nor thy fon, nor thy daughter, thy man fervant, nor thy maid fervant, nor thy cattle; nor the ftranger that is within thy gates. the Lord made heaven and earth:

For in fix days

the fea and all seventh day and

that in them is; and refted the hallowed it, Ifaiah 56. 1. &c. Thus faith the Lord, keep ye judgment and do juftice; for my falvation is near to come, and my righteousness to be revealed. Bleffed is the man that doth this, and the fon of man that layeth hold on it: that keepeth the fabbath from polluting it, and keepeth his hand from doing any evil. Neither let the fon of the ftranger that hath joined himself to the Lord, fpeak faying, the Lord hath feparated me from his people: neither let the eunuchs fay, behold I am a dry tree. For thus faith the Lord to the eunuchs that keep my fabbaths, and chuse the things that please me, and take hold of my covenant: even unto them will I give in mine house, and within my walls, a place and a name, better than of fon and of daughters; I will give them an everlasting name that fhall not be cut off Alfo the fons of the ftranger, that join themselves to the Lord, to ferve him and love the name of the Lord, to be his fervants; every one that keepeth

keepeth the fabbath from polluting it and taketh hold of my covenant, even them will I bring to my holy mountain, and make them joyful in my houle of prayer. Their burnt offerings, and their facrifices fhall be accepted upon mine altar: for mine houfe fhall be called a houfe of prayer for all people. Ifaiah 58. 13. 14. If thou turn away thy foot from the fabbath, from doing thy pleasure on my holy day, and call the fabbath a delight, the holy of the Lord and honorable, and fhalt honor him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor fpeaking thine own words. Then fhalt thou delight thyfelt in the

Lord, and I will caufe

high places of the earth,

thee to ride upon the and feed thee with the

heritage of Jacob thy father,

for the mouth of Ifaiah 59. 1. &c.

the Lord hath spoken it. Behold the Lord's hand is not fhortened that it cannot fave; neither his ear heavy that it cannot hear. But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your fins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear &c.

According to the tranfition above, these pasfages, and all others relating to the fubject, landed

over

over into the new fabbath.

Hence we may infer

that the gospel fabbath day will be in force to all eternity. God, men and angels will keep it, or Our Lord says

a period equivalent, for ever.

Luke 16. 17. That it is easier for heaven and earth to pafs, than one tittle of the law to fail. Every command of it must remain in force for ever. It is the perfect rule of decency, order and juf. tice, and can never be dispensed with. Some indeed, have reprefented the future ftate of happiness, as an endless fabbath, continued without paufe or period, going on for ever in an indivisible eternity. But for my own part, I think it altogether as good fenfe for a perfon to propofe to me for my happiness, an everlasting fermon or hymn; or an endless journey, upon an eternal plain, without a road or mile-ftone, or any other mark or divifion, by which I could know whereabout I was. Such an idea of heaven has a greater tendency to affli&t and ftupify the mind, than to kindle joy and raise any fincere and rational defire to enjoy it. God himself was the first that kept the fabbath-day, and from the second of Genefis and the thirty-first of Exodus, it appears, not only that he refted, but was refreshed; and confequently fanctified and

bleffed

bleffed the day, to be for ever a day of reft and refreshment to others. And if he kept it then, and declared it to be pleasant and delightful, and recommended it to others to be a perpetual rule, what reafon can be affigned for fuppofing that he has fince left off, and that the day is not kept in heaven? The fabbath will, doubtlefs, measure both our eternal exiftence and our eternal happiness.

But to return, the paffages above inform us, that keeping and fanctifying the fabbath-day, is turning our foot from the ordinary work of the fix days, called our own ways, thoughts, words and pleasure. Alfo, taking hold of God's covenant; please, serve and love him; and offer up the facrifice of prayer and praife. The advantages attending it are faid to be, a place within the walls and house of God; an everlasting name better than of fons and daughters; delighting ourselves in the Lord; riding upon the high places of the earth; and being fed with the heritage of Jacob. The confequences of neglecting it are, a feparation from God, his refufing to hear our prayers, or to deliver us out of our diftreffes; our falling into ignorance, obftinacy, blindnefs, groping in

the dark at noon-day, and committing all man

ner of fin.

cease from God our

First then, to keep the fabbath is to the ordinary labor of the fix days. pattern, worked fix days and rested the seventh. This is expreffed with many repetitions and evident emphafis; and is given as the reafon why we fhould do the fame. There muft therefore be fome propriety and fitness in the thing, in itself confidered. And this fitness must be fuch as, in some measure, we may see and difcern. For fince God's working precisely fix days, and resting the seventh is recommended to us fo folemnly for our imitation, there must be fome vifible reafon which may be traced out by us and truly admired, fo that we may not complain, but fall in love with the command. For we must obey

the law of God out of love to the precepts of it in themselves confidered. The command is this; God worked fix days and rested the seventh; do you the fame. Let this be a rule for every man,

And first, this is for our health. This must be obferved, or elfe human nature in general, cannot enjoy a state of health.

God the creator of our frame