livers, yet zealous and punctual | most fixed resolutions, through

the grace of God, to keep covenant with him? With what seriousness and impartiality should they examine themselves, wheth er they are born of God? Whether their hearts are broken for sin? Whether they are so united to their Redeemer, by faith and love, as that they may expect

enabling them to perform their covenant vows? Whether they really covenant with God in obedience to his will, for his glory and the good of others? How cautious should they be of de

to attend the Lord's supper.Though they may scarcely be seen at public worship, from one sacrament to another, though they neglect seasons of worship preparatory to the communion, yet they will be sure to attend upon it. In this they seem to place almost the whole of religion. By this they seem to ex-grace and influence from him, pect to make an atonement for all their other neglects of God and their duty. Indeed some are very zealous in external acts of piety, they pray and converse much about religion, they are zealous to hear the word preach-ceiving themselves, and of cove. ed, do not openly profane the name or sabbaths of the Lord; yet they are not righteous towards men, nor consciencious in the performance of relative duties. They are unfaithful, cov-worldly advantage? How should etous, unrighteous and worldly minded. Persons of all these characters are particularly reproved by our subject as dealing falsely in God's covenant. They are all to be considered as covenant breakers, as triflers with Godness, constancy and zeal, should and their own souls, who will finally be cut asunder and have their portion with hypocrites. It is then that Christians shall not be ashamed when they have respect unto all God's command

ments.*

V. With what holy fear and trembling, with what caution, self-examination and prayerfulness ought persons to covenant with God? As it is a most solemn and interesting transaction, the heart should be most deeply impressed, and filled with great concern to covenant sincerely in the love of God, and in the faith of the gospel; and also with the

Psalm cxix. 6.

nanting merely because it is customary where they reside, or to obtain some external privileges for themselves or children, or to obtain a name, honor or some

they pray God to search them, to try their heart and their reins, and to lead them in the way everlasting?

Having covenanted with God, with what vigilance, prayerful

they keep covenant with him? Having named the name of Christ, how careful should they be not only to depart from all iniquity, but to shine as lights in the world; and to bear much fruit that they may glorify their father who is in heaven? How should they strive to excel in all the duties of private and public life, and to be constantly growing in knowledge and in grace? How should they add to faith virtue, knowledge, temperance, patience, godliness, brotherly kindness and charity, that they may neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. Doing these things they shall never fall; but so an

entrance shall be ministered un- | pretend that this is none of his to them abundantly into the ev-work. And the visitor must acerlasting kingdom of our Lord knowledge, that it is either his and Saviour Jesus Christ.

work, or his pleasure; both of which are forbidden on God's holy day. The truth is, if you are clearing your lands, that is your work; if you are gathering in your harvest, that is your work, and if you are on a journey, travelling is then your work. If therefore when the sabbath comes, you keep along on your journey, you do as really continue doing your own work, as you would do at home, if you were to pay no attention to the arrival of the holy day, but keep on in the same worldly business, in which you had been employed all the week. If journeying be our own work, then it is undoubtedly a profanation of the Lord's day.

II. There is something said, Exod. xxxiv. 21. about the extent of the prohibition contained in the fourth commandment, which furnishes an argument against the lawfulness of pursu.

I. It cannot be denied that travelling on business and to make visits to our friends is either doing our own ways or find-ing a journey on the sabbath. ing our own pleasure; both of The passage is as follows, "Six which are expressly forbidden, days thou shalt work, but on the Isa. lviii. 13. The command, as it seventh day thou shalt rest; in was written by the finger of God, earing time and in harvest thou requires, Remember the sabbath shalt rest." Earing time and day to keep it holy, (i. e. devote harvest is the most hurrying it to the immediate service of God season in the year. There is in distinction from attending to then the greatest temptation to the business of this life; for in do our work on God's holy day. every other sense, every other The Lord of the sabbath foresaw, day is to be kept holy.) Six days that we, worldly minded creashalt thou labor and do all thy tures, should be under great work; but the seventh day is the temptation, at such a time, to sabbath of the Lord thy God; rob him of his consecrated day ; in it thou shalt not do any work, he therefore explained his own i. e. any of thy work. But who commandment, to mean that we can say, that journeying is not should rest from our work, even any of their work? The wag-in harvest. That was certainly goner, who carries heavy loads as much as to say, we should to and from market, will not rest in the most hurrying time

in the year, let business drive as | country, and where they were much as it would. Will not this all of one religion, that houses express requirement to rest in of worship were placed so near earing time and in harvest, a- to each other, that the inhabitmount to a command to restants on the extremes would not when we are on a journey?

often have to travel more than about two miles. From that circumstance, this distance might at length come to be called a sabbath day's journey. By hearing of a sabbath day's journey, we learn, that it is lawful to travel to the house of the Lord on his holy day; and by finding that a sabbath day's journey is scarcely two miles, we learn that common journeying is not sabbath work. Twenty, thirty, or forty miles will do well for a Monday's or Tuesday's journey, but not for a sabbath day's journey. Your

as far as it is from your house to the meeting-house.

III. An argument may be drawn against pursuing a common journey on the sabbath from what is said in the scripture concerning a sabbath day's journey. We are informed, Acts i. 12, that mount Olivet was from Jerusalem a sabbath day's journey. It appears from collating this passage with Luke xxiv. 50, that Bethany was on mount Olivet, and by turning to John xi. 18, you will find its distance from Jerusalem. It was only about fifteen furlongs, which is hardly two miles. A sabbath day's jour-lawful sabbath day's journey is ney then was about two miles. We are not to conclude, that it was right for travellers to move IV. Travelling on the sabbath on their journey, even this small is a very great disturbance to distance. Let them be ever so others. It prevents others from selfish they could not wish for keeping the day holy to the the liberty, to take up their car-Lord. Tavern-keepers and their riages and make all the prepara-families, especially if they live tion necessary to set forward on upon a great road, are almost their journey, and then be oblig- wholly occupied in waiting upon ed to put up again when they travellers. As they do not know had advanced but fifteen fur-at what hour they will come, they longs. We may infer from the think it will not answer for them short distance, which is in scrip- to attend public worship. The ture called a sabbath day's jour-practice of travelling on the honey, that travelling at all, only sabbath almost annihilates the worldly business, was considered distinction between this and othas wholly inadmissible. Whyer days, in houses devoted to the then do we hear any thing said accommodation of travellers, about a sabbath day's journey? where waiting on them and reThis appears to be the probable ceiving their money is the consolution of the difficulty. Be- stant business of the day. If sides the temple, whither the travelling upon the sabbath tends Jews went up three times a year, to annihilate the day in all pubthere were synagogues, or plac-lic houses, it must be a great ees of worship, scattered all over vil; for the number of such the holy land. In these they houses, through the land, is not met every sabbath day. It is inconsiderable. likely, that in that well populated

Journeying on the sabbath is a

Those, who take the Lord's day for journeying, greatly disturb public worship. Meetinghouses are commonly built on great roads. It is a great interruption to the worship of God's

To what has been said con cerning the sin of travelling on the sabbath, there will no doubt be objections brought—such as these:

greater disturbance to others, making a confession of your than laboring in the field. In la- more aggravated sin, and restbor, you may take a field, which ing from your journey immedi is out of the sight of your neigh-ately. "Thou hypocrite, first bors; but you cannot pursue cast the beam out of thine own your journey without going along eye, and then shalt thou see the high-way. If you travel clearly to pull the mote out of thirty or forty miles, you will thy brother's eye.” perhaps attract the notice of several hundred families, whose attention will be more or less diverted from those meditations, devotions and employments with which we are commanded to fill up holy time. Besides your trav-people, to have a constant stream elling emboldens others to do so, of travellers passing by, some and this makes a continual pas-prancing their horses, some ratsing by of some stranger, and it tling in their carriages, and some is difficult to keep children from driving their lowing herds and gazing at strangers. Your trav- bleating flocks. elling also emboldens others to make visits and transact their worldly business, which they think cannot be worse than you are doing. And if you should, 1. "When we are on a jour as you are travelling along the road, when on a journey of busi-ney, we are away from our fam ness, or a visiting journey, see ilies, and we want very much to some of your fellow men pollut- get home." ing the sabbath, by transacting worldly business, or by making visits, how could you consistently reprove them for the breach of the sabbath, without, at the same time, reproving yourself? Might they not ask-" If we are pol Juting the sabbath, what are you doing better? Are we sabbath breakers for going a mile to visit a friend, and are you guiltless for going forty? Must we be reproved for making a bargain on the sabbath, and you be innocent for driving your loaded waggon thirty miles towards the market? Are you not making bargains all day in your mind-returning home as soon as their are you not contriving how to dispose of your load?" I do not see how you will answer these close questions, unless it be by

Does your being away from your families give you any more right to transgress an express command of God, than though you were at home with them? If so, when you are from home, you may take the Lord's name in vain and be guiltless; when you are away from your families, you need not keep the sixth, seventh nor eighth commandments, but may kill, commit "But we adultery and steal. want to be with our families." It is agreeable to see men love their families and to manifest it either by keeping at home, or

business and duty will permit. But let me ask my brethren, whether their families lie upon their hearts with

so much

3. "But we do keep the sabbath day holy, though we pursue our journey; for we can have as good thoughts on the road, as we could if we lay by."

That

weight, that business of great | bath day to keep it holy," except consequence would not detain you are on a journey? them one day longer? Is not keeping the commands of God of as much consequence, as worldly business? Brethren, if we love our families, let us be exhorted not to travel on the Lord's day, for the sake of being with them one day sooner. We had better leave them in the care of our heavenly Father, than to displease him for the sake of seeing them the sooner. "Blessed is the man, who feareth the Lord, that delighteth greatly in his commandments; his seed shall be mighty upon the earth."

2. "Works of necessity and mercy may be done."

To this we answer; having good thoughts does not, of itself, amount to a sanctification of the sabbath. A man may think of God and nothing else all the day, and yet not keep the day holy. There is an external as well as an internal sanctification of the sabbath. If the external be wanting, we do not keep the sabbath holy.When man was in a state of innocency, his thoughts were all good and holy; yet, even then, he was obliged to sanctify the seventh day in distinction from the other days of the week.*— Sanctifying the sabbath must

having pious thoughts. The children of God are sometimes favored with remarkable near ness to God on week days, while they are pursuing their secular business, while they are laboring in their shops, or in their fields, or while their hands take hold on the distaff; but still this is not keeping sabbath day. And we should all think they did very wrong, to plead the lawfulness of pursuing these occupations on the sabbath, by saying, that they could have as good thoughts while at work in their houses,

It will be granted that to heal a broken bone, you may ride a distance even on the Lord's day, to obtain the aid of the surgeon. To relieve a distressed and starv-mean then something more than ing family, whose distressing circumstances have just come to your knowledge, you may take the first moment, though it be the Lord's time, to carry them some relief. Here mercy is to be preferred before sacrifice. In this sense, works of necessity and mercy may be done on the Lord's day. But it is exceedingly wrong to apply this rule to our common journeying. I appeal to husbandmen,-Is not the harvest more pressing than journeying? Yet God himself has said, In earing time and in harvest thou shalt rest." Is trav-shops and fields, as if they were elling in its very nature, a work worshipping in the house of the of necessity? then let a man on- Lord. Let us, my brethren, be ly make this his constant em- ashamed to make such a weak ployment, and the fourth com- be objection as this. If we hold it mandment becomes wholly in- up to the light, we shall see it to be applicable to him. Is this then frivolous. Our having pious me the true meaning of the command; "Remember the sabVOL. V. NO. 11.

• Genesis ii. 2, 3.
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