in learning and discharging religious Duties; and in giving each other the best publick Proofs that Men can give of their Integrity and Fidelity, by the Conftancy, Serioufnefs, and unaffected Sincerity with which they difcharge them? --And with regard to States themselves, neither can publick Peace be preserved at home, nor publick Enemies from abroad be opposed, without a due Submiffion and Obedience to Governors; the firmest Basis for this Submiffion and Obedience is the Authority of God, who has ordained those ruling Powers. And how can a Reverence for his Authority be fo well preferved in the Minds of the Bulk of any People, as by requiring them to meet together often to adore and praise him with outward Solemnity and inward Piety and Devotion? So that in these Views likewife the Institution of the Sabbath is greatly to our present Benefit and Advantage; and the Sabbath was graciously made for Man, if confidered as a Member of Society; because every Benefit he receives, as fuch, is greatly promoted and fecured by it, and the chief, on which the reft depend, cannot well subsist without it.

Once more: If Men be confidered as Candidates for Heaven, as well as Inhabitants of the Earth, there will appear yet more and ftronger Reasons for this gracious Institution. -We are formed for perfect and eternal Happiness, which nothing in this World can give

us: and therefore the Almighty, who forefaw the Degeneracy and Corruption of human Nature, was pleased to make this Provifion, that we might not lofe Sight of another.--No fooner had he formed the World, and placed Man in it, but he required him to dedicate a feventh Part of his Time to fuch Meditations and Exercises, as would beft prepare him for that Happinets for which he was defigned; to fuch Acts of Holiness and Piety as, if attended to, would keep him always mindful of what he is, and whither he is going; and to fuch as are not only neceffary to procure the Divine Favour here, but alfo to raise us above prefent things, and to qualify us for being admitted into the more immediate Prefence and Enjoyment of God himself hereafter.

With thefe most gracious Defigns, and for thefe wife and good Reafons, the Sabbath was made for Man; and because these gracious Defigns may be fruftrated, not by the Neglect only, but also by too rigorous an Interpretation of this excellent Ordinance, and our bleffed Lord in the Text is rectifying fuch Miftakes; I therefore propose,

Ildly, To confider how far his Exceptions to the Jewish, or rather the Pharifaical, Interpretations of this Duty extend, and what Latitude they give us in the Discharge of it; or, in other Words, how far, and in what Cafes, the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath-Day.

If

If by the Son of Man in the Text be meant our bleffed Lord, who is by way of Eminence fo called throughout the Gofpels, his Reafoning feems to be this; That he, who as God had inftituted the Sabbath, had Authority to alter or difpenfe with his own Institution when he should judge proper; but that in permitting his Difciples to pluck the Ears of Corn, and eat, he allowed no more than was agreeable to the Defign of the Inftitution itself.That, which was defigned for the Good of Man, could not justly be understood to forbid them to fatisfy their Hunger, and support Life. Or if by the Son of Man here is to be understood Mankind in general, as fome interpret it, then the Reasoning is this: That they, for whofe Sakes the Sabbath was inftituted, must neceffarily be understood to be permitted to do all fuch Acts on it as are neceffary for their Support.- Otherwise that, which was intended by God for their Good, might be a Means to hurt, if not destroy them. So that in either, or both these Senfes, our blessed Lord has recourfe to the Design of the Law to explain its true Meaning; and exposes the Malice and falfe Reasoning of the Pharifees, by fhewing, that how ftrict foever the Letter might be, for which they pretended fo great a Zeal, yet that fome Exceptions must be implied in the very Nature of the Thing. But thefe Exceptions with regard to the Sabbath, as explained by our Lord in any

Part

Part of his Gofpel, are only these two; that Works of Neceffity and Works of Charity are lawful on that Day.

Works of Neceffity are here contended for; and the fame Arguments will, by a Parity of Reason, extend to all other Acts of the fame Nature. If the Hunger of the Disciples was fufficient to authorize them to pluck the Ears of Corn, and to eat; the fame Wants make it equally lawful for us to make fuch Provifions as are neceffary for us.-If David's Danger was fufficient to excufe his Flight on the Sabbath-Day, fo that he could travel on that Day, and be blameless; the fame Distress will excufe us in doing what otherwise we might not do on that Day, when our Preservation and Safety depends upon it.-If its being defigned for the Good of Man was fufficient to prove the Disciples innocent, in doing what was neceffary for them in one Instance; the fame gracious Purpose will no less vindicate our Liberty in all other Inftances, where the fame Neceffity fhall appear.

Works of Charity were alfo declared by our bleffed Lord to be no Breaches of the SabbathDay, on feveral Occafions. When the Jews accufed him of profaning the Sabbath, by healing the Sick on that Day, this Calumny he fo clearly refuted, that the Evangelist obferves, that all his Adverfaries were ashamed of it (Luk. xiii. 17.) by arguing from their own Conduct with regard to their Cattle, and

concluding,

concluding, that it must be more lawful and commendable to work for the Good of Man, than for Beafts, be the Time ever fo facred. What Man among you, if his Sheep fall into a Pit on the Sabbath-Day, will not lay hold on it, and lift it out? How much then is a Man better than a Sheep?-And from thence he draws this general Conclufion, Wherefore it is lawful to do well on the Sabbath-Days, (Matt. xii. 11, 12.)—Whatever then is for the Good of Mankind, is fo far within the Intent and Meaning of this Law.-If we can by ordinary Means cure or relieve the Sick or Lame, as our bleffed Lord did by Miracles; or if we can

in any other Manner do good to the Bodies or Souls of Men; fuch Acts are not only authorized by his Example, but by the Nature of the Thing:-Every Man is fo far Lord of the Sabbath-Day, that Acts of Charity to him are no Breaches of it.-As in the former Cafe we are permitted whatever is neceffary for our own Being or Welfare; fo in this, whatever is of real Benefit or Advantage to others.

But here it must be observed, that all our Lord has faid or done on these Occafions extends no farther, than to fhew that these things are lawful on the Sabbath-Day.-He no where afferts, that to do these things is to obferve the Sabbath as we ought; but that it is not to profane it. He leaves the Inftitution to its original Defign; and thereby implies it to be the Duty of all his Disciples, as well as others, to

Sanctify