Prayers, and Praises proper to it. Thus did he answer, in his Practice, the End of the Inftitution of the Lord's Day, making it a truly Christian Sabbath; a Day, not fo much of Reft, as Religion, and a happy Type of that Eternal Sabbath, which the Saints enjoy in Heaven; who reft for ever from their Labours, yet are for ever employ'd in the work of Thanksgiving and Praife.

I fhall here add his Judgment of the neceffity of Obferving the Lord's-Day, and keeping it ftrictly Holy.

The Lord Bleffed the Seventh Day, to the purposes of Piety and Spiritual Benefit of his Servants; yea, and it fhall be Bleffed. This is not a Branch of the Ceremonial Law; for from the Beginning of the World, the Lord hath establifh'd a Blefling upon the Seventh Day, making it a Mark and Characteristick of his Servants, 'from the rest of the World, who take no no

tice of a Seventh Day; an outward Sign of his Everlasting Covenant with them, from the Beginning to the End of the World. He hath fanctifi'd a Seventh part ' of our Time to himself; and as He heretofore fanctifi'd the Temple, as a Type ' of our Emmanuel, of our Saviours Manhood; and gave great Privileges to the Prayers that were offer'd up to Him, in it, or towards it; fo hath he Sanctifi'd every Seventh Day of our Time, as a Type of • that Eternal Day of Holiness, and of Reft, ' which

which we shall enjoy, in the Presence and Company of our Lord in Heaven. Fear not then, my Soul, the Day is bleffed; whatever thou offereft up to thy God, on this Day, fhall have a double Acceptance; and whatever good thing thou defireft, on this Day, fhall have a speedy Answer. This is the acceptable Time, in which God will hear Thee; this is the Lord's own Day which He hath Blessed, and in which He will Blefs thee. Only take heed, that Ifa. 56: 6. • thou keep the Covenant of the Lord, and SanEtifie this his Day. (For most wife Reafons, he hath appointed it, as Essential and Neceffary to the Improvement of our Souls. For whofo looks into the World, and fees how Men are apt to be engag'd to it, and forget their Eternal Home; will foon 'think, that One Day in Seven, is as little as can be, to Revive and Maintain in their Souls, a true Senfe of things.) Then Verfe 7. will thy God bring thee to his holy Mountain, and make thee joyful in his House of Prayer; thy Burnt-Offerings and thy Sacrifices fhall be accepted on his Holy Altar. Thy Devotions and thy Services fhall be accepted that Day (more especially) in his Sight, through the Mediator of the Covenant, the Lord Jefus. Amen.

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In another place he speaks to the fame purpose.

The Chriftian Church affum'd the Feftivals ofthe Jews, as rightly belonging to them: For the things which they were

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⚫ kept

. kept in remembrance of, were Fulfill'd in our Saviour; and therefore the fame Feftivals were to be kept by Christians, in ' remembrance of this Fulfilling. Thus the Passover was the Type of our Saviours Suffering, and Transferr'd to our Eafter: The Feast of Tabernacles, to Chriftmas, in remembrance of God's having pitched his Tabernacle among Men. And fo the Sab bath, transferr'd from an Outward to a Spiritual Reft; in Remembrance of Chrift's having perfected the Work of our Redem. ption, and our Reft from Sin procur'd thereby So that we are not to look upon it as a Jewish, but a Chriftian Festival; for to do otherwife is blam'd by the A6 postle, and Parallel'd with fetting up of Circumcifon.

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The Jews obferv'd the Sabbath for a long time, only as a Day of Rest, and not of Holy Exercises. The Christians at first, did meet in the Night of the Lord's-Day, because of Privacy; and feveral of them were Slaves, who cou'd get no other time; in the Morning thofe that cou'd went to their Repofe; the others to their La'bours.

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The Laws of our Church and Land are not fo ftrict in forbidding Work, as requiring Aflembling to the Worship of God. And for the reft of the Day, we are particularly directed to Acts of Charity; and no doubt fuch Innocent Relaxation is lawful,

as

.......

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as does not take us off from that serious Temper of Mind, we ought to maintain.

It feems Impoffible for Men to be Sav'd, without Sanctifying One Day in Seven; I mean in the ordinary Courfe of Living. Lefs than this, will not keep their Minds above Sin, and the World. And then all Vifits and Idle Chat is to be avoided, and we ought to be altogether alone, or in Company and Converfation, that may Edi'fie; and we are to confider, that the Lord'sDay is not only a Remembrance of what is past, but a Type of the Eternal Sabbath in Heaven; and therefore ought to be, spent in fuch Exercifes (bating Acts of Charity and the Neceffities of our Mortal State) as we hope to be employ'd in • there.

And as he kept the Lord's Day most strict. He obferv'd ly Holy, fo he was a Religious Obferver the Feafts of the Feafts and Fafts of the Church, giv. and Fafts of ing them up to Devotions proper to them, the Church. as much as his Engagements in the World wou'd allow; to Humiliation and Repentance, if Days of Sorrow; to Praises, if Days of Joy. And what he thought of our Festivals, and how he obferv'd them, the Two following Meditations will fhew.

Solibus eftivis non confule computat Annum, St. Mat was the Character of the happy Man of thew's-Da? Old. But our Happiness is of another 1095fort, and our Computation different. O

happy Soul! when the Offices of Religion

'do measure out to thee the Time and the

Year; and Devotion in its Decent Drefs, is thy Kalendar; when as thou dost receive with pleafure, the Fruits of each Seafon, which the Bounty of thy God caufeth the Earth to bring forth to thee; the Sun and Heaven yielding fucceffively their grateful Changes, fo thou may'st measure out thy Time, with fuitable variety of Praise and Devotion; afpiring in each Seafon, after fome new Grace in return, till thou haft run the Circle of them all with the C Year, and fumm'd up thy Gain at last in < a happy Eternity. Happy Soul! to whom cach new Weck is welcome, and known not by the Almanack, or the outward Face of the Year, but by the Grace it propofes to thy Meditation and Practice in its . Collect, while thou dost join with the whole Church, in making this Theme thy Study and thy Care: When each Month is known < to thee, not by the Old Heathen Name it bears, but the bleffed Saints it Commemorates, welcoming with Joy their Holy Feftivals. O happy Souls who unite in this Bleffed Study! May my Soul enter ' into your Secrets, and dwell with you in this Sacred Exercife! May I ever rejoice in this orderly Revolution of Time, ever be with you, the Children of the Kingdom, the Favourites of Heaven, the Delights of my Soul, and Heirs of Eternity, in all the happy Periods of this Revolution; and thus employ'd through the Mercies of our good God, may we roul infenfibly on from • Grace

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