Fourth Commandment. Fir]/, God l>ath fanctified the Sabbath-Day, fo we have i~, ver. i 1. T he Lord bleffid rhe ftvmth D"J, and halltiroeJ ;:. Where thefe two words bt.jfod and hallowed, are only exegetical one of the other, and carry in them ~he fame fenfe c;ommon to ~~ . . . Now God blelfed and hallowed the Sabbath-Day, not· by infufing any inherent Quality of Holinefs into it (fur neither Days, nor Places, nor any inaninlate things are Subjects capable of real Holinefs.) r. tlutjirjl, God blefied and hallowed it by fepatating that Day from others, be- 1• ftowing an higher Dignity and Privilege upcln it, as the Day whereoii both himfelf chafe to reft from the Works of Creation, and the Day ~hereon he. requires that we alfo fhould r~ft from the Works of our ordinary Vocations. For to hallow an<j. fanctify, fs to fet any thing apart from prophane and common, unto. f acred and fpiritual Ufes. God therefore J.ant\ified the Sabbath, when he feleCled It qut of the ' courfe of other Days, and .fet It apart from the common Imploymcnts and Services of Life, ordaining that the Spiritual Concernl.nents of ihis ·Glory, and our Satvati.. on fhould be therein efpedally tranfaCled. . And this is that Blefliug which God hath conferred upon this Day; for what other Benefit is a Da y capJblC of, but only. that when the otber fix Days, like the unregarded Vulgar of ,the V ear, ·were to be imployed in the ldw and fordid Drudgery of Earthly Affa irs; this fevcnth Day God hath raifed fl·om the Dtinghil, and fet u:pon the T hrone, app ointing it accordlll ll: . to Jgnat~UJ ~is Phr:Ife, ~V [3~n"lk, .rnv 1/=.76'1 m ~~~it,, ~heif.rinceand~o.vereignofDays, t'pift ad crelilptmg It from all fcrvile Works, and defignmg It fQr filch Sp1ntual and Ca:le.. M"'gntftial Imployments, that were it obferved according to God's Command, Eternity it fios. felf would.not have much advantage above it, but only that it is longer: So thlt in the Ring and Circle of the Week, the Sabbath is the Jewel, t he moft e>ccllentand precious of Days. . &co>JJ/y; God hath bleffed and Sanorified it, not only in tl1is relati•e, but a lfo in ,; an elfeCHve fenfe, 'Viz..• as he hath appointed it to be the pay whereon he doch efpecially blefs and fanClify us; yea, and poflibly he makes the means of our Santlification to be rtrore clfec:tual on this Day, thia when they are difpenfcd on any other common Days. God doth then efpedally give out J.llentifnl Effidions of his Spirit, fills his O'rdinJnccs with his Grace andPrefence; and .we ma¥ with a more confident Faith expea a greater •portion of Spi.ritual Blefliugs from him, when botl1 the Ordinances and the Day too are his, than when tlhough the Ordinances be his, yet the Day is ours. In thisfenfe God may be faid to b!efs ,and fanCli~e the Sabbath-day, becaufe he blelfeth and [anGlifies us on that Day. As the Pfillmill: m'oll: elegantl y, and in an high ftra•jn of Poetry, faith, That God crowneth the Year with bis qoodnefs, Pfat. 6 )· t i . Not that the Plenty and Frn-itfulnefs of the YeJr is an.y Bieffing unto it, but it is a Bleffing unto Men, whofe hear{ts God then filleth with Food and Gladhefs. In ~th thefe fenfe•ma,y God be faid to blefs and fanClific the Sabbath. ' &co,dly; As God farr&ified the Sabbatl1, fa Man ' is commanded to fanClify it alfo · · vcr. 8. Rr:mcmbcr the Sabbatlrday to keep it holy. Now we · fanaifie and hallow a Day' i . ·when we obfervc it hbly to the Lord, fequ~fi:ring our,felves from commOn Affair; ~'to thofe fpiritual Exe;:cifes which he hath·;:required u~ ;to ,be converfant about on that Day. Gdd fanChfies>it by Confccration, we fanc:tifie it by Devotion. He hath .fct it apart for his Wotfuip, and on it \Ve ought to fet Our- felvcs apart for his Wor- ·fhip, and. to , be taken: up only with tlrofe things whi.ch h e hath either allowed :or preil:t1bM us: Am. therefore G<Jd 'dO'th lay an 1 ~fp><ial Claim f~ this. Day. For alt~ough he be the !filpreme Lord of all, and doth, difpenfc;, and ., as it .were araw out th.e Thre~ •oflT1me, and Days.; · a,nd Years. fur .us, out ef ~"' infinite Bottom !Of hiS Etermty; ry:ethe doth not fo ,particnla~ly challenge any par~ of it to himfelf,, as ' he aoth this feventh Da1: Whence it i~ fa id, /VCY· to., The {eventb D~y · ts· tke_'Sdbb•lh of <the <.llimi·thy . God. The, fix foregomg ·D~ys of. J:iic, :W10ek are <thme, ~~ l'hou mayfu_difpofe of tihem 111 the. hon~(t .W prks of thy Calling, as •PnideMe land .Gonyentci\Ce •!hall dm&; but thiS Day God .challengethM himfelf, .as hiS pet?litrr<por-uoq -of our .nme, becattfe he bath onlaine!l i t f~r ·his Worfhip ']lnd Ser~l(!t; and therefore 1t IS called his. And when we devote our felves to·
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