even to their dying day, neglect | They proceed from sin to sin, from one gross violation of their covenant to another. Do not they like Judas betray their Lord? Do they not treat the blood of the covenant as an unholy thing? Can there remain for them any more sacrifice for sin? Any thing, but a certain fearful looking for of judgment, and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries? If he who despised Moses' law died without mercy, of how much sorer punishment shall they be thought worthy, who thus despise the authority and tread under foot the Son of God? to honor Christ in the sacrament of his holy supper. They will not hear their brethren of the church, will not submit to them as Christ has commanded; will not so much as worship with them, nor do the least thing to maintain the worship and ordinances of God among them, which they had expressly covenanted to do. Have not persons of this character lied both unto God and men? Do they not persist in their wickedness? Are they not gone already, or are they not going to judgment, laden with gross iniquity? With hypocrisy, breach of covenant, There are other professors malevolence and self-will? Is who grossly violate their covenant not this really the case with all vows by an omission of the du those who are withdrawing them- ties of religion. They cast off selves from the Lord's table, on fear and restrain prayer before the account of some private of God, in the closet and in the fence, or fault in their brethren, family. They in a great meas which others cannot discover?ure if not wholly omit fam Even supposing a brother hathily government and religion. been faulty, can this warrant They pay no consciencious atothers in violating their coven- tention to the bringing up of ant with God and their brethren? their children in the nurture and Most certainly it cannot. admonition of the Lord. Tho' Others there are who are guil, these duties were expressly ty of falsehood, fraud, theft, in- stipulated, in the act of coventemperance, adultery and other anting, and though they are ascandalous conduct, yet when bundantly inculcated in the Ditheir brethren in faithfulness to vine oracles, they are not reGod and them, attempt to regarded. They also too much claim them by the discipline of neglect the assembling of themthe gospel, they show themselves together, and other duties selves to be haughty scorners. They refuse to hear their brethren and confess their faults. Instead of this they hate them, speak all manner of evil against them. They forsake their wording, are very zealous in some ship, exhibit a most implacable things. They are very deficient and revengeful spirit, laboring in their attendance on the public by all means to injure and ruin worship and ordinances in gen. the churches with which they eral, appear to be inordinately have covenanted to walk in attached to the world and things brotherly love, and to build up. present, are careless and loose of religion: especially, the du ties of their particular relations. There is yet another sort of professors, who are gross covenant breakers, who, notwithstan most fixed resolutions, through the grace of God, to keep covenant with him? With what seriousness and impartiality should they examine themselves, whether 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 livers, yet zealous and punctual 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 froin 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 coveed, 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 God 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 commandments.* 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 ever, lasting? Having covenanted with God, with what vigilance, prayerfulness, constancy and zeal, should 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-I 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. An answer to the question, HE supposition is, that this who believe in the holiness of the sabbath, and who think there is such a thing as profaning it. I know that there are some such, who profess to believe, that for travellers to proceed on their journies upon the sabbath is no breach of it. It is requested that such would candidly attend to the following arguments, which will be brought to prove, that travelling is an actual breach of sabbath. 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 ue 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 finding 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 all of one religion, that houses of worship were placed so near much as it would. Will not this express requirement to rest in earing time and in harvest, a-to each other, that the inhabitmount to a command to rest when we are on a journey? work. Twenty, thirty, or forty miles will do well for a Monday's for a sabbath day's journey. Your lawful sabbath day's journey is as far as it is from your house to the meeting-house. IV. Travelling on the sabbath is a very great disturbance to others. It prevents others from keeping the day holy to the ants on the extremes would not often have to travel more than III. An argument may be about two miles. From that cirdrawn against pursuing a com- cumstance, this distance might mon journey on the sabbath from at length come to be called a sabwhat is said in the scripture con-bath day's journey. By hearing cerning a sabbath day's journey.of a sabbath day's journey, we We are informed, Acts i. 12, learn, that it is lawful to travel that mount Olivet was from Je-to the house of the Lord on his rusalem a sabbath day's journey. holy day; and by finding that a It appears from collating this sabbath day's journey is scarcely passage with Luke xxiv. 50, that two miles, we learn that comBethany was on mount Olivet,mon journeying is not sabbath and by turning to John xi. 18, you will find its distance from Jerusalem. It was only about fifor Tuesday's journey, but not teen furlongs, which is hardly two miles. A sabbath day's journey then was about two miles. We are not to conclude, that it was right for travellers to move on their journey, even this small distance. Let them be ever so selfish they could not wish for 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 making a confession of your more aggravated sin, and resting from your journey immediately. "Thou hypocrite, first cast the beam out of thine own eye, and then shalt thou see clearly to pull the mote out of thy brother's eye.' 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 people, to have a constant stream of travellers passing by, some prancing their horses, some ratthing in their carriages, and some driving their lowing herds and bleating flocks. To what has been said concerning the sin of travelling on the sabbath, there will no doubt be objections brought—such as these: greater disturbance to others, than laboring in the field. In labor, you may take a field, which is out of the sight of your neighbors; but you cannot pursue your journey without going along the high-way. If you travel thirty or forty miles, you will 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 hip holy time. Besides your travelling emboldens others to do so, and this makes a continual passing by of some stranger, and it is difficult to keep children from gazing at strangers. Your travelling 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, as you are travelling along the 1. When we are on a jour road, when on a journey of busi-ney, we are away from our famness, 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 Does your being away from worldly business, or by making your families give you any more visits, how could you consistently right to transgress an express reprove them for the breach of command of God, than though the sabbath, without, at the same you were at home with them? time, reproving yourself? Might If so, when you are from home, they not ask-" If we are pol- you may take the Lord's name luting the sabbath, what are you in vain and be guiltless; when doing better? Are we sabbath you are away from your families, breakers for going a mile to visit you need not keep the sixth, a friend, and are you guiltless seventh nor eighth commandfor going forty? Must we be ments, but may kill, commit reproved for making a bargain adultery and steal. "But we on the sabbath, and you be inno- want to be with our families." cent for driving your loaded wag-It is agreeable to see men love gon thirty miles towards the their families and to manifest it market? Are you not making either by keeping at home, or 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 business and duty will permit But let me ask my brethren, whether their families lie upon their hearts with SO much |
