DISCOURSE I. 557 not clearly known or discovered, the crime of neglecting it is proportionably diminished. Sins against the light of reason, or revelation, are scarce imputed, where there isnot light enough to leadmen into the knowledge of their duty,if there bebut a sin- cere willingness to find out and practise every duty within the reachof their enquiries.' In likemanner, when the religion of Christ was to .be dif- fused amongst all ranks of people, rich and poor, bond and free, in heathen nations, where there whereno sabbaths observed, our Saviour knew it would be exceeding difficult, especially for per- sons inpoor or servile circumstances,to keep a sabbath religiously, to rest from their labours one day in seven, and devote it to reli- gious purposes : He might think it proper, therefore, to give no such express and solemn command about it, but introduce it by degrees into the churches, lest the consciences of his followers should be too much entangled and perplexed, between the ex- press command, and the difficulty of practice. The case of the sabbath was not the samein the Jewish state : There was no such difficulty in keeping the appointed day. It was there commanded by God in express language, it was universally acknowledged by the people, taught by all the priests and preachers, and maintained by the high-priest, and all the magistrates of the country, both as a political law of the land, and as a religious ordinance, and was supposed to be publicly practised by all the nation. Now this tenderness to weak christians is encouraged and exemplified in several instances in the conduct of our blessed Lord, when he was here on earth : He would not enjoin hard and painful practices on young and tender disciples ; Mark ii. 18-22. Hepreached the things of the gospel unto the people, as they were able to bear the-ne; Mark iv. 33. John xvi. 12. and in some cases, neither God nor his Son, neither prophets, nor apos- tles, would press such duties too plainly and strongly on the consciences of good men, as would endanger the casting a snare upon them, that is, entangling their consciences, as the apostle, speaks ; 1 Cor. vii. 35. or would burden young disciples with too many obligations. I mention this only as a conjecture, and if it be not approved, I am no way fond to support it. See more reasonings in answer to this question in discourse the fourth, " On the Holiness of Places of Worship." To conclude, since all Jewish festivals, new moons, and Sabbaths, are abolished by St. Paul's authority, in such express and unlimited language, as may lead many sincere christians to believe that all manner of distinction of days whatsoever, whether Jewishor patriarchal, is finished ; since the religious observation of days, in the xiv. chapter to the Romans, in general, isrepre- sented as a natter of doubtful disputation ; since the observation of the Lord's-day is not built upon any express and plain institu-
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