Part 24

4thly. Is said in prophecy, of a Sabbath to be observed in Gospel-times. The most remarkable passage to this purpose, is the following, _The stone which the builders refused is become the head stone of the corner. This is the Lord's doing, it is marvellous in our eyes. This is the day which the Lord hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it._ These words, all expositors antient and modern, refer or apply to the day of our Lord's resurrection. When he arose from the dead, and the tomb of Joseph of Arimathea resigned its charge, he was declared to be the head-stone of the corner. He was the stone, which the builders refused. What may convince all that these words are to be thus applied, is that the Apostles thus apply them. And while we interpret Scripture, as they do, we are infallibly right. Our Lord's resurrection from the dead was evincive of his power; of the truth of his mission:--and it was on the first day of the week.--This is expressly declared by the Evangelists, and was never denied. And this is the DAY which the Lord made, or constituted, set apart for special uses, which must be the meaning of the word here. _This is the day which the Lord hath made_; made,--how did he make _this day,_ the day of Christ's resurrection? All time is his. The day is his; the night also;--darkness and light are his. If the _first_ day of the week be the Lord's day, in no higher or different sense, how could it be said, with any propriety, _this is the day the Lord hath made?_ The day of Christ's resurrection is then the Lord's day, in some eminent, or peculiar way; is a _day_ he hath made different from any, and all other days. _We will rejoice and be glad in it._ The reason why God's people or Church were to _rejoice and be glad in it,_ was that the Lord had made it, or appointed and instituted it. It was to be religiously celebrated and observed. Here, then, we have a plain account, in prophesy, of a Sabbath or day to be religiously observed by the people of God after Christ's resurrection--and upon the VERY DAY;--the first day of the week. For he arose from the dead on that day. This must have great influence to convince all, who are willing to be convinced.--Can any shut their eyes upon the light, which is exhibited to us from this passage? Isaiah, at the very close of his prophesy, says, speaking of the Gospel-dispensation; _And it shall come to pass from one Sabbath to another shall all flesh come to worship before me saith the Lord._ This certainly implies, that in Gospel-times there shall be a weekly Sabbath, as a stated season of worship for all nations, who enjoy the Gospel.--Again, the same prophet speaking of the Gospel-dispensation, says, _blessed is the man that doeth this, and the son of man that layeth hold on it; that keepeth the Sabbath from polluting._ This man is a blessed man. He is happy in himself, and shall be blessed of God. The meaning of this prophesy of Gospel-times and blessings, is this. Under the Christian dispensation, there shall be a _weekly Sabbath_ to the end of the world; and blessed is the person who duly observes it.--It is impossible for us to deny the Christian Sabbath, if we understand these prophecies of Gospel-times and blessings, in their plain and natural sense.----It cannot be the meaning of these prophecies, that the Jewish Sabbath was to be kept, because we have an express account of the abolition of the seventh-day Sabbath. All may be convinced that the seventh day Sabbath is abrogated from Rom. xiv. 5 and 6--compared with Col. ii. 16, 17. _One man esteemeth one day above another, another esteemeth every day alike. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind. He that regardeth the day, regardeth it unto the Lord; and he that regardeth not the day, to the Lord he doth not regard it. He that eateth, eateth to the Lord, for he giveth God thanks, and he that eateth not, to the Lord he eateth not, and giveth God thanks.--Let no man judge you in meat or in drink, or in respect of an holy day, or of the new moon, or of the Sabbath days which are a shadow of good things to come, but the body is Christ._ And Gala. iv. 10, 11. _Ye observe days, and months, and times, and years, I am afraid of you, lest I have bestowed upon you labour in vain._ In all these three different passages the Apostle puts the Jewish or seventh-day Sabbath upon the same footing with the rites and ceremonies of that abolished dispensation. Their seventh-day Sabbath, their meats and drinks, and laws about clean and unclean meats are all put together, and declared to _be shadows of good things to come._ We have the substance, that of which they were the types or shadows. We are not therefore to cleave to the shadows. They cannot be binding on us. We are no more obliged to keep the Jewish Sabbath, than any of their ceremonial laws and institutions. The ceremonial laws and ordinances are expressly abolished, and called _rudiments_ of the world. _Wherefore if ye be dead with Christ from the rudiments of the world: why as though living in the world are ye subject to ordinances. Touch not--taste not--handle not: which all are to perish in the using, after the commandments and doctrines of men? which things indeed have a show of wisdom in will worship and humility, and neglecting the body, not in any honour to the satisfying of the flesh._ The levitical laws or Mosaic rites are stiled weak and beggarly Elements, and Christians are forbidden to observe them. _But now after that ye have known God, or rather are known of God, how turn ye again to the weak and beggarly Elements, whereunto ye desire again to be in bondage?_ The whole Jewish dispensation is done away. It was but introductory to a more perfect system. The ceremonial institutions are called _carnal ordinances. Which stood,_ says the Apostle, _only in meats and drinks, and divers washings, and carnal ordinances imposed on them until the time of reformation._ The Apostle in all these passages, has referenced only to the rites of the ceremonial law. He tells us, as plainly as words can express, that the Jewish dispensation, with all its rites and ordinances, is abolished. Circumcision--the Passover--the legal Sacrifices--the observation of the Jewish feasts--their holy days--months--new moons--their Sabbath--their priesthood--their laws about meats and drinks are all done away. These were the weak and beggarly elements, the rudiments of the world, the carnal ordinances, of which the Apostle speaks. And the passages of Scripture above cited have no reference, not even the remotest, to the Gospel-dispensation, to the Christian ordinances, or Christian Sabbath. And to apply those passages to the Gospel institutions, baptism, the Lord's Supper, and the Christian Sabbath, is to pervert them, in the grossest manner. Some, I am sensible, cite these passages of holy Writ to prove that no particular day, under the Gospel, is to be kept as holy time; and no ordinances to be observed. This however is a horrible perversion of them. For the right way to understand Scripture is to attend to the connexion and subject-matter of the discourse. And that St. Paul is only speaking of Jewish days, meats and ordinances, every one may be fully convinced, who will take his Bible and read them. Because we are released from obligations to observe the Jewish Sabbath, and Jewish ordinances, will it therefore follow that we have no Christian Sabbath, or Gospel-ordinances? Certainly not. Such a conclusion can be deemed just by no man, till he have resolved to pervert all Scripture, which militates against his own particular tenets.--No person, who is willing to receive his principles of religion from Scripture, understood in its plain sense, can believe that the Apostle in Rom. xiv. 5, 6 rejects the Christian Sabbath--when in the whole chapter, he says not a single word about the Christian Sabbath or Christian ordinances.----We proceed to observe--

5thly. That Jesus Christ himself distinguished, by peculiar marks of honour, the _first day_ of the week--the day of his resurrection. That he intended there should be a _weekly Sabbath,_ in his Religion, to be observed as holy time, even as long as the world should stand, is fairly inferred from his mentioning the Sabbath in the manner we find he did, in the following passages. _And he said unto them, the son of man is Lord also of the Sabbath._--But how could he be Lord of the Sabbath, if there were no Sabbath in his Religion, or under the Gospel-dispensation? _And he said unto them, the Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath._ How absurd would it be to say, the _Sabbath_ was made for man, for his comfort, rest, and moral good, or his benefit, if there were to be no Sabbath from that time to the end of the world, or under the Christian dispensation? Speaking of the destruction of Jerusalem, and giving his followers the necessary warnings, directions, and instructions, our Lord says, _But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the Sabbath-day._ But if there were to be no Sabbath-day under his dispensation, his spiritual religion, how comes such a direction as this, from the mouth of our Lord? the destruction of Jerusalem was many years, after his resurrection. And he knew when it would be--how long it was to be after his religion had been instituted. And he directs Christians, his disciples to pray that their flight might not be on the Sabbath day. Did he mean the Jewish Sabbath? If he intended to have no Sabbath in his spiritual religion, why did he not say so? Why has he not intimated or given some hint that there was to be no Sabbath under the Gospel. Here was a fit opportunity for telling his disciples, that there was to be no Sabbath under the Gospel. Did he forget it? It could not be the Jewish Sabbath, for that was done away.

Further, none can deny but that he put marks of particular honour on the first _day_ of the week, the day of his resurrection. Why did he do this? Had he not a design or meaning in it? With him, as acting in the character of the only Mediator between God and Man, nothing was contingent or accidental. He was pleased to appear, from time to time, to his Apostles, on the _first_ day of the week. John xx. 19. _Then the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut, where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, came Jesus and stood in the midst, and saith unto them peace be unto you._ After seven days more had elapsed, on the next _first_ day of the week, he appeared again unto his disciples:--he blessed them, and comforted them; verse 26. _After eight days, again, his disciples were within, and Thomas with them: then came Jesus, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst of them, and said peace be unto you._ This was the second time he set apart and honoured the _first_ day of the week, the day upon which he arose from the dead, by meeting with his disciples, comforting and blessing them. Upon the _first_ day of the week, he poured out his spirit, in such copious effusions, on his Apostles, at Pentecost. That Pentecost was the _first_ day of the week, is manifest from Levit. xxiii. 15, 16. On _this_ day, all the disciples were of one accord in one place. Acts ii. 1. To be of one accord in one place is to be there by agreement. They were not there by accident, but by previous appointment. The day of Pentecost, as the word signifies, is fifty days after the Passover, that is, on the _first_ day of the week. They met to perform public worship, and preached. The holy Ghost, in his miraculous powers, was then given to the Apostles, which is called being _baptized with the holy ghost and with fire._ Moreover, Christ poured out his spirit, in the gift of prophesy, most remarkably, on his favorite disciple and Apostle John, on the _first day_ of the week--the _Lord's day,_ Rev. i. 10. Now if we allow that Christ had his design in thus honouring, above all other days, the _first day_ of the week; we shall be satisfied that he set it apart for religious purposes, as _holy_ time, to be observed as a _weekly_ Sabbath, in his dispensation, to the end of the world.----But,

6thly. What proves, beyond all doubt, the institution of the _first-day Sabbath,_ is that it was sanctified as a _day_ of public worship, by the primitive Churches, under the order of the Apostles. They usually assembled, on that day, for the great purposes of public worship, of celebrating the holy Ordinance of the Supper, of prayer, of preaching, hearing the word, and singing hymns of praise. They came together, on that _day,_ by the order of the Apostles. For no man can suppose that the Apostles would administer the Lord's Supper, and preach to them, and attend upon the other acts of public worship, if they, that is, the Churches had presumed to meet, without their order or direction. Besides, no person of common sense, can imagine all this was mere accident--or that the Apostles were rash and heady in it--or did what they did, without the mind and spirit of Christ. It was new times with them. They were in a critical situation. Every word, every action would be noticed. Enemies were on all sides. They would not, therefore, allowing them to have common prudence and discretion, proceed one step, without Christ's order and direction, without the mind of the holy Ghost. And we are safe, and only safe, when in our religious principles and practices, we are built upon the foundation of the Apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone. _And upon the FIRST DAY OF THE WEEK, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul preached unto them._ Here is our warrant for keeping the _first-day_ Sabbath. Here is a plain account of its institution presupposed, and that the Jewish Sabbath was changed into the Christian Sabbath.--Who, after this, can deny the institution of a Christian Sabbath? Who can, in the face of plain scripture, say that the New-Testament knows no _holy_ time--no _Lord's day_--No _Sabbath?_ We may as well reject any duty and all duty, as to deny and disown the _Lord's day._--Again, works of charity and mercy, are peculiarly works proper to the Sabbath. And in all the Apostolic Churches, the charitable contributions were to be made, on the _first day of the week,_ in preference to any other day. But why? plainly, because the Churches were then met together to attend public worship. And they were to make their collections on _that day_ by order of the Apostles 1 Cor. xvi. 1, 2. _Now concerning the collection for the Saints, as I have given order to the Churches of Galatia, so do ye. Upon the first day of the week, let every one of you lay by him in store, as God hath prospered him, that there be no gatherings when I come._ If then, we say, that all days are _alike holy,_ and that no one is to be honoured as _holy,_ in a particular manner, we resist the holy Ghost. Christians were ordered by the Apostles to keep as holy time, the _first day_ of the week. They were COMMANDED to meet together for public worship. Heb. x. 24, 25. _And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and good works; not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is, but exhorting one another, as so much the more as ye see the day approaching._ Upon the _first_ day of the week were they to assemble to worship God and honour the Redeemer--to pray--to preach, and to hear the word.--The _first day_ of the week is then the Christian Sabbath, and to be sanctified as such, to the end of the world.

7thly. Another consideration of no small importance to prove that the _first day_ of the week is holy time, and was set apart by Christ to be a weekly Sabbath, to the end of the world, is that, in the New Testament, it is expressly called the _Lord's day._ Rev. i. 10. _For I was in the spirit on the Lord's day._ Very frequently is the Christian Sabbath denominated the Lord's day. This is, indeed the New Testament-name for the day. With Christians, in the early ages of Christianity, it went by this name. And so we now often call it. If it be asked, how do we know that the Lord's day means the _first day_ of the week? Is not God the proprietor of all time? Is not every day equally his, and every day a Sabbath? Nothing can be a greater departure from reason and common sense than to put such questions. It must be clear, as the Sun in the firmament, that St. John designed to inform us on what _particular day_ he was favoured with those wonderful visions, which are contained in the Apocalypse. But admit that the _Lord's day_ meant any day indifferently, one as much as another, then his calling the day on which he received his visions, the _Lord's day,_ gives us no information at all concerning the day. It would be saying, I received the visions, on the day, I did receive them. The absurdity of this must be perceived by the weakest mental eye. No man can be so blind, as not to see how ridiculously silly it would have been for the beloved disciple to have talked in this manner. What is intended by the _Lord's day_ is exceedingly obvious. We know perfectly well what is intended by it, as well as we can know the import of any word, in the New Testament, or in any antient language. In the first ages of Christianity, the whole Church used this expression, the _Lord's day,_ to denote the _first day_ of the week. In all the writings from the Apostolic times, we find the phrase employed to signify the _first day_ of the week. I appeal to all the _Christian Fathers_ up to the days of the Apostles; and to all men who have ever read any antient Church-history;--or any of the early writers in favour of Christianity, that this is the universal, invariable meaning of the expression the _Lord's day._ The early writers in defence of Christianity, speak of the _Lord's day_ in terms of the highest esteem and respect--_as the first of days--the best day--the queen of days._ And the duties and exercises of public worship, they call _LORD'S DAY SOLEMNITIES._ And the very word can import no less, than the first day of the week was set apart by our Lord, as his Sabbath--as a day to be kept holy--and as distinguished from all other days--to be sanctified to the end of the world, as it weekly returns, as the Christian Sabbath--a day to be devoted wholly to God and religion, and to be spent in the private and public exercises of Religion, except so much of it, as may be taken up in works of necessity and mercy. We say the _Lord's Supper,_ to distinguish it from our common meals, an ordinance by which his sufferings and death are commemorated. We say the _Lord's prayer_: to denote by way of eminence one particular prayer--the prayer which he taught his disciples, and which is an excellent model of prayer. And to call every day the _Lord's day_ would be as great an absurdity, and abuse of scripture, and of words, as to say that every meal of ours, from day to day, is the _Lord's Supper_: and every prayer we offer to the throne of grace, the Lord's prayer. The Sabbath is God's day by way of eminence; and he has put his name upon the _first_ day of the week to teach us how to spend it, and what use is to be made of it: that it is holy--that it is to be devoted to him--and that we may not do our own work, or find our own pleasure in it.--Where, then, is the person that dares deny the christian Sabbath? That there is really therefore such a day, a time set apart, in which to perform public religious duties is very certain from the _first day_ of the week, being called the _Lord's day._

8thly. A further argument, that there is really a _Christian Sabbath,_ is taken from those passages of scripture, which represent the happiness of heaven as the constant keeping of a Sabbath. Heaven is an eternal Sabbath. It is a state of perfect rest, devotion, bliss; and holiness. A rest which God hath prepared for his people. It was customary among the Jews to represent future happiness under the idea of a Sabbath, and to expound many of those passages in their law, where the Sabbath is mentioned as typifying or prefiguring the heavenly state. The rest of the Sabbath is an emblem of the rest of heaven. The duties of it are to fit us for the employment of heaven. The worship of it, is to prepare us for the exalted services of the temple above, where there will not be one cold heart--one false worshipper--one dissenting voice. _There remaineth therefore a rest for the people of God,_ a keeping of a Sabbath. But where would be the propriety of representing heavenly happiness, as an eternal Sabbatism--an eternal rest, if there were no Sabbaths to be observed on earth by Christians? None can suppose that the joys of a blessed immortality would be represented by an old abrogated Jewish rite. But if there be no Sabbath under the Gospel, or day of sacred rest WEEKLY to be observed, they are so represented. And to say that under the New-Testament every day is a Sabbath, is to assert not only what is very unreasonable, but to confound language; and to affirm what is altogether contradictory to the whole New-Testament.