form you; not only to mend your sight, but to mend your pace in the way to heaven; a good hearer is like the heliotropium, &c., it opens and shuts with the sun, -to God against sin. Now that you may sanctify a sabbath by hearing :

you are as proud, as vain, as earthly as ever, all your hearing is lost. You would be loath to trade in vain, and why not as well to hear sermons in vain? Job ix. 29., "Why then labour I in vain?" Put this question to your own soul: "Why labour I in vain? Why do I take all this pains to hear, yet have not the grace to practise it? I am as bad as ever! why then labour I in vain?"

the further sanctification of the sabbath, confer of the word. We are forbidden on this day to speak our own words, Isa. lviii. 14., but we must speak of God's word. Speak of the sermons as you sit together; this is one part of sanctifying the sabbath. Good discourse brings holy truths into our memories, and fastens them upon our hearts: Mal. iii. 17., "Then they that feared the Lord, spake often one to another."

1. If you do not hear the word aright, you lose all your labour. How many a weary step have you taken; your body hath been crowded, your spirit faint; if you are not bettered by hearing, if There is a great power and efficacy in good di discourse, Job vi. 25., "How forcible are right words?" By holy conference on a sabbath, one Christian helps to warm another when he is frozen, to strengthen another when he is weak. Latimer confessed he was much furthered in religion, by having conference with Mr. Bilny the martyr. Ps. cxix. 172., "My tongue shall speak of thy word." One reason why preaching the word on a sabbath doth no more good, is, because there is so little good conference. Few speak of the word they have heard: as if sermons were such secrets that they must not be spoken of again, or as if it were a shame to speak of that which will save us.

10th. Shut up the sabbath evening with repetition, reading, singing of psalms, and prayer;

2. If you hear the word, and are not bettered by it, you are like the salamander in the fire, not hotter; your hearing will increase your condemnation, Luke xii. 47., "That servant which knew his Lord's will, and did it not, shall be beaten with many stripes." We pity such as know not where to hear; it will be worse with such as care not how they hear. To graceless disobe- beg that God would bless the dient hearers, every sermon will word you have heard. But I be a faggot to heat hell; it is sad hope your practice herein will to go loaded to hell with ordinances. O beg the Spirit to make the word preached effectual! Ministers can but speak to the ear, the Spirit speaks to the heart: Acts x. 44., "While Peter spake, the Holy Ghost fell upon all them that heard the word."

9th. Having heard the word in an holy and spiritual manner, for

prevent my further speaking. Could we but thus spend a sabbath, we might be " in the Spirit on the Lord's day," Rev. i. 10.; our souls might be nourished and comforted; and this sabbath which we now keep, would be an earnest of that everlasting sabbath which we shall celebrate in heaven.

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EXOD. xx. 8., Remember the sabbath day to keep it holy.

Use 1st. SEE here a Christian's duty, "To keep the sabbath day holy."

be kept holy; you see the manner of sanctifying the Lord's day, by reading, meditation, prayer, 1. The whole sabbath is to be hearing of the word, and by singdedicated to God. It is not said, ing of psalms, to make melody to Keep a part of the sabbath holy, the Lord. Now, besides what I but the whole day must be reli- have said for the keeping this day giously observed. If God hath holy, let me make a short comgiven us six days and taken but ment or paraphrase on that scripone to himself, shall we grudge ture, Isa. lviii. 13., "If thou him any part of that day? It turn away thy foot from the sabwere sacrilege! The Jews kept bath, from doing thy pleasure on a whole day to the Lord; and my holy day; and call the sabwe are not to abridge or curtail bath a delight, the holy of the the sabbath (saith St. Austin) Lord, honourable; and shalt homore than the Jews did. The nour him, not doing thy own very heathens, by the light of ways, nor finding thine own pleanature, did set apart a whole day sure, nor speaking thine own in the honour of their false gods; words:" Here is a description of and Scævola the high-priest did the right sanctifying a sabaffirm that the wilful transgres- bath. sion of that day could have no (1.) " If thou turn away thy expiation or pardon. Whoever foot from the sabbath." That robs any part of the sabbath for may be understood either literally servile work or recreation, Scœ- or spiritually. First, literally, vola the high-priest of the hea- "If thou turn away thy foot thenish gods shall rise up in judg- from the sabbath," that is, if thou ment against such Christians, withdrawest thy foot from taking and condemn them. And they long walks or journeys on the who say, that to keep a whole sabbath day: so the Jewish docsabbath is too Judaical, let thern tors expound it. Or, secondly, shew where God has made any spiritually, "If thou turn away abatement of the time of worship; thy foot from the sabbath," that where he has said, you shall keep is, if thou turn away thy affecbut a part of the sabbath; and if tions (the feet of thy soul) from they cannot shew that, it argues inclining to any worldly business. much boldness to go to rob God (2.) "From doing thy pleaof his due. That a whole day sure on iny holy day." That is, be designed and set apart for thou must not do that may please God's special worship, is a perpe- the carnal part, as sports and pastual statute while the church re- times: this is to do the devil's mains upon the earth, saith Pet. work on God's day. Martyr. Of this opinion also were Theodoret, Austin, Iræneus, and the chief of the fathers.

2. As the whole sabbath is to be dedicated to God, so it must

(3.) "And call the sabbath a delight." Call it a delight, that is, esteem it so: though the sabbath be not a day for carnal pleasure, yet holy pleasure is not for

bidden. The soul must take nour given to it, by wearing pleasure in the duties of a sab- richer apparel, or having better bath. The saints of old counted diet on this day, as the Jewish the sabbath a delight; the Jews doctors corruptly gloss: this is called the sabbath dies lucis, - a the chief honour some give to

this day; but by calling the sabbath honourable, is meant that honour of the heart which we give to this day, reverencing it, and esteeming it the queen of

day of light.' The Lord's day, on which the Sun of Righteousness shines, is both a day of light and delight. This is the day of sweet intercourse between God and the soul. On this day a days. We are to count the sabChristian makes his sallies out to bath honourable, because God heaven; his soul is lifted above the earth; and can this be without delight? The higher the bird flies, the sweeter it sings. On a sabbath the soul acts its love to God; and where the love is, there is the delight. On this deed, this day is to be honoured

hath honoured it. All the persons in the Trinity have honoured it, -God the Father blessed it,God the Son rose upon it,-God the Holy Ghost descended on this day, Acts ii. 1. And, in

of all good Christians, and had in high veneration. It is a day of renown. On this day a golden sceptre of mercy is held forth. The Christian sabbath is the very

day a believer's heart is melted, q. d. quickened, enlarged in holy duties; and how can all this be, and not a secret delight go along with it? Ona sabbath a gracious soul can say, as Cant. ii. 3., "I crepusculum and dawning of the heavenly sabbath. It is honourable, because this day • God comes down to us and visits us.'

sat down under his shadow with great delight, and his fruit was sweet to my taste." How can a spiritual heart choose but call the To have the king of heaven presabbath a delight? Is it not de- sent in a special manner in our lightful to a queen to be putting assemblies, makes the sabbath on her wedding-robes in which day honourable. Besides, the she shall meet the king her bride- work that is done on this day groom? When we are about makes it honourable; the six sabbath exercises, we are dressing days are filled up with servile ourselves, and putting on our work, which makes them lose wedding-robes in which we are to much of their glory; but on this meet our heavenly bridegroom, day sacred work is done. The the Lord Jesus: and is not this soul is employed wholly about delightful? On the sabbath, God the worship of God; it is praymakes a feast of fat things, he ing, hearing, meditating; it is feasts the ear with his word, and doing angels' work, praising, and the heart with his grace. Well blessing God. Again, the day is then may we call the sabbath a honourable by virtue of a divine delight; and to find this holy institution; silver is of itself vadelight, is to "be in the Spirit on the Lord's day."

luable, but when the royal stamp is put upon it, it is honourable: so, God hath put a sacred stamp upon this day, -the stamp of divine authority, and the stamp of

(4.) "The holy of the Lord, honourable." In the Hebrew, it is glorious. To call the sabbath honourable, is not to be under- divine benediction, this makes stood so much of an outward ho- it honourable; this is a sanctify

ing the sabbath, to call it a delight, and honourable.

(5.) "Not doing thy own ways. This is, thou shalt not defile the day by doing any servile work.

he wept? He said it was to see the table which his master so highly esteemed to be now made a footstool. So, we may weep to see the sabbath day, which God so highly esteems, and hath so honoured and blessed, to be made

(6.) "Nor finding thy own pleasure." That is, not gratify- a footstool, and to be trampled ing the fleshly part, by walks, upon by the feet of sinners. To

visits, or pastimes. profane the sabbath, is a sin of (7.) "Nor speaking thy own an high nature; it is a wilful words." That is, words hetero- contempt of God; it is not only geneous and unsuitable for a sab- a casting God's law behind our bath,-vain, impertinent words, back, but a trampling it under -discourses of worldly affairs. Here is the sanctifying of a sabbath described.

foot. God saith, keep the sabbath holy, but men will pollute it: this is to despise God, to hang out the flag of defiance, to throw down the gauntlet, and challenge God himself. Now, how can God endure to be thus saucily confronted by proud dust? God will not suffer this high impudence to go unpunished. This will draw God's curses upon the

Use 2d. If the sabbath-day be to be kept holy, it reproves them who, instead of sanctifying the sabbath, profane it. They take that time which should be dedicated wholly to God, and spend it in the service of the devil and their lusts. The Lord hath enclosed this day for his own wor-sabbath-breaker; and God's curse ship, and they lay this day com- will blast where it comes, though mon. God hath set an hedge the law of the land lets sabbathabout this commandment, 're- breakers alone. No sooner did member;' and they break this Christ curse the fig-tree, but it hedge; but "whoso breaketh a withered. To rob a man of his hedge, a serpent shall bite him," purse, shall be punished with Eccl. x. 8. The sabbath day in death; but to rob God of his England lies bleeding: and oh! day, shall not be punished with that our parliament would pour death. But God will take the in some balm into the wounds matter into his own hand; he which the sabbath hath received! will see after the punishing of How is this day profaned, by sabbath violation: and how doth sitting idle at home, by selling he punish it?

meat, by vain discourse, by sin1. With spiritual plagues. He ful visits, by walking in the gives up sabbath-profaners to fields, by using sports. The hardness of heart, and a seared people of Israel might not gather conscience. Spiritual judgments Inanna on the sabbath, and may are sorest: Ps. lxxxi. 12., "So I we use sports and dancings on gave them up to their own hearts' this day? Truly it should be lusts." A sear in the conscience matter of grief to us to see so is a brand-mark of reprobation. much sabbath profanation! When 2. God punisheth this sin of one of Darius's eunuchs saw Al- sabbath-breaking, by giving them exander setting his feet on a rich up to commit other sins. God, table of Darius's, he fell a-weep- to revenge the breaking of his ing: Alexander asked him why sabbath, suffers men to break open houses, and so come to be punished by the magistrate. How many such confessions have we heard from thieves going to be executed! They never regarded the sabbath, and so God suffered them to commit those heinous sins, for which now they are to die.

tive in them, or a negative; this fourth commandment hath both an affirmative in it and a negative; "Thou shalt keep the sabbath day holy," and, "thou shalt not do any manner of work in it;" to show how carefully God would have us observe this day. Not only must you keep this day

and thy maid-servant;" that is, thou who art a superior, a parent or a master, thou must have a care that not only thyself sanctify the day, but those who are under thy trust and tuition. To blame are those masters of families, who are careful that their servants serve them, but have no care that they serve God; they care not though their servants should serve

3. God punisheth sabbath-yourselves, but have a care that breaking by sudden visible judg- all under your charge keep it; ments on men for this sin; God "thou, and thy son, and thy punisheth them in their estates, daughter, and thy man-servant, and in their persons. One carrying corn into his barn on the Lord's day, both house and corn were consumed with fire from heaven. In Wiltshire there was a dancing match appointed upon the Lord's day; and one of the company, as he was dancing, fell down dead suddenly, and so was made a spectacle of God's justice. The "Theatre of God's Judgments" relates of one, who used the devil, so long as their bodies every Lord's day to hunt in ser- do them service. That which mon time, and he had a child by St. Paul saith to Timothy, 1 Tim. his wife with a head like a dog, i. 11., Serva depositum," Keep and it cried like a hound. His that which is committed to thy sin was monstrous, and it was trust," is of large extension.

punished with a monstrous birth. The Lord threatened the Jews that if they would not hallow the sabbath day, he would kindle a "fire in their gates," Jer. xvii. 27. The dreadful fire which brake out in London, began on the sabbath-day; as if God would tell us from heaven, he was then punishing us for our sabbath profanation. Nor doth God punish it only in this life with death, but with damnation. Such as break God's sabbath, let them see if they can break those chains of darkness, in which they and the devils shall be held.

Use 3d. It exhorts us to sabbath holiness.

1. Make conscience of keeping this day holy. The other commandments have only an affirma

Not only have a care of thy own soul, but have a care of the souls thou art entrusted with. See that they who are under thy charge sanctify the sabbath. God's law provided, that if a man met with an ox or an ass going astray, he should bring him back again: much more, when thou seest the soul of thy child or servant going astray from God, and breaking his sabbath, thou shouldst bring him back again to a religious observation of this day. Now that I may press you to sabbath sanctification, consider,

(1.) God hath promised great blessings to the strict observers of this day.-1. A promise of joy. If this be a delight, Isa. lviii. 14., "Then shalt thou delight thyself in the Lord." Delighting in God