THE FRIENDLY VISITOR.

No. CLXXVI.]

MAY, 1833.

[VOL. XV.

SERMON ON THE SABBATH.

(Continued from page 44.)

II. But the Sabbath is not only injoined upon men to be ob served as a duty, but also granted to be enjoyed as a privilege. In this light we were, secondly, to consider it. And here the great principle to be kept in view is, that the Sabbath was made for man. And the more we think of it, the more we shall see that it answers this character. It was ordained for the good of man, to be a benefit to him. And if you ask in what respects it was to be a benefit? we answer, in every respect a benefit both to his body and to his soul-both for time and for eternity-to promote his comfort in life, and to furnish him with hope in death; to lighten his load of labour on earth, and to prepare him for an everlasting rest in heaven. On this account it always gives way to the real advantage of man. If in any case the observance of it would interfere with his substantial welfare, it is mercifully dispensed with. A physician may have patients whose cases require his attendance on the Sabbath day, and he gives it, and is blameless. And there are domestic services which must be performed on that day, and which are performed innocently, provided care is taken to reduce them as far as can conveniently be done.

A conscious observance of the day is required, a scrupulous observance is not called for. Even the Jewish Sabbath, rigorous as it has been deemed, allowed works of mercy and necessity. When work was prohibited, an exception was made of that which every man must eat. And our Lord discountenanced the overstrained scrupulousness of the Pharisees, and charged them with condemning the guiltless when they found fault with his disciples for rubbing the ears of corn in their hands on the Sabbath day. This he told them they would not have done if they had understood the meaning of that Scripture, ‘I will have mercy and not sacrifice;' a rule which he illustrated by his own practice of healing on the Sabbath day, notwithstanding their continual cavils.

Thus the law of the Sabbath is never drawn so tight as to interfere with any man's real good. Where his health, safety, life,

or perishing property is concerned, it gives way, and lets mercy take place of sacrifice.

But this negative recommendation of not being a burden is a very small part of its praise. It is a very great benefactor. It comes to men with blessings in its right hand and in its leftblessings which accompany us through time and follow us to eternity.

In order to see this clearly, let us consider what would be the face of things in our own country, if the Sabbath was ob served here up to the full requirement of the divine command.

The first benefit which obviously presents itself to our notice, is the rest which such a regard to the Lord's day would afford both to man and beast.

Our bodies, and the bodies of the inferior creatures, are not so framed as to endure uninterrupted labour. Intervals of rest are necessary. If they are not granted, the overwrought frame is worn out-premature old age is brought on, and the term of life is shortened.

Now the Sabbath which was made for man is adapted to this construction of our bodies. It provides the needful relaxation; and I have no doubt but one day in seven is the precise proportion which best answers every useful purpose-at once affording sufficient time for effective labour, and providing an adequate restoration to the weary frame. Were it then duly observed, what a pleasing picture would our Island afford! The highways would be unoccupied, not as in the days of Shamgar the son of Anath, because they were infested by robbers and mur derers, but because on that day a rest was afforded to the weary beast. None would be seen on the road, but either some medical practitioner going on the call of duty, and on an errand of mercy-or some Christian family conveyed by no hard labour to the house of God.

Then in the towns and villages, instead of men's engaging in sports and pastimes—instead of loitering in the streets, or carousing in public houses, there would be seen the pleasing spectacle of persons walking in quiet and orderly procession and with willing feet to worship God in his sanctuary and to hear his word.

And would not what they learn there have a healthful influence on society? Would it not tend to repress that selfishness and those violent tempers by which men encroach on

each other and torment each other? Would it not teach them to exercise justice, to observe the law of kindness, and to live at peace one with another?

It would do all this very imperfectly indeed, because men would be men still; but as far as this was done, the happiness of the community would be most materially promoted.

Thus the Sabbath is a very great blessing, if it were considered merely with respect to this world. By the rest which it affords to the poor, by the instruction which it gives to all, it preserves the health of men's bodies, and leads to the improvement of their minds. Its direct tendency is to unite and humanize society, and in every way to comfort and to bless our condition on earth. But its main benefit is, not its being the sweetener of our passage through time, but its affording the most important means of our preparation for eternity. The Sabbath was intended to be a day of rest, but not to be a day of indolent indulgence; men are not on that day to engage in the ordinary work of their callings, because they are commanded to keep it holy.

They are called on that day to join in the services of angels, and though living on earth, to take part in the employment of heaven. They have leisure on that day to speak to God in prayer, and to hear him speak to them in his word. On that day they hear the Gospel preached, the good tidings of reconciliation between earth and heaven. They hear of the love of God, the sufferings of the Saviour, the purchase of his intercession, the freeness of his grace. Men are called to repent and to believe the Gospel; they are warned, they are encouraged― and many, many souls are thus brought to the saving knowledge of Christ; are week by week built up in him, and will have reason to bless God for the Sabbath day through a happy eternity.

Viewed in this light, the Sabbath has a value beyond what words can express. It is very precious, and much reason have we to thank God for it, as a relief under the burdens of time; but infinitely more precious is it, as training us for the blessings of eternity. It is not in merely lightening men's labour, but in making them holy, that its chief benefit consists.

Hence we are told, that when God rested from all his works, he not only blessed the seventh day, but sanctified it—and it is as a day sanctified, set apart for holy purposes, to be kept holy, and to make men holy, that the Lord when recounting the

benefits by which he had distinguished the children of Israel, made mention of the holy Sabbath: "Moreover I gave them my Sabbaths, to be a sign between me and them, that they might know that I am the Lord that sanctify them."

III. The Sabbath being so express a commandment of God, and so gracious a gift from him—having so strong a claim both on our obedience, and on our gratitude; our obligation to the observance of it is doubly binding.

This obligation we are, in the third place, to consider.

If the Sabbath is indeed a command of God, the observance of it is as much binding upon us, as obedience to any command whatever. For he who said, do not kill, do not steal, honour thy father and mother, said also, remember that thou keep holy the Sabbath day. The one stands on the same authority as the other; and, as far as obedience to God is concerned, we might as well murder or steal as break the Sabbath. I do not mean to say that the offences are equal. I do not mean to deny that murder or theft shews a more desperate wickedness than Sabbath breaking. But this I say, that he who breaks the Sabbath, knowing that God has commanded it, is as clearly guilty of disobedience as the man who robs and kills. And we must remember too that the aggravation of all sin is that it is committed against God. We are apt to measure the heinousness of sin by the mischiefs which it brings on society; hence we are alive to the sins of murder, adultery and theft; while the sin of Sabbath-breaking we very easily pass over. Oh! if we saw

in its just light the evil of sin as committed against God, we should judge of false unscriptural worship, of profane swearing, and of Sabbath-breaking, in a very different manner from what we are inclined to do.

Again-if the Sabbath is a great benefit to man, a gracious gift bestowed upon him, every consideration of gratitude should lead us to the observance of it. What a base spirit does it argue to be forgetful of God's benefits, and to slight and affront him in the very thing wherein he is doing us good! Will he not visit for such things, will not his soul be avenged on those who thus rebel against his word and despise his benefits?

How much he is displeased with the profanation of that day which he has commanded to be kept holy, any one may see who will read his frequent complaints against the children of Israel for their disobedience and ingratitude, How often does their

greatly profaning his Sabbaths make a part of the catalogue of their national offences!

And if it be asked, why is not the same thing complained of in the New Testament? I answer, because, I apprehend, the same offence was not committed; the first Christians seem to have been very exemplary in their observance of the Lord's day. We find that they constantly met on the first day of the week, though they were obliged often to do it secretly for fear of the Jews. And there is a remarkable passage in the Epistle to the Hebrews, which seems to shew that the sin of deserting these meetings was very rare. He calls it, the manner of some: "not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is." This shews that the practice of assembling was the rule-of being absent the exception-the Christians in general constantly frequented these assemblings together, but there were some who forsook them. And lest induced by example of these, any should follow their pernicious ways, they are held out with a brand put upon them as men to be marked and avoided.

Brethren, the subject has now been considered sufficiently long for us to turn our eye upon ourselves, and to inquire how far our own observance of the Sabbath corresponds with its demands and our obligations.

Unhappily when a minister preaches on Sabbath duties, those who are most concerned to hear are not present. Yet there are few who do not need reminding that the Lord's day is a holy day and to be kept holy. Many who go to church, let going to church serve them, and that perhaps only once; the remainder of the day being given to finding their own pleasure and speaking their own words. They do not call the Sabbath a delight, nor delight in the employments which are appropriate to it. I do not deny that there may be cases in which distance or other causes may render a second attendance scarcely practicable. But in such cases a pious master of a family will have domestic worship, where he cannot have congregational worshipwhen he cannot go to church, he will have a church in his house.. And, besides the hours of public worship, the Sabbath affords many precious opportunities of private reading, meditation, and prayer-by which the spiritually-minded Christian may grow in grace, and make his Sabbath on earth a preparation for his Sabbath in heaven.

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