An Expojition upon.the t~ his Service an~ Wo.i-lbip! med~~tlng on liis Excellency, m~gnifying and praifing ~t6J1t~~~[~~f~ I?5v~:,~.lus holy Name, we then hallow thts Day, and give unto A_nd thus you fee what it is to fanaify the Sabbath., both as God hath done it by J?ed.lcatton, and as Man ougllt to do -it by Ohfervation. But the .great Difficulty hes in what manner the Sabbathought t? be fanaified and kept holy, Whether or no we am bound to the fame ftnct and vtgorous Obfervatton of our Chriftian Sab~ bath, as the Jews were of theh:s under the Oeconorny of Mofes? To this 1anfWer hi tlie general; That as·Our SabOath is not the Very fame with theirs, Hut only the .fitme an3.10gically, bearing a fit ' proportion to it; fo li kewife our Sanlli~cation of the Lord's-day (for thus ·! had rather call it than the Sabbath) is not in ctll particulars the fame that was required from the Jews, but bears a prol'ortion to it in. thdfe things which are not Ceremonial nor Burthenfome to our Chri!lian Liberty. · But more particularly, The fanB:ifying Of this D"ay coufifts partly in abfraining from thofe things whereby it would be prophancd ;·- and partly in the performance of thofe things which are required of us, <ind tend to promote the San(Hty and Ho~ tinefs of it. · , Here, fi.rft, I fuall lay doWn this; That in order tQ our due fanCtifying of the Sabbath, we ought to abfrain from the common and ferviJe Works of our ordi. nary Callings and Vocations. So we have it e~prefly, ver. to. In £t rbou'fludt not do any Work. And this God prohibit~, not that Reft and Ceffation is in it felf ac:- ceptable unto him, or any part of his Worniip apd Service; but only hecaufe Earthly lmployments are an Impediment and Diftraction to tfiat heavenl y frame of Spirit which we ought to maintain in all the Parts, and Duties ofrhis Day. The Wprks of our Callings are not evil in themfelves, but lawful and goocl; and fbcJ1 Wherei(l on other Days we fervc God, and whereon we may expetl: a Blelling from l1im. But yet our Mind is fo narrow ar:td £tinted, that we cannot at once attend them, and the Service of God with that Zeal and Fervour that he requires; and therefore that we may be wholly imploycd 'in his Work, he hath taken us ofF from our Own. . · Now this prohibition of working on the Sabbath, is ftrongly in forced by the Con.. c'effion affix Days for onr ordinary Labour. A Concellion I call it, confidering the Indulgence granted nnto us; but yet it is not meerly a Concetlion, but a Command too; fi:.: Days ]halt thou ldbour, dnd do dll thy Wor.k; but the fevmth Day io the S.1bbath of the Lord. That exceptive Particle Rut, intimates unto :us, that none of that Work which is lawful to be done on ordinary Days, ought to be performed by us on the Sabbath. I know it is a Q!.1efl:ion, Whether thcfe words, Si.... Ddys Jhalr thou labour, be a Precept, or a Permillion only? To me they feem preceptive, requiring us diligen tly to attend that Vocation and State of Life in which the Divine Prqvidence _hath fet us, and to perform the Offices of it wjth Care and Confcience: For it is fa id, tlwu Jhait_labour, no~ only thou mayfl.labour. And thofe ~ho contend tha~ they mecrly figmfie a Pernuffion of the da1ly Works of our Calhn~s, open too w1de a Gap for Sloth and Idtenefs to creep in, without violating any Commandn'lent, or being cenfured and condemned for Sin. · But !Ilia !I not trouille xou with the Difputes abour this: Only let , me take notice of the weaknefs a11d inconfequence of one Inference that is commonly drawn from it; ahd that is, I fit be a Divine Precept, that we ought fix Day.s to , labour, then can we nOt, by any Conltitution whatfoever be takenofffr.om theJawful Works of our Collings, not obliged' to keep any other Days holy•and folemn Be fides the Sab- ,bath; for God's Ltws do fiat contradict rthemfelves ; and wherein foeNrir1 Humane Laws con.tradia tlie nlvin~~ '- they are of no force nor_,validity. d t • ·~~r· · But this ~rgnlnent fails 1n its Deduilion: For . t~e ~ommand, ·-5ix J)~ys f/,aft thou lifhour, ts not to be \m~erftbod abfolutely _and unhmttedly, ~\lt ~ttll,a J)llft Re~ ftraint add Exception; tha't is,-- )'hou 1halt l::tbbur fL'{ Days ordmanly, \lnlefs any of 1:hem be fet apart_either by thine own private Devotion, or by p'ubllc)< Antho~ rity for the immediate WorJhit and ~crvice of God. And that this is ·of neceffity · to be fa undcrftood, 'appCars, i we confider ha~ iilan.y D.ays in ~be: Week God himfelf did dedicate in thofe'Fcafts which he commanded the Jews !lnllly to obferve, · -, ..... ) no~wi.thftanding
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