporary law, in the list of precepts universally allowed to be moral—and of perpetual obligation, and to speak of them all as the law—the moral law of the ten commandments. Thus evident is it that the fourth commandment is not to be erased from the ten. And the substance or essence of it, which is, that the seventh part of time is to be kept holy unto God, hath been in all the ages of the Christian Church strenuously maintained. In all countries, where the Gospel hath been published, we find from ecclesiastical history, that all Christians, even from the times of the Apostles, a few excepted, have observed the first-day-Sabbath. That this is fact, may be adduced as proofs, all the writings which speak of the doctrines and practices of the Church, of the first—second—and third centuries. This will not be denied. It is asked, then, what reason can be assigned why, in the primitive purity of the Christian Religion, the first day of the week was observed as the Christian Sabbath? How could this be, if it were not an order of the Apostles—if Jesus Christ instituted no Sabbath? For an order of his Apostles is equivalent to his own express institution. Is it supposable that any ambitious and aspiring Christians would, in the times next to the Apostles, set apart one day of the week as a Sabbath? Would they venture upon such an usurpation? And, before Christianity was corrupted by designing men, is it possible that the first day of the week should be universally kept as holy time, had not the inspired Apostles set the example? If there had been no Apostolic practice and example in this case, if the Gospel knew nothing of such a day, as we call the Christian Sabbath, the first observers of it were introducing an innovation—an important innovation. And could the innovation universally be adopted? And no one be found to object against it; or to raise a cry against such a piece of will-worship; no tongue, in the strains of pious eloquence to bear testimony against it—no pen be drawn to transmit to posterity a conscientious protest? Can any reasonable person believe this? But it may be asked, did not many innovations, and superstitious rites creep into the Christian system gradually, imperceptibly—and without opposition? Were not the abominations of the Romish Church, brought in in this manner? And did not some of these infallible Fathers, in the papal chair, ordain the Sabbath; as they did innumerable feast, and fast-days? Certainly not, for the first day of the week was observed as a weekly Sabbath, six hundred years, before Antichrist arose: observed in all countries, where the Gospel was known: among all denominations: universally even in the age next to the Apostles. This cannot be said of any innovations which were ever made.—We then come to this conclusion, that the first day of the week has been observed, as the Christian Sabbath, ever since the very day in which Christ arose from the dead—in all ages—in all countries—in all communions, a few only excepted. A mere handful of professing Christians, held to the seventh-day or Jewish Sabbath, and from that singularity are called seventh-day-baptists. Here and there one likewise in one place or another, have called in question the morality of the Sabbath.—Can it be possible for any one to believe that the whole christian world, even in the days of the Apostles, and in the purest times, during the long period of seventeen hundred years, have been in so gross and abominable an Error, as keeping the first day of the week as holy time, if the Gospel be a stranger to any such institution, as the Christian Sabbath?—When I use the terms gross and abominable Error, I do not use too strong terms. For a most gross and abominable Error it is, indeed, if there be no institution of the first day Sabbath in the Christian Religion, or what is tantamount to it. We are, in this case, guilty of will-worship—of superstition—of instituting in Christ’s kingdom a day for religious worship, unknown to the author of our salvation. Vilely presumptuous should we be to do this. Did I believe that Jesus Christ had no Sabbath day in his Gospel, I should shudder with horror to look back on the long period of seventeen hundred years, and see almost the whole christian world, in all countries, of all communions, and in the purest times in the Apostle’s days, plunged into so great and dreadful an Error—guilty of making laws in Christ’s kingdom—of usurping his kingly office—and of tearing from him, his sceptre.——Besides all this, how often hath a gracious and merciful God, blessed the Christian Sabbath: poured out, in rich abundance, his sanctifying spirit, on his worshipping Assemblies: comforted, enlightened—instructed—and animated those, who have conscientiously observed the Sabbath? But if it be not a day of his own appointment, would it not be countenancing human inventions and innovations in Religion, so often to have displayed his power and grace on that day—so often to have blessed it for the consolation of his people, and their edification?—It hath indeed been one of the chief means of preserving Religion in the world to this day.

I have now finished the argument in favour of the institution of the Christian Sabbath. And that you, my hearers, may feel that conviction, which it ought to produce, and that justice may be done to it, I will very concisely recapitulate what has been illustrated, and present it to you in one view. The supreme Being, at the close of Creation, in his infinite wisdom and goodness, set apart for religious purposes, a seventh portion of time. And the day thus sanctified and blessed, and which some suppose was the first day of the week, but I conceive not upon sufficient grounds, was most probably observed, from Adam to Moses. The original institution of the Sabbath was renewed by Moses, ratified by the fourth commandment, and observed most strictly by the antient Church of God from Moses to Christ. A greater obligation lies upon Christians to keep a weekly Sabbath in memory of the work of Redemption, than on the Israelites to keep one in memory of their deliverance from slavery and oppression in Egypt. We are expressly told, in prophesy, that a Sabbath was to be observed in Gospel times. The Jewish Sabbath was abolished, or the seventh day Sabbath was changed into the Christian or first day Sabbath. Jesus Christ distinguished, with peculiar marks of honor, the first day of the week, the day of his resurrection.—The first day of the week was sanctified, as a day of public worship, by the primitive Churches under the order of the Apostles.—The first day of the week is expressly called, in the New-Testament, the Lord’s day, the common appellation of the Christian Sabbath. The happiness of heaven is represented, as the constant keeping of a Sabbath.—The law of the Sabbath, is a moral law, and as such perpetually binding. The whole Christian Church, from the days of the Apostles, have, a few only excepted, kept the first day of the week as holy time. God hath, from age to age, blessed the Sabbath, or first day of the week, by the communications of his grace and spirit on that day. No men or body of men could appoint a day for public worship, without usurping in Christ’s kingdom, to be weekly observed as a Sabbath.—No human appointments or inventions are admissible in the Christian dispensation—and the Christian Sabbath has been one of the principal means of preserving, in the world, to this day our holy religion.—These are the reasons why all Christians are to observe, as holy time, the first day of the week. These reasons appear to me abundantly sufficient to justify us in the religious observation of the Christian Sabbath, as it is usually called, and have done so to thousands of pious Christians and Ministers much wiser and better than myself, even to almost the whole Christian world. That man who denies what, all the wise and good, great and learned—all Christians in all ages, deem sacred, and fully contained in the holy scriptures, had need to look well to his arguments. He ought, in all modesty and diffidence, to ask himself, “who—and what am I, that I should rise up against, and condemn the whole christian world, a few only excepted?”

Perhaps it may not be improper here, to pay a moment’s attention to a question which has been sometimes asked, as an objection to the Christian Sabbath: it is this, why have we not an express and formal account of the abolition of the seventh-day or Jewish Sabbath, and the institution of the Christian or first day Sabbath in the room of it? In a point of such acknowledged importance, would it not be reasonable to expect some very express and minute instruction? It would be sufficient to reply, who are we, that we should undertake to say how minutely or expressly a point should be revealed; or that we should dictate to infinite Wisdom what kind of information to give us? But it is apprehended there are very obvious reasons why we have not a minute and explicit account of the change of the Jewish into the Christian Sabbath. Every thing in the Gospel dispensation is gradually opened. Consideration is had to the weaknesses and prejudices of the Jews. Christ, with admirable wisdom, adapted his instructions to the minds of his hearers: opening one thing after another, in a happy succession, as they could bear it, or comprehend him. So did his Apostles. And they followed a perfect example. It is sufficient, entirely so, if, in the end, we have complete and full instruction. And that we have on the subject before us, I trust is clearly proved by the foregoing reasoning.

Having finished what I intended on this important subject, I shall make the application, in the words of a late amiable writer—“If,” says he, addressing himself to people on their abuse of the Sabbath, “you will proceed in profaning it, give me leave to say you will be more inexcusable than ever. You are answerable to God for your contempt of his institutions, and all the injury you hereby do, to your own souls, to the souls of others, and to the credit and interest of Religion.” May I not hope, some of you are resolved, never more to abuse or mis-spend sacred time? that you and your houses will more carefully sanctify the Sabbath, and more steadily serve the Lord? Give me leave to add one general remark on the whole subject of Sabbath-Sanctification. In order to judge of the character of my acquaintance, and their real state towards God, I have always observed and enquired, how they kept the Sabbath. I look upon the religious observation of it, as a good proof of their piety; and a neglect of it, as a melancholy proof, that they are insincere in heart, whatever they may profess; and by taking in the whole of their conduct, as far as it hath come to my knowledge, I think I have not been deceived in my sentiments concerning them. Those that have most strictly observed the Sabbath, have been in other respects, the best Christians: those that have been careless herein, have shown by other instances in their behaviour, that they have not had the root of the matter in them. So that upon the whole, I must be of the same mind, with that pious Divine, Mr. Bolton, “it is a thousand to one that a strict observer of the Lord’s day is sincere towards God; and as great odds that a Sabbath-breaker, however he may deceive himself, is a hypocrite.”—I conclude this discourse and subject with the words of Nehemiah, after he had described his zealous attempts to promote the sanctification of the Sabbath, Remember me, O my God, concerning this also, and spare me according to the greatness of thy mercy. Amen.

DISCOURSE XVII.

The Parable of the Tares.

MATTHEW xiii. 24–31.

Another Parable put he forth unto them, saying, the kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field, but while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way. But when the blade was sprung up and brought forth fruit, then appeared the Tares also. So the Servants of the householder, came and said unto him, sir, didst thou not sow good seed in thy field, from whence then hath it Tares? And he said unto them an enemy hath done this. The servants said unto him, wilt thou then we go and gather them up? But he said, nay; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of the harvest, I will say to the reapers; gather ye together first the Tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them, but gather the wheat into my barn.

There was something, in the manner in which our blessed Saviour taught his hearers, peculiarly pleasing and inimitably beautiful. Being the great prophet in his church, he reveals unto us the will of God for our Salvation, not only in a clear, but in the fittest manner. He spake as never man did, not only as the Religion which he preached was more heavenly and divine, than the world was ever before made acquainted with, but as the power and force with which he spake exceeded all that is human. And it came to pass when Jesus had ended these sayings, the people were astonished at his doctrine. For he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes. His address was no doubt the perfection of propriety. His words were not calculated by any splendor to create surprise, but, being well chosen and plain, were adapted to carry conviction to the conscience, and to move the heart. He had, as is very apparent and is generally remarked, an admirable talent at moralizing and spiritualizing upon incidents and objects around him. And he did it, not with the formal airs of affectation, or appearing to invite others to take notice of his superiour sanctity—or to come and see how good he was. It was perfectly easy for him to converse on divine subjects. Whenever a fit opportunity or occasion offered to diffuse religious instruction, he failed not to embrace it. And when he undertook to illustrate any divine truth or doctrine, he seemed to be at home, and in his element—about his proper work and business. He showed that he was a teacher come from God by the heavenly truths which he delivered, as well as miracles which he wrought. He opened the nature of his kingdom, and of the Gospel by natural and easy similitudes. His Parables are well chosen and happily expressed. They will indeed bear the closest and most critical examination. They have been admired by the best judges, and will be admired as long as there shall be genius, learning, or taste in the world.

The greatest scholars have been the most pleased. And, the fact is, the Religion which he taught would be worthy of the attention of all, were it considered in no other view than as a friend to peace, literature, and civil happiness. For it can never long consist with barbarism and general ignorance among a people. Ignorance is so far from being the parent of Christian devotion, that when very great, it totally destroys it. The bitter and implacable foes, therefore, of the Christian Religion, who with its utter extirpation from the earth, and exert themselves mightily to accomplish their wish by impious scoffs and low raillery, will never be able to succeed, till they have banished learning. There may be superstition, where science is gone, but no true Religion. And the more ignorant and uninformed a people, there will superstition reign in horrors proportionally greater.

The Chapter, out of which our text is taken, is full of the most judicious and instructive Parables or similitudes.—There is no other Chapter in the New Testament, so filled up with them; this being altogether composed of them. It contains eight in number—that of the Sower and his seed, which our Lord himself at the desire of his disciples expounds;—that of the Tares, which he likewise explains;—that of the grain of mustard seed;—that of the leaven put into meal;—that of the treasure hid in the field;—that of the merchant-man seeking goodly pearls;—and that of the net which was cast into the Sea, and gathered of every kind.——Our Saviour retiring from the house in which he was, went to the side of the Sea of Tiberias, which lay near his own Country. Great multitudes were collected about him to hear his doctrine and learn his character. They pressed so near him, that he thought it most convenient to enter into a ship, which lay there, that he might be in better circumstances to address the mixed multitude, which stood on the shore, and who were all attention to every word which he spake to them. He, as a wise instructor, adapted his discourse to their several capacities and employments. Some of them, probably, were husbandmen, others merchants, and others fishermen. He taught them, heavenly doctrines, by taking Parables from their respective occupations, or from those things, with which they could not be but most intimately and familiarly acquainted.——Parables are representations or similitudes taken from objects of sense, which are plain and obvious, to illustrate and impress upon the mind, things spiritual and divine. And commonly there is one leading idea,, which the speaker or writer has in view, to explain and enforce. The circumstances in the Parable are to be accommodated to this one or principal thought. If we could rightly understand our Lord’s Parables, we must not lose sight of the remark now made. Infinite mischief has been done to religion by compelling every small or minute circumstance of a parable to speak forth a distinct idea, or doctrine.——

In the subsequent discourse, my intention is to expound the Parable of the tares, or to make some observations upon it, of a practical nature, and such as, it is apprehended, are just.

The word Tares signifies any noxious and hurtful weeds or plants, which spring up among, or mingle with the rich and precious grain, and not any one particular or distinct weed, or poisonous plant to the exclusion of all others. All know how detrimental to the Crop such weeds or poisonous plants are. They take away nourishment from the precious grain, and render it less vigorous while it grows. They diminish the harvest in proportion to their number and strength. Accordingly they are a nuisance in the field, grieve the heart, and in the same measure as they prevail, cut off the hopes of the husbandman. And the more fertile the soil, the more luxuriant will be their growth. They make the labour, which hath been bestowed upon the field, of none effect. And it is always with deep regret, that man beholds lost labour, or unsucceeded exertions.

In the Parable of the Tares now before us, we have several truths of very great importance to us both as individuals, and as collected into a Church-State, as minister and people, speaker and hearer.——

In the first place, in the kingdom of heaven, in this Parable, is the Gospel preached, or the dispensation of the doctrines of Religion.—The state of things under the Gospel is very often, in the stile of our Lord, called his kingdom, or the kingdom of heaven, it is presumed no arguments will be needful to prove that the kingdom of heaven here means the State of things under the Gospel-dispensation. This, it is well known, is the common meaning of the expression. In the primitive Apostolic times Christianity had two names of nearly the same import, the kingdom of God—and the kingdom of heaven. These two phrases were brought into common use by John the Baptist, who came to introduce the Messiah, under the signature, of the voice of one crying in the wilderness, prepare ye the way of the Lord.—In those days came John the Baptist preaching in the wilderness of Judea, and saying, repent ye, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. He took the phrase from the following passage in the prophesy of Daniel. And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces, and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever. There is an obvious propriety in calling the State of things under the Gospel-dispensation the kingdom of God. It is from him as the original source. It aims at his glory ultimately in all its parts. When finished, it will be given up to him, and He will be all and in all. He, from all Eternity by his unsearchable wisdom, devised the illustrious plan of salvation which it contains. He from motives of overflowing goodness reveals it. He by his power will make it successful. His son, the Messiah, is the prime Minister in it. His spirit sanctifies, and gathers subjects into it.—Inward Religion is also happily described by the name of the kingdom of God. It is God’s kingdom in the soul: is heavenly in its nature: is heavenly in its tendency—and will issue in all the riches of heavenly glory. It comes down from God, in a very important sense, for it is the wisdom that is from above; and is therefore a divine principle, and when completed, it will terminate in God, in the enjoyment and beatific vision of him, who is the sum of all existence and blessedness.

The sower of the seed is our Lord himself, and those, who are in all the ages of his Religion or Gospel kingdom, commissioned and employed by him. The seed sowed is the word of the kingdom. During our Saviour’s personal Ministry, he was assiduous and active in his divine work, patient and persevering under all discouragements and want of success. Herein he was a perfect pattern to all the servants of his household, who are called to minister in holy things, or to sow the seed of the word. That he has ministering servants, and that it is his will there should be, to sow the seed of the word, and to dispense holy ordinances, is as plain as any one principle of his Religion, and cannot be disputed by any, if they would be self-consistent, who seriously believe in divine Revelation. While our Lord was performing his own personal Ministry, he met with great and unjust opposition. He was reviled and abused by those, whom he came to save, whose good he sought with attentive care, and to whom he displayed all the sweetness of a tender and benevolent mind. Very often, indeed, he saw the seed sowed without the desired fruit, and all his exertions to render man happy, repaid with cruel ingratitude. But he went on with his work, as a divine Teacher, with a fortitude, which we cannot help admiring, and which ought to be continually in our eye, as an object of imitation.——He that soweth the good seed is the son of man.

In the next place, another observation upon the Parable of the Tares, is that we can have no pure Church on Earth. It is not necessary for a Church, in order to be the true Church of Christ, to be pure. If so, we could never have a true Church, for there never was a pure one yet, nor ever will be, as long as man is imperfect and unable to lift up the veil, and see what is in the heart, infallibly. There will always be Tares among the wheat, false among true professors—the hypocritical among the sincere, the vile with the precious. The field where the seed is sowed is the world: the good seed are the Children of the kingdom, but the Tares are then Children of the wicked one. By a pure Church is meant a collection of real Saints without one hypocrite, or false-hearted professor. The invisible Church which Christ, at the last day, will present in triumph to his Father, will be pure or spotless, in the highest sense; there will be no hypocrites in it, or any remains of sin. Speaking of this true invisible Church, says the Apostle, that he might sanctify and cleanse it, with the washing of water by the word, that he might present it, unto himself a glorious Church, not having spot or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish. Nothing unclean or impure can be admitted into the New-Jerusalem or Church of the first born, whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life. And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb’s book of life. An unanswerable proof against the notion of a pure Church, is that none can know the heart. It is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked, who can know it? It is one of the prerogatives of the omniscient God to look into the hidden mysteries of the heart. Before him all things are open. The darkness and the light are both alike with him. His eye pervades the whole immensity of space. It can penetrate the thickest veil of hypocrisy. No fair disguises can screen us from his all-seeing view. All the ways of a man are right in his own eyes, but the Lord weigheth the spirits. He searches the heart, and tries the reins of the Children of men. Before we can have a pure Church, we must not only know our own hearts, so as never to be deceived or mistaken about them; but we must likewise know the hearts of others. But the Psalmist exclaims, who can know his errors, cleanse thou me from secret faults. And he prefers to his Maker the following petition: Search, me O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts. And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. In order to have a pure Church, those who admit persons to Church order and privileges, must have the power of discerning spirits, or they cannot shut the door against hypocrites and deceivers. But this power none have. It was peculiar to the Apostles, and to them only upon some special occasions. For Peter when he baptized Simon the Sorcerer, believed him to be sincere. He knew not the baseness and perfidy of his heart. None of the Apostolic Churches were pure in the sense now under consideration, designing and hollow-hearted men there always will be, among the sincere, as a trial of their graces—of their faith, patience, and meekness. There was a Judas among the Apostles. One traitor was found even in our Lord’s own select family. He professed no doubt, as much zeal and love to his Master, as the rest of the disciples. His other fellow disciples, who were with him all the time, never once suspected his sincerity. So artfully did he assume the appearance of a friend to the cause, in which they were all embarked. But yet he was all the while insincere. He became an Apostate from the truth, and betrayed his Master with the token of friendship. His name is odious. And has come down to us, loaded with infamy. And it will still descend as an epithet of the most finished treachery.

How unreasonable then to look for perfection in any, or a pure Church! Untold mischief has been done to Religion by the pretenders to a pure Church. They usually divide and break up the peace of Churches. Censoriousness occupies the place of Charity. Meekness, humility, condescension, and brotherly love fall before a mad and intemperate zeal, self-confidence, ignorance, and high pretensions to superior sanctity.

Though no pure Church is to be seen on earth, and the idea of it, be a vain and delusive one, yet all the real friends of the Gospel ought to strive to have the greatest purity in doctrines—in worship—in discipline, in ordinances, and conduct. That Church is the purest, which is the most scriptural in its doctrines, ordinances and worship, discipline, and manners. Churches should take the greatest care to be built upon the only foundation, the order and faith of the Gospel, rejecting all human inventions and traditions, having the word of God for their only rule of faith and practice.

How happy would it be, if we have no Tares to defile and dishonour the cause of God, and to injure the precious grain! They often spring up, where good seed had been sown and where least expected. Every thing on earth is changing. Misfortunes and evils arise from quarters, where comfort and happiness were most looked for. While we deplore the mutability of all human things, we may learn the most useful lessons; and one of the most useful is the folly of trusting our own hearts, or the stability of others. Tares are sowed in the field. In the parable of the sower,, the seed means the doctrines of the Gospel. In the Parable of the Tares, the seed sown seems to mean pious and upright members of the Gospel-kingdom; or secondly, truth, as truth is instrumental in saving and enlightening the soul. The Tares, mean then, not hypocrites only, but errors, heresies, and divisions among the professing people of God. One of the clearest proofs of human depravity is the proneness of man to wander into the wilderness of error and delusion. Though conscience and reason be on the side of what is right and just in doctrine and practice, yet the corrupt passions or evil dispositions of the heart lead to all that is wrong. The good man drops tears of grief over abounding errors and immoralities—the want of union, of charity—of peace in the Church of God. We do not see eye to eye. Before there will be a full uniformity of opinions on the doctrines of Religion, we must wait till the openings of celestial day, when that which is in part shall be done away, and that which is perfect is come. But it is exceedingly comfortable to think, however many tares there are in the Church here below, there will be none in the Church above in heaven. No enemy will gain entrance there, to sow them. In the Church triumphant will be no tares, or errors, or evils. In its harmony there will be no interruption. In its doctrines, no dissent. In its worship no coldness. And in its peace no end. But here in the Church militant, there will be hatred, variance, strife, hypocrisy, and errors. Tares will infest the field. And it is worthy of particular notice, they are always sowed by an enemy, open or concealed. But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed Tares among the wheat, and went his way. The enemy that sowed them, says our Saviour, is the Devil: He does it by his agents. In the original it is an envious man: one who hates Religion; and the order and peace, purity and harmony of the Church; one who hates Christ and his ordinances and doctrines, and wishes to make mischief and spread confusion. The enemy comes into the field and is active and zealous to sow Tares, what may corrupt and poison, the grain, or hurt the harvest. The enemy is sly and concealed in doing his mischief—he came in the night, while men slept, sowed his Tares, and went away. The servants are astonished when, in process of time, they discover the evil. But when the blade sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the Tares also. In nature’s soil evil seed soon springs up. And so it does when sown in the garden of the Lord.—False doctrines or errors soon spread, being agreeable to the vicious inclinations of the heart.—Often what is most pleasing and promising at first turns out, to our great mortification, far otherwise. When we hoped for a plentiful harvest, and the ground was highly cultivated, tares appeared also. This teaches us to rest our hope in him, who changes not; and whose favour is life. How artful is the enemy of our souls, and of the peace and welfare of the Gospel-kingdom! He is full of devices—of subtle devices. And his instruments and agent to carry on his designs, are usually chosen with skill.

In the third place,, We notice in this parable of the Tares, the great tenderness and care of the Householder for the precious grain. A rash proposal was made by his servants to go and gather up the Tares. They were honest in this proposal, and doubtless viewed it best to root out the Tares immediately. But though the proposal were well meant, yet it was mis-timed. We admire the honesty and faithfulness of the servants. But they could not perform what they were willing to undertake. It is impossible to keep hypocrites, false professors, pretended friends, errors and heresies—delusions and false religions, visions and impulses from mingling with the Children of the kingdom, or to prevent the tares from being among the wheat. So the servants of the householder came and said unto him, Sir, didst thou not sow good seed in thy field, from whence hath it Tares? He said unto them an enemy hath done this. The servants said unto him, wilt thou, then, that we go and gather them up? But he said, nay; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them. Thus wonderful is the tenderness of Christ for the pious and upright. He dearly values his friends and the truth. He will preserve and bless them, and in due time own it. He always had his Church in the world, and always will have. The gates of hell shall not prevail against it—No antient or modern heresy or superstition shall destroy it. They may injure it. They may exceedingly distress and persecute it. But no weapon formed against Zion however much at present it may, shall eventually prosper. There is no enchantment against Israel, or divination against Jacob. Error may come in like a flood—the love of many may wax cold, and infidelity may diffuse, far and wide, its poison.—But the cause of God will live and remain, in spite of all persecution or opposition from Earth or hell. The wheat must not be rooted up. Jesus Christ will protect and defend his true Church, in the darkest times. If tares be sown while men sleep, they shall not be permitted to destroy the valuable grain. “While Ministers, while Magistrates, while Parents,” says one, “sleep, the enemy sows tares.”