recreations, is of no moment in the sight of God, unless we are engaged in holy exercises.

Sins Forbidden.

The Fourth Commandment forbiddeth the omission or careless performance of the duties required, and the profaning the day by idleness, or doing that which is in itself sinful, or by unnecessary thoughts, words, or works, about our worldly employments or recreations.

ANALYSIS AND PROOFS.

We are here taught,

1. That we are forbidden to omit any of the duties required on the Sabbath. Ezek. xxii. 26.-" Her priests have violated my law, and have profaned mine holy things; they have put no difference between the holy and profane, neither have they showed difference between the unclean and the clean, and have hid their eyes from my Sabbaths, and I am profaned among them."

2. That the duties of the Sabbath are not to be performed carelessly. Deut. x. 12.-"Serve the Lord thy God, with all thy heart and with all thy soul." See also Mal. i. 13.

3. That the Sabbath is not to be profaned by idleness. Exod. xx. 8.-"Remember the Sabbath-day, to keep it holy."

4. That sinful acts are aggravated by being committed on the Sabbath. Ezek. xxiii. 38.-"They have defiled my sanctuary in the same day, and have profaned my Sabbaths."

5. That unnecessary thoughts about our worldly concerns are forbidden on the Sabbath. Amos viii. 5.-" When will the new moons be gone, that we may sell corn? and the Sabbath, that we may set forth wheat?

6. That unnecessary conversation about our worldly affairs is forbidden on the Sabbath. Isa. lviii. 13.-"Not doing thine own ways, nór finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words."

7. That unnecessary works for forwarding our worldly concerns are forbidden on the Sabbath. Jer. xvii. 21."Thus saith the Lord, Take heed to yourselves, and bear no burden on the Sabbath-day."

EXPLANATION.

Obs. 226.-The Fourth Commandment forbids the omission of the duties which God requires on the Sabbath.

The duties of which this commandment forbids the omission, are these :-attendance on the public ordinances of religion; prayer, both private and secret; and meditation, which may be exercised about the works of creation and providence, about the work of redemption in its various parts and consequences, about the holiness of God, about that heavenly rest which remaineth for the righteous, and about other things of a similar nature. The neglect of these duties on the Sabbath is an evidence of the neglect of all religious duties through the week; and, consequently, of atheism, profaneness, and apostasy.

Obs. 227. The Fourth Commandment forbids the careless performance of the duties required on the Sabbath.

The duties of the Sabbath are performed carelessly, when they are performed in a partial way,--that is, when some of them are observed, and others equally important and necessary are totally omitted; for example, when the public duties are attended to, and the private and secret ones neglected; or when they are performed in a formal way,--that is, without any regard to the principle from which obedience should flow, and to the end to which it should be directed; or when they are performed in a cold, and a lifeless, and an indifferent manner,--that is, without any vigour, and spirit, and pleasure.—See Rev. iii. 15, &c.

Obs. 228.-The Fourth Commandment forbids the profaning of the Lord's day by idleness.

The Sabbath is profaned by idleness, when it is spent idly, either in whole or in part; not employing ourselves in the duties of God's worship, but loitering away the time at home or in the fields, either in vain and idle thoughts, or in vain and idle conversation, or the like. This day is also profaned by idleness, when we endeavour to shorten the day as much as possible, by rising later on the morning of this day than of other days, or by retiring to rest sooner at night, in order to get up in due time for worldly business.

Obs. 229.-The Fourth Commandment forbiddeth the profaning of the Lord's day by doing that which is in itself sinful.

P

Sin committed on any day is hateful to God; but sin committed on the Sabbath aggravates guilt, and exposes to severer punishment from the Lord. And this is the reason why there is a prohibition of doing on the Sabbath what is unlawful at any time.-See Neh. xiii. 15, &c.; Jer. xvii. 27.

Obs. 230.-The Fourth Commandment forbiddeth the profaning of the Sabbath by unnecessary thoughts, words, or works, about our worldly employments or recreations.

The thoughts, words, and works, which are here forbidden on the Sabbath, are these unnecessary thoughts and contrivances about worldly affairs, unnecessary words and conversation respecting earthly employments, unnecessary works in any worldly business, or those pleasures and recreations which are lawful on other days; or they are all those thoughts, words, or works, which are not unavoidably used about the works of necessity and mercy, which are lawful on the Lord's day. It is only by not thinking, or speaking, or working about our worldly employments, and by employing ourselves in holy exercises, that we distinguish the Sabbath from every other day.-See Isa. lviii. 13.

INFERENCES.

From this subject we learn,-1. That divine ordinances, as means of salvation, ought to be observed by all in the due order. 2. That when they are not performed in the due order, the end of their appointment is lost. 3. That if we would worship God in truth, we must imbibe the spirit of true worshippers.

Reasons Annexed.

The reasons annexed to the Fourth Commandment are, God's allowing us six days of the week for our own employments, his challenging a special propriety in the seventh, his own example, and his blessing the Sabbath day.

ANALYSIS AND PROOFS.

We are here taught,—

1. That God allows us six days of the week for our own

employments. Exod. xxxi. 15.-"Six days may work be done." See also Exod. xx. 9.

2. That God claims the seventh day or the Sabbath as his own property. Lev. xxiii. 3.-"Ye shall do no work therein; it is the Sabbath of the Lord in all your dwellings." See also Exod. xx. 10.

3. That God hath set us an example of resting on the Sabbath, which he requires us to follow. Exod. xxxi. 17.-" It is a sign between me and the children of Israel for ever; for in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day he rested, and was refreshed." See also Exod. xx. 11.

4. That God requires the Sabbath to be observed by us, because he himself blessed and sanctified it. Gen. ii. 3.— "God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it." See also Exod. xx. 11.

EXPLANATION.

Obs. 231.-We should keep the Sabbath holy, because God has allowed us six days of the week for our own employments.

This is expressed in these words :-"Six days shalt thou labour and do all thy work." And the force of this reason is, that it is highly unreasonable and ungrateful to grudge a seventh part of our time in the immediate worship of God, when he hath allowed us six days for our own employments.

Obs. 232.-We should keep the Sabbath holy, because God challenges a special propriety in the seventh,--that is, in the seventh part of our time.

This is expressed in these words:" But the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God." And the force of this reason is, that as God represents himself as in covenant with his people, they ought to observe this day, in which he challenges a special propriety, or which he claims as his own in a peculiar manner, for the social and public worship of this covenant God; which they ought to reckon a high privilege, seeing he condescends to hold communion with them in the ordinances of his grace.

Obs. 233.-We should keep the Sabbath holy, because God himself hath set us an example of resting on this day.

This is expressed in these words :-"For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them

is, and rested the seventh day." Although God could have made all things in an instant of time, as perfect and as beautiful as they were, after he had spent six days in the work; yet he was pleased to take that time to create all things, to fix the morality of six days for worldly employments, and of a seventh for holy rest; and both these by his own example. If it be asked here, how God's example of resting on the seventh day can be any reason for our resting on the first; we answer, that although the observation of a particular day in seven be changeable, yet the duty of observing a seventh part of our time is moral, both by God's precept and example. Now, to despise God's own example, is to despise his works; and to despise the Christian Sabbath, is to despise the work of Christ; and, consequently, this is to pour contempt upon the wisdom, and power, and goodness of God in the works of creation and redemption.

Obs. 234.-We should keep the Sabbath holy, because God hath blessed the Sabbath day and sanctified it.

This is expressed in these words :- "Wherefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath-day and hallowed it,"—that is, set it apart for the worship of his name, and for calling to mind his holiness, and the arduous undertaking of his dear Son. And they who observe this day according to his appointment, and who worship him on it in spirit and in truth, may, according to his promise, expect much spiritual comfort on this day. See Isa. lvi. 6, 7, and lviii. 13, 14. We may here observe, that the particle wherefore, used towards the end of this commandment, teaches us, that God's resting on the Sabbath was the great reason why he set it apart as a day of rest to us, that we might thereon contemplate his works both of creation and of grace.

INFERENCES.

From this subject we learn,-1. That the reasons for remembering the Sabbath-day to keep it holy, are very weighty and satisfactory. 2. That we should endeavour to prepare for the Sabbath before it approach. 3. That we should make conscience of attending the public ordinances of divine appointment. 4. That we ought to prepare for the public ordinances, by spending the morning of the Lord's day in secret and private exercises, such as prayer, reading the Scriptures, and meditation. 4. That when the public worship of God is over, we should meditate and converse about