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Ir forms fuch an interchange of rest

and labour, as the exigences of life ma

nifeftly require.

As fix hours, in the

smaller revolutions of morning and even

ing, feem to be fixed by nature and general cuftom for labour, and the seventh for refreshment; fo, in the larger circle of weeks, the feventh day bears a natural and agreeable proportion to the labours of the fix preceding days. It recruits the body, too frail a fabrick to bear the wastes of an unvaried round of fatigue. It diverfifies time, which would otherwise tire by its famenefs and uniformity. It makes a comfortable and falutary variety. The industrious bear their toils under the foothing profpect of it; they forget them in the grateful relaxation it affords. Released from the chains of business, they are, as it were, rescued from a state of bondage: the sweat and pollution and heaviness of the anxious week are laid afide; the heart feels lighter; the spirits flow more brisk

ly;

ly; the body acquires fresh health and vigour, and the foul opens and expands and indulges its natural taste in thought and reflexion.

SUCH happy effects has the christian inftitution of the SABBATH.* It carries health

* WITH regard to the Divine institution of the fabbath, these three things are clear-I. It was appointed by Almighty God to commemorate the universal mercy of creation. Gen. ii. 2. Exod. xx. 8.-II. It was appointed to be observed befides by the Jews, in commemoration of their deliverance out of Egypt. Deut. v. 15.III. The first day of the week was kept by the apostles, in commemoration of the chriftian redemption from fin, by the refurrection of Jefus Chrift. John xx. 19. Acts xx. 7. i. Cor. xvi. 2. Rev. i. 9.

Now the ufual questions upon this subject admit of a very eafy and clear folution. To commemorate the bleffing of creation, is now, and ever will be, a duty incumbent upon mankind, and, wherever men have the means of knowing the Divine appointment, they are obliged to devote the fabbath to all its proper purposes of holiness, under the peril of Divine difpleasure; and, as long as the refurrection of Chrift is useful to the world, fo long will it be neceffary to keep fome day holy in commemoration of that bleffing.

BUT what right had the apoftles to change the day

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health and comfort and refreshment in its revolutions. The mind fhares with the body in the pleafing effects, and has room and leisure, in this state of ease, to reflect upon the concerns of a future life, and to form refolutions for the better management of the prefent.

BUT may not individuals be left to their own meditation and reflexion upon fuch occafions? Has not GOD, made every man sufficiently wife to serve himfelf in all affairs of immediate concern

to

from the feventh to the first day of the week? They acted under the authority of God, and what they taught and practised as a part of christianity, is as much the will of GOD, as any thing immediately appointed by himself.

BUT there is not (it is faid,) any exprefs law or precept, in the gospel, for the alteration. Yet we have what is equivalent; we have St. Paul's authority (Col. ii. 16) that the Jewish fabbath is no longer in force, and we find in the texts above-mentioned that he, as well as the other apostles, obferved the first day as a day of religious worship; and therefore the first day alone must be the chriftian fabbath, i. e. the day of commemorating the creation, and redemption, of the latter of which the Jewish deliverance was but a type.

to him? It is certain, we must take ourselves, just as it has pleased God to make us; and it is as certain, that we find ourselves in our present state univerfally incapable of inftructing ourselves in any useful points of knowledge. There is a certain maturity of time and age, before which we are not qualified for the bufinefs of our prefent life: fome are never qualified to be their own guides, even in thefe things: yet in these, there is common fenfe and general experience and plain obfervation to direct

us.

But the concerns of religion are of an abstracted nature. Few or none are capable of tracing them out by the force of their own natural understanding. At leaft-and this amounts to the fame thing-the generality of mankind are prevented by pleasures or worldly affairs from employing their reason in this neceffary enquiry. And want of principle has the fame effect, whether it springs from ignorance, or inattention. Y 2

THIS

THIS fhows the neceffity of the institution of the chriftian MINISTRY.* If you examine the inftitution in the theory

*THERE are great differences of opinion with regard to the origin and claims of church power.

1. SOME fuppofe, that every man has a right to asfume the office, who has or pretends to have, an inward call. 2. Others think, that any number of men have a right to form themselves into a congregation and to dif folve it; to elect a minister and to difcharge him, at their own arbitrary will and difcretion. 3. Others veft the right of appointing minifters folely in the civil magiftrate. 4. Others fuppofe, that there has been a regular succession' of minifters fince the first establishment of the gospel, wholly independent of the people and civil magistrate. -What has employed volumes, cannot be difcuffed fully within the compafs of a small note: but a few leading principles will be of ufe.

THE first notion is grounded on a few texts of fcripture groffly misunderstood, and tends to introduce univerfal diforder. Prophets were formerly empowered to work miracles in proof of their heavenly call. And, as none pretend now a days to confirm their mission in this manner, it is plain, we have no way of distinguishing upon this principle between a real and pretended call. Upon this principle then, every one, who thinks that he has an ability to officiate in Divine things, has a right to do fo. Obferve now the confequence; let in this no

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