1 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." weight, that business of great | bath day to keep it holy," except 2. "Works of necessity and mercy may be done." To this we answer; That 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 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 travelling in its very nature, a work of necessity? then let a man only make this his constant employment, and the fourth commandment becomes wholly inapplicable to him. Is this then the true meaning of the command ; "Remember the sabVOL. V. No. 11. having pious thoughts. The children of God are sometimes favored with remarkable nearness 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, shops and fields, as if they were worshipping in the house of the Lord. Let us, my brethren, be ashamed to make such a weak be objection as this. If we hold it up to the light, we shall see it to be frivolous. Our having pious me Cenesis ii. 2, 3. to the souls of men, can yoù let so fair an opportunity of doing good, pass unimproved? The ditations on the road, no more makes a sanctification of the sabbath, than it would, if we were to have the same medita-Lord has in his providence cast tions while laboring in our fields. your lot for one sabbath among Here I would remark, that tho' those, who greatly pollute this the husbandman has precious holy day. You must stay and thoughts in his field on a week reprove them. Good example day; yet he would have no rea- is the most striking kind of reson to expect to be thus favored proof. If they see you lying by of God, if he were to go into his from your journey, all the sabfield on the Lord's holy day.- bath, for no other reason, only So the traveller, who is favored because it is the Lord's time and with the most delightful com- not yours, it cannot fail to arrest munion with his heavenly Fa- their attention, even though you ther, on Saturday, would have should not speak one word on no reason to expect the continu- the duty of observing the day. ance of this inestimable favor the This would command more atnext day, if he were to pursue tention and be likely to do more his journey. We have no right to good, thall all you could posseek nor reason to expect com- sibiy say, on the duty of observmunion with God, out of the waysing the commandment, providof his appointment. If we woulded you did not observe it your. enjoy his favor, we must, like self. Words cost but little, but Enoch and Noah, walk with God. there is some expense of time 4. "We sometimes fall in and money in lying by at an inn among a very wicked people on one whole day. I know one man, the sabbath, where they pay no who had his attention much calattention to the day, except it led up to the duty of sanctifying be to behave worse than on any the sabbath, by the circumstance other days; in such a case, we of having a traveller put up at think we had better go on our his tavern, during this holy day. journey, than to stay in such If such examples prove effectcompany." ual only one time in a thousand, it is worth our while to set them before our fellow sinners continually. en." The objectors suppose that the sabbath cannot be enjoyed among these ungodly people so well as on the road: but let me The very reason stated in the objection for proceeding on your journey, is a powerful reason against it. The command of the Saviour is, "Let your light shine before men, that they seeing your good works may glorify your Father, who is in heav-ask such, whether they have Now let me ask, Where in the world do people need the light of your holy example more than in such a dark place as the objection supposes? And in what do they need your example more, than in the sanctifica-public worship in the place.* If tion of the sabbath? If your hearts are full of love to God and made a trial, to see how well they can enjoy this consecrated day in a public house? Perhaps you could obtain a chamber, where you might spend the day in secret duties, if there be no *If those who make the above the weather be mild, you might in almost any part of the country, find, in some neighboring woods, or orchard, a place to pray, read and meditate; and this would be a suitable way to fill up this day of heaven. If you have not tried this method of spending the sabbath when on a journey, you ought not to say, that the wickedness of the place makes it necessary that you should proceed on your journey. But supposing you can have no retirement at all (which is hardly a supposable case) I think you have reason to expect a good sabbath, if you conscientiously refrain from proceeding on your journey, which is now your work. "If thou turn away thy foot from" encroaching upon "the sabbath, from, doing thy pleasure on my holy day" saith Jehovah" then thou shalt delight thyself in the Lord, and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth,"*-i. e. I will make thee prosper in spirituals and in temporals-thou shalt have much delight in communion with thy God, and he will bless thy substance. This will prepare us to answer another objection. 5. "It is very expensive to lie by a whole day, when we are on a journey, and are all the while living upon our money." To this objection we answer, first, That profaning the Lord's day is a poor way to make money or save expense. "Will a man rob God" to save expense? Is not this the way to bring down his curse on your blessings? Do not you, who believe the weekly sabbath to be a divine institution, also believe, that a nation which carefully observe the institution have reason to expect even greater temporal prosperity, than a nation which altogether disregard it, though this disregard gives them one more day in the week for labor? Why then have we any reason to expect to increase our wealth, by taking the Lord's time for our journey? It is infinitely easy for God so to order his providences, that what we appear to gain, by robbing him of the time, which he has reserved to himself, we should lose, in some other way, even before we have accomplished our journey.. To the objection now under consideration, I would answer in the second place; Though it be expensive to lie by when we objection against lying by on the sab-are out from home, still this is bath, do not cease to proceed on their journey, as soon as they come among a people, who attend public worship; or if they do not stop their travelling at the first house, public or private, where the sabbath appears to be reverenced, (provided they can have entertainment :) then it is manifest, that the reason which they offer for travelling is not the one which reallyinfluences them; but is invented, either to still an accusing conscience, or to stop the mouth of the brother, who is so kind and faithful as to reprove them for disobedience to God's holy commands. * Isaiah lviii. 13, 14. no reason why we should not do it: For it is also expensive to rest from labor when we are at home. A large family will consume several dollars worth of provisions on the sabbath, and they are earning nothing. Now why may it not be plead in favor of their being at work in the field, or in the loom, that it is very expensive for so many to be eating and drinking, while they are carning nothing. The same argument, which you use they did not travel on their jour nies upon the holy sabbath. They thought it to be equally a to push you on your journey, you may use to drive your sons into the field, and your daughters to their several domestic employ-violation of the commandment, ments. It would be trifling to with laboring in the field, and endeavor to make a distinction, they acted accordingly; and I by saying, "but at a tavern I do not see why they did not have to pay out money for my think and act right on the subsabbath's provision, while I have ject. Not only the laws of Newprovision, laid up for my family England, but the laws of most at home." What they eat and of the other states were formed drink at home, either cost you on the supposition, that travelmoney, or would have fetched ling was a real breach of the you money; therefore you may sabbath. It seems from this, just as well say, I cannot afford that heretofore the whole counto have my family lie by upon try have been of the same senthe sabbath; for they are upon timent, which is now advanced expense. This objection against in this essay. the expense of lying by on the sabbath, appears to be founded almost wholly in covetousness, or that love of the world, which is inconsistent with the love of the Father and yet this is probably the greatest and most influential of all the objections. The losing of one day's advance in our journey, together with the bill of expense incurred in the mean time, no doubt, does more towards making people travel on the sabbath, than all other reasons put together. But can they, who seek first the kingdom of God can they, who henceforth live not unto them-fallen!) but now, travelling on selves, but unto him, who died for them can they, whose treasure is in heaven-can they, who call the sabbath a delight, the queen of days and the day of heaven--can they offer such selfish reasons for trampling the holy sabbath into the dust? "Let us awake to righteousness, and sin not." I know not how to dismiss this subject without making a few reflections. 1. It is no proof, that our fathers were superstitious, because 2. The great increase of the practice of journeying on the Lords's day, is a proof of the degeneracy of the times. If our fathers were right in resting from their journies on this day, we are wrong in pursuing ours. The time was, at least in NewEngland, when a sabbath traveller was a rare sight. Then, if a man was seen riding by, it was concluded, either that he was called abroad by some distressing providence, or that he was a man, who had not the fear of God before his eyes. But now, (O New-England how art thou, the sabbath has become a common practice. At the present day, there are many, who do not love God well enough to be at the expense of resting from their journey on his holy day. 3. Have not we reason to fear the righteous and tremendous judgments of God for this profanation of his day? Let us tremble, while we read the denunciations of divine wrath against those, who go to market, and who travel to transact their worldly business on the Lord's zabbath; "But if ye will not hearken unto me to hallow the sabbath day, and not to bear a burden even entering at the gates of Jerusalem on the sabbath day then I will kindle a fire in the gates thereof, and it shall devour the palaces of Jerusalem, and it shall not be quenched." Jer. xvii. 27. cometh. The King of Zion, however, has much to do to prepare his church for that peaceful period. And it becomes us to be workers together with him. Many corruptions must be purged out, many sins must be deeply bewailed before him, and many neglected duties must be revived and performed. Among other reformations, churches must be more strict in sanctify 4. The friends of Christ have now a fair opportunity to show, that they have a more obedienting the Lord's day, and more spirit than his enemies. While they go on their way, let the Christian manifest that he feels still bound to obey the laws of Him, who hath said, " But the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God; in it thou shalt not do any work." People in general stop working in their shops and on their farms upon the sabbath; but many do not stop their travelling; Christians therefore do not show so clearly, that they have a more excellent spirit than the unconverted, by refraining from the work of the field, as by refraining from the pursuit of their journies. 5. Does not the matter before us call for the aid of church discipline? Is it not time for churches to awake and put the laws of Christ in force? If we suffer our brethren to pursue their journies on God's holy day, we suffer sin upon them. We suffer them to dishonor God to confirm sinners in their abuse of holy time, and to harden their own hearts. The increasing prevalence of this sin calls loudly to churches of Christ to exert every nerve and use every mean to suppress it. Let the churches of Christ know the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep. The night is far spent. The morning of the Millennium careful to discountenance every breach of it. I am persuaded, for my part, that travelling on the sabbath will all be laid aside in the Millennium. If it will be laid aside then, through the prevalence of a spirit of holiness, no doubt, it ought to be laid aside now. Let each one resolve, whether professors or not, to endeavor in this matter to reform himself; then the reformation of the whole would be easily and speedily effected. I have but one word to add, and that is a request, that my readers would not condemn what has been advanced on this subject, without attentively looking into the word of God, and looking to him by prayer for wisdom and direction. If any fall in with the sentiments advanced (as I trust many will) I request that they would pray earnestly to God to make others see their duty in this respect, that wherein they have done amiss, they may do so ne more. On Self-examination. ELIEVERS usually spend examining their own hearts and lives. It is however no certain evidence, that a man is a true believer, because he examines himself; for every serious man, |