Now let us take a furvey of the nature which God has graciously beftowed upon us. The body confifts of a mean material, the duft of the ground; but the mind is of nobler extraction, for (chap. ii. 7.) Gad breathed into his noftrils the breath of life, and Man became a living foul. Job xxxii. 8. The infpiration of the Almighty giveth us understanding; the nobleft gift of our Maker. The forc and excellence of which appears in a furprising variety of inventions and difcoveries. It is this faculty which penetrates into the moft fecret recefles of Nature; judges of, and admires the beauty and contrivance of the vaft fabric of the universe; and traceth the footsteps of the most aftonishing wisdom and regularity in the various fituations and motions of the heavenly bodies. By this we review generations and actions, characters and events, that existed long before we were born; and dart our reflections the other way, into futurity, even as far as to the final period of this world, with all its works. By this we conceive, though but negatively, Eternity itself; and apprehend the state and felicity of beings far fuperior to ourselves. By this we stretch our thoughts to the highest excellency, and contemplate the nature of the infinitely perfect Being.

Our fingular honor and advantage lies in our moral capacities. While inftinct determines the purfuits of inferior creatures; whilft they are utterly unable to judge of caufes and effects, to draw confequences, or to reason about the natures and tendencies of things, in order to avoid or embrace, and are rather acted upon, than act, we deliberate, we choose our way, we feel and examine what is before us; this is good, and therefore to be chofen; this is evil, therefore to be avoided; this will improve and exalt our life, this leads to dishonour and mifery. We can study and obferve the precepts of Divine Wisdom; imitate the moral perfections of Deity; converfe with the fupreme Father, and defire, and difpofe ourselves for, the everlasting enjoyment of his favor. And agreeably to these distinguishing honors of our nature, God our Maker, whofe delights are with the children of men, has expreffed his high regards to us, by supplying us with all proper materials for the improvement of our understandings; not only the objects of nature, but alfo the writings of good and wife men, especially the holy Scriptures, a rich treafury of the most excellent knowledge; containing the most furprizing difcoveries, the most useful inftructions, the most juft and noble principles and motives, and whatever is proper to cultivate and refine our fpirits. In particular, the redemption of the world by our Lord Jefus Chrift. That God fhould fend his well-beloved Son out of his bofom to dwell among us in our flesh, to revele the high defigns of the Divine Wisdom and Godnefs, to give himself a facrifice and offering to God upon the cross, to make atonement for our fins, to raife us to the dignity of kings and priefts to his God and Father, that we might reign for ever with him; this exalts the love of God to men infinitely beyond our highest thoughts and imaginations; this raises our nature to an amazing, to an inexpreffible dignity and value.

These confiderations fhould difpofe us to be pleafed with our being, and thankful to our Maker for it. With pleasure we fhould reflect that we are men. Every perfon, how low foever in the world, hath that in poffeffion, which is more valuable than thousands of gold and filver; an

immense

immenfe treasure, to which the whole earth bears no proportion, himself, a reasonable Soul, an immortal Spirit; to which, in real excellence, the visible creation, the earth with all its material riches, the fky with all its fplendid furniture, is not to be compared. Let us not measure ourfelves by worldly riches. The foul is the ftandard of the Man, and raifes him vaftly above all that is earthly. How foolish then, how fhameful, how impious is it to prostitute ourselves to the trifles of the world; to be fond of earthly things, and to make our reason a drudge to sensual purfuits! God has made us Men, creatures of the finest powers and faculties; he hath used us as Men, by making the moft ample provifion to enable us to honor his Grace and our own being. And fhall we defert our Manhood? Shall we defpife the rich bounty of Heaven? Shall we mingle with the duft that particle of fuperior life, which God hath breathed into us? Rather let us affert the dignity of our being, and make it our principal care to improve it by all the advantages God hath provided. The knowledge of God; conformity of heart and life to his will; the fruits of the fpirit, joy, peace, long-fuffering, gentleness, goodness, fidelity, meeknefs, temperance; converfe with God; the high privileges of the fons of God; the profpects of eternal glory; there are the objects of our care: as we are enlightened by the Gofpel, we are obliged to make these our ftudy, and to form our fpirits according to the fublime and excellent fentiments which thefe infpire, that thus we may be fiting ourselves for a much higher and more perfect degree of existence in a better world.

A

CHA P. VI.

Of the INSTITUTION of the SABBATH.

Gen. II. Ver. 1, 2, 3

S foon as God had created the world, and man in it, he blessed the Seventh Day, upon which he refted from creation, and fancxx tified it, i. e. he diftinguished it from the other fix days by feting it apart to the purposes of religion. Thus the fanctification of the Sabbath is the first and oldest of God's inftitutions, and must have a real foundation in the nature of Man, and an immediate connexion with our being, and the great and excellent ends of it. The Sabbath and Man were, in a manner, created together. This is an indication, that although the particular time is, as it muft neceffarily be, of pofitive appointment, yet the thing itself is an article of natural religion, and ftands upon the reason of things. The great end for which we are brought into life, is to attain the knowledge, and to be confirmed in the love and obedience of God; which includes all right action and virtue, all that is perfective of our nature, all that renders us happy in our felves, and a

bleffing

up

bleffing to others; and all that can qualify us for the enjoyment of God, and fit us for immortal honour and glory. We cannot keep a due and prevailing sense of these things upon our minds, without clofe and repeated application of thought; and therefore, as the affairs and neceffities of this prefent life make fuch conftant and importunate demands on us, that our hearts and thoughts would be unavoidably ingroffed by them, it is in the nature of things neceffary, that fome certain time fhould be publicly appropriated to the exercifes of religion, inftruction, prayer and praise, to fortify our minds against temptations, and to feafon them with piety and virtue. And doubtlefs, God alone hath wisdom and authority fufficient to affign that portion of time which is proper and generally competent for thofe good pupofes.

The Sabbath is perfectly fuited to our nature and circumstances, and therefore was very properly inftituted at the creation. But fome of the learned pretend, that Mofes here fpeaks, by anticipation, of the Inftitution of the Sabbath a long time after this, when he was lawgiver in Ifrael. This is a fiction without any foundation in the text. The hiftorian exprefsly relates, that God bleffed and fanctified that day on which he rested, or ceased, from creation; which, in all fair conftruction, must be understood of his fanctifying it, at the time when he refted from creation. That we find no other mention of the Sabbath in the fummary and very comprehenfive. hiftory of Genefis, is no proof that the Patriarchs did not observe it; much less that the law thereof was not all that time in force. We find not the leaft mention, or intimation, of the Sabbath in all the book of Joshua, nor in Judges, Ruth, 1 Samuel, II Samuel, I Kings, till we come to II Kings, iv. 23. a far more particular hiftorie than the book of Genefis; and yet it is very certain that the law of the Sabbath was all that time in force, and without doubt was obferved too. There are very clear intimations of regard to the Sabbath in the book of Genefis, chap. viii. 8-13. Thrice Noah fent the dove out of the ark, after he had every time waited feven days. Jacob (Gen. xxix. 27, 28.) fulfilled Leah's week. This plainly fhews the Patriarchs, long before Mofes was born, reckoned time by feven days, or weeks; which can be referred to no other fuppofeable original but the institution of the Sabbath, at the creation.

The Ifraelites indeed, during their long continuance and fervitude in Egypt, upwards of 200 years, seem to have loft their reckoning of the Sabbath, when they were constrained by perpetual and most fervile labor to neglect the obfervance of it. However, it certainly was the ap pointment of God, that they fhould begin a new reckoning of the fe venth day, and form a new epocha, namely, the falling of the manna, Exod. xvi. 5. And it fhall come to pass on the fixth day, they shall prepare that manna which they bring in; and it fhall be twice as much as they gather daily. And when the people had done fo, the rulers of the congregation came, and told Mofes; probably inquiring into the reafon, why God had given fuch an order, ver. 23. And Mofes faid unto them, this is that which the Lord hath faid, or, this is the meaning of the Divine Command, To-morrow is the rest of the holy Sabbath unto the Lord. Ver. 25, 26. Ye Jhall not then find it in the field; fix days fhall ye gather it, but on the feventh day, which is the Sabbath, there shall be none. And this course continued

for

CH. VI. for forty years till they came into the land of Canaan. Now this was devifed in much wifdom to fettle and determine the day, which, otherwife, having loft their reckoning, during their long fervitude in Egypt, they poffibly would not eafily have been brought to agree upon. For thus, for forty years together, they would be under a neceffity of diftinguifhing the Sabbath, and of refting upon it; having little elfe to do the greatest part of the time, but to gather and drefs manna; and no manná falling upon that day, they muft of course be affured of the day, and obliged to reft upon it, Note the restoring and afcertaining the Sabbath, was the first point of religion, that was fettled, after the children of Ifrael came out of Egypt, as being of the greatest moment; and this, in relation to the original inftitution, for the law at mount Sinai was not then given.

Afterwards the ordinance of the Sabbath was inferted into the body of the moral law, under a particular emphafis, Remember the SabbathDay to keep it holy. And the Jew is reminded of the antiquity of this, inftitution, in the reafon annexed to this commandment, For in fix days the Lord made heaven and earth, &c. And being thus ranked among the other great articles of our duty, which are of moral obligation, and are always refered and appealed to, by our Lord and his Apoftles, as binding to us Chriftians, it must ftand upon the fame ground, and lay the fame obligations upon our confciences. For the fame truth and authority, which enacted the reft, enacted this precept alfo. He that faid, Thou fhalt have no other gods before me-thou shalt not bow down to any graven image-thou shalt not take the name of God in vain-bonor thy father-thou fhalt do no murder-&c. faid also, Remember the Sabbath-Day to keep it holy.

1

The Jewish feftivals, new-moons and fabbaths, as they were fhadow's and figures of good things to come under the Gofpel, our Lord did abolifh. When the fubftance was come, the fhadow vanifhed. And it is of fabbaths in this fenfe the Apostle fpeaks, Col. ii. 16. Let no man judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of a holy-day, or of the newmoon, or of the fabbath days. But the feventh day Sabbath was no part of the Levitical law, it exifted long before that, and therefore was not abolished with it. On the contrary, our Lord claims dominion over the Sabbath. Luke vi. 5. He faid unto the Pharifees, that the Son of Man is Lord alfo of the Sabbath. Therefore the Sabbath must be an ordinance belonging to our Lord's kingdom, otherwife he could not be Lord of it. He never pretended to be Lord of circumcifion, or of facrifices; thefe belonged to a difpenfation of which he was not Lord. But he is Lord of the Chriftian Difpenfation, and its ordinances, and among the reft of the Sabbath. In confequence of which Lordship,

I. He rectified the fuperftitious abufe of the Sabbath, and reduced it to the original standard. He reformed the traditionary corruptions of feveral of the commandments of moral and eternal obligation *. But of all others, moft fignally, remarkably, and conftantly, by words and by deeds, at the hazard of his life, he reformed the abuse of the fourth commandment

Mat. v. 21, 27, 33. xv. 4, &c.

commandment +; which he never would have done, had the Sabbath been an ordinance, that was to die in a little time with the Jewifh difpenfation. On the contrary, this demonftrates, that he regarded the just fanctification of the Sabbath as of perpetual obligation, and as of very great importance in religion.

!

II. He removed the Sabbath from the seventh to the first day of the week. For we find in the Apoftolic History that the Difciples met together on that day, (called the Lord's Day, Rev. i. 10.) to break bread, or to celebrate the Lord's Supper, which is the proper and peculiar worship of Chriftians, Acts xx. 7. Now this could not be done without the express injunction of the Apoftles; nor could the Apostles do this without a commiffion from Chrift. And as our Lord rose from the dead on the first day, we fuppofe the Chriftian Sabbath hath relation to his. Refurrection; and fo the Lord's Day hath been kept holy by the universal Church from the Apostles days to this time.

Thus there have been three epochas, or dates, from which the Sabbath has been counted, namely, (1.) From the first day of the creation. (2.) From the first day of the falling of the manna. (3.) From the first day of the Gofpel Difpenfation. But ftill it is the feventh day makes the Sabbath, which God bleffed; and the feventh, which we now obferve, is as much, and as truly the Sabbath, which God fanctifyed, as ever it was from the begining of the world.

The primary notion of the Sabbath, is a reft or ceffation from the ordinary bufinefs of life. The defign of it is to preferve true religion; which would never have been loft in the world, had the Sabbath been duly observed from the first inftitution of it. And therefore we find în Scripture, both under the old and new difpenfations, it was applyed to the purposes of religion. It is reprefented as a holy convocation, on which the Ifraelites were to affemble for divine worship, Lev. xxiii. 3: David wrote the 92d pfalm for the Sabbath Day, and therein gives us juft ideas of the work of it. On this day the Jews met together in their fynagogues for religious exercises; and there our Lord honored and fanctified the Sabbath by his prefence and inftructions. Mark i. 21, 22. vi. 2. Luke iv. 16, 31. xiii. 10. And all Chriftians, in all times and places, have affembled on the Sabbath to hear the word of God, to offer up prayer and thanksgiving, and to celebrate, the Lord's Supper, in or der to employ their thoughts in pious meditations, and furnishi their minds with the best principles and difpofitions. A work exceeding pleafant and profitable, which demands and deferves the whole of our thought and attention. Therefore, for this good purpose, we are torreft from ordinary bufinefs, and to avoid whatever may diffipate our thoughts, or indispose our hearts for the heavenly work of the day.

Our Lord hath taught us fo to understand this, as not to mix any thing fuperftitious with the obfervation of the Sabbath, nor to conceive of it as such a scrupulous reft, that we may not do any thing fit and reasonable, and which otherwife is a duty; works of neceffity and mercy he exprefly allows. Whatever cannot be defered to another day, without

lofs

+ See Mat. xii. 1—12. Luke vi. 10, 11, xiii. 11–17. xiv. 1—7. John v. 9-19. vii, 19-23. ix. 14, 15, 16.