rection, was appointed, in thankful remembrance of it, for the time of public worship amongst Christians, and, therefore, is called by St. John, the Lord's day though, in common language, it be more usually called Sunday; as it was even before our Saviour's time, and may be, for a better reason, since, because on it Christ, the Sun of righteousness, arose. Accordingly, some of the earliest Fathers give it that name.

And, that no one may doubt the lawfulness of this change of the day, it plainly appears, from several passages of St. Paul, that we are not bound to observe the day of the Jewish sabbath; and it still more plainly appears, in the Scripture history of the Apostles, that they did observe and direct the observation of our present Christian Sabbath; as the whole Church hath constantly done since, from their times to this, though it doth not appear that they called it the Sabbath day for many hundreds of years. One day in seven being still kept, the memory of the creation is as well preserved, and the intent of this Commandment as fully answered, as before; and that one day in seven being chosen, on which our Saviour rose again, the memory of the redemption wrought by him, and called in Scripture "a new "creation," is, in the properest manner, as well as with the greatest reason, perpetuated along with the former.

The day, then, being thus fixed, which we ought to keep holy; it remains to consider how it ought to be kept. And,

1. It must be a day of rest, in order to commemorate God's resting; as the Scripture expresses it, "from all his works which he created and 66 made;" and to allow that ease and refreshment

(4) Rev. i. 10.

(5) 2 Cor. v. 17. Gal. vi. 15. (6) Gen. ii. 3.

which, with so great humanity, the Commandment requires should be given, not only to servants, but to the very cattle. Besides, it cannot be a day of religion to mankind, without such vacation from the ordinary labours of life, as may give sufficient leisure to distinguish it by exercises of piety. But, then, as Christians are not under a dispensation so rigorous in outward observances, as that of Moses, they are not bound to so strict and scrupulous a rest as the Jews were. Though, indeed, the Jews themselves became, at last, much more scrupulous in this matter than they needed; and are, accordingly, reproved by our blessed Saviour; from whom we learn this general rule, that "the Sabbath was made for man-not "man for the Sabbath :"7 and, therefore, all works of great necessity, or great goodness and mercy, if they cannot be deferred to another time, be they ever so laborious, may, very allowably, be done then. Only so far as the public wisdom of the laws of the land hath restrained us, we ought certainly to restrain ourselves, even from such things as, in our private opinion, we might otherwise think innocent. As to matters of less labour, what propriety, and decency, and reasonable convenience require, we surely need not omit. And what the practice of the more religious and considerate part of those amongst whom we live, allows, hath, without question, no small title to our favourable opinion. But the liberties taken by thoughtless, or profane persons, are not of any authority in the least. And the safest general rule to go by, is, to omit whatever may be sinful, and is needless; and neither to require, nor suffer, those who belong to us, to do, on that day, what we apprehend is unlawful to do ourselves.

2. A reasonable part of our day of holy rest,

(7) Mark ii. 27.

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must be employed in the public worship of God. This, you have seen, the Jews understood to be requisite on their Sabbath; and the earliest account, which we have of ours, informs us, that on the first day of the week, the disciples came "together to break bread;" which means, to celebrate the Lord's Supper. That with this was joined the Apostles' doctrine and prayer, we learn from another place of the same book of Scripture.9 And that every Lord's day was dedicated to the public offices of piety, the history of the Church fully shows from the beginning. To strengthen the obligation of attending on these offices, the laws of the land also enjoin it. And as all persons need instruction in their duty both to God and man, and the generality have scarce any other season for it than the leisure of the Sunday; if this most valuable time be either taken from them, or thrown away by them, they must become ignorant and vicious, and, of consequence, miserable in this world and the next. How wicked, then, and how unwise is it, either to throw contempt on such an institution, or, on frivolous pretences, to neglect improving by it!

3 Besides assembling in the Church on the Lord's day, every one should employ some reasonable part of it in the private exercises of piety, in thinking over their past behaviour, confessing their faults to God, and making prudent resolu tions against them for the future; in praying for the mercies which they more especially want, and returning thanks for the blessings with which Providence hath favoured them; in cultivating a temper of humanity, in doing acts of forgiveness, and setting apart something, according to their ability, for acts of charity, for which last St. Paul hath particularly recommended this time and in se

(8) Acts xx. 7. (9) Acts ii. 42. (1) 1 Cor. xvi. 2.

riously considering at home, whatever they have heard in God's house. For, our public religion will soon degenerate into an useless form, unless we preserve and enliven the spirit of it, by such means as these, in private; to which they, above all persons, are bound on the Lord's day, who either have little leisure for them on others, or make little use of it.

When once persons have brought themselves to spend so much of the Sunday as is fitting in this manner, it will then, and not before, be time for them to ask, how the remainder of it may be spent. For, it is a very bad sign to be careless of observing what is commanded; and zealous for extending, to the utmost, what at best is only permitted. Over great strictness, however, must be avoided. And, therefore, decent civility, and friendly conver sation may, both innocently and usefully, have a place in the vacant part of our Lord's day; of which it is really one valuable benefit, that it gives even the lowest persons an opportunity of appearing to each other in the most agreeable light they can, and thus promotes mutual good will. Nor is it necessary at all to banish cheerfulness from our conversation on this day, which being a festival, though a religious one, we should partake of all God's blessings upon it with joyful hearts. But then such instances of freedom and levity, in talk and behaviour, as would scarce be proper at any time, are doubly improper at this; and tend very fatally to undo whatever good the preceding part of the day may have done.

And as to the taking further liberties, of diversions and amusements, though they are not in express words forbidden, for the desire of them is not supposed, in the word of God; yet, by the laws both of Church and State they are. And what need is there for them, or what good use of them? If persons are so vehemently set upon these

things, that they are uneasy to be so much as one day in seven without them; it is high time that they should bring themselves to more moderation, by exercising some abstinence from them. And if they are at all indifferent about them, surely they should consider, what must be the effect of introducing and indulging them; what offence and uneasiness these things give the more serious and valuable part of the world; what comfort and countenance to the unthinking and irreligious part; what a dangerous example to the lower part; what encouragement they afford to extravagance, and the mad love of pleasure; what a snare they place in the way of all, that think them unlawful; and yet will thus be tempted to these liberties first, and then to others, against their consciences; and, to add no more, how unhappily they increase the appearance (which, without them, God knows, would be much too great,) of religion being slighted and disregarded, especially by the upper part of the world, who should be the great patterns of it.

And if this be the case of merely unseasonable diversions, imprudent and unlawful ones are still more blameable on this day; but most of all, that crying sin of debauchery and intemperance, which perverts it from the service of God to the service of the devil; and leads persons, more directly than almost any thing else, to utter destruction of body and soul. Therefore let us be careful, first to guard ourselves against these transgressions; then to keep our children, servants, and dependants from the like, if we make any conscience of doing well by them, or would have any prospect of comfort in them. Nor let us think it sufficient, to restrain them from spending the day ill; but, to the best of our power and understanding, encou rage and assist them to spend it well. And God grant we may all employ in so right a manner,