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THE'SIWATH:
Its Perpetual Moral Obligation,

A. SERMON,
(Almost as)
PREACHED IN DUNMURRY CHURCH,
(By order of Presbytery)
ON 12th APRIL, 1885,
BY
Rev. R. J. ARNOLD, M.A.

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THE SABBATH:
Its Perpetual Moral Obligation, §c.

A SERMON,
(Almost as)
PREACHED IN DUNMURRY CHURCH,
(By order of Presbytery)
ON 12th APRIL, 1885,
EY
Rev. R. J. ARNOLD, M.A.

Bible & Colportage Dep6t, Lombard St.,
and thk Booksellers.
PEICE ONE PENNY.

IIOAT BROS., PRINTERS, ROSEMARY STREET, BELFAST.

^hc Sabbath.

" And He said unto them, the Sabbath was made
for man, and not man for the Sabbath; therefore, the Son
of Man is Lord also ofthe Sabbath." — Mark ii, 27-28.

IN discussing the subject set forth here, we shall
consider :
I. The perpetual moral obligation of the Sabbath;
II. The change of the day ;
and
III. The manner of its observance.
First. — Let us consider its perpetual moral obligation.
In other words, let us enquire is man morally bound
to rest one whole day in seven from all his labour,
and devote it solely and wholly to the service of God,
to the end of time ?
The terms of the question are plain and demand but
little explanation, they are " Sabbath" and " Perpetual
Moral Obligation."
As to the word " Sabbath." it simply means rest, —
cessation from labour or employment, and, in a religious
sense, it came to signify the dedication of a precise
portion of time to cessation from worldly labour, and '
a peculiar consecration, by virtue of which a sanctity
was ascribed to the portion of time thus set apart.
The second term ofthe question naturally suggests the
inquiry : — when is a law said to be of " Perpetual Moral
Obligation ?" We answer, a law is of perpetual moral
obligation, when it is either moral in itself, or positively

THE SABBATH :

commanded of God ; for, this very command renders it
strictly moral, and, therefore, perpetually binding —
unless it be abrogated, which we hold the Sabbath
never was.
Various have been the views entertained by men in
all ages of the world, in reference to the perpetuity of
the Sabbath.
Without even stating these we shall briefly consider
ihatview which appears to be agreeable to Scripture truth.
It is this :— we believe the " Sabbath " to be of bind
ing obligation upon all men to the end of time, for,
(1st.) The, Sabbath liad an existence prior to the Mosaic
Ritual : it had a primeval origin. In the fact that God
rested on the seventh day, and sanctified it— in the fact
of its institution prior to the time of the necessity of any
ceremonial observance— in the fact that Adam, and
Enoch, and Noah, and Abraham kept a Sabbath, its
institution could not be of a ceremonial nature, it could
not be peculiarly and exclusively Jewish, and it was not
therefore meant to be observed by a particular people,
for a particular period, but for all men and all times.
(2nd.) That it had a primeval origin there can be no
reasonable doubt, for, at the .giving of the "Manna"
in the wilderness prior to the giving of the law, we have
the recognition of the Sabbath being in existence. More
over from the division of time into weeks (for weeks are
spoken of long before the giving of the law), it is but
just to infer that the Sabbath was observed, though, at
this time, and till the giving of the law by Moses, there
was no positive command.
(3rd.) We have the positive law on the subject. Now, the
positive law of God ever has, and must ever have the
force of moral obligation— coming as it does from God,
the Moral Governor of the universe— written, as it was,
in the midst of all the other moral precepts, and on
" Tables of Stone," in token of their enduring obligation
throughout all time.
(4th. ) We have the blessings pronounced by the Prophets
upon those who should strictly observe this day "holy"
unto the Lord. These blessings, it must be noted, were
pronounced not upon Jews, but upon all, and in par
ticular, upon those who, after the incoming of the
Christian dispensation, should keep the Sabbath dav —
(Isaiah, Chapters 56 and 58.)
(5th. ) We have the nature ofthe Sabbath clearly pointed
out by our Lord. He told His disciples and the

ITS PERPETUITY, &C.

hypocritically scrupulous Pharisees, that " the Sabbath
was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath." It
was made for "man" — not, therefore, for the Jew only —
not for a particular period, but for all periods — " made
for man" — therefore, thoroughly adapted to his con
stitution, and, therefore, necessary to his very existence,
His physical necessities require its observance, therefore
it must be perpetual.
The practicality of any principle is surely a good test
of its value, in morals as in mechanics, in religion, as in
political science. This is. a ground upon which we may
fairly reason, and urge the perpetuity of a principle.
There is, however, this difference — the universality of
the religious principle, as suited to all men and all times;
whereas, the mechanical or economical will only find
its adaption in particular instances. Iu this, therefore,
the glory of the moral is perceived over the physical.
Man's physical necessities require its observance (i.e.
of the Sabbath), we have said, and, therefore, it was
intended to be perpetual, as man, physically considered,
will remain as he is till the end of time.
(6th.) 1 he testimony of our Lord was strictly in favour
of observing it holy unto God. His own example,
is an unanswerable argument in its favour, and though
cavillers may object that He did not mention it when
He asked the " young man " if he observed the law ;
yet we are not, therefore, to conclude that it was not
included ; for elsewhere He reduces the decalogue to
much less compass, in words, for He says, that the law
is "to love the Lord our God with all our heart and soul
and mind and strength, and to love our neighbour as
ourselves. " Besides, the Apostles looked upon the law as
comprehended in one word — " love I"
(7th.) The change of day did not affect iis obligation.
For it is nowhere said that the seventh day, but the
" Sabbath day, was made for man."
(8th.) The Sabbath day was not of the. nature of a
ceremonial law. For a ceremonial law i3 only of
obligation, so long as what it points to, or is typical of,
remains unfulfilled, so long as what it shadows forth is
wrapt up in obscurity and the future. The Sabbath,
we say,.is not of the nature of a ceremonial law, except,
indeed," it be so considered of that rest "which
remaineth to the people of God." But as the " Sabbath
day " was commemorative of the First Creation, so
may we look upon the Lord's Day as analogical in a

the sabbbath :

beautiful manner of the First Sabbath, as it is the
remembrancer of the New Creation, wrought by tne
resurrection of Christ, as commemorative of the com
pletion of that work, by which the soul can be raised up
from all the darkness and chaos in which it was involved,
when the clouds of sin enveloped it— as commemorative
of the glad morn when the firstborn of creation, and all
the heavenly hosts did shout again for joy that the
" Sun of Righteousness " had arisen in all His glory, m
all His quickening and cheering power, when they did
siDgfor joy-" 0! Death, where is thy sting ? 0! I Grave,
where is thy victory ?" when they pealed forth then-
glad Hozannas, which they ever sing:— "Power and
riches, and wisdom and strength, and glory and honour
and blessing is He worthy to receive— the Lamb that
was slain from the foundation of the world !"
II. But a question here arises — if the Sabbath be of
" perpetual moral obligation," if it be required of
men to the end of time to keep one day in seven as a
day of religious observance, how comes it that there
is a change of day ?
In the " Book of Revelation " we have these solemn
words :— " If any man shall add unto these things, God
shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this
book ; and if any man shall take away from the words
of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his
part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city,
and from the things which are written in this book." —
xxii, 18-19. Here is a change, a taking away ; true,
it is changed for the purpose of religion ; but that in
itself can be no excuse in God's sight. If it be an
ordinance of man, then it must be wrong, it cannot be
acceptable to God, and instead of drawing down God's
favour by his acts, the most strict observer of the
Sabbath, as it now exists, must be incurring God's
displeasure — nay, subjecting himself "to the plagues
written in His book."
But, has he no authority for this change ?
Assuredly he has.
Let us note what is essential, so far as the Sabbath is
concerned. The term "Sabbath,'* as we have said,
means "rest" — i.e., a holy resting from all worldly
engagements. " 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 daughter, thy man-servant, nor thy

ITS perpetuity, &c.

maid-servant, nor thy cattle, nor thy 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
the seventh day, whereupon the Lord blessed the
Sabbath day and hallowed it." — Gen. xx. 9-11.
He "blessed" the "Sabbath day"— the day of
" rest " — one seventh portion of time.
The "Sabbath" was to be observed, because of God's
example, and because of His command.
It was to be set apart for His worship, for the con
templation of His glorious attributes, exhibited to men
in the work of creation. Now, that was a stupendous
work indeed, the bringing all things out of nothing by
the word of His power, and worthy of commemoration,
it was.
But here was another work — the work of the " New
Creation" — the work of creating the soul "anew in
Christ Jesus, " and truly it was worthy of commemora
tion in like manner, if not iu a more transcendent
degree. As long as the Bridegroom was with them,
why should Christ's disciples " fast and mourn 1" The
days would come "when the Bridegroom should no
longer be with them," and " then should they fast and
mourn ?"
That day did at length arrive, for Jesus died on the
accursed tree, and was laid in the new hewn tomb of
Joseph, of Arimathea; and then did His Disciples "fast
and mourn ;" but their sorrow was turned into joy ; for
' ' in the end of the Sabbath, as it begau to dawn towards
the first day of the week, there was a great earthquake,
and " the Angel of the Lord rolled back the stone from
the door of the sepulchre, and sat upon it, and he said
to Mary Magdelene and the other Mary, who had come
to see the sepulchre at the dawn, — ' Fear not ye :
for I know that ye seek Jesus which was crucified ; He
is not here, for He is risen as He said, come, see the
place where the Lord lay.' "
It is also written :— -" Then the same day, at evening,
being the first day of the week, when the doors were
shut where the disciples were assembled, for fear of the
Jews, came Jesus, and stood in the midst, and saith
unto them, Peace be unto you." — John, xx, 19.
And at the 26 v. it is also written : — "And after
eight days again His disciples were within, and Thomas
with them ; then came Jesus, the doors being shut, and
stood in the midst and said, "Peace be unto you."

No doubt the Apostles were met together in loving
remembrance of their risen Lord. It is also written : —
" And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they
were all with one accord in one place," waiting iu
obedience to our Lord's command, for the promised gift
of the Holy Ghost. Now this day was the first day of
the week — the Christian Sabbath. Then our Lord
fulfilled His word. Then came down upon the Apostles
the baptism of fire, — then "were they filled with the
Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as
the Spirit gave them utterance."
Thereafter it became the practice of the Apostles and
the early Christians to keep the day as a time for
religious observances. Acts xx, 4, It is written : —
"And upon the first day of the week, when the disciples
came together to break bread (to celebrate the ordinance
of the Supper in remembrance of Christ), Paul preached
unto them."
[Note. — On this point, Bishop Horsley says: — " The
alteration seems to have been made by the authority of
the Apostles, and to have taken place the very day in
which our Lord arose, for on that day the Apostles were
assembled, and on that day seven nights they were
assembled again. The celebration of these two first
Sundays was honoured by our Lord's presence. It was
perhaps to set a mark of distinction upon this day in
particular, that the intervening week passed off, as it
would seem, without any repetition of his first visit to
the eleven Apostles. From that time the Sunday was
the constant Sabbath of the Primitive Church." 
(Horsley, i, 334, 335).
Regarding it, Dr. Hodge says—" This change of the
Sabbath from the seventh to the first day of the week,
was made not only for a sufficient reason, but also by
competent authority. It is a simple historical fact that
the Christians of the Apostolic age ceased to observe
the seventh, arid did observe the first day of the week
as the day for religous worship."— Systematic Theoloqv.
Vol. Ill, p. 330. . ... yy
And he adds : — "Nothing but Divine authority and
Divine power can account for the continued observance
of this sacred institution from the beginning until now."
" I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day," says John,
the seer of Patmos, "though forcibly detained from
church communion with the brethren on " the Lord's
day," the weekly commemoration of the resurrection,

John was enjoying spiritual communion." Here we
have the earliest mention of the term, — Rev. i, 10. But
the consecration of the day to worship, almsgiving, and
the Lord's Supper is implied. — Acts, xx, 7 ; 1 Cor.
xvi, 2, and John xx, 19, 26.— (Crit. and Exper. Com
mentary, Fausset and Brown, vide in loco.) So much
then for the change of the day.]
III. In the Third place let us turn our thoughts to
the consideration of the Manner op its Observance.
How then is it to be observed ? This is the practical
consideration. Let us then try to discover what we are
to abstain from, and what we are to do.
1st. As to what we are to abstain from. In other words
what is unlawful on God's holy day ? And here (1) we
say we are to abstain from sin on the Lord's day. This
you may say to me, we are to do every day ; and so we
are, for we are to " abstain from all appearance of evil" —
1 Thess. v, 22 — to "abhor that which is evil and cleave
tothat which is good"— RoM.xii,9. Such is the duty of
every man, every day in life, and every moment in every
day. Thus each one is to act, and woe be unto
him if he do not do so. But upon the Lord's
day there is a peculiar necessity laid upon men that they
sin not — not because sin on the week day is less a sin ;
but because sin upon the Sabbath is more heinous by
far, by reason of the motives, and inducements, and
warnings that there are upon it, to avoid and hate not
only sin, but "all appearance of evil." It is these
barriers in the way of the transgressor in the form of the
" means of grace" — churches open for worship — the
Sabbath bell calling all men to enter, and the people of
God going to the place of prayer — 1 say, it is these
barriers and multitudinous motives to holiness of life and
character, which cover with a cloud of such awful
darkness, the sinner on God's Holy Day.
But again not only are we to abstain from sin —
all sire— on the Lord's day, we are (2) also to abstain from
our own worldly thoughts.
We are, at all times, to set a guard upon our thoughts.
For "it is uot that which goeth into a man which
defileth a man, but that which cometh out of the man."
Our Lord hath said: — "For from within, out of the
heart proceed evil thoughts." — Mark, vii, 21.
Now, at all times we are " to set a guard upon oar
hearts," our feelings, our thoughts ; evil will cross our
minds. We are liable to temptation, if we were not we

10 the sabbath

could not be capable . of virtue ; but we are ever to
distinguish between temptation to evil, and evil or sin
itself. Temptation to evil, so far as the tempted is concerned,
is not sin. It is only when the temptation has been given
way to, that " sin is finished," and. "sin, being finished
it bringeth forth death I"
My friends, the devil knows the mode of access to the
human soul. He is acquainted with the best modes of
approach to the citadel of the human heart. He has not
studied it iu vain for the last 6,000 years ! How each
man, woman and child on earth is to be most easily led
to break God's law — the arch-fiend knows full well !
Oh! we do forget that "the devil as a roaring lion
goeth about" day and night, "seeking whom he may
devour." And, we also forget that "we wrestle not
against flesh aud blood, but against principalities and
powers, against the rulers of the darkness of the world ;
against spiritual wickedness in high places."
But, iu addition to these, we have our own evil
thoughts, products of our own evil hearts. Now these
we are to guard and watch, that they gain not the
mastery and slay us ! There is a proneness to stumble,
and, just as on a footless horse, a tight reign must be
kept, so too, we must keep a close guard upon our
thoughts ; we must keep a tight reign upon our desires,
and the imaginations of our souls. Oftimes through the
imagination the tempter enters, by portraying in all
dazzling colours, the glory, the joy of sin— of disobeying
God, and breaking His holy Commandments. Ah ! it is
in this way that myriads of souls have gone down the
stream of sin, and been hurried to a doom of woe, that
shall not be other than intensified by the very exercise of
that faculty of their souls, whereby the Evil One led
them to ruin !
We must never give loose rein to our imaginations,
which, with all the skill of the most gifted artist, present
sin bright, and glowing, and gorgeous, as an autumnal
sunset, all the while, that it is only the herald of a
night darker far than that of Egypt, when Egypt's wail
for her firstborn swept o'er Goshen's plains — a night
described, in Holy Writ— in the awful words, as "the
blackness of darkness forever !"
Qh ! how needful, every day to guard our thoughts,
the imaginations of our souls I And, if this be needful
on the week day ; and, if it be wrong to harbour, for an

its perpetuity, &c. 11

instant, these evil thoughts, how much greater the sin,
to cherish them, on God's Holy Day ?
But, not only on God's day, are we to refrain from
th ese evil imaginings— on it, we are to refrain from our
every day thoughts, oui worldly thoughts, from thoughts,
which, on the week-day, would be lawful and right.
We are to drop our wordly business and employment —
to leave off thinking about it. If we cannot, we may
be sure, all is not right with us. If, in the sanctuary,
men and women are thinking about anything and every
thing, but the holy thoughts of God's Word, the preacher
is bringing before them, all is not right with them — all
is far wrong. For, it is an irresistible conclusion, that
"where our treasure is, there will our heart be also."
If it be on the earth, our thoughts will be earthward,
grovelling in the dust ; but, if it be in heaven, then,
"our hearts will be there also."
The day is wholly the Lord's, and He requires every
thought of every heart to be in subjection to Him then.
Our thoughts we are on this day to give up wholly to God's
service. If we permit them to wander over the con
cerns of the week, we are robbing God of that attention
and homage, which He demands of us, His creatures.
The Sabbath is to be given up to a holy resting, even
in thought, so far as the things of the world are con
cerned, i.e., our worldly prospects, our trade, or
business, the prospects we have of getting a good place,
in school, or college, in commercial, or professional, or
political life.
Again, we are not only to abstain from sin, and
from our ordinary thoughts, we are (3) to abstain from our
own works, i.e., our week-day emploj ments. It is
written : — " 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." Mark
the terms, " Six days shalt thou labour and do all thy
work." It is, you see, an incumbent duty for us to work
"six days." — '' Six days shalt thou labour."
There are to be no idlers, all are to be engaged in
some employment, during the week. Men are not to
eat the bread of idleness. Those men who are placed,
by the accident of birth, above the need of daily toil of
some kind, are truly to be pitied. For, unless a sense
of duty to use their talents for God, is impressed upon
them, and felt by them, they find it the very hardest
thing in life, " to kill time" (as they call it.)

12 THE SABBATH :

Besides, it is the most dangerous position any man
conld be placed in, for his moral nature, for his advance
ment in those graces of moral character, which go to
the formation of true nobility — for "Satan finds some
mischief still, for idle hands to do."
" Six days," my hearer, are given thee, for thy
work ; but, on the seventh, thou mayest not go about
thine ordinary toil, for it is the Lord's. Thou art not,
then, to bring out thy horses and thy harrows ; thou
art not to engage in thy business ; thou art not, then,
to ply thine avocation in the market, or the mill, in the
shop, or office. On the Sabbath, we must not do " our
own works, nor find our own pleasure," for it is the
Lord's. For it is written, for our warning and comfort : —
"If thou turn away thy foot from the Sabbath, from
doing thy pleasure, on my Holy Day — not doing thine
own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking
thine;' own words, but call the Sabbath a delight, the
holy of the Lord, and shalt honpur Him — 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, for the mouth of
the Lord has spoken it." — (Isaiah, lviii, 13-14.)
2nd. Having thus treated of the subject negatively,
let us now, glance at it, positively. In other words, what,
are we to do ?
Here then is what we are to do : we are to " keep
the Sabbath holy." That is to say, it is to be set apart
to the duties of Religion. And, here, I, remark — (1.)
the whole day is to be kept — one whole day in seven is
to be observed holy to the Lord. The entire day is
God's. Not the morning only — not the one and a half
hours, or two hours, that we are in the sanctuary.
No ! The whole day is God's.
Some men think, that after 12 o'clock, or 2 o'clock,
the day is theirs, to do on it what they please. Now,
there is no authority for this. It is unscriptural. The
entire day is to be devoted to the service of God. It
is written : — " Remember the Sabbath Day, to keep it
holy." And, if we thought seriously of the issues at stake,
we should not deem it too much. Our minds, the
immortal part of each of us (which is of more value
than the world), is to be made 'ready, and fit, for an
eternity, which awaits us all. Now, the Sabbath is

ITS PERPETUITY, &C. 13

the special day God has given for this end.
Alas ! is there not an utter scepticism on the part
ot multitudes, regarding the Future ; and, as to our
employments, in the eternal, spiritual world? If men
really believed in the existence of heaven, as the place
in which they hope one day to dwell ; and, if they
had Scriptural views of its nature, as a place, where the
enjoyments will be of a spiritual kind, i.e., where mind
will enjoy to the full, its desires ; and, where those
desires shall be, in entire accord, with the will of the
Great Jehovah, who wills what alone is for the good of
His creatures. Then, methinks, the Sabbatb would
assume its true place in our affections, and we should
observe it, not with a slavish fear, but with intelligent,
heartfelt gladness. We should esteem it, as it is the
best day of all the seven.
In a merely physical point of view, in the Sabbath,
we have a boon of the utmost moment. It gives a day
of cessation from toil. If there had been no Sabbath,
" the great and powerful would have compelled the
weak and dependent, to give all their time to labour for
their profit." There would have been no rest, and each
dependent would have been a slave of the most degraded
kind, ever working, and never obtaining u. day's rest —
"year out, year in," till he, at length, would be unfit
for work.
Without the Sabbath, the mass of mankind (for, they
are the toilers) would have been compelled to hopeless
slavery. But, the Sabbath gives this day — an entire
day of cessation from work, to all the sons of men.
God gives it to the toilers of the week. It is their
birthright. It is, my hearers, your birthright ; and, no man has any
right to rob you of it. No man has any right to bribe
you to rob God of it, or to rob yourselves of its ease, and
rest, and joys !
The body requires rest. It is not a machine, which
can work without sensation or fatigue. No ! it needs
rest, in order to recruit and gather strength, after the
incessant toil of the week. Nay, more, the very brain
needs rest — cessation from the constant wear and tear
of revolving thoughts, and producing new ones, and
framing arguments, likewise.
The Sabbath rest is the working man's right. God
gave it to him, in an especial sense. Shall he, then,
be the first to cast it from him, and trample it in the
dust ?

14 THE SABBATH .'

Every man who does not observe this day in this
manner, in which God wishes him to observe it, does
himself an injury, and offends God ! He, in effect, says,
" I am wiser than my Maker, I know better how to
take care of myself, than God knows ; and, I will not
give this day to Him ; I can take my own pleasure
thereon, without any perceptible detriment to my
body." But, the case stands thus : — If you do your own
pleasure, then, others must work, to give you the
supposed pleasure. They must toil, whilst grasping
men for their profit, and not your pleasure, make your
brothers toil. The day being a day of pleasure to you,
will be a day of work to multitudes ; and so the benefi
cent object of the Sabbath, to give rest to mankind,
will be destroyed.
(2nd. ) The Sabbath is not tobe profaned with idleness,
but on the contrary, it is to be devoted entirely to the
public and private duties of religion.
It is a day specially set apart for these duties (in
which, our Lord includes, " works of necessity, and
works of mercy.") It is a day specially given, for the
study of God's character, as it is revealed in His works,
and in His Word.
Then, Christians are not to forget, or " forsake the
assembling of themselves together," for the worship of
God's holy name. They are to rejoice, when it is said
unto them :" Go up to the house of the Lord." They
are not to forget, also, that " the Lord loveth the
gates of Zion, more than all the dwellings of Jacob."
They are to enter into His gates with thanksgiving,
and into His courts with praise — to call to mind " the
days of old," and all the mighty acts, He hath per
formed. But, we are to contemplate God's character, not only
in His Works, but, in His Word also. We are to
regard Him, not only as our Creator, but, as our
Redeemer, too. We are to hear, in His house, the
Gospel of His Grace unfolded, in all its freeness, and
in all its fulness.
The way of Holiness — which is the way of Happiness
—hath been revealed in the Gospel of Christ ; and, we
have been commissioned and ordained, to declare its
truths ; and, on the Holy Sabbath it is, men are to
assemble to learn the way from earth to heaven. For
" faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of
God."— (Rom. xi, 17.)

ITS PERPETUITY, &C. 15

' The prayers and the praises of each worshipping
assembly are to spring from the heart', for " God is a
Spirit," and he requires that all who worship Him,
should "worship Him in spirit and in truth." They
are, moreover, to be presented, in the name of Christ,
" the only Mediator between God and man" — the Great
High Priest ofthe Church — "who ever liveth to make
intercession" for us.
Then, true believers are to unite in the administration
and observance of the sealing ordinances of the Church,
Baptism, and the Lord's Supper— and, are, thus in the
most impressive manner, to show further the work of
the New Creation.
(3rd. ) On this day we are bound to perform the private
duties of religion, too. Each man must, at last, answer
for himself ; and, each man, therefore, should render to
God, the service God demands, in private, at his hands.
He will, therefore, pray "in secret;" for, all are com
manded to do so; and "praying in secret," God will
reward openly.
A prayerless man is a Christless man. He is with.
out God, and without hope in the world. Each man's
duty it is to pray every day, at morn and eve. Nay,
the Christian is not to limit or " restrain" his prayers;
for, he is " to pray without ceasing," and he is " to be
instant in prayer." David, we know, prayed "seven
times a day ;" and Daniel, in the land of Exile, prayed
"three times a day," with his face towards Jersusalem.
This, as the other private duties of the Sabbath, will
be performed with delight and joy. The Father will,
on the Holy Sabbath, instruct his family and his
servants in the way of righteousness. He will gather
his children round him, and read the Holy Scriptures
with them, too. He will exercise them in the ' Shorter
Catechism. ' He will teach them ' ' psalms, and
hymns, and spiritual songs. " He will tell them of the
Saviour, and the way to heaven, and, to his utmost
ability, he will, by God's grace, " bring them up in the
nurture and admonition of the Lord ?"
He will pray with and for them. He will render the
Sabbath, not a dull day, but a pleasant one. Yea, he
will seek to make it the best, and most happy of all the
seven. And, my friends, you may rest assured, that the
memory of such quiet, hallowed Sabbaths as these,
will cling to your children, when separated far from

16 THE SABBATH :

home and friends, out (it may be), on the wide, wild
sea, or on the distant prairie, or in the great and god
less city — wherever they may be scattered, over the
earth !
The memory of such scenes will, I doubt not, help
to cheer them, on the burning sands of India, or amid
the dreary solitudes of Australia, or the sighings of
Canadian pine forests, where the Red Indian stealthily
treads — will help to lead them to the throne of their
Father's God ; and, it mayhap, induce them to cast
" all their care," upon Him, who hath promised to be,
" the orphan's stay and the stranger's shield" — when the
mother that bore them, and the father who toiled for
them, have long since been carried to their last resting-
places, in the green and quiet churchyard !
0, my friends, what a rich heritage hath been left us,
in the Sabbath, and its ordinances, and its gracious,
hallowed rest ! Had there been no Sabbaths, then had
there been no sanctuaries, no holy quiet, no voice of
pious preachers pointing us the road to glory ! No
songs of Zion, to cheer our downcast hearts, refresh our
weary souls, or fit us for the conflict with sin, or the
joys of the paradise above !
/ This earth had then been like the "pit of woe" —
with no Gospel to comfort — no spirit, to sanctify, or
make our souls anew — no hopes of bliss, and joy, and
glory beyond the grave ! Ah ! earth had then been
to us, nought but the porch to hell ! — a dim, but
true reflection, of the awful woes, the lost endure— the
fury of our evil passions let loose upon each other,
producing the ever-thickening agonies of remorse, and
the ever increasing terrors of despair !
0, my friends, let us bless God for the Sabbath !
Let us perpetuate it, both by precept and example, so
that it may be observed by our children, and our
childrens' children, down to the latest generation of
men, till the last Sabbath of earth hath merged into
that eternal Sabbath of "rest, that rsmaineth to the
people of God." Amen and Amen.
And, to God, the Father, God, the Son, and God, the
Holy Ghost, shall be all the glory. Amen.

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