On the Scriptural foundation for cel- | ebrating the first day of the week, as the Chriftian Sabbath. LTHOUGH Chriftians are ALTHOUGH Chriftians are 'generally agreed, in the belief of a divine warrant for the obfervation of the Chriftian fabbath, it is apprehended that a view of the leading evidences of this duty will be ferviceable both to confirm their faith, and promote their edification. The following brief flatement of the arguments is, therefore, prefented to their confideration. The obfervation of every fetenth day, as a feafon of religious and holy reft, to man, was inftituted from the beginning, as amemorial of the completion of the work of creation, and the divine well-pleafednefs with it. When the work of the fixth day was completed, "God faw every thing which he had made and behold it was very good." And on the feventh day, God ended his work which he had made, and he rested on the feventh day, from all his work, which he had made. And God bleffed the feventh day and fanctified it, because that in it, VOL. II. No. 5. he, had rested from all his work, which God created and made."* From the Mofaic relation refpecting the manna, it appears that the holy reft of the fabbath was known to Ifrael before the promul gation of the Sinai law. That it was known to other nations, is e vident from feveral ancient writers.t This divine inftitution was reground and reafon of it again af newed in the Mofaic law, and the certained, in the following words: "Remember the fabbath day to keep it holy. Six days fhalt thou labour and do all thy, work. But. the feventh day is the fabbath of the Lord thy God. In it thou fhalt not do any work. For in fix days the Lord made heaven and earth, the fea, and all that in them is, and refled the feventh day. Wherefore the Lord bleffed the fabbath day and hallowed it."‡. In the facred writings of the oldteftament, we find frequent reference to the fabbath, as an instituebration of it, as an effential part tution of God, and the proper cel Genesis ii. 2, 3. In particular Hefiod, Homer, and Linus, fee Pol. Synop. on Genefis ii. 2, 3Exod. xx. 8, 9, 10, II. W of practical religion. It feems to be defigned as a day of religious and devout reft from the labors and purfuits of the prefent world, and of thanksgiving to God for all his favors, efpecially for the work of creation; and as an expreffion of faith in the gracious intimations of God to his church, of a ftate of holy reft and joy, in his eternal kingdom, for all the redeemed, through the promised Meffiah. With a view to the fame important object, was the inftitution of the reft of the feventh month, (which was almost wholly confecrated to religious folemnities) as alfo of the feventh year, and of the great year of jubilee after the completion of feven times feven years. This last was a feafon of abundant reft and joy, and was eminently typical of the gofpel falvation, and that bleffed reft, which remains for the people of God, in the heavenly ftate. God, manifefted to man, to which all his other works are fubordi nate. This new ftate of things was to confist especially in a new fystem of rules and ordinances, refpecting the worship of God, from which (as alfo from other fources of argument) it appears that the inftitutions and ordinances of worship in the old teftament, and especial ly in the Mofaic fystem, were not generally defigned to be perpetual, in the church of God on earth ;.. but, to be typical of that new ftate of things juft mentioned, and introductory to it. So that we are to view the whole Mofaic economy as a fhadow of good things to come, of which the body is Chrift and Chrif tianity, or the inftitutions of the golpel. This great and general change, in the ordinances of religion, by no means implies any alteration in the nature and object of divine worship or of religion in general, but only in the mode of exemplifying that religion. And as might be expected, the fubftance is more perfect than the fhadow, or there is an advance from the imperfe&t ftate of things, under the old tef tament, before the incarnation of the Meffiah, to a more perfect ftate under his reign, in the days of the gofpel. gofpel. Indeed, the fabbath of the fe venth day, and all the fabbatical inftitutions which have been mentioned, together with the poffeffron of the land of Canaan, given to the feed of Abraham as the earthly, promifed relt, were a timately defigned for the fame ead. As it pleafed God, through all ages after the apoftacy of man, to intimate his defigns of mercy to finners through a divine Redeemer, foretold in prophecy, as "the feed of the woman, and as the feed of Abraham-of the tribe of Judah, and of the family of David" fo the old teftament abounds with predictions and reprefentations of a new and more glorious ftate of things, which fhould fucceed his appearance in our nature and world. And the work of redemption, which he was to accomplish by his obedience and death, is reprefented as the greatest of the works of Fx. 1ct passim. Thus, instead of the naturalfeed of Abraham, and the earthly Canaan, there are his fpiritual feed, and the Jerufalem which is above.. For the priesthood, and the blood of flain beafts offered in facrifice, we have the Lord Jefus Christ, with his eternal priesthood, and the offering of himself unto God, in the fhedding of his own blood, which alone is fufficient to take a See Coloff. ii. 17. Heb. viiis, and he makes all days, it must undoubtedly mean that he has confecrated way in. Similar obfervations will apply to all other ordinances of the ancient difpenfation, when contrafit for the ufe to which the infpired ted with the new. writer fays it fhall be applied; ever: to rejoice and be glad, or to keep it as a day of facred reft and thankf giving for the great work of redemption-from which Jefus refted on this day, by his refurrection ; as God refted on the feventh day from the work of the first creation. The paffage may therefore be juftly confidered as a direct prediction of the change of the fabbath; or that the first day of the week fhould be celebrated in the Chriftian church as a fabbath in grateful commemoration of the refurrection of our Lord Jefus Chrift. From the analogy of divine difpenfations, we fhould be led to look for a change of the day of facred reft, that in future it might celebrate the work of redemption, by the confecration of the day in which God refted from that work, which was the great object of creation, and to which that, and all his other works are evidently fubordinate. But we must not affect to be wife beyond what is written in the holy fcriptures. Let us then inquire whetherthere is any evidence from the prophecies of the old teftament, that there fhould be a change of the Sabbath at the commencement of the gofpel difpenfation. In this examina-lowing words, viz. tion we fhall attend to two fcripture paffages only. The other prophetic feripture, from the old teftament, which invites our attention, is in the fol In the first of them we find thefe words, "This is the day which the Lord hath made, we will rejoice and be glad in it." That Behold I create new heaven's and a new earth and the former fhall not be remembered, nor come into mind. But be you glad and rejoice forever in that which I create: for behold I create Jerufalem a rejoicing and her people a joy. The new heavens and the new earth import the new creation, and are defigned to reprefent the a great part of the pfalm from which thefe words are taken, refpects the Meshah, appears not only from the fubject-matter, but, from its application to him in vari-effects of the work of redemption, ous paffages in the new teftament.t in the ftate of the redeemed church, This is particularly evident concern- from the incarnation of the Saing the words quoted, and thofe viour to the final confummation in which immediately precede and the heavenly reft. That the old follow them. That the refurrec- heavens and earth fhall not be retion and exaltation of Chrift is the membered or come into mind can fubject, appears from the words, in mean nothing more than that they their connection; that the day of fhall not be celebrated by the standhis refurrection is referred to follows ing memorial of the feventh day 'of course. So that these words fabbath, which was the only way are directly to the purpose of the in which the old creation ever had prefent argument. For if the been ftatedly celebrated. The reLord hath made this day, in any ligious rejoicing predicted in the fenfe different from that in which latter claufe of the text on account Pfalm cxviii. 24. ↑ Matth. xxi." 42. Acts iv. 11. 1 Peter ii. 4. * Ifaiah lxv. 17, 18. Ixvi. 22. 2 Peter iii. 13. See Haiah Rev. axi. 1. of the new creation imports that it shall be celebrated in like manner, as was the old creation, previous to the introduction of the new. Therefore as that was celebrated by a holy rest and thanksgiving, on the day in which God refted from his work; even fo the new creaation or the work of redemption, shall be celebrated by a stated holy reft and thanksgiving, on the day in which he rested from this, or in which Jefus Chrift rofe from the dead. We now proceed to make the following obfervations, viz. 1. Our Lord Jefus Chrift rofe from the dead, on the first day of the week. This is exprefsly afferted by the Evangelifts, in their refpective hiftories of their divine master; and is confirmed by the account of the precaution taken by the Jews to prevent any poffible fraud or collufion in the cafe. Jefus was crucified on the day preceding the Jewish fabbath. He expired about three o'clock in the afternoon, and was laid in the fepulchre, just before the fitting of the fun, that the Jewish fabbath, which commenced at fun fet, might not be infringed. This was therefore the fixth day of the week. Jefus had predicted his refurrection on the third day after his death which would be the first day of the week, the Jews therefore took no care of the body till the commencement of the third day, at which time they went to the Roman governor and, referring to this predic tion of Jefus, requested a guard of foldiers to watch the fepulchre "till the third day should be paft." This was obtained, the fepulchre was made fure, and the guard placed. But all that care was vain as to preventing the refurrection of the Lord Jefus. Early in the morning of the third day, he was alive from the dead. Thus by all this precaution of the Jews, we have the refurrection of our Lord still more confirmed, and the day of it fully ascertained. We therefore infer, with abundant certainty, that this is the day predicted by the Pfalmift, in which Chriftians fhould rejoice in their king and Saviour, and celebrate the praifes of redeeming grace, by a ftated obfervation of it, instead of the feventh day, as predicted by Ifaiah. It appears from the gofpel hiftory, that our Lord appeared to his difciples on the day of his refurrection, and afterward on the first day of the week,*-that on this day the difciples met together to break bread, that it was diftinguished among them by the name of the Lord's day; and that on this day the Lord Jefus made his celebrated vifit to his beloved difciple, fuffering for his name in the ifle of Patmos in which he revealed to him the great events relating to the redeemed church till the end of the world. The general obfervation of the first day of the week as the Chriftian fabbath, in the primitive church, in the ages next fucceeding that of the Apostles, is confirmed by the earlieft writers, whofe works have reached our time, and who had oc cafion to speak on this subject. Now had it not been a ufage.divinely inftituted and practifed by the Apoftles, and other infpired men, it is utterly inconceivable how it fhould have obtained fo early in the Chriftian church, and with fo few diffenting voices, confidering the ftrong attachment of the Jewish converts to the ancient rites of their church. But it is * John xx. 1-19—26. † A&is xx. 7. Rev. i. 10. perfectly easy to account from the | circumftances juft named, for the remaining attachment of fome profeffing Chriftians, to the Jewish sabbath. The preceding statement of the arguments in favor of the celebration of the first day of the week, as the Christian fabbath, it is prefumed will be fatisfactory. It deeply concerns us that we celebrate this bleffed day, agreeably to its inftitution and defign. Much has been written by the learned and pious on this fubject, which we ought diligently to peruse and reduce to practice. The writer would however earneftly recommend to his Chriftian readers, to remember that this bleffed day is to be celebrated, as a thankful memorial of the refurrection of our divine Saviour; and confequently of his whole mediatorial work, for the falvation of finners, and is it then poffible that we should fail to celebrate it in the worship, and to the praifes of him who loved us and wathed us from our fins in his own blood! PHILANDER. An addrefs to thefe who in the late revival of religion have been bro't into the kingdom of Chrift, on the difcouragements of Chriftians. T is common that people, when by a furgeon. The beauties of creation rushed at once upon his fight, and tho' he was much lefs able to distinguish objects and take the benefit of his eyes than other men, yet his extafy for a season was above defcription: fo when one has always been blind to the glory of God, and the beauties of the moral world, it is reasonable to expect, the first discoveries of them muft produce that admiration and rapture, which is peculiar to fuch feafons tho' their views are lefs diftinct, and their humility, dependence and other Christian exercises are more imperfect. In this fituation they are fometimes ready to triumph, as if the victory was already compleat, and they had noth ing to do, but rejoice thro' life. But thefe expectations will not be realized. The great apostle to the Gentiles had sharp conflicts; and all who will live godly in Chrift Jefus, fhall fuffer perfecution. And for the most part need requires, that they endure many tribulations. They hear more experienced Chriftians tell of darkness, but tho' they hardly expect it, it comes upon them. It is then difcouragements begin. One fource of difcouragement is their own inconftancy. This, tho' they are as confident as Peter, they will learn by painful experience, as foon as God, to teach their weakness warm affections, and fuch joys as ance, leaves them a little to themarife from their firft efpoufals. Sa- felves. It is neceffary that God tan is so chained, that for a feafon, fhould effectually teach you this lef he can give them little diftur- fon, and you will hardly be taught bance. Their morning is a morn- it, but by briars and thorns. You ing without clouds, and they prom- will then fay, that you little expectife themfelves perpetual funfhine.ed to find yourselves fo inconftant, Much of this extafy arifes from the that you had no idea there were newness of their difcoveries. I fuch fad remains of unbelief and remember I once read of a man wickednefs in your hearts, and efborn blind. After he arrived to pecially that they had ftrength to maturity, his films were taken off produce fuch diforders and depia |