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SERBI:VI.1

THE

LORDS-DAY,

ÒR

CHRISTIAÑ

SABBATH.

93

Give thanks

to

God your Creator,

who has

not

suffered

you

to

wear out all

your

time

in

the drudgeries

"of

this

world,

and the cares and toils

of

a

mortal state,

but

has

appointed

one

day

in

seven

for

your

release from the bu-

siness

of

earth, and

your employment

in the work

of

hea-

ven.

Give thanks

to

Jesus,

your Redeemer,

who on this

day

finished

the work

of your

redemption, and arose

from the,

dead

;

and as

those which

are

risen

with

Christ

"

set your

affections

on

the things

that

are

above,

where

Christ

is

at

the

right-hand

of

GGd ;"

Col. iii.

i,

2.

"

This

is

the day

which

the

Lord

has

made,

we will

be

glad and rejoice

therein

;"

Ps.

cxviii. 24. Bless his holy

name that

he has

appointed christians

to assemble them-

selves

together

for divine and

heavenly purposes

on this

day,

'and

be

not

the

last

in

those

assemblies,. because

if

you

are frequently

so,

it

looks

as

if

you had no mind to

attend

upon them

at

all.

Give thanks again

to

God the Creator

and

Governor

of

the world,

who

has

fixed

your

birth

and habitation

in

a

land wherein

the Lord's

-day

is

observed, and wherein

there are

laws to

guard the observance

of

it;

so

that

you

are

notdisturbed

and

hindered

by

the

sons

of

wickedness

in

the

practices

of

religion

on this

day.

This

is

a

distin-

guishing

favour

which

you enjoy above the christians

of

the primitive

ages who

dwelt under

heathen princes,

where they had

much

ado

to observe

any sabbath, or

to

employ the

Lord's

-day

in

religious practices,

while

the

whole

nation around

them

was

engaged,

either

in

the

busy affairs

of

this

mortal

life,

or

in vile

idolatry

and

su-

perstition.

Do

not

say,

concerning the

duties

of

worship

on

this

day

as

the Jewish hypocrites

did

in

the

days

of

the

pro-

phets

Amos and

Malachi,

"

Behold, what a weariness

is

it?

and

when

will

the

sabbath

be gone,

that

we

may set

forth

wheat and

sell

corn

;"

:Mat.

i.-

13.

JI

naos

viii. 5.

Do

not

so

much enquire, what earthly business may I-do

on

this

day

without

sin, as

what

is

there

I

can

omit

till

to-

morrow?

What

worldly business can I be

excused

from

doing

on

God's holy

day?

This

will

discover

a

truly reli-

gious temper

indeed, and

shew

that

you delight

in

the

'things

ofGod

more than

in

things

carnal

or earthly.

TL

"

Dispose

of

your

earthly

affairs

wisely in

the

foregoing

°week,

so

that,

if

possible, you may

not

have the