1. It is highly reasonable that we should sanctify the Lord’s day, since
he is pleased to allow us six days out of seven, for the attending to
our worldly affairs, and reserves but one to himself. This supposes that
we are allowed to engage in our secular callings on other days: and
therefore, though it be brought in occasionally, in this commandment, it
is a duty belonging to the second table rather than the first;
particularly, it seems to be a branch of the eighth Commandment;
however, it is alleged as a reason of our observing this Commandment. It
is a very large allowance that God has made, of six days in seven, for
our own employments. If, on the other hand, he had allowed us but one
day in seven for them, and laid claim to six days, to be set apart for
religious worship, none would have had reason to complain, since he,
being the absolute Lord of our time, may demand what proportion of it he
pleases; and they who are truly sensible of the real advantage that
there is in the attendance on all God’s holy institutions, and consider
the Sabbath as a privilege and blessing, would not only think it
reasonable, but a great instance of the kindness of God to man, had this
earth so much resembled heaven, that there should be a perpetual Sabbath
celebrated here, as there is there, where the saints count it their
happiness to be engaged without interruption, in the immediate service
of God.
_Obj._ It is objected, by some, that they cannot spare a seventh part of
time for religious duties, out of their worldly business; and that it is
very hard for them to get bread for their families, by all their
diligence and industry. Others allege, that the Sabbath is their
market-day, wherein, by selling things, they get more than they do on
other days.
_Answ._ 1. As to the former part of the objection, taken from the
difficulty of persons subsisting their families, it may be replied; that
God is able to made up the loss of the seventh part of time, so that
their not working therein, shall not be a real detriment, to those who
are in the fewest circumstances in the world, God has ordered it so,
that our observing his holy institutions, shall not, in the end, prove
detrimental to us. Thus when Israel was commanded to rest, and not to
cultivate their land for an whole year together, every seventh year,
providence so ordered it, that they were not sufferers thereby, inasmuch
as the year before brought forth enough for three years, Lev. xxv.
20-22. and when they were not to gather manna on the seventh day of the
week, there was a double quantity rained upon them, which they gathered
the day before, Exod. xvi. 22-24. Therefore, why may we not conclude,
that, by the blessing of God, what is lost by our not attending to our
secular callings on the Lord’s day, may be abundantly made up, by his
blessing succeeding our endeavours on other days.
As to that part of the objection, in which it is pretended that the
Lord’s day is their market-day, in which they expect more advantage than
on other days; it may be replied, that if this is true, it arises from
the iniquity of the times; and it should be a caution to us, not to
encourage those who expose their wares to sale on the Sabbath-day; since
if there were no buyers, there would be no sellers; and this public and
notorious sin would be hereby prevented. We have a noble instance of
this in Nehemiah, whose wisdom, zeal, and holy resolution, put an
effectual stop to this practice, in his dealing with those who _sold
fish on the Sabbath-day_, Neh. xiii. 16-21. First, he _shut the gates of
the city against them_; and when he saw that they continued without the
walls, hoping, by some means or other, to get into the city, or to
entice some to come out to buy their merchandize; then he _testified
against them_, and commanded them not to continue without the walls, and
by this means, gave a check to that scandalous practice. Moreover, this
gain of iniquity is not to be pretended as a just excuse for the breach
of a positive commandment; since, what is gotten in a way of
presumptuous rebellion against God, it is not like to prosper, whatever
pretence of poverty may be alleged, to give countenance thereunto.
2. Another reason annexed to enforce our observation of the Sabbath-day,
is taken from God’s challenging a special propriety in it. Thus it is
called the Sabbath of the Lord thy God; a day which he has consecrated,
or separated to himself, and so lays claim to it. Therefore it is no
less than sacrilege, or a robbing of him, to employ it in any thing but
what he requires to be done therein.
3. God sets his own example before us for our imitation therein. Thus it
is said, _In six days the Lord made heaven and earth, and rested the
seventh day, and hallowed it_. It is observed, that God was six days in
making the world; whereas, had he pleased, he could have created all
things with the same beauty and perfection in which they are at present,
in an instant; but he performed this work by degrees, that he might
teach us, that whatever our hand finds to do, we should do it in the
proper season allotted for it; and as he ceased from his work on the
seventh day, he requires that we should rest from ours, in conformity to
his own example.
4. The last reason assigned for our sanctifying the Sabbath, is taking
from God’s blessing and sanctifying it, or setting it apart for an holy
use. To bless a day, is to give it to us as a particular blessing and
privilege. Accordingly we ought to reckon the Sabbath as a great
instance of God’s care and compassion to men, and a very great
privilege, which ought to be highly esteemed by them. Again, for God to
sanctify a day, is to set it apart from a common, to an holy use; and
thus we ought to reckon the Sabbath as a day signalized above all
others, with the character of God’s holy day; and as such, it is to be
employed by us in holy exercises, answerable to the end for which it was
instituted.
III. It is observed in the last answer we are explaining, that the word
_Remember_ is set in the beginning of the fourth Commandment; from
whence we may observe, our great proneness, through worldly business,
and Satan’s temptations, to forget the Sabbath. We may also learn from
hence, the importance of our observing it; without which, irreligion and
profaneness would never universally abound in the world; and, on the
other hand, in our observing this day as we ought to do, we may hope for
grace from God, whereby we may be enabled to keep his other
commandments. Again, the word _Remember_, prefixed to this Commandment,
not only imports that we are to call to mind, that this particular day
which God has sanctified, is a Sabbath, or to know what day it is, in
the order of the days of the week; but we ought to endeavour to have a
frame of spirit becoming the holiness of the day, or, to remember it, so
as to keep it holy. It is certain, that it is an hard matter, through
the corruption of nature, to get our hearts disengaged from the vain
amusements and entanglements of this present world; by which means we
lose the advantage that would redound to us, by our conversing with God
in holy duties. Therefore we are to desire of him, that he would impress
on our souls a sense of our obligation to duty, and of the advantage
which we may hope to gain from it. And to induce us hereunto, let it be
considered,
1. That the profanation of the Sabbath is generally the first step to
all manner of wickedness, and a making great advances to a total
apostasy from God.
2. The observing of it is reckoned as a sign between God and his people.
It is, with respect to him, a sign of his favour; and with respect to
man, it is a sign of their subjection to God, as their King and
Lawgiver, in all his holy appointments.
3. We cannot reasonably expect, that God should bless us in what we
undertake, on other days, if we neglect to own him, on his day, or to
devote ourselves to him, and thereby discover our preferring him, and
the affairs of his worship, before all things in the world.
From what has been said in explaining this Commandment, we may infer,
(1.) That, this may serve to confute those who think that the
observation of days, in general, or, that the keeping the first day of
the week as a Sabbath, is a setting up the ceremonial law, without
distinguishing a right between a ceremonial and a moral precept. For,
how much soever the observation of the seventh day, might have a
ceremonial signification annexed to it, as it was given to Israel, from
mount Sinai, it is possible for the typical reference thereof, to cease;
and yet the moral reason of the Commandment remain in force to us, as it
is a day appointed by God, in which he is to be worshipped, so that we
may have ground to expect his presence, and blessing, while attending on
him in his holy institutions.
(2.) Others are to blame, who think that every day is to be kept as a
Sabbath, pretending that this is most agreeable to a state of
perfection. But this is contrary to God’s allowing us six days for our
own employment; and, indeed, none, who make use of this argument, do, in
reality, keep any day as a Sabbath, at least, in such a way as they
ought.
(3.) Others are guilty of a great error, who think that the Sabbath is,
indeed, to be observed; but there is no need of that strictness which
has been inculcated; or, that it should be kept holy, from the beginning
to the end thereof. Some suppose, that the only design of God in
instituting it was, that public worship should be maintained in the
world; and therefore, that it is sufficient if they attend on it,
without endeavouring to converse with him in secret.
(4.) What has been said, is directly contrary to their opinion, who
think that the Lord’s day was a mere human institution; without
considering, as has been hinted, that what the apostles prescribed,
relating thereunto, was by divine direction; which opinion, if it should
prevail, would open a door to great carelessness and formality in holy
duties, and would be an inducement to us to profane the day in various
instances.
Quest. CXXII.
QUEST. CXXII. _What is the sum of the six Commandments, which
contain our duty to man?_
ANSW. The sum of the six Commandments, which contain our duty to
man, is to love our neighbour as ourselves, and to do to others what
we would have them do to us.
As the first table of the ten Commandments respects our duty to God, the
other contains our duty to our neighbor; which is comprized in the
general idea of _love_. This is therefore styled the sum of the
following six Commandments; and it is included in our Saviour’s words;
_Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself_, Matt. xxii. 39. and
elsewhere, _Whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so
to them_, chap. vii. 12. Here it may be observed,
I. That we are commanded to love our neighbour as ourselves. This
implies in it,
1. A caution against a selfish temper; as though we were born only for,
or were obliged to do good to none but ourselves. This is what the
apostle reproves, when he says, _Men shall be lovers of their
ownselves_, 2 Tim. iii. 2. that is, they shall study and consult the
happiness, ease, and comfort of none but themselves.
2. It farther implies in it, our using endeavours to promote the good of
all, whom we converse with; and thereby rendering ourselves a blessing
to mankind. It does not, indeed, exclude self-love, which it supposes to
be a duty; but obliges us to love others as well as ourselves, in things
that relate to their spiritual and temporal good. This leads us to
enquire,
(1.) Whether we ought to love others better than ourselves; or what the
apostle intends, when he says, _Let each esteem other better than
themselves_? Phil. ii. 3.
_Answ._ [1.] It cannot be hereby intended, that they, who have attained
a great measure of the knowledge of the truths of God, should reckon
themselves as ignorant of, or unstable in, the doctrines of the gospel,
as those who never made them the subject of their study and enquiry;
nor, that they, who have had large experience of the grace of God,
should conclude that they have no more experience thereof than those who
are unregenerate, and have not taken one step heavenward. But,
[2.] The meaning is, that the greatest saint should not think himself
better than the least, any otherwise than as he has received more from
the discriminating grace of God; as the apostle says, _Who maketh thee
to differ from another; and what hast thou, that thou didst not
receive?_ 1 Cor. iv. 7. And, indeed, such an one may see more sin in
himself than he can see in any other; and therefore, may have reason to
reckon himself, as the apostle speaks, _the chief of sinners_, 1 Tim. i.
15.
[3.] The best saints would have been as bad as the vilest of men, had
they been left to themselves; and it may be, some of them who have had
less grace, have had fewer talents, and opportunities of grace, than
they have had; which they have improved better, in proportion to what
they have received, than they have, the many advantages which God has
been pleased to bestow on them.
(1.) Our next enquiry may be, whether our love to our neighbour should
extend so far, as that we should be willing, were it needful, to lay
down our lives for them; as it is said, in 1 John iii. 16. _We ought to
lay down our lives for the brethren_; and in Rom. v. 7. _Peradventure,
for a good man some would even dare to die._
_Answ._ [1.] By _laying down_ our _lives_ in these scriptures, is
principally intended hazarding our lives, or exposing ourselves to the
utmost danger, even of death itself, for others. But,
[2.] We are not to do this rashly, and at all times; but when God, who
is the sovereign Lord of our lives, calls us to it. And,
[3.] This ought not to be for every one, but for the _brethren_,
especially for those who are more eminently useful in the church of God
than ourselves or others. Accordingly the apostle says, _for a good
man_; that is, one who is a common good, or a blessing to many others,
_one would even dare to die_.
[4.] This must be, at such times, when in exposing ourselves for the
sake of others, we give our testimony to the gospel; and, in defending
them, plead the injured cause of Christ and religion.
II. This loving our neighbour as ourselves is farther illustrated in
this answer, by doing to others what we would have them to do us. This
is one of the most undeniable, and self-evident truths contained in the
law of nature. So that whatever disputable matters there may be, as to
what respects other duties, this is allowed of by all mankind. Many,
indeed, do not conform their practice to this rule; which gives occasion
to the injuries done between man and man. However the vilest of men,
when they deliberate on their own actions, cannot but blame themselves
for acting contrary thereunto. Thus Saul did, when he said unto David,
_Thou art more righteous than I; for thou hast rewarded me good; whereas
I have rewarded thee evil_, 1 Sam. xxiv. 17. Therefore we conclude, that
it is one of the first principles of the law of nature; and may well be
called, as it is in this answer, the sum of the Commandments of the
second table, or that, to which they are all reduced. There are two
things, which we shall lay down, relating to this golden rule, of doing
to others as we would that they should do to us.