102 THE LORD'&-DAY. I might add here also, that as the redemption or rest from Egyptian bondage given them by God and Moses is mentioned in lieut. v. 15. as one reason of the Jewish sabbath, so our greater redemption by Christ or rest from the bondage of in and satan being on thisdaycompleted, seems by parallel reason- ing to be a very proper argument for observing the christian sab- bath. Besides, it is worthy of our notice that by chasing the first day of the seven for a sabbath after the seventhday was abo- lished, there remains still one day in seven to perpetuate the memory of the creation, and it is the first day of the seven to perpetuate hie memory of the work of redemption. Thus our Lord's-day includes both. Question II. " But what need is there of a whole daydevo. ted to this purpose under the Nee' Testament ? is it not enough to perform christian worship in public assemblies, and thereby answer the.purposes of the day, without observing that day as a sabbath, or day of rest ?' I answer, It is too evident an observation, that unless the whole clay be separated from the business and pleasures of this life, the hours and minutes of worship will for the most part be but poorly improved, and become much less profitable to our spiritual interest. It is hardly possible to attain the best ends of preaching and hearing, praying and°praising, administering and receivingof theLord's -supper,if we comeinto the sanctuarywith our heads and hearts full of the affairs of this life, and all our earthly cares buzzing about our souls. And howmuch less good . will a sermon do us, if,, as soon as the hour of worship is ended, we run immediately from God, and plunge ourselves into worldly affairs, without giving our thoughts leisure and leave to reflect on what we have heard? And much worse would it be still fin' religion if we spent the rest'of the day in recreatF- ons and sports, for these carnalize the spirit and estrange it from God and things heavenlymuch more than the common labours of life, Alas ! how difficult a matter do we find it to disengage our thoughts from this world when we come into the presence of god, Acid Goddid rest the seventh dust from all his works. Verse '1, Again, he limiteth a certain day, saying in David, To-day if ye. ti ll:hear his voice harden not your hearts. For if Jesus,'that is Joshua, had given t hem rest, that ir, if he had given them all that complete rest in the land of Canaan which was typified by the Jewish sab- Lath, then he would not afterwards have spoken of another day, There remeineth therefore arest, or " sabbatism," as the Greekword is, there remaineth the keeping of a sabbálh to the people of God ç for he that is entered into his rest, which they refer to Jesus Christ in the work of redemption, he bath also ceased, or rested from his own works as God did from his. See Doctor Owen, "- in his Treatise of the Sabbath." Thus the Sonof God, the Redeemer, is supposed to have appointed a day or sab- path to celebratehis -rest fromhis labours and Sufferings, as God Ole Father, the Creator, did, ws.eis he rested from his works.
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