h 1 ?J? PRINCETON, N. J. -^^ j Presented by Mr. Samuel Agnew of Philadelphia, Pa. i JBV liU .Hb4 idb/ Hill, Micaiah. The Sabbath made for man, or. The origin, history, 1 0' '/f riy I/' f^ THE SABBATH MADE FOR MAN. LONDON : KKED AND PAKDON, PBINTERS, PATERNOSTEB ROW. THE EVANGELICAL ALLIANCE PRIZE ESSAY. THE SABBATH MADE FOR MAN: OK, THE OKIGIN, HISTOEY, AND PRINCIPLES THE LORD'S DAY. BY J THE REV. MICAIAH HILL, AUTHOR OF " THE SABBATH PRIMEVAL," AND PRIZE ESSAYS " ON JUVENILE aSqEHCY AND PASTORAL FUNCTIONS. PEIHCSTOII % REC. APRi88! j^ THSOLOGI-. ..^ -J JO'&S^AEQUHAE SHAW, 27, SOUTHAMPTON ROW, RUSSELL SQUARE, AND 36, PATERNOSTER ROW. iMDCCCLVII. THOMAS FARMER, ESQ. LATE TREASURER OF THE EVANGELICAL ALLIANCE, AND ONE OF ITS EARLIEST MEMBERS ; ORIGINATED BY HIS ZEAL AND LIBERALITY, IS MOST RESPECTFULLY INSCRIBED BY THE AUTHOR. ADJUDICATOES' EEPOET. The Adjudicators appointed to examine and decide upon the merits of the competing Essays on the Sabbath, for the prize of £100, offered by the Council of the Evangelical Alliance, hereby report the progress and completion of their duty. Thirty-seven competing Essays were submitted to them. From amongst these the three Adjudicators selected, at their own private perusal, as many altogether as eight Essays that, in their several judgments, were more or less deserving of consideration for the prize. The Essays, so selected by each, may be thus classed, — bearing in mind, however, that the order of the figures is not that of merit, but of the time of their being received ; and instead of the names of the Adjudicators, letters are employed to indicate them : — A. 7 „ „ 14 „ „ 23 34 B. „ 8 10 14 „ „ „ 34 C. „ „ 10 U 15 17 „ „ Thus it will be seen that, by the several and independent judgments of all three Adjudicators, No. 14 was deemed one worthy of being placed among the first ; and was eventually, upon further conference, agreed to by them as deserving of the Prize that awaited their decision. The Essay, thus viii adjudicators' report. numbered, had been designated by tbe four following mottoes : — Cultaque Judseo septima sacra Syro ; Culta Palestine septima festa Syro. Je fus en I'Esprit tm jour de dimanclie. On opening the letter thus inscribed, to learn the name of the author of the Essay, it proved to be that of the Rev. Micaiah Hill, Secretary of the Birmingham Town Mission, — a writer who had already distinguished himself in similar competitions, having obtained no less than three prizes previously — the last one being that on the Pastoral Office, adjudged to him by the Rev» John Angel James and Mr. Isaac Taylor. Such facts were most gratifying to the Adjudicators whom the Council of the Alliance had entrusted with the responsible duty of inquiring into the merits of so many, and in many instances, such excellent writers. In the perusal of the Essays, the Adjudicators had the privilege of entering, as it were, into most pleasing communion with many brethren in spirit, albeit not one was known to them in the flesh : and they would assure the Council, that not only was there a high order of merit in many of these writings, but that the one they have selected is well worthy of its position, as completing the triad constellation of Essays on the Sabbath, the Papacy, and Infidelity, that will have appeared under the auspices of the Alliance. [Signed) J. HARPER. J. JORDAN. W. H. STOWELL. Glasgow, August^ 1856. INTEODUCTION. I. Though the Sabbath question is extremely intricate, and embraces a variety of subjects, at first sight, foreign to it, it is hoped that, in the following Essay, an arrange- ment has been adopted that secures at once simplicity, perspicuity, and logical sequence. By fixing the attention upon the leading features of the controversy, it will be found, that the historical view of Genesis ii. 1 — 3, the casual notice of the institution in Exodus xvi., and the morality of the fourth commandment, sf'e the fundamental principles. II. Our first attention is, therefore, directed to the refuta- tion of the proleptical theory. The first chapter is accord- ingly devoted to show both its unreasonableness and unscrip- tural character j by establishing the plain historical sense of Genesis ii. 1 — 3. An analysis of the passage exhibits God's rest as relative, exemplary, and continuous ; disproving the typical or corporeal rest theory of the Jewish Sabbath, and exposing the pseudo-spiritualism of those, who profess to sanctify every day as a Sabbath, or maintain that the sabbatic rest consisted in abstinence from only sinful indulgences. The Divine act of blessing and sanctifying the seventh day, is explained by the comment furnished in later revelations. The informality of this first statement of the law, being compared with the more compul- sory enforcement at a subsequent period, is shown to X INTRODUCTION. be in harmony with the innocence of Eden; and the inference is drawn, that, when the milder and more spiritual dispensation of Christ shall succeed that of Moses, we may expect a mode of renewing the observance more in accord- ance with the Edenic than the Sinaitic institution. III. Whether the Sabbath is for the first time given at the fall, of manna, or simply re-appears, is the next step in the inquiry. In the second chapter we demonstrate, that the Sabbath ^^was not of Moses ;^^ the notion, that its day of observance was altered in honour of the deliverance from bondage is set aside by proving, that, though a fresh motive to sanctify it was thence derived, the Passover-feast, which admirably answered such purpose, and not this day of rest, whose nature unfitted it as a memorial, was intended to commemorate the Exodus ; that while Scripture repeatedly gives this view offthe Passover, it is only in the conjec- tures, which cannot be supported, of certain divines that we meet with such a use of the institution; that at the change which, at the time, took place in the chronological reckoning of the Hebrew nation, no such revolution in the weekly arrangement appears in Scripture. From the account of the manna, clear evidence is derived, that the Sabbath was familiar to the Jews; that Moses studiously represents God, as in Eden, so now in the Plains of Sin, himself resting — in Paradise, alluring man by his example — in the wilderness, by stopping their sup- plies of food, compelling a degenerate race to conform to his day of rest. Thus the founder of the legal dispensa- tion is seen to have nothing whatever to do with its institution, but simply to explain or state the Divine pro- cedure. The glimpse thus given of a Patriarchal Sabbath, affords an opportunity to remark on Scripture silence as to INTRODUCTION. xi its existence. An important principle is now established, that, since the institution existed before the ceremonial age had dawned, analogy suggests that it will survive ; that, as the rite of Circumcision and the feast of the Passover were prior to the Mosaic institutes, and modified, are retained substantially, as Baptism and the Lord^s Supper ; so the Sabbath, remodelled, is retained as the Lord's-day. IV. Whether the Decalogue is repealed ; or, if not, whether the fourth commandment is, notwithstanding its remarkable position, ceremonial, and, therefore, obsolete ; is the next vital point of investigation. In the third chapter we prove, that the Decalogue " was not of Moses ; " that great precaution is taken to preclude this mistake ; that, as with all moral laws, it enjoys unquestionable priority of existence to the ceremonial institutes ; from a summary of contrasts between the two, that the fourth commandment is of a palpably moral nature ; that the ten precepts, be they moral or ceremonial, must stand or fall together ; that, as a whole, the Decalogue is retained in the New Testament. The Sabbath being thus rescued from the position assigned to it by its secret or avowed enemies, we proceed to illustrate how it was grafted upon the Mosaic institutes. This adaptation of it to the circumstances of the Theocracy, which is all that Moses had to do with it, is seen in the peculiar Jewish motive for hallowing it, in the penalty of death incurred by a presumptuous infraction of its laws, and in the use made of it as a sign. After explaining these three links, by which it was con- nected with a temporary dispensation, we illustrate their bearing upon the Christian observance; the Resurrection of Christ superseding the local motive, the deliverance of Israel from bondage ; a retributive Providence avenging Xll INTRODUCTION. presumptuous profanation of the Lord^s-day ; and the Lord^s-day being no less a sign of relationship to God, than the Sabbath was among the Hebrew nation. V. The fourth and fifth chapters establish the continuity of the Sabbath. In the former the paucity of texts is de- monstrated to be no objection, since the number, sequence, and character of the passages determining the existence of the seventh and first day observances are precisely analogical; the design of our Lord's controversy with the Pharisees is shown to be the rescue of the institution from the puerilities and corruptions into which its observance had lapsed, previous to its renewal in the new Dispensation about to be established. The two great maxims laid down by Christ are explained ; and from the first, " the Sabbath was made for man/^ the natural inference is drawn, that it had been ordained, not for Jews, but the human race ; and from the second, " the Son of Man was Lord of the Sabbath,^^ it is concluded, that Christ, by claiming Lord- ship, which he did not over what "was of Moses,^^ foreshadowed coming changes in the institution. VI. These changes are taken into consideration in the fifth chapter. Christ, by example, as was seen to be the case with God in Eden and in the wilderness of Sin, leads his disciples into the observance of the particular day. As before, Moses had but the humble task of adapting a time- honoured institution to the circumstances of the Theocracy, so in beautiful analogy the Apostles do not institute, but by certain arrangements adapt the observance of the first day of the week to the altered position of God^s people. Various prophecies are adduced, as prefiguring the transfer from the seventh to the first day of the week. The chapter closes with a discussion on the origin, meaning, and INTRODUCTION. Xlll respective value of the four denominational terms of the institution — viz. Sabbath, first day of the week, Lord^s- day, and Sunday. Here the first great division of this Essay is completed, forming the first part of the Treatise. In the three succeeding chapters we enter upon considera- tions, no longer confined to Scripture, but drawn from a variety of sources, illustrative of the vast importance and glory of the institution. VII. In the first of these, the sixth chapter, the high spiritual nature of the Lord^s-day is developed. As forms are indispensable to the highest perfection attainable on earth, the pseudo-spirituality of those, who profess to sanctify every day as a Sabbath, is exposed. As a grand charitable institution, were its regulations and design carried out, and as a searching and standing test of heart-allegiance to Christ, it is perceived to be the glory of Christianity. In our closing section the testimony of some of the most eminent Christians, whose sentiments of love and admiration we quote, affords the last link in this chain of evidence, in favour of the high spiritual nature of the Lord^s-day. VIII. The seventh chapter extends the sphere of observation. Men, converted or not, are indebted to the moral influence of the Sabbath. From pointing out how it elevates the masses of a community, we infer, that it was never designed to be a holiday, since popular recreations counteract its refining tendency when religiously observed. Its morality is negatively proved from the immorality and irreligion of various professions and classes in the nation, whose disregard of the fourth commandment is equally notorious. As materially affecting the morals of a people, we conclude, that its presumptuous profanation will incur. XIV INTRODUCTION. no less than murder and adultery, the displeasure of God. It follows, therefore, that it would be irrational to question, and not fanatical to hold, that a retributive Providence pre- sides over the interests of the Lord^s-day. IX. The eighth chapter educes the physiological influence of the Sabbatic rest. From the extent to which the number seven became sacred as well as superstitious, and the necessity felt by Pagans to have holidays, a rude idea of the importance of periodical suspension of labour is discovered ; but the correct proportion of days of work to the day of rest was the matter of divine revelation. An analysis of the fourth commandment, which gives striking prominence to rest, considered in itself, and to general release from servitude, and provides for cattle — excluding, of necessity, the religious bearing of the institution — displays the physiological nature of the Sabbath. This important principle is developed by various considerations — the testimony of labouring men, and of foremen and managers. Dr. Parrels evidence is taken in explanation of the manner in which unremitted toil exhausts, and the hebdomadal rest restores, the physical energies of both man and beast. We point out the bearing of these prin- ciples on all places of public resort, and upon excursion trains. Under these convictions, the mind at once perceives the duties of the Legislature. As a spiritual institution. Christians will know best how to recommend or defend it ; as essentially conducive to the morals of the nations of the earth, a retributive Providence avenges its wrongs ; but as a physiological necessity of animal nature, the statesman not only may, but must, protect the sabbatic rest from all encroachment. This chapter completes the second great division of this work. INTRODUCTION. XV X. If the Sabbath be of God, as demonstrated in the first Partj and if, as proved in the second, that, come whence it may, we despise it at our peril, it becomes a question of the first importance, " How may we best attain the good it offers, and flee the evil the infraction of its laws invariably inflicts?^' The ninth chapter is our reply. It being shown in the first section, where various theories are canvassed, that the Lord^s-day begins and ends as ordinary days of work ; the second urges the necessity of an integral Sabbath, or the sanctification of the whole Lord's-day, in opposition to the notions and practices which prevail on the Continent. From general principles, we descend to the consideration of the rules directing personal use of the institution. As rest has its incidental evils; and the leisure afforded, its abuse ; scriptural appropriation of time is pointed out. Though public assemblies are the aim of the Sabbath, intervals of worship are unavoidable ; to show how to occupy them profitably is the theme of the sixth section. The chapter concludes with a protest against styling necessary works as exceptions to the law of observance ; since such, not less than devotional exercises, in themselves highly necessary, are but the duties of this day j but caution, enlightenment, and conscientiousness are requisite to define what is a work of necessity. If thus the Lord's-day should be kept, it interests us to ascertain how, in ages past, it has been observed; and how men in Christendom sanctify the institution. The tenth chapter replies to the former, and the eleventh and last chapter to the latter inquiry. XI. Its observance in the Patriarchal age (from Adam to Moses) ; under the Theocracy (from Moses to Christ) ; among primitive Christians (from Paul to Pliny) ; is XVI INTRODUCTION. briefly examined. The next section treats of the opinions of the Fathers ; the fifth consists of a rapid glance at its history between the sixth and sixteenth centuries. This brings us down to the Reformation ; and, by revealing the lamentable state to which the Sabbath had been reduced, enables us to estimate correctly the sentiments of Pro- testant Reformers. A short notice of the introduction of the Puritan controversy on the Continent, and the effect of the rise of German Neology, is followed by a disclosure of the state in which English Reformers found the Sabbath. The ninth section treats of the Puritan controversy, while in the tenth we trace its efffects upon Episcopalian views, which, from 1688, are seen to be gradually conformed to Scripture until they meet with a check given by Paley. XII. The last chapter reveals (by statistics) the extent of Sunday desecration through British liquor- traffic ; Postal and Railway communication. A view of Sunday trading in England ; popular dissipation in London and the Provinces; Sabbath observance in Wales, Scotland, Ire- land, and in America, — is followed by a rapid sketch of the profanation of the Lord's-day in the principal cities of all European nations. The painful impression produced by this terminal chapter is, that while in Britain and America the Sabbath is seriously compromised, on the Continent, excepting Holland and some of the Swiss Cantons, Chris- tendom is, alas ! without the inestimable boon of a well- kept Lord^s-day ! CONTENT CHAPTER I. PAGE The Sabbath — its origin. The important question — How answered. The proleptical view— Its advocates classified — Its various uses — Why held by diflFerent parties. The prolepsis unnecessary — Involving inconsistencies — Its uselessness admitted by its advo- cates— Disproved by the universal reason of a Sabbath — And the extreme penalty of death annexed to the Jewish Sabbath. Re- gard for the prolepsis inexplicable — Reprehensible motives. The prolepsis proves too much, if anything. The Sabbath, circumci- sion, and passover feast — their analogy. The obvious sense of Gen. ii. 2, 3, fatal to the proleptical theory — The reason of a Sab- bath against it — God's example forbids it. Simimary of remarks on Gen. ii. 1-3. A fatal oversight. Christ's method of deduction fatal to it — The analogy between Gen. ii. 1-3, and Gen. ii. 18-24. The Jewish mode of reason, and that of anti-Sabbatarians identical — Mosaic additions and alterations do not affect primeval institutions — Christ's treatment of Gen. ii. 22, applied to Gen. ii. 1-3. The marriage-law apparently proleptical. Principles of interpretation — Drawn from Christ's method of reasoning — True ground of a proleptical interpretation. The obvious sense alone explains— why the Sabbath is noticed in primeval records— The origin of the week — The sacredness of the number Seven. The three reasons — First, God's rest — Its nature — Its character — Its unlimited duration. God's rest, not man's — The mild rebuke. God rested— when ? Second reason, God's blessing — How in- terpreted in Scripture — By David — By Isaiah. The blessing — how turned into a curse. The third reason, sanctification — Its effect — Its use. Patriarchal necessity of a Sabbath. The original institution not a legislative enactment — Proof of the Edenic origin of the Sabbath. The Sabbath revealed to Adam. God's example — the law of Paradise. Important analogy between the institu- tion of marriage and the Sabbath 1 — 31 XVlll CONTENTS. CHAPTER 11. PAGE The long interval. Chapter ii. — its title explained. Manna not of Moses — Circumcision not of Moses. Manna, the account of its fall. The day of the Exodus — The day on which the law was pro- claimed. Silence of Scriptures as to a change in the week — Authors assuming the change — Kennicott— Archbishop Sharp — Dr. Jeph- son — Bishop Pearson — The conjectural nature of their opinions. Remarks on the use of the Passover — The Sabbath wholly tm- suited as a memorial of the Exodus — Otherwise with the Passover — The only three events worthy of weekly celebration. An incon- sistency— Inference, — that the fourth commandment is of universal obligation. The alteration of the Jewish month — inferences — Sab- bath not kept in Egypt — A reason for the deliverance from bondage. Paley's opinion of the 16th chapter of Exodus. The word '♦ given," how interpreted by Christ — Blood " given " for an atonement — Canaan "given" — The Levites "given" — The Holy Spirit " given " — The usual meaning of "given" in Scripture. An argumentum ad hominem against Paley. The narrative of the manna contains proof of the restoration of the Sabbath — The par- ticulars of the supply given in detail and in succession. The double supply — an important question. The double supply per- plexing the elders — Explained by Moses. The cessation of manna on the seventh day — The explanation — This the second time God rested from his works. Inference from the words employed by Moses — The mamia a test of an old law of the Sabbath — Not the occasion of the first institution of the Sabbath. God's pre- science wonderfully displayed in connecting the fii'st notice of the Sabbath among Jews with manna. Eebellious disposition of the Jews — showing it to be an old institution. Contrast between Sabbath and manna — proving the same — The summing up of the evidence. Scripture silence on a Patriarchal Sabbath — Paley's inference. The silence explained — Pastoral habits and a Sab- bath— The analogy of Scripture in favour of a Patriarchal Sab- bath. Religious mstitutions, when and how noticed — Primitive faith in Christ suggestive of a Patriarchal Sabbath. The Sab- bath prior to the legation of Moses— the inferences — Restored under the Abrahamic covenant— Sxirvives because prior to the Mosaic dispensation 32 — 64 CONTENTS. XIX CHAPTER III. t"""^ Posts anb i\t ^abbat^— ^^t gaalogtr^ PAGE The Decalogue not of Moses— God spake these words. The Sab- bath prior to the Decalogue — Enforced without the fourth com- mandment— The inference bearing on the Lord's-day. Fourth commandment — position — Paley's view refuted — Unaccoimtable, if ceremonial. Priority of moral to ceremonial law — The difference in their style of enunciation — Respective design — Different esti- mates formed by carnal and spiritual men — Illustration — Sab- bath in Popish and Protestant lands — Precluding the corporeal rest theory of the Jewish Sabbath as inadequate to Jewish neces- sities— Not so viewed by David and Isaiah — Originating in a misconception of nature of types — Sabbath enforced on Gentiles — ^not so the ceremoniarinstitution. Summary of points of con- trast between the moral and ceremonial laws— God distuiguishes the two — the finger of God. Two tables of stone placed in the sacred ark. The sjonbols explained by Scripture — How under- stood by Church of England. Fourth commandment inseparable from the Decalogue. Great importance of Eph. vi. 2, 3. Four principles of interpretation — Their bearing on fourth and fifth commandment — Their points of contrast — Contrary modes of reasoning — Paul and Paley — Inferences. The fourth command- ment— Analysis — Its relation to first, second, and third command- ments— The classes embraced. Initial term ' ' Remember " — Indi- cating the primeval Sabbath. Gen. ii. 1-3 ; Exod. x^a. ; Exod. XX. 8-11, their respective character. The great lesson — Devoid of all Jewish elements. Process of adaptation to the Jews — First, the peculiar Jemsh motive of observance — A\Tien annexed to the fourth commandment. Secondly, the penalty of death — The sole instance of, considered. The Decalogue alone enforced by Christ. Thirdly, the sign — Paley's view refuted — How and when only a sign to the Jews — Illustration, circumcision and baptism — The Sabbath a sign of Protestantism 65 — 92 CHAPTER IV. Paucity of passages on the Sabbath. Principal texts — their im- portant character — Nature of the arguments thence drawn. Texts in Old and New Testament on the Sabbath— their striking XX CONTENTS. PAUE analogy. Moses and Paul applying the Sabbath to the Jews and Christians respectively. Seven analogous passages in the two Testaments — General character of the New Testament — And our Lord's reserve — how affecting the question. Changes — why not expressly foretold. An argument by contrast — Significant silence. Christ controverting the Pharisees — The two great maxims. Our Lord's method with his enemies. Christ's four arguments — first, David and the shewbread— David's flight on the Sabbath, Second argument, The Levites profaning the Sabbath. Third argument, an ad hominem. Fourth argument, drawn from a per- sonal contrast. The first great maxim explained by 1 Cor. xi. 9, and by Mark x. 2-12— Sabbath made for " Man "—Imposed on Jews as " men." — An illustration — Corroborative evidence — Inference 1. Pharisaic abuse of the Sabbath — Inference 2. The origin of modern misconceptions — Inference 3. The Sabbath a law of Nature. The second great maxim — Christ the Lord of the Sabbath— Deduced from the first maxim — Fatal to the theory that the Sabbath was Mosaic — Preparatory to coming changes. The extent of Christ's claims — John v. 17 — Remarks on John iv. 17 — Change of day predicted 93 — 119 CHAPTER V. The Sabbath perverted and restored. Christ blessing the first day — Appropriately called the Lord's-day. Informal institution — enough for the apostles. Manna and the first day — Honour put on the first day — inferences. The Lord's- day signalized at Pentecost — Christ "the first-fruits" of the dead — The Holy Spii'it "the first-fruits." Apostolic practices— Paul, the synagogue, and the seventh day. Paul at Thessalonica — At Troas — The time of this notice. Deten- tion at Troas — ^how explained — The ground of our explanation — An analogous interval — The passage indicative of Apostolic usage. 1 Cor. xvi. 1, 2 — Proof of an established custom— Choice of first day of week not casual— "Lay by him in store"— "As God hath prospered " — The regulation universally applied. Paley's objection answered by reference to the duty to meet for public worship— Historical notices of the custom— The general condition of first converts— who were chiefly Jews— Gentile con- verts included wealthy individuals— The mass of early Christians not slaves— Slaves and believing masters— The Epistles were ad- COXTENTS. XXI PAGK dressed to tlie citizens, not slaves — Therefore Acts xx. 6-12, and 1 Cor. xvi. 1, 2, are proofs of a Lord's-day. Change of day not destructive of a Sabbath — The seventh day still retained — Seventh day of fouith command : what is it ? — The " letter of the fourth command: " what is it ? — The transfer from first to seventh day : how originated — The change of day not instituted by the Apostles — but by our Lord — The; analogy. The change foretold — Psa. xcv. — Quoted in Heb. iv. 4, 5. Christ's indirect predic- tion. Combination of prophecy with analogy — Ps. cxviii. — the prophecy — Job xxxviii. 6, 7 — the analogy. Ps. cxviii. 22-24, compared with Ps. x\i. 9, 10, Isa. Ivi. 3-8 — Its application to the Christian dispensation— The Old and the New Creation. Sum- mary of arguments from the foregoing passages. Change of the day of observance : objections considered — Its nature miscon- ceived— The seventh day in one respect, was the first in another. A seventh day interval all that is required. The change limited to numerical order of days — Accumulates the motives for observance without superseding any. The Sabbath honoured by being retained — But the seventh day rejected as non-essen- tial. The change brings out what was essential. The Sabbath ; its various designations — First, *' Sabbath" — Comprehensively employed in the Old Testament — Not exclusively Mosaic — Not discarded by our Lord — Enshrined in the New Testament— De- scriptive of an essential quality of the Lord's-day. " First day of the week," a temporary designation — Superseded by '* the Lord's-day" as more expressive — Its adoption by John — How guarded against misconstruction — The perpetual title of the Christian Sabbath. " Sunday " — Its origin — By whom denounced — Anti- Sabbatarian preference — Its retention justifiable — A con- venient term — Consistent with Scripture — Beautifully associated with the Lord's-day. The summary view of the four designations. Anti- Sabbatarian texts — Acts xv. 1-30. Paley's remarks — His objection proves too much — The passage indirectly in favoiir of the Sabbath. The apostolic decree— its nature— The consequence of Paley's \iew. Col. ii. 16, 17. Paley's interpretation — Lord's- day not included in " Sabbaths " — Paley's inconsistencies, and self-condemnation. The aim of the text considered — Bearing on a Sabbath based on expediency — On sacred days in general. A. parallel case. Is Col. ii. 16, 17, ambiguous ? — How understood by early Christians! " Shadow" misapplied to the Lord's-day. Analogy between Col. ii. 16, 17, and I&a. i. 13, 14 . . 120—176 XXU CONTENTS. CHAPTER VI. PAGE Introductory remarks — The line of argument — The conclusion to be reached. Forms indispensable to spiritual worship — Man a com- plex being— Objects of faith not obvious to sense — Dr. Clarke — Tillotson. Inward and outward religion inseparable — Depen- dency without signs is independency — The Sabbath is the ex- pression of our homage. Man a relative being — Relative necessity of the institution— Preventive against encroachment on personal devotions — Guarantee of spiritual religion — A general safeguard. The every- day- Chiistian theory — A spiritual dispensation rests on spiritual means. Regard for the Lord's-day ; how misrepre- sented. The Lord's-day a boon, not a tax on time. The Sabbath a grand charitable institution — "Works of charity not exceptions to Sabbath laws. Aversion to Sabbath vacancy ; how corrected — Arises from a general neglect of various duties — A defect in pulpit ministrations. Sabbath leisure ; how employed by the enemies of Christianity — A great opportunity for instructing the masses — Indispensable to Sunday Schools. The Jews and scrip- ture— The lower classes of Scotland— John Foster on the Sundays of worldng classes. The Gospel crippled without the Sabbath — In- ferences. Christian liberty ; defined by inspiration. The influence of example — Christian disregard of the Sabbath ; how affecting the world — Leading to universal apostasy. Inference : the Sabbath a fit matter for divine appointment — Its general observance im- possible on any other gromid. Scripture condemnation of a humanly- imposed Sabbath. A test of allegiance to Christ — A discoverer of the secrets of the heart. The Lord's-day and eminent Christians — Preliminary remarks — The Sabbath and the true Israelite — The Fathers and the Reformers — The oppo- nents of the Scriptirre theory — General testimony. An argument by contrast. Luther — Calvin — Philip Henry — Morell Mac- kenzie— M'Cheyne — Dr. Chalmers — Archbishop Leighton — Pre- sident Edwards — Thomas Scott — Jones of Nayland — Merle d'Aubigne — John Owen — Rowland Hill — "NVycliffe — Joshua GUpin — Doddridge — Sir Matthew Hale — William Co\^'per — William Wilberforce— Boerhaave— Wilberforce and Perceval — Hannah More on her death-bed 177 — 22.5 CONTENTS. XXIU « CHAPTER VII. P1.GH Morality of the fourtli commandment, versus the morality of the Sab- bath. Tillotson on the influence of prejudice — A case in point. The Sabbath based on common consent, not a moral institution. The Sabbath protects the subservient classes— Conserves social order — Is a religious hold on the popular mind. Prideaux on the influence of weekly instruction — The Sabbath supplies a serious political defect — Wayland on the influence of religious restraint — Todd on the Sabbath in great cities. The baneful efiects of un- intermitted labour — Melancholy efiects of monotonous occupa- tion. Testimony to the benefits of a seventh day's rest — Of the manufacturer— Of the mechanic. Origin of Sunday-schools. The Sabbath not designed to be a weekly holiday — Labour pre- ferable to Sunday dissipation — Less injurious to the operative classes — How the Sabbath degenerates into a curse — Sunday re- creation ends in. dissipation. Paley's remarks on holidays — His Sermon on Seriousness. Adam Smith on the morals of upper and lower classes — The two systems of morals — The loose system — The strict system — How seriousness may be destroyed — Cruelty and candour. The Sabbath — its refining influence — A great sa- nitary institution — Promotes personal purity — Domesticates — Awakens a sense of parental responsibility — Social Contentment : Tillotson — General provident habits : Addison. Inferences. Sabbath desecrating classes — The Medical Profession — General characteristics— Their plea for neglect of the Sabbath. Com- mercial travellers — Their habits — Character. Sea-faring men — - Their superstition — Godlessness. Agriculturists. Inn-keepers. Fishmongers. Post-Ofiice clerks and letter-carriers. Omnibus drivers and cabmen — Culpably neglected — Their number and im- portance—Their hardships — Moral and social degradation — TTie importance of the Sabbath to the class. Pailway servants. Cattle drovers. MQliners and dress-makers. Domestic servants — Their general failings — Scripture on domestic servitude. General ob- servations. The Sabbath and retributive Providence — Unreason- able to question it — The cessation of the Hebrew Theocracy : no objection — Sabbath desecration leads to a reprobate mind — An act of presumption — Penalties naturally incurred — Scripture on the subject — Typical judgments — Scripture denimciations still in force. The state of nations without a Sabbath— Roussel on Popish XXIV. CONTENTS. PAGK morality — Mrs. B. Stowe on nations without a Sabbath — Rev. J. Gibson on social effects of Popery. Effects of Sabbath dese- cration on individuals. The calamities of the Stuarts — The lesson 226 — 279 CHAPTER VIII. Clje Sfesiologg of tfee ^abbatlj. The mystery of the number seven — Its antiquity — Its ubiquity — Its sanctity — Superstitious veneration for. Its sacred use in Scrip- tiire — Illustrations — How to be explained — A spurious solution. Pagan holidays : their significance — Philosophy and the heb- domad— Remarks. Physiological analysis of the fourth com- mandment— The proportion of six w^orking days to one of rest. The weekly celebration of God's rest — The hebdomad survives various changes in the Sabbath. Weekly release from servitude — More essential to the more highly civilized communities — Because of the preponderance of the subordinate classes. Magis- terial interference authorized — Provision made for beasts of bur- den : indicating that the fourth command is not merely ceremo- nial— Defining the province of the Legislature — Establishing the physiological view of the Sabbath. Dr. Farre on animal nature — Bianconi, the great Irish car proprietor — Human dominion over brutes limited. The physiology of the Sabbath developed — Time not the sole measure of production — Physical vigour and animal spirits indispensable — Artificially sustained — Lamentable effects on Saxon vigour of resorting to stimulants — The testimony of a working-man — Of managers and foremen. Periodical suspension of labour is profitable to employers — Steam-packet men — Gold Hill Iron Works — Testimony of an officer in the Colonies — Government Dock-men. The Sabbath as medically and scienti- fically viewed — Dr. Farre on Tea Gardens — On the effect of Svuiday occupation to the professional classes — Lord Londonderry and Sir S. Romilly — Dr. Hope. The physiological view and the Sydenham Palace question — The plea for opening the Palace — Pseudo-philanthropy — The Tree of Knowledge. Physiological view and Simday trains — The plea of necessity — Disproved from experience — Grounded on exaggerated representations. The plea for mail trains — Illness and sudden deaths — Death-bed reflections. Country air and scenery. Effects of Sunday excursions. The folly of the worldly wise— A taunt : the *' Gentleman's carriage." Concessions of these points are destructive of the Sabbath. CONTENTS. XXV PAGE Tlie Sunday visitors' plea — The worsliippers of Nature— Fallacies. Tlie Church and Chapel plea — The many sacrificed to a few. The whole question narrowed to a choice of evils. The Sabbath and the Legislature — The question somewhat involved — The Sabbath : how far beyond the province of the magistrate. Reli- gious scruples analysed. A serious Legislative alternative — An illustration — Private rights : how far admissible. Sabbatarian enactments : their religious basis. The importance of clear views on this matter— Ground of Legislative interference defined — Pa- tronising a sect : the objection answered. Closing markets is not compelling to be religious — Sabbatarian laws are necessarily hu- mane— Grotmded on principles of self-protection. The evasive policy of some Anti- Sabbatarians — Their common pleas. Cases for Legislative interference : Classified : Specified— A principal reason for interference. Protection against compulsory dese- cration : by employers ; by masters of apprentices. Competition a prevalent cause of desecration. The postal system. The Christian patriot 280 — 336 CHAPTER IX. f Ellobiixg i^t forb's gag. The compendium of rules of observance. Commencement and du- ration of the Sabbath— The " natural day"— The •' civil day" — The Jewish Sabbath-day — The "evening-morning" day — Dr. Dwight's view — Dr. Owen's remarks. Scripture precedent — First Lord's-day commenced with dawn. Advantages of reck- oning from midnight to midnight — Lord's-day measured as other days. An integral Sabbath — The privilege of Christians. The Jewish leaven : what ? — Delighting in the Sabbath. A mutilated Sabbath is no Sabbath — A whole Sabbath alone defensible. General principles of observance — In obedience to law. Dicta- tion to be avoided. Strict observance : how far valuable. Dwight on Sunday talk — Sunday visiting : why objectionable. Stmday walks : when inexpedient. Light reading. The great design of the Lord's-day : Public Worship— The abuse of public worship — Intervals of public worship ; how employed — Baxter on " How to spend the Lord's-day ? " Relative duties— Children : how taught to keep the Lord's-day — Servants: their Sabbath claims — Duties to our "neighbours." Works of necessity — Ne- cessity defined— The paucity of things necessary. The importance of promoting Sabbath observance ..... 337 — 365 XXVI CONTENTS. CHAPTER X. Pistotkal ^ttrfr-eg of ll^e ^ablra% PAG* Preliminary observations — Adam : how led into the observance of the Sabbath. The "end of days" — Early reverence for the seventh day. Noah and the ark — Proofs found in the ark— The Noachian Covenant and the Sabbath. The Patriarchs not without laws — Proofs of a patriarchal Sabbath. Scripture silence on a patriarchal Sabbath explained — The Mosaic Sabbath rarely noticed — Patriar- chal worship implies a patriarchal Sabbath — Closing remark. The Sabbath revived— How sanctified under the Mosaic dispensation — Misconceptions. The Jewish Sabbath a season of worship and instruction — Not so rigorous as often represented. The Seventh- day observance, how long continued— Two Sabbath days. The third era — Origin of the first day Sabbath — Discontinuance of the Seventh-day observance — For a time not universal — Contentions at Rome ; in Galatia ; at Colosse. Two Sabbath-days : how ac- counted for ; how far sanctioned by primitive usage — The extent of the practice. Primitive observance of the Lord's- day : how far practicable. The fourth era. The Fathers and the Sabbath — Ignatius, died a.d. 116 ; Justin Martyr, died a.d. 165 ; Dionysius of Corinth, a.d. 170 ; Irenseus, died a.d. 202— Tertullian, died a.d. 220 ; Clemens of Alexandria, a.d. 190 ; Oiigen, died a.d. 254 ; Eusebius, died a.d. 340 ; Athanasius, died a.d. 373 ; Gregory, died A.D. 391 ; Chrysostom, died a.d, 407 ; Jerome, died a.d. 420 ; Augustine, died a.d. 430. Patristic vvTitings : their general com- plexion ; contain glimpses of the correct theory ; show that the Sabbath was practically sanctified. Fifth era : from Cent. VII. to CentXV.inclusive. The seventh centm-y— Observance of Saturday. The eighth centviry — The number of festivals limited. The ninth century— The age of Saint days— Five Synods \inder Charlemagne — Synod at Home— Synod at Paris — The Sabbath among princes and prelates — Photius, Patriarch of Constantinople— Leo, the philosopher — The Synod at Friburg. The tenth century — " All Souls' Day." The eleventh century — Hildebrand and Peter the Hermit— Anselm and the Albigenses — Peter Damian and the Sabbath in purgatory. The twelfth century— Sale of indulgences — Veneration of relics, Aristotle and Plato— The Kcalists and Nominalists— Pise of the three military orders. The thirteenth century — Three great luminaries — "The seraphic doctor" — "The angelic doctor" — "The wonder of the world" — Mortal and venial sins against the Fovirth Commandment — The influence of this Age upon Protestant Reformers. The Sixth Era. The CONTENTS. XXVU PAGE Protestant Keformers. Martin Luther : riglit and wrong ; Impru- dent and one-sided views ; His admissions ; Summary of his opinions. Melancthon on the morality of the Decalogue. Ursin : the Sabbath moral and perpetual — Martin Chemnitz : the utility of the Sabbath. John Calvin practically a strict Sabbatarian. Bucer in favour of Sabbatarian enactments. Beza : the Seventh day alone ceremonial. Peter Martyr : reference to God's rest and the Resurrection. BuUinger on the pre-mosaic origin of the Sabbath. Peter Viret on sanctification of the Lord's-day. Sum- mary review of the opinions of the Reformers — Closing remarks on the views of the Reformers. History from the Synod of Dort — Puritan theories introduced on the Continent — Influence of Neology on the controversy. Sabbath in Britain vmder the Hep- tarchy and Alfred the Great — Fanatical views — Extension of Sabbath observance — Various Sabbatarian enactments — Tyndale and Hooper — English Divines — Book of Common Prayer — Cranmer and Ridley — Thirty-nine articles — Book of Homilies ; Canon xiii. Scotland and John Knox. The Great Puritan Con- troversy— Nicholas Bound : the character of his book ; its re- markable success ; forcibly suppressed by Whitgift — James I. partially favours the Sabbath — The "Book of Sports" — Preva- lence of Sabbath observance — Laud, Pocklington, and Heylyn — Remarks on the Puritan Controversy. History of the Sabbath from 1688— Bishop Hopkins — Henry More — Dr. John Scott, died, 1694 ; Dr. Littleton, died, 1694 ; Dr. Sharp, died, 1714 ; Robert Nelson, died, 1714 ; Bishop Burnet, died, 1715 ; Joseph Addison, died, 1719 ; Dean Prideaux, died, 1724 ; Dr. Samuel Clarke, died, 1729 ; Dr. Jephson, died, 1738 ; Archdeacon Paley, died, 1805 ; Bishop Horsley, died, 1806 ; Bishop Porteus, died, 1808 ; Robert Raikes, died, 1811; Dr. Knox, died, 1821; Dr. Thomas Scott, died, 1821. Remarks on the "views of Episcopalians. Recent Tracts and Prize Essays on the Sabbath . . . . 366—442 CHAPTER XL ^abiratl^ ^hBtxbmut anb ^unbag ^zBuxntkn in ^nxoi^t airb gimierka. Importance of a glance at Sabbath observance— Extent of our Review. Census of religious worship. Sources of information — Temperance statistics— Drinking habits of Manchester an'd Edinbiirgh — The number of licensed public-houses. Com- parison of the largest cities — Niunber of apprehensions for XXVni CONTENTS. PAGE drunkenness — Number of drunkards in England — In Scotland — In Ireland. Remarks — Tlie iniquity and anomaly of the traffic. Sunday railway traffic — Statistics — The railway staff. Post- office employes. Statistics of the Sunday Press — Character of the Sunday papers — The chief cause of Sunday postal desecration. Statistics of cabs and omnibuses. Sunday river steamers. Canal navigation. Siinday trading— Lamentable extent — Statistics of Sunday shops. Sunday trading districts in London — Their general character. Sunday markets particularly described — Continued during service hours. Sundaytradingin provincial towns. Sunday dissipation — strolling— loimging. Popular sports in London — Piccreation in provincial to-^^as. The Sabbath in Wales — Suspen- sion of travelling — General attendance at places of worship — Strict external observance. The Sabbath in Scotland — Influence of Sunday trains. In Ireland — Catholic observance — Protestant observance. The Sabbath in America — United States statute laws — A day of rest among all classes — The New England States — Deteriorating influences. Slave States — New Orleans — French influence. "West Lidies. Sunday in Spain — Madrid — Portugal — Lisbon. The Italian Sunday — Turin. The French Sunday — General recreation — Picnics in the Champs Elysees — Palais Royal — Sun- day fairs in the Barriere de Neuilly — Revels — Barriere Saint Martin — The Englishman in Paris. The Sunday in Belgium. The Sabbath in Switzerland. The German Sabbath — Limited extent of observance — Diversions and dissipation. Sunday in Vienna — A popish holiday — Prague — Presburg. The Dutch Simday. Copenhagen. Stockholm — Rural parishes. Norway. The Russian Sunday — Moscow — St. Petersburg. Sunday in Poland — Warsaw — Cracow. Smiday in Greece. Sundays and holidays of different nations. Reflections — Revolutions promised and threatened— The warning 443—489 Appendix 491 THE SABBATH MADE FOE MAN. CHAPTEE I. GOD AND THE SABBATH. " God from work Now resting, blessed and hallowed th.e seventh day, As resting on that day from all his work : But not in silence holy kept ; the harp Had work and rested not ; the solemn pipe And dulcimer ; all organs of sweet stop, All soimds on fret by string, or golden wire, Tempered soft tunings, intermixed with voice Choral, or unison. Creation and the six days' acts they sung, And the empyrean rung With hallelujahs. Thus was sabbath kept." Milton, Par. Lost, b. vii. I. " The heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made ; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made. And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it : because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made.'' * The first consideration pressed upon us, by this all-im- portant statement, is — Why is it inserted among these * Gen. ii. 1—3. B 2 GOD AND THE SABBATH. primitive records ? Usually the plain sense of the text, its natural import, and an honest exegesis, severally or in combination, determine the use to which it should be applied. Here it is not so ! This passage, and the kindred clause in Exodus xx. 8 — 11, form exceptions to the rule — exceptions, however, not of our own suggestion. They are forced upon us. No one ventures to impugn the fidelity with which the Hebrew is rendered into our mother tongue. There exist no discrepancies which require a collation of ancient manuscripts. The terms a child may comprehend. But everything turns upon this simple, yet momentous question — Why were these words introduced into the second chapter in the book of Genesis ? We were perplexed at this unexpected inquiry. It has, however, ceased to stagger us. Discovering the vantage ground it discloses, we welcome the challenge to investi- gate. Nay more ; we will urge it upon the opponents of a sabbath, as of God ; and will take no equivocal reply. Why, then, we demand — do these words stand in such a position ? We know of only two answers, which are not obnoxious to the charge of evasion. First, — because the Sabbath was instituted at the time of the creation. Secondly, — because God intending, after the lapse of some two thousand five hundred years, to consecrate the seventh day, directed the historian to take this early notice of the fact that the Creator rested on it; in order that a powerful motive for its observance might be presented to the minds of those for whom he was to legislate. We will not here obtrude a remark upon the startling contrast subsisting between these solutions of the question. Postponing the consideration of the first, we ask — Why should we regard this passage as proleptical ? We see nothing in the text, nothing in its position, nothing whatever in its allusions — GOD AND THE SABBATH. 3 either direct or indirect, either obvious or recondite — to suggest that it anticipates a remote future, without bearing upon the present. We must look far and wide for the so-called proofs of this proleptical theory. There are two classes of authors who advocate this view. The first includes those who would magnify the Jewish nation at the expense of the Sabbath. Of these, the Rab- binical writers took the lead. Their extraordinary preten- sions, however, to Heaven's favouritism, are so incautiously advanced, that anti-sabbatarians * confess the failing, and join heartily with us in deriding the puerilities in which they indulge. The second class is composed of those who have imbibed certain notions which are fatally afiected by the strict historical interpretation. They have a theory, and this prolepsis is its soul. Admit it, and all other scripture statements are cut loose from one another ; and may be dispensed with, or converted according to inclination, into friends or foes of the institution. Deny its authenticity, and " surely there is neither enchantment nor divination againsf the Sabbath of the Lord. The name of this class is " legion.^' The prolepsis is an instrument that may be applied to diverse uses. Hence parties, agreeing upon no other point, seize it in turn to * As to avoid a periphrasis we shall often have to use this word, it may be well to preclude misconstruction by defining it. An author may be anti-sabbatarian in theory, that is, he may deny the divine origin of the Lord's- day, while he scrupulously inculcates its observance on the ground of expediency. In our estimation, however, such defeat their aim ; and we are perfectly persuaded that the tendency of their opinions is opposed to their own practice and sincere desire. One has but to observe the abominations proposed under the sanction of such names as Paley, Whately, and Arnold, to feel that their opinions, when adopted by men of less or of no piety, are practically anili-sabbatarian. Excepting, therefore, when the context requires the contrary, we mean to convey by our use of this word, nothing more than that certain writers deny the divine and primeval origin of the Sabbath. 4 GOD AND THE SABBATH. effect their own design. We, too, have learnt its capa- bilities, and shall employ this two-edged sword against the opponents of the Lord^s-day. But glance at those who assert the proleptical import of this passage. One of the sections into which they may be subdivided, galled, perhaps, by its vexatious restrictions, conceive it to have been a convenient method of imposing a Sabbath on that stiff-necked race, '^ whose carcases fell in the wilder- ness;" and, therefore, significantly dread its personal application. Another, though jealous for its honour, still prefer an observance which springs from mere precedent or ecclesiastical authority, to one that is in any way con- nected with the Mosaic Ritual. A third, justly deeming a divinely-imposed institution to involve peculiar obligations, think thus to divest it of its spiritual characteristics, in order to retain only the bare form of a Sabbath-day. And a fourth, shrewdly discover that in the prolepsis lies the secret by which Samson may be shorn of his locks, bound, blinded, imprisoned, and ultimately destroyed. II. Let us concede the disputed point ; and it will not be the first time that the boomerang has suddenly turned upon the unskilful hand that ventured to bid it rush on its eccentric course. The Jews, say the first of these four classes, were a ^'perverse generation," always "seeking a sign." And as Jonah was committed to the waves, and restored purposely to meet their carping disposition; so now, Moses records the striking fact, that God so made the world and so rested, that his peculiar people, twenty-five centuries later, might be drawn into the observance of the Sabbath. To treat this representation seriously, let us approach " the Mount that burned with fire, and unto blackness, and darkness, and tempest: and the sound of a trumpet, and the voice of words : which voice they that heard entreated that it should not be GOD AND THE SABBATH. 5 spoken to them any more ; and so terrible was the sight, that Moses said, I exceedingly fear and quake ! '^ Verily our theorists make the Jews a more stolid race than history admits, by deeming this sanction insufficient ! That, which they see and tremble ; that, which they touch, and are thrust through with a dart; could not alone impress their mind. Moses must needs draw his sanction from Paradise Lost ! This negation of the terrors of awful Horeb, is not their only fault. A strange inconsistency is committed. Of course the Sabbath was not kept in Eden; and, unfor- tunately, it was "first" actually instituted in the wilderness two or three weeks before.* There the historian shows how quietly the yoke was slipped upon a meek, unresisting, and uninquiring people. And now its " establishment " with great solemnity, after a previous institution, is deemed inadequate without an appeal to antediluvian records ! Yet greater inconsistehcies are in store. The reasons afforded by a mountain in flames are slighted to call in the aid of another drawn from the creation of the world. That reason ought, therefore, to have some weight. Assuredly this also is a mistake. It has no '^proper energy to con- stitute a natural obligation ! "f Thus the reason is potent or impotent, as the convenience of the moment requires. An inadequate reason is beholden to another which has no proper energy ! But further still. The obligation incurred by deliverance from bondage, being adduced, proves conclusively that it was an institution peculiar to those who sung with Miriam the triumph of God over Pharaoh. To add weight to this national motive, Moses advances another of equal signifi- cance to all created beings under the sun. Observe the effect. The application of a universal reason to a particular * So stated by Paley, Mor. and Pol. Philosopliy, ch. vii. t Ibid. 6 GOD AND THE SABBATH. people sliows that mankind were not intended to be bound by Sabbath obligations; while the local motive prohibits the whole race of man from taking advantage of the world- wide reason.* Once more, and we face another class of opponents. The Sabbath was enforced upon the Jew by the dread alterna- tive of obedience or death. This argument from the pale lips of death, was, therefore, deemed by their Legislator as necessary to convince the emancipated slaves of the sanctity of the Sabbath. Of what force, then, is the argument drawn from a statement which, according to the theorists' own showing, has neither the form nor the force of law ? The second class of writers claiming our attention are those who would retain a Sabbath, but are anxious to escape the vexatious restrictions of a stern and inflexible Jewish institution. For these to be enamoured with the theory of anticipation, is inexplicable. Why, the very grounds on which a Sabbath may stand free of all that savours of a covenant engendering the spirit of bondage, are those they have abandoned. Here we have a sublime and simple statement that God rested on the seventh day, and blessed it and sanctified it. Here we have no thunder, no light- ning, no command, no penalty; no rigorous exaction of duties that are gently and beautifully specified. Whence, then, this wanton attempt to divorce the Sabbath from Sarah and affiance it to Hagar?t For in keeping the Sabbath of the Lord, " brethren, we are not children of the bondwoman, but of the free.'' To mistrust and disown one's father, is bad ; to hand him over in his hoary days to the " cast-out" Hagar, is sacrilegious. Of the third and fourth classes we have little to say. To remove the Sabbath, by the help of the proleptical theory, * Paley, Mor. and Pol. Pliilosophy, ch.. vii. t See Gal. iv. 21—31. GOD AND THE SABBATH. 7 from a Scriptural to an ecclesiastical basis, in order to escape from its spiritual claims, or to avoid the " tax" it levies upon our time, ought to be enough to make the theologian or divine abhor the unholy thing. III. The view, then, of Genesis ii. 1 — 3, which regards it as a device of the Jewish Legislator, rather than the state- ment of the historian of the world as it came fresh from the hands of God, avails them but little who invented it, or who stand in its defence. While, however, it lingers on we will convert it to some use. The assumption, if it proves anything, proves too much. If the Sabbath was first insti- tuted in the wilderness, it was with exclusive reference to the Jews. This is not only admitted, but pressed upon our notice. Regard it, then, as an exclusive, and merely cere- monial, institution of local authority and temporary obli- gation. How, then, comes the reference to it to have a place in the records of creation ? In order, we are in- formed, to add a special sanction to the law when enacted at Sinai. Was there anything else Jewish, exclusively ceremonial and temporary, deemed of such importance as to be worthy of this rank among God^s first works of crea- tion ? If not, and the hypothetical form of statement answers present purposes — if not, there must be some in- trinsic worth in the Sabbath which exalts it, as a ceremony, to a position far above any other. For, observe, it is not only true, that we find it among the original laws of nature ; but it again is out of place in the Decalogue — a strictly moral code. To no other merely ceremonial ordinance are our eyes directed for a justification of this extraordinary procedure. If, as a ceremonial institution, Moses gives it a place among nature^s laws for nature^s sanction ; if, as a ceremonial law, God inserts it into a purely moral code ; we must stoop our neck to this yoke, so long as we are amenable to the laws of nature and the laws of morality. 8 GOD AND THE SABBATH. Christ is our passover, and hence the Lord's Supper has superseded the Passover feast. Baptism is denominated Christ's circumcision.* The passover and circumcision were both ceremonial, and yet both exist substantially, the adventitious circumstances having alone been changed with altered times, and a new dispensation. Now these are the only two ceremonial observances obligatory upon Christians as remodelled by Christ. We say remodelled, else Christ is crucified in vain.f As these have outhved the Mosaic sys- tem, though ceremonial, so we must remember, their origin dates from the time before the legation of Moses com- menced. To go no further back, our opponents are con- strained to admit, that the first actual institution of the Sabbath was at the giving of manna some two or three weeks before the Law, as was that of the passover about seven weeks before, and circumcision four hundred and thirty years before. These three are the only ceremonial institutions which preceded the Mosaic dispensation, and two of them are admitted on all hands to have survived. Now the Sabbath, having the same rank of pre-existence, has further, the proleptical insertion in the records of crea- tion ; and still further, an extraordinary position in the Decalogue, a code of moral laws ; and, yet further, certain significant passages in the New Testament, which seem to point to a remodelling by the same hands; and yet we are informed that the Sabbath was a ceremonial institu- tion, and hence abolished by Christ ! If it preceded the Law by a fortnight only it may be analogically entitled, as a cere- monial institution, to perpetual regard. We do not pause to disprove the supposition, that the Sabbath is a ceremonial rather than a moral institution, or that its origin dates from the fall of manna. Assuming these points, no argument can be deduced from them for the abolition of the Sabbath. * Colos. ii. 11, 12. t Gal. v. 1—4. GOD AND THE SABBATH. 9 IV. There are, however, certain grave considerations against the theory itself. First, the obvions meaning of the passage is unfriendly to the assumption. The modern cham- pion* admits the difficulty, and despairs of establishing his position without foreign assistance. He invites us to study sundry passages of scripture which favour his views, and on the strength of these, to reform our opinion of the other. We will give them our best consideration; but it is no in- significant fact, that we must take some liberties with a plain historical statement, before we can admit the con- struction put upon the text. We have before us what is, apparently, the continuation of a historical narrative. We are called upon to disregard appearances, and place paren- thetical marks around the first three verses of the second chapter in the Bible. We are, besides, required to read it, so as to supply what, they assert, was in the mind of the historian, but does not appear in his written statements. " God rested on the seventh day from all his works that he had made; wherefore, twenty-five centuries after, God blessed and sanctified it.'^ The mere sight of the paren- thetical marks, and the ominous clause we have emphasized, is enough to deter from persisting in the view.t Then turn the eye upon the reason — God resting from his works, and therefore sanctifying and blessing the seventh day. So open and general is the motive thus presented, that before the Sabbath could be appropriated to a parti- * Paley, Mor. and Pol. PMl. ch. vii. t Considering what is attributed to Moses, it would be more natural to suppose that lie would have introduced some Jewish element as well as a Jewish design. Por if there is no impropriety in anticipating a mere Jewish institution, there could be none in anticipating the Jewish reason. It would then have read thus : — God rested and sanctified the seventh day, because he would, twenty-live centuries later, deliver the Hebrew nation from bondage ! On the contrary, he declares that God sanctified it because He rested on the seventh day. 10 GOD AND THE SABBATH. cular people, some additional reason must be adduced. If a process of accommodation is required, then the Sabbath in its original form was, unquestionably, not instituted to answer a local and special end only. The example, too, forbids it. On this we shall have more to say ; but for the present only consider, that God is shown to frame the heavens, to found the earth, to establish the great laws of nature, on a certain plan requir- ing six days for their completion, and admitting a seventh day for rest, in order that the Jewish Legislator might thence draw a solemn sanction to protect his institution ! Had the history of the Jews as a peculiar people been something more than a parenthesis in the history of God^s dealings with man ; had they been isolated from the nations of the earth, merely for their own exaltation, and not as a temporary means to an end, and that end the universal call of mankind; had their Sabbath been designed, as such, to coexist with the remnant of time ; there had been something in the end answerable to the means employed. But to form the earth and heaven on a certain plan to meet the exigencies of a particular people, is one of the most extraordinary explanations of God^s procedure ever devised by man. God resting, and making this known, to honour a ceremonial institution ! an institution so slavish in its character that our theorists cannot away with it ! What they cannot tolerate, they represent God thus highly honouring ! Can we conceive of anything more prepos- terous than the proleptical theory, which at once enables God to exalt, and man to debase, the Sabbath ? May we not argue, on the contrary, that the strenuous and per- severing effort made to dislodge the Sabbath from the position it occupies in the records of creation, suggests that its divine Founder foresaw the perils that awaited his day of rest? GOD AND THE SABBATH. 11 To conclude our remarks on the passage itself, we ob- serve:— Gen. ii. 2, S, comprises three distinct clauses: firsts God rested ; secondly, God sanctified the day of his rest ; and, thirdly, the reason why^God sanctified it. In the plain and historical view, the two facts are regarded as connected as to time ; but in the proleptical view, as sepa- ratde by an interval of five-and-tiuenty centuries. Accord- ing to the text, again, the reason rfvhy the sanctification followed the rest is one thing, and according to the prolep- tical view totally another. The text states the reason to have been, because God on that day rested, therefore he set it apart for religious purposes ; but the advocates of the proleptical view state that the reason for sanctifying it was, first, the Jews could not do without a Sabbath ; and secondly, Moses could not impose it on them without appealing to God^s rest ! Now the fault of this theory is manifold. I. It substitutes conjectural reasons in the room of that inspiration reveals, for the sanctification of the seventh day. ii. It is glaringly inconsistent ; for its propounders allege that Christians no less than Jews must have a day of rest and worship. If, then, the passage was proleptically inserted in order to furnish Moses — though supported by the awful solemnities of Sinai, and the miracle of forty years' continuance — with a sanction drawn from creation; ought it not, A fortiori, to have been inserted with a view to empower ecclesiastical authorities either to re-enact an abrogated institution, or to perpetuate a Sabbath, or to impose the Lord's day on Christians, to do either of which they now can appeal to no passage in the whole Bible ? But, again : to justify their repudiation of the prima facie import of the passage, they quote certain texts that appear to speak of the Sabbath as given to the Jews — that is, exclusively. Now if from these very pas- sages it can be shown — as we shall demonstrate— that the 12 GOD xVND THE SABBATH. word and similar words — are misconstrued by them ; then their plea is destroyed, and with it the theory which it seemed to support. Here, however, it is enough to prove that their theory affects, after all, only one of the two con- nected facts. Admit its soundness, and it follows that though God rested at Creation, he did not then set apart the seventh day. But it is unaccountably overlooked by them, and too much Ij^ft out of sight by the Sabbatarian, that if God then rested — which no one denies — he did not rest as the God of the Jews — not in existence till twenty- five centuries later — but as the God of man primeval and universal. When and why Moses recorded the fact is another thing, and affected by the proleptical view ; when the day to commemorate his rest was set apart, may also be put out of consideration. But why did God rest ? Now the secret of the opposition to a Primeval Sabbath is, that if Adam, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, kept a Sabbath, the institution could not be exclusively Jewish. By conceding that they did not keep a Sabbath, the force of their prece- dent is destroyed, and it is this the anti- Sabbatarian desires ; but the force of an infinitely higher precedent remains, viz., if God rested at creation. Sabbath-keeping is not Mosaic, but Divine ! The prolepsis, if tenable as far as it goes, fails just where its aid is most required. In relation to the Sabbath, " Moses" was but " a ser- vant," though as such, " faithful in all his house." * " But Christ is a Son over his own house." Our opponents ask us to regard the additions f made by Moses, and thence interpret God's procedure on the first seven days of crea- tion. We, in our turn, invite them to listen to Christ^s sayings, and thence learn to explain the doings of Moses for he was " faithful in all his house for a testimony oj * Heb. iii. 5, 6. t As an example, see Paley, Mor. and Polit. Phil. ch. vii. GOD AND THE SABBATH. 13 those things which vjere to be spoken after J' The reader will not delay us by requiring some justification of our preference of the authority of the Son to that of the servant. We must, however, remind him that the second chapter of Genesis, the first three verses of which relate to the Sabbath, closes with the account of woman^s formation. By comparing the beginning with the end of this chapter, he will perceive the following point of analogy. The Crea- tion being complete, it is added, that, because God rested on the seventh day, therefore, he blessed and sanctified it. The process by which Eve was fashioned having been described, it is added, ''therefore shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall cleave unto his wife.^^ In each we have a description of the process, and the in- ference thence to be drawn. This analogy is presented by the chapter itself, and its force will be felt speedily. But we have further to premise, that Moses was permitted to relax the stringency of the law of marriage ; but in relation to the Sabbath, none show more clearly than our opponents, that he drew the cords closer around the Jew than apparently warranted by the first three verses in the second chapter of Genesis. Now the Jews in our Saviour's time preferred to take their ideas of the sanctity of the marriage-institution, not from what Moses had recorded in this second chapter, but from what he elsewhere enacted concerning it for the observance of those he ruled. This is precisely the plan pursued by anti-sabbatarians, as noticed in the preceding pages. It is, therefore, of the utmost importance to see how our Lord dealt with the Jews, that we may perceive how, by impli- cation, he would have dealt with the latter similarly situated. " The Pharisees came to him, and asked, Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife ? tempting him. And he answered 14 GOD AND THE SABBATH. and said unto them, What did Moses command you ? And they said, Moses suffered to write a bill of divorcement, and to put her away. And Jesus answered and said unto them. For the hardness of your hearts he wrote you this precept. But from the beginning of the creation God made them male and female. For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and cleave to his wife ; and they twain shall be one flesh: so then they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder."* On this passage we may observe — i. That Christ declares, that what Moses had recorded in the second chapter of Genesis was of permanent and universal obli- gation; but what Moses had elsewhere enacted was only of temporary force. And n. That the precepts of Moses were simply to accommodate, for the time being, a law of God — shown to be such from the position it occupies in primeval records, and, therefore, unalterable under any other con- ditions than those of his age — his people — his dispensation. Now we infer, that our Lord's views of the marriage -insti- tution are equally applicable to the law of the Sabbath. In confirmation, let it be borne in mind that there is an analogy between the two accounts respectively commencing and closing the chapter. The style of the historian is alike in both passages. The latter Christ declares was not prolep- tical ; and, by implication, the former is not. The latter, again, Moses, by his precepts, somewhat relaxed ; and, not- withstanding this apparent defect in the moral claims of the law, Christ declares that it was irrepealable. With the former no such liberty was allowed ; and yet, we are to deem it a mere ceremonial institution ! We are not only justified by our Saviour's method of deduction to infer the application of his views of marriage to the Sabbatic institution, but verily constrained to do so, a fortiori, because the marriage- * Markx. 2—12. GOD AND THE SABBATH. 15 law might be relaxed^ while the Sabbath-law was most stringently enforced. We have referred to the analogy between the first and last five verses of the second chapter, and above we have illus- trated its force. But now there are some striking points of difierence. The statement relative to the Sabbath, we are told, is proleptical. None have ventured as far, and said the same, respecting the institution of marriage. And why not? The latter does favour the theory of anticipation, while, con- fessedly, the obvious meaning of the former is against such an assumption. Consider the difference — the former state- ment is without the clause annexed to it, as quoted by Moses in the Decalogue, viz., " Thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gate.^^ This would have added marvellously to the weight of the arguments on which the proleptical theory is based. Happily divine prescience has spared us the effort to overcome such an objection. But turn to the latter ; and we see that it has an undeniably proleptical aspect. Before the relationship of parentage existed, circumstances occurred suggestive of this principle, that man should " leave father and mother, and cleave to his wife.''^ This clause inserted by Moses, in primeval records, is undoubtedly prospective. No such clause is annexed to the other statement. Notwithstanding this striking differ- ence in favour of the Sabbath, some have argued against its permanence; and notwithstanding this difference against the marriage-law, Christ has declared it to be permanent and universally obligatory.* * *• Particular notice must be taken here of the great importance whicli the Sabbath acquires from the fact, that God had it in view at the creation of the world, and that reference is made to it at the very commencement of the Scriptures." — Hengstenberg, p. 2. We scarcely know whether we can adduce this author as an authority, for 16 GOD AND THE SABBATH. V. While, therefore, Mosaic additions to laws made " in the beginning of creation ^' were to accommodate them to Jewish hardness of heart, Christ assures us that the laws, as originally enacted, could not be repealed to gratify the carnality of un-Christian tastes and pursuits. The follow- ing, then, may be considered as principles of interpretation of this second chapter : — I. The position of a statement in it intimates the design to have been, not to confer a sanction upon future or subsequent enactments that were to be made in connexion with the institution ; but, on the con- trary, to guard against the idea that later additions or alterations were to annul the original law. The Apostle Paul, on this principle, argued respecting the doctrine of faith as opposed to that of works.* We have but to make some verbal changes to apply the principle to the law of the Sabbath. " Now this, I say, that the law of Moses, which was 2,500 years after, cannot disannul that it should make the reason of the Sabbath of none effect.^' For, " surely, if there be aught that belongs to the entire race, it is this. The duty is universal. Creation is a common theme, the Creator a common object of adoration.^^f ii. That the creation of the heavens and the earth, and of man, the formation of woman, the ordinance of a Sabbath, and the institution of marriage, are cognate and coeval, in. That, even should appearance favour the proleptical theory, as in the statement of the marriage-institution, we should not be justified, with- out positive declarations or absolute necessity, in regarding it in this light ; therefore, a fortiori^ when appearance is against a prolepsis, nothing can vindicate the assumption. In illustration of this last principle we notice the follow- his work on the Lord's-day may assuredly be quoted on each side of every controverted point, so conflicting are his statements. "We say this with his admirable work on the Psalms full in oiir view. * Gal. iii. 17. t Wardlaw on the Sabbath. GOD AND THE SABBATH. 17 ing. Moses commanded an omer of manna to be put into a golden pot, and to be placed before the testimony, while as yet, at the first giving of manna, there was neither ark nor tabernacle.* The nature of these statements charac- terizes Exod. xvi. 3.2 — 30, as a proleptical passage. But let it be proved that, though God rested from his work, yet Adam could not keep a Sabbath of rest in Eden, and we shall concede the point. In the same chapter we are informed, that "the children of Israel did eat manna forty years.^^ Here, again, the same is required, and the same is freely con- ceded. Moses, also, proleptically enacts the law of the Passover, which at the time of institution could not be fuUy observed. t And yet we know that it was celebrated in a manner suited to the circumstances of the Israelites. As a feast of seven days of unleavend bread it was pro- leptically instituted, but the paschal lamb was still slain, and ate at the time of the original enactment. It is not optional, therefore, whether we shall, or shall not, take the passage in the second chapter of Genesis in its natural and obvious sense, and its position, as characterising it as purely historical. It constitutes a revelation of God^s procedure in creation, and affords a principle conducive to the highest interests of mankind. On this view alone can we offer a satisfactory solution of sundry remarkable facts. We may notice the followdng : — VI. We have i. an adequate reason for the insertion of the statement, in the second chapter in the Bible. Nothing * Dr. Peter Heylyn, in his work on tlie Sabbath, makes much of this fact, (Pt. 1. c. i. p. 9. Ed. 1636,) and others still less conclusive. It should be noticed further, that Moses does not intimate that Aaron laid up the pot of manna immediately after it was given in the wilderness of Sin. His additional remark about the forty years' continuance of the fall shows the contrary. But in Genesis he speaks of God's resting upon the completion of the six days' works, &c. t Exod. xii. C 18 GOD AND THE SABBATH. simply Jewish or peculiarly Mosaic, is introduced in records palpably affecting the whole race of Adam. It is a compendious history, a brief summary, guided by an eclectic principle, excluding whatever is unnecessary, how- ever curious and interesting in themselves, to throw light upon the great laws of the church of God in all ages. A prolepsis of what is subsequently instituted with great solemnity, and sufficient authority, is out of place.* An enactment of what, as applied to the world, is nowhere else formally instituted, is the thing to demand a place in primitive history. Such are the institutions of Marriage and the Sabbath. n. On this view alone has any adequate reason been assigned for the hebdomadal division of time. The sun determines the year and its various seasons. The month is naturally indicated by the waxing and waning of the moon. Day and night are distinguished by the diurnal revolution of the earth. But there is nothing to lead to the universal division of days into weeks except a knowledge, acquired before the dispersion of mankind, of the fact, that in six days God created the heavens and the earth, and rested on the seventh ; not a bare knowledge of the fact, but one associated with the practice of setting apart a seventh day to some unusual purpose, and the consequent system of computing time by weeks. This knowledge, else, would have been lost in the lapse of time. The custom, though perverted from its first design, might be, and we shall show, was retained after its origin was forgotten.f IIT. On this view alone has any plausible theory been * We may add, that the design attributed to Moses, is to connect the institution with the creation. Now this is e£fectually done in the fourth commandment. Hence the insertion of the same link in Gen. ii. 1 — 3 is the more xmnecessary. t Here it is enough to give a passing glance to this curious fact. In chapter viii, (1.) we entei more fully into the subject. GOD AND THE SABBATH. 19 grounded respecting the sacredness of the number seven. It is an ingredient in the superstitions of all nations and tribes in past and present ages. But, what is more signifi- cant, it enters largely into the mystic symbolism of Scripture. Man has made the number, superstition : God, sacred. The former may, perchance, be traced to a common depravity of mind at the plains of Shinar, and this would require explanation; but the former, if traced backward, would conduct us to Eden. The prolepsis plunges the three difficulties into the chaos from which God evoked the six days^ wonders, and the seventh day^s hallowed rest. VII. In this first account of the Sabbath we have three reasons which, though correlative, are essentially distinct. First, God rested. Secondly, God blessed the seventh day ; and thirdly, God sanctified it. The three expressions, rest- ing, blessing, sanctifying, require attention, not so much because of their obscurity, as their pregnant meaning. I. God rested on the seventh day. Sublime declaration ! More striking still is the form it subsequently assumed; God "refreshed himself.^^* So inviolable is this example, that even the service of the Temple was a " profanation.^^t It is God resting that is here presented to our contem- plation. " Hast thou not known ? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary ?" J It was not the rest required after fatigue. The Pagan carped at the idea.§ But God did not so refresh himself, for he never wearies ; God did not so rest, because he fainteth not. The rest was relative — a review upon completion. " My Father,^^ said Jesus, '^ worketh hitherto, and I work ;'' " although,^^ said the apostle, " the works were ^m^^ec? from the beginning of the world.^^ll * Exod. xxxi. 17. f Matt. xii. 5. + Isaiah xl. 28. § See Owen's Treatise on the Sabbath, p. 35. I John Y. 17 ; Heb. iv. 3. 20 GOD AND THE SABBATH. The rest was exemplary. God^s resting was a lesson ; man^s resting is in imitation. He must hallow the day on which the Creator rested. God rested to sanctify it, we must rest and sanctify the day. Thus regarded, it is not indolence ; for God, " the keeper of Israel, neither slumbers nor sleeps.^' Inactive God could not be. Vacant ? God forgive the blasphemy. Repose is unknown to his creatures where they " rest not day and night."* Strange the fancy, that the Sabbath Israel kept was bodily rest, and no more ! So resting, they could not imitate God. So resting, the Sabbath might well be considered as the cause of their later national sufferings. Rest is the fruit and the reward of labour ; indolence the prolific parent of a vicious brood. Stranger still ; so resting, they foreshadowed — some would have us believe — the good things of Christ in Gospel times ! f God rested on the seventh day — not a day limited to one revolution of the earth upon its axis. " The evening and the morning" forms a formula distinguishing the com- mencement and close of each day of work. But it is dropped on the seventh day. To man the sun rose and set as usual. But God^s day of rest endures. Thirty centuries after " God sware if they shall enter into my rest." J Forty centuries after Paul declares ; — " We who believe, do enter into rest."§ The Sabbath, therefore, does not commemo- rate a rest that took place — but " a rest that remaineth ! " Hence a Sabbath of perpetual obligation is alone expressive of God^s perpetual rest. It is God resting that we have placed before us — not man, not Adam. This we may infer — nay must, as shall be shown. II We would press this point. It has been too * Eev. iv. 8. t This extraordinary view is given by those who regard the Jewish Sabbath as ti/pical. X Heb. iii. 7—19. § Heb. iv. 1—3. II The seventh day from creation was man's ^rs^ day. Adam had not yet worked — it was in no sense his rest as yet. GOD AND THE SABBATH. 21 mucli out of sight when the claims of the Sabbath have been discussed. It is not the Jew that rested on the first seventh day ; else let it " vanish away with that covenant that decayed and waxed old/^* " JNIy Sabbath/^ as uttered by Jehovahj should set this matter right for ever. " The Sabbath of the Lord'' is the concession made by Jewish prophets. Hence the privilege ; " if they shall enter into my rest.'' A glorious privilege ! Oh^ that we may " be counted worthy of obtaining" that rest ! God worked six days and rested on the seventh. Here we have a mild but sublime rebuke ! There are those who have lost themselves in " the liberty wherewith Christ hath made them free." To these all days are alike ! With God it was otherwise. Such have, then, discovered that it is not " enough for the disciple that he must be as his master, and the servant as his lord."t The servant, the disciple, demands this liberty, — that all days be to him alike holy. His Lord and Master especially honours, and attaches sanc- tity to one day above the others in the week. Did He rest as the God of the Jews only ? God rested on that day and sanctified it. How sancti- fied it ? As far as the Creator is concerned, He sanctified it by resting. The prolepsis is surely '^ not of God ! " He rested and was refreshed. He did not wait twenty-five centuries ere he rested. Neither did the faithful. God knew no toil — yet rested. There was a signal rest in heaven. Adam was not yet reaping thistles and thorns; yet he rested. There are those who, like " The lilies of the field, neither toil nor spin," and who, like the songsters of the wood, "sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns." Yet they must rest ; for, — " Mortals, whose pleasures are their only care," need rest from these. There was rest in Heaven, there * Heb. viii. 13. t Matt. x. 25. 22 GOD AND THE SABBATH. was rest in Eden; and there must be rest in the Palace. " Business is labour, and man's weakness such, Pleasure is labour too, and tires as much.. The very sense of it foregoes its use By repetition pall'd, by age obtuse." God rested— but from bis works, not from sin, and yet there are those who have spoken of " man resting from sin as God did from his works!"* No! God rested from his works, and we rest from works the most innocent. But ;— VIII. God BLESSED the seventh day. This brings God's rest down to man. Primarily God's; but, secondarily, man's day of rest is the Sabbath. Had not this followed the declaration that God rested, the objection might, per- haps, have been urged, that man may not, in this, imitate his Creator.f How else could God's rest be a blessing to man? The blessing, "is an addition of good."t "God saw everything that he had made, and behold it was very good." But this is not enough to be affirmed of this day. His works were " very good" — his day was " blessed." Can we attach any other true meaning to this term, than that of appointing it as the day on which God would confer pecu- liar benefits upon all who, like him, rest from their works ? Let the "oracles of God" interpret themselves. "God made man in his own image, in the image of God created he him, male and female created he them. And God blessed them, and said, ^q fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the * Such is the comment put upon Heb. iv. 10. It is well to notice this fact here, where its incongruity is singxilarly apparent. Peter Heylyn broaches the extraordinary opinion that, "not polluting the Sabbath," means, — "keeping our hands from doing e\'il!" — History of the Sabbath, Pt. I. ch. viii. § 9. t Milton's objection. See his Prose Works, Vol. v. pp. 69, 70. Bohn's Stand. Lib. X A saying of the Jews, quoted by Dr. Owen. GOD AND THE SABBATH. 23 earth, and subdue it : and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth/^* Hence " the fruit of the womb is his reward.^'f Hence "every herb bearing seed, and every tree yielding fruit — it shall be for meat/^ Hence the wonder of gratitude ; — " Lord, what is man, that thou art mindful of him ? and the son of man, that thou ^isitest him ? For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honour. Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands ; thou hast put all things under his feet : all sheep and oxen, yea, and the beasts of the field ; the fowl of the air, and the fish of the sea. . . . O Lord our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth I'^X God " blessed ^^ man and woman by giving them the good he proceeded at once to specify, and which the scriptures thus beautifully expand. And if by these God "crowned^' them "with glory and honour,^^ how much more by admitting them into his rest ! The Jews lost their exalted privilege "through unbelief." " Let us fear, lest, a promise being left us of entering into his rest, any of us should seem to come short of it."§ Dominion over " the six days^ " work was " crowning with glory and honour;" to enter his rest is to be crowned with "glory, honour, peace, and eternal life."|| Thus there can be no disputing the fact, that blessing the Sabbath was an addition of good. The Prophets so explained this act; and superadded the idea of its perpetuity; — "Blessed is the man that keepeth the Sabbath from polluting it. Every one that keepeth the Sabbath from polluting it, and taketh hold of my covenant, even them will I bring to my holy mountain, and make them joyful in my house of prayer. ^^1[ * Gen. i. 27, 28. f Ps. cxxvii. 3. + Ps. viii. 4—9. § Heb. iv. 1. II Rom. iii. 7 — 10. H For th.e justification of this application of Isa. Ivi. 2 — 6, and Iviii. 13—14, see Chapter v. (4.) 24 GOD AND THE SABBATH. And after enlarging upon the terms next to be considered, Isaiah thus alludes to the blessing ; — " Then shalt thou delight thyself in the Lord ; and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth_, and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father/^* This, then, is the high privilege of man — "the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it ! " " God hath blessed^^ this day, *^and who shall reverse it?^-* Thus our Lord, also, as will be shown, blessed the first day of the week. God, then, blessed it because he rested on the seventh day, and we receive the blessing only as we make it a day of religious rest. Saving the sin of idolatry, to none did the Prophets refer with greater emphasis and solemnity, or with more frequent reiteration, than to the desecration of the Sabbath. God often " cursed their blessings.^^t May Christ deliver our land, our people, our churches, from this fearful rever- sion ! IX. But HI. " God sanctified it.'' The fact that God rested, would alone have suggested, that it was for an ex- ample. But he blessed it. The suggestion is converted thus into an allurement. His sanctifying it, moreover, ac- companies the example set, and the motive given, with a prohibition. If God consecrated it, he has denied man its personal or private appropriation. " Not that God kept it lioly himself, which in no sense is the Divine nature capable of; nor that he purified it, and made it inherently holy, of which the nature of the day is incapable ; nor that he cele- brated what in itself was holy, as we sanctify his name, which is the act of an inferior towards a superior ; but he set it apart to sacred use authoritatively ; requiring us to sanctify it in that use obediently." J This sanctification, first of all, exempts the day from un- * Isa. Iviii. 14. t Mai. ii. 8. X Owen's Treatise on the Sabbath, p. 39. GOD AND THE SABBATH. 25 necessary labour ; and^ next^ appropriates it to a special pur- pose. The two are correlated. If rest intends (as we have shown that it does not^) no occupation whatever, then God has not blessed it. Idleness is no boon. What then was the nature of the employment to which it was devoted ? The association of the Sabbath with the world^s creation renders it impossible to miss the design of its institution. God saw that all that he had made " was very good.^^ This is what man has to do — to contemplate with grateful admi- ration what was created so good for his enjoyment. The motive for its religious observance is sublime and beautiful. Six days Jehovah spent in furnishing man^s abode with all he could desire ; one day is set apart that he might rise from the communicated good to the Giver of all these " perfect gifts." This is to "give God the glory due unto his name ! " Thus the sanctification of the seventh day of creation was the grand instrument by which man was to " retain God in his knowledge."* Not "liking" to do this, he fell into gross idolatry. " Who is lord over us ? " is the base cry of defection from the Creator. The Sabbath was to crush this rebellious disposition. It embodies and perpetuates feelings of homage to him " for whom are all things, and by whom were all things," — " in whom we live, and move, and have our being" — " with whom we have to do." " The sancti- fication of the Sabbath in memory of the Creation, puts us in mind of the obligation which lies upon us to celebrate the divine perfections, which may be learned from God^s works, and the necessity of some separate and solemn time for this religious worship."t But man did not thus retain God in his knowledge. Hence, in the fulness of time " God in Christ " was revealed to us ; and, therefore, * Rom. i. 28. t Bish. Kidder. Commentaxy on tlie Pentateucli. Gen. Arg. p. y. 26 GOD AND THE SABBATH. as Christ now reveals God to man as the creation ought to have done, the Lord's-day answers the same end. Now we submit that this is the natural view of the Sab- bath, of God's resting, God^s blessing, God's sanctifying. How intolerable is the assumption that man primeval, that man antediluvian, that man before the divine legation of Moses, had no Sabbath enjoined upon him ! And upon what basis is this extraordinary assumption made to rest ? Why on the very fact that is most destructive to the proleptical theory. This, we think, can be triumphantly proved. We are told that Adam was not commanded to keep the day holy. If the form of the statement in Genesis ii. 1 — 3, was not indicative of a law to Adam, who, as the advocates of the theory are loudest in upholding, had but one express law given to him in Eden — that respecting the tree of the knowledge of good and evil — how, we ask, was it suited to impress the mind of the Jews who would not respect the Sabbath without the terrors of Mount Sinai, and the super- added penalty of death for disobedience? As it stands, it is not a formal enactment, it has no force of law. This they ^ assert, and this we will not allow them to forget. This proves it was not written with an eye to the future Jewish Sabbath. And we proceed to demonstrate that this was exactly what the condition of man-innocent, " made in the image of God,'' placed in the garden of Eden, required to hallow the Sabbath of the Lord. Observe, — X. Here i. we have no law — no commandment — no penalty. This is precisely what Adam's condition required, and more than which his position in Eden forbade. " The first end of any law is to instruct and guide in their duty those to whom it is given. A law which is not in its own nature instructive and directive, is no way fit to be pre- scribed to rational creatures ; and whatsoever else influences the creature if it be internal, is instinct, and not properly GOD AND THE SABBATH. 27 a law ; if it be external, is force and compulsion. The law, therefore, of creation, comprised everything whereby God instructed man in his obedience and his reward, and what- ever tended to that end belonged to that law. Thus the framing of the world in six days of work was intended to be instructive, as well as the consideration of the things themselves. For God could have immediately produced all out of nothing, "in the twinkling of an eye ;" but "he not only made all things for his own glory, but disposed also the order of their production for the same end. . . . For it is in vain to imagine, that the world was made in six days, and those closed with a day of rest, without an especial regard to the obedience of rational creatures, since with respect to God himself, neither of them was neces- sary : and what he intended to teach them thereby, it was their duty to inquire and know. . . . This law of creation was implanted in their natures, with natural or moral inclinations towards their observance of it; and this law, in the state of creation, contained a rule and a principle.''^ God^s example, therefore, was all of which Adam, made in the image of God, stood in need. Had aught else than the example, and the principle involved, been found in the statement, we had some, though not an insuperable diffi- culty, as has been demonstrated, to disprove the idea that the Sabbath of man did not commence from the first Sabbath of God. The revelation of the method of creation and the ensuing rest, was the discovery of a principle that Adam, in his state of uprightness, would necessarily follow, t II. It may be objected, however, that Adam was unac- quainted with the facts revealing the example. I. Let this * Owen's Treatise on the Sabbath, pp. 95—97, and 170. t The bearing of this fact upon the manner in which the Lord's-day was established, is obvious. Here we can only point it out, deferring its full consideration to a future chapter. 28 GOD AND THE SABBATH. be substantiated, and the objection might be fatal, n. The presumption is, that a knowledge of the creation is the last thing of which Adam would be kept in ignorance, in. That as God made known to him how woman had been formed while " in deep sleep/ ^ the analogy is against the idea that the method of creation in six days was not revealed. IV. That until the theory of the prolepsis is confirmed be- yond contradiction, we shall point to the statement at the head of the second chapter in Genesis, as proof absolutely conclusive that God did reveal the order observed in crea- tion. V. That it is reasonable to suppose, that God so formed the world, and so rested, in order to give a perpe- tual and universally obligatory institution, and that, on the contrary, it is unreasonable to conclude that God should so create a world that was not made for the Jews — but for man, in order to sanction an institution that, i. necessitated more impressive sanction to the people who were sensible only to the penalty of death; ii. which was only a tem- porary institution ; ill. that was only of local obligation ; and, IV. that was one of the ^^ beggarly elements'^ that Christians may justly contemn. We have before noticed how such authors debase the Sabbath to get rid of its obli- gations ; and how they exalt the Sabbath to make it a more Jewish institution. Here we barely refer to this inconsistency, to make it obvious that Adam did know how God had formed the world.* This being determined, we proceed to illustrate ; — * Some have advanced v^reighty reasons for the belief that Moses com- piled his book of Genesis from existing documents or patriarchal tradi- tions. Asstmiing this to be more than conjecture, the fact of Adam's acquaintance with the Edenic Sabbath wotild then be beyond all dispute, since it would be through him that the tradition was handed down to the Patriarchs. The Rabbins believed that the Sabbath was expressly revealed to Abraham. Were this fancy deserving notice, it would only prove the Sabbath to have been necessary to God's people before Abraham's time as well as to those of his own age. GOD AND THE SABBATH. ^ 29 in. How Adam would apply God's example as a rule of action to himself. All that God had done to form the earth and furnish it for man's residence was pronounced to be "very good.'' The value to man, however, was im- mensely enhanced, by the revelation of the plan of creation. This established a practical principle; that, in using the good, man, i. might not forget the Giver of all ; ii. that he might not become a slave to the work he had to do ; in. that, by a periodical cessation from work, and with- drawal from the enjoyment of the gifts, he might have opportunity for enjoying the contemplation of Him who made and gave all. That Adam would instinctively per- ceive these ideas from learning how God acted in creation, has been adverted to already. The analogy suggested from the following instinctive perception of a preceptive prin- ciple in the method of creation, is, to us, exceedingly beautiful. God made Adam a " help-meet." The boon conferred is denoted in the terms themselves ; and is by the same inspired authority characterised as " the glory of man."* Can there, in this case, be " an addition of good ? " Short of divine wisdom, nothing could have dis- covered in what that enhancement should consist. The Creator knew how at once to endear to man the help-meet, and guard her interests through all time to come. God reveals to Adam hoiv he had formed Eve. As man was raised from the dust of the ground, and then animated by "the breath of life breathed into his nostrils," so might woman have sprung into existence at God's command. But incalculable advantages to both man and his wife had thus been precluded. Therefore, "God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept : and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof, and the rib, which the Lord God had taken from man, made he a * 1 Cor. xi. 7. 30 GOD AND THE SABBATH. woman, and brought her nnto the man/^* We are not told that the process was described — but the inference is irrefragable that such was the case. So exquisite, however, was the wisdom of the method, that Adam instinctively caught the idea designed. " Adam said, This is now bone of my bone, and flesh of my flesh." Nor was this a mis- conception of the principle designed, as plainly proved by what the inspired historian is directed to add. The happy idea so beautifully suggested, so instinctively caught, was amply sufficient to guide their intercourse so long as man " kept his first estate.^^ But soon, alas ! it was to become true, that " all flesh is grass, and the glory of man as the flower of grass,'^ that " withereth and fadeth away.^' How, then, was the recollection of so important a principle, that " the twain are one flesh,'^ to be perpetuated ? ^' The word of God is incorruptible, which liveth and abideth for ever." Commit the fact and the revelation to its guardianship. " Therefore,^^ it is inscribed on its imperishable pages by the finger of God, '^ therefore shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall cleave unto his wife ; and they shall be one flesh/^ The institution of marriage was thus the result of the method God adopted in conferring a help-meet upon man. Apply this principle to the Sabbath. First, God created the world for man. To enhance the boon — priceless as it was, the method was revealed. A Sabbath was the natural result. In both cases we have a process on which the in- stitutions respectively depend ; each has a similar position assigned to it, " in the beginning of the creation ; " neither results from any formal enactment; as such both are suited to the state of innocency in Eden. There was no antecedent necessity why God should either have created » Gen. ii. 21, 22. GOD AND THE SABBATH. 31 the world in six days, and rested on the seventh, or have made woman " out of the man," instead of " out of the dust of the ground." The institution of both is said to be derived from the method of creation. Lastly, Adam re- quired a Sabbath no less as a creature than he, as a man, stood in need of a help-meet. The only difference is in favour of the Sabbath — man was wedded to the Sabbath before he was wedded to woman. " What, therefore, God had joined together, let no man put asunder." Divorce, in either case, is fraught with evil. CHAPTEE 11. MOSES AND THE SABBATH— THE MANNA. I. From the account of the primeval Sabbath, a period of some twenty-five centuries elapsed before any formal notice of it appeared in the Scriptures. We say formal, for in a subsequent chapter traces of its existence through this long interval will be indicated. The wide gulf separating the two statements in Gen. ii. 1 — 3, and Exod. xvi. has, however, formed a basis on which anti- Sabbatarians have founded their theories ; with what reasons for self-gratula- tions is, we trust, manifest from the preceding chapter, and will be more so, from the peculiar manner in which the Sabbath re-appears in the wilderness, and from the phrase- ology of the fourth commandment, its position in the Decalogue, its moral nature, its power of self- enforcement, from the studious exclusion of all that would have made the Sabbath either a merely ceremonial or a merely local and temporary institution ; and lastly, from the process it had to undergo to be adapted to the exigencies of a particular dispensation. We have entitled this chapter, " Moses and the Sabbath/' not, however, because it was '^ of Moses.'' True, the account of the manna is inserted by him in the Pentateuch, as also, that of the original institution of the Sabbath. But listen to the all-authoritative declaration of Christ to those who would, on this account, confound the giving of manna with MOSES AND THE SABBATH — THE MANNA. 33 the legation of Moses ; as, on this account, anti-sabbatarians would convert the institution into a merely ceremonial rite. " Verily, verily, I say unto you, Moses gave you not that bread from heaven, but my Father giveth you the true bread from heaven.^^ The connexion of " this bread from heaven-'^ with the Sabbath is significant ; and the manner in which the latter is shown to have descended from heaven is remarkable. The Jewish turn of mind possessed a singular affinity to the views and arguments of our opponents. As the former over- looked the true origin of manna, so they confounded the rite of circumcision with what was exclusively Mosaic. On this point, also, our Lord corrected the misconceptions of his con- temporaries— " Moses, therefore, gave unto you circumci- sion, (not because it is of Moses, but of the fathers,) and ye on the Sabbath-day circumcise a man.^^ Attention to similar mistakes will prove that the Sabbath was not only " of the fathers,^' but, like manna, came unexpectedly, "from heaven,^^ the gift of God, " before Abraham was," before Moses gave it to the Jews as a sign of their covenant with God. II. From Exodus xvi. 1—6, we learn that the Israelites, breaking up their encampment at Elim, arrived " on the fifteenth day of the second month after their departure out of the land of Egypt,'' at " the wilderness of Sin, which is betweenElim and Sinai.'' No sooner had they encamped than " the whole congregation murmured against Moses and Aaron." In the course of the next few verses we have the account of manna. The narrative intimates that it first fell on the day after they encamped in Sin; that is, on the 16th. The first day on which it was withheld was, there- fore, the 22nd of the second month. The Jews were ac- cordingly required to consider as their Sabbath-days every successive seventh day, commencing from the 16th of the D 34 MOSES AND THE SABBATH — THE MANNA. second month, which, if it had not been, was hence- forth to become, the first day of their week. Taking this as the basis of calculation, we may either go backwards, to ascertain the exact day of the week on which the exodus took place ; or forwards, to ascertain the exact day of the week on which the law was given. As to the former we may remark, that as the 22nd of the second month was the first Sabbath-day identified as such ; and the first month (Abib) contained thirty days, we have the following dates on which the Sabbaths will fall ;— 15th, 8th, 1st of the second month ; 24th, 17th, 10th, and 3rd of the first month. Now, on the 15th day of the first month the exodus took place, which was, therefore, not a Sabbath-day; but, as we should now describe it, a Thursday, If we could ascertain the precise meaning of the phrase, " same,^^ or self-same day, which occurs in Exodus xix. 1,* and is stated to be the day on which the Israelites entered the wilderness of Sinai, we should have no difiiculty in determining that Thursday was also the day of the week in which the law was proclaimed ; assuming with Dr. Kitto that this event took place exactly on the fiftieth day from their departure from Egypt. Although the probability is in favour of this, the prevalent opinion, still we have not certain data to consider this as- sumption as valid ; hence we avoid founding upon it an ar- gument in favour of so important a subject as that before us. As to the former, viz. that the exodus took place not on a Sabbath-day, but on a Thursday, there can be little if any doubt. There remain, however, certain interesting questions. Did God determine the fall of manna according to a weekly computation that had been in existence in Egypt ? If so, * Archbishop Usher explains it as the third day of the third month ; Dr. Shuckford as the fifteenth. Dr. Davidson (Comprehensive Family Bible) as Xh-Q first day of the third month ! MOSES AND THE SABBATH — THE MANNA. 35 did the manna so fall as to retain the patriarchal Sabbath- day; or, so as to occasion such a change in the weekly series as that some other day in the week should, for the future, be the Jewish day of rest? If again, the usual weekly computation underwent a revolution, was it in order to use the Jewish Sabbath-day as a memorial of the exodus ? On these questions, let it be observed that the inspired record is absolutely silent. We are simply informed that on, or about a certain day, the manna began to be rained from heaven ; and that on the seventh day from the first fall J there was none supplied. What guided Jehovah in his selection of the first manna-day, we are not informed ; and, whether it harmonized with, or disturbed, their usual weekly computation, is a matter on which we are left in the dark. The importance of this will appear when we shall have to reply to a very favourite anti-sabbatarian ob- jection, viz. " If we are bound by the Decalogue, we are bound to keep the seventh day.^^ Here, we have to point out the purely conjectural nature of the opinion, that the day on which the Jewish Sabbath was fixed to fall, was selected to commemorate the day of their deliverance. III. The number of authors on the Sabbath-question assuming this point, comprises nearly the whole goodly host of the friends of the institution. A few of the recent writers do not touch upon it, their line of argument, or the part of the subject to which they confined their attention, not having called forth an expression of their opinion;* but the great majority take it for granted that such a change took place, and ground upon it an argument in favour of the change that occurred under the Christian dis- pensation. Thus Kennicott observes; — "There is great reason to believe that the Sabbath of the Israelites was * Dr. Wardlaw, for example, in liis Tract for tlie Times on the " Cliristian Sabbath." 36 MOSES AND THE SABBATH — THE MANNA. altered ivith their year, at their coming fortli from Egypt/^ Of the two reasons "the second reason certainly was in order to perpetuate the memory of their deliverance on that day from Egyptian slavery." In proof, Deut. v. 15 is quoted, " therefore the Lord thy God commanded thee to keep the (or, as he renders, ' this^) Sabbath day.-"* Now the allusion of Moses is rather to the special and additional Jewish motive for observance, than to the identical day of deliverance as that on which the Sabbath was kept. If, as we have shown, that the probability is in favour of a Thurs- day as the day of the exodus, his opinion is at once set aside. But before we advance stronger reasons, we adduce a few examples of the arguments founded upon this as- sumption. " God therefore commanded the observation of that par- ticular day in the seven, as a day of rest to the Jews, because," says Archbishop Sharp, " on that day he de- livered his people from the bondage of Egypt.-'-'t His Grace then proceeds to argue the propriety of the change from the seventh to the first day of the week. To explain how the Sabbath became a " sign" to Israel, Dr. Jephson remarks; "When it is said (in Exodus xxxi. 17,) that the Sabbath was a sigii between God and the children of Israel for ever, it can mean no more than the par- ticular day which the Jews were to observe in token of their deliverance," &c.| Again : to justify the change in later times, — " It is only the deliverance from the land of Egypt which is the true ground and reason of the Sabbath, as it is a Jewish institution ; and this was what determined the particidar day which the Jews observed, and which was discovered to them by the manna ceasing to * Oblations of Cain and Abel, pp. 184, 185. Note, t Sermons, vol. iv. pp. 294, 295. X History of the Sabbath, p. 34: MOSES AND THE SABBATH — THE MANNA. 37 drop on that day.'^* Bishop Pearson is equally positive ; " There was^ therefore^, a double reason rendered by God^ why the Jews should keep that Sabbath which they did ; one special as to a seventh day, to show they worshipped that God, who was the Creator of the world; the other individual as to that seventh day, to signify their deliverance from the Egyptian bondage, from which that seventh day was datedJ'-\ Not to multiply quotations, we simply remark that these opinions are purely conjectural, and are the result of an anxiety to defend the transfer of the observance from the seventh to the first day of the week, after the resurrection of our Lord. But the opinion involves two serious as- sumptions which we hope to disprove; viz. i. that a change did take place — which is comparatively harmless; and ii. that such change was made in honour of, and to comme- morate the day of the exodus— which, if it were suscep- tible of demonstration, would weaken some, if they would strengthen other of the arguments on which the primeval and the Christian Sabbath depends. J IV. There is an institution that commemorated the precise day of their deliverance, and which was peculiar to the Jewish dispensation : viz. the Passover. " It came to pass at the end of the 430 years, even the selfsame day it came * History of the Sabbath, p. 36. See also pp. 72, 73, &c. t Pearson on the Creed, p. 265. X Dr. Fairbairn, who in his Scripture Tj'pology has rendered essential service to the Sabbatic institution, remarks : — *' So little depended upon the exact day, that on the occasion of renewing the Sabbath-institution in the wilderness, the Lord seems to have made the weekly series run from the first giving of manna." — Vol. ii. p. 142. Now though this is less open to objection, yet some might prefer the equally natural sup- position, that God adapted the fall of manna to the existing order of the week days. Both are conjectural, prefer which we may, — and hence arises the correctness of the opinion, that little depends upon the day set apart, so long as it is one in seven. 38 MOSES AND THE SABBATH — THE MANNA. to pass, that all the host of the Lord went out from the land of Egypt. It is a night to be much observed unto the Lord for bringing them out of the land of Egypt ; this is that night of the Lord to be observed of all the children of Israel in their generations.'^ In verse 51, the same is reiterated. In the next chapter we have two distinct state- ments to the same effect, — verse 3, " Remember this day, in which ye came out from Egypt, out of the house of bon- dage ; " and in verse 4, " this day came ye out, in the month Abib/^ A similar pointedness to the day, as the Sabbath, we have in the authors we have quoted, but nowhere in Scripture in reference to any other institution than the Passover. Neither in Exodus, nor in Deuteronomy is there a single text connecting the Sabbath with the precise day of deliverance. The fourth commandment contains no allusion to the exodus, while it pointedly refers to the creation. But again ; — There would have been a manifest incongruity in making a Sabbath-dsij the memorial of the day of the exodus. As a day of REST it appropriately reminds of God's entering into his rest, upon the completion of his works. But to make it commemorative of the day in which they began a perilous journey of forty years^ continuance, savours of the grotesque rather than soberness and truth. It is not only natural that we should, in commemorating an event — as for example, a birth-day, a wedding-day, the day of a relative's decease, arrange the commemoration to fall on " the self- same day'' in which the event occurred, but the manner of conducting it should, also, have an appropriate reference to the past. But it should not be overlooked, that the character of the observance is always of greater moment than the ti7ne, since the latter is made to give way to another that may be more convenient ; while no liberty should be taken with the former. Thus the Israelite, if MOSES AI^D THE SABBATH — THE MANNA, 39 on a journey, might defer the feast of the Passover to the fourteenth of the month following that on which it was ordinarily to take place, while any deviation from the rules of the observance itself was severely resented. The Sab- bath is totally unsuited, but the Passover was admirably adapted both in the choice of the day, and the nature of its observance, to be a memorial of the awfal night when the death of the first-born in Egypt hurried the Israelites out of the house of bondage. It was to be observed " standing,'^ with ^' their loins girded, and with their shoes on their feet, and with their staff in their hands,^^ to indi- cate the not approaching rest, but entrance upon a long, arduous, perilous, and — as it proved to one whole genera- tion, fatal series of wanderings. The prohibition to leaven their bread in after times was probably to commemorate the fact that the Israelites quitted Egypt in such precipita- tion, " that they had no opportunity to leaven their dough (Exod. xii. 29), and were consequently obliged, in the first instance, to eat unleavened cakes (Deut. xvi. 3)."* They were, moreover, to eat " bitter herbs and in haste,^' to denote " their affliction,^' from which they were escaping, but as yet had not been delivered.f The repeated state- ments that this feast was to commemorate " the self-same night,'' or " day," are so positive — while the reverse is the case with the sabbatic institution, and the admirable man- ner in which the former was adapted, and the palpably unsuitable nature of the latter to recall the exodus ; are facts that astonish one that the idea, now controverted, could have gained currency among the reflecting. Excepting God's rest at Creation, and Christ's death and resurrection, no event in the history of the world has ever been deemed worthy of weekly celebration. It was incum- * Pictorial Bible. Notes on Exod. xii. 8, 9, 11 and 15. t Deut. xvi. 3—7. 40 MOSES AND THE SABBATH — THE MANNA. bent upon the advocates of the theory we oppose to have shown, that the exodus was of similar importance. On their view we should argue its superior importance to Creation, to the death and resurrection of Christ ; inasmuch as, besides the annual celebration — which is not required for them, the exodus has a weekly observance to do it honour ! And yet further : on their idea of the importance of the deliver- ance, we should argue, that God would have left us no room to question for a moment that the day in which it was observed, had such a reference; especially as the annual festival is so unmistakably connected with the event it commemorates. In their anxiety to obtain a precedent for the transfer from the seventh to the first day of the week, divines have strangely overlooked the incongruities into which they fall ; since one of the reasons for such a change is, that as the seventh day, on which Christ lay in the sepulchre, was a day of gloom, it became unfit to commemorate the resurrection. If there be any force in this reasoning, it follows that a day originally designed to commemorate the completion of creation — " when the morning stars sang together, and the sons of God shouted for joy,^^ could not with equal pro- priety be employed in celebration of the commencement of the forty years' wandering. We shall hereafter show the beautiful analogy between the changes that were made in the Passover to convert it into the Lord^s Supper, and that in connexion with the Sabbath, that it might be known as the Lord^s-day. The conclusion from the above is, that since the Jews left Egypt, not on the seventh, but on some other day of the week ; and since, on whatever day of the week it occurred, it was not commemorated by a sabbatic rest as incongruous, but by the Passover, which was expressly designed for that purpose ; we have a striking proof that MOSES AND THE SABBATH — THE MANNA. 41 ihej were required^ as men, not as Jews, to observe the Sabbath, and for the reason adduced in the fourth com- mandment, which appeals to human, not Jewish sympathies. It is true that subsequently peculiar reasons were assigned ; but this can in no way affect the argument, except as con- firmatory of our view,* for they are additional, and not the original and primary reasons. The motives urged to induce observance may be various and cumulative, but the origin of the institution is but one, and continues ever the same. In support of this representation we have evidence in the narrative itself of the manna ; but before we adduce it, the above view may be negatively established, from the fact that : — V. While nothing is recorded of a revolution in the week, the month was changed t from this period. This alteration took place in connexion with the first institution of the Passover ; — '' This month shall be unto you the beginning of months ; it shall be the fir'st month of the year to you.^^ X Observe this i& clear, that a monthly computa- tion is spoken of as current. No material change is made : the alteration consisted only in the numerical name of the month. It was the seventh of the existing yearly compu- tation, but was henceforth to be considered the first. The monthly reckoning did not commence with the exodus; — * For example: — In Exod. xxiii. 9 — 13, the seventh, day's rest is associated with the seventh yearly Sahbath, and a motive is drawn from their former oppressed condition. Here, however, the humane design of the institution rather than its religious purposes is made prominent. Again in Exod. xxxi. 12 — 17, it is adverted to, to point out its use as a "sign;" and then, though no additional reason is pre- sented, the penalty of death is attached to disobedience — suited to this special use of the Sabbath. t On the same principle, Christians commence their chronology as Anno Domini 1855, &c. X Exod. xii. 2. 42 MOSES AND THE SABBATH — THE MANNA. it stood in all respects as before, with a new name, as the substance of the change. Now it is reasonable to suppose, I. that had God intended an alteration in the weekly series of days, that change would have been effected at this time. II. That, whensoever it was accomplished, we should have been favoured with as distinct intimation of it, as of that of the month, ill. Especially as those who have assumed this important fact, do so nnder the idea that the Sabbath-c?ay was commemorative of the exodus. Now we see that what was intended to be commemorative underwent the trans- mutation at the proper time — but this change is assigned to the wilderness of Sin, where there appears no reason why it should have been delayed so long. But we cannot argue thence, as some have done, that they observed a sabbatic rest. Nor is this of any importance. We think, on the contrary, that in bondage they were not allowed to keep a Sabbath. " Dr. Paley says, that no per- mission is recorded to dispense with the Sabbath during the captivity of the Jews in Egypt ; but what if it should appear that one reason for the deliverance from Egypt was, that they might have liberty to keep the Sabbath, and to present those sacrifices, and observe those ordinances which were connected with it ? * There are not wanting tokens that this was the case. What is the demand which Moses makes of Pharaoh in the name of Jehovah? "Let my people go that they may hold a feast to me in the wilder- ness.'^ " Let my people go that they may serve me.'^ Does not this imply that latterly, at least, while sojourning in Egypt, the Israelites had been prevented from observing their religious ordinances, and that their cruel bond-master, * We know that sacrifices were offered by the Patriarch. Here we see that the fear of " ofiering the abomination of the Egyptians before their eyes," (Exod. viii. 26,) caused their temporary cessation. The same is suggested of the Sabbath. MOSES AND THE SABBATH — THE MANNA. 43 having blotted out their Sabbaths, had made their life one ceaseless round of misery and toil ? We are confirmed in this opinion by the words of Pharaoh to Moses and Aaron, '' Wherefore do ye let the people from their work ? Behold the people are many, yet ye make them rest from their burdens/^ — literally, ye cause them to keep Sabbath from their burdens. The undaunted Hebrew leader had demanded in behalf of his oppressed brethren the restoration of their Sabbath, with its connected privileges. The infatuated despot refuses it. But God himself shall restore it to them, and, with it, all their other religious privileges. A miracle lays prostrate every first-born child in Egypt, another miracle opens before them the waters of the Red Sea. They hasten to keep their feast, and Dr. Paley himself informs us that that feast was the Sabbath. He asserts that the Sabbath was then instituted ; " the whole history of the transaction leads to the conclusion that the Sabbath was then restored." * We have before intimated that Dr. Paley admits the natural import of Genesis ii. 43 to be against his theory, and calls to his aid different passages from the prophets and the apostles. Here, again, the natural view of Exodus, 16th chapter, is explained away by reference to texts, which we shall have to take into consideration. " In my opinion," he remarks, '^ the transaction in the wilderness (of Sin) was the first actual institution of the Sabbath." After noticing a long interval of silence, and offering his interpretation of the passage, he quotes Ezekiel (xx. 10 — 12), ^'^ Where the Sabbath is plainly spoken of as given (and what else can that mean, but as first instituted ?) in the wilderness :" and then Nehemiah (ix. 12), who addresses God as thou who * The Sabbath. Tract for the Times, No. III., pp. 3, 4. See also '* Jordan on the Sabbath," pp. 42, 43. 44 MOSES AND THE SABBATH — THE MANNA. " madest known unto them thy holy Sabbath/'"^ It is mucli more reasonable to suppose^ that the account in Exodus throws light upon the meaning of these expressions in Eze- kiel and Nehemiah, than that these terms are to determine our view of a narrative that is remarkably full and explicit. But, in passing, we may not omit to notice, that Ezekiel is not simply speaking of the Sabbath, but of the whole of "the statutes and judgments^^ which, of course, include the Passover and Circwncision, as among the most important. On Paley^s showing, we are to conclude, that they also were " first given,^^ i. e. instituted in the wilderness. The contrary is the fact; the former was instituted in Egypt, and the latter, though " made known ^^ to Abraham, was practised among other tribes from time immemorial. His inference is clearly disproved by our Lord^s use and expla- nation of the word, — "Moses, therefore, gave unto you circumcision [not because it is of Moses, but of the fathers /')-\ In other words, Moses gave what was already, and had been for four centuries, in existence. Now, as the restoration, or reinforcement of the rite is described as giving, it follows that the Sabbath, when given, was not instituted, but re- stored or reinforced. Should it be objected that the above is simply the New Testament use of the word, we have but to inquire how it is employed in the Old. To take a few instances : — I. In Lev. xvii. 11, we read, "The life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls." That this cannot be con- strued into an original institution is plain, from Gen. ix. 4, * Mor. and Polit. Philos. bk. v. cli. vii. "We are at a loss to con- ceive how the phrase to "make known" can be regarded as the words of an original instltiUion. Its natural import is rather a discovery, or restoration of something lost, or fallen into desuetude. In the idiom of the Hebrew to know, is to recognise, or to experience, to enjoy. t John vii. 22. MOSES AND THE SABBATH — THE MANNA. 45 where we find the same prohibition as affecting the human race. It is unquestionable that the shedding of blood was the essence of a sacrifice ; and^ if Abel, Noah, and Abraham sacrificed, blood was " given to them upon the altar to make an atonement for their souls/^ Here, then, that is said to have been " given ^^ to the Jews, which was simply re-ap- pointed. II. The land of Canaan is perpetually described as " given ^' to Israel. In all such passages, too numerous to quote,* given signifies either restoration or more complete posses- sion. It was first given to Abraham (Gen. xiii. 15), and, though Jacobus by inheritance, is described as given to him, — " The land which I gave to Abraham and to Isaac, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed after thee.^^ (Gen. xxviii. 13.) By removal into Egypt his descendants lost possession, and when described as given to them, as in Deut. iv. 40, v. 16, XXV. 15, it is because it was restored. During their bondage they lost their Sabbath, and the first thing after their deli- verance— and before re-possession of Canaan was granted, their Sabbath was restored. III. The Levites were " given as a gift to Aaron and to his sons," (Numb. viii. 19, xviii. 6,) which does not imply that then, for the first time, the tribe was brought into existence, but simply devoted to a special use. The Sabbath, that had been in existence, was appropriated to the Jews for special purposes — as was the case with the tribe of Levites. IV. Nehemiah, whom Paley has quoted, says of Israel, ^' Thou gavest also thy good Spirit to instruct them," (Neh. ix. 20,) against whom they often rebelled. (Neh. ix. 30 ; Is. Ixiii. 10; Acts vii. 51 ; 2 Pet. i. 21.) Yet we read in John vii. 39, '^ The Holy Spirit was not yet given ! " If, then, the "giving" of the Holy Spirit to Christians does not imply that it had not already been given to men * 1 Kings viii. 36 ; 2 Cliron. vi. 27 ; xx. 11, &c. 46 MOSES AND THE SABBATH — THE MANNA. in former ages, but simply, that it was given in a fuller degree now than before, it does not follow that the Sabbath, '^ given in the wilderuess,^^ was not given in Eden, but simply restored with additional revelations. * The word, in itself J is therefore equivocal; and while in no case is, in itself, indicative of an original institution, it is very frequently employed to signify, either a special application of something already in existence, a restoration of some- thing lost, or a more complete possession of what is already partially enjoyed. Its precise meaning must be discovered from the history of the thing said to be given ; but by it to set aside historical statements is mere wilfulness. From Gen. ii. 2, 3, and Exod. xvi., we must explain the word " given ; '' and not by the word "^ given '' set aside the testimony of Gen. ii. and Exod. xvi. But we have an objection of Paley's, which is convertible into a strong argument. With reference to Gen. ii. 3, he observes, " The words do not assert that God then 'blessed^ and 'sanctified^ the seventh day; but that he blessed and sanctified it for that reason,^' &c. It were quite sufl&cient to reply, "The words do not assert, that God, having rested on the seventh day of creation, waited five- and-twenty centmies, and then blessed and sanctified it ! '' This, which anti-sabbatarians wish, the words assuredly do not imply; that, which they would fain ignore, the words, taken in their natural significance, do assuredly suggest. In dealing, however, with the passage in Ezekiel, Paley drops his line of argument, and observes, " The Sabbath is plainly spoken of as given.^^ But to use his * So Christ " given" to us (John iii. 16 ; Eph. v. 2,) does not imply to us exclusive of the Jews — but more fully to the Christian ; Paul " given" to Philemon through prayer, was restored, not for the first time introduced to him. But it is needless to give all the instances that overthrow the anti- Sabbatarian inference. MOSES AND THE SABBATH — THE MANNA. 47 own objection^ " The words do not assert the Sabbath was then given/^ As Ezekiel does not say " then given/^ and^ as the word he employs so frequently means restoring, we have to consult the history in Exodus xvi., to see whether the Sabbath was instituted, or simply restored. VI. In that chapter we have a detailed, and remarkably clear and full, account of the supply of manna. A little attention will show that its fall was the occasion of the restoration of the Sabbath. In verses 4 and 5 we read that the Lord — I. Intimates to Moses his intention to ^^rain bread from heaven j^^ II. Declares that it should be " gathered a certain rate every day j^^ iii. That on the sixth day a double portion should be gathered. To understand the subsequent state- ments it is important to notice, that this information is, for the present, confined to Moses; and that the particulars involved were communicated to the people successively , at intervals of time, and only as circumstances called each one forth. The subject of the address by Moses and Aaron (verses 6 — 8) to the congregation comprehended only a rebuke of their murmuring, and the recognition of the hand of God, forced upon them by two miracles, " This shall be when the Lord shall give you in the evening flesh to eat, and in the morning bread to the full.^^ It is the fact, not particulars, that Moses up to this hour has published. In the next place, Moses orders Aaron to convene the people, (verses 9, 10,) to whom the glory of God becomes visible. The Lord himself then addresses the people, (verses 11, 12,) but communicates nothing more than had been communicated to them by Moses, " At even ye shall eat flesh, and in the morning ye shall be filled with bread ; and ye shall know that I am the Lord your God.'' In verses 13 and 14, we have simply the record of the event foretold in verses 11 and 12; and the 48 MOSES AND THE SABBATH — THE MANNA. effect produced upon the minds of the wondering multi- tude. Moses now speaks to them ; not to add information, but to identify the event with the prediction, " This is the bread which the Lord hath given you to eat." In the next verse he gives directions as to the quantity to be appropriated by each individual to himself, and those in his tent, but says nothing of the sixth day^s double supply of which he had been forewarned (verses 4 and 5). In verse 19 a fresh particular is revealed : '^ Let no man leave of it till the morning;" and. in the two next verses the consequences of the infraction of this law are recorded. For five days this was the extent of their knowledge, and a knowledge gradually imparted. On the sixth day further disclosures were made, but not till circumstances called them forth : " It came to pass, that on the sixth day the people gathered twice as much bread," (verse 22.) Now arises the interesting and important question, — what induced them to do so? Unquestionably it was not because ]\Ioses had led them to expect, or gave them orders to collect, the double supply; for — i. It is not stated that he did either ; n. Each particular was communicated only as called forth by circumstances, and not till then — and analogy is against the supposition that in this case their knowledge anticipated their experience ; Hi. If it be thought that the more important nature of the sixth day^s occurrence required this anticipation ; on the same grounds we should expect to find, among minor revelations, a record of the more important — but this we have not, the other we have ; iv. Assuming that Moses, contrary to rule and contrary to appearance, did announce the double supply, and directed the people to gather accord- ingly, what induced their rulers to report the circumstances to Moses? It is simply absurd to assume that Moses could communicate to at least 600,000 males any order MOSES AND THE SABBATH — THE MANX A. 49 Avithout emplopng their nilers as the medium; or that, having made them the channel of communication, the rulers had forgotten what the people had retained in their memory. Yet it is unquestionably clear that somehow the people did gather twice as much, and that their rulers were perplexed thereat. Two solutions of the difficulty are at hand ; either, that the people were prompted by an unseen hand ; or, that a larger supply naturally led to the appro- priation of a larger quantity. If, to avoid an unnecessary multiplication of miracles, we adopt the latter alternative, it still requires consideration, why did the elders report this circumstance ? Experience had taught them that, to reserve manna beyond the day of its fall, was to have food — pleasant as " wafers made with honey," converted into an offensive and putrescent substance. To have in every tent of a camp of three millions of human beings a heap of worms and an offensive stench, were enough to awaken serious apprehensions ; hence the rulers proceed in a body to report their fears to Moses. In verse 23, Moses relieves their anxiety by communi- cating what had hitherto been locked up in his own breast : " This is what the Lord had said'^ — not to them, else their report is unaccountable — but to him, as recorded in verses 4 and 5. But to what does Moses refer as ^' said" ? Was it what immediately follows : " To-morrow is the holy rest of the Sabbath unto the Lord"? Where is this recorded as "said" either to him, or to the rulers, or to the people ? If it was not recorded as " said," the allusion is not to it, but to something else; that something we have in verses 4 and 5, "And it shall come to pass that they shall prepare that which they shall bring in ; and it shall be twice as much as they gather daily. '^ Hence his instructions — " Bake that which ye will bake to- day, and seethe that ye will seethe ; and that which remain- 50 MOSES AND THE SABBATH — THE MANNA. eth over lay up for you to be kept until tlie morning." Assuredly it is more reasonable to suppose that Moses alludes to what was communicated to him, and which he records, than to something that may have been said, though not recorded. The obvious and only representa- tion of the passage is, that in reply to the report of the elders, Moses informs them, — that "this" — the double portion which alarmed them, " is what the Lord hath said," or predicted in verse 5. But the rulers would naturally wish to know why, contrary to precedent, there was an extraordinary supply ? In explanation Moses says, " To- morrow is the Sabbath" — for this reason a double quan- tity is given. Now that the apprehended consequences of appropriating beyond the daily consumption occasioned the report of the elders is intimated in the next verse, '' And they laid it up till the next morning, as Moses bade : and it did not stink, neither was there any worm found therein.'^ In verses 25 and 26 the seventh day arrives, and Moses completes the disclosures made only as the occasion re- quired— " Eat that to-day ; for to-day is a Sabbath unto the Lord : to-day ye shall not find it in the field. Six days ye shall gather it ; but on the seventh day, which is the Sabbath, in it there shall be none." On these two verses it is important to observe ; — I. Moses does not inform them, that henceforth the seventh day is to be a day of rest, but that to-day is the Sabbath. n. Moses does not say ; — it is your Sabbath, but it is "the rest of the Sabbath unto the Lord.'' It is GoD^s REST DAY ! m. That the people are not, as yet, commanded to rest. It was rather conformity to God's example than obedience that was expected. This is apparent from the facts : — I. That they are not told that it would be sinful MOSES AND THE SABBATH — THE MANNA. 51 to gather manna, but useless to seek it on the day on which God withheld it. n. That, at present, the people were re- stricted to only one particular, that of going in the field to seek manna. " In it thou shalt do 7io manner of work/' was not the enactment of Sin, but Sinai. In other words, God^s resting compelled them to rest; and the Divine example was first enforced by necessity and, subsequently, by precept. Here we have a beautiful repetition of the first six days' work and a seventh day's rest, ON the part OF God. In each case it is not man that rests, but God resting is revealed, and as requiring conformity to his example rather than commanding obedience to a law enjoined. That there was a law in existence, but not enforced, will appear; but that to which God gives pro- minence is example, not law; and the latter is brought into play when fallen man showed himself unwilling to be led by gentler means. lY. Assume that the elders of the tribes had no tra- ditional knowledge of a sabbatic institution, and that now, for the first time, they hear of it ; are the words of Moses the words he would have used in instituting any new ordi- nance ? or is it reasonable to suppose that the men who re- ported to Moses their apprehensions of the results of gather- ing an unusual quantity of manna, would also feel neither surprise nor curiosity in connexion with this novel institu- tion? Their conduct as well as the manner of Moses suggests, with the force of moral certainty, that the idea of Sabbath was not only familiar to them, but its re-imposition was a matter of expectation. Additional evidence of the correctness of this representation is furnished by the way in which the restraints of a day's rest were sub- mitted to by the people in general ; but before we extend the inquiry to this feature of the 16th chapter of Exodus, it should be observed, (1.) that the supply was regulated 52 MOSES AND THE SABBATH — THE MANNA. on a plan calculated to "prove them whether they will walk in my law or no." Of what law was it to be a test? No charge was then given^ of which the "bread from heaven/^ not yet bestowed, could be a trial. The test about to be imposed presupposes a statute already in existence, though not in force. Still less is it natural to conceive that it was given to elicit their obedience to an order to be issued at Sinai, nearly three weeks after the test came into operation. The reference is to a law already known and long ago enacted ; and the manna is bestowed in order to bring it into operation. Hence when some presumptuously kept a portion of it overnight at the commencement of the supply, "Moses was wroth," but God took no notice. When, however, some went to seek it on the seventh day, the law of the Sabbath, now revived, was broken, and God remon- strated— " Hoiv long refuse ye to keep my commandments and my laws ?"* So pointed is the design of the manna to furnish a test of obedience to some older arrangement, that to miss it seems the result of a fixed determination. f " The law was given that sin might abound." Apply this maxim to the case before us, and the manna was to be the occasion by which sin was made to abound. In Egypt, and up to this time, " God winked at " their disregard of the Sabbath. Now it was to be restored and enforced. How beautifully * " How long" cannot refer to a period of six days, during which manna had fallen; and the law now broken, was not, for the same reason, recently given. Are we not, then, justified in regarding this expression as an indication that the Sabbath-law, which they had lonff refused to obey, was given to the Patriarchs ; but, through their own carnality, as well as Egyptian tyranny, had long been violated ? t *' The people had some knowledge, however vague and obscure, of the law by which they were to be proved, and the purport of which was now to be indicated, and revived in them by the deposit of manna during six days, and not on the seventh." — Jordan on the Sabbath, p. 39. This is substantially in agreement with our view ; but we may be allowed to point out the slight error which confounds the law with MOSES AND THE SABBATH — THE MANNA. 53 Tvas a primeval Sabbath revived ! As first when originated it was suggested, (and this to man in Eden was enough,) by his own example ; now that man was in the wilderness, his example was peremptory; and, as such, suited to fallen man. We ^?iy peremptory, for God withholding food enforced his example. But ; — (2.) If this was the first institution of the Sabbath, as it has been asserted, its introduction to public notice was ex- traordinarily "abrupt." This is the more unaccountable since the holders of this view provided the legislator with preconcerted means. They inform us, that to have at hand some sanction for imposing the Sabbath, he proleptically in- serted the statement in Gen. ii. 1 — 3. Now, therefore, is the occasion to make use of this expedient. Why, then, is it instituted without the reference to the Creation ?* All that was said on the occasion was, " To-morrow is the holy Sabbath unto the Lord." Why did he not add. For in six days God created the heavens and the earth, and rested on the seventh day ? When ought the sanction to have been necessary — at the first institution, or after the people had acquiesced in the arrangement ? Beyond all question we have here, not the first promulgation of an unknown ordi- nance, but the casual notice of a well-known but disused Sabbath. The so-called proleptical passage, in its " simple and natural meaning," both assigns the reason of a Sabbath and dates its commencement ; and the words of the so-called its test. The manna was, in its distinction of days, to be tlie test of tlie law on th.e Sabbath — tbeir obedience to the latter was to be proved by the former, and not the law proved by itself, else the manna- test was needlessly applied. * It ^tU avail them but little to reply, " But Moses did not write his accoimt till after these and some subsequent events had taken place." For if so, after the people had submitted to the Sabbath, he had no need to insert the proleptical passage ; especially as the only end it could answer was to show the connexion of the Sabbath with the creation, which was done in the fourth commandment. 54 MOSES AND THE SABBATH — THE MANNA. first institution assume its previous existence. To give the former the aspect of an allusion to something antici- patedj instead of that of a matter-of-fact statement, and the latter the style of a legislative enactment, is one of the most marvellous instances of the influence of a theory. But,— (3.) The prescience of the great Founder of the sabbatic institution has furnished us with a striking refutation. We refer to its cursory notice with the declaratory laws of the manna. The "bread from heaven^^ was a novelty; and, see, what care is necessary to familiarize the Hebrew mind with its simple regulations. Gather it daily in the morning, keep none of it overnight, on the sixth day gather twice as much as on former occasions, eat what is required, keep the surplus for the seventh day, and on that let no man go out of the camp to seek for more. These simple rules demanded reiteration before the people could be made to adapt their habits to the conditions of supply and con- sumption. On the supposition we are controverting, the Sabbath is, also, a novelty — and all that is needful is the casual remark, — "To-morrow is the holy rest unto the Lord V Assuredly, God so ordered, that the first notice of the Sabbath, in connexion with the Israelites, should occur with the first establishment of a new and peculiar arrange- ment; that we might perceive at a glance,— first, that the Sabbath w^as an old, and the manna a new, thing; and, secondly, that the record of the difficulties Moses had to encounter in imposing a new custom, might palpably suggest what obstacles he would have had to contend with, had the Sabbath been for the first time made known to the same people. But, — (4.) Assume, again, that the narrative contains the account of the origination of the institution. Take into consideration the irascible and rebellious disposition of MOSES AND THE SABBATH — THE MANNA. 00 the people. Add to this the nature of the restrictions a Sabbath laid upon their pleasures, their opportunities of accumulating; the necessity it created for forethought and preparation; and will any man with these facts in view, assert that such an institution would either have been so casually established_, or have been submitted to without manifest reluctance? Ready to " stone ^^ Moses, as imme- diately after seen,* apt to murmur, as if for rebellion's sake : what spell-bound this people, that they neither ask what this unheard-of Sabbath meant, why it was imposed, on what authority, or what benefit would be derived from its observance? But, — (5.) Assume, again, that this was "the first institution of the Sabbath." We have, then, two entirely new arrange- ments— one affecting the time, and the other the food of the people. With regard to one of them the people were per- plexed— hence its name — " what is it? '^ — hence the report of the Elders to Moses. With regard to the other — incom- parably more likely to provoke question, inasmuch as to novelty we have to add restrictions on habits of long dura- tion— not a syllable of ignorance as to its very name, " Sabbath,'^ or an expression of surprise as to its intention, escapes the lips of the multitudes ! In connexion with the manna, some, contrary to orders, kept it overnight; it putrified, and "Moses was wroth:'' others went out to gather it on the seventh day, contrary to orders, and God remonstrated. With regard to the Sabbath all were quiet, uninquiring, and apparently furnished with sufficient know- ledge of its divine authority. Now, which of the two was, in its nature, more calculated to rouse their opposition? The manna was a gift, descending from heaven; was pleasant to the taste; subject to only two insignificant * Exod. xvii. 4. 56 MOSES AND THE SABBATH — THE MANNA. restrictions, entailing no sacrifice, demanding but a slight effort to accommodate their domestic habits to its pecu- liar conditions of supply and consumption; the Sabbath was a reduction of their time (as a carnally-minded people would deem it) ; a restraint upon their recreations, and a limitation of their productive powers. The pleasant gift necessitated much formality, reiteration, and display of authority; but the tax upon time, the restriction upon recreation, the abridgment of opportunities to accumulate, called for no more formality, reiteration, and authority, on "its first institution,^^ than "To-morrow is the holy rest of the Sabbath unto the Lord !" Now, let it be considered, that though a hiatus of 2,500 years occurs between Genesis ii. 1 — 3, and Exodus, 16th chapter, we have, from this negative evidence, nothing to counterbalance a multiplicity of indications that the Sabbath, began in Eden, continued to be known as a divine institution even when its observance was neglected. Eor, let it be remembered, that the manna, with which its first notice as a Jewish institution is associated, was, like circumcision, not of Moses, but of God; that there are reasons for assuming that the Sabbath-fi?«?/ was not commemorative of the exodus, which the Bible never asserts, which the nature of the sabbatic rest prohibits ; while, on the contrary, the Passover was not only expressly designed, but repeatedly asserted to be a memorial of that event ; that this is con- firmed by the fact, that the month was changed with such intention, while nothing is said of a revolution in their weekly computation ; that the Sabbath-observance not being permitted in Egypt, was one great reason of the miraculous emancipation of the Hebrew nation ; that the reply made by Moses to the report of the elders, intimates familiarity with it ; and, further, beautifully indicates that to have been the second great example of God himself resting from his MOSES AND THE SABBATH — THE MANNA. o7 works ; on whicli account alone a double portion of manna is given the day before; that the plan on which it was supplied is declared to have been a test of a law long ne- glected ; that the connecting this notice of the institution with the first fall of manna, shows how the Sabbath, as a novelty, would have been received, and would have been established, especially as the manna was a pleasant gift and the other an unpleasant restraint — and the irresist- ible conviction upon any mind must be, that the Sabbath was originated in Eden, fell into desuetude in Egypt, but was restored, as originated, by God's example. Moses, here, had nothing to do with it. God himself gives no new command to keep it, but refers (in the words, " How long refuse ye to keep my commandments and my laws?^') to enactments of former times as now enforced. By discontinuing the supply of food, God constrains man in the wilderness, as he allured in Eden, to imitate his example, and to Rest on the seventh day. The Sabbath restored at Sin, points backward to the Patriarchs, and forwards to the Jews. The manna lifts up the veil that hung over the patriarchal age, and reveals Abraham de- lighting in the Sabbath of his Lord. The manna fore- stalls every theory of the exclusiveness or ceremonial nature of the institution. VII. The above consideration renders it extremely pro- bable that the Patriarchs observed the Sabbath, and we are now in a position to offer certain explanations of Scripture silence on the matter. " It appears,^' says Paley, " unaccountable that no men- tion of even the obscurest allusions to it should occur either in the general history of the world, before the call of Abraham j which contains, we admit, only a few memoirs of its early ages, and these extremely abridged : or, which is more to be wondered at, in the lives of the first three 58 MOSES AND THE SABBATH — THE MANNA. Jewish Patriarchs, which, in many parts of the accounts, is sufficiently circumstantial and domestic/^* On this pas- sage we observe, — I. If a statement, so clear and positive as that in Genesis ii. 1 — 3, is explained away by the author, it is easy to divine what would have been the fate of "obscure allusions ^^ in his hands. But ii. we have, as will appear, many striking traces of the Sabbath in patriarchal times. We have ni. something stronger than '^'^ obscure allusions" in the hebdomadal division of time, which can be explained on no other supposition than that assigning a Sabbath to the men of this period. That iv. in " extremely abridged memoirs" of the period it was quite enough that the succinct statement should be inserted in Genesis ii. 1 — 3 ; which, taking the author^s admissions as to the character of the account with his proleptical view, is altogether out of place, and superfluous; since, hereafter, the Sabbath was to be " established with great solemnity." But, V. What he considers "the more to be wondered at;" is, really, no ground of wonder, as we proceed to illustrate. The account of "the lives of the first three Jewish patriarchs,^' is well expressed, but fatally, — to have been " sufficiently circumstantial and domestic." This last word suggests an answer to the objection. For, observe, as the patriarchs were of purely pastoral habits, their occupations were precisely of that character which admitted a relaxa- tion of sabbatic laws ; or rather, which embraced the greatest number of pursuits classed among works of necessity. To tend herds and flocks was their work, and this could not be suspended on a Sabbath. To employ themselves in agricultural operations, they had little need, to whom God * Mor. and Pol. Phil. bk. v. c. vii. MOSES AND THE SABBATH — THE MANNA. 59 " gave none inheritance in Canaan ; no, not so mnch as to set their foot on/^* But to lead their flocks from pasture to pas- ture, to watering places, to the shade or shelter of rocks, to enfold them at night, were all the works of necessity. The performance of these constituted the sum of their lives.f We can conceive of no avocation presenting fewer occasions for the violation of the Sabbath. As far as history is concerned, nothing is more unlikely than that, in the " circumstantial and domestic account of their lives,^^ we should meet with allusions to the infraction of its rules. To all intents and purposes, the patriarchal Sabbath and the patriarchal week- day were much alike. The only perceptible difference would consist in acts of worship. But in their simplicity of man- ners, and still more primitive forms of worship — without priest, without temple, without a Bible; but with stem integrity and steadfast piety, which strangely contrast with the disposition of their degenerate descendants in the wil- derness; what direct allusion to it could there be in the condensed summary of their lives ? There is a striking and beautiful consistency in the plan on which the Scriptures were compiled. In two particulars this is obvious here, and is suggested by the matter under consideration. I. We have affirmed, that Adam had as much need of an appointed time of worship as of worship itself. * Acts vii. 5. t A certain class of anti- Sabbatarians quote, among other directions, that prohibiting any man from " going out into the field," in order to bear out their theory, that total and absolute cessation from all work constituted the essence of the Sabbath, rather than that the main design of the suspension of labour was to furnish opportunities for private or public worship. Now that the above was a restriction applicable only to the gathering of manna, is absolutely certain. The Jews had flocks and herds grazing, in all probability, nay certainty, for miles round the camp ; and not to go out to them was to devote them to serious incon- venience, if not destruction. Our Lord showed that, to take the ox or the ass to watering-places, or to rescue a sheep fallen into a pit, was never prohibited by the Jeioish Sabbath-laws. 60 MOSES AND THE SABBATH — THE MANNA. Now the latter appears, tlie former is passed over in silence. His family offer sacrifices — but the day on which they are offered is not noticed. The analogy is remarkable; the three Jewish patriarchs are presented in connexion with the altar; but of their Sabbath we hear nothing but what is implied ! We shall again show that Cain and Abel acted on the principle of a weekly division of time, and the analogy will again be apparent, for in Jacobus life we read of "weeks.^"' The inference is clear, that Abraham, in his tent at Mamre, like his father Adam in the bowers of Eden, kept, as far as a state of primeval simplicity admitted, a holy Sabbath unto the Lord. But,— II. It is characteristic of the Scriptures to mention re- ligious institutions when founded, and then, though rarely, in connexion with some manifest violation, and the efforts made to punish delinquency. Thus, excepting the renewal of the Sabbath, with motives peculiar to the Jews, we hear nothing of it during the forty years' wandering. We have one reference, and that is to the stoning of the Sabbath- breaker. Of circumcision we hear nothing during the same period, after it was solemnly enjoined, save when under Joshua, the custom was revived. The same is true of the Lord's Supper, which in the Epistles comes under our notice as a desecrated ordinance restored by the Apostle to its original use.* These principles re- quire but application to the matter before us to silence every argument ever devised against the Sabbath, from the fact that in primeval or patriarchal ages, nothing * The whole of the epistolary portions of the New Testament may be adduced in illustration. Some heretical doctrine, some perversion of Christian ordinances, or some neglect of primitive practices, called for correction ; hence the Epistles were written. Without the existence of some abuse, we should have been without the formal establishment of many an important doctrine. MOSES AND THE SABBATH — THE MANNA. 61 is said about the institution. The first reason is, that having been established in Eden, of which we have posi- tive information, no further notice is required. And the second reason is, as the analogy of Scripture suggests, neither Adam, nor Abraham was the man to violate the Sabbath of that God whom we see them devoutly wor- shipping at the altar. To add aught by way of confirmation seems calculated only to encumber the argument. But let one fact receive the consideration it merits. The promise of a Christ under enigmatical phrases, '^ The seed of the woman bruising the serpent^s head,^' sufficed to make faith in the future Mes- siah the law of their life. Thus, Abel became a martyr to his faith in Christ. Thus, Abraham went out, he knew not whither, in firm reliance upon the promised seed.* Are these the men to question the meaning of the wondrous fact, that God, having created the heavens and the earth, rested the seventh day, and blessed it and sanctified it ? VIII. We have shown from Dr. Kitto^s remarks that the design for which the Hebrews were brought to the foot of Sinai, was to " form them into a peculiar nation.^f We are constrained to this opinion by the words of Jehovah on the occasion : " Ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians, and how I have borne you on eagles^ wings, and brought you hither unto myself. Now, if ye will indeed obey my voice, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be to me a peculiar people. For though the whole earth be mine, yet ye shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.-'^J Before this took place they stood to God in much the same relationship as " the whole earth.^^ If they stood in any peculiar relation, it was certainly not that of * See tlie whole of tlie eleyenth chapter of the Epistle to the Hebrews, t Pictor. Hist. Palest, vol. i. pp. 198, 199. :|: Ex. xix. 4—6. 62 MOSES AND THE SABBATH — THE MANNA. the Mosaic dispensation^ wliich was not yet commenced, but of one prior to it. At the burning bush God appears not as their God, but as '^'^the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob/^* The reason of this refer- ence to them is soon after distinctly stated ; " I appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, by the name of God Almighty ; but by my name Jehovah, was I not known unto them. x\nd I have also established my cove- nant with them, to give them the land of Canaan, the land of their pilgrimage, wherein they were strangers." Then referring to the cry of their bondage, God adds, " Where- fore say unto the children of Israel, I am the Lord, (not yet their covenant God,) and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will rid you out of their bondage, and I will redeem you with a stretched- out arm, and with great judgments. And I will take you to me for a people, and I will he to you a God ; and ye shall know that I am the Lord your God which bringeth you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians. And I will bring you into the land concerning the which / swear to give it to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob, and I wiU give it you for an heritage : I am the Lord.^f These passages require no comment. Before the ceremonial law was given ; before the ark or the tabernacle was constructed ; before the priesthood was established ; in other words, before the Hebrews became the " peculiar people of God, a kingdom of priests," they were under the patriarchal dispensation, and under the provisions of the Abrahamic covenant. Now, under this dispensation the Sabbath, by means of manna, and through the original method of teach- ing, by divine example, was restored to the people. They were at Sin under the patriarchal Sabbath revived. Is it * Exod. iii. 6. f Exod. vi. 2—8. MOSES AND THE SABBATH — THE MANNA. 63 possible^, then, to confound this institution with the cere- monial law?* Assume that this significant separation of the Sabbath from what was peculiarly ^Mosaic is not well grounded. We have,, still, sufficient reason for concluding that, even as a part of the ceremonial law, it is not abrogated. It is still in the enjoyment of priority of existence. The value of this is great. We have two confessedly ceremonial ordinances, circumcision and the passover. Both of these are antecedent to the other parts of the Mosaic ritual. Circumcision was not of Moses, but con- firmed by him, and it was enjoined upon them " because it was of the fathers,^ ^ the Patriarchs. The Passover was instituted also antecedently in Egypt, while, as we have shown, the people were under the Abrahamic covenant. Now it is remarkable that these are the only two Jewish ordinances which preceded, and have survived in a form adapted to Christianity, the ceremonial law. The analogy of Scripture constrains us to add the Sabbath, even as a ceremonial ordinance, to the list of those known to have survived the Mosaic ritual, on the simple ground of priority of institution. t We repeat, that the significant association with the manna of the first notice of the Sabbath as en- * " The restoring and ascertaining the Sabbath," says J. Taylor, ♦' was the first point of religion that was settled after the children of Israel came out of Egypt, as being of the greatest moment ; a7id this in relation to the original institution, for the law at Mount Sinai was not then given." — Nicholls's Help. t The reader will not fail to perceive the bearing of this precedent on the later transfer of the Sabbath from the seventh to the first day of the week. Some have argued that this change is destructive of the Jewish, but not sufiicient to establish a Christian, Sabbath. The reverse is plainly the case. Circiuncision and the passover were prior to, and, in a remodelled form, survive the ceremonial law. The Sabbath, which was prior to it, must be remodelled to survive. Analogy requires the change. 64 MOSES AND THE SABBATH — THE MANNA. forced upon Jews, some three weeks, (were it but as many days it would have been of the same importance,) before the proclamation of the Decalogue, forestalls every theory against it as a merely ceremonial, or exclusively Jewish, institution. CHAPTER III. MOSES AND THE SABBATH— THE DECALOGUE. I. Hitherto Moses has stood before us in the capacity of a humble but faithful historian, representing the Sabbath as the result of, firsts God resting from the works of creation, and secondly, God resting from furnishing the miraculous supplies of food. Are we now to view him as restoring the Sabbath ? God himself he represented as the restorer at Sin. As the legislator enacting the laws of a sabbatic institution ? This he is not seen doing, excepting in one point, till some forty years have elapsed after the solemni- ties of Sinai. If neither as restorer, nor as legislator, what then? Simply as the historian still who records that, among other things, " God spake these words, saying, Re- member the Sabbath-day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work : but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God : in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy man-servant, nor thy maid-servant, nor thy cattle, nor the stranger that is within thy gates : for in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested on the seventh day : wherefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath- day, and hallowed it.'' Moses, then, simply records the fact that " God spake THESE WORDS.'' Yet wc are told, that the Decalogue is a part of " the law that came by Moses," and is in contrast with " the grace and truth that came by Jesus Christ ! " F 66 MCSES AND THE SABBATH — THE DEOALOGUE. Moses, verily, is no more the founder of the Sabbath than he was the creator of the heavens, or the giver of manna. The reasons must be very strong, and the state- ments very explicit, that can convert this act of God into one of the transactions of Moses. Before the nature of the fourth commandment is taken into consideration, it is of great moment to observe, that the divine precept comes after the divine example of resting at Sin and in Eden, the law after the institution. That the Law enforced an existing institution, but did not originate it, is a fact which, so generally overlooked by writers on opposite sides of the question, lies at the root of the con- troversy. The Decalogue cannot originate what had, by some three weeks at least, a prior existence. It is added to explain and enforce, or to buttress by additional in- junctions what was originated, and exists on independent grounds. Whether the fourth commandment be moral or ceremonial, or partly one and partly the other, occasions, here at least, little uneasiness; for it did not originate the Sabbath. Be the Decalogue, in part or in whole, repealed, or still in force, the institution which did not come with it does not necessarily depart with its depart- ure. Blot out the fourth precept, and the Jews would have been bound to keep what the regulations of manna compelled them to sanctify. Had not a jot or tittle of the ceremonial law been promulgated, the Sabbath would have been kept. Before . types and shadows of coming events were ordained, the commemoration of the creation was required. If it ever acquired a typical significance, this was an additional feature, and not its original design ; and if, as we are informed, that, because Paul represents the Sabbath as the shadow of Christ, it has, as such, ceased to be in force; as an ordinance commemorative of the Creation it remains. If, again, the Jew, before the MOSES AXD THE SABBATH — THE DECALOGUE. 67 fourth commandment came^ and, therefore, without it, was required to keep the Sabbath, so the Christian, after it is repealed — supposing its abrogation — may be bound to sanctify the Sabbath. If before a ceremonial dispensa- tion began the Jew was required to hallow it, it was not because of Mosaic obligations; and therefore, after the ceremonial dispensation has vanished, the Christian on the same grounds may be under obligations to reverence its laws. The Jews as men, and the Christians as men, are to keep it as an institution '^ made for man.^^ Hereafter we shall have occasion to revert to this subject, in order to show that if Christians, apparently without any command from Christ or his apostles, continued to observe the Sabbath, there is nothing in this fact that can be deemed extraordinary, since without the Decalogue the Jews were led into their observance from God^s giving and withholding manna on the rule of the hebdomad. If, again, the first day was adopted as their day of rest and worship, without the assignment of any reason, it is but in ac- cordance with a principle long before observed; for the Jews were required to keep a certain day — the seventh from the first falling of manna, without any intimation why that particular day was chosen. The position of the fourth commandment gives the Sabbath a place among moral laws, which are in their nature of lasting obligation. We are informed, however, that this connexion does not prove the Sabbath to have been a moral law. Why not ? Because, says the ablest advocate of the theory, " the distinction between positive and natural duties, like other distinctions of modern ethics, was unknown to the simplicity of ancient language ; and that there are various passages in Scripture in which duties of a political, or ceremonial, or positive nature, and confessedly of a partial obligation^ are enumerated, 68 MOSES AND THE SABBATH — THE DECALOGUE. and without any mark of discrimination, along with others which are natural and universal/^* On this we remark ; — I. We may assume, that if there be any just distinction between what is moral and what is positive, God well un- derstood that " distinction/' And what if it should appear, that because of such distinction God inserted the fourth commandment in the Decalogue, and not among merely ceremonial institutions ? ii. That this is the point which Paley evades, to prove that the Decalogue constitutes one of those passages in which there is this want of discrimina- tion. As some are of this miscellaneous nature, and some are not, it is sheer waste of time to quote the former and leave the point untouched ; viz. — is this passage of a mis- cellaneous character ? Assume, then, that the fourth commandment is of a ceremonial nature. Is there any ceremonial institution which was, i. proleptically announced; ii. enforced by God^s own example; ill. grounded upon the facts of Creation ; iv. that is commemorative of Creation, while all others, instead of a retrospective aspect, possess more or less of a prospective, i. e. of a typical character; and V. that, though prior to the Legation of Moses, does not survive it ? As a ceremonial institution it enjoys a proud preeminence over those of a kindred nature ; and this fact alone is sufficient ,to suggest that reasons adequate to the demolition of its inferiors, are wholly impotent when directed against it. But we have a vast variety of reasons to indicate that the theory which confounds the Sabbath with ceremonies, is as untenable * Mor. and Pol. Phil. bk. v. c. vii. The author then quotes at length Ezek. xviii. 5 — 9, and apart of the apostolic decree in the fifteenth chapter of Acts, which the reader should consult, but which space pre- vents our inserting, especially as the former really proves nothing, and the latter will be considered in a future chapter. MOSES AND THE SABBATH — THE DECALOGUE. 69 as the proleptical view controverted in our preceding chapters. II. As yet the system of Jewish rites and ceremonies was not originated. And " God himself separates this command from those which were ceremonial in their prin- cipal intention and subject-matter^ when he calls the whole system of precepts in the two tables by the name of the ten commandments or words : ' The ten commandments, which the Lord spake unto you in the mount out of the midst of fire in the day of the assembly.^* No con- siderate person can read these words, but he will find a most signal emphasis in the several parts of them. The day of the assembly is that which the Jews so celebrate, under the name of ' the station in Sinai ; ' the day that was the foundation of their church-state, when they solemnly covenanted with God about the observation of the law.f And the Lord himself spake these words, i. e. in an imme- diate and special manner, which is still observed when any mention is made of them. J ' And,^ saith Moses, ' he spake them unto you/ that is, immediately to all the assembly ; § when it is added, that he spake to them out of the midst of the fire, of the cloud, and of the thick dark- ness, with a great voice (that every individual might hear it), and he added no more. He spake not one word more, i.e. gave not one precept more at this time to the people; but the whole solemnity of fire, thunder, lightning, earth- quake, and sound of trumpet, immediately ceased and disappeared.^^ || On the other hand, all that was cere- monial and typical was not only separated from the Decalogue by an interval of time, but was communicated through Moses. God withdraws himself from the view of * Deut. X. 4. t Deut. v. 24—27. t E. g. Exod. XX. Deut. v. and x. § Deut. v. 22. II Owen, Treatise on Sabbath, pp. 128, 129. 70 MOSES AND THE SABBATH — THE DECALOGUE. the people^ calls Moses up into the mount, -where forty- days and forty nights -were spent in copying ''the pattern of things in the heavens/^* " For see/' saith God, '^ that thou make all things according to the pattern sho-wed thee in the mount.'^ f What thus passed through his hands, were Mosaic ; -what God chose himself to speak directly to the people, were the eternal verities of law. There is a punctilious prolixity in the enactment of a ritual ordinance, indicative of its first institution, as well as of its ceremonial nature. Here we have a simple and concise announcement of what is easily compre- hended, requiring less mental attention to secure a precise observance than moral rectitude of heart; and, as will be obvious, pre-supposes a clear understanding of its rules, — the result of past experience. It was this peculiarity of such institutes that engen- dered " the spirit of bondage ; '^ a fear lest one should incur guilt by oversight and neglect. This constituted an intolerable yoke, from which Christ set us free. The Sab- bath, on the contrary, was a humane provision. It is a contradiction to suppose that the same institution was designed at once to free the Jews from the pressure of worldly toil, and to enslave them by the burdensome yoke which neither they nor their sons could bear. J The above remarks necessarily refer to those who were truly conscientious, and anxious to please God — to them it was a yoke. The formalist and hypocrite, however, had, on other grounds, a peculiar regard for rites and ceremonies. Disliking moral and spiritual ordinances, they have ever sought to compound with God for their sins. Hence their attachment to the ceremonial yoke, and desire to fling off the obligations of the greater laws of * Heb. ix. 23. f Heb. yiii. 5. % Acts xv. 10. MOSES z\ND THE SABBATH — THE DECALOGUE. / 1 morality and religion. Thus,, nowhere in Scripture are the spiritually-minded Jews represented as captivated with the ceremonial institutes, while they are seen to " delight " in the Sabbath. The carnally-minded Jews are perpetually reproved for their fondness for forms, while they styled the Sabbath a '^ weariness.^^ In doing this, the prophets, by their statements, and Christ, by his example, exhibit their high regard for the Sabbath, and their contempt for mere rites. Isaiah speaks of it as the sum and substance of spiritual religion in the very chapter which is full of exposures of a formal adherence to a ritual worship.* Of ceremonies Christ speaks disparagingly — as " tithing mint, anise, and cummin " — which were not the ^^ weightier matters'' of the law; but of the Sabbath he declares himself " the Lord,'' and states, that it " was made for man.'^ If we were restricted to but one argument in disproof of the ceremonial view of the fourth commandment, we would appeal to Popish countries, and ask, where do men display greater attachment to merely ceremonial ordinances ? And where, we would ask, is the Sabbath more profaned ? So far as they can convert it into an appliance of formal religion, they retain it. Contrast Popish hatred of a Sabbath with the theories that represent the fourth com- mandment as ceremonial, and they disappear for ever. These simple but striking facts ought to have precluded another truly eccentric theory. The Sabbath was a day of repose, and hence it was a shadow of good things to come. On this typical view we may remark : — I. If this were all that constituted a Sabbath, how came carnally-minded men to acquire such repugnance to the institution ? Surely men are too generally prone to indo- lence of both mind and body to feel such aversion to * See Isa. Iviii. 13, 14 ; compared mth verses 1 — 7. 7Z MOSES Ai\D THE SABBATH — THE DECALOGUE. corporeal rest ! Their estimation of it is conclusive proof that there were certain spiritual elements in its observance that made it " a weariness/^* II. If such had been its nature, they had no Sabbath for Sabbath^s sake. Now, the advocates of this view also hold that, let the arrangement have originated whence it may, we must retain it as the guarantee of public worship. Were the Jews in less danger of neglecting religion than Christians, that all that they required was a corporeal rest to typify our spiritual repose ? Of all the types in Scripture, this alone would have been grotesque and absurd. A Jew exposing himself to the thousand vices of indolence, in order to foreshadow the thousand virtues of a spiritual rest in Christ ! III. Let the reader glance at the 92nd Psalm, which is entitled "A Song for the Sabbath Day;^^ weigh the expressions of Isaiah, f presenting the Jewish Sabbath in the light of spiritual delight to the worshipper, and the '^ honourable" to God ; consider the glimpses we have into its nature as a day of religious instruction and consulta- tion, J and he will perceive the straits to which anti- * Justin Martyr, in his Dialogue witli Trypho, reproved the Jews in his day for taking this low view of their Sabbath, asserting that they *' mistook the end and design for which the Sabbath was instituted." t Isa. Iviii. 13, 14. X The prophets class Sabbath-breaking with various immoral prac- tices, regard it as a salutary restraint on the e^dl-disposed, and point to their uneasiness under it as a melancholy sign of moral degeneracy. An indolent Sabbath, " affording," as Mr. Jordan observes, " oppor- tunities for sin," would have forced upon them the very vices for which they are reproved. A glance at Ezekiel xxii. 1 — 12, will show that the prophet has in view sins against the Decalogue, and among them he will find Sabhath-hreaking. The question to the Shunammitess by her husband, '• Wherefore wilt thou go to him (Elisha) to-day ? it is neither new moon nor sabbath," (2 Kings iv. 23,) is a proof, i, that the employ- ment of cattle and servants (see verses 22 and 24) in journeys on a Sabbath-day, for necessary purposes, was not deemed unlawful ; and. MOSES AND THE SABBATH — THE DECALOGUE. 73 Sabbatarians are reduced to caricature what they admit was, to the Israelite, a divinely-imposed ordinance. But — IV. The corporeal rest-theory originated in a misconcep- tion of the nature of a type. The Sabbath may have typi- fied the spiritual enjoyment of the latter days, and yet have been an institution of present use. The Sabbath is still an emblem of heaven, without ceasing to be a Sabbath for the present state of existence. Wedlock is a type of the spiritual union of the Church with Christ, as " a chaste virgin,^^ espoused by Clirist the "Bridegroom."^ And yet no sane mind thence argues that the obligations of wedded life are annulled. If, however, Paul's language to the Colossians, implying that " Sabbath-days were a shadow of good things to come, but the body is of Christ,''* amounts to a repeal of the institution, we come to the startling con- clusion that, so also marriage has been abrogated, because '' in Christ there is neither male nor female.'' The latter expression is no more unduly stretched, as we shall demon- strate, than the former, on such principles of interpretation. We shall add only another consideration to the above, illus- trative of the broad difference between the Sabbath and ceremonial institutions. The latter excluded with jealous care Gentiles from observing them as Gentiles, as aliens from the commonwealth of Israel. It was one of the regulations of the passover observances, that " no stranger shall eat thereof, but every man-servant, that is bought for money, when thou hast circumcised him, then shall he eat thereof. A foreigner and a hired servant shall not eat thereof."! On the contrary, the Sabbath was imposed upon " man-servants, maid-servants, and strangers II. that religious consultation was a characteristic of the Jewish Sabbath. * Coloss. ii. 16, 17. t The rule extended to other ceremonial matters ; see Lev. xxii. 10. 74 MOSES AND THE SABBATH — THE DECALOGUE. within their gates/' Thus Nehemiah enforced it upon "the Tyrians, who brought fish and all manner of ware, and sold on the Sabbath unto the children of Judah and in Jerusalem/'* The very nature of the institution made it an impossibility to convert it into a merely ceremonial, or exclusively Jewish observance. III. The marked difference between the manner in which the fourth commandment was proclaimed, and cere- monial observances were announced — the former uttered with great solemnity and publicity by God himself; the latter among the obscurity of the clouds upon Sinai's top through Moses ; — the concise style of the one — the prolixity of the other; the oppressive nature of the one — and the humane design of the othe^' ; the significant attachment to carnal ordinances by carnal men, contrasted with the de- light spiritually-minded men ever experienced in the Sab- bath; the puerility, not to say impiety, of the notion at- tributing to God the origin of a merely corporeal rest as the sum of the Jewish Sabbath; the including Sabbath-break- ing by the prophets among immoral practices ; and lastly, the prohibition to allow strangers to connect themselves 'as such with purely ceremonial institutes, coupled with the precept and practice of enforcing the fourth command upon aliens as such; amount, as an argument against the ceremonial character of this commandment, to something more than insinuations. It is on these grounds alone that we can account for; — I. That God should have inscribed the fourth com- mandment with his own finger, giving it a symbolical superiority to all others, likely to be confounded with it, as ceremonial; and a permanence, as will be seen, to which they can never lay claim. II. That on the first of the " two tables of stone,'^ it * Neh. xiii. 15—21. MOSES AND THE SABBATH — THE DECALOGUE. 75 should have a place assigned it. Leaves and parchments sufficed to hand down to generations what Christ was eventually to " nail to his cross -" but " the tables were the work of God^ and the vrriting was the writing of God, graven upon the tables.^^* III. That while merely ceremonial instructions were in- scribed upon the pages of a volume, which was placed on the side of the ark^f the two tables of stone formed part of the contents of the ark itself ; J which were never more than " the golden pot of manna, Aaron's rod that budded, and the tables of the covenant.-' ■* At one time the tables formed the sole furniture of the ark. We are not left to conjecture why such honour was put upon the fourth commandment. The prophet shows, that though God would "find fault with the first covenant,^^ the Decalogue would still form part of the new. " For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord ; / will put my laws into their minds, and ivrite them in their hearts."^ That this application of the symbol might not be questioned, we have a very pointed reference to it ; " written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God ; not in tables of stone, but in fleshy tables of the heart.^^ || The tablet is changed, but the inscription is not discarded. " Thus, the Liturgy of the Church of England very beautifully directs the members of that communion to pray after the reading of the Decalogue, " Lord, have mercy upon us, and incline our hearts to keep this law''^ * Exod. xxxii. 16. f Deut. xxxi. 24—27. X Exod. xxxi. 18 ; Deut. x. 1 — 5 ; 1 Kings viii. 9 ; Heb. ix. 4. § Jer; xxxi. 31 — 34, wHch is quoted by the Apostle, and applied to the Christian dispensation. Heb. viii. 8 — 10. II 2 Cor. iii. 3. H Dr. Heylin was staggered at this fact, and endeavoured to explain it away. See his Hist, of the Sabbath, pt. ii. ch. viii. § 3, pp. 240—242. 7() MOSES AND THE SABBATH — THE DECALOGUE. IV. The inference from these facts, that the fourth com- mandment is of the same nature as the other nine, is im- questionable. " So conclusive is the argument drawn from this source, that, rather than admit the fourth to be moral, because the nine seem to be such, some have gone so far as to assert, that the nine must be ceremonial, because the fourth is palpably of this nature ! " Waiving the obvious answer, we would have the fact duly considered, that be the character of the Decalogue moral or ceremonial, the ten commandments stand or fall together. Viewing them as " the laws of nature or the moral law,^^ " the Decalogue is its summary. And it is so perfectly ; for nothing belongs to that law, which is not comprised therein; nor is there anything directly, and immediately in it, but what does belong to that law.^'* The fourth stands in intimate union with the nine commandments. It is not only with them on the two tables of stone, it enjoys a central position. It is not an introductory clause, nor yet an appendix. To remove it is to derange the whole Decalogue. On one supposition it is moral, and as such still obligatory ; on another it is merely ceremonial ; and, if so, all of them are ceremonial. Assume this extraordinary propo- sition, and have we rid ourselves of the injunction to keep the Sabbath holy ? Nay, verily ! the consequence is, that we have ten ceremonial laws binding upon us as Christians, for in the New Testament the ten command- ments are retained. In Ephesians vi. 2, 3, we have certain expressions directly bearing upon the argument — " Honour thy father and mother ; which is the first commandment The famous protestant champion, Chilling worth, for some time refused to conform to the Rubric, assigning the reason, * ' That to say the fourth commandment is a law of God appertaining to Christians, is false and imlawful." * Owen's Treatise on the Sabbath, p. 157. MOSES AND THE SABBATH — THE DECALOGUE. 77 with promise ; that it may be well with thee, and that thou mayest live long on the earth/^ Observe ; — I. That the reference to the numerical order, to say nothing of the quotation of the very words of the fifth com- mandment, discloses the fact 4hat to the Decalogue the allusion is made. II. That the apostle quotes it to enjoin it upon children under the Christian dispensation; and that in such a manner, as to intimate that the Decalogue was still in force. III. That the remarkable phrase, "which is the first commandment with promise/^ shows that the 'preceding commandments were not repealed. He adduces the attrac- tiveness of the fifth as a special inducement for obedience to it. The giving prominence to this feature, proceeds on the supposition that, while the others had all the force of law, this suggested peculiar motives for its observance. And, — IV. That had there been certain apparently peculiar or local reasons annexed to all the precepts, we should have had no just grounds for assuming the Decalogue to be solely a Jewish code. The fifth is apparently hampered with a local and temporary reason, — "that thy days may be long in the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee." The apostle perceived no obstacle in this fact to its appli- tion to Christians, who have no personal interest in Canaan, His method of dropping the Jewish element, and accom- modating the injunction in all its essential properties to the race of man, is peculiarly significant; — "that thou mayest live long on the earth." The unavoidable conclu- sion from what has been advanced is, that whether the Decalogue be ceremonial or moral, it is unrepealed ; and that the fourth commandment is inextricably combined with the rest; and, therefore, binding upon Christians. 78 MOSES AND THE SABBATH — THE DECALOGUE. But the example of the apostle is too valuable to be passed over without adequate consideration. One of the ten is unquestionably confined, to all appearance, to the Hebrew nation. The motive — " the promise" it holds out, is absolutely Jewish. That one, thus exposed to objection, is rescued from the grasp of our opponents. There is a striking contrast between the fourth and fifth commandments. The fourth concludes the first table, the fifth commences the second table. The former is the only one with a reason annexed ; the latter, the only one with an express promise.* The latter, again, anticipates an event distant some forty years, to draw from it a motive of obedience; and the reason on which it is enforced, is restricted in its application to a particular nation; the former, on the other hand, refuses to look back, but a fortnight or three weeks — which would have furnished it with a powerful motive drawn from the gift of heaven — manna, restoring them a Sabbath; refuses, again, to look back fifty days — which would have armed it with immense power growing out of the miracle of the Red Sea — the night of death to their foes and glorious deliverance to them from the house of bondage, and the ten plagues that preceded — and, leaping over twenty-five centuries, draws its motive-power from the Creation, which furnished them with no reason but what was common to the whole race of man. Such is the contrast between the fourth and fifth commandments. * The fourtli commandment is " custos, or keeper of the whole first table, since our owning of God to be our God, and our worship of him according to his mind, Avere to be solemnly expressed on the day of rest ; commanded to be observed for that purpose ; and if the latter be neglected, the former will certainly be neglected also ; whence a remem- brance to observe this day is so strictly enjoined. And the fifth com- mandment is apparently custos of the second table, as containing the means of exacting the observation of all its duties, or of punishing the neglect and disobedience of them." — Oioeu. MOSES AND THE SABBATH — THE DECALOGUE. 79 Now the contrast between the courses pursued by the inspired apostle and uninspired anti-Sabbatarians, is not less remarkable. The apostle, in the commandment, to all appearance restricted to the Jews, perceived no reason why it should not be enforced upon Christians ; the anti- Sabba- tarian cannot understand why the commandment, palpably applicable to all mankind, should be thought binding upon any but Jews ! Paul changes the phraseology of the fifth commandment to widen the basis on which it stands; Paley interprets the terms of the other so as to narrow the ground on which God placed it. " If, indeed, the fourth commandment be in any sense not a moral one, it can only be in that sense which exalts it above moral laws, and makes it a spiritual one.^^* '' li/' as another has remarked, " any of the ten illustrious enact- ments of the government of God may claim a lofty prece- dence in the view of the human race, it is the fourth and the fifth, which enjoin — the one, honour to God, as the Lord of the Sabbath ; the other, honour to parents, as his represen- tatives on earth. Both of these would be perfectly appro- priate to man in his unfallen state, even amid the bloom and beauty of Paradise, ere the sanctity of his nature had been defiled by the touch of sin, and the rampant corrup- tions of his heart and life had demanded that God should say in penal tones, — Thou shalt not bow down to idols, nor kill, nor steal — nor commit adultery. These precepts seem to have been framed to meet the monstrous develop- ments of human depravity that had risen in the face of Heaven. But the Sabbath, it smiled in Paradise itself . . Combine these two ideas that came from God — the Sab- bath and the Family. Think of a sanctified Sabbath in a pious family. It is an image, shaded indeed, of heaven ; a sweet dawn blushing into a cloudless sky ! '^ f * Jordan on tlie Sabbatli, p. 54. f Rev. J. N. Dunforth. 80 MOSES AND THE SABBATH — THE DECALOGUE. Having thus cleared our way through false glosses and theories, we may proceed to analyse and expound the fourth commandment itself. V. We should premise, that there is no obscurity in the precise terms which requires a particular consideration. It is of importance, however, to allow the mind to rest upon them that we may be in full possession of the knowledge of the duties it imposes. This will prevent our having to retrace our steps from the positions we shall successively occupy in future chapters. I. Its relation to those that precede. "In the first commandment we have the exclusiveness of God^s worship ; in the second, the spirituality of his worship ; in the third, its devout and reverential character, as well as the vene- ration of all that is divine ; and in the fourth, the guarantee that in the midst of secular engagements it shall not be overlooked and set aside by the appropriation to it of a certain fixed and regularly returning proportion of time : all this is moral — clearly and divinely moral." The first, again, having set forth Jehovah as their God — their Re- deemer ; it was of special importance to guard against the absurd ideas so prevalent even 4iow — of local, household, national deities ; by declaring their God to be also the God of the " whole earth.'' The former, it will be remembered, was made prominent before Israel was taken into a peculiar relationship. The latter was reserved for the fourth commandment to inculcate ; thus, not only impress- ing it with features showing its application to mankind (which are wanting in the others), but setting forth its superior duration. For, when idols have been "utterly abolished," and the first becomes in some measure obsolete, the necessity of God's worship will still be inculcated by the fourth commandment. II. Its provisions are equally significant. God, man, and MOSES AND THE SABBATH — THE DECALOGUE. 81 inferior creatures ; man, personal, related ; and related as parents, masters, owners of cattle, and magistrates ; are all distinctly stated, and their respective claims fully, but briefly enforced. Keep the Sabbath holy, for God rested and sanctified it — that is, appropriated it to the worship of himself. In it " thou shalt do no manner of work,'^ for " God blessed it ; ^' it is thy release from toil ! '' Nor thy son, nor thy daughter, nor thy manservant, nor thy maidservant;^^ — it is not thy peculiar privilege. Thy position is superior ; but the Sabbath, in this respect, levels all distinctions, domestic and social. Thou and thine must rest. But there is an immeasurable interval between man — the image of God — and the herds and flocks given for food, for clothing, and for beasts of burden. The Sabbath overlooks this disparity. They, too, shall stand on equal footing on this day. God stooped to give man this boon ; let him descend a little, and confer this favour on cattle. III. The initial phrase is significant. " Remember ! " It is characteristic. Let it be retrospective or prospective, it '^ anoints''-' the fourth commandment " above its fellows.^^ Why thus specially honoured ? Because ceremonial ? Then ^' sufier it to be so now ; '^ as the Son stooped to its yoke to " fulfil all righteousness : '^ as the " Father '' himself — shall we say, " ceremonially,^^ — rested ; so we must " Remember to keep the Sabbath holy.^^ " Remember ! '' Is this a new law — for the first time proclaimed at Sinai — thus ushered into notice ? It assumes, it asserts a prior existence. It cannot point to Sin, where we heard but the words, " To-morrow is the rest of the holy Sabbath unto the Lord.^-* This is no original enact- ment; we retrace our steps into remote antiquity. We will call in the aid of a competent guide, lest we lose our way in the pathless waste of five-and-twenty centuries. We wait not long, "/or in six days the Lord made G 82 MOSES AND THE SABBATH — THE DECALOGUE. heaven and earth, the sea and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day ; wherefore, the Lord blessed the Sabbath-day and hallowed it.'' Therefore, " Remember the Sabbath-day to keep it holy/' The cherubim with their flaming sword, obedient to its well-known voice now stand aside, and in Eden we are permitted to behold God resting. As we return, the gates again close, the cherubim take their place, and their angry swords flash the fearful words, " Let us therefore fear, lest a promise being left us of entering into His rest, any of you should seem to come short of it ! " * In the second chapter of Genesis we have, therefore, the words of the institution ; in the sixteenth chapter of Exodus we have a glimpse again of its existence ; and here the quotation of the very terms of its original enactment, with such additional and expletive clauses as are required by the altered circumstances of man. Assume this high antiquity of its origin, and the terms are just those we should antici- pate. Assign to it the date of the Decalogue, or even that of manna, and the initial clause and the universal reason are deprived of a great part of their significance. '' Remember, '^ God gave you no food on this day at Sin. » Although the initial term of the fourth oommandment may include a prospective reference, we see nothing in the reasons advanced by Whately, among others, to justify the exclusion of all reference to the past. The reason assigned why it commences with the word " Re- member," namely, that the duties it enjoins are of a nature exposed to neglect from forgetfulness, is, at least, as applicable to any other in the Decalogue. The suddenness of provocation leading to murder, required as much watchfiiLness to keep the sixth commandment. A social and national custom, once established, would, one is disposed to think, become so habitual as to reqviire remembrance less than a precept seldom called into operation. For forty years the supply of manna rendered remembrance tmnecessary, and after this period the habits in- duced wovdd lead to its observance. All things considered, the pro- spective reference cannot exhaust the reason why the fourth command- ment alone begins with the word " remember." MOSES AND THE SABBATH — THE DECALOGUE. 8S He taught you to forecast and anticipate its approacli, for it must be kept holy. Through want of this habit of pre- paration the priceless boon was lost in Egypt, and " the cry of your oppression^ ^ reached the heavens. I restore you your Sabbaths, the Sabbaths in which your fathers Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob delighted. While the manna lasts, during forty years, the double portion on the sixth day, and the dearth on the seventh day, will repeat in language, the most perverse and rebellious shall be incapable of mis- understanding, " Remember the Sabbath-day to keep it holy ! '' IV. In the reasons assigned we have no Jewish element that forbids universal regard for the fourth commandment. But what if it had been so? If any are justified in contract- ing the universal reason, may we not, with their example before us, expand the local and national motive ? We need scarcely remind the reader of the Apostle's course, before considered. But if a reason appealing to the instincts of mankind may be applied to the Jews, and confined to ihem, in which lies our objection, why may we not take the Jewish reason, which we admit is unreasonable, and apply it to the human race? But, observe, the whole Decalogue is prefaced with a clause of merely Jewish interest, — ^^ I am the Lord thy God, which has brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.^^ This shows that though each command stands on independent grounds, each and all may be enforced upon a particular people on peculiar grounds. Thus to the reason derived from creation God adds another, drawn from their national deliverance. In our succeeding section we develope this important prin- ciple. The present section we close by pointing out its bearing upon a Christian Sabbath. When Christ has re- deemed us from a more terrible bondage, the introductory clause at the head of the Decalogue will be withdrawn, and 84 MOSES AND THE SABBATH — THE DECALOGUE. one more appropriate to the obligations incurred by tbe spiritual Israel of God will take its place, and show Chris- tians why they should "Kemember the Sabbath-day to keep it holy." VI. While the Jews, as men, required a Sabbath, they needed, as Jews, a Sabbath peculiarly adapted to their character and circumstances. Here Moses comes under notice. Heretofore he has had nothing to do with it as Legislator; as the faithful historian he simply recorded what God, as its founder, said or did in relation to His rest. A clear perception of this all-important fact is amply suffi- cient to cut up, root and branch, every theory that confines the institution to the Hebrew people, or regards it as part of the Mosaic system. There are but three links that connect the Sabbath with the Mosaic dispensation. I. The Jewish reasons annexed to the universal reasons ; ii. The penalty of death ; and ni. The use made of the observance, as a sign of covenant relationship to God. I. As to the Jewish reasons annexed to the universal reasons, it should be considered, that the commandment does not contain them; they are superadded, and excepting one occasion' we do not hear of them till the rehearsal, some forty years after. Undoubtedly they came into force much earlier, but the long interval on the face of the record precludes the opinion that the Sabbath was of Jewish extraction. It is confessed * that the reason drawn from creation was destitute of " proper energy." It required, therefore, something special to enforce the institution as weU as to adapt it to the Jews.f Hence it was engrained * Paley, Mor. and Pol. Pliil. bk. v. ch. vii. t Archbishop Wake, having referred to Gen. ii. 2, 3, as containing " a command given by God to mankind from the beginning of the world ;" and having stated, that " it is not to be doubted that the Sab- bath continued to be observed so long as any sense of true religion MOSES AND THE SABBATH — THE DECALOGUE. 85 into the Mosaic system. To effect this, double sacrifices and ceremonial observances were associated with the insti- tution. Hence it acquired a typical aspect, which was lost when Christ fulfilled the law of Moses. While, however, it lasted, it partly deprived man of the rest of the Sab- bath, and so far encroached upon its primitive design. Thus our Lord tells us, that " the priests in the temple PROFANED the Sabbath ! " This was precisely the case with another primeval institutution — marriage. Here, as there. Mosaic precepts, so far from originating, rather defaced, an existing and beautiful arrangement of God, to meet the exigencies of the times — " the hardness of their hearts. ^^ It was, indeed, this depraved condition in man^s nature that required the penal form, and the peremptory tone, of the Decalogue. " In the beginning of creation it was not so.^^ God^s example sufficed in Eden. That example was renewed at Sin, but in a modified form, indicative of this deterioration. There by withholding food, God compelled imitation, and now at Sinai by the terrors of law, enforces conformity, and soon in the wilderness of Arabia, makes death or obedience the alternative. But this adaptation was not allowed to take place till evidence had been given that the Sabbath, though specially remained ;" and having asked, " How then did it become needful for God to renew it again in " Exod. xx. ? replies tlius : '* As it was needful for him to renew many other precepts which yet were certainly given by Him, and observed in the world long before. Nobody questions but that Adam and his first descendants both knew and worshipped the true God ; yet this was provided for again now. So immediately after the flood the law against murder was solemnly promulgated (Gen. ix. 6), yet nevertheless the same command was here again repeated. As with the case before us— as men lived further off from the creation, and wickedness prevailed over the face of the earth, and the true worship of God was corrupted by almost a universal idolatry, so was the solemn day of his worship neglected likewise." — Commentary on the Church Catechism, p. 101. 86 MOSES AND THE SABBATH — THE DECALOGUE. applied, was universally applicable. While this priority of the moral to the ceremonial influences us, it, doubtless, had a present significance. In the multiplicity of rites and ceremonies the Jewish mind was in danger of supposing, that religion consisted in them. To anticipate this infer- ence, God himself, first, proclaims the moral law ; and then, secondly, and through "a servant,^^ establishes a ritual worship. What, therefore, was engrafted in the Mosaic dispensa- tion, may be extracted ; and, in its original form, perpe- tuated. That this was done we shall prove in our next two chapters. VII. Another link, by which it wa^s attached to the Mosaic system, was the penalty of death. Whatever may be the proper consequences of this painful enactment, they must affect other portions of the Decalogue similarly adapted to the Theocracy. The first, second, third, fifth, and sixth, as well as the fourth commandment, were thus enforced upon the Jews. The last must stand or fall with the others, on the same ground. The objection drawn from the infliction of death upon the Sabbath -breaker, should be, but is not, by the same parties, drawn from the same feature, against the laws on adultery, disobedience to parents, blasphemy, &c. It is, therefore, trifling to state, — that if we are " bound by the law of observance, we must be bound also by the law of penalty for its infraction.^' We need not waste time in arguing the matter, since anti- Sabbatarians direct their weapons against only one of six laws similarly circumstanced. Let it, however, be remem- bered, that the fourth, as well as the other commandments, are not so hampered in their place in the Decalogue. In this form God uttered the fourth commandment, and as such we are bound by it; in the other form Moses re- iterated it, and the Jews alone were affected by it. MOSES AND THE SABBATH — THE DECALOGUE. 87 The objection, as such, is impotent; but it is capable of conversion into a powerful argument against other theories of the Sabbath. There is but one instance recorded in which the penalty was exacted.* One of the people gathered sticks on the Sabbath day. What his motives were we are not informed ; and Moses, also, knew not what to do with the transgressor. It is, however, well known that death was never inflicted for the infraction of a ceremonial law, f ^^^ invariably for presumptuous transgression. It is to be assumed, therefore, that such was the nature of this delinquency. David not only ate what it was unlawful for him to eat, J but violated the strict laws of the Sabbath. For these violations he was not con- demned j necessity was his justification. We conclude that the man that gathered sticks, did it without necessity. He could not require it for food — for he had manna. He could not need it for warmth, for the desert was too hot by nature. § All things considered, he was executed for presumption. In this light we may hereafter be able to show, that, though the magistrate cannot now proceed to such extremities, since we are not under the Theocracy, yet the penalty of death is still often inflicted by God upon the * Numb. XV. 32—36. t See Owen's Treatise on the Sabbath, p. 154. X The particulars of this incident wiU be more fully entered into in a future chapter. § In Palestine, fire for warmth, if not for food, when manna had ceased, was a necessity. We have reason to believe that the Jews, accordingly, both prepared food and kindled fire for warmth on their Sabbath. This is plain from the account given by Josephus of the sect of *' Essens," who were " stricter than any other of the Jeios in resting from their labours on the seventh day ; for they not only get their food ready on the day before, that they may not be obliged to kindle a fire on that day, but they will not remove any vessel out of its place." — Wars of the Jews, bk. ii. ch. viii. § 9, p. 375. 88 MOSES AND THE SABBATH — THE DECALOGUE. presumptuous Sabbath-breaker.* Moreover, close atten- tion to those passages that are full of denunciations, and that explain the reasons for which God visited Israel with severe judgments, will bring out the fact, that it was not ceremonial delinquencies, but great moral crimes which drew down the vengeance of Jehovah. Hence, when Sab- bath profanation is included in such texts and paragraphs, we have a presumptive proof that the Sabbath was not a merely ceremonial institution; and further, that the extreme penalty attached to the fourth commandment, was exacted from the transgressor, as rebelling against God, and not Moses. This, however, is clear, that it is the Decalogue by which Christ and his apostles bind our conscience. Moses dared not either to insert a Jewish reason, or annex a Jewish penalty, although the vantage ground thus gained would have been immense when enforcing the Sabbath upon the Jew. Let anti- Sabbatarians take warning. To gain a similar position, but to lessen our regard for the Sabbath as Jewish, they virtually add these peculiarities to the fourth commandment. Let them seriously ponder this significant declaration, — " These words,^-* the ten command- ments, "the Lord spake unto all your assembly in the mount out of the midst of the fire, of the cloud, and of the thick darkness, with a great voice : and he added no MORE.^^t What divine insight into the tortuous workings of the human mind of future ages, does this fact display ! They seem expressly designed to anticipate those modern arguments, which can be based only upon additions to the fourth commandment. :}: * See Chapter vii. § 6. f Deut. v. 22. X On this subject the reader may consult with advantage Mr. Jor- dan's work on the Sabbath (pp. 72 — 76), where the penalty of death is shown to be destructive of that low view of the Sabbath, which makes MOSES AND THE SABBATH — THE DECALOGUE. 89 VIII. The third connecting link was the use made of the Sabbath as a "sign^"* of their covenant with God. It has been argned that this use of the institution is conclu- sive proof of its local and temporary nature ; inasmuch as it was the separative and distinctive mark of the Israelites. "It is further observable/^ says Paley, "that God^s rest from the creation is proposed as the reason of the institution^ even when the institution itself is spoken of as peculiar to the Jeios.'' This remark is in reference to Exod. xxxi. 16, 17. The following is also quoted : " I gave them my statutes, and showed them my judgments, which if a man do, he shall even live in them. Moreover also I gave them my Sabbaths, to be a sign between me and them, that they might know that I am the Lord that doth sanctify them.^^ (Ezek. xx. II, 12.) The objection hence drawn is : — " It does not seem easy to understand how the Sabbath could be a sign between God and the people of Israel, unless the observance of it was peculiar to that people, and designed to be so.^^ * The former remark is suggestive of its own refutation ; and the latter proposes a difficulty not only of a far easier solution than the author supposed, but may be set aside by arguments he him- self has employed against the natural sense of Genesis ii. I — 3. We have given reasons for regarding God^s rest, as an example that was followed by the great progenitor of mankind. It is not only more natural to suppose, that what was universally applicable, but having fallen into desuetude, might be specifically appropriated in its original form and with its primitive signification ; but the fact, that the Sabbath was once universally known and observed, is fatal to the objection. A Jewish reason, with a Jewish it an institution adapted only to foster an indolent disposition among the Jews, who were bad enough without such auxiliary to vice. * Mor. and Polit. Phil. bk. v. ch. vii. 90 MOSES AND THE SABBATH — THE DECALOGUE. peculiar use, would have better answered the author's pur- pose. A universal reason, so connected, can prove nothing more than that the Sabbath, in some sense common to the race, was, in another, peculiar to the Jews. Waiving the proof of this remark, we notice the second objection. Observe, Ezekiel does not say, '^God then gave his Sabbaths ; but that he then peculiarly gave them to that people, and for the ends mentioned,^'* that is, as a sign. We shall have to show that the whole race of man honoured a seventh day ; but as, with the Jews in Egypt, its proper use and significance was generally lost, God now restored to the institution its primeval signification; and, as this was not done generally, but to the Israelites alone, ^' it is easy to see how it became a sign" to them.f As soon as they, like surrounding nations, departed from a spiritual observance of the institution, it ceased to be a sign even to them. Thus Isaiah represents God as remonstrating: — " When ye come to appear before me, who hath required this at your hands, to tread my courts ? Bring no more vain oblations ; incense is an abomination unto me ; the new moons and Sabbaths, the calling of assemblies, I cannot away with ; it is iniquity, even the solemn meeting. Your new moons and your appointed feasts my soul hateth : they are a trouble unto me ; I am weary to bear them." J If, on the other hand, they observed it as God required, it became a sign ; thus, " If thou turn away thy foot from the Sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on my holy day ; and call the Sabbath a delight, the holy of the Lord, honourable ; and shalt honour him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words : * Owen. t Deut. iv. 32 — 36, sliows that the manner in which the ten moral laws were given to the Jews made the Decalogue itself a sign. MOSES AND THE SABBATH — THE DECALOGUE. 91 then shalt thou delight thyself in the Lord ; and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth, and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father/' * Observe, again, anything may be thus converted into a sign. Circumcision, it is well known, was practised from time immemorial, by other tribes than that of Abraham. Yet he received ^' the sign of circumcision as a seal of the righteousness of the faith he had.'' t This use of it as " a seal of righteousness" through ^^ faith," made a common rite a peculiar sign. Baptism is the badge or distinctive sign of Christians; but, when thus appropriated, it was under various forms in vogue among Jews, from whom, after all, it was designed to distinguish the disciples of Christ. Yet more striking is the fact, that John baptized, and thus made disciples, who, for some time, formed a dis- tinct sect ; and the same rite, but with a higher signification, became the sign of Christians, as compared not only with the mass of the Jews, but also the followers of the Baptist. Circumcision, Baptism, Sabbath, are three existing ordi- nances; stamp them with a specific religious import, and they become signs to those who understand and cherish them, but useless J forms to all others. § But to conclude this section, we add only, that one of * Isai. Iviii. 13, 14. f Eom. iv. 11. X With, an important difference, however, in favour of the Sahbatli, that, observed intelligently or not, it is a physical boon to the toiling § The Rainbow, also made a sign to Noah, has been adduced. Some have argued that certain atmospheric changes caused by the deluge may have originated this natural phenomenon ; since we hear of mists and streams before this catastrophe, (as still in Egypt, where rain is an extreme rarity,) but not of showers. "We, therefore, forego the advantage it would afford, until these doubts shall be satisfactorily cleared up. The reader, however, may see Scripture Typology, vol. ii. pp. 127, 128. Warburton's DiAdne Legation, bk. iv. notes. Also, Owen's Treatise on the Sabbath, pp. 162, 163, on the use of the Sabbath as a sign. 92 MOSES AND THE SABBATH — THE DECALOGUE. the strongest proofs of the perpetuity of the Sabbath, is this very fact, that of all other commandments, the fourth should have been selected to become the sign of covenant relation- ship with Jehovah. Let the Sabbath degenerate, or let it fall into disuse, and God no longer takes pleasure in Israel. Let them call it a " delight and honourable,^^ and " God causes them to ride upon the high places of the earth." And, assuredly, the Sabbath is a sign still. View the social, political, or religious aspect of Popish countries, then cast the eye upon Protestant nations of the earth ; and remem- ber, that in the former the Sabbath is a weariness, except when transformed into a pagan holiday, while in the latter it is a delight to some, and deemed "honourable" by the majority. Again, contrast the prosperity and glory of Great Britain and America, and we hear God saying in tones that none can mistake : " I give you my Sabbaths, to be a sign between you and me, that ye may know that I Jehovah do sanctify you." * * From the " Statistics and Facts of tlie Lord's Day," we extract the following striking confirmation : "At a conference lield at Stuttgaxd, in September, 1850, at which two thousand persons, ministers of religion and laymen, were present, it was resolved that an address should be published to remind the German nation of the importance of the Christian Sabbath." In it " the example of England is specially mentioned ; and its power, wealth, liberty, and pre-eminence are attributed to the ob- servance of the Lord's Day," p. 260. CHAPTER lY. CHRIST AND THE SABBATH. I. In searching through the New Testament Scriptures, we meet with but a few passages that bear upon the Sabbath. The opponents of the institution have made much of this fact. But how many are there in the Old Testament? And what if it should appear, that this is to be expected from what we have seen in the Old Testament; that this is in accordance with the general character of Evangelical institutions, and suited to the genius of the Christian dispensation ; that this arises from the connexion subsisting between the two Testaments ; that this confirms the view which regards the institution as primeval; that the paucity of texts is more than compen- sated for by their importance; and that it is a presumptive proof that Christ, and his Apostles, were in substantial agreement with Jews and Judaizing teachers as to the perpetuity of the Sabbath? At all events those, who urge objections drawn from this source, should be more diffident ; since, if they are few that favour the perpetuity of the observance, they are fewer still, and of a very doubtful character, that seem to suggest its abolition. In the twelfth chapter of Matthew^s Gospel, in the twentieth of the Acts of the Apostles, and in the sixteenth of the First Epistle to the Corinthians, are found the texts on which the greater number of writers ground the arguments in favour of the circumstantial changes that have been made. Though 94 CHRIST AND THE SABBATH. enough, they are not all, as will be seen in the sequel. "We say enough; because i. Every text referring to the Jewish Sabbath gives not the slightest indication that Christians worshipped on that day ; and it seems needless to remind the reader that they must have devoted some day to religious purposes, ii. Every passage that names the first day* of the week, proves, that that was the day for assembling together — either to meet with their risen Lord, or to call upon his name, to " break bread/^ to be publicly instructed as Christian congregations, or to contribute to religious objects, in. That the passage in the First Epistle to the Corinthians, though one, is a comprehensive declara- tion ; and is as valuable as if it were repeated in every epistle to every church then established, iv. That all such passages assume the existence of the Lord^s-day as the Christian Sabbath, v. That were they fewer, and less com- prehensive, they are decisive and unquestionable, which cannot be said of those ranged by anti- Sabbatarians against its observance, vi. That, as there are no declarations that Christ's disciples were relieved from obligations to keep a Sabbath (except Colossians ii. 16, 17, be of this nature), while there are some which show, that they scrupulously sanctified the Lord^s-day, we have a right to assume, apart from the reasons advanced in the three preceding chapters, that it was kept sacred as a matter of course ; none even dreaming so important an institution was ever abolished. Christians continued to obey the fourth commandment, as they did the other nine ; not knowing (as Paley has fortu- * It is worthy of attention, that the day on which anything occurred after the resurrection is never recorded, except it happened either on the seventh day, or on the first day of the week. The date of the month, or the year, is never named; but the first day of the week is iden- tified with certain important and significant occurrences. This fact, pointed out by Willison (Treatise on the Lord's Day, pp. 47 — 49), is valuable because of its singularity. CHRIST AND THE SABBATH. 95 nately told us)_, " the distinction of modern ethics between positive and natural duties/^ * Take, then_, these passages as they stand, and they de- monstrate, that the Sabbath, with a simple, but appropriate change of day, was universally observed by Apostles and the Apostolic churches. Take up the palpable fact that they are remarkably few in number, however clear and decisive; and this apparently disheartening circumstance is capable of conversion into an argument in favour of the institution. If the arguments we shall derive from what the New Testament contains, be regarded as short of absolute de- monstration, let it be remembered, that we do not here seek for its institution. This was done before, as shown in the preceding chapters ; and what we now require is evidence of its application to Christians, f The strength of our position is seen in the confessions of those, who lay the basis of the institution on ecclesiastical authority. "The prac- tice," says Paley, " of holding religious assemblies upon the first day of the week, was so early and so universal in the Christian Church, that it carries with it considerable proof of having originated from some precept of Christy or from his Apostles, though none such be extant." If the author bowed to the authority of the Sabbath, because of the lost sayings of Christ (which we confess would be far from satisfying us) we have no reason to despair. In the Old Testament we have but three passages that * Mor. & Pol. Ph. bk. v. c. vii. t " Into the New Testament we do not go, in search for the institu- tion of the Christian Sabbath, which, as a day of rest from labour and worship, ever existed ; and, because not abrogated, therefore not re- established. But into the New Testament we go for the Christian day on which it is to be observed ; for the Christian name it is to bear ; for the peculiar Christian motives superadded to those which are universal ; and for the spirit in which its end is to be attained." Sabbath Primeval, p. 15. 96 CHRIST AND THE SABBATH. relate to tlie institution of a primeval Sabbath, although many have an indirect reference. Genesis ii. 1 — 3, con- tains the original institution ; Exodus xvi. affords a glimpse of its existence in patriarchal times, and shows how God restored it to its proper place and significance ; and Exodus XX. 8 — 11, in which we have the divine example enforced by a formal enactment. In the first we have no command, no precept ; but an example, a principle, suited to man in innocence. Some of our opponents admit that we have Christ's example; while none have advanced proof against its preceptive nature, and all are loud in the assertion that Christ gave no command, no injunction. This absence of a definite enactment, with the exhibition of a principle, under the first and second Adam is strikingly analogical. In Exodus xvi. we have the second time in which God ftirnished the principle without precept, by resting from his works. We have, as will be shown, Christ meeting with his disciples a second time, honouring the first day of the week, but giving no command. In the third passage, the Decalogue, we have the Sabbath enjoined with signs and wonders. This was some fifty days after the deliverance whicb furnished the Jewish reason for its observance, from which time the peculiar system under which the Jews were to exist, began to be organized. We have, also, the Pente- costal effusion with signs and wonders on the Lord's-day, the third time it was honoured by Christ,* and fifty days after the occurrence of that grand deliverance from bondage which furnishes us with our peculiar reason for its ob- servance ; and from which time the Christian dispensation commenced. After God himself had thus established the principle of a Sabbath, Moses is seen applying it specifically to * Comp. Acts i. 4—8, mth Epli. iy. 7—13. CHRIST AND THE SABBATH. 97 the Jewish people. We have, i. the extreme penalty of death affixed to the law of the Sabbath ; * ii. the prohibition to kindle a fire on the Sabbath; and in. the iinstance in which death was inflicted.f Here God, again, and for the last time, appears enforcing the insti- tution. After the descent of the Holy Spirit, the Apostles appear applying the Lord's-day specifically to the people under their administration ; and we have but three passages to bear out the analogy. At TroasJ Paul is seen waiting for the Lord^s-day, to have an opportunity to preach to the disciples ; and in the First Epistle to the Corinthians he is giving directions respecting the weekly contributions. In Revelation i. 10, we have the last time in which the Holy Spirit honours the day by communicating to John the future history of the world. To complete the analogy, observe that in the Book of Deuteronomy Moses recapi- tulates the law, giving prominence to his fears that upon entering Palestine they would be prone to apostatize ;§ and the Epistle to the Hebrews was expressly written to guard the Jewish converts from apostatizing from Chris- tianity. Now in the former Moses recapitulates the fourth commandment with the nine, with this remarkable declara- tion : — "The Lord made not this covenant with our fathers, but with us, even us, who are all of us alive this day." || In * Exod. xxxi. 15—17. t Numb. xt. 32—36. X Acts XX. 6—12. As if to force tliis analogy upon us we have the remarkable, shall we say, coincidence ? of death. In the corresponding passage, Exod. xxxi. 15 — 17, we have the first announcement of the penalty of death for profaning the Sabbath ; and here we have a detailed account of the young man falling asleep while Paul was preaching on the Lord's-day, and being taken up dead. We would not make too much of this fact ; but it is certainly singular that the first notice of the Jewish Sabbath after the Decalogue was proclaimed, and the first notice of the Christian Sabbath after the corresponding fiftieth day, should be asso- ciated with death. § In the whole of fifth chapter of Deuteronomy ; also vi. 10 — 16. II Deut. V. 14. H 98 CHRIST AND THE SABBATH. the latter, the Apostle, as will appear, speaks of the Chris- tian Sabbath with the same anxiety to demonstrate that it belongs to " us, even us :^^ — " Let us therefore fear, lest, a promise being left us of entering into his rest, any of you should seem to come short of it. For unto us was the Gospel preached, as well as unto them.^^ * We have, thus, seven corresponding passages in the Old and New Testament, in which the obligations of Jews and Christians to observe the Sabbath respectively stand. Let it be remembered that analogy is not identity ; and that the circumstances of the two dispensations extensively differ, and the broad line of analogy (failing only in minor circumstances — which is essential to analogy as opposed to identity) will be striking and beautiful. Ordinary feelings of decorum ought, therefore, to close their lips who urge the paucity of texts on the Christian Sabbath, as an argu- ment against its authority ; since, in number and essential character, they are parallel to those on which a primeval Sabbath, as applied to the Israelites, is grounded. But the general character of the New Testament should be considered in its bearing on this subject. It is far from being a system of laws formally enacted. It is, for the most part, a series of narratives furnishing us with examples, first in the life of Christ, and then in the Acts of the Apostles. Hence spiritual principles, rather than forms of ser^dce, are everywhere prominent. When a law comes up to the surface, it is almost invariably to correct the divergence from the established practice of the Apostles, who were '^followers of Christ -/^ or to resist attempts to inno- vate on the part of Judaizing or pagan teachers. Hence the origin and character of the epistolary portions of the New Testament. Whatever is primeval, as to institution, or moral, as to nature, and so clearly required in the Old * Heb. iv. 1, 2. See Appendix. CHRIST AND THE SABBATH. 99 Testament, is not re-instituted, but acted upon, and modi- fied only in those cases where existing fi^rms had been necessary to adapt them to the Jews. Marriage, a primeval ordinance, altered by Mosaic precepts; the wor- ship of God ; all the moral laws, were not re-enacted, but refined by Christ. Such was the case with the Sabbath.* Our Lord, again, during his lifetime abstained from broadly enunciating his propitiatory character; but, when he had offered up himself, his teaching was full and clear. The Lord^s-day, to form the memorial of his resurrection, w^as likewise only faintly, as we shall demonstrate, indicated before he had risen ; after it he did all that was necessary to show its authority upon the conscience of his people. He gave them the great principle of worshipping himself, and their duty was clear ; he refused to meet them on the seventh day, and they could not mistake his meaning. * "In discouraging the licence given by Moses to divorce the wife," our Lord " states, that in the beginning it was not so ; and that Moses permitted the Jews to write a bill of divorcement because of the hard- ness of their hearts. The law of marriage was, therefore, made more stringent to the Christian than " it had been " to the Jew. In the fifth chapter of Matthew our Lord, in a similar manner, makes the law against murder, adultery, &c., embrace even the thoughts and lustful looks, which were not pressed upon them by Moses. The law, in its application to the Christian is, then, stricter than it was to the Jew. The mildness of the Christian dispensation is not shown in relaxation from obligation to a law, but in the penalties exacted. This is the case Avith the Sabbath. While stoning Sabbath breakers is no longer the penalty of disobedience, a more enlightened and spiritual observance is required from us. It is unquestionable that the prophets began this process of refinement, and extension of obligation, which Christ fully developed. Thus Moses permitted divorce ; Malachi announced, — " God hateth putting away ;" and Christ peremptorily forbids it, except for fornication. So Moses forbade gathering sticks ; but said nothing of the ' delight '' in the Sabbath as ' the holy and honourable of the Lord,' which was the light in which Isaiah placed it (Iviii. 13, 14), while Christ exalts it as highly as possible by declaring, first, that He was Lord of the Sabbath ; and, secondly, that it was made for man." — Sabbath Primeval, pp. 6, 7. 100 CHRIST AND THE SABBATH. This was enough for Christians ; more would not, as some incautiously think, have made others bow to his autho- rity. "What Christ said of the Jew is, mutatis mutandis, applicable to all men, — *^ If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead."* There was, moreover, a just reason for not yet explicitly foretelling a change of day. As Christ informed the Apo- stles, that he had " many things to say, but they could not bear them then ; " so the Apostles carefully abstained from imnecessaiily wounding the prejudices of the Jews. Hence though the change, as far as Christians were concerned, was at once effected, the continuance of the seventh day observance by unbelieving Jews, was neither stigmatized nor opposed, imtil their conversion reconciled them to the abrogation of the entire Mosaic economy, and the establishment of a more spiritual system. But out of this fact arises a question, which anti-sabbatarians cannot solve on their own grounds. If, instead of an indifferent and more circumstantial change, the institution itself had been abolished, how is it to be accounted for that, on the one hand, we have no outcry on the part of the Jews against this serious " change of the customs which Moses delivered unto them ; " t and, on the other, that we have no explanation of the reasons for its abolition ? For observe : i. Everything peculiarly Jewish or Mosaic possessed a strong hold upon the minds of the Apostles themselves and their first converts, who were principally taken from Jews by birth or from Jewish pro- selytes. Before they could be induced to abandon a jot or * " Thougli the original institution of the Lord's-day be not recorded in holy Scripture expressly, yet so much is recorded as is sufficient to satisfy all concientious Christians that there was such an institution either of Christ or of his apostles, or of Christ by his apostles." — A Discourse of the Sabbath, by Bishop Bramhall, "Works, p. 916. t Acts yi. 13, 14. CHRIST AND THE SABBATH. 101 tittle of the old system, laboured epistles, such as those to the Romans, the Galatians, and the Hebrews, had to be inscribed; stubborn controversies had to be conducted, such as that between Peter and Paul, * and between the latter and Judaizing teachers; palpable revelations or visions had to be granted, as that to Peter, t If Peter thus required to be taught that the distinction between Jew and Gentile had ceased for ever, would not he (to say nothing of his converts) have stood in need of a vision to teach him (the doctrine of some in later times) that all days were alike ? or that, since to spiritually -minded men of modern times, '^ all days were alike holy," he ought to consider that, " what God hath cleansed, that call not thou common " ? If the Sabbath was a ceremonial institution, inconsistent with the freedom and spirituality of the Chris- tian dispensation, how comes it to pass that so little is said of that which was, of all, not the least likely to be che- rished as a relic of the antiquated system ? Silence here is significant. Not a murmur is uttered against it as a part of ^' the yoke which neither they nor their fathers were able to bear." Not a sentiment is breathed by the Apostles against it, as one of those ^' beggarly elements " from which Christ had released them. And, what is still more impres- sive, not an attempt is made by Judaizing teachers to rescue this vestige of their idolized religion, which the Apostles were rapidly sweeping away. Had they by their teaching discouraged a Sabbath, these surely would have stood forth on its behalf. Had their practices been incom- patible with its existence, they, like their countrymen accusing Christ, would have charged the Apostles with ^' speaking blasphemous words" against the Sabbath. There are apparent exceptions, which, we shall show, prove that the Apostles did not abolish a Sabbath; but that these * Gal. ii. t Acts x. 102 CHRIST AND THE SABBATH. teachers, not content with a Lord's-day, sought to asso- ciate with it their ^'^new moons, holidays, and Sabbaths/' Surely to point to two isolated texts, and those of, at best, doubtful interpretations, as proof that the Sabbath was abrogated, is to expose the weakness of one's position, since whole epistles and remarkable revelations were ne- cessary to root out Jewish prejudices in favour of all that was Mosaic. We have no formal institution of the Sab- bath, and this is explained by many reasons, — chiefly, that a primeval institution required nothing more than confirmatory evidence, and a remodelling process. They cannot adduce a passage containing a formal abolition, and this requires explanation. We cannot submit to the influence of arguments drawn from two doubtful pas- sages, for we adduce some from the Old, showing the institution was never intended to be discarded; and as many, and of a similar character, that present clear and confirmatory evidence that, as the Mosaic dispensation was passing away, the Sabbath remained as one of those things that '' cannot be moved." We proceed, therefore, to con- sider our Lord in relation to the Sabbath, iDoth before and after the Resurrection; and, then, to notice the example and teaching of the Apostles. II. On a certain occasion " Jesus went on the Sabbath- day through the corn ; and his disciples were an hungered, and began to pluck the ears of corn, and to eat. But when the Pharisees saw it, they said unto him, Behold, thy disciples do that which is not lawful to do upon the Sabbath-day.''* "On another Sabbath,'' t the presence in the Synagogue of a man with the right hand withered, suggested to the same party the probability that Christ would again offend against their ideas of propriety, and " they watched him whether he would heal on the Sabbath- * Matt. xii. 1, 2. f Luke vi. 6. CHRIST AND THE SABBATH. 103 day^ that they might find an accusation against him." The omniscience of our Lord baffled the vigilance of his crafty and designing foes. "Knowing their thoughts/' he ac- cepted the challenge, and healed on the Sabbath-day. Our Lord's method of dealing with his enemies on these two occasions has furnished, singularly enough, a?^/^-sab- batarians with two of their favourite maxims against the authority of the institution. But that searching glance into the hearts of his enemies scanned the stream of thought which was, from that time, to our day to threaten the foun- dation of the institution he was defending, and secured it against men more hostile to its real interests than professed but hypocritical friends. Having adduced certain precedents from unexceptionable sources — Scripture and their own practices, our Lord laid down two great principles. I. "The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath;" and, ii. "There- fore the Son of Man is Lord also of the Sabbath.'' If we do not resort to these passages for proofs of the origin of a Christian institution, it is preposterous to adduce them as proofs of its abolition, as some have done. To perceive the extent to which they affect the opinions of either party, we must weigh our Lord's arguments, from which these important maxims are but inferences. It is by taking the latter as disjointed from the former, that even a plausible argument can be raised against the per- petuity of the institution. Having silenced them on the first occasion, Christ pro- voked their opposition under, what they supposed to be, cir- cumstances more adverse to his reputation. " They hoped they should either prove him a teacher of the lawfulness of Sabbath-breaking, or a tergiversator who was compelled to eat his own words, and deny in the Synagogue that domi- nion over the Sabbath which he had taught in the corn- 104 CHRIST AND THE SABBATH. field. But he^ on the contrary, compelled them to deny the plainest dictates of common sense, or approve the very act for which they wished to condemn him.^^ * '^ Our Saviour/' remarked Dr. Clagett, " did not always apply himself to the Pharisees in a way of instruction, but rather chose to silence their arrogance ; he answered their cavil- ling questions with questions ; not so much to lead them into truth, against which they were absolutely bent, as to check their insolence, and to leave them speechless But to the humble and meek he always applied himself, by taking all fit occasions, and using all proper ways to instruct them.^''t These shrewd observations we quote, because they were not made in connexion with the ques- tion before us, and cannot be regarded as an ingenious attempt at evasion. As a general caution they subserve our present purpose; for to understand our Saviour's de- clarations, we must consider all that he advanced against the Pharisees. On these two memorable occasions, our Lord offered four considerations in self-justification. First, he appealed to precedent in the case of David, J showing that '^the letter of the law'' should always yield to the "spirit.'' Under his circumstances of hunger he, from whose royal line Christ had descended, deemed it justifiable to eat conse- crated bread, " which was not lawful for him to eat, neither for them which were with him, but only for the priests." Had David no regard for the Sabbath, whose " Song for the Sabbath-day" § they chanted once every week in their Synagogues? Was Ahimelech, who acted as an accom- plice, reckless of God's displeasure? Could Saul, his * Life of Clirist, Dr. Bennett. t " Operations of the Holy Spirit," Pt. ii. pp. 77-78. X 1 Sam. xxi. 1, &c. § See the title of Psalm xcii. CHRIST AND THE SABBATH. 105 relentless persecutor^ ever anxious^ like the Pharisee, for a pretence, find in this act no reason for the massacre that he perpetrated? Did the recollection* of this profanation fill David with no remorse by making him reflect, that their slaughter was a judgment of God upon them for partaking of his sins ? Such are the questions that would, in rapid succession, demand a reply. The fatal ^' No,'^ which was the only syllable on their tongue, abashed them; and the irresistible inference was, — Then Jesus has not violated our Sabbath. Let the anti- Sabbatarians mark this, and they will not venture to say that Christ abolished the Sabbath in saying — " The Sabbath was made for man.^^ To the Pharisee the reference was much more conclusive than to us, if contented with a superficial acquaintance with Scripture. The case of David bore more distinctly on Sabbath-breaking, than eating the shewbread appears to do. They, with the temple service daily performed before their eyes, could not fail to perceive, that the transaction took place on some part of the Sabbath-day. Had this not been the case, bread could have been prepared at an hour^s notice; but to avoid this profanation, Ahimelech ofiered the stale bread that had been taken ofi" the table, to be replaced by fresh supplies on the eve of the Jewish Sabbath. Here, then, was an intricate case. The Priest^s regard for the Sabbath led him to overlook the sacred- ness of the consecrated cakes; and the latter was dis- regarded on the same grounds that compelled David^s flight in part, at least, on the Sabbath-day. The letter of the law, in each case, successively gave way to its spirit. " I will have mercy, and not sacrifice,^^ was the plain utter- ance that justified Christ, and exposed the hollow pre- tences of his adversaries. If, then, these crafty men could * See tlie title of Psalm lii. 106 CHRIST AND THE SABBATH. not show that Christ had violated the Sabbath, what pre- tence can any now have to assert that here Christ was abolishing the institution ? But, — Secondly. Our Lord appealed to the service of the temple : — ^^ Have ye not read in the law, how that on the Sabbath-days the priests in the Temple profane the Sab- bath, and are blameless ?^^ Here our Lord changed the ground of his argument. Before, " the spirit^^ was to have the preference to " the letter ; '^ now, "^ the son^^ to the " faithful servant.^'* And as the former passage is followed by the declaration, "1 say unto you, that in this place is one greater than the Temple ; '' Christ must be " counted worthy of more glory than Moses, inasmuch as he who hath builded the house hath more honour than the house." t Now observe, on the first ground Christ argued that the Sabbath was made for man ; on the second, Christ, having built the Temple — whose service interrupted the Sab- batic rest, was greater than the Temple; and, therefore, might allow his disciples to '^ profane" the day in his work ; and further, as Moses was but a servant, and yet could in- terfere with the Sabbatic rest, by enforcing circumcision, he might, as the Lord and Master of Moses, enact laws that would interfere with its rules. Hence the other decla- ration— " the Son of Man is Lord also of the Sabbath." Now we ask, — was the ministration in the Temple designed to make a Sabbath an impossibility ? or was Moses the man (to whom anti- Sabbatarians attribute its origin) to neutra- lize the institution rightly understood ? Then how could the thought have gained a momentary lodgment in the minds of our opponents, that Christ, in claiming lordship over it, and thus explaining what he meant by such autho- rity, had for ever abolished the Sabbath ! But : — * Heb. iii. 5, 6. f Heb. iii. 3, 4. See Appendix I. CHRIST AND THE SABBATH. 107 HI. Our Lord on the second occasion appeals to their own practice, where the argument is based on the third position assumed by him, to bring out another design of the Sabbath — its humanity. It was made for man — it was also made for cattle. ^^What man shall there be among you that shall have one sheep, and if it fall into a pit on the Sabbath-day, will he not lay hold on it, and lift it out? how much, then, is a man better than a sheep? Wherefore it is lawful to do well on the Sabbath-day." The inference from its humane design, and from the superior claims of man to the brute, is surely no argument against the perpetuity of the institution. On the occasion, again, recorded by John, our Lord confounds his adversaries by both an argumentum ad homiiiemj and an argument from the less to the greater. " If a man on the Sabbath- day receive circumcision, that the law of Moses should not be broken, are ye angry with me because I have made a man every whit whole on the Sabbath-day ? " * The Pharisees deemed it legitimate, not only to circumcise, but also to take the steps necessary to heal the wowid-V made in performing the rite ; how, then, could they object to Christ^s healing a man? But, again, the wound they healed was after aU a trifling matter; how then could they blame our Lord for making a man whole every whit? IV. Christ, on one of these occasions, glances into the very conscience of his accusers. " Knowing their thoughts'' — which of course were well known to themselves — he puts this startling question — " Is it lawful on the Sabbath-day * John vii. 23. t "To fully understand the force of our Lord's meaning, we must suppose that under circumcision is involved the medical cure of the woimd ; and that that, and even medical or surgical aid in all cases of imminent peril, were permitted by the jxirists." — Bloomfield on John vii. 23. 108 CHRIST AND THE SABBATH. to do good, or to do evil ? to save life, or to destroy it ? '^ The former, they well knew, was his work — the latter theirs; and they perceived he was equally aware of it; " and they were filled with madness, and communed with one another what they might do to Jesus ; '' which, else- where, is shown to have been nothing short of murder. In the first three positions Christ explains the nature of the Sabbath, in relation to his own claims, and the interests of man ; in this he exposes the nature of Pharisaic regard for the institution. In each case Christ is seen, on the one hand, to uphold the Sabbath by his own acts — which carried out its design, by the precedents adduced, by the arguments advanced, and by the inferences drawn; and the Pharisees, on the other, are seen neither to understand its nature, nor to care for its sanctity. If we wish for proof that the Sabbath was abrogated, we must appeal, not to Christ, but his wicked adversaries. For surely, in explain- ing and enforcing by precept and by example, our Lord went about abolishing it in a most unaccountable manner. Christ, however, was still " under the law,^^ and, therefore, did not break that of the Sabbath ; and though this very fact prevents all his actions from being exemplary, yet, the maxims he laid down may be acted upon in after ages. In considering, however, the inference, we must not lose sight of the premises whence they are drawn; keeping the latter in mind let us proceed to investigate the nature of the former. III. "The Sabbath was made for man, and not MAN FOR THE Sabbath.^' Scripture explained by Scripture never leads astray. If this is doubtful, from its brevity, let us compare it with another more fully developed. " Neither," says the Apostle, "was the man created for the woman, but the woman for the man." * The form of expression is * 1 Cor. xi. 9. CHRIST AND THE SABBATH. 109 identical in botli passages. In the latter^ the principle inculcated is woman^s subserviency to man, which gives him a relative superiority to the woman. But did the Apostle use such language in order to degrade the woman ? How is it possible to conceive, then, that the same phraseology in our Lord^s mouth amounts to the degra- dation of the Sabbath as a local, temporary, or ceremonial institution ? * If, indeed, confirmation is called for, instead of comparing the Lord and the Apostles, compare Christ with himself. In Mark x. 2 — 12, our Lord argues, that "in the beginning of the creation God made them male and female ; " and that, therefore, divorce was unnatural, and adulteiy immoral. In this passage he shows, also, how Mosaic precepts, instead of being regarded as the law of marriage, interfered with its original design — an inter- ference no longer to be tolerated. In the other, Christ illustrates how the Pharisees, by their traditions, had muti- lated the Sabbath — which he could no longer sufier. It was, therefore, made for man — for his benefit, as woman for his " help-meet ; ^^ and not man for the Sabbath. But notice, that in Mark we see the Pharisees setting aside the marriage-law ; hence Christ is more express and full. But, in the case of the Sabbath, they were, professedly, upholding it to an extreme ; hence his words are directed to meet their false and superstitious notions. As they were not ques- tioning its obligations, our Lord does not pointedly refer to * Sir Matthew Hale's great maxim was, " Salus populi suprema lex ;" for *' though it is true that " the laws of the realm " are and ought to be sacred," yet it must be remembered that " they were not made for their own sakes, but for the sakes of those who are to be guided by them." Christ our great Lawgiver pursues the same line of argument ; and as that man would be deyoid of reason who argued that the Lord Chief -justice of England abrogated all law, because of the above maxim, so neither without inveterate prejudice, can any man suppose that Christ in his maxim annulled the Sabbath. 110 CHRIST AND THE SABBATH. its origin; but as they were overstretching its claims^ our Lord gives prominence to its design. Consider the differ- ence in circumstances, and our Lord on the two occasions, as well as the Apostle, pursued precisely the same line of argument. Again : by using the generic term " man/^ Christ carries us back to a period when the distinction of Jew and Gentile was unknown, as that of the origin of the Sabbath ; and, consequently, forward to a period beyond the duration of that distinction, when it would still hold good, that " the Sabbath was made for man'^ We have a striking proof of this view. Circumcision and the Passover were distinctive features of the Jew, inasmuch as the former made the Gentile a Jew by adoption; and of the latter, the uncir- cumcised were not to partake. Now, during the thirty- eight years of wandering, the Israelites were, to use Calvin-'s words, '^in part excommunicated:^^ for Joshua informs them, that from the time God announced the overthrow of every adult Jew, to the eve of their entrance into Canaan, this ordinance, and, consequently, that of the Passover, were suspended in token of Divine displeasure.* During this period of excommunication, however, the Sabbath was enforced, both by the penalty of death and the laws regu- lating the fall of manna. Is not the inference, therefore, irresistible, that even they had a Sabbath as men and not as Jews ? t God refused to recognise them in their pe- culiar relationship, by the suspension of the symbols of that covenant; and, yet, required them to keep a Sabbath, as- suredly on the ground that " the Sabbath was made for man." On the same principle, when Christ is speaking of any peculiarly Jewish institution, instead of the generic * See Joshua v. 2—10. t Thus the Sabbath was enforced on "strangers" without being cir- cumcised, and on Tyrians by Nehemiah, as before sho-svn. CHRIST AND THE SABBATH. Ill term. " man/^ he addresses them specifically thus : " Moses gave you,'' (not to man,) "circumcision;" which, like the temple service, " broke" or " profaned the Sabbath." On the other hand, Christ never declared that Moses gave them 2i Sabbath. Assuredly if his object was to prepare us for its abolition, this was the occasion when such phrases ought to have been employed ; and not those so generic as lead us back to creation and beyond the Mosaic dispen- sation. Reference to our Lord^s method on another occa- sion will aid us in determining his meaning here. The dis- tinction as to places of worship was about to be destroyed ; and, in intimation of such abolition, our Lord said to the woman of Samaria, "Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem worship the Father." (John iv. 21.) Now, if with respect to the time of worship, our Lord had a similar change in view, why was language used more open to mistake ? Why, instead of showing its subserviency to human interests, did he not say, — " The hour cometh, yea now is, when the true worshippers shall " no longer respect a Sabbath, but esteem every day alike ? We add but another consideration, and then proceed to draw certain inferences. As the council had determined upon taking the life of Jesus, he withdrew "to the sea- coast," where, among the multitudes that thronged around him, were Tyrians and Sidonians. These two facts — his avoiding unnecessary collisions with the enraged Jews, and taking notice of the despised Gentiles — recalled to the mind of Matthew when writing his Gospel, a prophecy of Isaiah, to the effect — first, that Christ would not " strive nor cry" (or shout as those contending), nor would his voice be heard in the streets; that a bruised reed he would not break, nor quench the smoking flax, " until he send forth judgment unto victory ; " and that " in his name shall the Gentiles 112 CHRIST AND THE SABBATH. trust/^ The prophecy thus connected with the controversy on the Sabbath, suggests that, in the mind of the historian, Christ used ^^man^^ generically, including Gentiles and Jews. His elucidating the nature of the Sabbath, as made for the race, was one of the things with regard to which He " sent forth judgment unto victory .^^ * From the whole we may observe : — I. That the Pharisees had virtually converted the boon to man into a subordinate and remorseless deity, whose inexo- rable laws knew no relaxation. Our Lord, accordingly, points to the priority of man^s creation, as a simple, but conclusive proof, that rendering such homage to the insti- tution was neither the design of the Sabbath, nor one of the ends for which man was created. IT. That Christ was thus anticipating the modern ob- jections against its perpetuity. For the popular notions of the nature of the Jewish Sabbath are not derived from IsaiaVs beautiful description of its claims, but from those absurd traditions by which the Pharisees had well-nigh destroyed its significance and use. In illustration we need but allude to the almost universal practice of speaking of " a Sabbath-day's journey," as if this limitation were a part of the Mosaic institutes, instead of the Rabbinical glosses on Scripture.t Our Lord rescued the Sabbath from such * It is interesting to notice that it was upon the Tyrians that Nehemiah peremptorily enforced the Sabbath. Now that the Pharisees reject the counsel of God, Christ withdraws from them, and goes to teach Tyrians and Sidonians, that among other things the Sabbath was made for them,. This is not asserted ; but the probability, considering Matthew's applica- tion of Isaiah to the controversy on the Sabbath, is that such was the case. Nehemiah, however, who employed compulsion, " did strive, and his voice was heard in the streets ;" but Christ in a mUder manner would place the Sabbath before the same Tyrians. t Those who would know the character of these may consult Heylyn's Hist, of the Sabbath, Pt. i. c. viii. s. 10, pp. 176—179. Owen's Treatise on the Sabbath, pp. 156 and 207. CHRIST AND THE SABBATH. 113 puerilities and superstition, and placed it upon its broad and lasting foundation, " The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath/^ They surely follow not his example, who narrow its basis. They surely ally themselves to very questionable characters, who, to rid man of his Sabbath, view it only through the eyes of Pharisees. III. That a comparison of our Lord's method of rea- soning and that of his servant Paul, places the Sabbath in the light of a law of nature. '' The creation of one man and one woman gave the natural law of marriage ; whence polygamy and fornication became transgressions of the law of nature. It will be hard to prove, that about these and the like things there is a clear and undoubted principle of directive light in the mind of man, separate from the consi- deration of the order of creation : it is in that order that a law, and that a moral one, is given us, not to be refen-ed to any other source than that of nature.^' * IV. The second maxim is deduced from the first. " The Sabbath is made for man, and not man for the Sabbath : therefore,'^ adds our Saviour, "the Son of man is Lord also of the Sabbath.^' If made for man's benefit, assuredly Christ has directive authority over the institution. Here we have the first intimation of a coming change. Its rescue from the corrupt views and practices of the Pharisees, was simply preparatory to its application, in primitive purity, to Christians. Unquestionably lordship over it implies the prerogative, either to modify, or altogether to annul its obli- gations ; and had the second assertion stood alone, or with, but independently of, the first; the right to abolish might have been the only principle that was then esta- blished. But, to say nothing of the example of Christ, which honoured the observance ; or of the precedents he appealed to — all of which were taken either from men and * Owen's treatise on the Sabbath, p. 109. I 114 CHRIST A^B THE SABBATH. institutions that promoted it rightly understood, or from existing practices that were compatible with its claims ; we have only to notice, that Christ's authority over the Sabbath is deduced from man's interest in it. " Therefore," the link connecting the two, is all-important, showing that the inference is limited by the premises."^ The latter state the Sabbath to be a boon to man; the former can never, therefore, imply that Christ came to destroy it. We ob- serve then, — I. Our Lord himself connects his words with his actions. The latter are explanatory of the former. They both point in one direction. His acts, though Lord of the Sabbath, honoured it ; f his words claiming that lordship, are per- * In his ♦' Thoughts on the Sabbath," Archbishop Whately observes : " These are not two distinct remarks (as some have represented), but stand in relation of premiss and conclusion," (page 19.) So far his Grace commands our assent ; but when it is added, — that •' man was made for moral duties ; positive ordinances, on the contrary, were made for man," the idea, if intelligible, is as tmtenable as that man was made for the Sabbath. •* Thou shalt not steal," is a moral law : did God make man, in order that he might not steal ? Is not this an abuse of language ? Man was not made for this law, but the law was made for him quite as much as the Sabbath. We question, again, his Grace's paraphrase of the text : ♦* Any positive ordinance {i. e. one made for man and not man for it) may be dispensed with by my (divine) authority ; the Sabbath is such an ordinance ; and therefore the Sabbath may be dispensed vnth by my authority." Now the law of marriage is moral, yet Moses dispensed with it so far as to permit divorce, which, as Christ showed, contravened the law requiring a man to *' cleave " to his wife as his own flesh. On Whately' s view, this dispensation made it a positive law. Fiirther, it is added, — •* Christ made no pretensions to a dispensing power in respect of moral duties." If so his dispensing powers were less than those of Moses. The fact is, as divine, Christ would, ♦* in the form of a servant," have dispensed his disciples from any moral law, just as when *' in the form of God," he dispensed Joshua and his hosts from the moral law, " Thou shalt not kill," and required them to exterminate the Canaan- itish races. And, lastly, if, according to his Grace, Christ so clearly abolished the Jewish Sabbath, will he point to the passage that gives the " Church " authority to re-impose it ? t As the Pharisees did not blame Christ for travelling, it is obvious CHRIST AND THE SABBATH. 115 verted, if they are interpreted as dishonouring it. His authority to control, is not our licence to profane. And yet, this illogical conclusion has been reached by some. He claims it as his own, that, ha\dng cleansed it from Phari- saical defilement, he might confer it, fresh and pure from his touch, as when God first vouchsafed the priceless boon. And this is to be our reason for rejecting it! The Pharisees had diverted it from its design, and Christ rebuked them by his example ; and, therefore, it is argued, we may set it aside! Had "Christ come to destroy ^"^ this "law,^' he could not have defeated his purpose more effectually. Had he come to annul its claims, he could not have done this more effectively than by leaving it in the hands of the Phari- sees : and our disgust of this " beggarly element/^ would have been the best barrier against its introduction into Christianity.* His claim, therefore, is fatal to the theory of the Mosaic origin of the institution. Lord of the Sabbath ! there- fore it was not the offspring of Moses. Christ was not Lord of circumcision, of the passover, of the washing of cups and platters ; but he was Lord of the Sabbath ! He was not ashamed of it ; and shall we ? Nay, more. What Christ then claimed as his own, was of no benefit to himself. He claimed to preserve it for us, to show that it was "made for man.^^ His lordship over it clothes it with power over our conscience. Its authority over the whole race grows out of its primeval origin, and its association with God's six days' work of creation and one day's rest ; its claim to our reverence as Christians is, that "the Son of thathis walking througli tlie cornfield was in keeping with, sabbatic lav/s, even as interpreted by them. * It may be well to remind those who speak of Christ, either as break- ing the Sabbath or teaching his disciples to do so, that Christ was "under the law," and though "come to fulfil it," he never broke a single jot or tittle of the law either ceremonial or moral. 116 CHRIST AND THE SABBATH. man is Lord also of the Sabbath." As such he need not have conformed to its rules, which, notwithstanding, he did most scrupulously.* But the assertion of this sovereignty was preparatory to the change he was about to introduce; else it is out of place and uncalled for. What did he do to prove, to those of his day, that he was Lord of the Sabbath ? His example did not manifest a desire to be released from its obligations, rightly understood; and the precedents he appealed to manifested not this glory. But let his actions after his re- surrection throw light upon it, and we cannot fail to catch his meaning. That *' the Son of man is Lord also of the Sabbath," does not exhaust his claims. We have seen him asserting his superiority to the temple, and to Moses ; but now we find him claiming equality with God. " My Father worketh hitherto, and I work." Independently of its reference to the institution, it would have been foreign to our purpose to notice this claim ; but, considering the relation in which it was uttered, it is invaluable; Our Lord had healed an impotent man at the pool of Bethesda, and commanded him to "take up his bed and walk." The Jews "sought to slay him, because he had done these things on the Sabbath-day." In self- justifica- tion Christ urged the example of his Father.f " Therefore * " Let us," observes Dr. Bennett, "dread the thought of assuming this authority to ourselves, by dispensing with the sanctity of the Sabbath, to suit our own convenience or our own ideas of propriety. In such conduct the argument of the Lord would not bear us out. For who are we that we shoidd set up for lords of the Sabbath ?" Lecture xxi. vol. i. p. 271. t Commentators combine in explaining our Lord's words as alluding to the ordinary acts of Providence. Without denying this general reference, it strikes us that the allusion is to something more obviously CHRIST AND THE SABBATH. 117 the Jews sought the more to kill him, because he not ouly had broken the Sabbath, but said also that God was his Father, making himself equal with God/' It is obvious that the simple claim to a filial relationship could not have provoked their indignation ; but it was the demand that, as they never deemed God to be violating its laws by the works of Providence, they should concede the same exemption to him, the Son, when similarly engaged. This was the equality asserted : — " My Father worketh hitherto, and I work.'' Soon after Jesus declares, that it was his Father's will " that all men should honour the Son, even as they honour the Father." On this passage we remark : I. That God, in resting, required " all " men to honour him, by sanctifying the Sabbath which commemorated his ceasing from his works. But, — IL They never supposed, that in resting on the first seventh day of creation, God fell into a state of entire inactivity. in. That Christ here claims the same right to conduct the operations of mercy unchallenged, on the ground that God required all men to render his Son the same honour as paid to himself.* IV. That it follows as a necessary consequence, that analogous. The man was awaiting cure on tlie Sabhath-daj, from which, it is fair to conclude that these miraculous cures at the pool had occurred on Sabbath-days, else waiting was useless. This was God '* working hitherto !" So Christ was actually following the Father's example by healing. In this light the allusion is striking and beautiful. * The exceptions to the stringency of Sabbatic laws were aU such as really carried out its design^ and are not rightly termed exceptions. But what is the legitimate inference from Christ's claim to work on the Sabbath ? Obviously that unless we can claim equality with the Father, we are not justified in working. Again, the assertion that to us all days are alike holy is put in a very serious light. It is not short of exalting Christian freedom into the sole prerogative of Christ ! 118 CHRIST AND THE SABBATH. when the Son has ceased from his peculiar works, as God did from those of creation, all men do not pay him equal honour unless they commemorate the day on which he rested. It is very probable, we may say certain, that the Jews who heard Christ did not perceive all that he intended should, hereafter, be learnt from his sayings. His oral teaching was designed for his hearers; but the Evange- lists wrote for us, who are in a better position to under- stand his meaning. Now that Christ was speaking of future times, is palpable from his reference to the resurrec- tion from the dead, which should happen on the hearing of his voice. Of this resurrection his own was the first-fruits. Connect the declaration, " That all men shall honour the Son even as they honour the Father,'^ with the healing of the impotent man on the Sabbath ; with his claim to work as God did on that day ; with his reference to the resur- rection of the dead, which Scripture connects with his own as the cause; and we have an obscure prediction that Christians would honour the day of his rest. We say obscure prediction, for this is not only all that is required to prepare us for further and clearer revelation, but all that Christ more than once expressly affirmed to be suitable to his unfinished work of redemption. A more pointed allu- sion, as premature, would have been out of place and inconsistent with his method of teaching ; which was by, at first, obscure intimations gradually to prepare men for full and clear revelations. When the latter were vouchsafed, the former, to those who enjoyed the latter, were no longer obscure. Such are the three sayings on the Sabbath : *' Man was not made for the Sabbath, but the Sabbath for man ; therefore the Son of man is Lord also of the Sabbath ; " and " My Father worketh hitherto, and I work ;" CHRIST AND TIIK SAUaATH. ll^ for ^' the Father judgcth no man, but liath committed all judgment unto the Son, tliat all men should honour the Son, even as they honour the Father."* • The bearing of these paAsages in John v. on Colosn. ii. 16, 17, IK very Btriking. •' Let no man," says tlie ApoBtlc, **jiui(/c you with respect of a holy day, or of the new moon, or of the Sabbath-days." As Ood himself no longer ^^jwlgeth any man," his commandment to observe Jewish festivals was repealed ; but inasmuch as "God had committed all jud iJow soon will it become the touchstone of formality, the frightful disclosure of having a name to live, while yet dead ! How admirably adapted to distinguish " between the righteous and the wicked, between him that serveth God, and him that serveth him not ! "* Of old, in a carnal dispensation, it alone betrayed this solemn difference. " Behold what a weariness it is,'' said the formalist and the wicked. Behold ^' the delight" of the righteous, ^'the honourable of the Lord," said the spiritual Israelite. With the Church thrown open to the world, with the dis- tinction of Jew and Gentile abolished, with outward signs of covenant relationship abandoned, has Christianity no need of something to separate between the people of God, and those who attach themselves through defective knowledge, or unworthy motives ? Without the Sabbath, we have absolutely nothing to draw the line of demarcation. In everything else they will appear to conform, but to keep the Lord's-day holy, they must be born again, born from above, born of the Spirit ! Formality is simply impossible. Hypocrisy may intrude, but only to betray itself. The world may keep holiday, the child of God alone keeps the Sabbath unto the Lord. But this is not all; as a test it probes deep into the heart of the professor. We might easily conceive any other rather tliaii be under obligation to it, that makes so many prefer a Sunday founded on general consent, to one of divine origin. To those who show this tendency, the remark of Dr. Doddridge may prove salu- tary,— " I know not a more dreadful mark of destruction upon a man than a fear to be \mder an obligation to avoid what is evil, and to cleave to what is good." * Mai. iii. 18. 212 CHRISTIANITY AND THE SABBATH. of the ten commandments as constituting no test in par- ticular cases^ while to the searching scrutiny of the fourth none can offer an impenetrable exterior. Some from edu- cation, habit, disposition, or circumstances, may be under little or no temptation to transgress the nine. " All these have I kept from my youth,^^ may be the boast of not a few. " One thing thou lackest,^' may be the unrelenting voice of the Sabbath. To him idolatry may be inexplicable stupidity ; to covet, or steal, his ample fortune, easy cir- cumstances, or contented mind, may render an improba- bility. Within the circle, in which he moves, coarse profanity never enters. Filial, trained to honour his father and his mother, he keeps the " commandment with promise." To his generous sensibility, it were easier to give than to take life. Conjugal infidelity as impossible as if Eve, and Eden, were all his own. What is to destroy that dangerous self- complacency ? For dangerous it may be, since evil lurks that may yet be enticed or forced into notoriety. No suitable, no adequate temptation has, as yet, assaulted him. Job gives not up his integrity till God discovers to him, that he is " vile." And what is to prove to this " perfect man and upright," that he cannot be "just with God?" There is one question which, if considered in " the light of God's countenance," will lower him in his own estimation. Do you " remember the Sabbath to keep it holy ?" Awakened, humbled, abashed before the keen, penetrating glance of his Maker, he will be " dumb with silence." Ever will he admire, with unspeakable gratitude, the matchless insight of the Founder of the Sabbath. Without it, he had gone on in fatal ignorance of self, and, perhaps, knocked at heaven's gate, inexorably closed upon him. VI. It is obvious, therefore, that the Sabbath is not only compatible with the Christian dispensation, but neces- sary to it, and in beautiful unison with its high spiritual CHRISTIANITY AND THE SABBATH. 213 refinement. The theory reduced to practice is seen in the ^ example, and impassioned sentiments, of eminent Christians. A few instances of the many left on record, will complete our review of the Sabbath in relation to Christianity. We say a few, because to adduce all as witnesses of the super- lative excellence of the institution, were to fill a volume, of goodly dimensions, with extracts from Christian biography. Before, however, proceeding to develope the subject, we offer a few preliminary observations. I. God in this set a pattern, himself resting, and requiring man to rest. In nothing else did God thus commend a principle. It is the sublimest act of instruction of which it is possible to conceive. It was Christ's " custom ''* to observe the Sabbath when " under the law /' and, when no longer subject to " the ministration of death,'' as the risen Lord, he renewed his "custom" of keeping the Sabbath. II. The example of the true Israelite, the exposition of its nature by the prophets, the " Psalm for the Sabbath- day," by David; the practice of the Apostles and the churches under their direction ; furnish evidence of the pre-eminent adaptation of the institution to the necessities of spiritual worshippers. III. Though the expressions of the Patristic writers, and of the reformers in the 16th century, are appealed to as unfavourable to its inspired authority, we have their ex- ample as a triumphant refutation of the construction put by anti-sabbatarians upon their expressed sentiments. IV. The authors ranging themselves on the side of hos- tility to the Sabbath, maintain it as necessary to the exist- ence of the Church : the only essential difference between them and those, whose sayings and example we are about to adduce, is, that the former discover its authority in the precedent of eminent Christians of remote times ; and the * Luke iv. 16. 214 CHRISTIANITY AND THE SABBATH. latter rising higher trace the Sabbath to apostles, prophets, Christ, God. Much as we deprecate their practice in this respect, we appeal to Heylyn, Spencer, Paley, Arnold, and Whately, as men who are unexceptionable witnesses on the point in question, that all the most eminent Christians of all ages, — notwithstanding the theories about the Sabbath in vogue with some of them, — and all the Primitive Churches, observed and sanctified the Lord^s-day. V. Nor should the reader overlook the fact, that the numerous writers quoted in the body of this work, might be adduced to swell the section devoted to the sayings, and the example, of eminent men. VI. And, lastly, the aversion to the Sabbath by the carnal Jew, the dislike manifested by all under the strong delusion of Popery ; the rancorous malignity with which the worldly and the wicked assail the sabbatic institution — when it is enforced, not as a Sunday holiday, but as the Sabbath holy unto the Lord, are proofs by contrast, that the Sabbath is pre-eminently spiritual. The Lord^s-day is found embalmed in the recollections, and enshrined in the memoirs, of spiritually-minded men. " If,^^ said the impetuous German Reformer, " Adam had continued in innocence, he would have kept the seventh day sacred ;^^ and, "therefore, the Sabbath was, from the beginning of the world, appointed to the worship of God." * " Unquestionably," was the opinion of the great star of Geneva, " God assumed to himself the seventh day, and consecrated it when he finished the creation of the w^orld, that he might keep his worshippers entirely free from all other cares, when they were meditating on the beauty, ex- cellence, and splendour of his works. ... In this respect the necessity of a Sabbath is common to us with the people of old, that we may be free one day, and so may be better * Luther on Gen. ii. 1 — 3. CHRISTIANITY AND THE SABBATH. 215 prepared both for learning, and for giving testimony to our faith/^* " God, therefore, first rested, and then blessed that rest, that it might be sacred among men through all coming ages : he consecrated each seventh day to rest, that his own example might continually serve us as a rule/^f The father of him who has furnished the Church with the most spiritual commentary on the Scriptures, himself a man of no mean attainments in piety, was often heard to exclaim, " Well, if this be not the way to heaven, I do not know what is ! " He used to say, " Every minute of Sab - bath time is precious, and none of it to be lost ; and that he scarce thought the Lord^s-day well spent, if he were not weary in body at night — wearied with his work, but not weary of it/' J Morell Mackenzie, " eminently gifted by nature, highly accomplished by education, and in almost every feature of his moral and intellectual character, worthy of universal admiration and esteem,'^ declared that his "happiest days were his Sabbaths/' § M^Cheyne at the early age of thirty, was taken from the midst of a weeping congregation. When his decease was announced, " such a scene of sorrow took place as has not often been witnessed in Scotland. It was like the weeping for King Josiah. Hundreds were there; the lower part of the church was fullj and none seemed able to contain their sorrow. Every heart seemed bursting with grief, so that the weep- ing and the cries could be heard afar off. Wherever the news of his departure came, every Christian countenance was darkened with sadness. Perhaps never was the death of one, whose whole occupation had been preaching the everlasting Gospel, more felt by all the saints of God in Scotland. Not a few also of our Presbyterian brethren in * Calvin, Com. on Ex. xx. 11. f Ibid, on Gen. ii. 3. + Philip Henry's Life, p. 132. § Memoir and Remains, Preface, p. 3 ; Memoir, p. 103. 216 CHRISTIANITY AND THE SABBATH. Ireland felt the blow to the very heart On the day of his burial, business was quite suspended in the parish. The streets, and every window, from the house to the grave, were crowded with those who felt that a Prince in Israel had fallen; and many a careless man felt a secret awe creep over his hardened soul as he cast his eye on the solemn spectacle.^^* In one of his sketches of Sermons will be found the following: — "I love the Lord^s-day,^^ because "it is his property, just as the Lord^s Supper is the Supper belonging to Christ. All the days of the year are Christ^s, but he has marked out one in seven as pecu- liarly his own. ^ He hath made it,^ or marked it out. Just as he planted a garden in Eden, so he hath fenced about this day, and made it his own. This is the reason why we love it, and would keep it entire. We love every- thing that is Christ's. ... It is a relic of Paradise and type of Heaven. The Sabbath dawned on the bowers of a sinless Paradise ; . . without it Eden itself would have been incomplete. This is the reason why we love the Lord's- day. This is a reason why we ' call the Sabbath a delight.^ A well -spent Sabbath we feel to be a day of heaven upon earth. ... It is a day of blessings." f Of Dr. Chalmers, it were superfluous to say aught in de- scription of character. On Exodus xxxi. 12 — 18, his medi- tations were — " Let me drink the spring of all that is here said about the Sabbath, an observance as much distin- guished from the temporary and ceremonial law of jVIoses as any other of the Decalogue. Let me never lose sight of the sign or memorial, first of creation, and then of redemption. Let it, therefore, be upheld as part and parcel of a perpetual covenant — a day of holy rest, and the delighted observance of which is one of the most decisive tests of a renewed and * Memoir and Remains, p. 165. f Ibid. pp. 547 — 550. CHRISTIANITY AND THE SABBATH. 217 godlj nature/^* Speaking of others, he declared — "We never, in the whole course of our recollections, f met with a Christian friend, who bore upon his character every other evidence of the Spirit^s operation, who did not remember the Sabbath-day, to keep it holy/^ Archbishop Leighton bequeathed to the world an inimitably simple, beautiful, and all but inspired commentary on the Epistles of the Apostle Peter. It was his opinion that, — " the very life of religion doth much depend upon the solemn observation of this day. Consider but, if we should intermit the keep- ing of it for one year, to what a height profaneness would rise in those that fear not God ; which are yet restrained (though not converted) by the preaching of the word, and their outward partaking of public worship ; yea, those that are most spiritual, would find themselves losers by the intermission.^^ The unrivalled metaphysician of the New World remarked, — " Let us be thankful for the institution of the Christian Sabbath. It is a thing wherein God hath shown his mercy to us, and his care for our souls. He shows that he, by his infinite wisdom, is contriving for our good. . . . It was made for the profit and for the comfort of our souls.^'l The critical acumen of Scott is weU known, and his piety is not less difi*used throughout his invaluable Commentary. "Were our love to God and spiritual things as intense as * See also Chalmers' Memoirs, by Dr. Hanna, vol. iii. p. 340 ; vol. iv. pp. 65, 249, 254, and 467. It is well kno\^^l that Dr. Chalmers entered with enthusiasm into the proposal, that one of theTracts for the Times on the Sabbath should come from his vigorous pen — but death prevented its accomplishment. t The Rev. R. M. M'Cheyne puts the following questions: •* i. Can you name one godly minister of any denomination in Scotland, who does not hold the duty of the entire sanctification of the Lord's-day ? ii. Did you ever meet mth a lively believer in any country under heaven, one who loved Christ, and lived a holy life, who did not delight in keeping holy to God the entire Lord's day ?" X Works, vol. vii. p. 525. Serm. xv. on «' The Perpetuity and Change of the Sabbath." 218 CHRISTIANITY AND THE SABBATH. it ought to be, we should/^ he observed, " count a day thus spent, our great delight ; for heaven will be an eternal rest, not essentially differing from it. All our aversion from this strictness arises from ' the carnal mind which is enmity against God;' and the advantages which would accrue from thus hallowing the Sabbath, to the morals, health, liberty, and happiness of mankind, are so many and so obvious, that they who doubt its obligation, allow its expediency."* To the same effect is the testimony of the chaplain to the celebrated Bishop Home, — "If there be any person in a country enlightened with the Gospel, who would banish the blessing of a Sabbath from the world, he must be a stranger to all the feelings of humanity, as well as the principles of religion and piety." t "I do not hesi- tate to say," was the witness of the great historian of the Reformation, "that this submission of a whole people to the law of God is something very impressive, and is pro- bably the most incontestible source of the many things that have been showered on the nation. Order and obe- dience, morality and power, are all in Britain connected with the observance of the Sabbath. . . . We say, again, — the severity of England, as to the Lord's-day and other institu- tions, is, in our eyes, an essential feature of the national character, and an imperative condition of the greatness and prosperity of her people." % Not less striking and explicit is the testimony of Dr. * Essays on the most important subjects in Religion, p. 62. t William Jones, perpetual curate of Nayland, &c. X *' Germany, England, and Scotland," by Merle D'Aubigne, pp. 10.5 and 109. In confirmation of the above, we quote the valuable remark of Mr. James, which, as far as our knowledge extends, no other author has made : — " It is true that men have other witnesses for God, especially the Bible, the Church, and the Saviour ; but, how heedless would they be of all these, if the Sabbath were forgotten ! They could meet for divine worship, and thus acknowledge God on other days, if they did not assemble then ! But woiild they ? Is it probable ? 27iere are meetings CHRISTIANITY AND THE SABBATH. 219 Owen : — " Let men, in whose hearts are the ways of God, seriously consider the use that has been made, under the blessing of God_, of the conscientious observation of the Lord^s-day, in the past and the present age, for the promo- tion of holiness, righteousness, and religion universally in the power of it ; and if they are not under invincible pre- judices, it will be very difficult for them to judge, that it is a plant, which our heavenly Father hath not planted. For my part, I must not only say, but plead whilst I live in the world, and leave this testimony to the present and future ages (if these papers survive and see the light) that if I have ever seen anything in the ways and worship of God, wherein the power of religion and godliness has been expressed — anything that has represented the holi- ness of the Gospel, and the Author of it, — anything that has looked like di. prceludium to the everlasting Sabbath and rest with God, which we aim through grace to come to, it has been with those amongst whom the Lord^s-day has been had in highest esteem, and a strict observation of it attended to, as an ordinance of our Lord Jesus Christ. . . . Their doctrine, also, in this matter, with the blessing that attended it, was that for which multitudes now at rest bless God, and many that are alive do greatly rejoice in it. Let these things be despised by those, who are otherwise minded ; to me they are of great weight and importance.^^* " In my younger days,^^ said the quaint but holy Rowland Hill, "the very thought of the rising Sabbath was very pleasant indeed to my mind. Oh ! how delightful on other days, but by whom are tbey attended ? Only by those who keep holy the Sabbath, and by only a few of tbem. So that, if the Sabbath were given up, public worship would be given up also, and the people would abandon all appearance of religion, and assume the aspect of a nation of atheists." — *' Christian Sabbath," p. 447. * Treatise on the Sabbath, pp. 198, 199. 220 CHRISTIANITY AND THE SABBATH. was the sunshine upon the day in which my God was to be served ; when I went into the sanctuary with an appetite for the sacred services, and with a desire to say, — an hour spent in thy house is better than I can spend elsewhere/'* " Men should not be idle/' was the precept of the vene- rable Wycliffe, "but busy on the Sabbath-day about the soul, as men are on the week-day about the body/'f And so thought Rowland Hill, for " the Sabbath-day is the Christian's market-day, upon which the soul lays in the provisions for the week, and memory is the messenger that brings them out for the refreshment of the soul, just as they are wanted." J "Every day was a day of tranquil satisfac- tion,'' states Joshua Gilpin, "in which we had little to wish, and much to enjoy; but the Sabbath presented us with peculiar consolations. We " (he and ' his dear and only son') " saluted every return of that holy day with undissembled joy, cheerfully laying aside all our usual studies and employments, except such as had a manifest tendency, either to enlarge our acquaintance with, or to advance our preparation for, the kingdom of God. It was a day truly honourable in our eyes, and marked as a season of sacred delights. Its various exercises, whether public or private, produced an exhilarating effect upon our minds, and never failed to set us some paces near the object of our supreme desires. It was a kind of transfiguration day, shedding a mild glory upon every creature, and inviting us to view the concerns of time in connexion with those of eter- nity." How hallowed the social life of father and son, and how near an approximation to the society in heaven ! There must be a similarity in thought and expression where there is sympathy in soul ; and it is not to occasion surprise if we meet with authors however widely separated * Memoir, by W. Jones, pp. 48, 49. t See Tracts and Treatises, p. 6. % Memoir, p. 219. CHRISTIANITY AND THE SABBATH. 221 by intervals of time, distance in their respective position, and difference in their profession of life, employing phrases almost identical. Hence Mr. HilVs idea of the Sabbath being a market-day to the Christian is fully borne out in the experience of others : Dr. Doddridge assures us, " I find it never well with me on common days, when it is not so on the Lord's-day.^^ The same, as will appear, is the sentiment of four invaluable witnesses to the virtues of a well- spent Sabbath. The incredulity or uncharitableness of those, who are disposed to regard as fanaticism to what- ever in religion they are unhappily strangers, will style the extracts above presented as fanatical, or as the sentiments of interested men. Providence has rebuked the harsh and ungenerous judgment, by raising up four imperishable monu- ments on which stands engraved, by " God^s own finger,^' as of old on the tables of stone — "Kemember the Sabbath- day to keep it holy ! ^^ In the ninth year of the century, which was to witness fierce conflicts between the advocates of a stern puritanical Sabbath, on the one hand ; and, on the other, the promoters of a profane holiday under the influence of the Book of Sports, there was born the future lord- chief-justice of England . As a judge, Cromwell in vain tempted him to tamper with the laws of the realm ; and as vain were the attempts of the world, or the example of crowned heads, or the influence of works by learned doctors in divinity, to seduce him to desecrate the Lord^s-day. A Puritan, as some use that term, he was not — and to the character of the irreligious cavalier he bore a noble con- trast. And what were his views of the nature of this insti- tution? In giving directions to his children as to its observance, he prefaces his code of laws on the Sabbath by certain inducements ; among which Sir Matthew says, " I have by long and sound experience found, that the due ob- servance of this day, and of the duties of it, has been of 222 CHRISTIANITY AND THE SABBATH. singular comfort and advantage to me ; and I doubt not but it will prove so to you. God Almighty is the Lord of our time, and lends it to us; and as it is but just we should consecrate this part of that time to him, so I have found, by a strict and diligent observation, that a due attention to the duty of this day hath ever joined to it a blessing upon the rest of my time ; and the week that hath so begun hath been blessed and prosperous to me : and, on the other side, when I have been negligent of the duties of this day, the rest of the week hath been unsuccessful and unhappy to my own secular employments ; so that I could early make an estimate of my successes in my secular engagements the week following, by the manner of my passing of this day: and this I do not write lightly or inconsiderately, but upon a long and sound observation and experience. Secondly, I find in the world much looseness and apostasy from this duty. People begin to be cold and careless in it, allowing themselves sports and recreations, and secular employments in itj without any necessity: which is a sad spectacle, and an ill presage. It concerns me, therefore, (who am your father,) as much as I may, to rescue you from that sin which the example of others, and the inclination and inconsiderateness of youth, are apt to lead you into. I shall, therefore, set down unto you par- ticularly these things : I. What is the reason and ground of your observation of this day ; ii. What things ought not to be done this day ; iii. What things may be done upon this day; iv. What things are necessary to be done, in order to its sanctification.^' If the wearer of the surplice and gown be an interested and partial witness, this evidence from the ermined judge will carry weight with all who can admire inflexible inte- grity. The names of Wilberforce and Cowper will ever be asso- CHRISTIANITY AND THE SABBATH. 223 ciated with philanthropy^ the emancipation of the slave, and practical Christianity. The former fought the battle of freedom in the Senate, the latter enshrined it in the breast of all " good men and true.^^ The former wrote " An apology for the Christian Sabbath/'' and the latter inscribed a letter to a young lady, tendering '' Advice on keeping the Sabbath/^ * With what consistency, and moral courage, Wilberforce urged its claims on the Senate, will be presently seen. But behold the man himself in relation to the Sabbath ! " Oh ! blessed be God, who hath appointed the Sabbath, and inter- poses these seasons of serious recollection ! . . . A Sunday spent in solitude spreads and extends its fragrance ; may I long find the good effects of this.'' '' What a blessing it is to be permitted to retire from the bustle of the world, and to be furnished with so many helps for realizing unseen things." " A quiet Sunday is a blessed thing." "Oh, it is a blessed thing to have the Sunday devoted to God ! " "Oh, blessed day, which allows us a precious interval wherein to pause, to come out from the thickets of worldly con- cerns, and to give ourselves up to heavenly and spiritual objects." t Not even Wilberforce could be proof against the seductions of life, without its sanctifying influences. "Often in my visits, to Holwood, when I heard one or another speak of this man's place, or that man's peerage, I felt," is his candid confession, "a rising inclination to pursue the same objects ; but a Sunday in solitude never failed to restore me to myself." % * For Cowper's sentiments relative to Sabbath, desecration, see the beading to Chapter XI. of this work. t Life, by his Sons, vol. i. pp. 185, 203; vol. ii. pp. 81, 106, 274; vol. iii. p. 96 ; to the same effect, p. 424. See also, vol. iv. pp. 4^ and 179, and vol. v. p. 121. In his "Practical Christianity," tbe section entitled, *' Sunday, and hints for its employment," p. 123, is worthy of perusal. % Life, &c. vol. i. p. 316. 224 CHRISTIANITY AND THE SABBATH. Hermann Boerhaave is another of the few whom God " gave^' as " gifts unto men." His world-wide * and lasting reputation, was but the shadow of the glory he now enjoys in the perpetual Sabbath above. Chemist, botanist, anatomist, the most brilliant ornament of the medical pro- fession— a man of sparkling genius, great versatility of talent, and profound erudition — of spotless character and unfeigned piety; at whose unexpected recovery from a serious attack of illness, the streets of Leyden were illuminated for joy; could he in the heart of Germany find solace in the Sabbath ? " None of my schemes," is his confession, " ever succeeded to my wish, if I did not conscientiously devote the Sabbath to the service of God ! '' t The exemplary life of reformers, theologians, divines; the opinion of the metaphysician, the historian, the com- mentator; the sentiments and practice of the poet, the senator, the judge, the physician and philosopher, — a galaxy of talent and devotion, constitute a chain of evidence as to the high spirituality of the Lord's-day. But there is a voice, too solemn to be trifled with, heard from amid the death scenes of not a few. In our chapter on the morality of the Sabbath, we shall adduce witnesses warning the Sabbath-breaker, as here we have persuasives to its ob- servance. But an instance of repentance may now form an appropriate sequel to the above. In the winter of 1809, Mr. Wilberforce ascertained from Mr. Perceval, then first lord of the treasury, that Parlia- ment would meet on Monday the 10th of January. With * A Chinese Mandarin Tsrrote a letter, addressed " To Boerhaave in Europe." t Not less exemplary was lie in daily devotions ; since lie observes, ** My daily practice of retiring for an hour in the morning and spending it in devotion and meditation, gave me firmness and vigour for the business of the whole day." CHRISTIANITY AND THE SABBATH. 225 the instincts of the living Christian, Wilberforce instantly foresaw the desecration of the Sunday previous, that would result from the arrangement. He wrote immediately, suggesting the propriety of opening the Session on a more convenient day. '^ The house put off nobly by Perceval/' are the words of this great champion of the Sabbath, "because of the Sunday travelling it would have occa- sioned ! ''* A glimpse of the sick chamber of the gifted Hannah More, may convince the most reluctant to believe, that the Sabbath is in beautiful unison with the Christian dispensation. " How many blessed groups tMs hour are bending Through. England's primrose meadow paths, their way, Towards spire and tower, 'midst shadowy elms ascending, Whence the sweet chimes proclaim the hallow' d day ! The halls firom old heroic ages grey Pour their fair children forth ; and hamlets low, "With whose thick orchard blooms the soft winds play, Send out their inmates in a happy flow, Like a freed vernal stream. I may not tread With them those pathways ; to the feverish bed Of sickness boimd ; yet, O my God ! I bless Thy mercy, that with Sabbath peace hath fill'd My chasten' d breast, and all its throbbings still' d To one deep calm of lowliest thankfulness ! "f * Life, by his Sons, vol. iii. pp 396—398. t Written a few days before her death. CHAPTEH VII. MORALITY AND THE SABBATH. ** The foTindations of true happiness are from above. "We have, therefore, in the first place, perused the laws which enjoin the observa- tion of the Lord's-day, and where we found any defect, either in rtdes or penalties, we have with great care supplied them, well knowing, that he who doth not remember on the first day of the week to observe a Christian Sabbath, will hazard before the week comes round to forget that he is a Christian." SiK E. TuRNEE, Speaker of the House of Commons in 1663. I. The morality of the fourth commandment has ever been warmly debated. By one it is considered a moral law ; by another, a moral-positive enactment ; by a third, positive and ceremonial. On the first view it has been urged as of perpetual obligation ; on the second, as con- taining an element of universal obligation, and an element that entered into the constitution of the Hebrew state, with the abolition of which it ceased to affect the opinions of the Christian ; and on the third, as annulled altogether. It appears to us a waste of discrimination, to enter into the discussion of these distinctions. Admitting the founda- tion of the precept to be in the moral constitution of man, our obligation to comply with it does not arise solely from this fact. For the principle grounds our obedience upon what appears to us of an authoritative nature, rather than the will and pleasure of the Divine Legislator. The sub- ject is thus exalted into an equality with the sovereign, MORALITY AND THE SABBATH. 227 since, before lie will submit, he must judge of its necessity ; and if he submits, it is because he thinks proper to bow — not, as is obviously the case, to the authority of God, but to the dictates of his reason ! To say the least, this is presumption ; and to affirm, that this is the spirit of rebel- lion, is no more than justifiable. A liberty is thus taken by anti- Sabbatarians with the fourth commandment, and an imprudent concession of a momentous principle is made by those who argue the point. " If,^' says Tillotson, " the affections and interest of men were as deeply concerned, and as sensibly touched in the truth of mathematical propositions, as they are in the principles of morality and religion, we should find, that when a proposition stood in their way, and lay cross to their interest, though it were never so clearly demonstrated, yet they would raise a dust about it, and make a thousand cavils, and fence even against the evidence of a demonstration; they would palliate their error with all the skill and art they could ; and though the absurdity of it was never so great and palpable, yet they would hold it fast against all sense and reason, and face down mankind in the obstinate defence of it ; for we have no reason to doubt but that they who, in matters of religion, will believe directly contrary to what they see, would, if they had the same interest and passions to sway them in the case, believe contrary to the clearest mathematical demonstration ; for, where there is an abso- lute resolution not to be convinced, all the reason and evidence in the world signifies nothing.^^ * Thus, God^s resting at the completion of creation is explained away ; the position of the fourth commandment in the heart of the Decalogue is of no importance; the inconsistency of asserting that we cannot, any more than the Jews, exist as a religious people without a sabbatic * Works, vol. i. p. 239. Serm. 33. 228 MORALITY AND THE SABBATH. institution, and yet at the same time affirming that God has not enjoined its observance upon us, does not stagger; in other words, " all the reason and evidence in the world signifies nothing/^ Let the nature of the fourth commandment be deter- mined by one as moral ; by another, as positive ; by a third, as ceremonial; by a fourth, as moral -positive, it matters little to us who have seen that the Sabbath was of God, is of Christ, is essential to the church, is hated by the carnal, delighted in by the spiritual, and, as we proceed to show, lies at the root of all morality. If a Sunday be not a Sabbath, it is a political or social institution. If it be not of God, it is of man. If of man, then man is " Lord of the Sabbath ;^^* and he who insti- tuted it may abrogate it according to fancy or convenience. The design of lowering its authority is, vrith some at least, to have this control over its application. But all the consequences are not perceived. The employer may then complain, of this intermeddling with his means of ac- cumulating property, to one-seventh more than under this restriction upon his time. The labourer, with equal justice, may denounce the arrangement which deprives him of opportunity to procure, by the seventh day's profits, a few comforts, of which his income, barely sufficient to support himself and family, does not admit. Your plea, * Peter Heylyn quotes the following answer of Tyndale to Sir Thomas More : — *' As for the Sabbath, we be lords over the Sabbath, and may yet change it into Monday, or into any other day, as we see need ; or make every tenth day holiday only, if we see cause why. Neither was there any cause to change it from the Saturday, but to put a difference between us and the Jews ; neither need we any holiday at all ; if the people might be taught without it." — History of the Sabbath, bk. ii. eh. viii. § (1), p. 237. How little was this noble translator of the Bible conscious of his OTvn need of enlightenment, when at the stake he closed his life with the ever-memorable prayer, *' Lord, open the king of Eng- land's eyes ! " MORALITY AND THE SABBATH. 229 on the ground of interference with voiir hours of devotion, he may fairly disregard, on the plea that you care little for his physical comforts. It is in vain to reply, that the Sabbath affords him some compensation. For he has a right to ask, what compensation? If you answer. Your rehgious interests are thereby insured, he wiU surely doubt your disinterestedness and sincerity; since God, whose tender mercies are over all his works, saw not, as you have taken pains to instil into his mind, that necessity, or else he would have enjoined a Sabbath. To tell him his physical weU-being or his moral principles are at stake, is to provoke the same incredulity ; for on such grounds he will be at a loss to explain your trouble to show, that the Sabbath has no foundation in the Xew Testament; and with the Old, you have informed him, he has nothing to do ! No ; if men must be convinced of the beneficial effects of a Sabbath, you must descend from the ground you have assumed of instituting a day of rest and worship, and take the more becoming position of humbly inter- preting the laws of God in relation thereto. Place it, where it originated, in heaven, where God rested ; in Eden, where Adam instinctively followed the example; in the Decalogue, whence issues the command, '' In it thou shalt do no manner of work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy man-servant, nor thy maid-servant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates ; " and you may urge the moral and physical advantages of observing the Sabbath. There is, there ever was, there ever wiU be, in unsanc- tified human nature, an innate love of domineering over fellow-man. AATien Mammon sways the mind, the lust of gain, glutted yet insatiate, wiU teach him to count his fellow-creatures as a stepping-stone to power, as so much material to be worked up in the use, as so many instru- 230 MORALITY AND THE SABBATH. ments to be worn out in the attainment of self-aggrandize- ment. The Sabbath is the great hinderance to the purposes of rapacity. It is only the dissipated — as regard- less of true personal good as of the welfare of others ; it is the selfish and the avaricious, who would victimize man to render him subservient to low personal ends. He, who has no sense of obligation to God, has no sense of the invisible restraint of the moral Governor of the universe; has not, and can have no regard for their welfare whom he treats as his goods and chattels. He "fears not God, neither" does he "regard man.'^ Such will be loud in declaiming against the divine authority of the Sabbath, for it steps between the tyrant and his powerless victim. Was it not so of old? '^Ye are idle, ye are idle; therefore ye say. Let us go and do sacrifice unto the Lord." * " Hear this, O ye that swallow up the needy, even to make the poor of the land to fail, saying. When will the new moon be gone, that we may sell corn? and the Sabbath, that we may set forth wheat? making the ephah small, and the shekel great, and falsi- fying the balances by deceit ? that we may buy the poor for silver, and the needy for a pair of shoes ; yea, and sell the refuse of the wheat ? " f Mankind, in general, would, if deprived of the instruc- tions a Sabbath affords, be destitute of that knowledge which maintains the principles of order, and universal har- mony, among associated masses. Social happiness is pro- moted, by the discharge of relative duties. The Scripture is not only the purest system of morals, but the only authoritative code we possess. The chief magistrate can enforce his claim to political subjection; men of wealth can secure, through the necessities of others, attention to their own need of their services ; but on what ground can * Exod. T. 17. t Amos viii. 4 — 6. MORALITY AND THE SABBATH. 231 we induce the multitudes who may be independent of support from us^ or owe no obedience as servants or employes, to restrain their passions and to act in a manner compatible with the true interests of all in a community? How shall we bring all under the influence of the social laws of the New Testament? The habits of public worship, in other words, the keeping of a Sabbath alone, will imbue the mind with proper views of relative duties, and ground mutual respect upon the fear of God. Through the Sabbath we have a hold upon the masses. It is a peerless system of beautiful moral constraint. As in the giving of manna God enforced, by a sublime expe- dient, the observance of a day of rest ; so it will hereafter be seen, man must have a periodical recess from labour, and having thus a day to himself, it is easy to show how he must devote it to religious culture. He is not compelled to work for bread on the seventh day. Is this reprieve from the curse upon labour, no motive to urge in keeping tie Sabbath ? We have a motive — a motive that all but tke reprobate would understand — for asking him to con- sider the claims of his Creator. His reason, and conscience, and heart, are open to appeals. Exempt from necessity of working for daily bread, we ground upon this boon the duty — reasonable and grateful duty — of securing the approbation of his Creator; of acquiring a knowledge of his rights, and consequently of his duties as one of a com- munity. It is a perpetual monitor. It is a voice that i« heard amid the din and excitement of the struggles of life. It gives before it exacts. It protects one, and defends another. It teaches powerfully the toilworn, that God was considerate of his interests and comfort, before he required him to respect those of his feUow-creatures. God gives him a physical boon, and expects him to hold sacred the moral rights of others. The Sabbath, a day of rest to 232 MORALITY AND THE SABBATH. one, teaches that one not to violate the peace or outrage the claims of another. But withdraw the Sabbath, and the only means we possess, of inculcating the pure ethics of the New Testament, are destroyed. Reject the Atonement, and there is no salvation; remove the influence of the Sabbath from the consciences of the people, and they necessarily degenerate into ignorance of every conservative principle. Having pointed out the vast influence upon the Jews of having their Scriptures expounded every week, Prideaux remarks, — "But to the Christian, above all others, this must be of the greatest benefit; for the doc- trines of our holy religion having in them the sublimest principles of divine knowledge, and the precepts of it con- taining all the duties of morality in the highest manner improved, nothing can be of greater advantage to us for the leading of us to the truest happiness we are capable of, as well in this life as in that which is to come, than to have these weekly taught and explained unto us, and weekly put home upon our consciences, for the forming of our lives according to them. And the political state, or civil government of every Christian country, is no less benefited hereby than the church itself; for as it best con- duceth to keep up the spirit of religion among us, and to make every man know his duty to God, his neighbour, and himself; so it may be reckoned of all methods the most conducive to preserve peace and good order in the State : for hereby subjects are taught to be obedient to their prince and his laws, children to be dutiful to their parents, servants to be faithful to their masters, and all to be just and charitable, and pay all other duties which in every relation they owe to each other And to be weekly instructed in these duties, and to be weekly excited to the obedience of them, is certainly the properest and most efiectual method to induce men hereto. And it may be MORALITY AND THE SABBATH. 233 justly reckoned, that the good order which is now main- tained in thi kingdom, is more owing to this method than to any other now in practice among us for this end ; and that one good minister, by his weekly preaching and daily good example, sets it more forward than any two of the best justices of the peace can by their exactest diligence in the execution of the laws, which they are entrusted with ; for these by the utmost of their coercions can go no farther than to restrain the outward acts of wickedness; but the other reforms the heart within, and removes all those evil inclinations of it from whence they flow. And it is not to be doubted but that, if this method were once dropped among us, the generality of the people, whatever else may be done to obviate it, would, in seven years' time, relapse into as bad a state of barbarity as was ever in practice amongst the worst of our Saxon, or Danish, ancestors. And, therefore, supposing there were no such thing in truth and reality as that holy Christian religion which the ministers of the Gospel teach yet the service which they do the civil government, in keeping all men to those duties, in the observance of which its peace, good order, and happiness consist, may very well deserve the maintenance which they receive from it.^^ * What is here implied, but not stated, deserves greater prominence. The civil magistrate assumes that the people are acquainted with the great principles of social existence, punishing transgression of laws, the knowledge of which he takes no pains to afford, indeed has no means of impart- ing. He reaps what he does not sow. He visits with punishment, what he has taken no care to prevent. God has supplied this defect, and the Sabbath is the grand instrument by which he moulds the minds and hearts of nations. And hence, another has forcibly remarked, — * Prideaux's Connex. vol. i. bk. vi. pp. 466, 467. 234 MORALITY AND THE SABBATH. '^ The importance of the religious observance of the Sabbath is seldom sufficiently estimated. The violation of this duty by the young, is one of the most decided marks of incipient moral degeneracy. Religious restraint is fast losing hold upon that young man, who, having been educated in the fear of God, begins to spend the Sabbath in idleness or in amusement. And so, also, of communities. The desecra- tion of the Sabbath is one of the most evident indications of that criminal recklessness, that insane love of pleasure, and that subjugation to the government of the appetites and passions, which forebodes that ' the beginning of the end ' of social happiness, and of true national prosperity, has arrived. Hence we see, how imperative is the duty of parents, and legislators, in relation to this subject. The head of every family is obliged by the command of God, not only to honour the day himself, but to use all the means in his power to secure the observance of it by all those committed to his charge. He is thus not only promoting his own but his children's happiness ; for nothing tends more strongly to fix in the minds of the young the conviction of the existence and the attributes of God, than the solemn keep- ing of this day. Hence all legislators are false to their trust, who, either by the enactment of laws, or by their example, diminish, in the least degree, in the minds of the people, the reverence due to that day which God has set apart for himself." * "There is no other foundation,^' says an American author, " on which you can rear responsibility in the human heart. . . . Oh ! when you decide to throw away the Sabbath, you have decided to add another hand to those already busy in cutting the only cords that hold this republic toge- ther; you are taking off that which binds men to obey human laws ; you are deciding that your wisdom is greater * Wayland's Elements of Moral Science. MORALITY AND THE SABBATH. 235 than the wisdom of Him who made the Sabbath for man; you are putting out the light which God hath kindled, by which to guide you through this dark world to the world of perfect light. Take away the moral influence of the Sab- bath, feeble as it is in our great cities, and there is no other check, or stay, or prop to society.^ ^ * II. As a social being, as a subject, man without the Sab- bath is on the highway to barbarism. The Sabbath not only enforces obedience on the highest and safest grounds conceivable, but, with a kindness and justice alien to polit- ical rulers, it famishes man with a knowledge of what is required from him. But there is another aspect in which the institution commends itself to our nobler feelings. The masses are, unavoidably, doomed to the drudgery of toil. In the sweat of the brow the multitude must eat their bread. Thus far the curse extends, under divine retribution. But the Sabbath revokes it in part. Man, from a soil bringing forth thorns and briers, may draw the supplies of the week by only six days' labour. God has not overtasked the "frame,'' which he "remembers," which he "knows" to be " dust." Let the labourer toil without intermission, and his body will languish and die. This has to be consi- dered at length in our next chapter. The moral influence, however, of incessant mental or physical action, is the sub- ject under view. The body wiU not endure continuous exertion without the relaxation night aflbrds; and seven nights, without a seventh day's repose, will be insufficient to restore suppleness to the jaded body and stifiened limbs. The body and the mind act, and re-act, upon one another. Physical weariness is mental lassitude ; and mental lassitude indisposes the soul to moral considerations. Those whose only toil is the pursuit of pleasure, become weary and in- different, through fatigue of body, to the exercise of the * Todd on " Great Cities," pp. 88, 89. 236 MORALITY AND THE SABBATH. moral faculties. The recreations of others are their labour, and to work is relaxation. If devotion to pleasure is dissi- pating; perpetual vassalage to toil is debasing. The jaded frame is soon tenanted by a capricious, irritable, inconsi- derate, reckless mind. The Sabbath restores the elasticity of the physical constitution, and soothes the excited mind. To continue an unbroken round of toil is unnatural, and the labourer must fly to an artificial and pernicious stimulus, which acts as an opiate to the lulled mental and moral facul- ties ; but imparts a delusive and ruinous vigour to the phy- sical powers for awhile. Servile enthraldom, is slavery to the vice of intemperance ; the Sabbath-day labourer is the " hard drinker " of every day in the week. It is true, all such do not labour on the Sundays ; but it is equally true, that their intemperance is not of necessity, but fatal choice. With those who do, intemperance is an absolute necessity. For God has not endued the human frame with powers of exertion over seven successive days; and if men will not rest, they must borrow delusive strength from alcohol. The practice is insane, and while the man gradually bruta- lizes the moral feelings, wastes or rather exhausts his phy- sical powers, the grave or the asylum, as the door to the tomb, is his destination. Science has not released the artisan from the imperative laws of his nature. It has lessened, indeed, the amount of animal exertion required. But it has introduced a weari- some round of monotonous duties. With machinery has come the grand discovery of modern times — the division of labour. The former has elevated man above beasts of burden, but the latter, alas ! has reduced him to the level of a living machine. He acts in unison with the wheels, spindles, gear, and piston of the factory and engine-room. He becomes a part of the machinery, and the greater its perfection the less intelligent the mechanic. It is true, at MORALITY AND THE SABBATH. 237 first his wits must be about him^ but in time habit transfers a species of intelligence to his limbs, and the mind ceases to act. The Sabbath calls him away from the companionship of the half- conscious engine to the fellowship of man, to the dignity of his nature, to the contemplation of his God. He ceases to be the associate of the semi-intelligent engine, and rises to a sense of his superior relationship to intellectual and moral beings. If the mind is allowed to act only me- chanically, the soul cannot but be debased, and moral sen- timent will be at a low ebb. If toil indisposes to mental exertion, a knowledge of moral duties is impossible. As it is, labourers doze at church : who would listen to the sermon upon coming from the loom, the factory, the forge, the mine, the shop, the field, if there were no Sabbath to give rest J as well as to require attention? Education — intel- lectual, moral, and religious, wiU fail or succeed as the Sabbath is neglected or observed. "Those workmen who labour on the Sabbath in con- structing railways, . . . generally spend more than their extra wages in purchasing strong drink, to supply stimulus to their exhausted powers ; and we have been assured, by an extensive and conscientious contractor, that the work which they execute in seven days, is generally less in amount, and worse in point of execution, than that which is done by sober, orderly men in six.^' * " If,^^ said one of the directors of the Edinburgh and Glasgow Railway, " we give them the Sabbath, we shall have the choice of servants ; if we do not, we must lose the services of those who would be most valuable to the company, and who would best secure the safety and comfort of the public.'^ t In confirmation, we could name two young men, one of whom we recommended, and in part obtained for him, the promise of a situation as * Rev. P. M'Owan. The Christian Sabbath, p. 157. t Dr. King. The Christian Sabbath, p. 110. 238 MORALITY AND THE SABBATH. clerk in a railway office, but wlio refused to accept it upon learning, that his Sabbath would be in part engaged in attending to the traffic on the line. In him the company- lost an invaluable, intelligent, and highly honourable indi- vidual, now serving a company who keep the Sabbath sacred. The other had no such scruples about the Lord^s- day, and ere long his inattention to his duties procured his dismission. " I would not," is the statement of a manufacturer, before a Committee of the House of Commons, " I would not, as a pecuniary speculation, take less than ^7000 for my set of workmen — upwards of 800 — in exchange for the uneducated and uncultivated workmen of another manu- facturer opposite." One of the class who dread " Sabbath labour as the seventh day slavery," writes — " To our English Sabbath — with its Christian training and whole- some discipline — its effects upon our habits, as much, per- haps, as upon our sentiments, are we indebted for much of our English peace."* Sunday schools are now a part of our social by stem. Statesmen as well as divines, philanthropists as well as philosophers, recognise it not more as conducive to the morality of the nation, than as a nursery to the Church. To enter into the philosophy of the system is unnecessary. We here simply recall the fact, that it originated in the grief felt by the lovers of the Sabbath, at the sight of children profaning the Lord's-day; and this alone shows the extent of its influence on the moral well-being of the juvenile classes. It is a truism, but one that requires no apology, that without the Sabbath there could be no Sun- day schools. III. The immoral tendency of unremitted labour is, * Working Man's Hull College Prize Essay on the Sabbath, p. 38. MORALITY AND THE SABBATH. 239 therefore, beyond all question. But six days^ labour, fol- lowed by a seventh day^s dissipation, is far more pernicious. A Sunday to all classes, if not a Sabbath, is no boon. To those who have been acquiring through the week the habits of activity, a day of mere vacancy is morally impos- sible. The seventh day must be a secular holiday, or a day of religious engagement. If the former, the object of the Sabbath is altogether defeated. A holiday is not a day of rest, not a day of moral instruction, not a day of religious culture. The pursuit of pleasure, with a mind ill-informed or misinformed, is a species of labour of a more degrading description, and more pernicious to physical and moral well-being, than that from which the Sabbath grants ex- emption. The latter is injurious, not in itself, but in its continuity. The former is pernicious, 'per se. As occupation in secular engagements keeps the mind and heart uncul- tivated, if the Sunday is not converted into opportunities of improvement, pleasure will be pursued to excess. It is fascinating, and requires a well-controUed mind to be en- joyed without abuse. When to its inherent powers of captivating is added the zest acquired by previous six days^ abstinence, the uninformed and unrestrained passions will urge the emancipated labourer to immolate himself on the altar of dissipation. The masses labour from dire necessity, but no one requires a stimulus to self-indulgence. Consider aU the bearings of the question, and a Sunday holiday is as great a curse as a Sabbath is a blessing,* From the exhaustion of toil, to turn to the dissipation of mind, is worse than continuance in work. From the orgies * In " Three Letters on the Sunday Question, -viewed chiefly in relation to its social and political aspects," Professor Rogers demon- strates the pernicious tendency in the industrial classes, to seek pleasure in congregated masses. The pamphlet (published anonymously) is worthy the attention of not only Christians, but also of statesmen and philanthropists without Sabbatarian leanings. 240 MORALITY AND THE SABBATH. of the Sunday the artisan returns physically^ and morally, incapacitated to work. A Monday's idleness thus generally supplies the rest that the Sabbath was designed to give. But it fails to be a substitute ; for God gave one day^s rest to restore the vigour of mind and body^ but none to recover from the efiPects of dissipation, superadded to the fatigue of previous six days^ toil. First exhausted, then dissipated, the mechanic carries through the week the evidence of having converted a boon into a curse. Hence the better portion of the industrial classes would prefer remunerative occupation, however exhausting, to the vacancy of an idle Sunday, or to the ruinous indulgences of the tea gardens and gin palaces. It will, then, be objected by the hasty and inconsiderate, that a seventh day's rest to the operative is rather a curse than a blessing. Unquestionably, if you refuse the Sabbath God has enjoined, and give them, instead, a Sunday of your own creation. Show the institution to be of God, and we have a hold on the conscience; and, pointing to the reprieve from the curse of toil, we excite the gratitude man is susceptible of, and teach him not to profane the Lord's day j we appeal to his own physical well-being, his tem- poral prosperity, his intellectual, moral, and religious ad- vancement ; and, on such grounds we hope to prevail. But inform the masses that God has given them no Sabbath, but common consent gives them a holiday, and the seventh day's cessation of labour becomes a fearful curse. It is in vain to object, that we represent matters unfairly when we assert, that pleasure will become dissipation. Let the reasons already advanced be refuted, and our inference wiU faU. But we cannot admit an objection to it, until the premises from which it is drawn be destroyed. At present we appeal, not to facts, for their power is over- whelming. In another chapter, a description of the holi- MORALITY AND THE SABBATH. 241 days of our own industrial classes, and of all on the Conti- nent, will afford fearful revelations. Here it is enough to see, that a Sunday is the cause, and dissipation the inevi- table effect. Freed from labour, a man must read or amuse himself at home, stroll in the fields and parks, take trips on steamboats or in the train. Consider the first. What will be the nature, or extent, of his reading ? If religiously disposed he would be at a place of worship; his remaining at home gives you an insight into the character of the works he selects, or the nature of the amusement in which he is indulging. And, thus informed, we know well that dissipation is going on, or it is to come ere nightfall. We see him strolling in the fields, or the park. Is he religiously meditating on nature, and on nature^s God ? If so, he has some love for religious exercises; and if so, he would enter the place where all the aid to holy contemplation, which the wisdom of God could devise, would be furnished him. He hears the bell, he remembers what is going on in church and chapel, and his conscience smites him, for the presumption to assume that he is superior to the masses of his fellow- creatures, and for refusing to give God the glory due unto his name. If he yields, he will cease to spend the Sabbath in strolling ; if he resists, conscience will not be silenced without some violence, and he must hurry to scenes of gaiety and dissipation. In either case, strolling, to admire the God of nature, comes to a speedy end. The same is true of Sunday trips, which require but the additional remark, that the company he is thrown into, the distance from home leading to refreshment rooms (we will not give them a harsher name) occasion practices, which become habits of dissipation. It is, to our mind, a clear impossibility that a man may seek pleasure on a Sunday, without immoral consequences. While thus engaged, he cannot expel the obtrusive thought, that multitudes are better employed R 242 MORALITY AND THE SABBATH. at church or chapel. Couscience is at work, and must put an end to his innocent pleasures, by leading him to worship his God, and to attend to his parental responsibilities ; or, by rendering him reckless and hardened, plunge him into excesses. Publicans in England and Scotland openly declare, that, without Sunday traffic, they could not make their calling remunerative. What further evidence need we require, to demonstrate the intimate connexion between Sunday pleasure-taking and dissipation? The projectors of the Sydenham palace and grounds confess, that, without the sale of intoxicating liquors, the artistic, scientific, and moral attractions in their power to afford, would not secure them against failure. What stronger evidence, of the truth of our views, need they grant ? In contrasting the Sabbath with holidays, Paley observes, — that the latter, " come seldom and unexpected, are unpro- vided, when they do come, with any duty or employment ; and the manner of spending them being regulated by no public decency or established usage, they are commonly consumed in rude, if not criminal pastimes, in stupid sloth, or brutish intemperance.^^ It is inconceivable how so observant an author could yet argue, that the Scriptures had CD joined no Sabbath ; or, what is the same thing, fur- nish us with no authority for suspending business, beyond the requirements of public worship. The more so as he has, in a masterly manner, set forth seriousness as indis- pensable to a religious life. Speaking, not of the lower orders, as in the above passage, but of the middle and upper classes, he observes : " Perhaps a teacher of religion has more difficulty in producing seriousness amongst his hearers, than in any other part of his office ; " that the majority of mankind are absorbed with the things of sense ; but that it is " the very office and province of religion to hold out to our consideration inquiries which we do not perceive at MORALITY AND THE SABBATH. 243 the time;" that to confine our attention to objects of sense is "completely irrational, and can lead to nothing but ruin ; " that " a child naturally has no concern but about the things which directly meet its senses; and the person" he "describes, is in the same condition;" that "we are led to regard a thing as trifling, which engages no portion of our habitual thoughts, in comparison with what other things do ; " that " the world, even in its innocent pursuits and pleasures, has a tendency unfavourable to the religions sentiment;" that "sensual indulgences, over and above their proper criminality, as sins, as offences against God's commands, have a specific effect upon the heart of man in destroying the religious principle within him ; or still more surely in preventing the formation of that principle;" that " men of business are naturally serious ; but all their seriousness is absorbed by their business. In religion they are no more serious than the most giddy characters are ; than those characters are which betray levity in all things ;" that this " want of due seriousness in religion is almost sure to be the consequence of the absence, or disuse of religious ordinances and exercises;" that, there- fore, he would urge the " attending," among other duties, "upon public worship at church, the keeping holy the Lord's-day regularly and most particularly;" that "they are necessary to preserve in the thoughts a place for the subject; they are necessary that the train of our thoughts may not even be closed against it;" that "were all days of the week alike, and employed alike ; was there no dis- tinction between Sunday and work-day,"* we should have no practical religion left in the nation. Thus, in his sermon, he has shown the greatest reason for assuming, that * First of th.e series of " Sermons on several Subjects," the whole of which should be read by those, who adopt Paley as their authority for rejecting a Sabbath of divine institution. 244 MORALITY AND THE SABBATH. God has not left mankind without a Sabbath ; and, in his Moral Philosophy, with remarkable perversity he has argued, that he " contends for no other duty upon the first day of the week, than that of holding and frequenting religious assemblies;" and that "a cessation upon that day from labour, beyond the time of attendance upon public worship, is not intimated in any passage of the New Testament ! " * If seriousness, then, be the life of religion, a Sunday, whole or in part devoted to recreation or business, dis- inclines to religion. The morality of the Sabbath, as the grand instrument to effect this state of mind, is clear as the sun at mid-day. Whatever, therefore, relaxes its laws, is inimical to the highest interests of mankind. But this is described as gloom and fanaticism, and to check this dis- temper, misguided men propose the refinement and gaiety produced by museums, Sydenham palaces, parks, excur- sions, and the like. Their advocates claim to be disin- terested benefactors, and on the plea of humanity and exalted philosophical views, denounce Sabbatarians as rabid, as pharisees, as fanatics, and what not. We need not apologize for quoting at length a writer of great candour, but of no religious sentiment, whose undisguised views uncover the real opinions and true motives of some among those, who urge the opening of places of public resort on the Sunday. " In every civilized society/^ wrote Adam Smith, ^^in every society where the distinction of ranks has once been completely established, there have been always two difierent schemes, or systems of morality, current at the same time ; of which the one may be called the strict, or austere ; the other liberal, or, if you will, the loose system. The former is generally admired and revered by the common people : the latter is commonly more * Mor. and Pol. Phil. bk. v. ch. vii. MORALITY AND THE SABBATH. 245 esteemed and adopted by what are called the people of fashion. The degree of disapprobation with which we ought to mark the vices of levity, the vices which are apt to arise from great prosperity, and from the excesses of gaiety and good humour, seem to constitute the principal distinction between these two opposite schemes, or systems. In the liberal or loose system, luxury, wanton and even disorderly mirth, the pursuit of pleasure to some degree of intemperance, the breach of chastity, at least in one of the two sexes, &c., provided they are not accompanied with gross indecency, and do not lead to falsehood and injustice, are generally treated with a good deal of indulgence, and are easily either excused or pardoned altogether. In the austere system, on the contrary, those excesses are regarded with the utmost abhorrence and detestation. The vices of levity are always ruinous to the common people, and a single week^s thoughtlessness and dissipation is often suffi- cient to undo a poor workman for ever, and to drive him through despair upon committing the most enormous crimes. The wiser and better sort of common people, therefore, have the utmost abhorrence and detestation of such excesses, which their experience tells them are so immediately fatal to the people of their condition. The disorder and extravagance of several years, on the contrary, will not always ruin a man of fashion, and the people of that rank are very apt to consider the power of indulging in some degree of excess as one of the advantages of their fortune, and the liberty of doing so without censure or reproach, as one of the privileges which belong to their station. In people of their own station, therefore, they regard such excesses with but a small degree of disappro- bation, and censure them either very slightly, or not at all.'^ * * Wealth of Nations, vol. iv. bk. v. ch. i. pp. 161, 162. 24:6 MORALITY AND THE SABBATH. Paley, we have seen, would clieck these immoralities by inculcating seriousness, although he deprives himself of the power by denying the authority of the Sabbath ; but the political economist would destroy this seriousness alto- gether. " There are/' he observes, " two very easy and effectual remedies, however, by whose joint operation the State might, without violence, correct whatever was unsocial or disagreeably rigorous in the morals of all the little sects, into which the country was divided. The first of those remedies is the study of science and philosophy The second, . . the frequency and gaiety of public diversions. The State by encouraging, that is, by giving entire liberty to all those who for their own interest would attempt, without scandal or indecency, to amuse and divert the people by painting, poetry, music, dancing; by all sorts of dramatic representations and exhibitions ; would easily dissipate, in the greater part of them, that melancholy and gloomy humour which is, almost always, the nurse of popular super- stition and enthusiasm. Public diversions have always been the objects of dread and hatred, to all the fanatical pro- moters of those popular frenzies. The gaiety and good humour which those diversions inspire,* are altogether in- consistent with that temper of mind which was fittest for their purpose, or which they could best work upon.^^f What the author has described as "ruinous to the working man,^^ and as leading him "through despair to the perpetration of enormous crimes,^^ is thus to be encouraged by the State ! It is to protect men from such depravity, and to rescue them from the cruelty of such * In chapter eleven (§ 9 to § 12), the reader will find the effect of the plans, here recommended, upon continental nations. t Wealth of Nations, vol. iv. bk. v. ch. i. pp. 164, 165. How far the author was a friend to religion is seen in the fact, that while he would dissipate the lower orders, he suggests no plan by which the immorality of the higher circles might be corrected. MORALITY AND THE SABBATH. 247 promoters of gaiety and dissipation, that God has required that the Lord's-day should be kept holy to himself. We have not scrupled to extract at length from both Paley and Adam Smith, since the admissions of the former, and the candid confessions of the latter, will have a greater effect than our own statements on the moral influence of a Sab- bath. We would recommend some of the advocates of Sunday excursions, and the throwing open of Sydenham Palace, to imitate the candour of Smith, when they, instead, ground their reasons upon the humanity, refinement, and civilizing influence of their schemes. To those who are in danger of being deceived by such pretences, we recom- mend attention to Paley's views on the absolute necessity of seriousness to religion in a people.* IV. The morality of the Sabbath is, further, demonstrated by numerous considerations. Its direct influence upon social order ; its preserving men from the degrading effects of severe unremitted labour, or monotonous employments ; its producing a habitually serious and becoming temper or * " But setting aside both religious and political arguments, or allow- ing them, all their force, still it will be urged, by great numbers, and those, too, in the higher spheres of life, that all business being prohi- bited on Sundays, they are really at a loss how to spend their time. • Let us,' say they, * since we are forbidden to work, let us play. Let us have public diversions. There can be no harm in a polite promenade. Indeed (they insist) if it were not for the prejudices of the canaille^ it would be right to permit more places of public diversion on Sundays than on other days ; obviously because we have nothing else to do but to attend to them. But English prejudices are too deeply rooted to be eradicated. On the Continent, the return of Sunday is delightful ; but in our gloomy island, it is a blank in existence ; and ought to be blotted out of the calendar.' Such arguments are, indeed, attended with their own refutation," &c. — Dr. Knox, Essays, Moral and Lit. vol. i. pp. 188, 189. '* It is the custom of continental travellers," says D'Aubigne, " even of Christian ones, to complain loudly of the servile and exaggerated ob- servance of the day of rest in Britain, and of all the annoyances it causes them. I shall not do so." — Germ. Eng. & Scotland, p. 105. 248 MORALITY AND THE SABBATH. cast of mind; are but parts of the advantages of observing the Lord^s-day. It is scarcely possible to estimate all the beneficial influence, vrhich it exerts, upon the national mind. A few of the more obvious and general tendencies may usefully occupy our attention. Among those cleanly by disposition, occupation is, too generally, a hinder ance to the instinctive love of order and personal purity. Their work defiles the person ; and, where this is not the case, impurities accumulate through the ab- sorption of their attention and energies in the pursuit of their healthier and inoffensive avocation. Seclusion during the week from public gaze, induces indifference to appear- ances, habits and manners, which soon lower proper self- respect. The neglect unavoidable on work-days will end in unnecessary inattention to ablutions, personal or house- hold, on the Sunday, where there is no regard for the Sabbath. Want of self-respect leads to disregard, first, as to personal appearance, and then as to personal character, of the good opinion of their superiors. There is, according to general observation, an intimate connexion between habits of personal purity and morality. It is easy, then, to perceive how the Sabbath refines and elevates the industrial classes. If they respect it, they have on that day to emerge from the society of their equals into that of their superiors in station and character. To be as much like them as practicable, is naturally their aspiration. To be able to fulfil that desire, economy and self-denial in unnecessary indulgences must be cultivated. Those who contemn the Sabbath neither have the appearance of respectability, nor habits that admit of their becoming respectable. Without cessation from toil, the workman could not possibly enjoy the leisure, once a week, to free himself from the impurities inseparable from his occupa- tions. He returns weary, and sometimes exhausted ; and, MORALITY AND THE SABBATH. 249 having satisfied the more urgent wants of hunger, he seeks the restorative of sleep. Early in the morning he returns uncleansed to his engagements, and thus six days find him and leave him in dirt. The seventh day afibrds him the op- portunity, and Sunday practices, and Sunday scenes, furnish him with the motives for general purification. What in- stinct teaches the brute to perform for itself and its young ; what superstitious ablutions and purifications have ever afforded the pagan and the Mohammedan; the Sabbath enforces upon the working classes of Christian communities. Profligacy and filth are as closely associated as cleanliness, respectability, and religious regard for the decencies of the Sunday. In a similar manner it induces habits of domestication. Engaged from early dawn to twilight, men pass their time from home in the shop, the factory, the field or the streets, wherein their work is found. Multitudes see their children only while asleep in the cradle, on the mother's knee, or in bed. Short is the respite for their meals, if taken at home. To fondle, or be caressed, is neces- sary to the growth of filial or parental emotions. The humanizing effect of the Sabbath is more easily underrated, than exaggerated. On this day he sees and becomes sensible to the necessities, temporal and spiritual, of his family. His sympathies are awakened ; and wants, now per- ceived, are to be supplied by diligence and self-denial in the ensuing week of toil.* He feels that he is a husband — a * The sentiments of one of the working classes will set this forth in its true light : — '* To how many hundreds of thousands of us are our dear children only seen for a few minutes at our hasty meals. When we return from our labours, their little eyes are folded in the balmy sleep of childhood, tired with its pastime, or worn with its care ; and we ourselves, weary with a hard day's work, hasten to receive the restorative influences of sleep. But the Sabbath is for us and them. It is then that the hard worker assumes the true dignity of man, and feels the high duty and holy office of a father ; it is then, as his young 250 MORALITY AND THE SABBATH. father, on this day, as on others that he is a. labourer — a mechanic — a servant. The Sabbath raises him in his own estimation, and all that is endearing in the society of wife and children, acts as a stimulant to diligence and sobriety. He goes to the house of prayer to hear the duties of a father to his child, and the fearful consequence of neglect of religious training, and the evil effects of bad parental example. It will suggest to him his own lack of early advantages, and awaken the desire to have his children religiously and morally educated. The Sabbath thus becomes the foster-parent of the offspring of those in the lower walks of life, as well as a tutor to the rude or uncul- tivated mechanic. It is, indeed, the greatest as well as the noblest, educational, sanitary, and moral institute that has ever been devised. Moreover, what Tillotson has so beautifully remarked of man in every state and position, is emphatically true of the masses who earn but their daily bread. Man is "liable to many evils and miseries, which he can neither prevent nor redress ; he is full of wants which he cannot supply, and compassed about with infirmities which he cannot remove, and obnoxious to dangers which he can never suffi- ciently provide against. Consider man, without the pro- tection and conduct of a superior being, and he is secure of nothing that he enjoys in this world, and uncertain of everything he hopes for. He is apt to grieve for what he cannot help, and eagerly to desire what he is never likely ones hang upon him in happy affection, whilst his heart gushes forth like a pent-up spring that finds a way for its waters, with abounding gratitude to his Father for these best blessings ; then it is that he instils from his awakened soul the precepts and promises of the word of God, into the recipient and retentive spirits of his children ; and thus from him they receive the colouring of mind and heart which will darken or beautify their way through life into eternity."— Sabbath Labour is Seventh Day Slavery, Prize Essay, pp. 52, 53. MORALITY AND THE SABBATH. 251 to obtain." * To " the thousand ills that flesh is heir to/' they have, in addition, the poverty or limited means of their rank. With severer labour, they have harder fare. That the inequalities of life, the vast difference between them and their employers in wealth and comfort, should induce dis- content and cherish unfounded jealousies, which lead to popular outbreaks in times of depression and scarcity, is not to be wondered at. But how are they to view matters in the light of common sense, and suppress the rising spirit of insubordination, and of repining at the inequalities of fortune ? Even the royal Psalmist was at times staggered at the apparent injustice of Providential arrangements, — " When I thought to know this, it was too painful for me, until I went into the sanctuary of God, then understood I their end.'' f The Sabbath is an all-important correction of ill-founded discontent. It is a palpable proof, that God has not overlooked the toilwom classes. It turns the balance in their favour. To them it grants the sweets of rest, which none but they can appreciate. " The sleep of the labouring man is sweet, whether he eat little or much ; but the abun- dance of the rich will not suffer him to sleep." % Not only does the Bible on this day teach him, that a " man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he pos- sesseth," but the Sabbath proves, that God would not have him to be a slave to drudgery, a perpetual exile from home, a childless man though a father, encrusted in the dust of toil, who knows not the luxury of periodical ablutions. It ameliorates his condition, however straitened ; gives him a home, the endearments of affectionate inter- course, the caresses of his off*spring ; and places him in the house of God, where, as in the grave, and as in the life to come, aU temporal difference in rank and position ceasing, " the rich and the poor meet together." * Works, vol. iii. p. 20. f Ps. Ixxiii. 16, 17. % Eccles. v. 12. 252 MORALITY AND THE SABBATH. The sublime statements of the amiable Addison are sus- ceptible of application to the masses, whom religion teaches to forecast as much in the arrangements affecting temporal as eternal interests. "The cast of mind/^ he observes, '^ which is natural to a discreet man, makes him look for- ward into futurity, and consider what will be his condition million of ages hence, as well as what it is at present. He knows that the misery or happiness, which are reserved for him in another world, lose nothing of their reality by being placed at so great a distance from him. The objects do not appear little to him, because they are remote. He considers that those pleasures and pains, which lie hid in eternity, approach nearer to him every moment, and will be present with him in their full weight and measure, as much as those pains and pleasures which he feels at this very instant. For this reason he is careful to secure to himself that which is the proper happiness of his nature, and the ulti- mate design of his being. He carries his thoughts to the end of every action, and considers the most distant, as well as the most immediate effects of it. He supersedes every little prospect of gain and advantage which offers itself here,' if he does not find it consistent with his views of a hereafter. In a word, his hopes are full of immortality, his schemes large and glorious, and his conduct suitable to one who knows his true interest, and how to pursue it by proper methods.^^ * And what could men devise which would ennoble the lowest, and refine the most exalted, more than the Sabbath kept holy to God ? It is surely but tracing the effect to its cause, to assert, that those classes of a community who respect it, will be superior in every point of view to those who trample it under foot. In confirmation of all that has been advanced in our preceding sections, we pro- * Spectator, No. 225. MORALITY AND THE SABBATH. 253 ceed to show the moral influences of the Lord^s-day, by pointing out the marked character of certain orders in the community, whose profession or employment induces, to the greatest obvious extent, habits of desecration. V. We restrict our remarks to those classes, whose plea for Sabbath desecration is grounded upon their profession or employment. We might extend our observations to men of every grade, whose practices from inclination, not ostensible necessity, are opposed to the observance. We might adduce the example of men of fashion, on the one hand ; and, on the other, that of the lowest classes of the community who notoriously disregard it. It would be inter- esting to point out the essential similarity between their respective practices of dissipation, notwithstanding the great difference in the refinement of the one, and the vulgarity of the other class. We might, again, refer to the habitual dis- regard of the learned and respectable order of attorneys and solicitors, as a class.^ But as there is no obvious, or indeed, necessary connexion between their pursuits and their want of deference to the claims of the Lord^s-day, such cases, how- ever open to censure, do not fall within the sphere of this section. But we invite attention to the character, general not universal, of medical men, commercial travellers, captains of vessels and seamen, farmers, post-office clerks and letter carriers, subordinate railway officials, innkeepers, cab and omnibus drivers, cattle drovers, costermongers or street sellers of our large towns, fishmongers, milliners and dressmakers, and, lastly, of domestic servants, male and female. Each and all of these classes claim, on various * "We have received," says the Editor of the Patriot, **froin Mr. Cox, of Chancery Lane, a list of the legal firms which have adopted the rule of closing their offices on Saturdays at two p.m. The list now includes the names of 517 firms." We trust this will not be the extent of improvement. 254 MORALITY AND THE SABBATH. grounds, exemption from the restrictions imposed on the rest of the community. Examination of their respective reasons, a consideration of the effect of their habitual dis- regard on their personal character, and the influence they exert upon the well-being and comfort of the community — of which they form important portions, will place in a strong light the moral influence of the Sabbath. I. In the character, perhaps, of no other order of men is the welfare of a people so much at stake as in that of the medical profession. They hold, as an under agency, the power of life and death. To them we owe health, the removal of disease, the restoration to life ; or from them, as inattentive, or inexperienced, we may incur acute agony or protracted disorders. To their rightly -balanced mind, and physical vigour, we must attribute our general health and well-being. From the physiological view of the Sabbath, given in our next chapter, it will be seen, that rest is not only essential to the physician as a man, but necessary to enable him to endure the fatigue caused by clinical visitation, and to sus- tain that power of discrimination which pathological studies require. These are qualities in the man as indispensable to a patient, as the virtues of the medicaments administered. A moral, conscientious, not to say pious doctor, is, of all men, most invaluable to the community. Now, with some noble exceptions,* what is the character of our medical men? Intemperance, alas ! is not an uncommon failing ; while general scepticism is one of the infirmities of the pro- fession.f Who needs being told, that they habitually neglect to observe the Sabbath ? If to this notorious neglect we are not to trace their infidelity, to what is it to be attributed ? Is their insight into the medicinal virtues * For instance, Dr. Boerhaave, whose remarks on the Sabbath -were quoted in a former chapter. t According to the saying of old — "Ubi tres Medici, ibi duo Athei." MORALITY AND THE SABBATH. 255 of plants and minerals; their intimate knowledge of the wondrous arrangement of the bones, muscles, joints, blood vessels, heart, and lungs; the general animal structure, functions, and economy of the marvellous piece of animal mechanism — man, no aid to a well-grounded belief that there must be a God, whose " knowledge is too wonderful for them,^^ " too high," so that they " cannot attain unto it?" Has not the study of natural theology cured the scepticism of some? Have not the awful scenes of the death bed, and the reiterated proofs that " man walks in a vain show," roused the fears of the most hardened ? How, then, comes it to pass that the class most conversant with evidence of the existence of God, and of the truthfulness of Revelation, are so generally sceptical ? We have but one explanation, and that is, their habitual disregard of the Lord^s-day, is the cause of their wide-spread infidelity. The excuse for this neglect will not endure examination. " It is lawful to do good on the Sabbath-days," is the plea. We admit its force, but deny its application. Is it to do good, or to increase their gains, that the Sabbath is pro- faned? If the former, let it be doing good ; and to prove their sincerity, let them consecrate at least the greater part of their Sunday fees to charitable objects, or attend on the poor gratuitously.* Excepting in times of epidemic disorders, or the prevalence of sickness, or dangerous cases, respect for the Sabbath, as ^' made for man," therefore, as made for doctors, would suggest arrangements compatible * What Job Orton declared of them in his own times may have fallen under the observation of some of our readers ; " Care should be taken by them that their visits on that day be acts of religion and charity, and not made merely on the common labours of their calling, and to get money. There have been several instances of pious physicians who, sensible of this, have devoted all the fees they receive on the Lord's-dayto charitable uses." — See Discourses on the Religious Obser- vance of the Lord's-day. Practical Works, vol. ii. p. 114. 256 MORALITY AND THE SABBATH. with their moral and physical well-being, without hindering their attendance on cases that fall under the rule of neces- sity or benevolence. II. Commercial travellers are necessary links between the manufacturer and the wholesale mercantile firms, and the consumer or retail dealer in the town and country. On their capacity for business and high moral integrity, the prosperity of the community in a great measure depends, as well as the solvency of the producer and the prosperity of the purchaser. Their protracted absence from home and distance from the connexions, which exercise upon others a salutary moral restraint, and their living so much at inns and hotels, require more than the ordinary influence of religion upon the mind. And, yet, few men of their sta- tion and general intelligence more extensively profane the Sabbath, as well as refuse to avail themselves of its advan- tages. A great part of the day, by studied contrivance, is consumed in the steamboat or the railway carriage; and if business does not require a journey, the commercial room becomes a counting-house, for the balancing of accounts or despatch of letters, in the forenoon, by all but those whose previous night^s dissipation does not admit of a decent hour of rising ; a banqueting-house, where luxury, extravagance, and intemperance, combine to bury all moral sentiment in sensuality; and into a club or de- bating society, where politics are freely discussed, or religion formed the butt of profane jests. Songs and cards close the day that, for their own sakes, the true interests of their employers, and the honour of God, should have been kept holy unto the Lord. Now, the infidelity and irreligion of the class are well known. The cases of absconding with the property of their respective firms, are not so few and far between, as to be passed over without notice. That there is a revolution going on in the fraternity of commercial MORALITY AND THE SABBATH. 257 travellers, is a happy and palpable fact. The ruinous habits of intemperance imposed by the former regime of the commercial table, are now giving way to the sobriety of the quieter coffee-house, temperance hotels, and family boarding-houses : where family prayers hallow the circle, and the bible, prayer, and hymn-book grace the dressing- table. The morality of some of them, shown, at least, in their attendance at places of worship, contrasts favourably with the profanity and dissipation of those who retain the prac- tices of habitual disregard of the Sabbath. The former, too, will be found availing themselves of the late Saturday trains to return to their homes for the Sunday, and the early Monday trains to resume their commercial calling. in. Sea-faring men are proverbially irreligious. The commanders of vessels are often as profane, as their sea- men are dissolute. Their very occupation at sea precludes the observance, to some extent, and in particular states of the weather, altogether, of the rules of the Sabbath. But the habits, acquired at sea, continue to rule their actions after the necessity has ceased. Hence the ^' clear- ing out^' day is, too generally, the Sunday. The tide may serve, or the winds may favour, but God, who rules the winds and the waves, may prohibit sailing; yet the former will influence their course, and the Sabbath be dis- regarded. That tides and winds furnish no justifiable plea, is clearly seen in one of the superstitions of the sailor. How is it that Friday is always an " unlucky day ? '' No consider- ation will induce many of the class to weigh the anchor on that day, although the tides and winds tempt them to unfurl the sail. Among no class is superstition so rife j and few of the lower orders of society abandon themselves, with greater recklessness of consequence, to gross intemperance and general dissipation. It is true that the rules on board, their peculiar position, and abstinence (protracted s 258 MORALITY AND THE SABBATH. to months, and sometimes years, as in the navy) from indulgence in certain strong sensual tendencies in man, arm the passions with irresistible power. But many con- siderations may be urged on the other side. Self-restraint, induced by necessity at sea, would enable them to resist temptation on land, were their minds under religious and moral influence. But they have no Sabbath. Yet every ship might once every week become a floating house of prayer and worship; every captain or mate the minister of the Gospel; and every crew a church of the living God.* Those who have had a pious commander at sea, are found, on reaching shore, to betake themselves to the seaman^s refuge, as at Portsmouth and Liverpool, as much to their physical and pecuniary advantage as to their moral and spiritual welfare. As both the dissolute and morally dis- posed seamen are subjected to the same privations during the voyage, their long abstinence leading eventually the former only to dissipation, i/, obviously, is not the main cause of the immoral tendencies of the class. As men, who on land debar themselves from Sabbath advantages, lose all senti- ment of religious decorum, so do men at sea, excluded from church or chapel, and too generally knowing the Sunday only as a mark on the log-book of the vessel.f * In the Christian Herald, No. IV. vol. ix. p. 123, it is stated — Dr. Mason, in embarking for England, stipulated that the vessel shotdd not set sail on a Sunday ; and that others having made the same conditions, had prevailed on the captains to adopt some more suitable day for clearing out. "Were such honourable examples more numerous, the practice would in time be discontinued, by becoming discreditable f The prmcipal fishing stations in Great Britain are, Brixham, in Devon, and CoUieston and Wick, in Scotland. Among the fishermen the Sabbath is strictly observed, as far as fishing is concerned. About one hmidred thousand form the class of " boatmen " en- gaged in the inland navigation of the United Kingdom. AVhile destitute of some of the finer qualities of the British sailor, they equal, if they do not surpass, seamen in moral degradation. With no plea of necessity, MORALITY AND THE SABBATH. 259 IV. Farmers, or the yeomanry of our country are, as a class, ungodly. Their Sunday habits are confined to attend- ance at church once in the day, chiefly at the afternoon service. The morning is consumed in tending cattle ;* the hour after the service in rambling over the farm, surveying what was done the past, and determining what orders are to be issued for the coming week. The evenings are spent in visiting or in entertaining guests. Their contracted views may be traced to their isolation from the enterprise of great cities; but their general ungodliness is attributable to the nature of their Sunday habits. V. The vast majority of innkeepers and hotel proprietors have no Sabbath, and their general character is too well known to require description. VI. The fishmonger for the middle classes, and the costermonger for the lower classes, are habitual Sabbath breakers. The general suspicion of disregard of truth under which the former labour ; and the godlessness, un- blushing dishonesty, savage rudeness, want of chastity (of which they know nothing) of the purveyors of food to the dregs of our town population; have of late awakened fhey are in the total neglect of tlie Sabbath.. Floating chapels, as at Worcester and Gloucester, and boatmen's chapels, as at Birminghani, are comparatively recent efforts to raise their social and spiritual con- dition. Baron Gurney, at the trial of three boatmen convicted of murder, expressed his opinion that " no men in this country were so destitute of all moral culture .... they were contuiually wandering about ; they knew no Sabbath, possessed no means of religious instruction." — Statistics and Facts, p. 198. * It is gratifying to learn that recently a meeting, composed of the gentry, clergy, and farmers of East Kent, was held at Canterbury, tmder the presidency of Mr. Deeds, M.P., in order to recommend the adoption by farmers of such an arrangement, in the tending of cattle, as would exempt their labourers and servants from work during ser^•ice hours. To the resolution passed, one hundred and twenty lando^vners attached their signatures. 260 MORALITY AND THE SABBATH. serious apprehension in the minds of statesmen and philan- thropists. VII. The Post Office — that marvellous and beautiful crea- tion of modern civilization — requiring the services of twenty- one thousand persons in Great Britain and Ireland^ is a great instrument of Sabbath desecration. The serious pecula- tions by both clerks in the offices^ and by letter-carriers in town and country, have baffled detection by their superiors in office. The extent to which they embezzled money, jewels, and watches from letters, has been from time to time dis- closed to the public. If money orders and registered letters have of late rendered their felonious practices less injurious to the public interests, and the evil effects of Sabbath breaking have become less obvious to the eye ; no one will venture to argue, that the impracticability of theft has rendered the employes more honest in disposition. We believe we shall be borne out by facts in asserting, that fraudulent transactions — admitting the v^st disproportion between the numbers engaged in town and the provinces, have been more numerous among the rural than among the metropolitan letter carriers. Observe, there is no delivery of letters in London, while one delivery, which is all that the rural districts are ever favoured with, takes place every Sunday in the provinces.* VIII. There is a large section of the community on whom the convenience and comfort of the town population neces- sarily depend. The incivility and dishonesty of cab-drivers, and till lately of the conductors of the omnibus, are lament- able characteristics. But two centuries ago we had no public * In the Report presented in 1843 to the House of Commons, by- Colonel Maberly, it was stated that, from Jan. 5, 1837, to Jan. 5, 1842, out of 32,369 letters containing property, the contents of 24,368 were abstracted, and that the loss to the public amounted to £322,033. In 801 cases the property was recovered. MORALITY AND THE SABBATH. 261 vehicle plying the streets, and little more than a quarter of a century ago the town population were without the accom- modation of an omnibus. The maiden queen of England startled her subjects by riding in her coach driven by a Dutchman ; and, under the first of the Stuarts, men were roused to a sense of the rapid progress of civilization, as indicated in the hackney coach. From the twelve cabs licensed in 1823 by two adventurous gentlemen, the num- ber rose in thirty years to about 3,600. Soon after their introduction into the metropolis, the omnibus was imported from Paris, and, in 1853, numbered about 3,000. The outlay of capital in their construction and equipment amounts to more than a million, and the cost of working them is estimated at £2,700,000 per annum. The vast amount of property committed to the charge of their drivers and conductors, is but one consideration. While our mem- bers of Parliament and the professional classes, who require a conveyance entirely at their own command, employ the cabs ; city clerks, the merchants resident in the outskirts, ladies of suburban villas, and others who have to traverse the streets of the greatest city in the world, betake themselves to the omnibus. The importance of the latter vehicle may be seen in the fact, that in one year the number of times the citizens of London availed themselves of the accommodation, amounts to 156,000,000; and of the former, that when the legislators had introduced certain new regu- lations, every cab disappeared from ^^the stand/^ to their chagrin and serious inconvenience. This rapid expansion of our locomotive powers, has called into existence an anomalous order of public servants. Licensed cab-drivers and watermen in 1852, numbered 6,734.* Their families increase the numbers directly, or indirectly, dependent on * On December 31st, but in May, 1852, tberr number was 6,741. " Statistics and Facts in reference to the Lord's-day," p. 84. 262 MORALITY AND THE SABBATH. cab -fares for their livelihood, to about 25,000 souls. To this must be added about 1000 men whose conduct has caused the withdrawal of their licence; and who hang about the stands on the look-out for occasional employ- ment. Their character and precarious means lead them to theftj extortion^ and gross intemperance. They sleep in the cab, their leisure moments are spent in the tap- room. Their low morality, or rather want of moral prin- ciple, has originated the system under which they drive. Being untrustworthy, the cab-proprietor is compelled to adopt the plan of letting the vehicles to the cabmen, who must realize first the amount payable to their owners, before they earn for their own subsistence. While the proprietor is thus secured against loss, the public are sub- jected to extortion; the drivers themselves are occasionally reduced to the greatest privations, and, being responsible for a fixed sum — whatever be their gains, are at times exposed to fines, and even imprisonment. The omnibus drivers, and conductors, and others in- directly engaged, numbered in 1852 about 10,500, or, with their families, about 40,000. Their average time of employ- ment, is about fifteen hours every day. Those engaged in journeys between railway stations and various parts of the metropolis, are employed from four in the morning till midnight. On Sundays their journeys are somewhat reduced in number, but still their work is extremely oppressive; much more so than that of cabmen on those days of the week. Not to work on Sundays is to be visited with summary dismission, and even to ask for an occasional holiday is to incur displeasure, leading to the same in- fliction. This prodigious increase in the convenience and comfort of the town population, is not less astonishing than the idiosyncrasy of this class of public servants is humiliating MORALITY AND THE SABBATH. 263 to the Christianity of the age. Their social degradation, their moral and religious debasement^ are most dishearten- ing. While the system under which they act, and the pecu- liar temptations to which they are exposed, are con- ducive to immorality, they are further debased by habitual neglect of religious ordinances, and by compulsory dese- cration. The cabmen naturally look upon those who employ them as cruel robbers of their day of rest,* and upon those who hire them on Sundays as hypocrites. For it is a proverbial saying among them, that but for church and chapel goers, their masters would find it too unprofit- able to require their services on that day. It is equally true that but for Sunday pleasure seekers, the omnibus driver and conductor might enjoy the repose of the Sabbath. Acts of Parliament have cared more for the convenience of the public, than their moral and physical well-being; while nothing has been done to rescue them from spiritual debasement. It is needless to dwell upon their cha- racter, which is too seriously felt to require description; but we call attention to their compulsory desecration as one of the proofs we possess, that man without a a Sabbath sinks into the lowest depths of immorality. Give them the Sabbath, and the cab and omnibus pro- prietor would be insured against the loss of property ; and those, whose rides in the omnibus number in one year a hundred and fifty-six millions, and the thousands who now avail themselves of the cab as a necessary nuisance ; would enjoy the great luxury of a cheap and ever ready convey- ance, without exposure to rudeness and extortion ; and the class numbering more than 17,000, or, with their families, * A cabman, asked if he went to a place of worsliip, replied, *' Yes, regularly — to the outside." 264 MORALITY AND THE SABBATH. 66,000, would thank God for a day of, at least, rest and domestic enjoyment.* Of railway servants we can say but little ; sufficient time has not elapsed to show the evil effects of Sunday work. But even already the retributive consequences will be noticed in the ensuing chapter, which will suggest, that as in all other sections of the community, so in that serving railway companies, no man may violate the Lord^s-day with impunity. IX. Cattle drovers, again, exhibit an alarming degree of ruffianism and brutal sensuality. Their wanton disregard of the Sabbath, enforced by attendance on early Monday cattle markets, is, in fact, the proximate cause of their moral degradation. X. Milliners and dressmakers, who have to toil till Sunday dawn and Sunday noon, to gratify the vanity of those who must deck themselves with Sunday finery, are sunk in moral debasement, and physical destitution, of the most heart-rending description. Under the physiological view of the Sabbath, to a greater extent, perhaps, than here, they illustrate the evil of neglecting the Lord's-day. Yet the fearful facility with which they become victims to prostitution, should not escape the attention of those who may have become convinced, that the Sabbath is the con-, servator of the morals of a nation. XI. A shrewd American has observed, that " if you want a good servant, and one that will please you, you must serve yourself." This sarcastic reproach upon domestics, re- flects equally upon the heads of families — how, is explained by the faithful remark of Bishop Reynolds : " Take care that your servants do their duty to God, and God will take care that they do their duty to you." It was a conviction of the connexion between the " fear of God,^' and " honour * The Million-People City. Rev. J. Garwood, chap. iii. and iv. MORALITY AND THE SABBATH. 265 to the king," * that led George the Third to rebuke the contractors who were repairing his palace at Kew, for having dismissed a workman who had refused to desecrate the Sabbath. " Send for him back immediately/' was the command of His Majesty; "the man who refuses doing his ordinary work on the Lord^s-day is the man for me."t Upton informs us, that " one of the kings of France .... issued an edict, that any one who refused, in a certain par- ticular, to break the Sabbath, should be immediately dis- missed the King^s service. The consequence was, that all his dependents, except three, were found at the amusement. On the morrow he dismissed those hirelings who had violated the Lord's-day, saying, that those who will serve their God most conscientiously, will serve me most faith- fully." { The importance of these statements does not de- pend so much upon their being historical verities, as upon the unquestionable principle they illustrate. A fable has its moral. It is a painfully indisputable fact, that domestic ser- vants occasion as much annoyance to their employers, by either their idleness, impertinence, or dishonesty, as they afford by their service relief from personal exertion. And why should this be the case ? Constantly under our eye, subject to our directions, dependent upon our support, con- scious that their prospects of life are influenced by the " cha- racter^' that they will receive on discharge from service, one would suppose that the failings of the class would be morally impossible. Hunger leads to theft in others of the same grade in society, but the well-fed servant, respectably clothed (a general condition of continuance in service), is too often addicted to habits of pilfering. Isolation from their superiors is assigned as the proximate cause of rude- ness and incivility in some of the lower orders ; but the * 1 Pet. ii. 17. t Anecdotes of King George III. i Thorn on the Sabbath. 266 MORALITY AND THE SABBATH. servant, almost in the bosom of families who pride them- selves in good manners, is continually dismissed for imper- tinence. Did the particular vices manifest themselves in in- dividuals, the just explanation would be, that the failings of temper and disposition are common to them and the rest of their fellow- creatures. But the annoyance complained of, is proverbially the result of almost universal characteristics. We find in the Scriptures, numerous exhortations ad- dressed to servants.* If, however, they are found noto- riously to " answer again,'^ to " purloin,'' instead of " show- ing all good fidelity ;"t insubordinate "not only to the froward,'' but "also to the good and gentle ''J masters and mistresses ; having no idea that to obedience and subjection they were " called," § or that they are to " count their mas- ters worthy of all honour ;''|| the only rational solution which can be furnished is, that they are seldom or never brought under the influence of the Sabbath. When masters discharge their own obligations to the Lord's-day, servants are too generally overlooked, as to their moral welfare, or overtasked, in order that their employers may have more time for worship. But how many refuse to employ those who have Sunday scruples ! How many, by their own example, eradicate the moral sensibility with which the servant left the village home and entered the "gentleman's" family !^ " God is no respecter of persons," is the statement found in a passage inculcating the relative duties of masters and ser- vants. Hence the immorality or troublesome failings of the * Eph. vi. 5 — 8 ; and to the same effect is Col. iii. 22 — 25. t Tit. ii. 9, 10. X 1 Pet. ii. 18—21. § Ibid. II 1 Tim. vi. 1. H " It is found by experience, that there are few orders in the com- munity more profligate than the servants and domestic dependants in rich and noble families," &c. This, the opening sentence of one of Dr. Knox's Moral and Literary Essays, is quoted in the hope that the reader may be tempted to peruse the whole of Essay LXX. MORALITY AND THE SABBATH. 267 servant are but the retributive consequences of gross neglect, and inhuman exactions, on the part of the heads of families. Neither the limits of this chapter, nor those of the work itself, will allow us to adduce all the examples at hand of Sabbath desecrating classes, which would still further establish the intimate and indissoluble connexion subsisting between the Lord^s-day and morality. A glance at the gene- rality of the editors of our Sunday papers and their con- stant readers ; at the features of those who visit our Sunday tea gardens and public houses; at those mechanics who pursue their calling at home on this day, or avail them- selves of the relaxation from their ordinary pursuits, to cultivate their plots of ground in the outskirts of our large towns, would lead to the same conclusion. But the development of the subject, so far as we have pro- ceeded, will prepare the reader to consider, with greater attention, the solemn considerations of the closing section of this chapter. VI. If the history of communities be not a monstrous falsehood ; if the observation of good men be not warped by prejudice, or distorted by a species of fanaticism; nothing can be more clearly demonstrated than that a retributive Providence guards the sanctity of the Sabbath. And, yet, few assertions call forth more universally the sneer and the scoff than this, — that the Sabbath-breaker is exposed to awful visitations. The reaction is visible in the fears of many who, far from being superstitious, dread the odium of being regarded as unphilosophical, as contracted in their views, as illogical in their deductions from almost weekly occurrences. That numerous and melancholy accidents are chronicled by our journalists, both religious and irreligious, can be questioned by none. But while some, denying the divine authority of the institution, refuse to trace the event, as an effect of Sabbath-breaking, to the 268 MORALITY AND THE SABBATH. retribution of God, as the cause; others find the ready- explanation in the fact, that Sunday being a general holiday, a greater multitude betake themselves to the scenes of recreation, and, hence, a greater number of casual- ties occur. Therefore is the conclusion, we are unjustified in clothing an accident with the awful character of a visi- tation. The obvious answer to the former is, that the Sabbath is of God ; and its profanation, as the violation of any other divine institution or command, renders man amenable to judgment. It is equally easy to show that the latter, though admitted to be true to a certain extent, is insufficient as an explanation of a great variety, as well as multiplicity, of incidents. If these solemn occur- rences were confined to the multitudes that crowd our steam-boats, pleasure-vans, or frozen lakes, canals, and rivers ; or were simply in proportion to the greater number seeking on that day the recreations of a general holiday, the colour given to these events by Sabbatarians might be subject to the charge of fanaticism. But the visitations do not take place always or generally on crowded decks, or in vans loaded to excess. They happen sometimes among isolated cases of desecration; and are, at others, but re- motely connected with the presumptuous acts that called down the wrath of the Almighty. A broader and more phi- losophical view must be taken, before we can reach a satis- factory solution. Waving for the moment, certain impressive illustrations of the principle, we remark, that it is altogether unreason- able to assume, that the fourth commandment is the only- one not enforced of God by penalty. Should idolatry, blasphemy, unchastity, murder and theft be visited by natural or providential inflictions, and yet disobedience to it be passed over? Are fires, pestilence, earthquakes, blight, mildew, war, famine, to follow attempts to over- MORALITY AND THE SABBATH. 269 throw the peace and order of commiinities, or to injure individuals; and yet presumptuous efforts to destroy the conservator of public morals and the fence around religion, be offences of so venial a description that God will not interfere? If the di\dne authority of the Sabbath be questioned — with what results we have already shown, can its effects upon the public good be denied ? * It is a vain objection to urge, that we are not under the Theocracy of the Hebrew state and government, in \drtue of which God inflicted temporal judgments on transgressors. For though, in this respect, our circumstances are altered, the immutable laws of nature and morality are unrepealed ; and, hence, sin and disease, transgression and judgments, are, as much now as then, cause and effect. All that can be justly inferred from the broad difference between the old and the new dispensation is, that formerly much more lay within the province of the civil magistrate than now falls under his jurisdiction. But this very fact is a pre- sumption in favour of the principle we advocate : that the less men have to do with the punishment of sins against the Sabbath, the more are we to expect from divine retribution. " We see,^^ observed Dr. Thomas Burnet, " that nature hath always conspired with Providence as its associate and con- federate, and that the natural world does so incline to and answer to the moral, that the one appears to be the servant * •• Would you not be shocked if a plan were deliberately proposed for breaking tbrough. tbe fence of th.e Lord's-table, and turning it into a common meal, or a feast for the profligate and the drunkard ? "Would not your best feelings be harrowed to see the silver cup of communion made a cup of revelry in the hands of the drunkard ? And yet, what better is the proposal of our railway directors ? * The Lord's-day' is as much his day, as the ' Lord's-table ' is his table. Surely we may well say, in the words of Dr. Love, that eminent servant of Christ, now gone to the Sabbath above, — ' Cursed is that gain, cursed is that recreation, cursed is that health, which is gained by criminal encroachments on this sacred day.' " — M^Cheyne, Memoirs ^ pp. 548, 549. 270 MORALITY AND THE SABBATH. and minister of the other ; namely, to execute the vengeance of the wrath of God upon a sinful age, or to proclaim his blessing upon a virtuous one/^ * It is easy, on natural grounds, to see the connexion be- tween Sabbath desecration and its penalty. " The persons,^^ observes Dr. John Sharp, "that make no conscience of observing the Lord^s-day, as they rarely ever attain to a true sense of virtue and piety, so most commonly they are given over to a reprobate mind, and do grow worse and worse/' f In the preceding section, this connexion between irreligion and immorality and disregard of the Sabbath, is abundantly elucidated. Individuals may be punished for certain acts that constitute no violations of the Sabbatic laws, yet are clearly proved to have originated in habitual neglect or contemptuous disregard of the Lord's-day. The con- nexion is not the less absolute for being remote. Thus the testimony of Sir Matthew Hale has its counterpart in the experience of his successors on the magisterial bench, and in that of the chaplains of our gaols, — " Of aU persons who were convicted of capital crimes while he was on the bench, he found a few only who would not confess, on inquiry, that they began their career of wickedness by a neglect of the duties of the Sabbath, and vicious conduct on that day." From such palpable facts, occurring in the expe- rience of persons of different professions, age, and country, it were rather fanatical and atheistical to refuse to draw the inference that Sabbath-breaking is visited by God, than unphilosophical to trace the effect to the cause. Thus, Dr. Owen remarks, — "Not only have the wisest and holiest men, who have complained of the sins of the several times and ages in which they lived, which pro- cured the pouring out of the judgments of God upon * Faith and Duties of the Christian, ch. viii. p. 213. t Sermons, vol. iv. p. 322. MORALITY AND THE SABBATH. 271 them, constantly reckoned the neglect and profanation of the Lord^s-day among them; but such instances have been given of particular severities against those who have openly profaned this day, as may well affect the minds and consciences of those who profess a reverence of God, in the holy dispensations of his Providence.''^* He who takes liberties with the institution, encroaches upon the divine prerogative of binding and loosing the laws of religion; and when this is done presumptuously, it requires not the peculiar regulations of the Hebrew theo- cracy to connect judgment with Sabbath desecration. But on natural grounds, apart from superhuman inflic- tions, it is easy to see how disregard of its imperative laws incurs fearful consequences. " In those factories in which the practice of repairing machinery on Sunday is kept up, repairs are continually required ; which may be accounted for on the ground, that fractures are aggravated by post- ponement, that repairs made on Sunday are often neces- sarily superficial, and that they are effected by men destitute of religious principle.^^ t Odl the same genera principle, the accidents on our railways, and explosions on our steam-boats, &c. &c., are justly explained as the result of the violation of a great natural law, which makes one day's rest in seven essential to mental and physical well- being. Exhausted by previous labours in the week, the steam-boat managers are physically incapable of proper attention to even ordinary toil ; whereas on the Sunday a greater demand is made on account of the crowded state of the vessel. If those enjoying recreation may indulge in drunkenness, those ministering to their Sunday plea- sures must resort to the unwholesome, ruinous, and dan- gerous aid of artificial stimulants. We say must, because * Treatise on the Sabbath, p. 197. t M'Owan. '♦ The Christian Sabbath," p. 157. 272 MORALITY AND THE SABBATH. physical nature is incapable of unremitted labour. Then, also, we have philosophy on our side when we trace rail- way accidents, on week-days, to the overtasked powers of subordinate railway officials, who have little or no relax- ations.* There is, however, a much higher court of appeal. The Scriptures are alone our infallible guide on the ques- tion. It is the fashion with many to disconnect the Old from the New Testament, in order to colour their repre- sentations. With them the former is as antiquated as the ceremonial institutes of Moses. But we have not done with the Old Testament Scriptures. They are full of admonitions addressed to us — admonitions, we think, rela- tive to the Sabbath, as much as any other divine insti- tution or law. In 1 Cor. X. 1 — 11, we have inspired authority for re- garding providential visitations in the wilderness, (that is, under the theocracy,) as examples of the consequence of sins under the Christian dispensation. "Now all these things happened unto them" — not simply because of their peculiar relation to God, but, " for ensamples (or typically), and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.'* Among the things enume- rated by the Apostle are — unbelief, t lusting after evil * *' Look at the North British, line, the only one in Scotland (in 1847) which traffics on Sabbath, and read the Report of the Government Commissioners on its construction and state, with the fearful destruction that befel it last winter, smiting down its profits instantly for a length of time by one half. See also the order for costly repairs and alter- ations, which the Commissioners issued. Or remember the transaction into which it lately entered with the Edinburgh and Perth undertaking, from which a formidable minority at one meeting sought to shake it free at an expense of £90,000, and from which another meeting has disengaged it at an expense yet luiknown, &c." — Simday Railways, by James Bridges, Esq. t Compare verse 5 with Heb. iii. IS. MORALITY AND THE SABBATH. 273 things, idolatry, fornication, murmuring, and tempting Christ. The judgments inflicted are pointedly declared to be such as, ON analogy, we might expect under the Chris- tian dispensation, if we follow in the footsteps of the Jews of old. Why, then, should we exclude Sabbath-breaking from the list of crimes, which, with their respective visitations, are recorded as premonitory ? If the objection be advanced, that the Apostle himself did not include the example of the Sabbath -breaker, the answer is at hand. For, first, his readers were in danger of incurring wrath for precisely those sins which were enumerated, while they were not, as shown in a former chapter, in danger of Sabbath desecra- tion, which they, as well as unconverted Jews, abhorred. Secondly, the Apostle did not specify all the judgments that occurred in that typical state of the Jews, since he includes them generally under the broad principle of analogy which he enunciated. If, therefore, it can be proved, as in all our preceding chapters has been done, that the Sabbath was of God ; we have analogy to justify the assertion, that the infliction of death on the Sabbath-breaker in the wilderness, is a type of the visitations that may be expected under the Christian dispensation. The theocracy has ceased to be, and with it the power of the magistrate. But here, the difference ends. For, as the precise mode of executing the great laws of morality and religion has been altered, so the precise penalty of Sabbath profanation has under- gone a similar revolution. But this no more proves that God does not visit the Sabbath-breaker, than that he has ceased to punish transgression against morality and religion. It must not, therefore, be overlooked, that among the judgments which overtook the Jews, to none did the Pro- phets refer with greater solemnity and emphasis, than to those which befell the nation for violating the Sabbath of T 274 MORALITY AND THE SABBATH. the Lord.* Are not the Prophets still commissioned to say, " Woe unto the wicked ! for it shall be ill with him ^^ ? t Has JoVs question lost its force ? " Who hath hardened himself against God, and hath prospered? ^^ J Was it an unphilosophical principle that was enunciated by the herdsman of Tekoa ? " Shall there be evil in a city, and the Lord hath not done it? ^'§ Have we not adduced reasons, facts, testimony from competent witnesses, that without the Sabbath religion soon languishes? Will not, then, its neglect incur the denunciation, "The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God ^^ ? || or that uttered by Isaiah, " The nation and kingdom that will not serve thee shall perish ; yea, those nations shall utterly be destroyed.^^^ National sins, if visited at all, must be visited in this life ; and the most sceptical, if not wilfully blind, may see, in the contrast between Protestant lands where the Sabbath is honoured, and Popish countries where it is not, the retri- butive Providence guarding the interests of the institution. Political convulsions, and fierce social disorders, afflict the nations without a Sabbath. That it is not owing altogether to the more constitutional government of the Protestant States, that these are comparatively exempt from such serious disorders, is seen in one or two striking facts. Ireland and Scotland are under one government ; the dis- quietude and wretched factions in the former, and the stability and contentment of the latter show, that there is a curse on Sabbath neglect. Take any city or district on the continent of mixed population — mixed as to religion, * A glance at such passages as the following will show the nature of the reproaches, denunciations, and lamentations by the prophets : Ezek. XX. 13—26 ; Neh. xiii. 18 ; Lam. ii. 6 ; Amos viii. 4—14, &e. t Isa. iii. 11. % Job ix. 4. § Amos iii. 6. II Ps. ix. 17. H Isa. Ix. 12. MORALITY AND THE SABBATH. 275 but as to descent and government homogeneons^ and the same lesson is taught. In the city of Nismes, "three- tenths of the population are Protestants; and the two parties are so deeply separated that no confusion need be feared ; '' and yet, " four times more immorality/^ is found "on the side of Rome;^^ and as to destitu- tion, "six times greater/^ "If we go from a town to a department where Protestants are most numerous, we shall find, according to the general statistics of France, published with the authorization of the Minister of the Interior, by Alex. Ferriere, that the Protestants of the Deux Sevres are distinguished by a pure morality, and by more active industry.^-' In the MoseUe, " some Anabaptist families are remarkable by the simplicity of their manners. Patient, submissive, docile, they avoid law-suits and contentions. The republic has no subjects more peaceful.^^ The Catholics in France are as 22 to 1 Protestant; and convicted criminals are, 1 Protestant to 40 Papists j or the criminals of the Romish communion are twice as numerous as those of the Evangelical and Sabbath-loving population.* The opinion of another great foreigner, on the stability of England and Scot- land as dependent upon strict Sabbath sanctification, has already been quoted. f That of the celebrated authoress of America is to the same effect : " I have made the French and continental mode of keeping Sunday a matter of calm, dispassionate inquiry, and observation. I have tried to divest myself of the prejudices, if you so please to call them, of my New England education, to look at the matter sympathetically, in the French and continental point of view, and see whether I have any occasion to * For our authority we refer to the valuable work of M. Roussel, entitled, *' The Morality of Roman Catholic Communities." t Merle D'Aubigne. 276 MORALITY AND THE SABBATH. revise the opinions in which I had been educated But viewing the subject merely in relation to the things of this life, I am met by one very striking fact : There is not a single nation possessed of a popular form of government, which has not our Puritan theory of the Sabbath. Pro- testant Switzerland, England, Scotland, and America cover the whole ground of popular freedom; and in all these this idea of the Sabbath prevails with a distinctness about equal to the degree of liberty. Nor do I think this result an accidental one. If we notice that the Lutheran branch of the Reformation did not have this element, and the Calvinistic branch, which spread over England and America, did have it ; and compare the influence of these two in sustaining popular rights, we shall be struck with the obvious inference.^^* In a Lecture on the Effects of Popery on Society, the Rev. J. Gibson says, " In every country in Europe, Popish or not, you can tell the proportion of Popish superstition by the face of the country. I have marked it in Portugal. I have marked it in passing from canton to canton in Switzerland. I have marked it in Italy, Tuscany, and the States of Lombardy, which surpass in prosperity the squalid, though fertile states of the Pope. The States of the Pope are superior to the more superstitious States of Naples. I have marked it in passing from Ulster into Connaught. And everywhere in the globe will it be found, that Popery, slavery, poverty, squalor, and filth, keep pace with one another. The riot, folly, excess, and licen- tiousness of the Carnival, &c. &c., are destructive of all morality, and order, and prosperity.^^f A comparison of the two preceding extracts — the one stating the extent of Sabbath desecration, and the other * Mrs. Stowe. Sunny Memories, pp. 525, 526. f Lectvire on Popery : its Effects upon Society. MORALITY AND THE SABBATH. 277 revealing the destitution, social, political, moral, and reli- gious ; and, although allowance must be freely made for tjie general effects of spiritual and civil despotism, yet it will be impossible to deny that Sabbath observance is a national blessing — its desecration, a national curse. The same is palpable in isolated cases. '^ We have known," says one, '^ tradesmen and shopkeepers who were poor, embarrassed, and neglected, while they traded on the Sabbath ; but who, from the time they sacrificed their ungodly gains, pros- pered, * and grew in favour with both God and man ; and we could specify some powerful firms that have been ruined, and rich families which have been impoverished, whose contempt of the Sabbath was notorious." t An observant mercantile gentleman assured an American author, that during five-and-twenty years, he had ^^ watched those in New York who kept their counting-houses open on the Sabbath, and" found ^*^that they had all failed, without a single exception." J To multiply such instances were to fill a goodly volume, devoted to the special end of recording the acts of a retributive Providence. It is enough that they are patent to all, who conscientiously listen to the unmistakeable voice of God in nature. But to one great historical proof we may not fail to call attention. Up to the reign of the Stuarts, English sovereigns had jealously guarded Sunday by legislative enactments. We refer not to their views of its sanctity, which varied with the age in which they lived, but to the bare fact, that under their successive administrations the Sunday was protected * For ntimerous other instances, tTie reader may consult Rev. W. Thorn on the Christian Sabbath, pp. 339—341, and 381—384, also, 219, 399—416. " Theatre of God's Judgments," by Dr. Thos. Beard, bk. i. ch. XXXV. pp. 208—213. Turner on " Divine Providence," &c. t M'Owan. " The Christian Sabbath," p. 157. t Todd on Great Cities, p. 85. 278 MORALITY AND THE SABBATH. by political laws, and the canons of the Established Church. In an evil hour,* James the First announced by proclama- tion, that after morning divine service no one should " be disturbed, letted or discouraged from any lawful recreations, such as dancing, either of men or women; archery for men, leaping, vaulting, or any such harmless recreations, nor having of May-games, Whitsun-ales, or morris- dances ; or setting up of May-poles, or other sports there- with used, so as the same may be had in due or conve- nient time, without impediment or let of divine service; and that women should have leave to carry rushes to the church for the decorating of it according to old custom. ^'f Charles the First, under the fatal direction of Laud, revived the authority of this " Book of Sports," which had been so far discarded, that two of the judges in the western circuit, yielding to the representations made by several magistrates as to the evil effects of these Sunday revels, took steps to suppress them. J They were, however, over- ruled, and compelled by the archbishop to uphold what was alike a scandal to religion, and ruinous to the morals of the nation. The unhappy end of the monarch — unparalleled in English history, and the misfortunes of the dynasty to which he belonged, are by us unhesitatingly attributed, in part at least, to this first and last, open and national, attempt to destroy the sanctity of God's institution. The successive reverses, of this line of kings, form a standing memorial of divine retribution. § Let them disprove the * May 24th, 1618. t Vaughan's Hist, of the Stuarts, vol. i. p. 122. + Ibid. pp. 281, 282. § Though the facts in this light are too striking to be reasonably questioned, it may be well to add the opinion of Echard, the historian and divine : — "This was one cause (proclamation of James I.) of the many MORALITY AND THE SABBATH. 279 obvious facts, who can j but the solemn lesson they teach may not be weakened by the vacant looks or sneers of the anti-Sabbatarian. miscliiefs in the succeeding reign." — Hist, of England, vol. i. p. 944. •' And now, as if th.e destinies had conspired against the king (Charles I.) and the peace of the realm, his majesty was persuaded to renew his father's declaration about sports on the Lord's-day," vol. i. p. 471. Dr. Jephson holds the same opinion. *' Its publication . . . was of the most fatal and pernicious consequence to the peace and security of King Charles the First's government." — Hist, of the Sabbath, p. 399. Neither of those writers can be suspected of either puritanism and fanaticism on the one hand, or, on the other, of republican sympathies. CHAPTER YIIL THE PHYSIOLOGY OF THE SABBATH. "But chiefly man the day of rest enjoys. Hail, Sabbath ! thee I hail, the poor man's day : On other days the man of toil is doom'd To eat his joyless bread. Han, Sabbath ! thee I hail, the poor man's day : The pale mechanic now has leave to breathe The morning air pure from the city smoke, While wandering slowly up the river side, He meditates on Him whose power he marks In each green tree." — James Grahame. I.' The mystery of the number seven, is one of the curiosities of literature. The astrologer discovered it in the Pleiades^ and the seven planets. The musician still hears it in the gamut. The physician of old anxiously watched its influence on disease, and physiologists of modern times distinguish the critical periods of human life by sevens, and assert, that not an atom in the human frame remains at the end of the seventh year, that existed at the commencement of this remarkable cycle. The natural philosopher gazes with delight, upon the seven beautiful coloured rays he can extract from a pencil of light. No wonder that Cicero, from what he knew, or thought he knew, should style it, " plenus numerus ;" or that Lactantius should deem it per- fection; or that Macrobius should praise it as "numerus solidus et perfectus,^^ or as, " plenus et venerabilis.^^ From the Mosaic account of the Creation we know, that THE PHYSIOLOGY OF THE SABBATH. 281 the division of time into weeks is older than the month, and older than the year. The Hindoo week declares its own hoary antiquity. From Tertullian we learn, that the Sunday was a festival of the Persians. Porphyry declares, that the Phoenician esteemed the seventh day as holy. The Saxon week, and nomenclature, influence our own system of notation. Josephus asserts, that no nation under the heavens, barbarous, or civilized, existed, but what adopted the Jewish custom of resting on the seventh day. Philo affirms the same thing. Fabulous chronology apart, th,e week is as old as time. The geographer, and traveller, tell of its ubiquity. Goguet informs us of its recognition among Israelites, Arabians, Egyptians, Assyrians, and Hindoos ; among the Romans, Gauls, Germans, Britons, and Scandinavians. To this list Townsend would add the names of Peru, Chili, Tartary, and Japan. In China it is said to have existed in former times.* The antiquarian learns from Homer that Thebes had seven gates; from Herodotus, that in the centre of the temple dedicated to Jupiter Belus stood an immense tower surmounted by seven turrets ; and that Ecbatana was built in seven concentric circles, formed by walls whose bricks were variegated with seven different colours : from the researches of modern travellers, that on the southern base of the great pyramid of Cheops, there stand six smaller structures of a similar character; that on the coast of Coromandel, the mount Mavalipuram is familiarly known as the seven pagodas ; and on the isle of Seringham there is a pagoda formed of seven enclosures, one within another; * Th.e curious may consult tlie following works for tlie sources of information on this subject : Dr. Jephson on the Sabbath, pp. 19 — 26 ; Thorn on the Lord's-day, pp. 19 and 41. 282 THE PHYSIOLOGY OF THE SABBATH. that the Chinese pagoda at Ningpo, some 900 years old, is of the hexagonal form, and contains seven stories. The mythologist excites our curiosity by reminding us of Balaam^s seven altars, seven bullocks, and seven rams, with which on three different occasions he sought to avert the doom of Moab; that the Athenians, according to Virgil, had to sacrifice seven youths, to expiate the death of the son of Minos ; Deiphobe directed ^neas to offer seven bullocks and seven ewes; that Orpheus bewailed Eurydice for seven months ; that serpents wind themselves in seven coils ; that bees live for seven years ; and that the seventh day of the month was propitious for planting vines, breaking-in oxen, and joining the woof to the web ; that Homer describes the shield of Ajax as made of seven bulls' hides; that Hesiod and Homer styled the seventh day sacred ; and Callimachus, as the day of the nativity of all things ; that Lucian knew it to be the school- boys' holiday; that, according to Eusebius, almost all poets and philosophers counted the seventh day to be holy; that even the Latin Nundinse, which, in the time of Severus, fell before the more correct week of the Egyptians, included seven working days. Kecent investigations bring to light, that the Hindoos formerly reckoned seven castes, making the seventh in the list the high and holy caste; that their tradition of the Deluge gives seven days' warning of its approach, and appoints seven saints to accompany the Hindoo Noah into the Ark. From Burck- hardt we learn, that the approach to the Mahommedah Kaaba is over seven paved causeways; that the pilgrim, having perambulated this structure a seventh time, repeats the mysterious rite round a spot named Meroua ; that at Waddy Mura, Abraham thrice repulsed the devil Eblis, casting seven stones at him each time, in commemoration of which the faithful must thrice cast seven stones ; that THE PHYSIOLOGY OF THE SABBATH. 283 after these acts of exorcism, he returns to perform seven perambulations a second, and a third, time round the Kaaba and Meroua. The student of Scripture finds God himself creating in six days, and resting on the seventh; Cain and Abel wor- shipping on the seventh day Sabbath;* God denouncing a sevenfold vengeance on the one that should attempt the life of the fratricide, and Lamech imprecating seventy and sevenfold vengeance ; the flood rising and abating, and the window of the Ark opened and closed according to the rule of seven ; f Jacob fulfilling the bridal week, serving two apprenticeships of seven years, and propitiating the favour of Esau by seven acts of obeisance. Jericho is surrounded seven days, and on the seventh day it falls, as soon as the seventh perambulation on that day is accomplished. Sam- son's riddle was to be solved within seven days. This mysterious number enters largely into sacred sym- bolism. Job offers seven bullocks and seven rams ; Abra- ham's peace-offering to Abimelech consisted of seven ewe * The Essay by the Rev. J. Jordan, in the work entitled ** The Chris- tian Sabbath," places this fact in a remarkably clear light. " The very fact of their coming together, and that for the purpose of worship, would of itself lead to the supposition that the time must have been a stated one, and well known and recognised by both ; for, otherwise, we cannot conceive what could have induced the jealous Cain to unite with the pious Abel, in the worship of Jehovah. Had there not been a special day set apart for worship, we should rather have expected Cain to avoid that which Abel chose, from hatred and envy of him. It is, however, plainly implied, that there was a certain known time at which they both together worshipped God. The expression denoting this is rendered in the text of the Bible, ' In process of time it came to pass,' but in the margin, ' At the end of days it came to pass.' Now, this latter is not only preferable as a construction of the original, but it directly points to that day which was ' the end of days,' the last, that is, of the seven," &c. p. 37. t An elaborate elucidation of this fact — noticed by almost every author on the Sabbath — will be found in the '* Christian Sabbath," pp. 39—42. 284 THE PHYSIOLOGY OF THE SABBATH. lambs; the unleavened bread of the passover was to be eaten during seven days ; the manna falls on the rule of the hebdomad; the golden candlestick had seven branch lights. We read of seven priests with seven trumpets. The Apocalypse abounds with seven : seven churches with seven angels, to whom seven epistles are addressed; there are seven candlesticks, seven lamps, seven stars, seven spirits, seven seals, seven vials, seven plagues, seven angels with seven trumpets, &c.* It is, therefore, unquestionably, an interesting fact, that the number seven is found in a great variety of association. Superstition — ancient and modern. Paganism, Mahom- medanism, and even Popery, have made it a mystic sound, or a magic sign; and even inspiration has adopted it as a sacred symbol. If its superstitious use excite the smile of a philosopher, its scriptural applications entitle it to some consideration. Even as connected with heathen rites, it is an historical fact, suggestive of important infer- ences. It is plain that nothing in nature could have origi- nated its employment among so many nations, so widely scattered, and even unknown to each other. Perversity itself will scarce induce any to trace its Scriptural appli- cations to a heathen origin, rather than to the account we have in Genesis of the six days' creation. That nations holding the Jews in profound contempt, should have adopted Jewish social customs, is equally improbable. How, then, came the number to be sacred among so large a portion of mankind, and how came the division of time, into weeks, to be the system of notation so ancient, and so widely diffused ? Is there aught in nature that suggested the hebdomad, or in human instinct that intuitively led to a seventh day's holiday ; or did Philosophy stumble on the * Cruden's Concordance has but to be consulted, to furnish the reader with a great number of texts, in which this number is to be found. THE PHYSIOLOGY OF THE SABBATH. 285 discovery, or is it to Revelation that we must ascribe the honour ? As far as natural phenomena are concerned, if the solar year is natural because of the regularity of the seasons, and the lunar month natural, because the moon waxes and wanes, and the diurnal period natural, because of the revolution of the earth round its axis, then the week is surely an artificial division of time. The phases of the moon cannot account for the week.* That the instinct of men, or the sagacity of philosophers, induced mankind to adopt a seventh-day's cessation of labour, would be a more rational supposition; and yet facts will not afford it support. Pagan festivals have sometimes exceeded, but seldom fallen short of the fifty- two Sabbath-days of Christianity. Among the Athe- nians, t festival days were under the protection of laws similar to those passed in some of the countries of Christendom, with reference to the Lord's-day. Occa- sional cessation from labour, is imperatively required by human nature, as we shall show in this chapter. Hence, Plato ascribed their institution to the compassion " which the gods felt for the human race, doomed to sore travail.^^ But their occurrence was determined without knowledge, by the caprice of the priest, or the political consideration * Among the many eccentricities defacing Hengstenberg's work on the Sabbath, is his adoption of the strange explanation of the origin of the week. " The origin of the week may be explained in another very natural (!) manner. It is but the subdivision of the lunar month ; instead of the 7| days, which are the average of a quarter moon, the nearest whole number was taken, namely, seven days," &c. p. 77. t " The Athenians were accustomed to amerce, and severely to cor- rect, all those who, on their holidays, came not to the sacred assemblies. Moreover, they hurdled up the streets, to prevent the people from going to any place but the Ecclesia ; and they took away all the saleable goods from those who, at this season, exposed them for sale." — Trapp, quoted by Thorn, in the " Christian Sabbath," p. 372. 286 THE PHYSIOLOGY OF THE SABBATH. of the statesman. The Moslem has his holy days and seasons — but Mahomed was a great plagiarist — borrowing largely from the Mosaic institutes. Catholicism, absolving from a whole Sabbath, has, in lieu of it, a calendar full of samt-days for its disciples. In aU false systems we see the recognition of a physical want, and the absence of that true insight into its nature, which characterizes the Sabbath of the Lord. To all humanly-devised institutions of the kind, Paley's objection is substantially applicable; — they " come seldom, and unexpected, are unprovided when they do come, with any duty, or employment ; and the manner of spending them being regulated by no public decency or established usage, they are commonly consumed in rude, if not criminal pastime, in stupid sloth, or brutish intem- perance.^^ Philosophy, doubtless, may discover how the seventh- day^s rest is a human necessity, when it collates facts, and, from extended observation, arrives at the corroborative evidences of the utility of what God has revealed and, enjoined. But philosophy was once but the groping of an unaided intellect; and is still too often but the veil of impiety, which will admit only when compelled, that a hebdomad is, and a decade is not, compatible with the nature of animal constitution. The political economist even now is found dreaming of the increase in the pro- ductive powers of the community, that might result from diminishing the number of Sundays. But the disciple of such a teacher, may take warning from one, who was no fanatical admirer of the Sabbath. The operative that will trust the philosopher rather than his Creator, would soon find that he had " sold himself for nought." " The addi- tion,^^ says Paley, ^^ of the seventh-day^ s labour to that of the other six, would have no other effect than to reduce the price. The labourer himself, who deserved and suffered THE PHYSIOLOGY OF THE SABBATH. 287 most by the change, would gain nothing." Nothing truly in a pecuniary point of view ; but that he would lose " much every way," will presently appear. And more than this : the capitalist would, with all his grasping and calculating, exact less from seven days' toil than he can obtain from six days^ labour. But if the experience of a Sabbath scarcely suffices to correct the vagaries of philosophy, it is obvious, that the sagacity of man did not originate the seventh day^s rest. When, where, and by whom, then, did the hebdomad originate ? There is one who '' knew our frame, '^ " remembered that we are dust," and foresaw, that the result of the curse his lips had pronounced upon the soil, would be " sore travail" to man. To mitigate this " exercise,"* " God spake in a certain place of the seventh."t We are not led to conjecture where in Scrip- ture this "certain place" is to be found; for inspiration quotes from Genesis ii. 3, '' And God did rest the seventh day from all his works. '^ The high antiquity, the all but universal notation by weeks, the superstitious veneration for the number seven, and the place it has in sacred symbols of Scripture, conduct us, not to Sinai, but to Eden, where God himself was " refreshed." This point, once established, and we are at liberty to inquire with becoming humility, why the Creator enjoined a Sabbath. Some of the reasons why, are contained in the preceding chapters; and others remain to be considered. If we take into consideration the character of the book of Genesis, we may expect, that the first three verses of its second chapter will afford us but some of the first prin- ciples, on which the institution is founded. These have been noticed already. We turn, therefore, to later reve- * Eccles. i. 13. t Heb. iv. 4, *' Day" is added by the translator — which the technical use of the word "seventh," by the Jews, will justif5\ 288 THE PHYSIOLOGY OF THE SABBATH. lations to discover whether the importance of the Sabbath does, or does not, arise from its influence upon the phy- sical organization of man. II. A little attention to the provisions of the fourth commandment will convince us, that the Sabbath is a great physiological institution. The first thing that strikes the mind, is the prominence given to rest from labour ; the second, that this resting period is boldly defined — once in seven days ; the third, is the humanity of the command- ment that ensures to the subordinate classes of society a release from servitude ; the fourth, is the authorization of magisterial interference, suggested by the term "strangers within thy gate;" the fifth and last striking feature, is the provision made for " the ox and the ass." I. How suspension of work conduces to the primary design of the Sabbath — the adoration of the Creator, has already been considered. But it is obvious, that God might have created in five or in ten days instead of six ; and further, that having created, God might have informed us of the fact, and not of the mode. There must be some reason why the institution is not simply in commemoration of creation, but also of the fact that God rested. If the distinction be admissible, the Sabbath is a memorial, not so much of God's making the heavens and the earth, as of God^s ceasing from their creation. Had creating been the prominent idea, a more suitable memorial would have been some symbolical action — as the attitude to be observed in the passover, the breaking of bread, and pouring out wine in the Lord^s supper, were appropriately significant of two typically related occurrences. But our resting, is sym- bolical of God's resting. The mind is then inevitably led to inquire, why the proportion of working days to the rest- day, should be as six is to one ? The inference is, that though there was, as far as the Creator was concerned, THE PHYSIOLOGY OF THE SABBxVTH. 289 no reason to limit himself to six days, or to protract the period of action beyond an instant of time, still as it was an exemplary act, its reason is to be sought in the physical constitution of the creature. II. Special attention should be paid to the fact, that while annual festivals suffice to commemorate historical events, a weekly festival is required in celebration of God^s rest. Were the Sabbath simply a memorial, its annual occurrence, like that of other Jewish festivals, and national festivities among all nations, would have been sufficient. But since the commemoration is to take place oftener than commemorative ends demanded, we are led to expect a deeper significance in the fifty-two Sabbaths of the year, III. If, because God in six days created all things, there- fore a seventh-diBj Sabbath is an appropriate memorial, then the same institution is a less appropriate remem- brancer of the deliverances from bondage, and no more expressive of the Resurrection. The deliverance from Egypt consumed many years, and our Lord did not ''^ finish ^^ his works in less than three years and a-halfj and yet the seventh- day ^s rest in commemoration is still required, as an unalterable law. Since then the event to be signalized altered with circumstances, but the propor- tion of working days to that of rest was invariably retained, a seventh day^s Sabbath cannot be arbitrary. To Dr. Owen^s remark : — " that any religious observance has been required through all estates of the church, having a foun- dation only in an arbitrary institution, cannot be proved by any one single instance," we may add, — first, that what God enjoined, contrary to the general tenour of an ex- clusive system, upon the uncircumcised as well as the Israelite, could not have been a merely ceremonial institu- tion j and, secondly, that what God gave as a boon to the ox and the ass, as well as to their Jewish owners, could u 290 THE PHYSIOLOGY OF THE SABBATH. not have been simply a religious arrangement. In other ■words, we must view the Sabbath in relation to the physical, as well as the moral and spiritual well-being of man, before we acquire a full and adequate idea of its importance to society. IV. This impression is strengthened by considering the clause securing, to the subordinate classes in society, a periodical release from servitude. If servants or strangers are included in any strictly Jewish law, it is on the con- dition that they shall be initiated into the church. Still, the proselyte might be admitted as a worshipper of Jehovah, without subjecting himself to every Jewish obligation, and '^strangers within their gates" might transact business without adopting any of the ceremonies of Moses.* But the Sabbath was imposed upon all alike, whether they were converts to Judaism, and thus permitted to reside within the gates; or whether they continued heathens, and simply entered the gate for traffic. The humanity of the provision is obvious. The '^ man- servant and the maid-servant" of a people of pastoral habits, correspond to the whole industrial and subordinate classes of a community more advanced in the arts, and commerce of civilization. In the former case, subserviency, rather than different degrees of toil, distinguished the employer from the employed. But in civilized commu- nities various circumstances combine to relieve the master, and oppress the servant, who exhausts himself to produce the comforts of the employer — comforts of which a very small proportion ever falls to his lot. Formerly, the labourer had more leisure, and a larger portion of time on * There were two kinds of Proselytes, according to Prideaux, Ham- mond, &c. , but the fact has been questioned by Lardner. The reader may consult Kitto's Cyclop, of Bib. Lit., article " Proselyte," for the arguments advanced on either side. THE PHYSIOLOGY OF THE SABBATH. 291 week-days for his sports. The effects of competition^ the pressing demands of continually extending commercial enterprise, have reduced the condition of the operative to one of excessive and long continued exertion. The Sab- bath not only restores the powers of exhausted nature; but the prospect, while working hard, of its certain and no distant approach, keeps up his spirits. It is a divine assurance to him, that he has a right to personal enjoy- ment ; and a divine declaration to the manufacturer, that the operative was not made to live to him. If in six days he seems to exist only for his employer, on the seventh he lives for his own enjoyment. When the fourth commandment thus made provision for the servant, the labourer did not outnumber the employer. How great is the present disparity between the numbers of the employer, and the employed ! One or two domestic servants suffice for a family; but one manufacturer em- ploys hundreds, and even thousands of " hands '^ in a single factory. The former was the relative condition of the two classes in the primitive state of society; the latter character- izes a more highly civilized community. Now the anti- sabbatarian philanthropist talks, in his plans, of sacrificing a few to the many ! Then the commandment was, " thou nor thy servant.''^ The modern speculator in railway scrip; the man who would run a train, and employ its staff of servants, for public convenience; the man who would employ one baker to allow many families to go to church, or make a few to toil that many may recreate, should turn to Mount Sinai, and learn in what humanity consists. V. The fourth striking feature of the commandment is the intimation, that magisterial authority may be invoked, to protect the subordinate and dependent classes, in the enjoyment of a day of rest. The use of the term ''gate,^'' 292 THE PHYSIOLOGY OF THE SABBATH. as well as the phrase, "the stranger within thy gate/' suggests the legitimacy of such interference. The clause, ''thy servant," empowers the master of a household to exert his influence to the extent of his province as a mas- ter. But the clause, " within thy gate,'' of necessity calls in the authority of the magistrate — of the governor of a fortified town, who ruled the gate, closing or opening it as public interests demanded. Nchemiah so understood the law of the Sabbath.* This important and delicate subject shall be fully discussed at the close of this chapter ; here it is enough to notice that, although under the theocracy every Jewish religious law could be thus enforced ; yet it is only in connexion with the Sabbath law, that a clear inti- mation of the right of the magistrate to interfere is per- ceptible in the Decalogue. VI. The most remarkable feature of this commandment is, the provision made for cattle. The attempt to prove the ceremonial nature of this institution is scattered to the winds, by this simple fact, that the ox and the ass should rest, t It matters not on what day of the week the brute should be exempt from its usual labours; it could not enter into its religious significance ; and surely the Jew's ox or ass sustained no peculiar relation to the theocracy. % * It is remarkable that the word ** stranger" should so universally be interpreted as a " proselyte." That, in later times, the Rabbins so understood the term, is scarcely a reason for us to confine its application to Jewish converts. In Exodus xxiii. 12, the word is employed plainly in a more general acceptation ; for, inverse 9, we read, " Thou shalt not t)ppres8 a stranger, for ye know the heart of a stranger, seeing ye were strangers (not proselytes) in the land of Egypt." Compelling the foreigner (compare ver. 9 with ver. 12) to observe the Sabbatic rest was, therefore, deemed by Jel\ovah, not as an act of oppression — but mercy. t That the Assyiian decree required the beast, as well as man, to fast, to avert the doom pronounced by Jonah upon Nineveh, (ch. iii. 7,) is no objection — since God did not include animals in the law of cere- monies. X As cattle are provided for, it is astonishing that Paley could over- Till': iMivsi()i,()(;v oi'' iiii-: sahuaiii. .01)3 liul it is ciM'tain, Uial. llu' auiiual foiild imiIim", luiually wilh l(a owner, into the rnjoynuMil, of n pt'riodii'ul ris(. This clause in the eonnnandnuMit is |)ri'«;Mnnt with sn«;^estions. I. It is a cU'ar proof, (hat (he Sahhath is no( a nuM'ely ceremonial institnd*. II. It shows clearly, that in dealing Mi(h (lie Sahhath, in connexion with the JjCf^islatnre, \\c arc jnsti(iiMl in scpaiatin^' the rclipjious as])cct of tht» Lord's-day iVoni its social, and physioloj^ieal characlcr. ^ On cannot, says the ohjcc({)r, n»ak(^ men rclit^ions hy cid'orcin^- Sahhalarian laws. The (rnisin nonc^ can (|ncs(ion. Mnt apply it to animals; (hey could not apprccia(c or cnlcr inio (he uses of a i'cll^ious arran^'cmcid, yd the law riM|uii'cs (heir physical well-hcin^- to he (aken into con.sideradon. I( is on (his •;ronn(l (ha(. (he ma-^islratc may cna('(, (iia( a day's i('s(. shall 1)1' th(^ inalienal)le rif;h( of evei'y man nndci' his Jmisdicdon. III. h clearly poiu(s io (he physiolojifieal natnri' of a heh- domadal rest. That lie, " whose tender mereies ure over all His works/' should •'fare for oxen," can ereat(^ no sur- prise, lint tin; provision of nu'rey to thi5 heitst of hnrdcn, or of draught, is not less an arranj^tMnent conservative of Ihi^ interest of its owner. "One day in seven, hy the hoindy of Providence, is (hrown in as a, day of com- pensation, (() peiiecl, hy i(s repose, (he animal .sy.s(t'm. ^()n nniy easily determine (his ipicsdon as a inadcr of fac(, hy tryiii};' it on heasis of hnrdcn. Take (hat (inc animal, tlu; horse, and work him (o (he full c\tcn( of his powers look tlir iM\s\vt«r to liirt own «il»j«'i-lioii : " 'l'lu« Siihbulh not Itrin-^-, ii dtjly whidh ri'Hults fitJiu ii poMilivt< law, t\\r ii'iis»m vnn bo nUc^vd no Inithrr thiui UK it c\i>liuiiH tlio ili'Mi^n of thi< l.if^i.sliitor." llml tlu' nn(lu>r |)imHftl to intpiiro why Htnuif^i-iM ami fattlr wvro rt'(juiii<(l otinally with ilio Jiiw to ii'Mt, luH itrun^^t^ in)tion of tho covmnonial nal\irt< of l\w iourth c'oniinandint.Mit would haM* appoarod to him n» no adiiinati* •' explanation of thu design ol' the LoKiHhjtoi." 294 THE PHYSIOLOGY OF THE SABBATH. every day in the week, or give liim rest one day in seven ; and you will soon perceive^ by the superior vigour with which he performs his functions on the other six days, that this rest is necessary to his well-being/^ * This theory of Dr. Farre, propounded before a Committee of the House of Commons, has been tested by a practical man. Bianconi, an Italian, long resident in Ireland, is the largest car pro- prietor in the island. " They (the members of the British Association, met at Cork, August 19th, 1843) could judge how many men were employed when he (Mr. Bianconi) stated, that there were one hundred and forty stations, and that each station had from one groom to six, or even eight; there were somewhere about one hundred drivers, and the horses were about one thousand three hundred. The rate of travelling was from about eight to six miles an hour, including stoppages." The opinion, therefore, of such a person is not to be set aside as that of a Sab- batarian fanatic. His establishment was regulated on the principle of a hebdomadal rest, excepting the traffic on the canals, and in connexion with the mail-bag ; and the reason of this is, " experience teaches me, that I can work a horse eight miles per day six days in the week, much better than I can six miles for seven days.^^f It is, therefore, a strong proof of the physiological nature of the Sabbath, that the owner of a horse may exact forty-eight miles, by giving him the seventh day's rest ; while forty- two miles per week * Statistics and Facts, &c. p. 131. t We have extracted the above from a paper read to the Association, at its meeting at Cork. The following additional particulars will be found in the " Statistics and Facts," pp. 144, 145 : — " At present his establishment contains one hundred and ten vehicles, which travel from eight to ten miles per hour, the average fare for travelling being about l^d. per mile. The number of miles over which the cars travel daily, is, 3806, passing through 140 stations for the change of horses. The annual consumption of hay is from 3000 to 4000 tons, and of oats from 30,000 to 40,000 barrels." THE PHYSIOLOGY OF THE SABBATH. 235 is the extent of his power, without resting on the Sabbath. '' A righteous man/^ is the saying of old, " regardeth the life of his beast ; '^ but the light of modern times thrown upon the fourth commandment shows, that to regard the ox, ass, and horse, is to promote one's own interests. IV. The last consideration is, that "the dominion over the beast of the field, ^^ * given to man, is limited. Our right to convert their flesh into food came from our com^ mon Creator, t and our right, to employ the beast of burden for our convenience, is not irresponsible. Selfishness, avarice, and cruelty, may not guide our treatment of those that minister to our wants, though they are brutes. { How withering is the rebuke thus given to those, whose plea for sacrificing one class of the community for the pleasure of another is, that the former are few in number ! If " thine ox and thine ass " shall rest on the Sabbath, how can any deem it consistent with either humanity, or the spirituality of the Christian dispensation, to sacrifice 07ie man to the convenience of another ? III. According to Dr. Owen, one of the proverbial say- ings of the ancient Jews was, " the Sabbath gives firmness and strength to all the affairs of this world.^^ What induced them to form so high an opinion of this institution, it is not in our power to determine; but that it is no * Ps. viii. 6—8. t Gen. ix. 3—4. X The Sabbath-day " seems to be considered by too many as set apart by divine and human authority for the purpose not of rest, but of its direct opposite — the labour of travelling ; tbus adding one day more of torment to those generous but wretched animals, whose services they hire ; and who, being generally strained beyond their strength the other six days of the week, have, of all creatures under heaven, the best and most equitable claim to suspension of labour on the seventh. ... It is a small drop of comfort thrown into their cup of misery, and to wrest from them this only privilege, this sweetest consolation of their -wTetched existence, is a degree of inhumanity for which there wants a name, and of which few people, I am persuaded, if they could be brought to reflect seriously upon it, would ever be giiilt^'." — Bishop Porteus. 296 THE PHYSIOLOGY OF THE SABBATH. exaggeration of its influence upon the affairs of this world, may be satisfactorily proved from the physiological re- searches of the physician^ from the experiments of the managers of steamboats, the foremen of iron-works, and the experience of the operative classes. It may be regarded as a maxim, that the amount of work exacted from a labourer in a day, is by no means an invariable quantity ; in other words, that the time consumed, is not always the measure of produc- tiveness. The efficiency of labour differs not only with the skill and muscular vigour of different individuals ; but with the different degrees of vivacity felt when occupied. The operative on the Monday works with vigour and alacrity, which diminish according to a fixed but gradual process, when languor of mind and lassitude of body succeed. Ex- perience proves, that this transition from a nimble to a sluggish limb, and from promptitude to inertness of thought, will take place, as a rule, in the course of six days. Let the labourer pause on the seventh day, and there is a resto- rative energy in the human constitution, which will enable the operative to renew his work, on the Monday following, with fresh energy. But let him continue his toil without intermission, and the ill-consequences are multifarious and complex. First of all, if vigour has aught to do with productiveness, less work is accomplished, ii. If our mental faculties and physical powers are not indestructible, the overstrained workman must eventually become a wreck of what he was. When the employment is, in itself, delete- rious to health,* this degeneracy is of necessity accelerated : '' * *< I need only allude, for instance, to the glass-blowers and cutlers, to tire grinders of cutlery and filers of steel, and some other occupations of like kind, whose deadly nature is well understood. We are aware how painters are poisoned and paralyzed, through the pores of their skin. The strong and bra^vTiy frames of the men who tend the fiery THE PHYSIOLOGY OF THE SABBATH. 297 but even where it is in no way prejudicial in moderation, it becomes destructive, slowly but surely, in excess.* Hence statistics show, that the more laborious classes enjoy a term of life averaging below that of the affluent and professional. HI. In lieu of the divinely appointed restorative, the opera- tive flies to some noxious substitute — a substitute of the very opposite character. Relaxation and repose are what God appoints; in place of them the suicidal workman swallows the strongest stimulants he can afford to pur- chase. Artificial strength is thus maintained, while the natural vigour is rapidly declining. How, or where this process will end, we need not say. iv. But take the most favourable case conceivable. Let the labour be performed by the steam-engine, and the work of the operative consist simply in watching, regulating, and, generally, superin- tending the half-conscious and self-acting machine. There is a monotony here, that transforms the man into a machine of bones and muscles. The body acts mechanically, and' the mind, wearied with indolence, becomes torpid, brutish ; all its faculties are cramped and stunted. With such a jaws of smelting furnaces, and feed their flames, are worn out and con- demned in some ten years' service. . . . The air tlie factory population breathe is unnatural, and loaded with fine particles of dust and fibre ; their lungs are irritated and inflamed, and they universally exhili:; pallor and debility to a more or less degree. They thus become subject to fainting, sickness, scrofula, and pulmonary afiections. The immense number of persons employed in mines and coal pits pursue their unhealthy labour in damp, confined, and ill-ventilated conditions. Even out-of-door artisans are not exempt from these conditions. Dr, Alison states, that there is scarcely an instance of a mason in Edinburgh, regu- larly employed in hewing stones, living beyond the age of fifty, free from consumptive symptoms," &c. — Hull College Prize Essay on the Sabbath, pp. 25—27. * Dr. W. B. Parks, for example, attributes the shattered constitutions of omnibus drivers, to their long continued and uninterrupted out-door employment — mthout the Sunday's release.— Statist, and Tracts, pp. 82. 83. 298 THE PHYSIOLOGY OF THE SABBATH. class of artificers England would soon fall before those rival states, that now succumb to tlie indomitable energy of the labourer, and peerless intelligence, of the artisans of Bri- tain.* The superior qualities of the Briton loudly demand a Sabbath, and the great vice of our countrymen — drunken- ness, results from the folly of trying to do without a Sab- bath. Through excessive population, and the competition it causes, this feature is further developed ; and it happens, that the people, whose native energy of character would lead to great efforts, without adventitious stimuli, are, of all people, the most excited to strain every nerve. The idiosjmcracy of the individual, and his social position, com- bine to make a day's rest and repose a prime necessity of his life. It is his asylum from the harass and struggles of existence, and a bed of down to his wearied limbs. Let the artisan speak for himself : — " Our joints become stiff, our backs bent, our eyesight strained, our limbs nerve- less, through toil. But man^s body has in itself a won- derfully restorative faculty ; the portions of our frame, thus distorted and strained, know their natural position; and, when at rest, resume it ; the organs discharge their respec- tive functions unimpeded by the exertions of toil, and con- vey activity and tone through all the portions of our frame. Our nature, in itself a miracle, re-adjusts and reorganizes its economy, in the resting time of the Sabbath ; and prepares itself afresh for action and endurance, gathers and recruits its forces for the next week^s struggle, and qualifies the man to go forth again to wrestle with, and subdue, the world to its wants. ■'^ f The thinking and reflecting mechanic and peasant will, therefore, avoid Sunday labour. The manager * It may safely be said, that there is no nation on earth that will so willingly and systematically work over-hours, as the British and its descendants. t Worldng Man's HuU College Prize Essay, pp 23, 24. THE PHYSIOLOGY OF THE SABBATH. 299 of a steam company informs its directors, " that several of those who, in their opinion, and in the estimate of the public, do the greatest credit to the service, and could least be spared, are just the individuals who are most sickened at the slavery of it ; and, on the other hand, that there is scarcely a man in the Company's employ, whose ser- vices are much worth retaining, who does not heartily detest Sunday sailing and Sunday working . . . that of the engi- neers, some would willingly work a whole night in the week to avoid Sunday sailing ; some would venture double and quadruple trips ; and another, or others, have expressed to him, in the strongest terms, the mischievous effects upon the firemen of the unintermittent work, in rendering them heartless, sluggish, and careless ; and their own sense of its deteriorating influence over all subject to it.* A master- baker in the metropolis, speaking of his own experience, and the " sentiments of the majority in the trade,'' stated, before the Committee of the House of Commons, that it was their long-continued labour that was detrimental to their health as well as morals, and that the appropriate remedy was its suspension on the Sunday s.f To the testimony of practical men it is easy to add the opinion of those, whose position affords opportunity of close observation on the effects of Sunday employment. "When officials get fagged, jaded, and dispirited, whether these officials be stokers, sailors, servants, engineers, or officers, the wheels turn heavily, whether by land or by water. It is matter of notoriety, that those crafts which are pursued through seven days in the week, are followed by an almost proverbially indolent set of men, and after a * Mr. Swan, superintendent of macliinery to the Eastern and Conti- nental Steam Packet Company. See Statistics and Facts, &c. pp. 71, 72. t Statistics and Facts, p. 104. Tlie number, in London alone, of master-bakers, is 2,500; of journeymen-bakers, 10,000. 300 THE PHYSIOLOGY OF THE SABBATH. somewliat sluggish, spiritless,, and perfunctory fasliion. Mainly to the effect of Sunday-sailing do I attribute the circumstance, that I have had occasion to part, in one way or another, in the last few months, with not fewer than eighteen stokers and coal-trimmers, some of them first-rate hands, being equal, in point of number, to the entire com- plement. . . . Now it appears to me, that, to one description of evil incidental to Sunday -working, or Sunday-sailing, that of apparent listlessness and heartlessness of work, or inaptitude for enduring great fatigue, arising from the las- situde and physical exhaustion, produced by unintermittent work, the Sabbath affords a substantial and material an- tidote."* It follows, as a natural consequence, that such periodical suspension of toil, is a source of gain to employers. " By exacting seven days' work, they get less than six days' labour;" and thus "eight boats could accomplish as much work in six days, as a greater number could in seven ;" . . . because there would be " a greater amount of effective ser- vice accomplished with a not greater number of steamers : because there would be better men, better conduct, better discipline, less smuggling, less tippling, less shifting of hands, greater satisfaction with the service, greater spirit, zeal, and interest in it ; greater bodily vigour and capa- bility of enduriug fatigue ; less waste of fuel, less risk of burning, or blowing up the boilers, or of setting the ship on fire ; less anxiety, and uneasiness, and vague apprehension of disaster ; less likelihood of shedding innocent blood ; or briefly and summarily, to put the truth for once in its proper light, as the truth ought to be spoken .... there would be more of the blessing that maketh rich, and there would be less of the curse of the Almighty." t From the Gold Hill Iron Works we have the same testi * Statistics and Facts, pp. 68—70. f Ibid. pp. 68. 72. j THE PHYSIOLOGY OP THE SABBATH. 301 mony to the pecuniary gains of the capitalist. Till the experiment made at the above works^ it was deemed im- possible (that is, without ruinous consequences) to stop iron-works on a Sunday ; but the report of the proprietor of these extensive works * is to the effect, that more iron was made since the stoppage than before; that, having never but once during seven years worked either of their blast furnaces on the Sunday, more iron had been pro- duced; they had enjoyed a greater exemption from interrup- tions and accidents, although the repairs were never allowed to be effected as formerly on the Sundays; and that, encou- raged by their " perfectly satisfactory and astonishing suc- cess," they had extended the interval of suspension from twelve to sixteen hours. " Here, then," observes the fore- man of the works, " is a touchstone for the whole world — that your furnaces at Copperfield stand longer on the Sabbath-day than any other furnaces in the world, and yet make more iron than any other three furnaces in the whole world ! " t A similar experiment, under very different circumstances, in the forests of one of our colonies, made by an officer of engineers, resulted in the conviction, " that the men " — comprising English, Irish, French, and Indians, whose * Tlie number of "hands" employed is between 1500 and and 2000, whose weekly wages amoimt to above £3000. t Statistics and Facts, pp. 88 — 92. There can be no doubt that a fixed determination to carry out, by patient experiments, the fourth commandment, would lead to the same satisfactory results in ouj glass- houses, in cheese-making farms, (see Statistics and Facts, pp. 93 — 99,) and in every line of manufacturing. A Committee of the Pennsylvania Legislature reported, in 1839, that " they assert, as the residt of their experience, that both man and beast can do more work by restiag one day in seven, than by working on the whole seven That they feel free to confess, that their own experience, as business men, farmers, or legislators, corresponds with the assertion." — Cyclop of Relig. Anec- dotes, p. 337. 302 THE PHYSIOLOGY OF THE SABBATH. labour was of ^' no ordinary character ; consisting in car- rying heavy burthens for about ten hours, and afterwards having to encamp — entailing, during the winter months, the excavation of snow, to the extent of from two to four feet, and cutting large supplies of fire- wood," — "had not the physical power to maintain their work continuously without the seventh day^s rest. Upon a few occasions they were driven by a short supply of provisions to make a forced march, so as to get into the cleared country, or to a depot, before they were exhausted ; . . . but he invariably remarked — that it was an overstraining of their powers, and that they were obliged, from sheer exhaustion, to devote a day to the repairs of tents, clothes, &c." * The observation of Mr. Wilberforce is to the same effect :— " I well remember, that during the war, when it was proposed to work all Sunday in one of the royal manu- factories (for a continuance, not for an occasional service), it was found that the workmen who obtained Government consent to abstain from working on Sundays, executed, in a few months, even more work than the others." t We have thus described the effects of Sunday labour, and, from unexceptional sources, shown it to be unneces- sary, injurious to the operative, and unprofitable to the capitalist ; and we need simply quote the evidence of Dr. Farre, before ar- Committee of the House of Commons, in explanation of the ruinous system, physiologically con- sidered : — " A physician is anxious to preserve the balance of cir- culation, as necessary to the restorative power of the body^ . . . because, if once this be lost, his healing office is at an end. . . . The ordinary exertions of man run down the cir- * Statistics and Facts, pp. 142, 143. t For the statement of a similar experiment on the northern frontier of the United States, -with the same results, see Cyclop. Relig. Anec- dotes, p. 337. THE PHYSIOLOGY OF THE SABBATH. 303 culation every day of his life ; and the first general law of nature, by which God (who is not only the giver, but also the preserver and sustainer of life), prevents man from destroying himself, is the alternating of day with night, that repose may succeed action. But although the night apparently equalizes the circulation well, yet it does not sufficiently restore its balance for the attainment of long life. As a day of rest," therefore, the physician ^' views it as a day of compensation for the inadequate restorative power of the body under continued labour and excitement, . . . which are the great enemies of the Sabbath, and con- sequently the enemies of man." Thus, ^^ researches in physiology, by the analogy of the working of Providence in nature, establish the truth of Revelation, and consequently show that the Divine commandment is not to be considered as an arbitrary enactment, but as an appointment neces- sary to man;" and that the Sabbath "is not, as it has been sometimes theologically viewed, simply a precept par- taking of the nature of a political institution, but that it is to be numbered among the natural duties, if the preserva- tion of life be admitted to be a duty, and the premature destruction of it a suicidal act. This is said simply as a physician, and without reference at all to the theological question." To conclude, " the use of the Sabbath, medi- cally speaking, is that of a day of rest, and the abuses are chiefly manifested in labour and dissipation." * On these grounds Dr. Farre, whose practice extended over a period of "between thirty and forty years," and who * " Having most of us" (Dr. F. Backus and other physicians of Kochester, New York) " lived on the Erie canal since its completion, we have uniformly witnessed the same deteriorating effects of seven days' working upon the physical constitution both of man and beast, as have been so ably depicted by Dr. Farre." At a meeting of the New Haven Medical Association, composed of five-and-twenty physicians and professors of the medical collep;e, the following questions were dis- cussed and uuanimously answered in ihe affirmative ; — " Is the position 304? THE PHYSIOLOGY OF THE SABBATH. had made it a branch of particular inquiry, would discou- rage the popular resort to tea-gardens, which, '^ in as far as the habit tends to dissipation, is positively injurious/' Though admitting "relaxation from labour, and an en- joyment of moderate exercise in a pure air, to be ex- tremely beneficial,^' yet "the congregating of persons, and the over-stimulus, whether it be of mind, or simply the effect of alcohol, which is the result of those assemblies," are anything but " beneficial/' " If the tea-gardens were stripped of pernicious liquors, ... to man, considered in his lower or animal nature, they would not be so prejudicial ; but man is something better than an animal, and the devoting to pleasure the day of repose (v/hich should be given to the rest of the body, and to that change of thought and exercise of mind which constitute the real source of invigoration), amidst multitudes congregated for purposes of pleasure, actually defeats the primary object of the insti- tution of the Sabbath, as adapted to the highest natm-e of man." " Physiologically considered, power saved is power gained, and the waste of power, from every kind of excite- ment, defeats the purposes of the day ; " it should, therefore, be the study of all classes to " husband them for the following week. ... In these respects, especially by continued excite- ment, the higher classes also injure themselves, as effec- tually as the lower do, by mere labour of body or intem- perance in drinking." Acting on these principles, Dr. Farre abstained from pursuing his own profession, "finding it essential to his own well-being to abridge his labour on the Sabbath, to what taken by Dr. Farre, in his testimony before the Committee of the British House of Commons, in your view, correct? Secondly, Will men who labour but six days in a week be more healthy, and live longer, other things being equal, than those who labour seven ? Thirdly, Will they do more work, and do it in a better manner?" — Cyclop. Relig. Anecdotes, p. 338. THE PHYSIOLOGY OF THE SABBATH. 305 was actually necessary, having had frequent occasion to observe the premature death of medical men from continued exertion, which, in warm climates, and in active service, was painfully apparent/^ His " continual prescription to clergymen was, in lieu of their Sabbath, to rest one day in the week;" and, "having seen many destroyed by their duties on that day," he found it necessary to '' suspend others for a season from the discharge of those duties." '^ He would further say, that quitting the grosser evils of mere animal living, from over - stimulation and undue exercise of body, the working of the mind in one continued train of thought is destructive of life in the most dis- tinguished class of society; and that senators themselves stand in need of reform in that particular, having observed many of them destroyed by neglecting this economy of life ; " and, lastly, that " by giving to their bodies the repose, and to their minds the change of ideas, suited to the day, for which it was appointed by unerring Wisdom, . . . more mental work would be accomplished in their lives."* It is apparent, therefore, that it was no puritanical view of the Sabbath that led Mr. Wilberforce to record, that " he was strongly impressed by the recollection of the en- deavour to prevail on the lawyers to give up Sunday con- sultations, in which poor Romilly (who destroyed himself in 1818) would not concur. If he had suffered his mind to enjoy such occasional remissions, it is highly probable the strings would never have snapped as they did from over- tension." t These reflections were made on the death of Lord Londonderry, who, as his biographer admits, " put an end to his existence in a fit of insanity, brought on by excessive mental and bodily exertion in attending to his public duties." * The above we have condensed, and, dropping the Parliamentary form of his evidence, have presented it as a connected series of remarks, t Life, by his Sons, vol. y. p. 135. X 306 THE PHYSIOLOGY OF THE SABBATH. An example of the opposite kind will be a fitting sequel to the above illustrations of the physiology of the Sabbath: — '^Dr. Hope, of London, was an ardent student. When compiling the works W'hich created his fame, there were months together when he never opened a newspaper or an amusing book; but then, in the full flush of his brilliant practice, he contrived to attend church twice a-day, and kept the Sabbath as devoutly as any private Christian. ' During his disputed election, he did not depart from his old principle of observing Sunday. All books and papers were cleared away on Saturday night, and engrossing as the subject of the election was, it was not permitted to be mentioned in his family. While he was justified by the Scriptures in expecting the Divine blessing upon such con- duct, the actual relief afforded by this day of rest from agitating and laborious employment was so great, that a similar course might safely be recommended to those who seek no blessings beyond those of this life.^ " * IV. The bearing of the above medical view of the Sabbath on recent attempts to open to the public, -museums, the Sydenham palace, and similar institutions, is very important. All the specious pleas put forth by pseudo- philanthropists in favour of Sunday excursion trains, tea- gardens, and the like, are not only in opposition to the very nature of the Sabbath as a religious institution, but also destructive of its design, physiologically considered. The pertinacity with which error maintains its ground, by assuming various forms, is illustrated in this connexion. Some thirty years ago, Sunday drilling and parading to church, was justified on the plea, that if the soldiers were not thus employed, their time would be worse spent in public -houses. Some twenty years past, the Sunday busi- ness at the wharves of Paddington Canal was excused on * Christian Sabbath, pp. 135, 136. TFff-; I'fJVSI()[.fK;Y OF TlfR HAIifiATJf. 307 tlj{; ground, " tfiat tlio workmen wore ke[>t out of fni.soliicf." A year or two a^o, the main argument in favour of opening the Sydenliani jialaoe wan, — '^ W^e are not, or only to a small extent, dealing with a population who now 'keep' the Sabbath aeeording to the notiouH of the religiojis world, but with people who, if they do not spend the Sunday at Sydenham, will, almost without exception, spend it in a worse manner elsewhere/'* The drift of all such excuses is, that to prevent one evil, another may be com- mitted; and the temper they betray is a \c;vy low view of either the sanctity of the day, or of its moral and pljysical influence upon mankind. In our previous chapter on the Morality of the Sabbath, again, we have noticed that labour, although injurious, is a loss pregnant source of injury to tlie masses, than the dissipation caused by congregating masses at Cremorne and Roshervillc Oardens. And in the above section of this chapter, we have adduced vi^ry high authorities to show that, not only is the Sabbath abused by the excite- ment of the most innocent recreation, but that, what our population, above all others in the world, requires, is the total absence of any mental stimulus. Let the Sydenham palace be jealously guarded from the growth of low and demoralizing resorts which will infal- libly surround it, and let the pleasure afforded be of a kind the most refined imaginable, and yet you defeat the great design of the institution as a physiological appointment of the Creator. It docs not seem to occur to those who agitate the question of opening it on Sunday, that if the populace * The People's Palace and the Keligiouw World, by a Layman, p. 11. Who or what induced this anonymous writer to *• vindicate; the consist- eney of many religious people, whose silence might be construed into sympathy with" the Sabbatarian opposition to its opening, we cannot say ; but, assiurcdly, the tone of the pamphlet would lead one to sup- pose, that the author was an agent of the Company rather tlian a friend of the people. 808 THE PHYSIOLOGY OF THE SABBATH. now prefer debasing pleasures^ that offered by them will not be attractive^ because of its refinement. If the proper use of the Sabbath — the worship of God, affording the soul of man the most exalted enjoyment of which any creature is capable — is spurned by the multitude, some good reason should be advanced to prove, that Sydenham will be able to effect such a miraculous transformation in the tastes of the populace. To soften the manners of men, God has created domestic influence, from which this palace is to lure the father and husband. To ennoble the mind, God commands the contemplation of himself and his works; but its promoters would substitute the works of art. The repose of home is another design of God's institution, but the shareholders of Sydenham palace would give, in lieu, the excitement of multitudes crowding to a spot away alike from church, and from the household hearth. When such absurdities are advanced by men, who rise up to " vindicate the consistency of many religious people," one's mind is roused to protest against the flimsy veil of piety thrown over the subject. The " consistency of reli- gious people" stepping forth to assist the irreligious to pro- fane the Sabbath, is an inconsistency so glaring, that one's astonishment knows no bounds. The first pair of human beings preferred "the tree of knowledge" that grew in a lovelier spot than Sydenham in Surrey, to " the tree of life " that flourished in Eden. And when men, under the garb of philanthropy and piety, attempt to draw men from church to the palace of the arts and the sciences, we see but the old wily serpent trans- forming himself into " an angel of light." Leaving the morality and the religious consideration of the subject out of consideration, the fearful effects of neglecting it as a physiological institution, would be no less apparent than when man touched the forbidden fruit. TPIE PHYSIOLOGY OF THE SABBATH. 309 If, again, the Sabbath, be a physiological necessity, it is obvious, that Sunday trains are in direct violation of one of the great laws of nature. It is important, there- fore, to ascertain what are the reasons urged in justifi- cation of this wide-spread, systematic, and continually increasing form of Sabbath desecration? The reply con- sists in, — The interests of the nation, *^the accommodation of the public," imperatively demand a few Sunday trains. If there be truth in the answer, the inevitable inference is, that the Sabbath is opposed to the well-being of man. To evade its force, the plea assumes other forms^ — Works of mercy and necessity are not prohibited by the fourth com- mandment, and on such grounds the Sunday train is lawful. Could the plea be substantiated, and the train on such day be shown to be either merciful or necessary, Sabbatarian objections would vanish. But to demonstrate the contrary is comparatively an easy task. Let the general plea be narrowed to particular cases, and the argument in detail falls to the ground. Are they, after all, necessary ? That cases of emergency are probable, we admit ; but it is incumbent on their advo- cates to prove, that there is no other remedy than that proposed as a specific ; else, though the case of necessity be proved, the necessity of meeting it by the running of a train is not proved. The confusion of these two ideas forms the grounds of the plea. Name a particular case of emergency, and in ninety-nine such out of a hundred, remedial means may be suggested, less open to objection on multifarious grounds than a Sunday train ; and in the remaining one it may be shown, as we shall endeavour to do presently, to be not of a nature to justify such a remedy for its cure. The plea rests upon an ill-defined and extra- vagant expectation of providential cases. But we ask for something more tangible— /ac/iritmil things." 'Hu^re ar(i otluirs who are neither [)ar(;nts nor mast(^rs, and, jud^iu}^ (;haritably from their eonduet, one would suppose that they have yet to learn tlu; riglit answer to the (|Ucstion put l)y a (uisuist of old, — " Arul who is my ruM^h- bour?" 'J'hey will find neighbours, as our Jjord dc^fnu-d the torm, in the Sunday-wehool elass, in the distriet of tlu^ tiact distributor, in tlu; alms-houses, infirmaries, and hospi- tals; in tlur (;ottaj;(; of the sick, infirm, ati^cd, and poor ; in our murky alleys and courts of towns and cities. tSuch 36.2 HALLOWING THE LORD^S DAY. acts of mercy constitute the appropriate work of this day ; fill up the intervals of public worship ; convert tedium into unfailing and lasting pleasure. Devotional exercises are sentimentalism rather than godliness, if not more or less accompanied by such practical exemplifications of piety. That the occupations of the week leave no time for doing good, is an excuse shown to be worthless if Sunday hours are tedious. When want of opportunity in the week is coupled with want of inclination on this day, the disclosure of our state is- pitiable. VII. " I will have mercy and not sacrifice ;'^ " The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath;" are principles that lead us to regard works of necessity rather in the light of duties, than exceptions in connexion with the laws of the Sabbath. We object to the term ex- ceptions, as giving a false view of this merciful institution. To say that to save life, to heal the sick, to supply our ordinary wants, are exemptions from the law of the Sab- bath, is a slur on the institution. Its humanity indig- nantly repels the slanderous imputation. How jealously did "the Lord of the Sabbath^' protect it from the insult ! If such be exceptions, how shall we define the rule ? Was it not to correct this contracted, or rather, distorted view that Christ styled even the public services of the temple " profanation " ? * Determine, conscientiously, what is urgent, and do it in obedience to this law. This point is left by the New Testament to the individual judgment. What is the necessity of one, is not the exigency of another. Apparently with the same motives, the conduct of two * Our Lord seems plainly to have adopted tliis phrase as the logical inference from the Pharisaic view of what was lawful. That no part of the temple service could be profanation of the Sabbath, was palpable even to the hj'pocrites he rebuked. The application of a term, that no one would justify, but was a fair deduction, condemned the premises from which it was drawn. It was, in fact, a reductio ad ahsurdum. HALLOWING THE LORD'S DAY. 363 persons may essentially differ. Hence, to follow may be dangerous, and to censure may be to " condemn the guilt- less." On those who "fare sumptuously," a plain repast may be incumbent, while the Sunday luxuries of the poor may be enjoyed with the divine blessing implored. Such apparent paradoxes may be multiplied, and Scripture pro- fusely quoted in justification. But interest is often an unsafe, if not a treacherous guide. Worldly solicitude may lead us to err, where the "tjarelessness"* enjoined by Providence may teach us to accept the risk of loss rather than the risk of transgression. How often is the husbandman " disquieted in vain !" But for the law, " In earing time and in harvest thou shalt rest," how frequently would the " doubtful mind" — itself a flaw in the Christian character, have seen a neces- sity, where patience proved none to have existed ! Strong in the conviction that the Sabbatic rest is the appointment of matchless insight into the nature of man, some have, by experiment, discovered that certain manufacturing processes, long ranged under the law of necessary operations, not only admit of a hebdomadal suspension, but yield a larger profit under such restriction. f Many, whose excuse is their sale of " perishable goods," may learn from others in the same branch of traffic, that the Sabbath may be kept without temporal loss. The apothecary and the medical practitioner, may limit the range of their practice, with unspeakable advantage to themselves, and without serious inconvenience to the public. J The sense of emergency is * *' Be careful for nothing," &c. PMl. iv. 6, 7, et passim. t Dr. Hamilton, in Ms Horse et Vind. Sabbaticse, p. 201, observes, •' That which is necessary to the labour of the next day, such as feeding the furnace, cannot be sinful ;" but, in the preceding Chapter, we have shown that the operations referred to, and so commonly regarded as necessary, are really not indispensable. X Recently large Metropolitan chemists have closed their shops alto- 364 HALLOWING THE LORD'S DAY. too often founded upon a " blind unbelief^ that is sure to err;'' while before the spirit of gratitude for so invaluable a boon as the Sabbath^ stupendous obstacles vanish. If fidelity and allegiance lead to investigation^ and conscien- tiousness test by experiment patiently conducted, the number of things urgent will wonderfully diminish. It is a significant fact, that out of ten only the fourth commandment begins with "Remember." It is because we allow ourselves to be overtaken by this day " unawares/' that a greater amount of pressure is felt when it arrive. If through our disobedience to the first word in the com- mand, a thing becomes necessary, the humanity of the Sabbath cannot be justly urged in excuse. This would be to set the Sabbath against itself. The Jews had their Sab- bath eve, and there was certainly less carnality in having a "day of preparation," than there is spirituality in those Chris- tians, whose Saturday extends far into their Sunday morn- ing. The Saturday of the primitive Christians was " ob- served as an evening festival preparatory to the Lord's- day, and was solemnized by vespers and vigils. This is the true import of the religious observance of the Saturday It was preparatory to the Lord's-day, designed to lead on and rightly introduce this great day of our Lord."* How con- trary to this beautiful practice is the English mode of terminating the week ! Our custom of paying wages late on Saturday, renders the Sunday -morning market inevi- table. The late closing of shops keeps the assistants labo- riously employed long after midnight. Exhausted nature requires sleep protracted to the noon of the Sunday, and the drowsy young men have neither spirit nor inclination gether, finding that the demand was principally for lozenges, &c. and not medicaments absolutely required. In Chapter VIII. we have given the testimony of a physician of some forty years of experience to show that a needless amount of Sabbath practice exists. * Coleman's Antiquity, p. 88. HALLOWING THE LORD'S DAY. 365 for diviDe service. Such necessities^ if yielded to, are viola- tions of the law ; and the remedy is_, obviously, obedience to the command, " Remember the Sabbath-day to keep it holy." Active employment may terminate at one on Saturday,* and wages may be paid on Friday night or Saturday noon ; f and shops may all be closed by eight on Saturday night. { We should thus have a Sabbath eve, and an integral Sabbath, with less to be done as things ne- cessary. If those, who " call the Sabbath a delight, — the honour- able of the Lord," were to exert themselves to promote its observance ; to diffuse a knowledge of the value of the institution ; were to shun Sabbath -breakers ; discourage the late shopkeeper, and support associations formed for the purpose of suppressing Sunday traffic ; would invite pulpit expositions of the Sabbath laws more frequently, and more generally; and by their consistent example would show how a Sabbath may and should be kept ; surely the answer to the Lord's prayer would not long be delayed ; — " Hal- lowed be thy name ; thy kingdom come ; thy will be done on earth, as it is done in heaven." * As with our great warehouses in Manchester. t Some manufacturers observe this rule, while others have found it impracticable on Fridays. X All anxious to promote the observance of the Sabbath should unite with those who, on merely philanthropic and physiological grounds, have formed the Early Closing Associations of our large towns. CHAPTEE X. HISTORICAL SURVEY OF THE SABBATH. *' Quod semper, quod ubique, quod ab omnibus traditum est." ViNCENTIUS LiRINENSIS. fl. The history of an institution, to wliicTi the tem- poral and spiritual well-being of communities is so greatly indebted, is one of considerable interest. To do justice, a volume, rather than a chapter, should be devoted to the subject. The completeness, however, of this Essay will depend upon an outline that will connect the past with pre- sent times. The importance, moreover, of a sketch of the history of the Sabbath arises from the fact, that the very kind of evidence establishing the antiquity of almost everj'^ other custom, has been curiously converted into proof, that ii is of comparatively recent origin. It is a singular theo- I logical conceit, that, while all accord to the Jews the high i honour of a Sabbath divinely instituted, not a* few wish to \ regard the Lord's-daj as humanly imposed. Still more ' extraordinary is the view that would lead men, on the one hand, to contemn an institution once — as it is acknowledged — founded by God; and, on the other, require us to believe, that a similar institution originating in the common con- sent of men, was so far adopted by God, as that he should direct one of his inspired ambassadors to style it His day — the Lord's- day ! Yet more preposterous is the theory, that HISTORICAL SURVEY OF THE SABBATH. 367 heaven and earth were framed for the use of mankind on a plan, that was to be significant not to mankind^ but to a small section of the human family, which was to retain its nationality for a very limited period ! A historical survey of the Sabbath, we trust, will expose the inconsistencies of such views, and confirm the opinions of the wiser and more consistent, but, perhaps, not more sincere, advocates of the Lord^s-day. The first point admitted by all believers in Revelation is, that God rested on the seventh day from the beginning of creation. That we have sufficient reasons to believe, that the first man imitated the divine example, has been shown in our first chapter. It is surely an idle question that has been put by some : — How was the fact made known to Adam ? To pass over the intuition with which he gave names to the animals in Eden,* the fact, that, though Eve was formed while he was in " deep sleep," he at once per- ceived that she was " bone of his bone, and flesh of his flesh,'' should suggest the answer. If the process of her formation was revealed, since this is not intimated, a similar supposition in favour of the Sabbath, should in all fairness be admitted. Whether it was revealed, or whether Adam somehow discovered, that God created in six days and rested on the seventh, is of little moment, if there be indications that it was the practice of the first human family to luorship on the Sabbath-day. We are informed that " in the end of days'' f Abel oflfered a sacrifice which God accepted. From the account itself we should not know * Dr. Owen has some good remarks on this subject, "Treatise on the Sabbath," p. 97. t Gen, iv. iii. The marginal reading. Among others may be men- tioned Mr. Jordan's Work (p 21, ei seq.), as clearly establishing the presumption in favour of the Sabbath, We have before quoted a part of the passage. 368 HISTORICAL SURVEY OF THE SABBATH. that his offering was a "sacrifice/^ or that it was a mode of worship divinely appointed. But subsequent revelations establish these points.* In this compendious history we have a fact stated^ but that it was divinely ordered we learn from subsequent information. Now, it is not only reason- able to suppose that God, who accepted the offering which alone was in accordance with his directions, had also fixed the time of worship; but we have the presumption in favour of the opinion, arising out of God's resting, and sanctifying a particular day. In the history we have nothing, if regarded by itself, to intimate that the mode of worship was of God ; but in that history we have a remarkable fact that illustrates, how a particular time of worship came to be observed. Add to these considerations, that in later times the reason for the Sabbath given by God himself, was his resting on the seventh day, and the inference is irresistible, that he required the first human family to worship on the same day of the week, and for the same reasons. Attention to the analogy of Scripture will further confirm this view ; as it will appear that the plan of both the Old and the New Testament is, to leave the reader to conclude the continuance of a Sabbath from the mention only of incidents connected with worship. That Cain's sevenfold vengeance, and that of Lamech — seventy times seven, indicates thus early the sanctity of a seventh day, has been fully discussed in a previous chapter. We pass on, therefore, to the time of Noah, as furnishing further traces of a Sabbath-day. It is a highly suggestive fact, that there should occur weekly intervals between the mission of the raven and of * Comp. Gen. iv. 4 with Heb. ii. 4. That which the apostle declares to have been of "faith" was necessarily in accordance with God's appointment, and not of " will- worship," which was obviously the error and sin of Cain. HISTORICAL SURVEY OF THE SABBATH. 369 the doves on three occasions. Assume these four hebdo- madal periods to be those of worship, and there is a striking propriety in their selection, as the season in which the family in the ark sought to discover the will of Provi- dence. On this assumption, various other notable days range themselves harmoniously. The fortieth and forty- seventh day become second days of the week; on the former Noah entered the ark, and on the latter the deluge commenced. It was on the corresponding day of the week, therefore, " that God divided the waters which were under the firmament, from the waters which were above the fir- mament'^ at the creation; and at the destruction, that God reversed his decree, so that " all the fountains of the great deep were broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened.^' On the same principle the selection of the two hundred and twenty-first day, also a second day of the week, when the mountain tops first emerged from the flood, was appropriate. The eighty-seventh day was a seventh day, and, being the last of the forty days of destruction, God thus rested from the work of desolation as before he rested from that of creation. The three hundred and sixty-first, and the four hundred and seventeenth days, were the first in the week; on the former the ark was uncovered, and, on the latter, repos- session of the earth was vouchsafed to the liberated family. The preceding days were the Sabbaths, the employment of which in worship would be a suitable preparation, first, for seeing the heavens cleared of clouds; and, secondly, for treading on dry land on the days following.* If we recall the fact, that the book, which informs us of these par- * Though, many of Mr. Jordan's predecessors have noticed Noah's " waiting yet seven days," it is to him that the friends of the Lord's- day are indebted for the full development of the significance of such facts. See his Work on the Sabbath, pp. 24—31. BB 370 HISTORICAL SURVEY OF THE SABBATH. ticulars^ studiously avoids unnecessary details, tlie specifi- cation of the exact days, on wliich certain events occurred, must be regarded as designed. If so, the obvious expla- nation is, that God would thus intimate the existence of a Sabbath-day. It should be further observed, that as God, in re-esta- blishing the Sabbath at Sinai, reminded the Jews of his plan of creation ; so here, at Mount Ararat, Noah^s mind would be struck with the analogy (supposing that he was left, as we are, to conclude without express information of the reasons of the selection of certain days connected with the deluge) between the creation and. the destruction of the habitable globe. Let this be assumed, and auother point of analogy will be suggested. As God, in re-esta- blishing the Sabbath, made the deliverance from Egypt an additional motive for the Jewish observance of the institu- tion, it is reasonable to suppose that, when God made a covenant with Noah and his descendants,* a part of it w^ould be the keeping of the Sabbath, because of their redemption from the calamities that overwhelmed the Old World, t It is of some importance, then, to ascertain whether, in the period separating the deluge from the deliverance from Egypt, we have any indications of a Sab- batic observance. It is, we believe, very generally admitted, that the ten commandments given at Sinai, were the formal * See Gen. ix. 8—17. t That we have some further grounds for this analogical view, may he seen from the following facts. As by water the wicked were destroyed, and the family of Noah was saA'ed ; so by water the unbe- lieving Egyptians were destroyed, and the Israelites were delivered. Of the former, the apostle Peter observes, '* eight souls were saved by water, the like figure whereunto baptism doth also now save us," 1 Pet. iii. 20, 21 ; and of the latter, the apostle Paul says, " I would not that ye shoxild be ignorant, how that all ovir fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea ; and were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea." — 1 Cor. x, 1, 2. HISTORICAL SURVEY OF THE SABBATH. 371 republication of ancient laws ; in other words, that the patriarchs had been under obligations to keep them. Of Abraham God said, — " He has obeyed my voice, and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws.^^* Such a repetition of synonymous terms shows, that the patriarchs were not left to '^ will-worship,^^ and that they were under well-defined and well-known laws. From various passages it is easy to deduce the patriarchal knowledge of nine, out of the ten, commandments. f From the facts that the patriarchs had altars and sacred spots known as " the house of God ; ^^ J that they offered sacrifices ; that without stated terms of worship, religion decays ; that God has, by example and precept, set apart a particular time for wor- shipping, under certain dispensations unquestionably, and that under others, there are appearances of such an appoint- ment ; that under the Jewish economy it was sinful to set aside the divinely-appointed season ; '' § and that under the gospel the imposition of certain days, as obligatory, is * Gen. XX vi. 5. t "The declaration which. God gave of himself to 'Abraham,' embraces t\ie first (Gen. xvii. 2) ; Jacob's cleansing his household from images is a practical observance of the second (Gen. xxxv. 2). The co- venants made between Abraham and Abimelech, &c. manifest a general knowledge of the third (Gen. xxi. 23). A beautiful exemplification of the fifth is seen in the circumstance of Isaac's son soliciting the hand of his uncle's daughter (Gen. xxviii. 2). In the reproof of Jacob to Levi and Simeon, for slaying the Shechemites, we discover the spirit of the sixth (Gen. xlix. 5 — 7). The conduct of Joseph towards his mistress, and of God towards the king of Gerar, prove the existence of the seventh (Gen. xxxix. 10, and xx. 3). The story of Laban's household deities, and Joseph's silver cup, assures us that the eighth commandment was known and regarded (Gen. xxxi. 31, and xlv. 5). Pharaoh's reproof of Abraham, and the plagues on Pharaoh's person and property, for coveting the patriarch's wife, are practical demonstrations that, in those early times the ninth and tenth were duly and devoutly observed (Gen. xii. 4— 29)."— Thorn on the Sabbath, pp. 25, 26. X Gen. xxviii. 17 and 22. § One of the sins of Jeroboam, the son of Nebal, was his " ordaining 372 HISTORICvVL SURVEY OF THE SABBATH. expressly denounced ; " * it is more reasonable, than other- wise, to conclude, that Abraham and his seed had stated seasons, as well as places and forms of worship, of divine ordination. It has been plausibly objected, that had the patriarchs been under the Sabbath law, instances of transgression, in connexion with the expression of divine disapprobation, would be found in the sacred narrative. But there are nume- rous and satisfactory solutions of this difficulty. The patri- archs reckoned time by weeks, and attached sacredness to the number seven. The renowned piety of the heads of families would be a preventive against such disregard of the institution, as to call for divine interference ; while we know that the form of a Sabbath has often been observed by even those, who contemned the weighty laws of morality. The simplicity of a pastoral life, and the impossibility of sus- pending the labours of the shepherd and the herdsman, would extensively deprive the institution of its most palpable feature — that of resting. Their Sabbath, therefore, would afford less opportunities for transgression, than theirs, whose labours admitted of weekly suspension. Hence, in noticing another answer to the objection, we shall find that, while the Jews retained their pastoral character, scarcely any notice of Sabbath-breaking occurs ; but rebukes, indicative of the prevalence of the sin, are met with in their later history, when trade and commerce revolutionized their social habits. But if we have recorded instances of worship which alone, under the circumstances, could be character- istics of a Sabbath, we have all the notice that need have been taken in their history, of the existence of such an institution. And, lastly, when, as at the fall of manna^ a feast in the month, ivhich he had devised of his own heart " (1 Kings xii. 33). * Col. ii. 16, 17. HISTORICAL SURVEY OF THE SABBATH. 373 and at the giving of the law, the Sabbath is prominently placed before us, the manner in which it is introduced, implies its previous existence. Thus at the wilderness of Sin, the people conform to it as to an old and not an unknown regulation; and at Sinai, the fact that God had, at the creation, sanctified the seventh day, is urged as a reason for their reverence. The cumulative force of such considerations, exposes the weakness of objections against the continuity of the Sabbath from Adam to IMoses. But the analogy of Scripture is strikingly in favour of this view. First. That no bold prominence is given to the fact of its existence, is in favour of the institution ; since, judging from the rest of the Scriptures, this is what we should expect. The principle, on which the structure of the Bible is built, is to state the origin of an institution, and then to pass over long intervals of time without noticing its obser- vance or disregard. Circumcision is established as a law in Abraham^s family and descendants, and its time of insti- tution being recorded, an interval of four hundred and thirty years elapses before anything more is said about the rite. The original establishment and an incidental notice * are our only, but perfectly satisfactory, grounds for assuming, that Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, and Moses, were circumcised. Again, just as at the fall of manna, the way in which the Sabbath is first noticed, after long silence, demonstrates it to have been observed ; so at the institution of the Passover, circumcision is so introduced to our notice, after some four hundred and thirty years of silence, as to prove, that the Jews had not discontinued the practice. The existing cus- tom descending from Abraham, is simply confirmed by * We have its establishment in Gen. xxi. 4, and a casual notice of its existence in Gen. xxxiv. 14 — 24. The next intimation occiirs in connexion with the return of Moses from Midian, Ex. iv. 24—26. 374 HISTORICAL SURVEY OF THE SABBATH. certain additional enactments. It is precisely so with the Sabbath. Again : from the time of Joshua till the circum- cision of Jesus Christ — a period of some fifteen hundred years — we have no instance of the observance of the rite, or the disregard of the law. Secondly. That we have no recorded censure of a breach of the law, is, according to the analogy of Scrip- ture, no proof, that the institution itself was not a part of patriarchal worship. From the close of the life of Moses to the end of David^s reign, we have a period of 436 years, in which no mention of the institution occurs. During this age, the Jews were purely a pastoral people. From the call of Abraham to the giving of the law, there was a period of 430 years. The two intervals are about equal, and the general habits of the Israelites during those eras correspond ; and in both, the institu- tion is not named. In the latter the Sabbath command was in force, and the silence of the historian is, therefore, no argument against its existence in the former age. From the time of Solomon to Nehemiah, or from the building of the first to the building of the second temple, is an interval of about 570 years. At this period, the Jews partially lost their pastoral habits, and acquired a com- mercial character. The Sabbath now was frequently violated, y and yet there are but a few cases of censure on record. * * Dr. D wight argues from Nehem. viii. 17, that the feast of tabernacles was " neglected and forgotten from the time of Joshua, the son of Nim, until after Nehemiah' s" return from captivity. ** Neither Samuel, David, Solomon, Hezekiah, nor Josiah observed it." — Works, vol. iv. p. 38. The passage in Nehemiah does not, however, show that it was forgotten or neglected, but never " so" observed from Joshua to his own time. — See Kitto's Cyclop, of Bib. Lit., article " Feast of Tabernacles." Dwight's view being incorrect, the passage is still of value, as it shows how an institution may exist without any notice of it being taken in the sacred history. During the Babylonish captivity, no instance of Sabbath observance is stated; but Nehemiah' s regulations on the return of the HISTORICAL SURVEY OF THE SABBATH. 375 Thirdly. From the analogy of Scripture we are war- ranted in assuming a stated time of worship, from instances of worship itself. During the 436 years between the death of Moses and the end of David^s reign, we have no histo- rical mention of the Sabbath, though undoubtedly observed. But the shew-bread, of which David and his men partook in their flight, and the composition of a Psalm designed for the Sabbath-day,* are circumstances that prove its exist- ence quite as much as a historical notice. In the New Testament, again, we have the facts, that on the first day of the week Christ met his disciples, and that in later times Christians suspended toil, met for worship and works\ of charity ; and an incidental expression, " I was in the spirit \ on the Lord^s-day/^ which unitedly prove that the change ! of the day had taken place. It is thus that Cain and Abel's 1 worshipping " at the end of days,'' taken in connexion with \ God's rest and sanctification of the seventh day, intimates that a Sabbath was kept by the first human family. It is thus that we judge, that the four consecutive seventh days on which Noah sent forth the raven and the doves were, in all probability. Sabbath days in the ark. It is thus, there- fore, that we conclude, that because Abraham was a devout , worshipper, and Jacob and Laban computed by weeks, that ( a Sabbath was solemnized in the patriarchal tent. That such reasoning, unsupported by other considera- tions, are inconclusive, we are quite willing to concede. They demonstrate, however, on which side the probability lies, and the probability amounts to a certainty, that the patriarchs had a Sabbath, when we attend to the manner in Jews, show that, though many of the people had become lax in their practices, yet it had not altogether fallen into desuetude. It is pro- bable that the Sabbath was sanctified by the Hebrews, during the earlier part of their sojourn in Egypt. * See the title of Psalm xcii. 376 HISTORICAL SURVEY OF THE SABBATH. / which it is introduced in the sacred narrative when occasion requires. ' II. The second epoch in the history of this institution, commences from the giving of the law at Mount Sinai, and closes with the resurrection of our Lord. We do not in- ; elude the fortnight or three weeks that preceded the covenant of Sinai; for there is the clearest evidence,* that the mention of the Sabbath in connexion with manna, is to j be regarded as occurring under the patriarchal dispensa- tion. After the solemn republication of the law at Horeb, which bases its observance upon grounds obli- gatory upon the human race, we discover the process by which the institution was adapted to the Mosaic dispensation. The first step is seen in the reference made to the deliverance from bondage, t which to the Jew became a perpetual motive, in addition to that stated in the fourth command- ment. The next is the penalty of death X attached to the transgressions of its laws; the third is, that it hence- forth was to be viewed as the great sign of their cove- nant relationship to Jehovah. § On the question of the change of day in commemoration of the Exodus from Egypt, divines are divided in opinion ; our reasons for as- suming, that no such change took place, have been already stated. II There is, also, some diversity of opinion among the Rabbinical writers, as to the precise date of the origin of their Sabbath. According to some, Marah, the first station at which the Israelites encamped on their journey from the Red Sea to Mount Sinai, was its birthplace. This appears to have been the prevailing theory among Jewish doctors, and is countenanced by the Talmud. Others hold the more correct view, that it commenced Chap. ii. sec. 8. f Chap. iii. sec. 6. j Chap. iii. sec. 7. § Chap. iii. sec. 8. || Chap. ii. sec. 4. HISTORICAL SURVEY OF THE SABBATH. 377 with the creation of the world.* The former^ how- ever, admit that Abraham was not without its advantages ; but assert, that the knowledge of the institution was communicated by express revelation. The refutation or confirmation of these theories will be found in our first three chapters, and, consequently, recapitulation would be as tedious, as it is unnecessary. The manner, however, in which the Jews were required to observe this sacred day, calls for a few remarks ; as great misconception exists, and persevering attempts are still made to lower its spirituality. According to soroe, wor- ship, "in the Jewish Sabbath, seems to have been the secondary, and not the primary , circumstance;^^ so that, "if it should happen that a man could not attend public worship, without labouring to clear away some obstruction in a road, or employing the services of cattle, the Christian would be as clearly bound to go, as the Jew would have been to stay at home."t This extraordinary view by a prelate, as amiable as his mind is accomplished, is proof positive, either that strong prejudice has warped his judg- ment, or that he had not studied the subject. The idea of a Sabbath-day in David's 92nd Psalm, and the exposition of its rules of observance given by Isaiah, in his 58th * Among tliem are the names of Maimonides, Aben Ezra, Abarbinel, &c. *' The Targum, on tbe title of Psalm xcii., ascribes that Psalm to Adam, as spoken by him on the Sabbath-day. . . . Manasse Ben Israel proves, from sundry of their own authors, that the Sabbath was given to, and observed by, the patriarchs, before the coming of the people into the wilderness. Philo Judaeus and Josephus, both of them more ancient and learned than any of the Talmudical doctors, expressly assign the origin of the Sabbath to that of the world," &c. — See Owen's Treatise on the Sabbath, pp. 24 — 33. t Thoughts on the Sabbath, pp. 16, 17, by Archbp. Whately. The authority of great names has ever been one of the most serious obstruc- tions to enlightenment in religion, as well as in science. As Aristotle chained, during ages, the intellect of Europe; as Galileo suffered 378 HISTORICAL SURVEY OF THE SABBATH. chapter, disprove the statement that rest, and not worship, was the primary object of the Jewish Sabbath. The idea, again, that if anything laborious in the performance of worship, or in attempting to worship, should occur, rest should be consulted as a primary obligation, and worship given up, is refuted by our Lord, who not only alludes to the Jews who occasionally circumcised children (which was always a grand occasion for the meeting and entertain- ment of relatives of the child aljout to be initiated) on the Sabbath-days ; but also to the onerous labour of killing, dressing, and offering animals, incurred by the Levites in sacrificing. As if expressly to anticipate this low view of a divine institution, God required double sacrifices on the Sabbath-day, thus increasing the amount of labour. Again : that rather than " employ the services of cattle, the Jew was bound to stay at home," is an assertion re- futed by the example of our Lord, who understood the law better than the Pharisees; and better than those in modern times, who prefer going to the condemned errors of formal- ists, than to the enlightened and inspired expositions of David and Isaiah, and the conduct of Jesus Christ. If our Lord commanded those, whom he healed, to carry bur- dens on the Sabbath, from the kind consideration that their property might not lie about the streets of Jerusalem, it is a just inference, that to enable a lame man to worship God, he would have permitted the use of cattle. through, the astronomical authority of Ptolemy ; as Colvunbus was long obstructed in his enterprise through the notions entertained by Spanish divines, as to the shape of the ocean ; as Faust was threatened with the doom of witches ; as Harvey lost much of his medical practice for dis- covering the circulation of the blood in the animal frame ; and ridicule was for some time the only reward given to Jenner ; so Paley has for a long time been the greatest obstruction to a correct view of the Sabbath. And we fear that the names of Whately, in Britain, and Hengstenberg, in Germany, are now hinderances to the complete settlement of the Sabbath question. HISTORICAL SURVEY OF TIIK SABBATIT. 379 The objection to this view is not simply, that such an institution would promote carnal sloth,* and mental inanity ;t but that facts forbid the assumption, that the main object of the Jewish Sabbath was corporeal rest. The question put to the Shunamite, " Wherefore wilt thou go to him (Elisha) to-day ? it is neither new moon, nor Sab- bath,^^J implies that it was the custom to visit God\s ministers on such days : and, further, that her request to be provided with " one of the young men, and one of the asses,^' for effecting such a purpose on a Sabbath-day, would not have created any surprise in her husband^s mind. It was not only our Lord's "custom" to attend the syna- gogue, but to fill up the intervals of worship with laborious exercises of mercy. As " under the law," it would have been his endeavour to have passed the time more in accordance with its spirit, had it been of the nature which we dispute. The apostles, too, seem to have spent many hours of the seventh day in the synagogue, contend- ing with the Jews ; who, therefore, with all their Pharisaic corruptions, had no notion that rest was the primary idea of their Sabbath. The historian of the " Acts" assures us, , that " Moses of old time hath in every city them that preach him, being read in the synagogues every Sabbath- day." § The fair inference from all these glimpses of the Jewish mode of observance by those, who best understood * "The seventh day we set apart from labour ; it is dedicated to the learning of our customs and laws ; we think it proper to reflect on them, as well as on any (good) thing else, in order to our avoiding of sin." — Josephus' Works, vol. ii. p. 382. t Philo, the Alexandrian Jew, assures us, that "it is a custom received from our forefathers, and still continued, to consecrate this day to science — the study of the nature of things." Quoted by Hengstenberg on the Lord's-day, p. 93. See also Fairbairn's Typology, vol. ii. p. 133. + 2 Kings iv. 23. § Acts xv. 21. 380 HISTORICAL SURVEY OF THE SABBATH. the spirit of the law is, that the Sabbath under Moses was, as to its grand features, such as the Lord's-day should be among Christians. As to the ideas, again, of the rigorous manner in which it was kept, there certainly exists a lai-ge amount of misconception. The prohibition to reap on this day, is almost universally regarded a law as much of the Christian, as it was of the Jewish, Sabbath. Not to kindle a fire, was certainly not intended to apply to the Jews when they were settled in Palestine, where the cold of winter would make it as much a matter of mercy to man, as leading an ox or an ass to the place of watering would be to the brute, which we know was allowed by our Lord. Such an act of mercy to their cattle, requiring the owners to "go out of their place,^^ suggests, again, that the command in Exodus xvi. 29, " Let no man go out of his place on the seventh day,^^ was applicable chiefly to their state in the wilderness, where the manna rendered their search for food unnecessary.* To " go out of ^^ our " place^^ on the Lord^s-day without some necessity, or without an object in keeping with its sacred hours, we believe would be deemed by a consistent Sabbath observer, to be contrary to the spirit of the law of the Christian institution. We know, in fine, of no Jewish law, that rightly understood and duly observed, would not be a means of adding to the spiiitual prosperity of a * According to Josephus ("Wars, bk. ii. ch. viii. § 9), tlie Essenes, one of the three Jewish sects, kept the Sabbath with great rigour. In his Antiquities (bk. xii. ch. vi. § 2), we are informed, that the Asmoneans for some time allowed themselves to be slain rather than defend them- selves on this day. From such facts the notion has crept in, that the law reqiiired such an absurd observance of the institution. That under divine directions Jericho was perambulated either once on the Sabbath- day — as this walking round continued during seven consecutive days, or, as some suppose, seven times on the Sabbath-day, ought not only to have enlightened the Jews, but to have guarded especially their modern followers from misconception. HISTORICAL SURVEY OF THE SABBATH. 381 Christian. It is surely a singular fact, that the more men are desirous of ridding themselves of Sabbath obligations, the more do they distort everything connected with the Jewish observance. To have unlimited licence to dispense with the Lord's-day obligations, such contract mercilessly the liberty of the Jew. In concluding this section on the connexion of the Sab- bath with the Mosaic dispensation, it is necessary only to add, that long after the destruction of Jerusalem the seventh-day Sabbath was kept up by the unconverted Jews. There is every reason to believe, that to the pre- sent day, in every country where such unbelievers in the Messiah exist, this practice has been preserved. Among those, who professed Christ, there were some who could not discharge their consciences from the ob- servance of many of the Mosaic institutes. Such were the sect styled, by Eusebius, Masbothai, and by the Jews, Sab- batarians, whose general opinions and manner of keeping the Sabbath, isolated them from both Jews and Christians, until the age of Adrian. The Ebionites constituted another sect, who kept up not only the seventh day, but also the various festivals of the Mosaic economy. Thus, side by side of the Lord's-day, the observance of the seventh day has existed to the present time.* ; III. The resurrection of our Lord on the first day of the week, marks the commencement of the thii^d epoch in the history of the Sabbath. Five times on this day of joy did our Lord appear, and conversed with his delighted \ disciples. The next first day our Lord again met with his apostles. Though after this event his visits are not par- ticularly stated, as to time, the band of Christians con- cluded, either from his instructions or from precedent, that * See Owen's Treatise on the Sabbatli, pp. 202, 203. 382 HISTORICAL SURVEY OF THE SABBATH. / hencefortli the first day of the week was to be their day I of commuDing with the Saviour. Accordingly, on the I seventh return of the first day, we find them " with one \ accord, all in one place," ready to receive the Pentecostal \ effusion of the Holy Spirit. These visits of our Lord, and j this unspeakably glorious occurrence, were enough to show the divine preference of the first to the seventh day of the week. That from this time it became an established custom to worship not on the original day, but what gradually became known as the Lord's-day, appears from three very I significant passages. In Acts xx. 6 — 12, we find Paul waiting at T7'oas for the return of the first day of the week, to have an opportunity to preach to the Troades. A Jewish day came and passed away without affording to the apostle, anxious to proceed on his journey, the much desired occasion of public worship. In 1 Cor. xvi. 1, 2, we discover, that the practice of meeting for religious ser- vice on this, instead of the day still observed by uncon- verted Jews, had become universal. The apostle does not ^^ ordain" that Christians should celebrate the Lord^s-day, but, that as this was the established usage of the church at Corinth, as well as " in all the churches of Galatia,^^ he '^ordained" that collections for charitable objects should periodically be made on this day of meeting. About sixty years after our Lord's first appearance on this day, the custom became universal, and had, by the year of our Lord ninety-six, acquired the name of ''The Lord's-day." It was so familiarly and extensively known, that, without explanation of any kind, the apostle John thus indicates the day on which he was favoured with the apocalyptic visions. His expression, " I was in the spirit on the Lord's- day," gives us a glimpse of the manner in which he was spending the first day of the week in the solitudes of the rocky Patmos. As at Jerusalem, at Troas, at Corinth, HISTORICAL SURVEY OF THE SABBATH. 383 and th e various cities of Galatia where churches existed, the disciples were "filled with the spirit'^ on this day ; so the venerable John was occupied in devout contemplations at Patmos, when he became the organ of communicating the seven Epistles to the seven great churches of Asia Minor. At Troas we have a proof, that the JcAvish Sabbath-day was discarded as a day of worship, and the same fact is strikingly shown by our Lord^s absenting himself on the first seventh day after his resurrection, and appearing to con- vince Thomas on the next first day. But though the Lord^s- day was thus established, as alone obligatory upon Chris- tians, there is abundant evidence, that expedience required, and the gospel did not forbid the Christian, the observance of the day, to which the unconverted Jews pertinaciously ad- hered. While a prisoner at Rome, the apostle Paul could thus appeal to the Jews in that city : — " I have committed nothing against the people, or customs of our fathers.^'* But reference to the following passage, 2 Gal. v. 1 — 4, will demonstrate, that the apostle conformed to Jewish rites and institutions, not as obligatory — a view he denounced and anathematized — but simply to avoid needless irritation. In this respect he " became all things to all men, that he might by all means save some.^^ It was thus that he habitually visited the synagogues on the Jewish Sabbath- day ; or, as he expressed himself, " Unto the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might gain the Jews ; to them that are under the law, as under the law, that I might gain them that are under the law ; to them that are without law, as with- out law (being not without law to God, but under the law to Christ), that I might gain them that are without law."t * Acts xxviii. 17. Compare this passage with Acts xxiv. 12, 13, and XXV. 18. t 1 Cor. ix. 20—23. 384 HISTORICAL SURVEY OF THE SABBATH. All, however^ did not share in those enlarged views of gospel liberty; some from a weak conscience could not shake off the yoke altogether, though they deemed them- selves " under a law to Christ ; " while others, from mis- taken zeal, sought to impose the Mosaic ritual, in whole or in part, upon the converts even from Gentile heathenism. Of the former, further notice must be taken in the course of this section ; of the latter are those, whom the apostle brings under our attention in such passages as Rom. xiv. 2, 5, 6; Gal. iv. 9, 10; and Col. ii. 16, 17. At Rome, there were two parties in unseemly contention — the one enforcing vegetarianism, and the other the obser- vance of certain festivals. The apostle reconciles the rival sects, in a manner to be explained by his own con- duct, as shown in the preceding paragraph. In Galatia, Judaizing teachers endeavoured to reimpose upon Christians an abrogated system. Paul, who conformed to it as a matter of expediency, but condemned Peter ("withstood him to the face^^) for yielding to similar attempts, as a matter of conscience, denounces the legal and carnal Galatians, in terms that must be explained by his own practices and opinions. On precisely the same grounds, the apostle's injunction, " Let no man judge you (the Colossians) in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holy day, or of a new moon, or of the Sabbath-days;" must be interpreted as leaving the Lord^s-day untouched, as an obligation to Christians. The apostle could not condemn what he practised, nor can we rationally oppose his opinions to his practices and his precepts. With Christians he kept the Lord^s-day, and confirmed their custom by other arrangements, that added security to this usage. With Jews he kept the Sabbath, but condemned converts from Judaism, whenever they wished to impose their prejudices upon the conscience of Christians. HISTORICAL SURVEY OF THE SABBATH. 385 This statement of the course pursued by Paul^ will lead us correctly to understand the historical fact^ that for the first four centuries two Sabbath-days were celebrated by Christians. For a long time Jewish converts regarded their exemp- tion from the Mosaic yoke as not extending to the law of the Sabbath; an indication, we think, that they regarded the fourth commandment as something more than a cere- monial law. Gentile converts, on the other hand, con- sidered the Christian dispensation as disconnected from the former, and observed the Lord^s-day. But there is positive evidence, that as the Jews conformed also to the new, so the Gentiles observed also the original day. The majority, however, of the primitive Church at first regarded the day as more holy than the seventh,-'-' employing the Saturday as a day of preparation, and its evening a beautiful Sabbath " eve,^^ solemnized by ves- pers and vigils. t x\ccording to ]\Iosheim,J Saturday was, here and there, devoted to prayer and pious contem- plation of God's creative power. During this age, it was a general practice to style the Lord's-day as " the eighth day.''§ Gradually, however, the Christian Lord^s-day supplanted the Jewish Sabbath-day. At first a supple- mentary institution, and then as more appropriate and holy; and, at last, it was viewed as the only day on which Christians were under any obligation to suspend labour, and engage in public exercises of worship. This consummation marks the end of the fourth, or the com- mencement of the fifth century. * Thus Ignatius styled it *' the Queeu of Days," reminding us of " the Pearl of Days," a beautiful title given to it, as also to a work by a.i authoress of the day. f Coleman's Antiq., p. 188. J Mosh. Eecles. Hist,, pp. 43 and 73. § So styled by the author of the Epistle attributed to St. E v.:i?.b:is. C r. 386 HISTORICAL SURVEY OF THE SABBATH. As the Apostle expected and commanded Gentile Chris- tians to respect the consciences of converts from Judaism, so the instincts of the latter led them, from regard to the authority of Christ, to observe Christian ordinances in addition to those they felt to be required by the law of Moses. "They were circumcised, but they were also wil- lingly baptized. They celebrated the passover, but willingly added to it the Lord's-supper. They prayed in the temple, but they willingly united also in the prayers and praises of Christian assemblies, holden in private houses, or in the fields. While the Jewish service was neither attacked nor neglected, they made not the least objection to that of the Christian church. In this manner all these ordinances grew into use, veneration, and habit; and in the end gained^^* the ascendancy. It is necessary, however, to note that the observance of two Sabbath-days was neither universal in practice, nor admitted on all hands as suitable to Christianity. While in the Eastern churches the two days were celebrated as festivals, the Western churches kept Saturday as a fast, until the beginning of the fifth century. The churches of Rome and Alexandria, again, never admitted the authority of the Saturday observance. These variations in custom, and differences in opinion, would suggest the principle on which the statements of individual authorities are to be reconciled. Barnabas, supposing the Epistle attributed to him be genuine, states, that " Christians no longer observe the Sabbath, which had been abrogated.^' t Petavius declares, that "but one Lord^s-day was observed in the earliest times of the Church : " J while the author of the " Apos- tolic Constitutions,^^ now regarded as a forgery of the end * D wight's Works, vol. iv. p. 48. Sermon cvii. t Chap. XV. X Lardner. HISTORICAL SURVEY OF THE SABBATH. 387 of tlie fourth, or tlie beginning of the fifth century, makes both festivals binding upon Christians. In concluding this section, we take a passing notice of Paley^s objection, that the subordinate, and even subjugated condition of the first converts to Christianity rendered the Lord^s-day observance impracticable. The historical fact, that two Sabbath-days were in existence, weakens his ob- jection. Pliny ^s letter to Trajan, giving an account of the Christians in Bithynia and Pontus, shows that multitudes, braving persecution, spent the earliest dawn in singing hymns to Jesus. Admitting, then, their masters did not allow their "stated day^^ of worship, so far as it was practicable, the early Christians observed the Lord's-day. " In primitive times, when the question was asked, ^ Hast thou kept the Lord^s-day?' the answer was, ' I am a Christian, I may not do otherwise.^^* But all were not in a subordinate position, and were not thus compelled to labour in the ser- vice of their . superiors. No argument, however, can be grounded upon what was impracticable ; but from what the first disciples did practise, it is evident that the Lord's- day was a day of worship and rest from work. The above review of the Sabbath, among primitive Chris- tians, will prepare us to form a correct opinion of the Lord's-day, as illustrated in the writings of the "Fathers." IV. The fourth period in the history of this institution is marked by the contest between a ceremonial and a more spiritual observance of the fourth commandment, of which glimpses are furnished by the Patristic writers. A most unfair use of their opinions has been made by many authors on this question. A string of quotations, showing their loose views of the subject, is unavailing as objections, not only because another series of extracts may be adduced in proof of a more correct theory as existing among the * Trapp, as quoted by Thorn, On the Sabbath, p. 97, note k. 388 HISTORICAL SURVEY OF THE SABBATH. Fathers, but by the fact that their practice was orthodox. This simple reflection would have saved many from erro- neous conclusions, by leading them to inquire how the Sabbath was more honoured as an institution than (taking their series of quotations only into consideration) as a theory. Their remarks, when against the correct view, may be shown to have acquired this complexion, from hasty and indiscreet zeal against truly false views of some of their contemporaries. If in attacking they undermined their own position, the lesson they teach posterity is not imitation, but caution as to how we follow such leaders. And, on the other hand, their rashness, as well as their zeal, constitutes an historical fact of great value; they observed the institution conscientiously, even when they expressed themselves erroneously. A glance at the opinions and practices of thirteen of the Patristic writers, will at once expose the unfair use made of their sentiments, and illustrate the history of the Lord's-day, down nearly to the time when the anti-Christian tendencies of the Roman church had attained their culminating point. I. Ignatius, bishop of Antioch, who died in the year 116, reproves the Magnesians for Sabbatizing, that is, for keeping the Saturday as the Jews did, ^^in sloth and idleness.''^ But he states, that "all that loved the Lord, loved the Lord^s-day,^^ as " the Queen of Days.'^ According to this author. Rev. i. 10 refers to the first day of the week, which Hengstenberg confesses to have been "the universal application of the term.^^* The testimony of Ignatius is so strong, that even Heylyn can find no other way of throwing discredit upon it than by stating, that " the Lord's-day he so much magnifieth, the better to abate that high esteem, which some had cast upon the * Hengstenberg on the Lord's-day, p. 97. HISTORICAL SURVEY OF THE SABBATH. 389 Sabbath/^"^ that is^ the Saturday observance, which Ignatius did not altogether discard. II. Justin Martyr, who died in the year 165, has been claimed by Heylyn as a supporter of the view, that the Lord's-day originated in ecclesiastical authority,t and is quoted by Hengstenberg J as believing neither in " the transfer ^^ of the institution from the seventh to the first day of the week, nor in its " eternar^ obligation. That this author had, notwithstanding, some glimpses of the truth, Hengstenberg shows, by referring to the reasons he assigns for the Christian observance of the Lord^s-day, which were, that on that day God " chased away darkness and chaos, &c., and Christ rose from the dead."§ Justin Martyr^s declaration, that Christians neither observed Jewish festivals, sabbatized, nor circumcised, should be compared* with the account he gives of Christians, both of town and country, as meeting on this day for prayer and. communion, reading the Scriptures, and exhortation. || His reasons for observing the Lord^s-day, whatever admix- ture of the true and false there may be, place the institu- tion on its proper basis. His mention, again, of the fact, that after the ordinance of the Lord^s-supper, it was the * Heylyn on the Sabbath, Pt. ii. § ii. p. 43. D wight quotes both sides fairly. — Works, vol. iv. Sermon cvi. p. 25. t Heylyn, Pt. ii. §. vi. p. 49. X Hengstenberg on the Lord's-day, p. 54. § Hengstenberg, p. 97. On page 105, again, he remarks — *' It is not without good reason, that in a chuixh of brethren, such as the primitive church was — whose earnest prayer was ever, ' Lord Jesus, come quickly,' — the Sunday stands out with far less prominence amidst the other days, than elsewhere," &c. For similar reasons, his quotation should have been accompanied with qualifications, and not given as proof against the correct view of the Sabbath as a primeval institution. Dwight, to correct whose errors the German theologian has published his treatise, fairly gives both sides of the question. — Works, vol. iv. Sermon c\i. p. 25. II Apol. i. c. 67. Coleman's Antiquities, p. 134. 390 HISTORICAL SURVEY OF THE SABBATH. custom to " put oue another in remembrance of their obligations, — if rich, to minister to the wants of the poor/^ — reveals the existence of the order Paul gave to the Gala- tian and Corinthian churches.* We should remember, therefore, that if, in controverting Trypho the Jew, he abjures all connexion with whatever was Mosaic, his practices are correct as founded upon the example of our Lord, and as in keeping with the ordinances of Paul the apostle. III. Dionysius was bishop of Corinth in the reign of Marcus Aurelius, in the year 170. He is regarded by Hengstenberg, as " one of the most important witnesses.^^f In his reply to the Epistle of Soter, Bishop of Rome, he informs us that the Corinthian Christians sanctified the Lord's-day.J IV. Irenseus, bishop of Lyons, died in the year 20.2. Hengstenberg claims him as one of the writers against the "Jewish notion of the perpetual obligation of the law of the Sabbath.^^§ If the expressions of Irenseus on the theory justify Hengstenberg, the practice of this " father^^ should have suggested some qualification ; for he tells us, that "every one of us Christians, on the Lord^s-day, ob- serves the Sabbath, meditating on the Scriptures,^' &c. V. Tertullian, a voluminous apologist for Christianity, died at Carthage in the year 220. In his estimation, the Sabbath not having been necessary to the Patriarchs pre- vious to Moses, was not indispensable to men after the abrogation of the Mosaic institutes. His line of argument, therefore, would have made him an upholder of the Sab- * 1 Cor. xvi. 1, 2. t On the Lord's day, p. 97. X Because Dionysius adds, that on the same day they read the letter from Rome, Heylyn tries to lower the impression conveyed of the sanctity of the Lord's-day.— Hist, of Sab., Pt. ii. c. ii. §. 6, p. 50. § Hengstenberg on the Lord's-day, p. 55. HISTORICAL SURVEY OF THE SABBATH. 391 bath as a permanent institution, had he studied Genesis ii. 1 — 3, and the traces of a primeval Sabbath. His prac- tice, however, condemns his theory, since " on the Lord^s- day he deemed it improper to fast or kneel," and therefore, " observed Sunday as a festival." It is, consequently, a misrepresentation* of Tertullian to quote him as against the Lord^s-day. We learn further from his writings, that on this day " business was suspended, that no place might be given to the devil. ^^ VI. Clemens was Catechist at Alexandria, in the reign of Pertinax, in the year 190. In theory he was an every-day Christian, yet "in obedience to the gospel, as a true Christian, he observed the Lord's- day, by ejecting evil thoughts, and cultivating whatever was good, in honour of the Lord's resurrection. '^ t VII. Origen, Catechist at Alexandria, in the year 202, like Clemens, held the idea that Christians should make every day a Sabbath; but as many would not "abide by the Lord,'' " there needed an opportunity for religious instruction, even though it be not continual." J He further reproves some because they did not " pray espe- cially on the Lord's-day," stating that " the resurrection * Hengstenberg thus quotes his words, that the Sabbath being neither spiritual nor eternal, was to come to an end ; which the practice of this author showed, it did not. " On the Lord's-day," p. 55. — On p. 57, Neander's opinion that there is a trace of the notion that the institution was transferred from the seventh to the first day of the week, is disputed by Hengstenberg. t Heylyn prefaces a long extract from Clemens with, *' who, though he fetch the pedigree of the Lord's-day even as far as Plato, which before we noted, yet he seems well enough contented that the Lord's- day should not be observed at all ! " — Pt. ii. § vi. p. 51, which we hesi- tate not to say is a perversion of his meaning. X As quoted in an article in the Bibliotheca Sacra, vol. i. p. 537, the author of which makes some sensible remarks on the opinions of the Fathers. 392 HISTORICAL SURVEY OF THE SABBATH. of Christ was lionoured not once in the year, but every seventh day/^* vni. Eusebius, the historian and bishop of Cpesarea, died in the year 340. Speaking of existing praetices, he in- forms us : — " We assemble after an interval of six days, and celebrate holy and spiritual Sabbath/^ and, farther, that '' throughout the world^^ it was kept as strictly as the Jewish Sabbath, and feasting, revelling, and recreation were regarded as profanations ; and lastly, that " the Logos^^ himself was the author of the transfer of the insti- tution from the seventh to the first day of the week.f IX. Athanasius, bishop of Alexandria, who died in the year 373, repudiated the notion that (christians sabbatized as the Jews, but asserts, that because the Lord himself had changed the day, they ^' assembled on the Sabbath to adore Christ, the Lord of the Sabbath.'' He correctly states that, " as formerly, the commandment was to ob- serve it in commemoration of creation, so they celebrated the Lord's-day in commemoration of the beginning of the new creation.'' J X. Gregory Nazianzen, bishop of Constantinople, who died in the year 391, styled the Jewish '' the kindred of the Christian Sabbath." § XI. Chrysostom, patriarch of Constantinople, who died in the year 407, has been regarded as holding the tem- porary nature of this institution, but in the tenth Homily * Heylyn, therefore, perverts his sentiments when he concludes that he *' was of the opinions of Clemens in many thmgs ; and, amongst others, in dislike of those selected /es^^■^•a/*," &c. — Pt. ii. § 9, p. 56. t Coleman's Antiquities, p. 188, and Journal of Sacred Literature, p. 153, note; or the Comments of Eusebius on Psalm xcii. (xci.) X Coleman's Antiquities, p. 188, and Thorn on the Sabbath, p. 48. Heylyn, passing over this striking testimony, tries to weaken what he admits, by observing that Saturday was also honoured !— Pt. ii. ch. ii. § 9, p. 56, comp. with ch. iii. § 5, p. 74. ^ Col. Christ. Antiq. p. 188. HISTORICAL SURVEY OF THE SABBATH. 393 on Genesis, he states that God, by setting apart the seventh day, "trains men to lay np and appropriate one Avhole day in the cycle of seven, to spiritual occupations." The commemoration of our birth-days being reasonable, much more so, in the opinion of Chrysostom, is the prac- tice of " honouring the first day, which might be denomi- nated as the nativity of the human race." XII. Hieronymus Stridon, or Jerome, lived with Gregory Nazianzen, and died in the year 420. He grounded the obligation of the Lord^s-day on its utility and. ecclesiastical authority ; but his opinion that, to the Christian " every day is sacred as the day of resurrection," is not only self- refuted, in such connexion, but counteracted by his prac- tice of observing one day in the week in honour of the Lord^s resurrection. * XIIL Augustine, bishop of Hippo, who died in the year 430, is quoted by Hengstenberg as the upholder of the theory that represents the Sabbath as " purely ceremonial," as a "type of the saints^ rest from earthly labour." But that he had glimmerings of the truth, is shown in his statement of the origin and design of the institution : — " This day is called the day of the Lord, because on it the Lord rose from the dead ; and, also, in order that the name may teach the importance of entire self-consecration to the Lord."t But it is, in appearance, at least, disingenuous, in making such quotations, to say nothing about the opinion of Augustine with regard to the practice of circum- cising on the eight day — which he thought prefigured the change from the seventh to the first day of the week. * Hengstenberg on the Lord's-day, pp. 5Q, 57, quotes his comments on Gal. iv. 10, and on Isa. Iviii. ; in the latter, Jerome comes nearer to the correct view ; while on Ezek. xliii. his views are those of what we regard as pseudo-spiritualists. t Hengstenberg, pp. 55, 58. 394 HISTORICAL SURVEY OF THE SABBATH. Nor ought the fact to be either overlooked or suppressed, that Augustine cites some of the ancient Rabbins, who were of the opinion, that during the reign of the Messiah such an alteration would be effected. Baxter complained that Heylyn garbled his quotations, and it is not without grounds that Fairbairn has preferred a somewhat similar charge against Hengstenberg,* in the use he has made of the opinions of the Protestant Reformers. And it is not without regret, that we find Archbishop Whately endorsing the views of Heylyn, to whose work he refers without any qualifying remark. f On a review of the sentiments broached by the "Fathers," we remark : — First. That sufficient allowance should be made for the natural effects of controversy, which led them, in refuting Jewish notions, to occupy false ground in relation to the fourth commandment. Their aim was not so much to expound the law, as to controvert heretical views. Secondly. That amid much that is crude and false, we discern glimpses of the correct theory. Ignatius shows how to love Christ is to love his day ; Justin, Tertullian, Origen, and others, that to sanctify this day was to honour Christ ; Clemens, that obedience to the gospel required, a spiritual observance; Chrysostom caught the spirit of the statement in Gen. ii. 1 — 3 ; Augustine declares that Jewish Rabbins foresaw the change, which Athanasius con- sidered that Christ the Lord of the Sabbath had effected ; while all interpreted the passage in Rev. i. 10, as fur- nishing the first-day Sabbath with its appropriate desig- nation. Even Origen and Jerome, grounding the insti- tution on the necessities of the church, view it as honouring the resurrection. Thirdly. That, whether right or wrong in theory, their * Typology, vol. ii. p. 461. f Thoughts on the Sabbath, p. 12. HISTORICAL SURVEY OF THE SABBATH. 395 practice was to sanctify the first day of the week. Dio- nysius^ speaking of the Corinthian church ; Justin, of town and country population ; Eusebius, of the whole Christian world ; state that this was the universal custom of the pri- mitive church. Tertullian kept it as a holy festival, and speaks of the suspension of work ; and Eusebius declares, that all recreation and feasting were considered as a pro- fanation of the Institution. Let those who appeal to their sentiments, imitate their observance, and the Lord^s-day will be sanctified in a manner that Heylyn and his followers have denounced as Jewish and fanatical. V. The misuse of the Patristic writings, is not the only evil resulting from the style in which the Fathers contro- verted the Jew. The mixture of error with truth gradually destroyed the hold that the law of the Sabbath had upon the conscience of Christians. If we judge of the theory of the Lord's-day, as they left it, in connexion with the observ- ance of the day, as the Protestant Reformer found it in the 16th century, we see the evil effects of removing the insti- tution from a purely scriptural basis to the mere utility of a Sabbath, and the sanction, or authority, of the church. Stepping over the sixth century, at the commencement of the seventh we enter upon the fifth era of the Sabbath, which terminates with the Protestant Reformation. We have left behind us a Sabbath respected by the people, and though wrong sometimes in opinion, yet the leaders of the church enforce its observance, by appeals to conscience and the prevailing love of Christ ; and we are approaching a long and dreary interval, of some thousand years, in which the people almost universally profane the Sabbath, to cor- rect which godless popes and prelates in vain hold councils and synods, and emperors enforce their stringent edicts. To exhibit this phase of the Lord^s-day, or rather (as it was regarded, and on which ground it was almost exclu- 396 HISTORICAL SURVEY OF THE SABBATH. sively uplield) the liebdomadal church-festival, we shall refer to the principal canons and edicts to which successive centuries gave birth. The Seventh Century was distinguished by the intro- duction of Christianity into Syria, India, Persia, and even China, by tlie zealous Nestorians, and the complete conver- sion of the Anglo-Saxons in Britain. At the same time, how- ever, the religion of the cross had become the religion of the crucifix, and the simplicity of Christianity had expired under the incubus of rites and ceremonies. In France, rural occupations were not intermitted on the Sabbath- day, since the Synod at Chalons, in 662, prohibited ploughing, sowing, and whatever pertained to husbandry.* As little reformation resulted, Clotaire III. annexed severe penalties to the ecclesiastical canons, stating that all servile work on the Lord's-day was contrary to the Scriptures. Various attempts were made towards the end of the sixth, and the beginning of this century, to enforce a rigorous observance of the Saturday. Gregory I., in an epistle to the Romans, denounced its advocates as Anti- christ, and allowed bathing and other ablutions on the Lord^s- day, as lawful, on the ground of necessity ; t and it was not till Gregory VII. ^s time, that any endeavoured to re-impose similar restrictions on the seventh day. Isidore, bishop of Seville, though seemingly holding several festi- vals as of equal or superior sanctity, condemned " earthly labours '' on this day, which, according to the example of the apostles, should be devoted to spiritual exercises. % .But such restrictive laws, founded on ecclesiastical autho- rity, did little towards correcting abuses, as we find matters much the same in the next century. About the close of this century, we find a low state of piety in the East. In the * Heylyii. Ilist. p. 137. f Ibid. p. 135. + Ibid. p. U2. HISTORICAL SURVEY OF THE SABBATH. 397 year 692, the Sixth General Council of Constantinople condemned public sports, and made theatrical exhibitions unlawful. Irreligion must have prevailed to a great ex- tent, if such profanation was a subject of discussion.* The Eighth Century was distracted by controversies on image worship, and the religion of the times consisted almost exclusively of the ceremonial and outward. Among some of the good acts of Charlemagne, the great actor of this century, were the discouragement of the Iconoclasts, and the limitation of the number of festivals. The popular vices remained uncorrected, and the imperial edicts against Sunday desecration produced little or no reformation. From Abbot Theodomare^s address to the Emperor, we learn that the Benedictine monks indulged in a fourth mess of pottage on Sundays, as well as on other festival days. The council held 772 in Lower Bavaria, re- quired abstinence from profane employments," f and punished infraction of this canon by a forfeiture of the team of horses, :{: and the repetition of the crime by the slavery of the owner. In the year 789, Charlemagne published an edict against general Sabbath-breaking, but exempted from its restrictions the use of carts loaded with garden herbs, provisions, and when employed for general purposes. Alcuin, who prompted Charlemagne to encourage learning among the Latins, at this period generally and grossly ignorant, states, "the custom of Christians had appropriately transferred the observance of the Sabbath to the Lord^s-day." § Under Pepin, King of France, and at his command, a Synod was held at Friuli. By this Synod it was determined, that Sunday observance should com- * " The number of festivals, wMch. was already oppressively great, was increased by the addition of a day consecrated to the wood of the cross on which the Saviour hung." — Mosheim. p. 253. Ed. 1852. t Heylyn. Hist. p. 137. % I^id. p. 137. § Ibid. p. 142. 398 HISTORICAL SURVEY OF THE SABBATH. nience with Saturday night, from which period all labour and carnal indulgences should cease. In the Ninth Century, the godless lives of the clergy i were grounds of universal complaint. While " in the ' East, intrigues, rancour, contention, and strife were every- where predominant ; in the West, the bishops frequented the courts of princes, and indulged themselves in every species of voluptuousness ; while the inferior clergy and the monks were sensual, and by the grossest vices corrupted the people whom they were set to reform.^^ * This, too, was the age in which the list of titulary saints was enor- mously enlarged, so much so, that councils met to define the titles to canonization, and to limit the number of these celestial intercessors. That the Sabbath in such an age should either be grossly profaned by the populace, or loaded by ceremonial observances by a formal and corrupt system of religion, is what might be conjectured. Glimpses afforded by ecclesiastical history, show that the masses knew nothing of either a Sabbath of rest, or a Lord^s-day (of devotion. / In the year 813, Charlemagne assembled five different /synods at Mentz, Rheims, Tours, Chalons, and Aries. By four of these, servile occupations, litigation, and trade were prohibited. The Synod of Chalons contented itself by admitting the universal desecration, and intimated that nothing short of the civil f power could cope with the gigantic evil. That of Aries interdicted public markets, litigation, pleading, agricultural labour, and work in general ; with how little success will be seen by the subse- quent enactments, which were found necessary. Rabanus Maurus, towards the close of his life Archbishop of Mentz, who stands at the head of Latin writers of this century, * Mosheim, p. 293. f Heylyn. Hist. p. 142. HISTORICAL SURVEY OF THE SABBATH. 399 exhorted the devout '' to abstain from rural operations and every kind of business, and to give themselves solely to divine services ; '^ and directs that this withdrawing from the world should commence from Sabbath eve {i.e. Satur- day night) and continue till Sunday night.* In this age the doctrine of transubstantiation was developed and con- firmed, and while Rabanus recommended communicating every Lord^s-day, if possible, the Synod at Aken, in 836, decided that the sacrament should be administered every Sunday, and made marrying on this day unlawful. The synod held at Rome, in the year 826, framed three canons, one prohibiting general business, another judicial proceedings, and a third reprobating the lascivious dances and lewd songs in which a certain class of females indulged on their way to church ! f A Sunday, at Rome, in the ninth century, it would appear, was more shamefully pro- faned than it is even in the nineteenth. Theodolphus Aurelianensis, a contemprary of Pope Eugenius, under whom the above synod was held, is thought to be the author of the clause inserted in the canons of the sixth general Council of Constantinople, which exempted from Sunday restrictions both travelling on land, and sailing, if not during the hours of service, and if felt to be necessary. J Louis I., surnamed the Pious, found Sabbath desecra- tion much the same as in Charlemagne's reign ; since the synod, held at Paris in 829, complained of the prevalence of litigation, marketing, and agricultural employments. Some of the bishops referred to instances of divine retribu- tion on husbandmen, who had been killed with lightning, or afflicted with mysterious disorders, § while Sabbath * Heylyn. Hist. p. 143. t The third Council of Toledo, a.d. 589, complains of similar dis- graceful proceedmgs, as the custom of the times. — Ibid. p. 150. + See Heylyn's History of the Sabbath, Pt. ii. § 8, p. 144. § Heylyn. Hist. p. 142. 400 HISTORICAL SURVEY OF THE SABBATH. breaking. Notwithstanclmg tliis interpretation of such visitations, this Council seems to have thought that the observance of the Lord's -day was thus protected, more because it was established by ecclesiastical authority, than the tradition that had descended from the apostles.* In conclusion, all the clergy, the court, and the devout laity were exhorted to use every endeavour to promote Sabbath observance, by their infiuence and example. The character of both priests and prelates, however, would counteract these " fair speeches; " and hoAV the princes would set a good example is seen from the factsf that Louis the Pious, attended by his court, including a number of prelates, started from Theonville, on his way to Metz, on Sunday before Lent, 835 ; and on Sunday after Whit- suntide, 844, Louisj his grandson, son of Lotharius, entered Rome in great pomp, while the Pope was waiting his arrival in St. Peter's. It cannot, therefore, surprise us, whatever we may think of such inconsistences, to learn that in 853 a synod was assembled at Rome, under Leo IV., to frame fresh enactments against Sabbath desecration, which, as usual, assumed among the populace the form of litigation, marketing, and husbandry on the Sunday. Photius, elevated to the see of Constantinople in the year 858, and whose disputed claims to the patriarchate completed the disruption between the Eastern and Western churches, preferred several charges against the Latins ; among which was, that they fasted on the seventh-day Sabbath — a great enormity in his estimation. { Accord- ing to him, on Sundays, as well as on the chief festivals. * Such Heylyn considers to be the significance of the word immo in the following sentence of theirs: — Ex Apostolorum traditione, immo ecclesise autoritate. — Hist. Pt. ii. c. v. § 4. t Cited by Heylyn, Hist, of the Sabbath, Pt. ii. ch. v. § 9. X Mosheim, Cent. ix. Pt. ii. ch. iii. § 29. HISTORICAL SURVEY OF THE SABBATH. 401 neither public shows nor judicial pleadings were permitted by the Greek church. LeOj surnamed the philosopher^ who deposed Photius in the year 886, grounded his edict against Sabbath -breaking on the authority of the Holy Ghost and of the Apostles, aud complained that existing laws (probably those of Constantine the Great) dishonoured the Lord^s-day, by exempting too much as allowable on this day. In enforcing suspension of agricultural, as well as general employments, this emperor advanced many enlightened views of the sacred day, stating that it was a "retchless slighting* and contempt of all religion, to make that day common ; and think that we might do thereon, as we do on other days.^' In accordance with sentiments that had / long since been forgotten, Leo prohibited the opening of / theatres, and all public exhibitions. The synod assembled at Friburg, in the year 895, grounding their authority on the laws of their forefathers,t enjoined upon every Christian abstinence from business in general, and devout attendance upon mass and other religious exercises. The same regulations applied to all other ecclesiastical festivals. The Tenth Century, known as the ''iron age,'' was | one in which gross ignorance prevailed among the Latins. I " The clergy, both in the East and in the West, were com- j posed principally of men who were illiterate, stupid^ igno- ] rant of everything pertaining to religion ; libidinous, super- stitious, and flagitious.'' J Concubinage and simony were prominent vices of the clergy^ while religion consisted " in • the worship of images, in honouring departed saints, in searching for and preserving sacred relics, and in heaping * Heylyn. Hist, of the Salsb. Pt. ii. cli. v. § 6. t Ibid. § 4. i Mosheim. Cent. x. Pt. ii. ch. ii. § L D D 402 HISTORICAL SURVEY OF THE SABBATH. riches upon the priests and monks/' * An extraordinary belief prevailed, that the consummation of all things was at hand, causing wide- spread terror among the masses, whenever the sun or moon was eclipsed. How the Sabbath fared in such an age may be easily conceived, from the general prevalence of corruption, and from these two ex- traordinary facts : — First, to the already serious number of festivals was added, in the year 998, an annual feast, in honour of all departed souls — an "All Souls' Day*"^ Secondly ; masses were said, and flesh abstained from on Saturdays, in honour of the Virgin Mary. The Council at Erpford, in the year 932, forbade all secular occupation on Sundays, Lent, and other festivals, in accordance with the existing canon law.t The Council at Engelheim, in the year 948, required the devout to lionour Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, in the Whitsun-week, not less solemnly than the Lord's-day.J Thus, while Christianity sank to its lowest possible depth of debasement, days of human appointment were placed upon an equality with the Lord's-day. The Eleventh Century is celebrated for the crusades, and the origination of the celibacy of the Romish priests. Hildebrand and Peter the Hermit fill a large space in the history of this period, the former the most daring pontiff that ever occupied the papal chair, and the latter the most successful of enthusiasts. Under the latter, Europe was depopulated and impoverished ; while the sale of lands, by the adventurers to Palestine, enriched the priesthood, who, after the terror of the approaching judgment-day had abated, commenced building, or repairing, and adorning churches that had fallen into decay. With the increase of tutelary saints, relics, brought by the crusaders, were indefinitely * Mosheim. Cent. x. Pt. ii. ch. iii. § 1. t Heylyn. Hist. Pt. ii, c. v. § 4. J Ibid. § 11. HISTORICAL SURVEY OF THE SABBATH. 403 multiplied. Bishops and abbots, seized with the mania to reconquer Palestine, left their charges in the hands of priests and monks, who, without restraint, revelled in every species of debauchery. " The inferior clergy, few of whom exhibited any degree of virtue and integrity, gave them- selves up, without shame, to frauds, debaucheries, and crimes of various descriptions. The Greeks practised a little more restraint; ... yet the examples of virtue among them were few and rare. . . . The irreligious lives, the ignorance, frauds, dissoluteness, quarrels, and flagrant crimes, of the greater part of the monks, are noticed by nearly all the historians of that age."* ''The people at large were wholly absorbed in superstition, and concerned themselves with nothing but statues, and images, and relics, and the futile rites which the caprice of their priests enjoined upon them.'^t A few witnesses of the truth were raised up, such as Anselm, of Canterbury, and the Albi- genses, who abounded in Lombardy, and wandered about in parts of France and Germany. From the purity of their lives and their views of the gospel, it may be sup- posed their mode of Sabbath observance was more in accordance with the Scriptural law. In this period, the Sundays were selected for the crown- ing of emperors, J and to start on a journey on these days, if royalty was concerned, was, apparently, not deemed in- consistent. Accordingly the synod, held in the year 1050, at Coy, while worship — such as it was — was enjoined during canonical hours, and all servile work and journeys were * Mosheim, Cent. xi. Pt. ii. ch. ii. § 1 and 22. t Ibid. ch. iii. § 1. i The Emperor Henry was crowned in St. Peter's at Rome, in 1014 ; Conrad II. also at Rome, in 1027, by Pope John, in the presence of Canute, of England, and Rodolph, king of the Burgundians, and on the following Sunday started for Germany. 404 HISTORICAL SURVEY OF THE SABBATH. prohibited, an exemption in favour of princes,^ as well as the burial of the dead, and the visits to the sick was decreed. Peter Damian^f whose voluminous writings include sermons for every Sunday in the year, and all festival days, broached an idea analogous to that of later Rabbins, who believed that, during their Sabbaths, the souls in hell were permitted unusual liberties. Damian held that the souls in purgatory were exempted from many of their sufferings on the Sundays. Attempts were made by some to suspend labour on the Saturdays, which were denounced by Hildebrand and Pope Gregory VII., in the year 1074. The Twelfth Century brings us to the origin of the sale of indulgences, which, in the sixteenth century, roused the indignation of Luther, and commenced a new era in the history of the Sabbath. Attention to the spirit of this age will go far towards explaining the position taken up by the Reformers, whose sentiments will form the matter of our next section. The religion of the times was subject to "so many causes conspiring to debase* its character and tarnish its lustre, arising out of the numberless inventions of human ingenuity, that it may seem strange it was not wholly destroyed. ^^ J While ridiculous relics indulged the cravings of the superstitious, and the sale of indulgences encouraged the grossest propensities of the masses, Aristotle and Plato began to exercise an immense influence j upon the theology of the heads of the church. While the 1 Scriptures were interpreted by the opinions of the Fathers, j which kept scriptural knowledge stationary; the most i extraordinary speculations into regions far beyond human \capacity, were freelj^ indulged in by the rising sects of * Heylyn. Hist. Pt. ii. c. v. § 8. t By sSme supposed to be the same person as Petrus de Ilonestris. See Mosheim. Cent. vi. ch. ii. § 31, note 2. Born 1007, died 1074. X Mosheitn. Cent. xii. Pt. ii. ch. iii. § 1, 2. HISTORICAL SURVEY OF THE SABBATH. 405 " schoolmen/^ of whom the principal sects were the Realists / and the Nominalists. The adorning of churches with pic- tures, and the walls, and even floors covered over with the likenesses of saints and angels, became a prominent feature of the times. The Sabbath of such an age scarcely requires any description. The annual festival, in celebration of the immaculate conception of the Holy Virgin, dates from about the year 1138. The three military orders that played so important a part against the Saracens, arose in this century; of these the Knights of St. John were allowed to eat flesh on Sundays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays. The Carmelites were required to fast from the feast of the Holy Cross till Easter; but on Sundays they might indulge themselves. Peter Alfonsus, one of the Latins who distinguished them- selves by their zeal against the persecuted Jews, styled the Lord's-day, the Christian Sabbath.* Otto, Bishop of Bamberg, who was sent on a mission to Pomerania, in 1124, confined his labours to the conversion of the heathens of this district to the observance of the mere rites of the corrupt church; and, among them, was the keeping of the festivals and Sundays,t during which they were to abstain from all worldly occupations. J A synod held at Compiegne, under Alexander III., while an exile in France§, forbade judicial proceedings on this day. This pope urged the authority of both the Old and the New- Testament, which required the seventh day to be kept holy. Manuel Comnenus, emperor of Constantinople, in the year 1174, confirmed existing enactments, forbidding litigation, * Heylyn. Hist. Pt. ii. c. v. § 13. t Mosheim. Cent. xii. Pt. i. ch. i., note 1. X Heylyn. Hist. Pt. ii. c. v. § 11. § Alexander ascended the papal chair in 1159, and died in 1181. The restrictions against fishing were relaxed by him, if herrings came near the coast, and provided a certain number were offered to the religious institutions and the poor in the neighbourhood. 406 HISTORICAL SURVEY OF THE SABBATH. and general business on Sundays, and other festivals. Balsamon, who flourished between the years 1180 and 1203, and was author of commentaries on the councils and canonical epistles of the Fathers, interprets the Sabbatarian enactments of the Council of Laodicea as admitting works of necessity. The Thirteenth Century brought the Sabbath into that state, in which the Reformers of the sixteenth found it. Pope Gregory IX., who assumed the pontificate in the year 1227, decreed, in the following year, that Sunday should be, as it is in our own age and country, a dies non in law. The council held in 1282 at Angiers (Anjou) prohibited hair-dressing on the Sundays. It will be unne- cessary for us to enter any further with minuteness into either the canon laws or the state of Sabbath observance by the masses. Our account of the preceding centuries is substantially applicable to this, the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, save in the one respect we are about to notice. Two great luminaries, considering the gross darkness of this period, in the thirteenth century, and a third, in the fifteenth, exhausted their powers of subtle distinctions on the fourth commandment. The first, Bonaventura, the patron saint of Lyons, was born in the year 1221; the second, Thomas Aquinas, born in 1224; the third, Alphonsus Tostatus, a voluminous Spanish theologian, was born in 1454. Bonaventura was styled by contemporaries, "the Seraphic Doctor;" Aquinas, " the Angelic Doctor ; " and Tostatus, " the Wonder of the World." * Aquinas raised Aristotle to the summit of his glory, and made him the great dictator in the republic of letters, while Tostatus oppressed the Bible with a load of comments, whose fatal influence even on the minds of the Reformers is unquestionable; and to whose subtle * Stupor mundi. HISTORICAL SURVEY OF THE SABBATH. 407 distinctions Tve may trace the views of even Paley and Whately, of the distinction between what is moral and and what is ceremonial in the sabbatic institution. Bonaventura^s opinion was_, that in the fourth com- mandment there was something purely moral, something obviously ceremonial, and further, something that com- bined the two. His explanation is as follows : — ^* Inasmuch as God enjoins the sanctification (of the day), the precept is moral. There is, also, in this precept, something cere- monial, as the manner of observing the seventh day. It contains beside what is partly moral, partly ceremonial, as the suspension of labour.^^* Aquinas was of the opinion, that " the observance of the Lord^s-day in the new dispensation takes the place of the observance of the (Jewish) Sabbath, not through the force of a legal precept, but the regulation of the church, and the custom of Christians." f He concludes, therefore, that "on this account the prohibition to work on the Lord^s-day is not so rigorous as (it was) on the Sabbath.^J But the papist betrays himself in something more than this assumption of authority to impose a Lord's-day, and relax divine laws ; since Aquinas substitutes all the innu- merable Romish festivals in place of Jewish feasts, new moons, and Sabbaths, on the same grounds on which the Lord^s-day takes the place of the seventh-day Sabbath. § It is easy to perceive, that when men assume such repre- hensible grounds, a wide door is opened for the exercise of that leading and prolific principle of corruption, which has made popery " the mystery of iniquity." Tostatus assumes, that in the fourth commandment " there is something natural and something positive." || " It is a natural (or moral) law, because, while we worship God, we should * Heyl^Ti. Hist. Pt. ii. c. vi. § 1. f Ibid. § 2. X Ibid. § Ibid. § 3. 11 Ibid. § 1. 408 HISTORICAL SURVEY OF TBE SABBATH. desist from everything else/^^'' Like liis predecessors^ he held^ that " the observance of festivals in the former dis- pensation was much more rigid than in that existing/^ t because " the Sabbath was sanctified on account of a divine injunction^ in place of which the Lord^s-day exists ; but notwithstanding, it is obvious that the observance of the Lord^s-day is not under a divine law, but under the canonical law of man." J This assertion he establishes, on the ground that the church has still power "either to change the day, or abolish the institution altogether." § With such assumptions it is no wonder if Tostatus takes upon himself to distinguish between mortal and venial sins on the Lord^s-day. In his exposition of the fourth commandment, he tells us, that to travel, except on pious errands, or on prosecution of business that does not much disturb its rest, is a mortal sin ; to read, or calculate, if done for profit, is a servile work, and is prohibited ; if a musician stipulates for a certain sum he sins, but he may indulge the lovers of harmony if he trusts to their generosity; a cook employed for the occasion sins in dressing meat, but is guiltless if he be hired for a month or a year, if washing his culinary utensils be deferred to the following day ; the legal profession might in charity pursue their calling ; devotees might travel to a shrine, but not return home on the Sundays ; mechanics working for gain committed mortal sin; that provision- dealers did more good than harm by the sale of their goods, but clothiers, &c., sinned by trading on the Lord^s-day, &c. Thus a perverted view of the Jewish Sabbath, presump- tuous claims to abrogate or impose days of rebgious observance, the removal of \ d institution from a scrip- tural basis to that of human authority, brought the Lord's- * Heylyn. Hist. Part ii. c. vi. § 1. f Ibid. § 2. X Ibid. § Ibid. HISTORICAL SURVEY OF THE SABBATH. 409 day practically into the same position as the Pharisees in our Lord^s time, and the Eabbinical writers in later ages, had placed the Jewish institution. As in opposing Judaiziug teachers the Patristic writers, for the most part, missed the correct theoretical view, though sound in prac- tice ; so the Reformers, whom we are about to consider, in opposing the disciples of Bonaventura, Aquinas, and Tos- tatus, fell into misconceptions of the real nature of the fourth commandment. VI, The Protestant Reformers have been adduced by several Avriters on this subject, as opposed to the continuity of the Sabbath from Adam to Moses, and from Christ to the apostles. Making due allowance, however, for the spirit of controversy, it may be demonstrated, that, while their practice was in strict accordance with the fourth com- mandment, their sentiments, fairly collated, are more in support of the correct view than in favour of their opinions, who, too hastily, wish to range such men as Luther, Melancthon, Calvin, and Beza, on the side of anti- Sabbatarians. Martin Lu therms opinions may be presented in such a manner, as to make him appear an advocate of either the abrogation or the continuity of the Sabbath, by quoting from one rather than another portion of his works. But that he sanctified the Lord^s-day, and enjoined its obser- vance, no one has ventured to deny. In his " Instructions to Christians how to make use of Moses,^^ he states, " The words of Scripture prove clearly to us, that the ten com- mandments do not affect us,^^ and much more in the same tone. In his exposition of the Decalogue, he observes, " We must remark, at the outset, that the ten commandments do not apply to us Gentiles, but only to the Jews.^^ Again, '^We must stop the mouths of the factious spirits, who say, " Thus says Moses." In the larger Catechism, how- 410 HISTORICAL SURVEY OF THE SABBATH. ever, his explanation goes far to prevent such inferences as some are eager to draw. He remarks on the fourth com- mandment, that it, "literally understood, does not apply- to us Christians; for it is entirely outward, like other ordinances of the Old Testament, bound to modes, and persons, and times, and customs, all of which are now left free by Christ. But, in order that the simple may obtain a Christian view of that which God requires of us in this commandment, observe that we keep a festival, not for the sake of intelligent and advanced Christians, for these have no need of it ; but for the sake of the body, because nature teaches us that the working classes, servants and maids, who have spent the whole week in their work and occu- pation, absolutely require a day in which they can leave oft' work ; and chiefly in order that men may, on such a day of rest, have time and opportunity, such as they could not otherwise have, to attend to the worship of God, that so they may come in crowds to hear the word of God, and practise it, to praise God, and sing and pray. But this is not bound to any particular time, as with the Jews,^^ &c. Now Hengstenberg * himself confesses, that it "might appear, from what we have said, as though we denied the Old Testament basis of the observance of the Sunday alto- gether. But this is not the case; and we believe that Luther and others have, in many cases, expressed them- selves in an imprudent and one-sided manner, "f The admissions, however, of this champion of "justifica- tion by faith," establish the Lord^s-day as a grand and indispensable institution. With the same Scriptures be- fore us, we can see how far he erred in this respect, as well as in his doctrine of consubstantiation. But apart from * The above quotations we have taken from Hengstenberg 's work on the Lord's-day. t Hengstenberg on the Lord's-day, p. 88. HISTORICAL SURVEY OF THE SABBATH. 411 this, if tlie above view of the Sabbath were sound, it would follow that ^^ advanced and enlightened Christians'^ riiight leave all the ordinances and means of grace to " servants, maids, and the working classes/^ Although holding the view, that we are not, as the Jews were, bound to any par- ticular day; yet, in his large Catechism, he refers to apostolic example as the guide to Christians in their selection of the precise time of observance. And fiu'- ther : in his remarks on Gen. ii. 1—3, he states his opinion that ^' had Adam retained his innocence, he would have hallowed the seventh day;'' from which he concludes, — '^ therefore from the beginning the Sabbath was set apart to the worship of God." Luther, therefore, admits I. that, physiologically, a day of rest is "absolutely" requisite; n. that as a spiritual means, affording men opportunity " in crowds to worship," we cannot dispense with the observance ; and ill. that the apostles did sanctify the first day of the week, and that this is a rale for Christians. Such admissions more than counteract "the imprudent and one-sided manner" in which he denounced popish views. Melancthon appears to differ, in some respects, from his friend and colleague, Luther. In the Augsburg Confes- sion, he distinctly implies that " the Church had instituted the Lord's-day in place of the Sabbath ;'' whereas Luther refers to the example of the apostles, as originating the practice. In the introduction to his exposition of the Decalogue, he remarks, — " The principal part of the law is called the moral, which is the Decalogue rightly under- stood'' And soon after he explains " the moral law," as that which is " the eternal and unchangeable wisdom that is in God." In his Loci CommuneSj he divides the fourth commandment into two parts, "the one natural, and the other moral;" the former is of perpetual obligation, but 412 HISTORICAL SURVEY OP THE SABBATH. the latter^ ''the species" (while the former is ''the genus ^^) has been " abrogated/^ Here, again, he differs from Luther, inasmuch as he held that there " were some things in the law of Moses binding on us, because identical with the law of nature/'' Zacharias Urstnus, Melancthon^s friend, in his Cate- chism, arguing from " the design of the institution," and "the reasons that are stated," concludes that, as they "are moral and perpetual," so the first clause in the fourth com- mandment is of the same nature. Martin Chemnitz, the pupil of Melancthon, condemns Romanists on the ground that they regarded " the Lord^s- day and other festivals as possessing an inherent and peculiar sanctity," " whereas it is a part of Christian liberty that, in the New Testament (dispensation) Christians are neither bound down, nor should be bound down, to the observance of either certain days or seasons, as imperative." Although "required for the sake of order, the observance was still voluntary ;" yet it would be " extremely capricious to refuse the observance sanctioned by the practice of the apostles and the primitive church." / John Calvin did not reign more supremely at Geneva, / than he has done over the doctrines of large sections of ' Christians during the last three centuries. And though his theoretical views do not place him at the head of Anti-Sab- I batarians, we could wish that he had more clearly determined the principles of an institution he and the sect he founded kept so strictly, as to have incurred the charge of Judaizing. When disgust of popish festivals did not influence his line I of argument, the more correct idea was conceived by this \ great man. Thus commenting on Gen. ii. 1 — 3, Calvin j remarks, — "Subsequently, an additional precept on the \ Sabbath was enjoined upon the Jews, which was peculiar j to them ; for it foreshadowed, being ceremonial, the HISTORICAL SURVF.Y OF THE SABBATH. 413 spiritual rest, which was fulfilled in Christ/^ And nothing can be more conclusive than the following statement : — \ '' God, then, first rested, and afterwards blessed that rest, i that it might be held sacred among men in all future time. ! He set apart every seventh day to rest, in order that his example might become a perpetual rule,^^ &c. It is true, that in his exposition of the fourth commandment, he took the ceremonial view of the Jewish Sabbath, and condemns all superstitious use of certain days ; still he believed that to oppose the Jewish notions, the observance was transferred from the last to the first day of the week ; " but the sep- tenary number was not so sustained as to bind down the church to it/^* Although advocating the typical element in the Jewish observance, Calvin yet admits that spiritually | and physiologically the Sabbath was indispensable to the ! Jews ; and that, since these cannot be included among the 1 shadows of the Old Testament dispensation, the Sabbath/ so far ^^ concerns all ages alike/^ Hence he states, that | ^' it was the custom of ^^ the church of Geneva " to meet I periodically " for religious purposes, and to " suspend the , labours of servants and working classes/^ " It was un- questionable that, in instituting the Sabbath, the Lord had a reference to both of these objects/^ As to public worship, he puts the question, " Why should we not * From the following — " Not without reason did the ancients (veteres) elect the Lord's-day, as we denominate it, in the place of the (Jewish) Sabbath," Heylj-n (Hist, of Sabb., Pt. ii. ch. 6, § 7, p. 177,) concludes that Calvin did not regard Christ and his apostles as the authors of the change. Calvia, however, in his Institutes, speaks plainly on this point : " The apostles ha-ving retained the Sabbath," &c. But, with his comment on Gen. ii. 1 — 3, before us, it is plain that Calvin did not, with Heylyn, hold the proleptical vicAV, without which Heyljm's elaborate work falls to pieces. Soon after, quoting Bucer, HeyljTi gets rid of his express declaration, that the transfer was under apostolic and divme tradition, by remarking, "Yet being a tradition only, although apostolical, it is no commandment ! " P. 179. 414 HISTORICAL SURVEY OF THE SABBATH. observe the regulation enjoined npon us by the will of BucER, who was intimate with Luther and Calvin, while a preacher and professor at Strasburg, and who, at the invitation of Cranmer, settled in England, is represented by Heylyn * as among those who " were content to allow the morning, though not all of that, unto the church ; the afternoon to their employments." On the contrary, this learned Reformer asks, — "Who does not perceive how useful it is to the people of Christ that one day in seven should be so set apart for religious exercises, that it be unlawful to engage in any other occupation" than the service of God ? t After these observations, he commends the decrees of Constantine the Great against Sunday desecration. Theodore Beza, the colleague of Calvin at Geneva, is very explicit and correct in his views, although Heylyn endeavours to enlist him on his own side of the question. % In his comments on Bev. i. 10, Beza states, that Paul's first day of the week is, in this passage, called " the Lord's- day;'' and that the apostles met on this day of the week expressly to illustrate, that the fourth commandment was only so far ceremonial in character as a particular day was concerned. " That day of rest has existed, truly, from the * Hist, of the Sabbath, Pt. ii. c. vi. § 9, p. 186. His quotation, also, on. p. 177, § 7, shows that in Martin Bucer's opinion " the Lord's-day was appropriated, from the very times of the apostles, to the public assemblies of the church, and to general suspension of labom-, by the common consent of Christians." t Kingdom of Christ, ch. xv. j Heylyn quotes only the part of Bucer's sentiments, which are in denunciation of the superstitious use made by Judaizers of general suspension of labour, but his striking confessions we have adduced are suppressed altogether.— Pt. ii. ch. vi. § 5, p. 173. The manner in which he quibbles as to Beza's expression, — Apostolicae et verse divinse tradi- tionis, is equally unjustifiable. See Pt. ii. ch. \i. § 6, p. 179. HISTORICAL SURVEY OF THE SABBATH. 415 creation to our Lord^s resurrection, which, as described by the prophets, being a new and spiritual creation, became the occasion, the Holy Spirit unquestionably guiding the apostles, for transferring the seventh -day Sabbath of the old dispensation to the first day of the new world, &c/' '^Wherefore public meetings on the Lord's-day are of apostolical and genuine divine tradition, notwithstanding such as that a Jewish suspension of all occupation should not be observed, since, obviously, this would not have been to abolish Judaism, but to have altered only as much as was peculiar to the day." Peter Martyr believed in the continuity of the Sab- bath, for his comment on Gen. ii. 1 — 3 is to the effect, that God, who could have appropriated to his worship every day, rested on one in seven days, on which we should avoid all occupation but religious exercises. In his exposition of the fourth commandment, he distinguishes between what is perpetual and eternal, and what is temporary and mutable, in the Sabbath; the latter being the character of the precise day of observance, and the former, the conse- crating a day to religion. He commends, lastly, the choice by the church of the day that commemorates the resurrection^ in preference to that which was a memorial of creation.^ Henry Bullinger's exposition on Matt. xii. is to the effect, that Sabbath, signifying rest, was observed from remote antiquity ; and that it did not originate with Moses is demonstrated by the style of the fourth commandment, " Remember the Sabbath-day to keep it holy," &c. His remarks on Rev. i. 10, however, show that, in his opinion, * " Loci Commtines." Peter Hey 1>ti's piirpose being better answered by quoting this last reference to the change of day, than by the others we adduce, he has suppressed them altogether.— Hist. Pt. ii. ch. vi. § 7, p. 178. 416 HISTORICAL SURVEY OF THE SABBATH. the change of day was "effected by the church of its own accord^ as we nowhere read of a command on that point." * Peter Viret, in his observations on the fourth com- mandment, dwells chiefly on the obligations we are under to consecrate, w ithout encroachment on God's appropriation of a seventh portion of our time, the Sabbath to the all- important concerns of religion. In closing this Section on the opinion of the Reformers, we cannot do better than take the summary of their views, as furnished by Gaulter. " The Sabbath properly signifies rest and leisure from servile work, and at the same time is used to denote the seventh day, which God, at the begin- ning of the world, consecrated to holy rest, and afterwards in the law confirmed by a special precept. And although the primitive church abrogated the Sabbath, in so far as it was a legal shadow, lest it should savour of Judaism, yet it did not abolish that sacred rest and repose, but trans- ferred the keeping of it to the following day, which was called the Lord's- day, because on it Christ rose from the dead. The use of this day, therefore, is the same with us as the Sabbath formerly was among the true worshippers of God." t * Heylyn. Hist. Pt. ii. eh. vi. § 7, p. 178. t Most of the above extracts are as quoted by Fairbairn. — Scripture Typology, vol. ii. pp. 134, 135. In the Appendix to this work, pp. 461 — 476, will be fomid a valuable discussion on this subject. Space has prevented our referring to the Helvetic Confession, the Heidelberg and the E-acovian Catechisms. In the former, the advan- tages of a Sabbath are set forth in connexion with a repudiation of superstitious uses of a particular day, or of rest, considered in itself. In the Heidelberg Catechism, the idea of *' resting every day of one's life from evil works," is deduced from the fourth commandment ; v»fhile the Racovian Catechism (embodying the -views of Socinians, first published in 1605) takes a view that must be to the heart's con- tent of all anti-Sabbatarians. See Hengstenberg's Remarks, Lord's- day, p. 65. HISTORICAL SURVEY OF THE SABBATH. 417 The important facts established in this section are — I. That not one of these, the most eminent Reformers of the Lutheran and Reformed or German churches, held the proleptical view. ii. That all, therefore, regarded the Sabbath as originated by a divine example in Eden. in. That while some of them speak of the church as the authors of the change of the day, and others more clearly state the apostles and divine tradition to have effected the transfer, all of them regard it as having taken place under the eye of the apostles themselves, iv. That, therefore, though a determined opposition was shown to superstitious veneration of a particular day, or ceremonial use of rest and suspension of labour, in which unscriptural sentiments of the Mosaic economy were broached by most of them j yet every Reformer strictly sanctified and enforced the sanctification of the Lord's-day ; and v. That, there- fore, both the advocates of the proleptical theory, such as Paley and Hengstenberg ; or of an institution based upon ecclesiastical authority, such as Paley and Whately ; and all those, who wish to assimilate our English, Scottish, or New England Sabbaths to continental Sundays, should be the last to appeal to Luther, Melancthon, Calvin, Ursin, Chemnitz, Bucer, Beza, Peter Martyr, Bullinger, or Viret. VII. The logical consequences of the principal views of the Reformers, closely associated with the scriptural example set by those eminent men, gradually led to still clearer ideas of this important institution. The rise of Neology in Germany about the middle of the eighteenth century, acted unfavourably for the observance on the Con- tinent, while the Puritans in England had the high honour of giving the world the Sabbath in its integrity. A glance at the course of controversy in Germany will bring down its history to the present generation, and may precede E E 418 HISTORICAL SURVEY OF THE SABBATH. our section on the Puritans in relation to the Lord's- day. Some Puritan refugees from England introduced into Hol- land, what Hengstenberg unwarrantably styles, '' The doc- trine of the obligation of the Mosaic law of the Sabbath/^* Two volumes on " Ethics," published, one by Udemann in 1612, and another by Teeliug in 1617, converted several ministers to the more scriptural theory. The Synod of Dort, held in 1618, discussed the subject, but by suppressing their minutes on the topic, endeavoured to stifle the rising con- troversy.f Gomar, the great opponent of James Arminius, undertqok the refutation of these views, by maintaining that the Sabbath was first instituted at the fall of niauna,j: in which he follows some Jewish Rabbins, and becomes the leader of the opinions held by the Paley school in Britain. Gomar was opposed, first by Walseus, and then by J. Alting. § Rivet contended against the com- paratively modern date of the institution assigned by Gomar; but with Thysius, who seemed desirous of recon- * On the Lord's-day, p. 69. t The Resolutions of the Synod of Dort, passed on the last day of their sitting, May 17th, 1618, were to the effect: — i. That the fourth commandment was partly moral and partly ceremonial, ii. That the ceremonial consisted in the particular day imposed on Jews, and their rigid observance of it. iii. That the moral consisted in the public and private devotions of God's people, iv. That the Jewish Sabbath was abolished, but it was necessary to sanctify the Lord's-day. v. That the Lord's-day had been kept from the age of the apostles ; and, vi. that the sanctification of the Lord's-day required the suspension of all but necessary occupation. X In his Ex amen. Sabbati, published 1628. In § o, Gomar insists that the hard-hearted Jews required the burden of ceremonies, but that Christians, under better cu-cumstances, should not be restricted to one day, but that their assemblies shotdd take place oftener in the week. § Alting, with considerable ability defended his views against Mare- sius, in Gronmgen, who contended against the universal obligation of the Sabbath. HISTORICAL SURVEY OF THE SABBATH. 419 ciling the disputants, allowed recreation on Sundays. Amesius and Boetius also opposed him. As Thysius recom- mended, the controversy was allowed to exhaust itself until, in the year 1658, it was revived by Hoornbeck, in Leyden, and Essen, in Utrecht, who were opposed by the celebrated Coccius and Heidanus, in Leyden. The vio- lence with which the subject was agitated induced the States-General to interfere. By the edict of August 7th, 1659, the six Resolutions of the Synod of Dort were con- firmed, and further discussion was prohibited. While a calm w^as thus forciby created at Leyden, Francis Burmanu waged the war of polemics in Utrecht with great zeal. The question continued to be agitated in the Netherlands till the be^nning of the eighteenth century. The practice of the Reformers continued to be followed by Protestants, but the theoretical views were again agitated by Fitch, at Rostock, who, in 1688, published his sentiments against the prevalent and strict observance of the Lord^s-day; and two years after (1700), Francis Bur- mann^s treatise was reprinted in German by Liinckogel of Ilolstein. In 1701, Schwarz replied to it, complaining of the pernicious results of the lax views that were thus pro- mulgated. In 1707, Mayer published his views, and was opposed by Stryk of Halle, who feared that the prevail- ing notions were leading men to make too much of the outward, and too little of the inward, religion. Thus Spencer's pernicious principles began to be applied to the Sabbath ; and to Stryk, whose work passed through the fifth edition (German), must be attributed the decline of the observance in Lutheran Germany. For a time he was warmly opposed by a number of writers on the question, among whom may be reckoned Spener, Bud- dseus, and Walch. From this time, the Neologists began gradually to develop their pernicious sentiments, until 420 HISTORICAL SURVEY OF THE SABBATH. /^Volff, and others rejected everything Evangelical^ and, in / the same spirit, the Scriptural basis and divine authority I of the Lord^s-day. From a strict and spiritual observance in the time of the Reformers, until about the year 1750, the Sabbath was gradually lowered, both practically and \ theoretically, to the profanity and dissipation of a con- tinental Sunday. A happy contrast awaits us, as will be seen in our ninth section. VIII. A summary view of the Sabbath in Britain will be a suitable preliminary to our sketch of the Puritan controversy. The Saxons under the Heptarchy observed the Sunday and festivals prescribed by the ritual of Rome. Discarding some of the fabulous accounts of the miracles wrought to promote the observance of the day, we come to the reign of Alfred the Great, who granted by law the opportunity to all freemen in his dominions to celebrate the festivals, in- cluding the Sundays. Edward the Elder, who began to reign in the year 901, stipulated with the Danes that, in their intercourse with Anglo-Saxons, all commercial trans- actions, marketing, and the like, should cease on the Sunday and principal festivals. Any infraction of the laws of this treaty was subject to certain penalties. The trans- gressorj if a Dane, forfeited the goods exposed for sale, in addition to a fine in money; and if a Saxon, he was mulcted to the amount of thirty shillings. A freeman might be enslaved, a bondsman scourged, unless able to meet the fine; while Saxon and Danish masters were amenable for enforcing labour. Edgar, the Peaceable, who began his reign in the year 958, decreed that the observ- ance should commence from three o^ clock on the Saturday afternoon, and extend to the dawn of light on Monday. Canute, who was crowned in the year 1017, put a stop to judicial proceedings, public meetings for civil purposes, HISTORICAL SURVEY OF THE SABBATH. 421 and markets; and made hunting and all earthly labour illegal; but the sale of provisions in cases of necessity was exempted from the operation of the Sabbatarian laws. Under the Norman line^, we find that William Uufus and Stephen, as was the case with others at a later period, selected Sunday for their coronation. While rulers manifested very carnal ideas of the spirit of the fourth commandment, it is but natural to find, that their ignorant subjects evaded their enactments whenever possible. Thus, in the year 1.202, Eustatius, a French priest and an emissary of Rome, visited England, and, pretending to have a divine commission to denounce Sabbath-breaking, preached to the people on their duties, first in the south, where he met with little encouragement, and then in the north, where he made many disciples. But when their zeal extended to the overthrowing of stalls in the markets, &c., the civil power interfered. The im- postor then invented stories of divine retribution that over- took Sabbath breakers, some of which are recorded in Fox^s Acts and Monuments. In the year 1203, a legate was sent by the Pope to the Scots, to induce them to begin the observance from noon on Saturday to the dawn of light on Monday. Alexander III., in 1214, interdicted fishing from Saturday vespers to the termination of Sunday; and the law re- mained in force till the reign of James I. In the year 1280, Archbishop Peckham held a synod at Lambeth ; and Archbishop Islip, who was inaugurated in the year 1349, held another, which forbade servile works on festivals, including Sundays. The statute of Edward III., which stands at the head of existing Sabbatarian enact- ments, forbade the " showing of wool.^' Henry VL, in the year 1451, interdicted markets and fairs; thus con- firming the decree of Archbishop Stafford, who seven 422 HISTORICAL SURVEY OF THE SABBATH. years before^ put a stop to markets and fairs, which used to be held iu churchyards, on Sundays. In the year 1444, Catworth, Lord Mayor, made it illegal to sell pro- visions, or to carry on any trade, within the bounds of the city of London ; but in a few years these civic regulations became obsolete. Edward IV. put certain occupations under the ban of law within three miles of the bounds of the city of London, excepting the parish of St. Martin's- le-Grand. In the preamble of this law it appears, that playing at dice, quoits, and tennis, which were illegal recreations, was a common and popular amusement on Sundays and festivals. This outline is sufficient to illustrate both popular prac- tices, and the views of Sabbath obligation on the part of religious and civil authorities, down to the time when the Reformation burst over Europe. Among the martyrs will be found both correct and incorrect notions. Tyn- dale, who suffered at Augsburg in 1536, addressing Sir Thomas More, thus expressed his opinion: — "We be Lords over the Sabbath, and may yet change it into Monday, or into any other day, as we see need; or may make every teath day holy only, if we see cause why. Neither was there any cause to change it from the Saturday, but to put a difference between us and the Jews; nor need we any holy day at all, if the people might be taught without it.'' Hooper, who was committed to the flames at Gloucester in 1555, like all Reformers, opposed the Romish idea of inherent holiness in particular days; observing in his exposition of the Decalogue, that "to this end did God sanctify the Sabbath, not that we should give ourselves to idleness or such ethnical pastime, as is now used among ethnical people, but being free from the travails of this world, might" devote ourselves to religious exercises. The views of Archbishop Cranmer, Bishop Ridley, and HISTORICAL SURVEY OF THE SABBATH. 423 other leading divines of the English Reformation, may be gathered from the Liturgy, the Thirty-nine Articles, the Homily on Place and Time of Prayer, and the 13th Canon of the Church of England. Cranmer and Kidley were among those who compiled, or remodelled, the Book of Common Prayer. After the fourth commandment in the Communion Service the people are required to pray, — " Lord, have mercy upon us, and incline our hearts to keep this law."* This is a palpable indication of the opinions held by the compilers of the Liturgy, as it now exists. Of the Thirty-nine Articles, which were ratified in the Convocation of 1571, the seventh recog- nizes not only the connexion of the Old with the New Testa- ment, but asserts the obligation of " the commandments, which are called moral" upon ''all Christians whatsoever." If there be any doubt as to the reference here, the Commu- nion Service would determine in favour of the Sabbath. The Homilies, " which were set forth in the time of Ed- ward YI.," and are required by the thirty- fifth article to be " read diligently and distinctly, that they may be understood by the people," clearly decide in favour of the Lord's-day.f Had this Homily been practised, no Puritan expounder * The curious process of torture to which Heylyn subjects this awk- ward fact, illustrates the extent to which he has carried special pleading. —Hist, of the Sab., Ft. ii. ch. viii. § (3), pp. 240—242. t The twentieth, on "Place and Time of Prayer," reproves the "two sorts of people, " who disobey the fourth commandment. One travels, drives, carries, rows, ferries, buys, and sells, keeps markets and fairs, finally, "uses all days alike, work days and holy days are all one." " The other sort is worse." For, though neither travelling nor labour- ing, yet they " rest in ungodliness and filthiness, prancing in their pride, pranking and pricking, pointing and painting themselves, to be gorgeous and gay : they rest in excess and superfluity, in gluttony and drunken- • ness ; like rats and swine, they rest in brawling and railing, in quarrelling, and fighting : they rest in wantonness, in toyish talking, in filthy fleshliness ; so that it doth too evidently appear that God is more dishonored, and the devil better served, on the Sunday than upon 424 HISTORICAL SURVEY OF THE SABBATH. of the fourth commandment had been required. But unfor- tunately the thirteenth canon contained an element destruc- tive of the correct principle, and it was the removal of this blemish, that placed the Puritan in the high and illus- trious position that has given the world the true theory. According to this canon, " All manner of persons within the Church of England shall from henceforth celebrate and keep the Lord's-day, commonly called Sunday, and other holy days, according to God's will and pleasure, and the orders of the Church of England prescribed in that behalf Placing the Lord^s-day and other holy days on the same footing, and exalting ecclesiastical authority to a level with ^' God's good will and pleasure," formed the shoal on which the English Reformers wrecked their Sabbath. The Puritans saw the error and its dangerous conse- quences, and thus established it on grounds on which alone this hallowed institution can survive the attempt, either insidiously to undermine its foundations, or boldly to assault its ramparts. That the secret of the strength of the Puritan theory consisted in this simple fact, may be perceived by a com- parison of the Reformation in England with that in Scot- land. John Knox, and his followers, set their face against all the days in the week beside. And I assure you the beasts which are commanded to rest on the Sunday, honour God better than this kind of people ; for they offend not God, they break not their holy days." In this Homily the fourth commandment is recognized as binding, though not exactly as the Jews were required to observe it : — " God hath given express charge to all men, that upon the Sabbath-day, which is now our Sunday, they should cease from all weekly and work-day labour ; to the intent that, like as God himself wrought six days and rested the seventh, and blessed and sanctified it, &c., even so God's obedient people should use the Sunday holily. This example and commandment of God, the godly Christian people began to follow immediately after the ascension of our Lord Christ, and began to choose them a standing day of the week to come together ; yet not the seventh day which the Jews kept, but the Lord's-day, the day of the Lord's Resurrection." HISTORICAL SURVEY OF THE SABBATH. 425 nothing with so much cletermination as holv-days and saint-days, which are strongly denounced in their hook of Disciphne, adopted at the first General Assembly, on De- cember 20th, 1560. AYhen the Helvetic Confession was pro- posed in 1566, as the basis of their creed, the only objection urged was the sanction it gave to holy- days. These festivals were styled superstitious, &c., and occasioned the contentions of the years 1575, 1577, 1587, 1592. In the year 1598, James VI. (First of England), in his Basilicon Doron, decided that " without superstition plays and lawful games may be used in May, and good cheer at Christmas.'' Thus the authol- of the Basilicon Doron endeavoured to crush a Scottish Sabbath, as hereafter he endeavoured, by the Book of Sports, to neutralize the influ- ence of a Puritan Lord's-day in England. IX. It is a remarkably significant fact, that the Keforma- 1 tion was consolidated only in those countries, where thej strict principles of the Sabbath prevailed. It was complete \ in Holland, and not in Germany— in the latter, some of the erroneous views of the Reformers stifled their more scriptural sentiments ; while in the former the introduction of the Puritan theory operated in favour of an observance, based exclusively on divine authority. Erom the begin- ning the Reformation took deep root in Scotland, while its destiny remained undecided in England, during the reign of the Stuarts. In the former, the Sabbath was from the first; rightly understood ; in the latter, it was only among the Puritans that its divine origin was recognized. But before the Revolution of 1688, the Episcopalian had gra- dually acquiesced in the views of the Presbyterian, and from that time the Reformation was an established fact in England. Erom this it is plain, that no history of the Reformation is complete, that does not develop the influ- ence of this controversy on the emancipation of nations 426 HISTORICAL SURVEY OF THE SABBATH. / from the bondage of Rome. In the following sketch of its history, from the reign of Charles I. to the Revo- lution of 1688, it will appear, that, as the Lord's-day grew into general esteem, so popery lost its ground. Some ten years before the publication of Dr. Nicholas Bound, of Norton, in Suffolk, entitled " Sabbatum veteris et novi Testamenti," the Puritans, as Heylyn indignantly remarks, " had been hammering these Sabbath specula- tions and Presbyterian doctrines.^^* Its first appearance was in the year 1595, and its success was so great, that Heylyn assures us, that '' in the end, and that in a very little time, it grew the most bewitching error, the most popular deceit, that ever had been set on foot in the Church of England.^'t The perpetual obligation of the Sabbath, the moral nature of the fourth commandment, the duty to suspend work as binding on Christians as it was on Jews; that while the priesthood and rites of the Mosaic economy had been abolished, this institution was altered only to abide ; were the leading principles of Bound^s " True doctrine of the Sabbath.'^' ^^ It is almost incredible," observes Fuller, in his " Church History,^^ " how taking this doctrine was ; partly because of its own purity, and partly for the eminent piety of such persons as maintained it ; so that the Lord's-day, especially in corporations, began to be precisely kept; people becoming a law unto themselves, forbearing such sports as were yet by statute permitted ; yea, many rejoicing at their own restraint herein." '' Learned men were much divided in their judgments about these Sabbatarian doc- trines ; some embraced them as ancient truths consonant to Scripture, long disused and neglected, now seasonably f Hist, of the Sabbath, Pt. ii. cb. viii. § 7, p. 248. f Ibid. 249. HISTORICAL SURVEY OF THE SABBATH. 427 revived for the increase of piety. Others conceived them grounded on a wrong bottom ; but because they tended to the manifest advance of religion it was a pity to oppose them. ... But a third sort flatly fell out with these pro- positions, as galling men's necks with a Jewish yoke. . . . that this doctrine put an unequal lustre on the Sunday on set purpose to eclipse all other holy days, to the derogation of the authority of the church."^ It was some years before a champion appeared in oppo- sition ; and, as arguments were wanting, Archbishop Whit- gift took steps during his visitations to suppress the work, in 1599 ; and Sir John Popham, Lord Chief Justice, for- bade its republication in the following year. Whitgift died in 1603, and Bound's work was reprinted in the year 1606. Thomas Rogers was the first to enter the lists with Dr. Bound. " Only one Mr. Loe,'' says Heylyn, " of the church of Exeter, declared himself, in his Effigiatio veri Sabbatismi,'' in the year 1606. One of the Doctors in Cambridge lectured, unopposed, on the Puritan side of the question in the year 1603 ; but in 1 625, Dr. Prideaux, of Ox- ford, published his opinions with his volume of " Lectures.'' Dr. Robinson, in 1628, lectured on the subject, maintaining that recreation was not forbidden by the Scriptures. Mr. Brerewood wrote against the Sabbath, but refrained from publication till the year 1629, and was opposed by Mr. Bifield, who, in 1631, charged him with promulgating a wicked doctrine. Thomas Broad, of Gloucestershire, also opposed the Sabbatarian views ; " wherein," says Heylyn, " he rather showed that he disliked them than durst dis- prove them." Theophilus Bradbourne published, in 1632, * If anything be necessary to confirm these remarks, the conduct of Whitgift and Laud should be studied. Their successors among Pusey- ites, in endeavouring to destroy the Reformation, are pursuing the same course, exalting saint days, and encouraging a lax observance of the Sunday. 428 HISTORICAL SURVEY OF THE SABBATH. his '' Defence of the most ancient and sacred ordinance of God, the Sabbath-day;'' but through the censures of the Court of High Commission, recanted his sentiments. Thus piety, learning, and courage were on the side of the Sab- bath, and more disliked than dared to combat with argu- . ment the new doctrines. In the beginning of his reign, King James favoured the Sabbath so far as to forbid by royal proclamation, dated May 7th, 1603, bear and bull baiting, interludes, common plays, or other like disordered or unlawful exercises or pastimes, being '' frequented, kept, or used at any time hereafter upon any Sabbath-day.'' At the instigation of Dr. Reynolds (at a conference at Hampton Court), who complained of the ill-success of his mandate, the king was disposed to proceed further ; and, in a general convocation, the thirteenth canon of the Church of England was agreed upon by the clergy. In the year 1615, the Koyal Com- mission in Ireland enjoined suspension of business, &c., but when the articles of the Church of England were sub- stituted in place of those drawn up by the Commissioners, " this article of faith" was recalled. The people, however, under the zealous labours of the Puritan clergy, adopted Sabbatarian practices too rapidly and too extensively, to suit the royal taste and notions. During the royal progress through Lancashire, the king discovered how widely spread were Sunday habits ; and, pretending that Papists would seize hold of the severity of the Protestant religion as an objection against it, his majesty ordered, on May 24th, 1618, the publication of the notorious "Book of Sports."* * In the Parliament, assembled in 1620, ** a member -who presumed to vindicate these Sabbath sports was expelled the lower house, his offence being described as exorbitant and imp ar allele d." The Lords did not sympathize with the Commons on this matter, and proposed ^HISTORICAL SURVEY OF THE SABBATH. 429 Lancashire was selected as the county, where this flood- gate of demoralization should first be opened. The com- mand to read it from the pulpit was disobeyed by some ; while others, complying with it, nevertheless took occasion to denounce the sinfulness of conforming to the games therein recommended. Of the former some were ejected ; but the open scandal to religion, and the increase of crime and profanity thus caused, led to a virtual suspension of the proclamation. The refusal either to read it in ])ublic, or to adopt the sports, ceased to be visited by the law. But in the following reign, the rise of Laud to power again revived the controversy; and to the many political, and religious sources of distraction, was added that of the per- secution of the " Sabbatarian clergy,^^ who continued to denounce the " Dancing Book,''' as the Book of Sports was now popularly termed. " The Lord's-day was observed,^' says Neale, in his history of the Puritans, " with remarkable strictness, the churches being crowded with numerous and attentive hearers three or four times in the day. The officers of the peace patrolled the streets, and shut up all public houses. There was no travelling on the road, or walking in the fields, except in cases of absolute necessity. Religious exercises were set np in private families; as reading the Scriptures, family prayer, repeating sermons, and singing psalms; which was so universal, that you might have walked through the city of London, on the evening of the Lord^s-day, without seeing an idle person, or hearing anything but the voice of prayer or praise, from churches and private families.^' So prevalent was the regard for the Sabbath, that two •' that the day should not henceforth be called the Sabbath, as among the ancient Jews, but the Lord's-day. — Journal, Feb, 15, 16, 1820, and May 28, 1621, Kennet, 709."— Vaughan's Hist, of the Stuarts, vol. i. pp. 122 3, note. 430 HISTORICAL SURVEY OF THE SABBATH. , of the Judges on the Western Circuit, yielding to the request of the magistrates, suppressed the " church ales/^ &c., on the ground of the serious demoralization resulting from the licence given by the Book of Sports. Laud, offended at this step, procured from Charles I. the re-licensing of this book; and commanded, that these judges should revoke their decision, at their next appearance in the west. The bishops and clergy, too, were commanded to republish these sports from the pulpit.* This took place on October 18th, 1633. The Bishop of Ely was ordered to refute the Treatise on the Sabbath by Theophilus Bradbourne.t Dr. Pocklington, and Peter Heylyn, chaplain to King Charles, took up their pen to controvert the divine authority of the Lord's-day. " It were endless,^^ remarks Mr. Prynne, " to go into more particulars ; how many hundred godly minis- ters, in this and other dioceses, have been suspended from the ministry, sequestered, driven from their livings, ex- communicated, prosecuted in the high commission, and forced to leave the kingdom for not publishing this decla- ration, is experimentally known to all men." The unhappy end of King Charles, and the trial and execution of Laud, left the Sabbath in undisturbed sway over the national mind, during the protectorate of Crom- * May, whose History of the Parliament is described by Bishop "Warburton as a work of " extraordinary good temper, good sense, and good spirit," and which the Earl of Chatham recommended as more honest than Clarendon's History of the Rebellion, says, "This attempt to put dowii Puritanism by setting up irreligion, instead of producing the intended effect, may credibly be thought to have been one motive to a stricter observance of that day. Many men who had before been loose and careless, began upon that occasion to enter into a more serious con- sideration of it, and were ashamed to be invited by the authority of churchmen, to that which themselves, at the best, could but have par- doned in themselves, as a matter of infirmity." — Vaughan's Hist, of the Stuarts, p. 282 (note). t Dr. Fred. White, " A Treatise on the Sabbath Day," London, 1636. HISTORICAL SURVEY OF THE SABBATH. 431 well.* That the Puritans erred in some respects, no sincere friend of the institution will deny ; but at the same time, it j must be remembered, that the prevalent idea of what a | Puritan Lord's- day was, has been handed down by their de- ; tractors, by worldly cavaliers, and popish instigators, who urged the Stuart kings to all their political and religious ex- cesses, with a view to demolish Protestantism, and re-impose the religion of Eome. The strongest evidence that, in the main principles advocated by the Puritan clergy, they held true and Scriptural views is, that gradually England, as a whole, adopted their theory, and, to a great extent, the succeeding race of bishops and clergy of the Established Church acquiesced in their opinions, and substantially adopted their Sabbath. This will be abundantly apparent in our next, and last section, of this chapter. X. In Scotland we have seen, how the Sabbath at once took a firm root in the hearts of the people ; and till the . rise of the railway companies, continued to be strictly and \ universally observed. Some of the banished clergy carried from England their views into Holland, and gave the Dutch their primitive Sabbath, which continues to be almost uni- j versally observed. Others emigrated to America; and, with the rise of the New England States, gave the New World a spiritual Sabbath, which also will be described in the next chapter. A glance at its observance in Eng- land, in recent times, will close our historical survey of this important institution. We shall select a few of the * In the Bristol Guide, it is stated that the observance in St. James's parish, a vestry was held in 1679, four persons were jvidged guilty of a most heinous crime, and were cited in the spiritual court for "pur- loining the Lord's-day, in travelling to Bath on foot, to the great dis- honour of Almighty God and true religion ; for which they confessed their sins in the said court, and paid twenty shillings for the use of the parish." 433 HISTORICAL SURVEY OF THE SABBATH. principal writers, whose talents or position exercised con- siderable influence upon their age, from the last quarter of the seventeenth century down to the present times ; and from their opinions illustrate the steady progress made by this institution, or the checks its observance received. Bishop Hopkins, who died in the year 1690, appeals to the passage in Gen. ii. 2, 3, as " an inscrutable testimony ^^ / to the high antiquity of the institution ; and observes I — that " the Sabbath is but one day younger than man, i ordained for him in the state of his uprightness and inno- l cence." In reference to its entire consecration, he re- \ marks : " for it is moral and rational that the whole of that day which is set apart for the worship of God, should be employed in his service .... for if a day be dedicated unto God, certainly every part and parcel of it belongs unto him, and we ought to rest from all our worldly employ- ments, that might steal away our thoughts and affections from God, or indispose us to his spiritual worship and service.-'^* Du. Henry More, who died in 1687, and was as emi- nent as a divine, as he was disinterested and universally beloved, urged its spiritual sanctification. " The ob- servance of every seventh day should be inviolable, not to be profaned by either secular employments or foolish pastimes; but spent in religious exercises, either public or private ; not as placing any sanctity in days, but in laying hold of so good an opportunity for the com- pleting the work of godliness in us, and meditating upon the infinite goodness of God in the mystery of creation, and redemption of mankind." t Dr. John Scott, the author of ''The Christian Life,'^ who died in the year 1694, after saying that "secular cares * ''Exposition of the Ten Commandments," pp. 209, 225. t Grand Mystery of Godliness. 13k. x. ch. xiv. § 15, p. 543. HISTORICAL SURVI^.Y OF THE SABBATH. 433 and diversions clioak the good instructions" imparted to men, speaks as folloAvs of the advantages of a well-spent Sabbath : — " If, I sslj, we would thus spend our Lord's- day, we should doubtless iind ourselves better men for it all the week after ; we should go into the world again with much better affections and stronger resolutions, with our graces more vigorous, and our bad inclinations more reduced and tamed ; and whereas the Jews were to gather manna enough on the sixth day, to feed their bodies on the en- suing Sabbath ; we should gather manna enough upon our Sabbath, to feed and strengthen our souls all the six days after." >i^ Dr. Littleton, who also died in the same year, says of the Sabbath, that, *^^if it were duly observed and kept with as much reverence as it ought, would have an influ- ence on the whole following week, and tend to keep at all times and places that awful regard for the majesty of God, in which the life of all piety consists. . . . We should parti- cularly pray to God that he would enable us, by his grace, to preserve an awful regard to his Sabbath ; however it is now prostituted and profaned by the management of our secular concerns, or by the no more innocent, though less censured, custom of employing it in idle and im.pertinent visits ; and thereby spending it in vain and unprofitable, if not wicked and uncharitable, discourse. " f Dr. Sharp, suspended by the ecclesiastical commission under James II., who took offence at the doctor's uncom- promising opposition to popery, died in the year 1713. Subsequently he was elevated to the archiepiscopal see of York. In one of the seven volumes of Sermons, published after his death, Dr. Sharp states truly : — " Those persons who make no conscience of observing the Lord's-day, as they rarely ever attain to a true sense of virtue and piety, * As quoted by Jephsou on the Sabbath. f Ibid. F F 434 HISTORICAL SURVEY OF THE SABBATH. SO most commonly they are given over to a reprobate mind, and do grow worse and worse/^ * Robert Nelson, in his " Companion for the Festivals and Fasts of the Church of England/' inculcates the prim- eval origin of the Sabbath, and states that the change of day was effected under the authority and example of the apostles. His instructions as to how the day is to be sanc- tified are correct and satisfactory. t Bishop BuriNET, who died in the following year, admits, in his remarks on the seventh article, all that is desirable. " Though it seems very clear, that here, (Gen. ii. 1 — 3,) a perpetual law was given the world for the separating the seventh day, yet it was a mere circumstance, and does not at all belong to the standing use of the law, in what end of the week this day was to be reckoned — whether the first or the last; so that even a less authority J than the apostles, and a less occasion than the resurrection of Christ, might have served to have transferred the day. There'' is "in this no breach made on the good and moral design of this law, which is all in it that we ought to reckon sacred and unalterable." § In the year 1719, died the celebrated Addison, who is the first laij author (not suspected of Puritanism) whose opinions had a salutary effect upon the sanctification of the Lord's-day. Of the general bearing of some of his num- bers of the Spectator, we have no need to speak; but No. 112, which is a pleasant piece of sarcasm on the Sunday * Sermons, voL iv. p. 322. t Pp. 14—23. X In this respect we thinlc tlie Bishop erred, and contrary to what he himself states in the following extract from the same paragraph : — " It appears that the observance of the seventh day is a very fit matter to be fixed by some sacred and perpetual law, and that from Xhejirst creatioyi ; " &c. Of course 7io less authority could repeal the observance of the par- ticular day. \ BurneVs ^xpos. of the Thirty-nine Articles, p. 104. HISTORICAL SURVEY OF THE SABBATH. 435 manners of the country gentleman, commences with this important acknowledgment : — " I am always well pleased with a country Sunday, and think, if keeping holy the seventh day were only a human institution, it would be the best method that could have been thought of for the polish- ing and civilizing of mankind/' From Dean Prideaux's ^' Connexion of the Old and New Testament,^' we have presented, in a former chapter, an important testimony to the value of a Sabbath. In his " Directions to Church Wardens/' * he states, " that it is their duty to see that all such times (of religious worship) be duly observed, especially the Lord's-day, which hath by God himself been consecrated to his worship from the beginning of the world," &c. Dr. Samuel Clarke, chaplain to Queen Anne, friend of Sir Isaac Newton, opponent of the great Leibnitz, the author of the " Being and Attributes of God,'' advocated a spiritual keeping of this day. His observations on the abuse of the Lord's-day are enlightened and scriptural. '' The extremes to be avoided are, on the one hand, (and which, in the present age, is by much the most usual and dangerous extreme,) that habit of spending great part of the Lord's-day in gaming, and in other loose and debauched practices, which has been encouraged by popery, and which has to numberless persons been the corruption of their principles and the entire ruin of their morals. On the other hand, an aflPected Judaical and Pharisaical precise- ness, usually proceeds from hypocrisy, or from a want of understanding rightly the true nature of religion." f * Section 12, p. 21. See also § 13. t Exposition of tlie Clnirch. Catecliism, p. 179. THs treatise was published after liis death ; and, considering that Dr. Clarke is suspected of Unitarian sentiments, the above view of the Sabbath shows the pro- gress the correct theory of the Lord's-day had mad^e. The same grati- 4S6 HISTORICAL SURVEY OF THE SABBATH. Dr. Jephson is the first systematic writer on the ques- tion on the Episcopalian side. His treatise, " A Discourse concerning the Religious Observance of the Lord's-day/' published 1738, was dedicated to Edward, Lord Bishop of Durham. Excepting that it is too diffuse, it is an admir- able work. Dr. Bound, the author, of *'De Sabbato veteris et novi Testamenti,^^ he styles " the most learned and judicious of all the Puritan writers," and the delin- quencies of Dr. Peter Heylyn are frequently exposed by him. His quotation from the Pastoral Letter of the Bishop of London for the time being,* in which scriptural senti- ments are broached, show how universal was the estimation in which the Lord^s-day was held. His approval, though qualified, of Dr. Bound's work, coupled with his censure of that by Heylyn, may be regarded as the culminating point in the Sabbath controversy. The progress up to this period of the correct theory is triumphant, but the next author we notice marks the epoch from which it begins to retro- grade. Who does not wish that the author of the glorious "Evidences of Christianity" had not adopted his dan- gerous theory of the principles of morality ? And what fying Tiew is seen in some of the writers of this age, whose connexion with the Pretender, and obvious leaning to Popery, might have converted them into the decided opponents of the scriptural notion of this institu- tion. Dr. Fiddes, for example, who died in 1725, in his Sermon xx. pp. 249—262, expatiates very correctly on the best method of keepmg this day, although he grounds the authority of the institution on eccle- siastical authority. And Atterbmy, who was chaplain in ordinary to Queen Anne, and eventually Bishop of Rochester, but died in exile in the year 1731, through the just offence he gave to George I., by his open acknowledgment of the Pretender's cause, speaking of the necessity of public and private devotion, observes — '* The Lord's-day particularly is a great opportunity of tliis kind, which can never be wholly neglected without indevotion or even without scandal," &c.— Sermons, vol. i. p. 352. * Jephson on the Lord's-day, p. 419. HISTORICAL SURVEY OF THE SABBATH. 437 friend of humanity and religion does not sympathize in the regret, that Paley should have revived the dreams of the Rabbinical writers, and republished the proleptical view of the passage in Genesis ? or that he seized hold of the erroneous sentiments of some of the Patristic writers, and the Reformers of the sixteenth century ? It had con- sumed three centuries, to sift the many principles involved in the keeping of the Sabbath of the Lord. By the close of the eighteenth century every point had been satisfac- torily determined, when the Archdeacon of Carlisle was permitted, by a mysterious Providence, to sap the very foundations of this all-important institution. There was, however, one aspect of the Sabbath which, though Luther caught a glimpse of it, and succeeding writers had sometimes broached the idea, had not been clearly perceived. This was the physiological effect of a seventh-day^s rest. That Paley has led many astray is matter of deep regret, but that his error, by re-opening the controversy, was overruled, to the discovery of all that is involved in the observance of the Lord^s-day, is a matter of thankfulness. Bishop Horsley died a year after Paley. In his volume of sermons he has rendered great service, by ex- posing the distinction between what is " moraP^ and what is ^^ positive ^^ in the commandments of God.* Thus an antidote to Paley ^s views, was given to the world by his contemporary, and superior in ecclesiastical dignity. But the following, though in one respect strictly true, still shows that the physiology of the Sabbath had not yet been discovered : — " that the assembly should recur every seventh rather than every sixth or every eighth day, no natural * For example : — " The particular sanctity of the rite in use, proceeds solely from our Lord's appointment," &c. — Sermons, vol. i. p. 442. Edit. 1824. The whole sermon is an admirable exposure of this vicious dis- tinction, by M'hich many have endeavoured to get rid of the fourth com- mandment. 438 HISTORICAL SURVEY OF THE SABBATH. sanctity of the seventh more than of the sixth or eighth persuades/^* Dr. Beilby Porteus, Bishop of London^ died two years after Horsley, the bishop of St. Asaph. In his tenth Lecture, which consists of an exposition of Matt, xii., there are many excellent remarks^ of which we quote the fol- lowing:— "There is no danger that we should carry the observance of our Sabbath too far, or that we should be too scrupulously nice in avoiding every, the minutest, infringement of the rest and sanctity of that holy day. The bent and tendency of the present times is too evidently to a contrary extreme, — to an excessive relaxation, instead of an excessive strictness, in the regard shown to the Lord^s- day.^^t Robert Raikes, though neither bishop nor doctor of divinity, may not be passed over in any history of the Sabbath. As the founder of Sunday-schools in Britain, he will ever be honoured as the author of a system, spread over the Protestant world, and contributing to the keeping holy of the Sabbath among the juvenile portions of the community. The Essays of Dr. Vicesimus Knox, which have afforded so much refined pleasure to the higher classes of society, include one on the "Amusements of Sunday." The admirers of a continental Sunday should listen to his gentle but dignified rebukes.]: The gifted and amiable Hannah More, whose last poetical effusion was on the " Sabbath-bell,'' diffused, in her " Strictures,'' the most * Sermons, vol. i. p. 441. It is to be regretted, however, tliat considerable acrimony against Nonconformists defaces the pages of this author. t Lectures, vol. i. Lect. x. pp. 283 — 297. See also his Sermons, vol. i. Serm. ix. pp. 201—220. X Essays Moral and Literary. Ess. 20. vol. i. p. 185, et seq. 13th Edit. HISTORICAL SURVEY OF THE SABBATH. 439 scriptural views. While the mothers of England, among the elite of society, should peruse this work,* who ought not to study the " Practical Christianity^' of the great William Wilberforce? His treatise on the Sabbath, is the first work on this important question, by a layman of the Church of England. The effect of his noble ad- vocacy among the senators of Great Britain, and his life as well as opinions upon his day and generation, who can estimate ? Dr. Samuel Johnson-'s effort upon his death- bed, to reform the Sunday manners of Sir Joshua Reynolds, has been before noticed; but the rules he drew out to guide his own conduct, would materially improve the character of literary men.f Dr. Thomas Scott, the great commentator, will close the list of this goodly company of witnesses to the import- ance of a well-spent Sabbath. In his Essays on the most important subjects in religion, will be found " a brief Ex- position of the Ten Commandments.'^ " The form of the fourth,'' he observes, " implies, that it had been previously known to Israel, though they were prone to forget it. * Strictures on the Modern System of Female Education, vol. i. pp. 1-31 — 138, contain good remarks on the method of teaching our daughters the right use of the Sunday hours. t Dr. Johnson, whose rules we subjoin, has communicated some wholesome truths in his witty manner. See the Batnble?-, vol. i. No. 30, or Works, vol. iv. p. 194 — 199, in which Simday is personified, and made to complain of the different treatment it has received at various times and by different individuals. His own guide is as follows : — I. That he would rise early on the Sabbath, and to that end would retire early on Saturday night, ii. That he would engage in some unusual devotion in the morning, iii. That he would examine the tenour of his life during the week that was past, and mark his advance in religion, or secession from it. iv. That he would read the Scriptures methodically, with such helps as were at hand. v. That he woidd go to church twice, vi. That he would read books of divinity, either speculative or practical, vii. That he would instruct his family; and, VIII. That he would wear off, by meditation, the worldly soil contracted during the week. 440 HISTORICAL SURVEY OF THE SABBATH. The separation of a portion of our time, to the immediate service of God, is doubtless of moral obligation ; for his glory, and our good, personal and social, temporal and eternal, are intimately connected with it; but the exact proportion, as well as the particular day, may be considered as of positive institution. Yet the proportion of one day in seven, seems to have been fixed by infinite wisdom, as most proper in every age of the w^orld ; though tlie change of the dispensation, after the resurrection of Christ, has occasioned an alteration of the day, and an addition to the topics, which call for peculiar commemoration and con- templation on this season of sacred rest."* We have thus extensively quoted from the works of Episcopalians, not only because of the intrinsic importance of their opinions historically viewed, but because some misconception on this point seems to exist, as indicated in the following extract from the Bibliotheca Sacra : — '^ It is * Essay iv. pp. 60, 61. 7th Edit. 1814. It were easy to extend this list, but it is sufficient to remark, that in the Episcopal church there have been three classes of divines, one holding the opinion, that the Sabbath was instituted in Paradise ; another, that it was instituted by the apostles after the abrogation of the Jewish Sabbath ; and a third, that it was left to the chiuxh to establish a day for religious observances. Now, it should be observed, that not one of these classes of divines favoured the desecration of the Lord's-day. For example, Tillotson, Atterbury, and Jortin, doubt the primeval origin of the Sabbath ; but, as an institution handed down from the times of the apostles, regard it as sacred as it is indispensable. Thus, Archbishop Tillotson com- plained, that '* the magistrates" were ** cold and slack in putting the good and wholesome laws aijtainst vice and impiety in execution ; as against the profanation of the Lord's-day, by secular business ; by vain sports and vain pastimes, which, by the very nature of them, are apt to dissolve the minds of men into mirth and pleasure . . . and to give the devil an advantage and an opportunity, which he never fails to take, to steal the good seed — the word of God, out of their hearts." — Works, vol. iii. p. 119. (Oct. edit.) Bishop Atterbury, in his " Representation of the State of Religion," in the year 1710-11, states, that " seldom hath greater vigilance been used by the civil magistrates to secure a religious IflSTOKICAL SURVEY OF THE SABBATH. 441 (jiiestionable, perhaps, whether the Chureh of England has ever acknowledged, heartily or universally, the divine authority of the holy Sabbath/^ The fact is, that the Puritan theory was unavoidably associated with political questions. On the principle of James I., ^ No bishop — no king,' it came to be felt by many, that a Sabbath not (/rounded on ecclesiastical authority^ would endanger the existence of Episcopacy. From this false position, the question of its origin was gradually removed ; and as the political associations died away, so Episcopalian prelates and clergymen more dispassionately studied the subject. In Dr. Alexander Jephson's work we discover the period, when this process was completed. With Peter Heylyn, popery, and the Book of Sports; with the unhappy Stuarts, unconstitutional government on the one hand, and repub- licanism on the other, passed away the opposition to a Puritan Lord's-day divested of extreme notions. With few exceptions, the leading men of all Evangelical de- nominations are now earnest advocates of the divine origin, authority, and sanctity of the Lord's-day. ^' The Christian Sabbath,'^ a goodly volume, composed of sixteen tracts, for observance of the Lord's-day ; nor hath it, among the meaner sort, proved unsuccessful. However, it hath not banished excess and luxury at such times from the tables of the great, nor hindered them from v/asting their sacred hours in vain amusements." — Letters, vol. ii. p. 362. In his Sermons, vol. i. pp. 351-2, he speaks of the neglect of the Lord's-day as leading to " indevotion and even scandal." Arch- deacon Jortin, having avowed his belief that the apostles " set aside the Lord's-day for the solemn worship of God," &c. observes : — " There is then, too much reason to suspect, that they who totally disregard this duty, have neither just notions of the gospel, nor a heart inclined to obey it ; and that a practical knowledge of Christian morality no more thvells with them, than in the dens of the savage." The Puritans he condemned as '• too rigorous and precise," but remarked, that " many are now disposed to the other and worse extreme — distinguishing it from other days only so far as to make it a day of idleness or diversion." — Sermons, vol. v. pp. 92, 93, and lOO. 3rd edit. \ 442 HISTORICAL SURVEY OF THE SABBATH. the times^ by leading men of the -Episcopalian Church, Congregationalists, Presbyterians, Baptists, and Wesleyans, is an interesting exponent of the sentiments of the age. And, perhaps, the most interesting, as it is assuredly the most remarkable phase ever assumed by the Sabbath ques- tion, is, that three prizes, offered for three best essays on the beneficial advantages of the institution, elicited, in less than three months, nearly a thousand manuscripts, by hard working men in the United Kingdom. Posterity will look back with unfeigned joy upon the crowded assembly in Exeter Hall, met to witness the presentation of prizes by the noble noble Earl Shaftesbury, to the successful candi- dates. While abroad, we hear of the Emperor of the French honouring a bull- fight at Bayonne, and the Emperor of all the Russias giving, at his coronation, a grand ball at Mos- cow on Sunday, it is with gratitude to the Lord of the Sabbath, that we recall the fact, that Her Britannic Majesty, and His Royal Highness Prince Albert, patronised the movement in which so many labouring men stood forth, as the champions of a Sabbath made for man. CHAPTEU XI. SABBATH OBSERVANCE, AND SUNDAY DESECRATION, IN EUROPE AND AMERICA. " Oh, Italy! thy Sabbaths will be soon Our Sabbaths, closed with mummery and buffoon. Preaching and pranks wdll share the motley scene, Ours parcell'd out as thine have ever been, — God's worship and the mountebank between." CowPER, Progress of Error. I. The chapters exhibitiug the Sabbath as, first, con- ducing to the spiritual and moral interests of a commu- nity ; and, secondly, as essential to the physical well-being of man and the animals that minister to his temporal wants, show the expediency of forming some proximate idea of the extent of Sabbath observance, and Sunday desecration, in the world. The subject, however, is so extensive, that excepting our own country, but a cursory view of the state of feeling in relation to this sacred and important institution, can be furnished in a work of limited size. From our survey, as a matter of course, all pagan and Mohammedan countries will be excluded. They have their festivals and holidays — and of these we have taken some notice in the chapter on the Physiology of the Sab- bath— but they constitute neither a hebdomadal rest, nor a means of elevating their moral and spiritual condition. For much the same reasons, we do not intend to enter into a particular description of a Sunday at Eome, Naples, 444 SABBATH OBSERVANCE, AND SUNDAY and in the towns of the whole of South America. All purely Catholic countries have no Sabbaths — their Sun- days are festival days — and, excepting an hour or two devoted to religious worship by a part of the Catholic population, the whole day is one of business or pleasure, or both. It will be sufficient, also, to describe a Sunday in Paris, in Berlin, in Vienna, in Moscow, in St. Petersburgh, &c., and to assume, that the description of the chief towns or cities is substantially applicable to the country generally. In commencing this review, we shall direct special attention to the state of Sabbath observance in England and Scot- land, and the Protestant states in Europe and America. In estimating the extent to which the Sabbath-day is desecrated, we can hope to arrive at but an approximation to the reality. Out of an English population of nearly eighteen millions, the census of 1851 reveals six millions as the number of those who, in form at least, pay regard to the Lord^s-day. We have, then, some twelve millions who do not even attend a place of worship. How many of the nation totally disregard its obligations, cannot be precisely determined. We shall, however, en- deavour to form some estimate, by building upon such data as Parliamentary and Police Returns, and those ob- tained by our Temperance Societies furnish. The number of trains running on the Sunday, the probable number of persons required to conduct the traffic ; the number of public-houses, publicans, visitors to these places of resort ; the general aspect of our parks, thoroughfares, pleasure- gardens ; the number of vehicles for hire in our large towns, and persons required to drive them ; the number of Sabbath-breaking classes whose characteristics have already been brought under attention, will enable us to form some opinion of the fearful extent of Sabbath desecration in the land, where, of all lands, the Sabbath is most honoured. DESECRATION^ IN EUROPE AND AMERICA. 445 Manchester and Edinburgh have been subjected^ by total abstainers from intoxicating drinks^ to an inquiry that will afford us a basis of calculation. The former city was divided into sixty -three districts, over which a general superintendent was appointed, a " captain ^^ to each district, and a band of total abstainers, whose employment was, on given days and hours, to watch every house licensed to sell intoxicating beverages. As tables of statistics are generally uninteresting, and yet necessary to show the data from which our conclusions are drawn, we adopt the plan of giving results here, and the tables in an appendix, to which the inquirer should refer as occasion requires. To prevent repetition, we pre- mise, that the six tables in question are included in Appen- dix II. at the end of this volume. From a glance at Table i., it will be seen, that every public-house in the city of Manchester had, on a given Sunday, an average of 166 visitors, and according to Table ii., that the average of ten Sundays to each house was 149. It is probable, that the same individuals entered their favourite resorts more than once on the same day. Assuming that three visits were paid by each, we shall have 55 according to the first, and nearly 50 according to the second of the tables, as the average number for Manchester. A reference to Table ill. will prove, that on the average more than 51 persons spend more or less of their time in the public-houses of Edinburgh, assuming, as before, three visits to each individual. We have, therefore, a slightly different result of these statistics, viz., 50, 51, and 55. To be within limits, we take 50 as the lowest figure to form our basis of calculation, in order to arrive at the average number of those, who frequent public-houses in the towns of England and Scotland. According to the '' Returns ^' obtained by Sir W. Moles- 446 SABBATH OBSERVANCE, AND SUNDAY worth, there are 132,689 licensed public-houses and beer- shops in the United Kingdom. This number, multiplied by 50, will give 6,634,450 as the number of persons who visit, on the Sundays, these demoralizing resorts of the populace. Alarming as this result appears, our data bear out the inference. As before stated, the mean average of attendance in places of worship, is about six millions in England and Wales ; and, therefore, the number of visitors to public-houses, in the United Kingdom, exceeds that of worshippers in England and Wales. * That we are warranted in assuming the above as a fair basis of an estimate, is perceived from the well-known facts, that Liverpool is more notorious than Manchester, and Glasgow than Edinburgh, for the drinking habits of their respective populations. In confirmation of this fact, we refer to Table iv., which gives the proportion of the popula- tion, of ten English towns apprehended by the police for drunkenness in the year 1852. In Table v., the proportion in eight towns of Scotland ; and in Table V]., that of nine towns in Ireland, we have presented to our view. A glance * In corroboration of this view, we refer to the evidence before the Committee of the House of Commons in 1853-4 ; from which it appears, that in Marylebone, London, (the population of which parish, in 1851, was 157,696,) the attendance on the night of the census was 17,805 ; but the attendance at public-houses between nine and eleven o'clock at night, was calciilated at 20,000 ; that is, about one out of every nine only were worshipping, whUe one out of every seven of the population were drinldng. " In Manchester, an inquiry, conducted with great care, extending over six successive Sundays, and including 159 spirit vatdts, 256 public-houses, 1,041 beer houses, gave, as the average number of visits on the Sundays to the 1,456 houses, 119,533 men, 70,478 women, and 22,232 children. The same person may have paid more than one visit to a house ; but if it be taken for granted, that every person paid three visits, still the number would be over 70,000, or between a fourth and a fifth of the entire population." — Epitome of Evidence, p. 26. The returns of 12 public and beer houses in Bolton, in 1854, show the num- bers of worsliippers afid drinkers to be about equal. DESECRATION, IN EUROPE AND AMERICA. 447 at Table iv. will show, tLiat in Liverpool the greatest number, and in Bradford the smallest number, of apprehensions occurred in one year. Now the average of the ten English towns being nearly one drunkard apprehended to 331 of the population, and that in Manchester being one in 401, it is plain, that the average is in favour of Manchester — the city we take as the basis of an estimate. Calcula- tions, founded upon its statistics of drunkenness are, there- fore, under the truth. From Table v. it will be seen, that in Edinburgh the proportion was one in 57, while the average of eight Scottish towns is about one in 40 of the population. Accordingly, to take Edinburgh as an example, is to take a too favourable view. In Table vi., the average of nine Irish towns, is shown to be a little more than one in 46, which gives a smaller number of apprehensions in Ireland as compared with Scotland, but a larger number as compared with England. In taking the statistics of Manchester, we, therefore, give a too favourable view of Sabbath profanation in one particular; and according to that view, more spend Sunday in drinking at the shrine of Bacchus, than in worshipping in the house of God. But again : the evidence drawn from widely -separated localities leads to the conviction, that the cases of drunken- ness on Saturday nights,* and on Sundays, exceed the total of the remainder of the week.f We cannot, there- * It is obvious, that those intoxicated an Saturday night, will continue in much the same state through the Sabbath day ; and, therefore, the cases occurring on the former day must be considered, as far as Sabbath profanation is concerned, as instances of Sunday desecration. t The foUomng, given in evidence before the Committee of the House of Commons in 1853-4, may suffice as proof of the above remark, Mr. Card had presided over a hundred meetings in a year, and heard work- ing men say, " that they can work very well without liquor, but cannot play well without it on Sundays, when the temptations are open to them." Again : more visit such houses, in his opinioii, on the Sunday, than on the six week days Isogether. Mr. Houghton, of Dul^Lin :-^ I 448 SABBATH OBSERVANCE, AND SUNDAY fore, greatly err, if we err at all, in taking it for granted, that half the number of apprehensions for the year, are the result of drinking on these two days. Now, estimating the population of England in 1852 as the same as in 1851, when the census was taken, which is near enough for our purpose, the proportion of one in 331, for England, will give us 51,000 drunkards out of 16,921,888 ; or 25,500 for Saturdays and Sundays throughout the year; or the average of 490 for every Sabbath-day. Out of 2,888,742 inhabitants of Scotland the proportion of one in 41 will give us 70,457 cases of drunkenness, or a little more than 35,000 for Saturday nights and Sundays ; or an average of 673 for each Sunday in the year. Out of some 6,500,000 inhabitants of Ireland, the proportion of one in 46 will give us 141,000 cases of drunkenness, or 70,000 for the same days of the week, or an average of 2,634 for each Sunday in the year. It must be kept in mind, that the above statistics refer, after all, to only the worst cases of drunkenness, which alone appear in our police returns. How many stagger home, or are led by their friends, we cannot ascertain. To close this section, we offer a summary view of Sabbath apprehend the consumption on Saturday night and Sunday night, is nearly as much as all the other days of the week together." Again : — " The Police Reports show, that the committals are much larger on Monday morning, than on any morning of the week." Mr. R. Wren, in reference to Merthyr Tydvil, spoke to the same effect. J. Everett, straw manufacturer, speaking of Luton, observed: — ;" Our Police have more to do on Siinday evening, than all the rest of the week." The Rev. J. I. Bayle : — " The proportion of cases taken into custody for drunkenness on the Sunday, exceeds the proportion on any other day of theweek." Mr. R. Glass, licensed victualler in Hackney Road, London : — ** I should say there is more drunkenness on Sunday, than any other day in the week, with the exception of from tea-time on Saturday till closing on Saturday night." The Rev. J. Clay, of Preston : — "I believe the greatest amount of drunkenness takes place on the Saturday night, and Sunday morning." DESECRATION IN EUROPE AND AMERICA. 449 desecration from the liquor traffic in England, Scotland, and Ireland. Publicans and assistants .... 398,067 Visitors to houses vending liquors . . . 6,634,450 Total 7,032,517 How appalling is the view thus afforded of Sabbath desecration, from one source of dissipation ! More than seven millions spending Sundays in ale houses and spirit vaults, while a little more than six millions and a half fre- quent the place of worship ! To vend liquors on the Sabbath is a peculiar privilege, unaccountably conceded to a class of the community. To expose for sale the necessaries of life, is subject to pains and penalties. To offer Bibles to purchasers, would shock the public sense of propriety ; but to retail what induces a "forsaking of the assemblies'^ of God's house, the abandonment of home, and the frequenting the lowest haunts of vice, is sanctioned by the legislature of the land. The Sabbath was designed, by closing the shop and creat- ing a general emancipation from labour, to afford mankind the opportunity of treading the courts of God's temple ; that, thus refreshed in mind, and physically invigorated, the labourer may renew his toil. But, as if instigated by the arch-enemy of souls, we endow, if we do not by our legislation create, a class in the community, with the pecuHar privilege of vending, by which they are virtually authorized to distract the populace, fill our streets with evening and midnight brawls; to dissipate the mind, demo- ralize the heart, enervate the body, impoverish the means of multitudes, incapacitating the inebriate from working on the Monday, and, in not a few oases, on the Tuesday also ; to empty our places of worship, and fill our jails ; to dishearten the preacher, and to overwhelm with occupation G G 450 SABBATH OBSERVANCE AND SUNDAY the magistrates on the Monday ! The state endows one class, to teach sobriety and economy ; and another, to in- duce extravagance and intemperance. The latter class, again, have personal interests necessarily at variance with public good. To thrive, it must demoralize. In propor- tion to the number of their customers, the nation must extend the police force. As they prosper, other tradesmen must be burdened with poor rates, police rates, our annual expenditure upon costly and colossal prisons, hulks, and penal establishments. To plead for the abstract prin- ciples of the Temperance Associations, is not within the scope of this essay. But it was incumbent upon us to expose, and solemnly denounce, this appalling source of Sabbath profanation. II. Sunday railway traffic. This species of Sabbath desecration has made rapid and alarming strides, since the introduction of the steam locomotive. The view given of the drinking practices in the previous Section, is more revolting, but less prejudicial to the permanency of the Sabbatic institution ; inasmuch as the train is more insidious in its encroachments, and is revolutionizing the habits of aU classes simultaneously, in a manner deemed unobjec- tionable by a large section of the community. The Post- office is intimately connected with the railway, in its influence upon the Lord^s-day. With the statistics of the irreligious press before us, we shall be struck with the. baneful effect upon the Sabbath of the combination of these two agencies. The cab and omnibus, as not only put in requisition more extensively by the train, but as an analo- gous form of desecration, should be taken into consideration in this Section. For similar reasons the statistics of steam- boat traffic on our rivers and upon the seas, and of inland navigation, will form a part of our review. In 1851, the following number of trains for the month DESECRATION IN EUROPE AND AMERICA. 451 of December, shows the amount of passenger traffic on Sabbath-days : — On Lines in England and Wales . . 10,789 Sunday trains. Scotland ....... 406* ,, Ireland 550 „ Total . . 11,745 On eight English, and twenty-one Scotch lines, no trains were allowed to run on the Sabbath — an exception in favour of Sabbath observance not shown by the list for Wales and Ireland. A staff, of sixty thousand servants, was employed by all these lines, t That all were engaged on the Lord's-day is not asserted. But that the great majority are in service on each seventh day of rest to others, is undeniable. J The Post-office has in its employ 21,000 persons, § of which 15,000 are under the direct influence of the Post- master-General. Though, under comparatively recent regulations, considerable reduction has been effected in the * Including, it seems, certain lines acting in concert with English lines. t Now the number employed by the North-Western Company alone exceeds 11,000. X The following extract from a memorial presented to the Directors of the Great- Western Company, by the Clergy at Swindon, will convey some idea of their hardships : — *' It appears, from inquiries which have been made, that at each station, and along the line of rail- way, a very considerable number of men are so constantly engaged during the Sunday, in their secular duties connected with the railway, that they are entirely precluded from attending divine service ; and as an instance of the correctness of this statement, we find that at Swindon and its immediate vicinity eleven switchmen are at liberty only two Sundays in three months ; nine police constables have only one Sunday in seven to themselves ; nineteen porters have only one Sunday in four to themselves; fourteen policemen, on beat between Swindon and Wantage road, never have a Sunday at liberty.'" — Statistics and Facts, p. 58. § The groimd travelled over is estimated at 20,000 miles by train, and 4,000 by mail-carts, &c. 452 SABBATH OBSERVANCE AND SUNDAY amount of Sunday occupation, yet it is well known, that in the various departments the labour on the day of rest is severe. The rural letter-carrier has, in some cases, a round of sixteen, seventeen, or eighteen miles to travel on all days of the week. The heaviest item in the weight of the letter -hag, consists of newspapers, the perusal of which is the favourite pastime of multitudes. The London weekly papers, published on Friday and Saturday evenings, issue a second edition, and are circulated for the convenience of those classes, who have not either the means or the opportunity of reading news daily, and who, therefore, occupy Sunday hours in their perusal. Judging of their circulation by the number of stamps issued in 1850, it is calculated that more than 18 million copies are intended for Sunday reading, which was, in 1851, about one-fifth of the entire circulation of newspapers in the United Kingdom. These 18 millions must have a pro- portionate number of readers. But this is not all. Their transmission and delivery require the Sunday train, and Sunday postal communication. And, again, the papers issued on the Monday entail a large amount of Sunday occupation. A newspaper, edited by a Christian gentleman, and con- ducted on principles of morality, contains so miscellaneous an assortment of matter, that it can never become a part of Sabbath-reading without defeating the end of the institu- tion. AVhat must be the effect of such papers as are issued expressly for Sabbath-desecrating classes ? We need not name the organs of news intended for Sunday leisure, to convince the Christian public, that their necessary conse- quence, if not their avowed intention, is to dethrone the Lord's-day, " By which worse plagues than Pharaoh's land befell, Diffused, make earth the vestibule of hell." DESECRATION IN EUROPE AND AMERICA. 453 It is chiefly for their circulation, that postal communi- cations must not suflfer from Sabbath restraints. It is partly for the convenience of the post, that the Sunday mail-train must run to and fro. The needlessness and the iniquity of Sunday traffic on the railway are thus rendered apparent. The number of men engaged in driving the cab, and plying the omnibus, is seen from the following statistics for October, 1851 :— Omnibus drivers 1,907 ,, conductors 2,137 ,, watermen 350 ,, supernumeraries 2,000 „ horse-keepers 3,000 Licensed cab-drivers* 6,741 Total . . . 16,135 Their character and privations we have described in a former chapter, and, therefore, pass on to the statistics of river steamers, and boats on our canals and navigable rivers. It appears, that eighty steamboats ply on the Thames alone, without intermission, on the seven days of the week. About 500 persons are engaged in this traffic. On Sunday, July 12th, 1849, the number of passengers between London- bridge and Chelsea was estimated at 324,000. The character of those who avail themselves of this Sunday accommodation is, in all probability, identical with that of the class who occupy seats in our omnibuses and railway-carriage, seeking recreation, or pursuing their business. On the more than 4,000 miles of inland navigation in the United Kingdom, about 100,000 persons are engaged, and the vast majority of these scarcely know the existence * In 1852, including licensed watermen. 454 SABBATH OBSERVANCE AND SUNDAY of a Sabbath.* Their spiritual degradation answers to their spirtual destitution. III. The aspect of English towns on the Sabbath-day- is one of the most striking of novelties to the foreigner ; and, it would appear, a source of considerable annoyance. " One of the features,^' says Merle d'Aubigne, " which completely brings out the character of British Christianity, is the observance of the Lord^s-day. ... It is the custom of continental travellers, even of Christian ones, to com- plain loudly of the servile and exaggerated observance of the day of rest in Britain, and of all the annoyance it causes them ;'' however, " this submission of a whole people to the law of God is something very impressive ; and is probably the most incontestable source of the many bless- ings that have been showered on the nation. ^^ f It would be a source of unmingled pleasure to us, if we were not compelled to qualify some of the expressions in the above passage. This " submission to the law of the Sabbath" is not, alas! by the "whole people" of Britain; although it exists to such an extent as to impress the sojourner, who judges necessarily from the general aspect of our towns and villages. From returns obtained by the London City Mission, it appears that within its sphere, comprising about half of the metropolis, 14,103 shops were open on Sundays — the 11th and 18th of January, the 18th of February, and one Sunday in October of 1852. J We may assume, then, that about 28,000 shops were transacting business on the day of rest. Were these placed contiguous to one another. * Our authority for the above is the work on •' Statistics and Facts in reference to the Lord's-day." By J. T. Baylee, B.A. t Germany, England, and Scotland, p. 105. X Annual Eeport of the London City Mission, for 1852. DESECRATION IN EUROPE AND AMERICA. 455 instead of being scattered over the metropolis^ it has been calculated that we should have some sixty miles of streets^ with every shop open for Sunday trade.* While here and there a half-closed shop may be noticed throughout the great city, we find particular districts as busy as on the week-days, and some converted into perfect Sunday markets. The district indicated by \Yaterloo and Westminster Bridges the New Cut in Lambeth, Lower Marsh and Upper Marsh ; Union-street in the Borough ; Vauxhall-walk, Broad- street, High-street; and Bermond- sey, on the Surrey side of the river ; Spitalfields, White- chapel, Mile-end, Cambridge -road, Bethnal-green, Shore- ditch and neighbourhood, and Stepney ; the district com- prised within Chiswell-street, Barbican, Whitecross-street, and Old-street-road, Somers-town, Leather-lane, and Islington ; may be instanced, with Houndsditch, as notorious for Sunday trading. All of these are either inhabited by the lower classes of the community ; or resorted to as Sunday markets by those whose disregard of the Sabbath, or receipt of wages late on the Saturday night, induce to purchase on the Sabbath. In the poorer neighbourhoods shopkeepers make no secret of the fact, that a larger amount of business is done on the Sunday than on any other day of the week. According to the statements of some of them, their receipts on this day average more than the proceeds of the rest of the week. Islington, through the preparations being made for the Monday cattle-market, till lately held in Smithfield, was described by one of the witnesses before the Committee of the House of Commons on Sunday trading, as a ^^hell upon earth ^^ on Sunday evenings; and, according to an- other, Houndsditch is crowded by a mass of some ten or * The aggregate length, of our metropolitan streets is computed at about 3,000 miles. Some 12 miles of street are added annually. 456 SABBATH OBSERVANCE AND SUNDAY twenty thousand customers or idlers. In this quarter Jeivs abound. Of the 209^537 licensed tobacconists in 1848, who must employ some 200,000 assistants, and whose business is most productive on the Sunday, about 1000 are scattered about the streets of London. In addition to their peculiar trade in snuff and cigars, a considerable amount of traffic is carried on in newspapers and publications, of a very low order of morality. In some quarters, as already remarked, regular markets are held on this day of rest and worship. There are some half-dozen such Sunday markets in London. In White- cross-street, one of the busiest marts will be found by the inquirer. Out of some 160 shops in this street, 131 were counted by one of the witnesses examined before the House of Commons. That necessity is not the sole plea of the customers, a few minutes^ observation will convince a spec- tator. In addition to the shops opened by butchers, bakers, grocers, general provision dealers, and green-grocers, we have those of drapers, slop-sellers, milliners, hosiers, ironmongers, furniture brokers, curriers, and leather- sellers; while the street is crowded with stalls, hawkers of trin- kets, popular confectionery, and juvenile vendors of matches, blacking, &c. On our way to the markets in Whitecross-street and Leather-lane * — these Sunday marts are about a mile apart — the cries of water-cresses were strangely mingled with the * Our attention was drawn to these markets by an article on " Sunday Trading," in C7ia?«6er«'s Edinburgh Journal (vol. xiii. p. 345, N.S.) which, indticed us to pay a visit to the metropolis, for the express purpose of giving our own observations. The above accoxmt is the result. The second and third paragraphs in the following Section contain an abstract of two articles in the same work, with such alterations as were suLTgested by personal observation of the scenes described. One of these articles is on " Sports" in London, p. 262 ; and the other on "London Irom the Viaducts," p. 283, vol. xvi. New Series. DESECRATION IN EUROPE AND AMERICA. 457 eight o^clock bell. Here aud there a shop was open, and a solitary cab was slowly moving on. In the market in Whitecross-street the first purchasers we saw were, appa- rently, the veriest poor, with bits of meat or a pair of dried haddocks rolled up in paper and carried in the hand, or small quantities of onions, sprigs of mint, potatoes, and cabbages in the aprons of the women, who, without excep- tion, looked filthy, with unlaced boots falling to pieces. From half-past nine to eleven the crowd is so great, that one can with difficulty pass along. On each side of the street, on the borders of the pathway, men, women, and children stood with baskets, trays of wood or wicker-work, laden mth various articles, such as packets of blacking, green-grocery, artificial flowers, Sunday papers, penny slates, pocket or memorandum books, china ornaments, rolls of boot-laces, &c. The police, of whom five are stationed in Whitecross-street market, and the same number in Leather- lane, do not allow the vendors to lay down their trays and baskets. We saw a large cage full of larks for sale. The loud cries of the salesmen, women, and boys, mingling with the bells of neighbouring churches, and the wretched ap- pearance of the people, made a singularly strange and painful impression upon one who, till within a year or two, was in perfect ignorance that such markets were tolerated in the metropolis. In Leather-lane we were struck with the greater number of costermongers — and foreigners, chiefly Italians — with a much larger number of rabbits (professedly so !) sixpence and eightpence a-piece. As the bell is collecting worshippers at St. Luke^s or Barbican Chapel, the shutters are partly put up ; the shops are now crowded with late customers, who are expediting their purchases. During service hours, business is con- fined within half-closed shops, which are now crowded to excess, till within twelve and one o'clock. In the street, 458 SABBATH OBSERVANCE AND SUNDAY however, numbers are seen walking with dishes loaded with joints of meat, potatoes, or pies, to their respective bake- houses. About the time that the "respectable,^^ with bible, prayer, or hymn-book, are returning home, the shops begin to send out their last customers with bundles and baskets of goods. Such is the Sunday desecration, in par- ticular quarters of the city, that impresses continental travellers with its "puritanic^' observance of the Lord^s- dav. Were these practices general, and had we the mis- fortune to add to our list of particulars, the open theatres, museums, and street buffoonery which we shall have to notice in describing continental Sabbath-day scenes, Eng- land would truly fall from its proud pre-eminence. In our large provincial towns, such markets are not tole- rated— and our villages are not thus disturbed on the Lord's-day. But in the lowest parts of our sea-ports, a vast amount of Sunday trading, street lounging, and dis- sipation may be observed.* In towns such as Norwich, Brighton, and Bath, shops are opened on the Sunday to a greater extent than generally imagined. In Bath 117 shops, open between 8 a. m. and 1 p. m., have been counted on one Sabbath-day ; in Brighton 705, exclusive of public- houses of every description ; and in Norwich returns from twelve persons in the employment of the London " Lord's- day Society," showed the following number and descrip- tion of shops transacting business on the day of rest : — Bakers, 13; fishmongers, 21 ; grocers, 36; green -grocers, 158; meat-shops, 55; tobacconists, 11; general dealers, * In Ramsgate, the authorities prohibit the hire of vehicles, which are not allowed to ply in the town, or on the beach, on Sundays. No steamer from London brings Sabbath-breakers to the pier, as is the case at Margate. Pedestrians, however, crowd upon the beach in their gayest attire, and make excursions to the neighbourhood. There are six Simday trains running to and fro between London and Margate and Ranisgate ; according to Bradshaw's Guide for June, 1855. DESECRATION IN EUROPE AND AMERICA. 459 60; publicans, 208— total, 562; criers of goods for sale, 12; hawkers, 23 — total, 35.* In the ten districts occupied by the Birmingham Town Mission, 585 Sunday trading shops were found open by its agents. Though the dis- tricts constitute the lowest parts of the town, they contain a very small portion of the population. IV. Sabbath desecration is, however, not confined to Sunday trading. While the upper classes are seeking pleasure in our parks — as the recent disturbances in Hyde Park disclosed in a very singular manner — or in Sunday visits and dinner-parties, a part of our middle classes are strolling quietly, wherever fresh air or green fields may be had; our lower classes are, in part, seated in crowded hired vehicles, pleasure-vans, and excursion-trains, or steam-boats, on their way to the suburbs, or rural villages and watering-places; and, in part, in our public-houses, bowling-greens, and tea-gardens. This species of disregard for the Sabbath is by no means confined to the metropolis — every town and village in England presents similar scenes to the observer. In a previous Section we have estimated the amount of dissipation, through drinking practices and Sunday travelling. We need now, therefore, simply conclude with an observation of the sports of the populace in, and about, London. In low neighbourhoods, such as Shoreditch, Whitechapel, Spitalfields, Lambeth, &c., the murky windows, with broken panes patched with paper, or stuffed with rags, will be found darkened till late in the day with torn, musty blinds — a proof that the toil-worn weaver, or mechanic, is spending the first part of the Sabbath in unhealthy sleep. Some, at length, are seen at the corners of the streets in rough conversation, others creeping through trap-doors on to the roof, or leaning against chimney-stacks, occupied in * Statistics and Facts, pp. 117, 118. 460 SABBATH OBSERVANCE AND SUNDAY watching their pigeons tumbling in the air. From a car- riage on the Blackwall or Eastern Counties Railway^ may be seen an occasional public-house with flat roof, on which numbers are smoking and drinking ; while later in the day, every considerable gin-palace, somewhat out of the heart of the city, has a space of ground with poplars intended to shade the benches crowded with persons of both sexes — adult and juvenile — some in their Sunday finery, enjoying their glass or pipe. Those of a more adventurous turn of mind, fond of excitement and of sporting habits, are strolling to the Hackney marshes, to revel in dog-fights, cock-fights, badger- baiting, gambling, or "the ring.^^ In the filthy purlieus of Whitechapel such disgraceful proceedings may be wit- nessed, despite the vigilance of the Society for the Sup- pression of Cruelty to Animals. In some retired field in Highgate, or in the Hackney marshes, pigeon-shooting is a favourite practice. The banks of the Surrey and Grand Junction Canals, and the New River, are dotted with juvenile anglers. While the docks, occupied with grain- laden vessels, which attract the barbel, and others of the finny tribes ; the River Lea, and the banks of the Thames from Putney to beyond Kingston, are occupied by more expert and professed sportsmen. A great number of punts are hired out for the Sunday's sport on the Thames ; while well-made, fast boats are racing on the Lea, or are secured under some shady bank known to be the resort of fishes. On the numerous brick-fields in London or neigh- bourhood, as at Ilford, or Stratford, and Bow, are seen the sportsmen with dog and gun in quest of wagtails and hapless sparrows. And what is perhaps the most singular and inexplicable spectacle, numbers find sport in killing enormous rats under the wharves lining the Thames, while the tide is down, or at the mouth of disgusting sewers ! DESECRATION IN EUROPE AND AMERICA. 461 In all our large towns persons of the class seek amuse- ment of much the same description, modified only by local peculiarities. Almost every town has its '^ VauxhalP^ and tea-gardens, and resorts corresponding to the Kew -gardens, Hampton Court, Greenwich, Woolwich, and Gravesend, to which the citizens of London betake themselves. In inland towns, the excursion-trains take the place of the steam-boat to Margate and Ramsgate. Perhaps from no town do so many excursion-trains convey pleasure- seekers as from Birmingham ; although trains avowedly of such a character are confined to week-days. The disregard of the Lord's-day in the metropolis may be seen, in a pro- portionably less degree, in every large provincial town in England. V. The aspect of the Sabbath in Wales is that presented by the Lord's-day in Scotland some fifty years ago. Its observance is strict and universal, as far as the Welsh popu- lation is concerned ; but where laxity is observed, it is either in those parts of the Principality where immense coal, iron, copper, and lead works have rapidly sprung into existence, causing an influx of miners, or labourers from neighbouring English counties, or where English residents are more numerous. As a rale, with the prevalence of the English language will be found the prevalence of the same disregard, as is seen in our large towns, and in our manu- facturing districts — those going into Wales in search of employment being generally of that class whose emigration, regarded from a religious point of view, is no loss to England, and whose immigration is no boon to the Prin- cipality. With such exceptions the Sabbath observance, as seen by a stranger, is of a strict description. Business is universally suspended; shops are everywhere closed; Sunday markets are unknown ; the public-house and inns being the only places where traffic is either desired, or per- 462 SABBATH OBSERVANCE AND SUNDAY mitted. In some parts, however, as in Glamorganshire, even publicans partly suspend the sale of liquor, while a few cannot be tempted to retail intoxicating drinks on any pretence. Travelling is to a great extent restricted. On public notices of coaches, omnibuses, or steamboats, exception is always made as to the Sunday; and where the rail is in operation but one or two trains run. Still here, as in Great Britain generally, the deteriorating influence of rail- ways is matter of complaint and apprehension. At present, however, the Welsh, as a people, are in favour of Sunday restrictions on both postal and railway communication.* South Wales is, with wonderful rapidity, becoming mining, manufacturing, and commercial in character; and here, less than in North Wales, is jealousy of the post and the train manifested. The great majority of the native population attend places of worship, which abound in the towns. The parish church is, in general, unpopular ; partly, because the service is con- ducted in English ; and, partly, because of its connexion with the State. But the chapels of various denominations are crowded, especially in the evenings of the Lord^s-day. Systematic neglect of public worship, is regarded as characteristic of the lowest of the low. Among the ''chapel-going'^ people. Sabbath observance is of the strictest description, extending to the dressing of food on the Lord's-day. In some families, guests or visitors, as well as servants, are constrained to conform to the rules of the household. As with us, the middle or trading classes sanctify the Lord's-day to a greater degree than the gentry or the industrial population. The land -proprietor attends * During th.e suspension of postal delivery some time ago, very few petitions for the renewal of traffic emanated from Wales, and those few- were *' got up " chiefly by English residents. DESECRATION IN EUROPE AND AMERICA. 463 divine service as a matter of course in the morning, spends his afternoon with his land-agent, or steward, and passes his evening in entertaining visitors. But, excepting the dregs of society, the lower classes show a marked supe- riority to our town, and even rural population, in some of our villages. Open immorality is nowhere indulged in, except it be in the iron and coal districts near Swansea, Cardiff, and Merthyr Tydfil, and in the mining districts in the north of Flintshire. Places of amusement are not tolerated. Before the Revival, at the rise of Methodism in England, Sabbath desecration prevailed extensively; but the improvement then effected has been generally sus- tained. Village sports, allowed thirty or forty years ago, in some parts, have gradually disappeared. A "vanity fair^^ held on successive Sundays in certain villages, in rotation, in Radnorshire, has been of late discontinued. While the growth of large towns in England has been accompanied by the rise of classes in the community alto- gether unknown to our forefathers, the town population in the Principality has, excepting that of a few such towns as Swansea and Cardiff, retained its former character, and pre- sents, religiously viewed, no contrast to the rural population. The difference in their respective habits arises solely from the greater opportunities and larger number of places of worship in the town than in the village, or, on the con- trary, greater temptations in the one than in the other. On the whole, therefore, the Sabbath in Wales is more honoured than in any other country in the world. VI. The strenuous, and, to some extent, successful, oppo- sition offered by the people of Scotland to railway innova- tions upon Sabbath observance, upholds their well-earned reputation of being a strictly Sabbath-keeping nation. Even during periods of cold formality, a rigid external observance, combined with all but universal attendance 464 SABBATH OBSERVANCE AND SUNDAY on public worship, and a very general prevalence of house- hold devotions, have diffused a high opinion of their national piety. Their cast of mind, seen in the love of doctrinal pulpit instruction, in their preference of solid literature, in their reading habits, freedom and independ- ence of thought, has unquestionably been moulded, if not originated, by their habits on the Lord^s-day. Simultaneously,however, with the inroads upon its sanctity made by Sunday -trains, a relaxation has become perceptible. In all the large towns — as Dundee, for example— public reading-rooms are crowded with the commercial and profes- sional classes, who glance over the columns of the newspaper, or the pages of their periodical literature. While by such the Sabbath evenings are passed in quiet and unobtrusive misuse of the Lord's-day, the lower classes carouse them- selves, as shown in a previous Section, in the low haunts of intemperance. The visitor, too, may observe streams of well-clad people perambulating the streets and suburbs of such towns as Edinburgh and Glasgow, between the hours of service. Notwithstanding these symptoms of degeneracy, some Englishmen in Scotland feel the rigours of a Sunday in the same degree, of which the visitor from the Continent complains, when in England. VII. Crossing the Channel, we find in Ireland a Sabbath that partakes the characteristics neither of a Protestant Lord^s-day, nor of a Popish fete-day on the continent. Public offices are closed, business and trade are generally suspended, as prohibited by law. Trade is confined to the sale of fruits and liquors ; the former being hawked about here and there, and the latter retailed in public-houses and whiskey-shops, which are legally open from two o'clock till nine on the Sunday evening. As whiskey is vended also in grocers' shops, trade is partially conducted by their owners; and in some parts of Dublin, other shops are DESECRATION IN EUROPE AND AMERICA. 465 accessible to customers^ during certain hours of the dav. Still, as the majority of the people are Catholics, the Irish Sunday is a holidaj^, though marked by less gaiety and dissipation, and more religious observance, than the Popish Sunday on the Continent. Mass is almost universally attended, not simply by females, as is extensively the case at Paris, but by the whole Catholic population. After the morning mass, the whole community devote themselves to pleasure, but pleasure of a more innocent character than on the Continent, and less objectionable than even that pursued by the lower classes of our large English towns. If religion does not sway the English, they are under no other restraint ; but in Ireland superstition holds the minds of the people. Hence, if the Sunday-afternoon holiday proves, that the inhabitant has no spiritual ideas of the sanctity of the Lord^s-day, the universal attendance on inass, demonstrates, that a part of the day is superstitiously observed. As a people, the Irish have hitherto abstained from travelhng on Sunday,* but under the influence of cheap trains, a change, in this respect, is taking place in the districts through which pass the principal lines of rail- way. The extraordinary success of Father Mathew mate- rially diminished Sunday drunkenness, — an improvement still partially sustained by a successor to that Apostle of Temperance, and by the encouragement given by the priesthood to teetotal societies. Among Protestants, the Sabbath is better observed in this respect, that while Papists devote the latter part of the * Mr. Bianconi, the great Irish, car proprietor, read a paper at the meeting of the British Association at Cork, in August, 1843, in which we find the following statement : — His " establishment does not travel on Sundays, unless in connexion with the Post Office, or canals, for the following reasons : first, the Irish being a religious people, will not travel on Sundays," &c. H H 466 SABBATH OBSERVANCE AND SUNDAY day to recreation, the Protestant regards the whole day as dedicated to public or private religious exercises, or to an employment of its hours in a manner compatible with its sacred character. Among Presbyterians, who predominate in the north of Ireland, public services are, as a rule, con- fined to the forenoon, the morning service being succeeded, at a short interval, by the second service of the day. The evenings are spent at home, variously, according to the degree in which religion is a profession, or a reality, in different families. Although in Presbyterian Ireland the Sabbath, in appearance, is what it is in Scotland, yet Sunday desecration exists even among Protestants, as will be seen from the following extract from Archbishop Whately^s address to his clergy : — " In every part of the city (Dublin), houses of public entertainment are kept open, despite of the constituted authorities ; and it is observed by all, that more vice is exhibited on Sunday, than on any other day of the week. Drunkenness and blasphemy are substituted for the observances of religion ; the old become hardened in profligacy and contempt of the laws, and the young are drawn away and seduced to their own destruction, by an accumulation of pernicious influences. ^^ Since the date of this complaint (June, 1845), efforts have been successfully made, by both the Protestant clergy and the Catholic priest, to mitigate in character, and diminish in extent, the dese- cration of the Lord^s-day in Ireland. YIII. North and South America have taken their religious, as well as their political, institutions from those European states, which sent forth their first colonists. The Puritan, in establishing a colony, engrafted a Puritan Lord^s- day upon the New England States; and the Papist, in conquering the people of South America, introduced a Popish holiday. The Convention of 1787, in framing the federal constitution, recognised the Sabbath as a day of DESECRATION IN EUROPE AND AMERICA. 467 rest and worship ; * hence the statute law, as well as the common law, of almost every one of the United States, guards the sanctity of the Sabbath, and insures to all sects, indiscriminately, the undisturbed observance of the Lord^s- day.f The violation of these laws is, sometimes, a ground of complaint, and they have not been invariably enforced by the magistrate. In places of transit, or great thorough- fares, much desecration exists, J to counteract which Sabbath Defence Associations have been formed. By the circulation of tracts, and procuring pulpit notice of the growing evil, these societies have, in some cases, diminished, and, in others, entirely suppressed it.§ Some twenty years ago, the Congress was petitioned in favour of a dis- continuance of all postal communications, but without success. Later efforts have so far triumphed, that on eight thousand miles of road, the Sunday mail has ceased to run. '^ Whilst there is still too much violation of the sacred day, in the suburbs and neighbourhood of our large cities, it is pleasant," remarks Dr. Baird, "to see, that the streets of none of them (so far as I know, unless it be New Orleans) are disturbed by the rumbling of omnibuses. Through one of the main streets of New York, the passenger- trains on a railroad, drawn by horses, are permitted to run on the Sabbath. Even this, though there is but little noise, is considered a nuisance, as well as a violation of the sacred * Article i. § 7 ; referred to by Dr. Baird, in his "Religion in the United States," p. 261. f Ibid. pp. 274, 282. X In the Sunday School Teacher, Mr. Todd thus bewails the preva- lence of Sabbath profanation ; — " Should the work of prostration go on for the coming twenty years, as it has done for the last twenty, I know not where we should be. And it is going on, unchecked, unre- buked, and almost uadeplored. You may be so situated, in some retired, sweet spot, that you do not feel it. Yours may be the last spot where the work of moral desolation shall be done, but it will reach even that spot," p. 169. Sychelmore's Edition. § Baird' s Religion in the United States, p. 395. 468 SABBATH OBSERVANCE AND SUNDAY day There is not a car running on any of the rail- roads in New England, I believe, on the Sabbath ; nor is the mail carried there on that day. A similar change is going on in the middle and other states/^ * In, perhaps, no other country, if we except Wales and Scotland, is so little work done as in the United States, on the Lord's-day. All public business is suspended, except in extreme cases. The Custom-houses and public offices are closed, and Congress adjourns till Monday. When the session is protracted, through a press of engage- ments, to a late hour on the Saturday, the consequent encroachment upon the early hours of the Sabbath is censured by even some of the more secular journals.f Even in the Southern States, the slaves have respite on the seventh day, it being a rare thing for the negro to be com- pelled to work on the Sabbath, especially in those portions of the South where Christianity prevails. The restless and enterprising turn of the American mind is, on the Sabbath, diverted from business and politics to religion. Those of no evangelical convictions will attend lectures on theism and infidelity, rather than consume the day in list- lessness.J Thus the classes which, on the Continent, or even in England, would abandon themselves to frivolity and dissipation, in America occupy their Sunday leisure in discussing, or in hearing lectures on religious topics. For the support of An ti- Christian or unevangelical preachers, associations are formed, which exist for a time, to be suc- ceeded by others more or less orthodox. § As Scotland, and the New England States, rival one another in their mode and extent of observance, so there is * Baird's Progress and Prospects of Christianity in the United States, pp. 28, 29. t Ibid. p. 262. I Ibid. p. 655. § Ibid. p. 656. DESECRATION IN EUROPE AND AMERICA. 469 a striking resemblance between their mental features, induced by a similar regard for the Lord's-day. " That style of abstract theologizing, prevailing in New England and Scotland, which," writes Mrs. Stowe, ^' has grown out of Sabbath sermonizing, has been an incalculable addition to the strength and self-controlling power of the people. K/ide through France, and you see the labourer in his wooden shoes, with scarce a thought beyond his daily toil. His Sunday is a fete for dancing and recreation. Go through New England, and you will find the labourer, as he lays his stone fence, discussing the consistency of fore- ordination with free-will, or, perchance, settling some more practical mooted point in politics. On Sunday, this labourer gets up his wagon, and takes his family to church, to hear two or three sermons, in each of which there are more elements of mental discipline, than a French peasant gets in a whole life-time. It is a shallow view of theolo- gical training to ask, of what practical use are its meta- physical problems? Of what practical value to most students is geometry? On the whole, I think, it is the Puritan idea of the Sabbath, as it prevails in New England, that is one great source of that individual strength and self-control, which have supported, so far, our democratic institutions."* It is certainly creditable to the piety of the people, that, notwithstanding the constant influx of immigrants, composed chiefly of a class either cherishing no regard for the institution, as is the case with most of the English and the Irish emigrants, or unaccustomed alto- gether to a Scriptural Sabbath, as with the German and other continental adventurers, the sanctity of the Lord's- day is, to so great an extent, maintained throughout the States. It was the influence of English shareholders, * Sunny Memories, pp. 526, 7. 470 SABBATH OBSERVANCE AND SUNDAY that forced the Sunday trains upon Scotland ; it is the baneful example of tourists among the lakes, and in the Highlands of Scotland, that has gradually undermined, to some extent, the Sabbath habits of North Britain ; and it is the Englishman in Wales, that, with his language, is introducing Sunday dissipation into the Principality. There is something hopeful, therefore, in the condition of society in America, that has resisted the corrupting power of the hundreds of thousands of annual strangers flowing into that country; and induced them, more or less, to acquiesce in novel, and to them necessarily annoying, restric- tions of a Sabbath-day. As we proceed southwards, the strictness of manners melts away ; and at New Orleans, the capital of the Slave States, the Sunday assumes some of the characteristics of a continental holiday. Although the Protestant churches are crowded to excess in, what are termed, the New or the American sections of the city, the masses of the people devote their Sunday hours to public amusements of every description. " Soldiers and fire-companies parade the streets in the morning ; and the ^ Levee' is then most crowded, on account of the departure of steamboats for the various up-river ports. Theatres are open on Sunday evenings, and masked balls are common. Sometimes horse-races take place on that day; and boxing-matches are likewise occasionally indulged in, although these are becoming rare and unpopular. The slaves have liberty from labour and usually dress in their best, and assemble at a public ground called Congo-square, where they pass the afternoon in dancing and other sports."* Much of this desecration may be attributed to French * Chambers's Edinburgh. Journal, vol. xviii. p. 342, New Series. The Russian serf, like the American slave, is not compelled to labour on the Sunday. DESECRATION IN EUROPE AND AMERICA. 471 influence, whose quarters of the city afford the advantages of our European parks, or of the Parisian Boulevards, and whose sympathies are more with the Sunday of Catholicism, than with the Puritan Sabbath of New England. In the West Indies, the Sabbath observance varies with the character of the nations to whom the islands respec- tively belong. The islands under French and Spanish dominion, being under the influence of Popery, have no Lord's-day. In the English possessions, such of the negroes as are under the influence of British missionaries, observe the day according to the ideas that prevail among us. The same remarks apply to the settlements in the north of South America, formed by the English and the French. In the republics of that vast continent, Popery, however, is the only form of religion known to its gay and dissipated inhabitants. AVhat the Spaniard and the Portuguese brought with them, their descendants retain. The Mexicans term Sunday, " Dia de Fiesta," or a festal day ; and as such, alone, is the Sabbath known in Chili, Peru, and the Brazils. IX. Madrid. A short extract from '^ The Times" of May 5th, 1855, will suffice, in relation to Spanish ideas of the nature of this sacred institution. The correspondent of the paper writes, on Sunday, April 29th : — " It is a fine Sunday, there has been a religious procession this morning, with much military music ; and this afternoon there is a bull 'fight ; and all this distracts attention from politics." This short sentence, plainly composed by no Sabbatarian, presents a melancholy view of the state of feeling in that unhappy, priest-ridden, and faction-torn country, in rela- tion to the Lord's-day. Lisbon need not detain us. What is true of Madrid and Spain generally, is substantially true of Portugal and its metropolis. 472 SABBATH OBSERVANCE AND SUNDAY Rome,, Naples, Venice, and all Italian towns and villages, have no idea of a Sabbath, except as a day, in part, devoted to the formalities of a corrupt religion; in forming, or beholding, religious processions ; and, in part, consumed in business, followed by gaiety and dissipation. '' On Sunday next,^^* wrote the correspondent of " The Times,'^ from Turin, " it is proposed to open the railway from Arona to Novara to the public, for the whole distance." From this announcement it is evident, that a particular disclosure of Sunday practices throughout Italy is unnecessary. A review, however, of a Parisian Sunday will throw light upon the Sunday of Roman Catholics. Among the many atrocities committed by the atheistic revolutionists of France, was the abolition of the seventh day's rest, and the substitution of a decade. From the chapter on the Physiology of the Sabbath, it has been shown, that a hebdomadal day of rest is a necessity of animal, as well as human, nature. When Napoleon restored the seventh day's rest, it was not from either a philo- sophical view of its importance, or a pious regard to a divine institution. His sagacity, nevertheless, taught him, that even a superstitious veneration for it, as a religious relic of antiquity, promoted a general disposition for lawful authority. As such, to the extent of his power, he restored the Sunday to the seventh day. A Sabbath he could not give to France, had the wish ever entered the mind of the greatest warrior of modern times. Under the rule of Louis Philippe, some steps were taken towards diminishing the amount of Sunday work, among the classes in the employment of the state. Soon after the memorable coup d'etat, which led to the exaltation to the Imperial throne of the present ruler of France, orders were issued for the * "The Times" of June 12th, 1855. DESECRATION IN EUROPE AND AMERICA. 473 cessation of all public works. Still more recently, a highly curious document, from the pen of the present * Archbishop of Paris, has taken the world by surprise. Surprise, indeed ! that a papal dignitary should have, at last, been roused to the importance of this sacred institution. The fearful extent of desecration is bewailed, and a better observance is earnestly enjoined upon Parisians. And that it is not without reason, will be obvious from the short account we present of a Sunday in Paris. In the morning, the cafes are crowded with persons sipping coffee, and glancing over the columns of the news- paper. Not a few, after breakfast, retire to the billiard- room. At night, cards and dominoes amuse the members of particular families. In the streets, the play-bills, announcing the performances at night at the theatres and operas, attract groups of saunterers. In the gardens of the Tuileries, genteelly-dressed family parties are seen — parents watching their children amusing themselves with out-door games, in which they are assisted by their nurses and servants. In the evening, these fashionable resorts are crowded with the elite of Paris, who prefer the more sedate pleasures of conversation and quiet strolls, to the noisy and frivolous enjoyments of the Champs Elysees, or the Palais Royal. Solitary musicians and jugglers, how- ever, are found here and there, attracting the attention of children and youths ; while along the Boulevards, elegant carriages are affording their occupants the luxurious drive of the affluent. For these drives and promenades the shops of jewellers, embroiderers, milliners, dressmakers, and tailors, are not only kept open late on Saturday night, but on Sundays, from the morning till late in the after- noon. It is by such, also, that the box in the theatre, or opera, glitters with jewelery and the latest fashions. * Basely assassinated since the above was written. 474 SABB.\TH OBSERVANCE AND SUNDAY In the Champs Elysees, the early part of the day is a scene of busy preparation for the Sunday afternoon and evening fetes. Tents, booths, and stalls, are being erected ; innumerable bottles, viands of every description, long rows of seats, and the tuning of musical instruments, indicate the approaching scenes of gaiety. Should the sun prove auspicious, as soon as morning service is over the liberated Parisians, abandoning home, and dismis- sing all thoughts of religion, swarm to picnic parties of these Champs Elysees. With table-cloths spread upon the ground, under the shade of lofty trees, some are enjoying an out-door repast; while waltzing parties, in gay attire, dance to the music of Italian minstrels. A game, somewhat differing from our English foot-ball, but not less laborious and exciting, forms the exercise of youths; while husbands and wives are delighting them- selves with shuttlecock and battledore. As the shades of evening draw on, fresh streams of pleasure-seekers flow in ; and those, who are fatigued by their previous exertions, recline on the ground, finishing at ease their repast. In the gardens of the Palais Royal the fountains are playing ; their spray glitters in the sun-beams, cooling and filling the air with pleasant murmurs.* Parisians and strangers in great diversity of costume, from every kindred, and tongue, and tribe, are eating luscious fruit, and quaf- fing iced wines and cooling beverages of every variety. As night comes on, the gaming-houses, banquet -halls, lec- ture-rooms, billiard and dancing saloons, are being crowded with their dissipated votaries. It can easily be imagined, * During Her Majesty's late visit, the Palace of St. Cloud was less attractive to the Parisians curious to see the royal visitors, because the new water- works at Versailles were expected to open for the first time on the Sunday, the day after Queen Victoria reached Paris. We were proud to observe, that om* Sovereign kept her English Sabbath at St. Cloud. DESECRATION IN EUROPE AND AMERICA. 475 that these crowds of pleasure-seekers require an attendant host of conductors of the booths and stalls ; waiters hand- ing about viands, fruits, and drinks ; while the proprietors of the wine shops, cafes, restaurateurs and traiteurs, the shoe-black on Pont Neuf, the money-changers, gamesters, and porters of the Palais Royal ; the actors on the stage, and the performers of the opera, are passing the day of rest in the incessant din and excitement of a popish holiday. But scenes of frivolity, still more humiliating, await the visitor to the Barriere de Neuilly. Persons, in respectable garb, are indulging in some species of gambling, or striding wooden horses ; their wives, on side-saddles, are being whirled round and round with childish delight. Horse- racing, by female jockeys, attract crowds of spectators; and hundreds are dashing, in ponderous cars, down inclined planes, in imitation of the snow mountains of St. Peters- burgh. Gymnastic and dramatic exhibitions, panoramic views, and automata, are engaging the attention of others, while not a few are firing at dolls and targets, with rifles and pistols. To afford such pastimes, who can number the multitudes that are engaged? and who can estimate the amount of physical toil imposed upon the waiters and musicians, whose round of duty is incessant for many hours together; or the laborious and exhausting work of those, who, with cranks and pulleys, are whirling the machines, climbing about the cross-beams to swing others round ; or dragging the heavy cars up the inclined planes ? The naked feet, torn blouse, unwashed and unshaven faces, of those who are employed in such Sunday amusements, demonstrate the character of both the pleasure-seeker, and the caterer to public thirst after frivolity and dissi- pation. In the Allee de Veuves, a still lower order — the ouvriers in blouse, of ruder manners, and less refined tastes, are 476 SABBATH OBSERVANCE AND SUNDAY revelling and rioting. Laborious dancing, eating and drinking in no small quantities, loud laughs and rough jokes, show the nature of the Sunday among the opera- tives of this gay city. Near the Louvre, and along the quay, the same classes are to be seen in similar engage- ments. At the Barriere Saint Martin, a number of caged animals are kept, principally to afford to the more ferociously dis- posed, the cruel spectacle of animals made savage by absti- nence from food, and maddened to fight and tear each other to pieces.* Such are the principal scenes of Parisian Sunday dissi- pation— and such a Roman Catholic Sunday in the metro- polis of European fashion. There are not wanting, in this country, those who sigh for a continental Sunday ; and who, on visiting France, enter with heart and soul, not only into the more refined, but the more degrading, form of dissipation. t And it is to be regretted, that English- men J conform so far to Parisian habits of desecration, as to lend their sanction to a violated Sabbath. Long may the sentiments of the following extract pervade the English * The above account is condensed from two painfully interesting articles on '* Sunday in Paris," in the Leisure Hour,yo\. i. 1852, pp. 597, 613. t " A steeple- chase was run at Paris on the Lord's-day, the principal actors in which were Englishmen, chiefly of the upper classes of society." Statistics and Facts, &c, p. 227. X The correspondent of " The Times," for example, writes every Sunday, and transmits his budget of political, home and foreign news : the following is a specimen; — *' Paris, Sunday, June, 10th, 6 p.m. The English deputation was presented, to-day, by Lord Cowley to the Em- peror. The three per cents were done to-day on the Boidevards at 70f. 30c. for the end of the month."— Times of June 12th, 1855. On a pre- vious occasion, the Emperor, contrary to the court customs, received a similar deputation on another day in the week, in deference to the scru- ples of Englishmen. Very recently the Emperor and Empress attended a bidl-fight, on Sunday, at Bayonne. DESECRATION IN EUROPE AND AMERICA. 477 breast : — " Alas ! poor Paris knows no Sabbath ; all the shops are open, and all the inhabitants are on the wing, in search of pleasures — pleasures that perish in the using. I thought of Babylon and Sodom as I passed through the crowd. I cannot tell how I longed for the peace of a Scottish Sabbath. There is a place in Paris called the Champs Elysees, or plains of heaven, a beautiful public walk with trees and gardens ; we have to cross it in pass- ing to the Protestant church. It is the chief scene of their Sabbath desecration, and an awful scene it is ! Oh ! thought I, if this is the heaven a Parisian loves, he will never enjoy the pure heaven that is above.^^* Crossing into Belgium, the Sunday is seen to wear much the same aspect. Some years ago, certain Belgian priests, shocked at the extent of desecration at the taverns and tea- gardens, projected a confrerie of their own, to diminish its amount, and mitigate its character. The plan proposed, was to afford, with less publicity and greater moderation, the games of nine- pins, foot-ball, &c., liquors in limited quantities, and gambling for only fixed sums, and during limited hours of the day. Either Catholicism could aspire no higher, or the power of the priest w as felt to be unequal to the task of a spiritual reformation, when this compro- mise was conceived. It is superfluous to add, that the Belgian Sunday is still no Lord^s-day. X. In Switzerland the observance of the Sabbath differs, not only as the Canton is Protestant or Popish, but accord- ing as Protestantism is evangelical or rationalistic. In certain retired spots, an Alpine village presents a Sabbath in the simplicity and strictness of a Sabbath in the High- lands of Scotland : in the towns, the Sabbath is observed according to the religious opinions of the mingled com- * Rev. R. M. McCheyne, Memoir, p. 212. 478 "SABBATH OBSERVANCE AND SUNDAY munity ; and, generally, it may be observed, that our British views of Sabbath restrictions are not enforced.* The same is substantially true of Germany ; as in Pro- testant States a little more regard is paid to the sanctity of the institution, than in those where the Romish faith is predominant, as, e.^. in Mayence, Treves, and Cologne. Not- withstanding this difference in favour of Protestant terri- tories, the Lord's-day is distinguishable from a week-day, chiefly by a general attendance on religious service in the morning. Unhappily, public worship is too much a formal conformity to social custom, while the sermons consist in dissertations on theism and morality. Government officials, in the city, pursue their occupations as usual ; save that less is expected, than on other days, from their respec- tive departments. In rural districts, taxes are paid to them; wages, rations of corn and hay, are distributed to their subordinates in office. Until recent enactments were passed by the Government of Saxony, the police in Leipsic were empowered to license workmen on the Sabbath-day; and in the Grand Duchy of Hesse the Ecclesiastical Board empowered the burgomaster to permit agricultural labour when circumstances required it.f In general, the middle classes, or tradesmen, transact business till the service hours withdraw their customers * In Murray's Hand-Book of Switzerland, Savoy and Piedmont, we are informed, that during ser-sdce hours, in Basle, the gates of the town are closed, and tovirists arriving at these hours are detained outside till service is over. In many of the large towns, juvenile clubs — Societes de Dimanche — meet, in turn, on Sunday evenings to play, and partake of tea-cakes, &c., at the houses of their respective parents. Some of the more wealthy inn-keepers, on the principal routes selected by tourists, " have gone so far as to build English chapels for their guests, as an inducement to English travellers to pass the Sunday -with them." — Pp. XXV. xliv. and p. 5. t Statistics and Facts, pp. 261—263. DESECRATION IN EUROPE AND AMERICA. 479 from the shop to the church_, or from the resorts of amuse- ments. Warehouses, stores, and shops are crowded ; build- ing in the streets proceeds as usual ; travelling with more than usual activity ; * the factory has not dismissed the operative,t while the journeyman continues his lonely occupation. In rural districts, the penny-post is scattering letters, or news, and latest gossip from neighbouring towns and villages ; while hawkers, principally Jews, and pedlars, are vociferating the cheapness and excellent quality of their goods. After business and service hours, the streets are filled with the vendors of provisions and delicacies, suited to the taste and means of the populace. Public shows, bear- dancing, rope-dancers, jugglers, tumblers, mountebanks, of every description, take the place of the teacher of ethics. The bell has ceased to peal, and the solemn notes of the organ have played the congregation out of church, and then commence the street hand-organ, the military band, the discharge of muskets and cannon. As evening approaches, the parks and promenades are thronged with equestrians, pedestrians, and stately carriages, or the streets rattle with vehicles conveying a godless multitude to the theatre, J concert, ball-room, or gambling saloons. § The tea-gardens * In the Prussian province of Saxony, and Brandenburgli, Barmen and Elberfield, efforts liave been made to limit the niunber of trains, and to restrict postal business to certain hours of the day. — Statistics and Facts, pp. 260, 261. t At Dusseldorf, on the Rhine, some merchants have resolved to close their shops during the whole of the Sunday ; and in Saxony, through the appeal of the Society for promoting the Observance of the Lord's-day, a great number of sugar refiners discontinued their Sabbath labour. —Statistics and Facts, pp. 263, 261. % la Dresden, for example, gin-shops were open during divine service hours, while public dancing, bands of music, and theatres were per- mitted.— Statistics and Facts, p. 261. § In most of the German watering-places, gambling houses are open 480 SABBATH OBSERVANCE AND SUNDAY are dotted over with picnic parties^ while cards, uine-pins, hobby-horses, swinging machines, and rotatory railways, furnish recreation to the lower classes. In the tea-gardens, coffee-stalls, and wine-shops, crowds are revelling and swearing. In rural districts, similar means of Sunday desecration are afforded by strolling musicians, travelling caravans, and indifferent stage-players and buffoons. While such is a true portraiture of the Sunday in the Catholic districts, it is also true, to some extent, of those in which both evangelical and rationalistic Protestantism prevail. In Vienna, the shops are not so generally open as at Paris, but the whole population abandon themselves to pleasure. " All day long, military bands enliven the bas- tions, promenaders throng the glacis, and shade themselves in the allees ; while the sounds of music and merriment, and tripping feet, burst forth from cafe, speise-saal, and ball-room. From the window of my hotel I perceive, that the opposite wall is covered with announcements of fes- tivities for Sunday, in the shape of opera, theatre, ball, concert, &c. &c.^'* during the afternoon and evening of the Sabbath day. This vice is under the public sanction of the law, and the tourist has only to consult his Guide-book to learn where the gambling " saal" is to be found. * Introduction to the Hull College Prize Essay on the Sabbath, p. 7. Of these announcements, fourteen in number, seen by Dr. Dobbin, the following are given as specimens : — "In the Imperial Park at Laxen- burg, on Sunday, the first of July, in this year, (1849,) there will be, weather permittmg, a grand musical performance, by the Laxenburg band, for the benefit of the sick soldiers in the Imperial Military Hos- pital at Laxenbiu-g. To commence at five in the afternoon, &c. — On this day (Sunday) there will be a Public Ball, in the summer saloon, at Sperl, &c. — At the Beer Hall will be held to-day, (Sunday,) a Conversa- zione, when there will be a grand performance of instrumental music, con- sisting of the newest pieces, the Poperl waltzes, the Venetian quadrdles, the Emperor Francis Joseph's quick step," &c. &c. — In the "Vienna Gazette," of Sunday, July 1st, 1849, the same entertainments were announced, as also the following in curious seq\ience : — "To-day, Ilerr DESECRATION IN EUROPE AND AMERICA. 481" To give a more graphic description of desecration in this, one of the seats of Popery, would be but to recapitulate the contents of some of the preceding Sections. It will suffice if we select the peculiarities distinguishing the Aus- trian from the German, or the French Sunday. While the Parisian delights in excessive frivolity, and the German, of a more phlegmatic temperament, mingles the grave with the gay, business with pleasure; the Austrian and Hun- garian roam through shady woods, climb vine-clad hills, or stroll along the banks of the Danube. With great care and taste, clumps of acacias, lime and elm-trees, chestnut and walnut groves are cultivated, in parks, the suburbs, and in romantic spots reached by half-an-hour's walk or drive. '^'^ Thee-gartens^^ exist wherever a spot of ground can be devoted to the purpose; in which green-painted tables and rush-bottomed chairs are placed for the lover of out-door enjoyment. Thus, in the neighbourhood of Prague, about two miles from the Hradschin fortifications, is the Blum-garten ; in which stands a spacious house of public entertainment, with a large ball-room, where the excursionist is entertained with a military band on all fete- days and the Sunday. After dinner, generally about three or four o'clock in the afternoon, the broad, shady alleys of this park are crowded with the carriages of the aristocracy ; the lawns are covered with pedestrians ; while under the lime, acacia, or chestnut groves or clumps, picnic parties are reclining at their ease. About half-an-hour^s drive conducts the inhabitants of Presburg to the famous Chokolaten-garten ; while a little further on is Eisen- Brundel, another favourite resort, with fine groves and an Ander will sing, in Peter's Parish Churcli, the Ave Maria, by Constanze Geiger. To-day will be performed, in the Imperial Opera House, ' The Crown of Diamonds ;' and on Sunday, the 8th mst., ' The Barcarole.' " SABBATH OBSERVANCE AND SUNDAY extensive ball-room ; while nearer to the town are the less fashionable resorts, known as the ^larien Kirche, the Patzen Hauser, full of orchards and gardens. In such rural retreats the Sunday is spent — sometimes in parties of three or four hundred persons, who mingle without regard to rank, and seat themselves careless of class dis- tinction. In some parts, Bavarian beer in long glasses, in others, wines at moderate prices ; in all, brown bread, milk, butter, eggs, sausages, rolls, fruits, walnuts, and delicious confectionery in great variety, are provided for the pleasure-taker. The utmost decorum prevails, riot and drunkenness are nnknown; and, were it not Sunday that was thus spent in these delightful retreats, one might wish himself transported to the Blum-garten near Prague, or the Chokolaten-garten near Presburg.* XI. In the Netherlands, the Sunday is a day of quiet. Strolling along the streets is general, but without noise or disorder. Within doors, however, small parties may be seen through the open windows, enjoying wine, coffee, and the pipe. By the Sunday railway, parties, notwithstand- ing, make excursions, — from Leyden, for example, — to the public gardens of the Hague, where the usual pleasures of a tea-garden or tavern, and music, entertain those who dislike the dull Sabbath at home. Excursions are, also, made from Leyden to Katwyk, to see the flood-gates at the mouth of the Rhine. In some of the smaller towns, * If the following lines of Co^-per be not fanatical, how much more melancholy is the consideration, that it is the Lord's-day that is thus frittered away by the European on the Continent : — " Iimocent ! Oh ! if venerable Time Slain at the foot of Pleasure be no crime, Then -with his silver beard and magic wand, Let Comus rise Archbishop of the land. Let him your rubric and your feasts prescribe, Grand Metropolitan of all the tribe." DESECRATION IN EUROPE AND AMERICA, 483 ;is Meppel, fruit-stalls may be seen in the market-plac and through some of the broadest meadows, perhaps, in l<]uro[)e, and along sandy pathways, the population are found strolling prior to their visit to ehurch in the evening. In the outskirts of every town are taverns (zomerlust) , whieh are frequented by much the same classes as the visitors to our tea-gardens, taverns, and bowling-greens. A J)utch Sunday and an English Sabbath do not differ materially. The streets of Copenhagen are placarded with announce- ments of performances at the theatre, on Sunday evenings. Business is conducted in many of the shops, not only before and after, but during service hours. Peasants drive their carts through the streets, vending their agricultural produce. The formidaljle earth -works encircling the Danish (;a])ital are crowned, and the deep broad moats filled with water, are fringed with trees ; in the broad-allees or prome- nades formed by them, the whole populace stroll away their Sunday hours. In the neighbourhood is Charlottenburg with tents pitched in gardens, where music, dancing, and a variety of diversions, beguile the leisure the Sunday aflbrds to the Dane. Stockliolm has, also, its Sunday evening theatre. In the outskirts is the " Tivoli," a spacious garden, where cafes, dancing saloons, orchestras, rotatory machines, and jugglery entertain the Swedish Sabbath-breaker. A favourite resort on Sundays and fete-days is the Queen's Island, whose thick woods, avenues of trees, and serpentine walks, attract the inhabitants of Stockholm. A pleasant sail in the spring and summer seasons, along the Maeler lake, conducts the excursion party to the scene of Sabbath desecration. The rural parishes in Sweden extend over some twenty, thirty, and even forty miles. The distance peasants must travel to attend church, is against the habits of religion. 484 SABBATH OBSERVANCE AND SUNDAY The Norwegians are characterized by general simplicity of manners, and formality in religion. Through a paucity of clergymen, who, for the most part, discharge their duties in a very perfunctory manner, religious services are held, in some districts, but once in four Sundays; and in others, but once in the year. Their notions of the sanc- tity of the Sabbath may be gathered from the fact, that from the communion-table the peasantry proceed to drinking and dancing.* That there are exceptions, we are willing to believe, from reading in " Elliott^s Letters from the North of Europe,^^ that on a Sunday, when " torrents of rain had fallen," he " met a party of peasants, neatly dressed in the peculiar costume of the district, going, in spite of rain and road, a distance of one-and-twenty miles to church." t XII. In the vast dominions of the Autocrat of Russia, the Sabbath is absolutely unknown. On the festivals of the Greek Church, Easter Sunday, Palm Sunday, &c., gorgeous processions take place, which are preceded and followed by rioting, debauchery, and excess of every description. During seven weeks the Russians are for- bidden the use of animal food ; but on the Saturday before Easter Sunday, the end of the fast, the markets of Moscow are crowded with provisions for the approaching revel. * Tracings of tlie North of Europe, Edinburgh Journal, vol. xiii. p. 6, by R. Chambers, who says, — *' The clergyman has a fixed round of duty which he takes care to perform, and then he feels like a work- man who has gone through his task. One told me that, after his Sunday services, he put off the clerical character and entered into the society of his flock simply as one of themselves," reminding us of Cowper's lines : — " If apostolic gravity be free To piay the fool on Sundays, why not we r" t Page 105. DESECRATION IN EUROPE AND AMERICA. 485 After the ceremonies of the week are concluded^ the people throng the churches ; and, as the clock strikes the midnight hour, the bishop, at the head of a procession of priests, proclaims, ^^ Christ is Uisen ! '' The announcement is received with intense enthusiasm, the bells peal forth merrily ; and, after kissing pictures, relics, and one another, the crowds disperse to consume the Sunday and week following in debauch. Early on Sunday mornings, the City of '' holy '^ Moscow rings with the peal of bells from its 600 churches, and convents without number. Attend- ance on the morning service is followed by the abandon- ment of the whole population, to gaiety and dissipation. Half-an-hour's ride in the droski conducts the visitor to Pedroski — the resort of the elite of Moscow. A broad and magnificent drive, more than a mile in length, perfectly straight, and cut through a forest of trees, is thronged with superb vehicles; while, from the pathway on each side, devoted to the use of pedestrians, glimpses are caught of pleasant little cottages, tents, and arbours, buried in a mass of foliage, where refreshments, ices, fruit, and tea, the favourite Russian beverage, are supplied to the Sunday pleasure-seeker. In the centre of these grounds is the old chateau of Peter the Great, not the least attraction in this deservedly famous retreat. Close to the City, outside the barrier, is the popular promenade, " L^Allee des Peuples.^^ The extensive grounds, thus designated, are enriched by beautiful trees ; and it is there that the " Russian mountain,^^ a variety of other diversions, the Bohemian gipsy-girl singing and dancing, attract multitudes on the Sabbath- day. The military preserve order among the crowds of pleasure-seekers ; and close by is the State prison, in which those about to be banished to Siberia are confined- Outside the walls of the Kremlin are gardens and boule- vards, rivalling the Tuileries and the Luxembourg. 486^ SABBATH OBSERVANCE AND SUNDAY Through the trees are to be seen, on one side, the walls of the Kremlin, the domes, and towers, and palaces within ; and on the other, superb residences of the Russian nobility. The inhabitants of Moscow consume their Sunday hours in these summer retreats. In the " Newski Perspective,^^ in St. Petersburg, are, in close proximity, the churches and chapels of the Greek, Lutheran, Armenian, Protestant, and Catholic portions of this splendid City of the Czars, as also the Mohammedan mosque. In the morning, each side of this noble street is lined with carriages, and the doors of the various places of worship are besieged with crowds of beggars, through which the worshipper has to press into church or chapel. This is nearly all the signs of a Russian Sunday in St. Peters- burg, with which a traveller will meet. Along the granite quays of the Neva are crowds of boats of a peculiar form, and fantastically coloured, ready for hire, to conduct excursionists to the summer islands. When the Emperor and Court are announced as among the Sabbath dese- crators,* the boats form a fleet that literally covers the waters, creating considerable confusion about the landing- place. These islands, which may be reached by a walk, are about two miles from the city, are tastefully laid out with neat gravel walks, shrubs, flower-beds, trees, and lakes, over which elegantly light arches are thrown. Summer theatres and airy summer houses are erected for the convenience of the visitors, who are regaled with tea, ices, and refreshments in tents and cottages dispersed among trees and gardens. Music is not wanting, and * During the late Coronation festivities at Moscow, a grand ball was given by tbe Emperor, on Sunday, the 14th of September. Countess Granville, the lady of our Ambassador, was one of the dancers on the occasion ; her ladyship is a Catholic. "We are glad to learn, that no other English lady was present. The Grand Dukes Michael and Nicholas, took the lead in the country dances, &c., that followed. DESECRATION IN EUROPE AND AMERICA. 487 rope-dancing and similar amusements furnish the means of Sabbath desecration. The far-famed " Jardin de Saxe " is the great resort of the elite of Warsaw. Soon after twelve o'clock the fashionable promenaders easily forget, that, amid shrubs and flowers, they are still in the heart of the Polish capital. The high brick walls enclosing this public garden, are art- fully concealed by luxuriant vines and tall shrubbery; while the houses, that would overlook the Sunday dese- crator, are screened off by high and branching trees. Later in the day the whole population betake themselves to the Ujazdow Avenue, which, commencing from the barrier of the town, ends in an octagon, from the centre of which diverge eight luxuriant avenues, formed by stately trees. Europe cannot boast of a more splendid promenade. The park of Lozienski, in which stand the royal villa of Stanislaus and a summer theatre, and the grounds and chateau of Villanow, on the banks of the Vistula, are also the favourite resorts of the Poles and Russians on Sundays and fete-days. The fortifications of Cracow have been converted into boulevards, on which, and in the avenues of trees, the Pole, and his Russian conqueror, and Jews, spend the hours of Sunday in gaiety and amusements. In Athens, and Greece generally, the Sabbath is a conti- nental Sunday, which is all that is necessary to be said of its character. In some of the islands of the Grecian Archipelago, as Smyrna, for example, where the popula- tion is mixed, both as to race and religion, three Sabbath- days are observed — ^the Mohammedans keep the Friday; the Jews, Saturday; and the Christians, Sunday. It thus happens, that there is no day of general cessation of either business or pleasure ; and during only four days of the week are all the shops open for business. 488 SABBATH OBSERVANCE AND SUNDAY Some one has remarked^ that by "different nations every day in the week is set apart for public worship : Sunday, by Christians; Monday, by the Greeks; Tuesday, by the Persians ; Wednesday, by the Assyrians ; Thursday, by the Egyptians; Friday, by the Turks; and Saturday, by the Jews." Alas ! if " setting apart to public worship " means the attendance upon morning service, and devotion of all the day besides to pleasure and dissipation, and business, the above statement is correct. If, however, we except (and that cannot be done without some unpleasant recollections) England, Wales, Scotland, the New England States, Holland, and parts of Switzerland; the day that God has " blessed and sanctified," is unknown to Paris, Madrid, Lisbon, Brussels, Berlin, Vienna, Prague, Pres- burg, Pesth, Stockholm, Copenhagen, St. Petersburg, Moscow, Warsaw, Cracow, Athens, New Orleans, and all the states of which they constitute the metropolitan cities. If the Sabbath be a sign, that God is the God of a par- ticular nation, and that the keeping of it holy is to ensure national blessings; the cause, the great cause of the social and political woes, and spiritual degradation of Christendom, is its violated Sabbaths. Oh, that some could rise to " Knock at the gates of nations, rouse their fears, Say, wrath is coming and the storm appears, But raise the shrillest cries in British ears !" While on the Continent even popish bishops and arch- bishops are loudly lamenting the extent of Sabbath dese- cration, efforts are being made, in the opposite direction, in our hitherto highly -privileged land. Doubtless the coloured and one-sided view given of the continental Sabbath by tourists and visitors from England, and the vast numbers of foreigners resident among us combine, DESECRATION IN EUROPE AND AMERICA. 489 to produce an impatience of a British Sabbath. How applicable the words of Cowper, — " Countries indebted to thy power, that shine With light derived from thee, -vvould smother thine ; — Thy very children watch for thy disgrace ! ' ' The awful state of religion in Sabbath- breaking countries, the gradual discovery now being made in such lands, of the great cause of their social, as well as spiritual degra- dation, ought to be a timely warning to this prosperous and happy island. " For thou hast known eclipses, and endiired Dimness and anguish, all thy beams obsciu'ed, When sin has shed dishonour on thy brow, And never of a sabler hue than now ! " APPENDIX. EXEGESIS OF THE FOURTH CHAPTER OF THE EPISTLE TO THE HEBREWS. Apart from the bearing of this chapter on the Sabbath question, it is desirable, if possible, to clear it from the obscurity in which it has been involved ; but, considering the allusion to God's rest, re- corded in Genesis ii. 2, and the statement in iv. 9, that a sabbatism remains to the people of God, there are peculiar reasons for deter- mining the meaning of the apostle. We hope to show, that Paul's argument has been perplexed, through inattention to the usus lo- quendi of Scripture, and through attaching a sense to certain words which, not only the context, but the design of the whole epistle for- bids. There are eight or ten words which, as ordinarily interpreted, involve the argument, but which, understood as we hope to show they should be understood, render this chapter as lucid as any other in the epistle. I. The word translated " remaineth," occurs in verses 1, 6, and 9, and in 10, 26,*. In verse 1, it is the '* promise," that is " left us ; " in other words, that is extant, available now. In 10, 26, " there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins," is a statement, dropping the negative, equivalent to, — a sacrifice for sins remains — is available. In both, the idea is that of existence for present purposes, and not of something held in reserve for future use. But expositors give a dif- ferent meaning to airokdiveTai, in verses 6 and 9. Seeing, therefore, that it (the rest of God) remaineth, that some must enter therein ; " that is," says Stuart, " God could not be supposed to have provided * In iv. 1 , we have KaTaXd-n-ea-eai, to express the idea of a descent from ancient times ; and in 6 and 9 anoXeineTai, to express the idea of a remnant. The promise is left, i.e. has descended to us ; the rest re- mains, i.e. something has ceased to be, but this remains. 492 APPENDIX. a rest in vain."* Now the sentiment may in itself be very true, and, had Paul been arguing with the Hebrews, as he was with the Romans, on predestination or divine sovereignty, the context would have lent Stuart some aid. To introduce, however, into his argu- ment an element of certainty or necessity, is to defeat his chief design in writing the epistle, which was to awaken apprehension lest any should, through wavering or unbelief, fail of entering the divine rest. It is on this very contingency, that are grounded the exhortations to "fear" (ver. 1), to "labour " (ver. 11), to -'give earnest heed" (2,1), not to " neglect so great salvation" (2, 3). Hence to un- derstand aTroXetTTCTai, in the sense of must, is to neutralize his appeals, and to give it a meaning in verses 6 and 9, which is not given to it in verse 1 of this chapter, and 26 of chapter 10. Moreover, the apostle before declared, that "we who believe do enter into rest," and his mean- ing becomes obscured by understanding him to say, that some have to enter. The former is a fact, and shows that God did not provide a rest in vain ; and the latter statement of the principle is forestalled. But understand the word in the sense of restare, reUquum esse, which is its ordinary sense, and which is retained in verse 1, and in 10, 26, and we should read thus, — " Seeing, therefore, it — the rest of God, remains — is extant and available, for some to enter therein." There is nothing either in the context, or in the things predicated, that prohibit this rendering ; and, on the other hand, the line of argument is freed from obscurity. The same remarks apply to the word in verse 9, but with addi- tional force, on account of the word sabbatismos, ara followed by gar, and the analogy pointed out by the apostle. As we shall have to consider these particulars in a future Section, here we simply observe, that it is Paul's aim to show, that, though a change of dispensations has taken place, some things remain, viz., the rest of God, the pro- mise of participation, the condition imposed — faith, the symbol of God's rest, and the weekly remembrancer of the promise — the sab- batism of the new dispensation. All these abide. II. On iraXiv — translated " again." The particle^aZm occurs in eight passages. In two of these " again" is used in the sense of reverting to a former state ; for example, the Hebrews had made no progress, and hence their teachers were under * 'ATToAe/Trerai, it remains, "that is," says Stuart, "it must be so that; a sense foreign to the classics, in such a way as it is here employed, viz. before the apodosis of a sentence, and as a kind of ergo, or sequitur of the logicians ; see also verse 9," Comment, p. 205. The professor, however, gives us neither a reason for this turn in the meaning of the word, nor an analogous scriptural instance in support. APPENDIX. 493 the necessity of returning to the elements which had formerly been communicated (v.l2) ; and in vi. 6, to bring to repentance a second time, is pronounced impossible. In i. 5, 6, and ii. 13, ''again'' signifies in another passage of Scripture, or at another time, a similar statement is made. " It is," says Robinson (Lex.), " a continuative particle connecting circumstances which refer to the same subject." Stuart affirms, that " KaX naXiv is, in this epistle, the usual mode of desig- nating repeated quotations from Scripture." In reference, however, to Heb. iv. 5, Stuart, and every commentator we have consulted, deviate from the rule. A new element is invariably added to the apostle's argument, but here, we are informed, that the particle refers to " a passage already quoted, and which Paul is going to mention " I Thus understood, the apostle is made to argue, — " In Psalm xcv. we have the comm.ination — ' If they shall enter,' " &c. Then (quoting Gen. ii. 2, to show the nature of the rest under con- sideration) in this again— ^■. e. not in the passage additionally ad- duced, but in the psalm before quoted, or rather in that particular part of it which contains the commination, we have the words — " If they shall enter my rest." In other words, we have the same thing in the same passage. Surely a meaningless and unnecessary repeti- tion, is thus imputed to the apostle. In Phil. iv. 4, Paul exhorts — " Rejoice in the Lord : again {miXiv) I say, rejoice." To emphasize the exhortation, it is repeated. Now, if Psalm xcv. contained the commination twice, it would have been natural for Paul to say — and in this passage agahi it occurs. This, however, is not the case ; and the ordinary use of the particle requires us to understand of Gen. ii. 2, as a passage in which the commination is involved, as well as in the Psalm to which Gen. ii. 2 is added. Further, ovtos points in the same direction. It is true, that it does not invariably refer to the thing 7iext preceding ; still, this is its primary signification, and should be retained unless the context im- peratively requires the reference to be understood of something fur- ther ofi*, or about to follow. Now, as no such necessity exists in the passage in question, we submit, that toZto w^th tvoKlv, shuts us up to the quotation last made, as involving the same principle as con- tained in the Psalm before quoted. The objection, that in Gen. ii. 2 we have no such clause as — '* If they shall enter into my rest," will be met by reflecting, that Psalm xcv. contains no intimation either, that the rest spoken of, is that described in Gen. ii. 2, or, that the promise of participation on cer- tain conditions, applies to believers under the new dispensation. Notwithstanding, on Paul's representation, commentators feel no scruple in admitting both these points. AVhy should the apostle be regarded as incompetent, though an inspired interpreter of Old 494 APPENDIX. Testament Scriptures, to represent Gen. ii. 2 as involving the same promise or threat? It is simply a question of exegesis, as to v^^hether kui ttoXiv tovto lead us to suppose such to be the apostle's intention. It would, therefore, appear that God's sanctifying and blessing the seventh day, because in it he had rested from all his works, was to intimate, that believers were to participate in his rest. Now, as the Patriarchs and the Jews were under the same promise or threat as Christians are now, some strong reasons ought to be at hand to show why a Sabbath, that symbolized the promised rest, was not observed by the Patriarchs. III. Ofi the phrase, — " Limiteth a certain day.""* 'Opt^ei is nowhere else employed in this epistle. In five of the eight passages in the New Testament in which it occurs, the word is connected with some act of God, in relation to Christ, The nearest English word appears to be specifies* In Luke xxii. 22, and Acts ii. 23, Christ is stated to have suffered in the manner speci- fied, and in Acts x. 42, and Rom. i. 4, Christ is shown to be the judge specified, as proved by the resurrection. In Acts xvii. 26, God specified the locality of all nations, as well as the periods of their respective occupation. As Noah foretold the quarters of the globe assigned to the descendants of Shem, Ham, and Japhet, and that Japhet would be enlarged and dwell in the tents of Shem, so God specified these particulars.! In the same chapter, verse 31, we are informed, that God specified a day of judgment. Thus Christ's Mes- siahship, his Sonship, his office of Judge, and the day of judgment, hefore specified, were now demonstrated by the resurrection. In none of these instances would " limit" be either an appropriate or a happy rendering ; and, in the passage under consideration, " specifieth another dispensation" should supplant the rendering of our version — " limiteth a certain day." By comparing the seventh with the eighth verse it will be obvious, that op'i^^i in the former, is synonymous with ^aK^i in the latter ; and that the " to-day " of Psalm xcv. answers to "another day," spoken of in verse 8 of * On referring to Guyse, we find our opinion supported by his para- phrase,— " prescribes and fixes." In the French we have also a better translation, — "Dieu determine encore un certain jour." t "There seems," says Bloomfield, "a reference to the records" — (rather prophecies) " of the early colonization and settling of the earth in the books of Moses." APPENDIX. 495 this chapter.* By "speaking," then, "of another day," God " specified the Christian dispensation." IV. On the loord apa, translated " therefore" in verse 9. This, to us an important particle in its connexion, is rarely the initial term of a sentence; and, understood in the sense of "there- fore," is confessed by critics to be " used in the New Testament con- trary to classic usage." Robinson, who makes this remark, refers to Luke xi. 48; Rom. x. 17; 2 Cor. vii. 12; Gal. iv. 31; and Heb. iv. 9 ; as passages in which apa commences the sentence. Now we hope to show, that " verily " is the proper corresponding word in all of these cases ; and that " wlierefore " or " therefore," would be a mistranslation. When Christ said, " Truly ye bear witness that ye allow the deeds of your fathers," he supports npa by adding, " for they, indeed, killed them (the prophets), and ye build their sepulchres." Here, " there- fore " would have answered, because the clause introduced by " for " also precedes. But because apa requires support, the sentiment is re- peated— verilt/ ye allow— /or they killed, &c. In the second case, there- fore would be out of place, for having quoted Isaiah's words, " A^Tio hath believed our report ? " Paul could not well add — " therefore faith Cometh by hearing." Hence our translators have employed " so then," which does not, after all, avoid the non sequitur. " Who hath believed our report?" is, virtually, few or none have ; to add, " so then faith cometh by hearing," is a non sequitur. From a case in which faith did not come by hearing, Paul is made to infer, that faith does come by hearing ! Let us, however, sever the clause introduced by apa from the preceding verse, and we read, " verily, notwithstand- ing, faith does come by hearing," and the illustration why some did not believe is implied, though not expressed, in what follows at the close of the chapter. In the third passage "wherefore" involves a non sequitur. Having referred to the sorrow and reformation caused by his epistle, Paul is made to say, " wherefore though I wrote unto you I did it not for his cause .... therefore (!) we were comforted," &c. His motive in writing is drawn from the effect of it, and thus becomes an ex post facto motive. This varepov Trporepov is avoided, by translating cipa by " verily." Verily, says the apostle, I did not write just to pain you, therefore your comfort under refor- mation is shared in by me. In the fourth passage, the non sequitur is still more obvious, from " Cast out the bondwoman and her son. * This is more clearly expressed in the French version — " un certain jour, qu'il appelle aujourd'hui, en disant par Da\id," &c. 496 APPENDIX. for the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir with the son of the free woman," Paul is made to infer, " so then, brethren, we are not the children of the bondwoman but of the free ! " Now apa here, as in the previous cases, leads the mind to what follows, not precedes ; " verily we are not children of the bondwoman but the free ; there- fore stand fast in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free." It is, then, unquestionable, that cipa leads the mind logically to what follows in support; hence the mind is kept in suspense till oTi .... fxev (Luke xi. 48), 5ia tovto (2 Cor. vii. 12), andovu (Gal. v. 1), introduces the illustrative sentiment. In addition to these prece- dents, the context of Heb. iv. 9, 10, will justify the substitution of ve7'ily for therefore in verse 9. To say, " therefore a sabbatism re- maineth unto the people of God," is to.iiivolve a non sequitur. From neither Joshua's not introducing the Jews into the rest of God, nor from David's limiting a certain day, nor indeed from anything yet advanced by the apostle, does it logically follow that a sabbatism remains. But understand He as Christ, in verse 10, and then iidoes follow from His entering into rest {KaTairavais), as God did, that a sabbatism remains to the people of God. In subsequent Sections we shall have to show, from the incongruity of the things compared, and from the difi'erence between Kardnavo-is and o-a^^aTiapios, that the reading of our version is inadmissible. We shall also demonstrate, that it is not unusual with Paul to speak, in this epistle, of Christ as He. At present, it is sufficient to have proved, that when apa is the initial term of a sentence, the corresponding English word is — verily, and that it does not introduce an inference from what precedes, but the statement of some principle that requires proof or illustration, which follows, and requires such words as oVt, hia tovto, ovv, or yap, to point out the clause intended to be illustrative. We would, therefore, propose the following as the correct reading of verses 9 and 10 — " Verily there remains the keeping of a Sab- bath to the people of God, since He (Christ) that is entered into His rest. He hath also ceased from works peculiar to Him (as the Redeemer), as God did from His own (rwi/ Ibioiv, those peculiar to Him as Creator). V. On the words xarairavcns and crc^^aTia-fios. As KaTanavais occurs eight times, and as a verb thrice, in chapters three and four, but aa^^aTiapos but once in the whole of the New Testament, one would have supposed it impossible to miss the design of the apostle in introducing the latter in verse 9. If we except verse 10, which is sub judice, KaTctTravo-is is, throughout, applied to the rest of God ; and even when believers are described as entering APPENDIX. 497 it, it is that rest, the rest, not from their own works, but, by partici- pation, into God's rest. For example, in iii. 11, in iv. 3, 5, it is " My rest ; " and in iii. 18, and in iv. 1, it is " His rest." In iv. 3, 11, believers are said to enter, not a rest from works peculiar to them, but that of God. It is for this very reason, viz. that it was God's rest, that Joshua could not, by the conquest of Canaan, have given it to the Jews ; and for this very reason, it remains, and has been available to believers of every dispensation. We have, there- fore, good grounds for inquiring on what authority expositors ex- plain the words " his rest," in verse 10, as referring to that of the believer from his sins. Throughout, KaraTvavais is God's rest, why is it here man's rest? Whenever Paul unquestionably speaks of believers, it is in the plural, e. g. a promise left us, — Gospel preached unto us, — we who believe, — let us fear ; — now why does Paul depart from this rule ? or how, from ceasing from works, does it follow that a sabbatism remains ? Explain sabbatism as meaning the repose of heaven, and the " he " of next verse as the believer ceasing from works after death, and we have the following argumejit imputed to Paul : a rest remains because he rests ; or, abstractedly, a thing is because it is ! And to reduce his argument to this absurdity, we must first employ aTroXetTrerai, contrary to Paul's usage ; secondly, overlook the Avay in which apa is used ; thirdly, confound the distinc- tion Paul makes between KaTaivavcns and (Taj3^aTi(riJ.6s ; and, fourthly, involve an analogy which, if not presumptuous, is incongruous and unnatural ; as God rested from his works, so the believer ceases from sinning ! Again : sabbatismos is nowhere employed to denote heaven, but, dropping the Greek termination required by the lan- guage in which the epistle is written, it is the word used by the Seventy to denote the seventh-day rest. It is natural, therefore, to suppose, that Paul refers to the keeping of a Sabbath now, and un- natural to suppose, that heaven is so described by him. We are, however, referred to Rev. xiv. 13, " Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours ; and their works do follow them." Now we submit, that this passage in no way supports the argument ; for in it we have simply a statement, that saints rest from their toils ; but in Heb. iv. 10, everything turns upon the analogy — as God did from His. But understand ** He," in verse 10, to indicate Christ, and all is clear of objection. There is an analogy, appro- priate and striking, between God completing the natural creation, and Christ completing the work of redemption ; and there is a very good reason why a sabbatism should remain to Christians, if there was a good reason why the rest of God should have been commemo- rated by a sabbatism. K K 498 APPENDIX. VI. On the words 6 yap. . .kui avros, verse 10. We have already shown that, when speakings of believers, Paul uses the plural ; all that is required now is to show, that it is not unusual with him to indicate our Lord by avros, and words similarly indefinite. In iii. 3, we have, "for this {ovtos) was counted worthy of more honour than Moses : " in vii. 13, " He of whom (e<^' ov) these things are spoken :" in vii. 24, " but this (6 8e) because he continueth ever, hath an unchangeable priesthood," Still more abruptly is Christ introduced in viii. 4, "for if he were on earth" (et fxev yap rju) ; and, again, verse 6, " but now hath he {vvv\ 8e . . . rervx^) obtained a more excellent priesthood." It is beyond question, then, that it is by no means an unusual practice of the apostle to speak of Christ indefinitely, leaving the reader, from the things predicated, to dis- cover the person of whom he speaks. We refer to the preceding sections as proofs that the context, the things stated in verse 10, the meaning of the various terms to which we have devoted a sec- tion respectively, require us to understand Christ by the " He " of verse 10. VII. On " He {Christ) that is entered into His rest, He also has ceased from His worlis, as God did from His ownP To com.plete the chain of argument, we offer a few remarks upon the analogy here pointed out by the apostle. None will question, that the work of redemption is compared with the work of creation. " Be- hold, I create new heavens and a new earth : and the former shall not be remembered, nor come into mind," Isa. Ixv. 17. — "For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in, our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ," 2 Cor. iv. 6. — " If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature," 2 Cor. v. 17. — " For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works," Eph. ii. 10. No more can it be questioned, that the work of redemption was not com- pleted till Christ rose from the dead. On the cross " he was de- livered for our offences," but our "justification " depended upon his- being "raised again," Rom. iv. 25. As the "eternal power and Godhead " of the Father are declared by the creation (Rom i. 20), so it was by the resurrection, that Christ was " declared to be the Son of God with power," Rom. i. 4. It is equally obvious, that the rising from the tomb "was the entrance of Christ upon his rest ; " when he had by himself purged our sins," Christ " SAT down on the right hand of the Majesty on high" (Heb. i. 3), where he " sits till his enemies are put under his footstool," APPENDIX. 499 Heb, i. 13. David, " being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him, that of the fruit of his loins, according to the flesh, he would raise up Christ to sit on his throne ; he seeing this before spake of the resurrection of Christ, that his soul was not left in hell, neither his flesh did see corruption. Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted ... he hath shed forth this, which ye now see and hear," Acts ii. 30—36. And it is to the same occasion and occurrence that Isaiah alludes, " And in that day there shall be a root of Jesse, which shall stand for an ensign of the people ; to it shall the Gentiles seek : and His rest shall be glorious," ch. xi. 10. With these facts before us, it is impossible to avoid seeing how appropriate and How striking is the comparison made by the apostle, " He that is entered into His rest. He also hath ceased from His works, as God did from His own." It was in connexion with healing on the Sabbath that our Lord declared, — " My Father worketh hitherto, and I work," John v. 17. Regarding Christ as mere man, it was but natural that the Jews were shocked at this comparison ; and is it less presumptuous to put into the mouth of a believer, as he dies, the words, '' I am entering into my rest, as God did His when he ceased from creating? " As- suredly the apostle, in Heb. iv. 10, was comparing the rests of God and Christ, just as in John v. 17, Christ compared his working with that of his Father. A^^'hen creation was completed, " the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy," Job xxxviii. 7; and long before redemption was accomplished by the resur- rection, David foretold,—" This is the day the Lord hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it," Psa. cxviii. 24. And if because in it God rested from all his works, therefore He blessed and sanctified the seventh day, surely there remaineth a sabbatism unto the people of God^ because Christ, who hath entered into his rest, " He also hath ceased from His works as God did from His own." APPENDIX II. The following tables we have formed out of the returns given in the " Alliance " (Temperance) ; No. 7, August 19, 1854, containing the statistics of Manchester : — Table No. I. No. District. 03 o No. of Visitors. Total. Aver- age. Men. Women. Children. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 New-cross Ward . . . St. Michael's do Collegiate do St. Clement's do. . . Deansgate District . Mosley-street do.. Do. do 213 162 156 106 95 111 126 162 96 58 51 17,895 13,738 10,858 8,975 10,920 10,892 13,153 12,570 6,331 12,387 9,215 10,598 7,862 5,516 4,764 6,044 7,191 9,485 7,718 4,116 6,342 4,521 4,834 2,905 542 1,739 1,607 1,372 1,882 2,256 1,219 1,314 1,220 33,327 24,505 16,916 15,478 18,571 19,455 24,520 22,544 11,666 20,043 14,956 156* 151 108 146 195 175 194 139 127 347 274 Bridgwater-street . Great Jackson-street Chester-road Oldham-street Total 1,336 126,934 74,157 20,890 221,981 166 The following table contains a general summary of visits during legal hours on ten Sundays in Manchester : — Table No. II. Date. Houses. Men. Women. Children. Total. Average. April 2 2 936 278 429 1,643 821* 9 8 2,163 902 51 3,116 389 16 36 9,789 5,277 851 15,917 442 23 57 7,056 3,981 692 11,729 205 30 95 7,078 6,378 935 14,391 151 May 7 100 6,699 4,088 1,109 11,896 118 14 234 18,239 9,566 2,559 30,364 129 21 329 27,684 16,322 6,201 50,207 152 28 354 25,602 16,299 6,528 48,429 136 June 4 222 14,878 8,518 4,230 27,626 124 Total.. 1,437 120,124 71,609 23,585 215,318 149 * Omitting fractional parts in taking the average. APPENDIX. 501 The following are the observations on the above returns by the Editor of the " Alliance " : — " It will be seen that while the proceed- ings of the Committee extended over ten Sundays, yet, as no house was taken twice, a fair average of the attendance at each has been, arrived at. The Committee are aware of no particular cause, which would operate to render the results of one Sunday's census different from another ; and it would have rendered observation much more difficult, had not due caution and secrecy been observed. The Com- mittee have every reason to believe, in the perfect accuracy of the figures." The next table of statistics refers to the city of Edinburgh, and is compiled from a document entitled, " Statistics of a Sabbath day's traffic " in public-houses in that city. "We present the returns in a condensed form. Table No. III. i Children Aver- District. 03 3 Men. Women. Total. ^ Under 14. Under 8. age. No. 1 30 4,006 1,927 654 558 7,145 238* 2 7 675 161 37 2] 894 127 3 25 3,269 2,149 673 494 6,585 263 4 9 438 332 124 61 955 106 5 23 2,609 628 160 68 3,465 150 6 13 875 256 138 39 1,308 100 7 18 1,075 376 166 135 1,752 97 8 27 2,850 2,278 867 533 6,528 241 9 12 545 326 217 146 1,234 102 10 9 709 611 293 166 1,779 197 11 9 486 324 156 149 1,115 101 12 13 802 504 224 178 1,708 131 13 8 202 207 155 87 651 81 14 14 1,160 668 228 105 2,161 154 15 22 1,120 508 197 151 1,976 89 16 18 806 396 191 76 1,469 81 17 11 574 280 151 65 1,070 97 Total . . 268 22,201 11,931 4,631 3,032 41,795 155 In explanation of their proceedings, the Committee of the Edin- burgh Total Abstinence Society offer the following remarks : — "Nearly two hundred abstainers volunteered their aid, to accomplish this difficult and even dangerous work. Their devotion has alone * Omitting fractional parts in taking the average. 502 APPENDIX. enabled the Committee to present the detailed statistics, in such a complete form. That the tables are, as far as they go, a very close approximation to the truth, the Committee unhesitatingly believe. The gross amount, however large, is considerably understated, from circumstances which could not be controlled : — 1. Some public-houses had so many back-doors, some of which were so peculiarly situated, that none, however willing, could take statistics. 2. Some two dozen public-houses closed of their own accord, to avoid the question altogether. 3. Parties who had been in the habit of keeping open to, and beyond, the latest lawful hour — eleven o'clock— suddenly com- menced shutting at nine. These and other minor causes, together with the public-houses in the suburbs not having been taken, hindered a larger return of actual Sabbath-drinking. As it is, doubts will probably arise, regarding the accuracy of such alarming returns. The Committee, therefore, beg to state, that the largest and most startling returns from particular localities were re-taken, and tested, and found not to be overstated. It is right, however, to mention, that some individuals were observed to enter more than once during the day." The next table is compiled from the " Epitome of Evidence taken before the Committee of the House of Commons" in 1853 — 4, show- ing the number of persons apprehended by the police for drunken- ness in 1852 : — Table No. IV. Towus. Proportion to Population. One in Towns. 1 Proportion to Population. One in London, City Metropolitan Dis- trict Liverpool Manchester .... Birmingham. .... 456 141 20 401 268 Leeds 1 Bristol Sheffield Bradford Wolverhampton . 1 536 277 103 952 155 The remaining tables are compiled from the same document. The first refers to towns in Scotland, and the second to towns in Ire- land, showing the number apprehended in 1852 by the police for drunkenness. APPENDIX. 503 Table No. V. Towns. Proportion to Population. One in Towns. Proportion to Population. One in Glasgow Edinb\irgli Dundee Aberdeen 22 57 26 41 Paisley Greenock Leith. 67 28 40 46 Perth Table No. VI. Towns. Proportion to Population. One in Towns. Proportion to Population. One in Dublin Belfast 14 38 10 50 22 Galway Kilkenny Clomnel Sligo 22 105 13 146 Cork Limerick Waterford It appears, therefore, that in Scotland the proportion of persons apprehended, in one year, by the police for drunkenness, is, on the average of eight towns, about one in forty; and in Ireland the average of nine towns is a little more than one in forty-six. London : Reed and Pardon, Printers, Paternoster Row. 27, SOUTHAMPTON KOW, RUSSELL SQUARE, A.ND 36, PATERNOSTER ROW, LONDON. WORKS BY THE KEY. BAETON BOUCHIER, M.A. DEVOTIONAL COMMENTS ON THE PSALMS. Manna in the Heart; or^ Daily Com- ments on the Book of Psalms. Adapted for the use of Families. By the Rev. Barton Bouchiee, M.A. Vol. I., Psalm First to Seventy- eighth. 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