Questions on Chapter 8.

outpourings of his gracious Spirit, in the conversion of millions of souls in the congregations of his saints. Thus, from all the considerations we have presented, we are warranted in the conclusion that the Christian Church is divinely authorized and required to observe not the seventh, but the first, day of the week, or “the Lord’s-day,” as the Sabbath.

QUESTIONS ON CHAPTER 8.

QUESTION 1. How can it be shown that this change of the day of the Sabbath is reconcilable with the Sabbatic law?

2. Is the specific day a part of the essence of the Sabbath?

3. How is this position proved?

4. What relation has the specific seventh day to the institution itself?

5. What is the first position taken in reference to the apostles’ authority?

6. What scriptures show their authority?

7. By what promises is the divine guidance pledged?

8. What proof of the change of the day does the New Testament furnish?

9. What proof may be derived from Church-history?

10. Upon what adequate reasons is the change founded?

CHAPTER 9. — THE CHRISTIAN SABBATH — ITS

OBSERVANCE.

THIS may be learned, partly from the Decalogue itself, and partly from allusions to the subject in other parts of Scripture. The duty of keeping the Sabbath may be comprised in two parts — first, what we are to refrain from doing; secondly, what we are required to do.

I. We consider what we should REFRAIN FROM DOING on the Sabbath. On this day we should refrain from all ordinary labor and worldly business. The law reads: “Six days shalt thou labor, 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 thy stranger that is within thy gates.” From this we learn, first, that the obligation of observing the Sabbath, with those who are householders or heads of families, extends to all under their control — to children, to strangers, or guests sojourning with them, and to domestic animals employed for purposes of labor. The law of the Sabbath forbids all ordinary work on the Lord’s-day, holding the head of the house responsible for all under his control. The spirit of the law will not, however, forbid such acts of labor as may be necessarily connected with the duty of attendance upon the services of religion. Traveling to and from church, and the employment of animals for that purpose, are not here forbidden; but all such employments merely for business or visits of pleasure are plain violations of the Sabbatic institution. The comment of our Saviour, however, while it sanctions the due observance of the Sabbath, according to the true spirit and design of the institution, condemns the extreme rigor with which the hypocritical Pharisees pretended to adhere to the letter of the Jewish law on the subject, while in reality they cared not for its spirit. He teaches clearly that works of necessity or mercy may properly be done on the Sabbath. Thus, the necessary preparation of food, both for man and beast, may lawfully be made on the Sabbath-day; but even this preparation, so far as it may conveniently be made on the day before, cannot be then neglected and attended to on the Sabbath without a violation of the law. The visitation of the sick, or of the poor and needy, in order to do good to their souls or bodies, is a work appropriate for the Sabbath, and beautifully harmonizes with our Saviour’s teaching, when he demands: “Is it lawful on the Sabbath-days to do good, or to do evil? to save life, or to destroy it?” Luke 6:9.

II. But we inquire, What are the POSITIVE DUTIES which the law of this institution requires us to perform on the Sabbath-day?

“Remember the Sabbath-day, to keep it holy,” is the divine injunction; but what is implied in keeping it holy?

1. It cannot be kept holy, when spent in idleness. Man was made for activity and usefulness. An idle drone can neither be happy himself nor useful to others. Although the Sabbath is a day of rest, in a certain sense — that is, of cessation from worldly pursuits — yet it is by no means a day of inaction, or idleness. This day can only be properly “hallowed” by being devoted strictly and fully to the worship of God and attendance upon religious duties. He who spends the Sabbath in idleness at home, or in reading or social conversation, when he has it in his power to attend upon the public worship of God, as really violates the Sabbath as the man who trades in his store or works in his shop or field.

One design of the Sabbath is, to furnish for both man and beast a needed repose from bodily toil; another design is, to set apart one day of seven for special devotion to public worship and other religious duties. Now it is just as essential to the proper observance of the Sabbath to attend to one division of these duties as the other; hence we are no more at liberty to neglect public worship, and pretend that we are keeping holy the Sabbath, because we merely abstain from “doing ordinary work therein,” and from “buying or selling,” than we are to pursue our ordinary worldly business on that day, and suppose that, because we spend a portion of it in attendance upon public worship, we are properly keeping the Sabbath. When prevented from attending public worship by affliction, or other providential causes, the Sabbath may be properly observed by “searching the Scriptures,” reading good books, or performing other works, of piety; but when not thus prevented, we cannot neglect the public services of the sanctuary without violating the spirit of the Sabbatic law.

2. The practice of thus hallowing the Sabbath, by devoting a portion of it to the public service of God, not only grows out of the design of the institution itself, but is sanctioned by the example of our Saviour, who regularly attended the services of the temple or the synagogue on the Sabbath-day. It is also in accordance with the example of the apostles and first Christians, who statedly met for public worship on “the Lord’s-day;” nor can it be neglected without violating the apostolic injunction: “Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together.”

The attendance upon family and private devotion not being peculiarly duties of the Sabbath, but alike obligatory upon all days, will not be particularly considered here, but we will conclude this chapter by some general reflections on the beneficial tendency of the institution. III. The BENEFITS derived from the Sabbath.

1. The proper observance of the Sabbath is a great blessing, even in a temporal point of view. Here we realize the truth of our Saviour’s words: “The Sabbath was made for man.” He who created man knew his nature, and gave him this institution to meet one of his constitutional necessities. Such is the nature of both our mental and bodily powers, that they cannot, without injury, be overtaxed with labor; and such is the natural cupidity; avarice, and ambition of fallen humanity, that most persons, but for the restrictions of the Sabbath, would devote themselves so incessantly to mental or bodily toil as greatly to enervate and impair their powers, if not entirely to destroy them, and bring on premature superannuation or untimely death. And if men would thus be led to overtax their own powers, how much more certainly would they overwork their servants and their animals! Hence, if there were no command making the observance of the Sabbath a duty, such an institution would be a wise and judicious arrangement, merely as a measure of State policy or worldly prudence.

2. But the benefits of this institution, in a social, moral, and religious point of view, are incalculably great.

The Sabbath, with its religious services, by bringing the people of any community together at regular and frequent intervals, naturally tends to cultivate among them a better acquaintance with each other, and thus to create a mutual sympathy and community of interest; while, at the same time, that spirit of selfishness so naturally resulting from an isolated state would be counteracted, and a feeling of unity and brotherhood, of friendly assimilation and social attachment, would necessarily ensue. Again, when we reflect on the pure and sublime themes so constantly kept before the religious assemblies on the Lord’s-day, and the ruinous tendency of those habits of idleness and dissipation which would naturally result from the neglect of this institution, how numerous and great must those benefits appear which, even in a social and moral view of the subject, flow from the Sabbatic institution — with its oft-recurring solemn and orderly assemblies, its songs and its prayers, its lectures and its sermons! But look especially at the directly religious tendency of the Sabbath. Since men are so prone to forget God and neglect religion, under circumstances the most favorable, how greatly would this irreligious proclivity be enhanced by a withdrawal of the influences of the Sabbath! There is a sacred stillness which marks this consecrated day — a solemnity connected with the “sound of the church-going bell” and its peacefully-assembling multitudes — that all must feel and acknowledge. Under these influences thousands of the thoughtless and the gay are led to the house of God, and thus brought within reach of the blessed word; and in this way each returning Sabbath numbers its multitudes reclaimed from vice, and washed and sanctified by redeeming grace, to swell the numbers of the saints on earth, and prepare them for the mansions on high. Blot from existence the holy Sabbath, with all its sacred associations and influences, and how appalling the consequences that would ensue!

Finally, the Sabbath is beneficial as a type of the heavenly rest. Such it was, doubtless, in its original appointment, such it was to the saints in ancient times, such it has ever been to the Christian Church, and such it will continue to be while time endures. How strengthening to the faith, and how encouraging to the hope, of the believer must be this oft-recurring rest! Buffeted by adverse winds and waves, faint-hearted and cast down, persecuted and afflicted, with what joy must the weary pilgrim hail this day of sacred rest and worship, which so forcibly reminds him of that “rest that remaineth to the people of God”!

QUESTIONS ON CHAPTER 9.

QUESTION 1. From what parts of Scripture may this duty be learned?

2. What should we refrain from doing on the Sabbath?

3. What is a peculiar duty of householders?

4. What does the Saviour condemn in reference to the Jewish method of observing the Sabbath?

5. What is the first thing named as implied in keeping the Sabbath?

6. Does this duty imply attendance upon divine worship?

7. By whose example is this duty sanctioned?

8. What temporal blessings result from the observance of the Sabbath?

9. What are the social blessings connected with this institution?

10. What benefits of a moral and religious character result from it?

11. What are its typical uses?