The Practical Sabbatarian, Chapter 13
CHAP. XIII. How we muſt ſpend the morning of a Sabbath.
ANd now when our zeal hath made its way through the curtains, and raiſed us from our beds and our down, let us ſet upon Sabbath work; let us betimes wait for the viſits of Chriſt in the performance of the duties of a Sabbath: Now eſpecially God waits to be gracious, but it muſt be in a way of duty. Holy duties they are the paths to Iſa. 30. 18.meet Chriſt in, the road of Divine mercy, they are the Garden wherein the Spouſe meets her Beloved: Therefore in the morning let us ſet upon thoſe ſacred ſervices, which becomes Gods holy day. Indeed by private duties before the publick, our ſpirits are made more tuneable; and by private duties after the publick, Gods Ordinances are made more profitable: The morning of a Sabbath is but the ſpring of a Sabbath, which is the ſweeteſt and moſt pleaſant ſeaſon for the ſoul to converſe with God; then the ſoul ſeems to be moſt green and freſheſt, then duties ſeem to be moſt melodious and muſical, and then Grace more delightfully buds forth, and is exerted with the greateſt ſatisfaction and beauty, Exod. 34. 4.In the morning Moſes went into the Mount to meet with God. In the morning the Apoſtles went into the Temple Acts 5. 21.to declare the Goſpel. In the morning early, Joſhuah Joſh. 6. 12.and the Prieſts take up the Ark of God, which was the teſtimony of the divine preſence. Job roſe up early in the morning, Job 1. 5.and offered burnt offerings. The poor multitude early Luke 21. 38.in the morning wait upon the Miniſtry of Jeſus Chriſt, they wait for the morning dews of the Goſpel, they are the ſweeteſt, they are the freſheſt, they are more natural, and moſt ſeaſonable. Chriſt preaches his morning Lecture to his flocking John 8. 2.and numerous Auditors. In a word, the performance Commendat nobis, et domini et populi diligentiam, hujus quam audiendi, illius quam docendi ſedulitate declaraverit; ſed iterum diluculo venit in templum. Muſc. in Joh. 8.of holy duties, in the morning of Gods holy day, they work a three-fold good.
They prepare the heart. The ſluggiſh heart muſt be rouzed and awakened in private before it can ſee its beloved in the publick: It muſt be breathed by ſome divine duties, that it may be more freſh for the publick adminiſtrations. Bells muſt be raiſed before they be rung to make the pleaſing muſick. The flowers muſt be watered, either by the ſhower 1 Sam. 7. 3. 1 Chro. …9. 18. Rev. 21. 2or the watering pot, before they lift up their pleaſant heads, and caſt their wonted perfume. The morning duties of a Sabbath, they put the heart into a ſerious and heavenly Ante nuptias ſponſa ornatur, et paratur ſponſo ſuo. Par.frame, and make it fit company for Jeſus Chriſt. When I have prayed in my family, I am tuned and wound up the more, for that duty in the Aſſembly of the Saints.
They are the diſcharge of conſcience. A conſcientious perſon cannot waſte the morning of a Sabbath, that is deſtinated to holy ſervice. Among the Jewes they had their morning Num. 28. 4, 9, 10.ſacrifices on their Sabbaths. There is no part of a Sabbath muſt lie fallow, eſpecially in the morning. On the morning Mat. 28. 1, 6.early Chriſt roſe for our ſalvation, and on the morning of this holy day, we muſt riſe for his ſervice. Chriſt calls himſelf the morning ſtar, Rev. 22. 16. And when is it fitteſt to Rev. 22. 16. Chriſtus exoriens in cordibus noſtris caliginem mentibus noſtris pellit: Sicut Lucifer claritate ſtellas alias antecedens, et ante ſolem oriens, inſtantis diei praenuncia tenebras nocturnas diſpellit.behold this ſtar, but on the morning of his holy day? The Chriſtus eſt ſtella matutina non mod… praeſentis, vitae noctem rad…s ſuis nun… diſ… tit, ſed etiam in matutina communis reſurrectionis luce, omnibus ſanctis ſeſe conſpicuum exhibebit. Andr.morning of a Sabbath is the time for our firſt ſalutes of Heaven, for the dreſſing of our ſouls, for the trimming of our Lamps, for the imitation of our Saviour in his early riſing; for the ſeaſoning of our Families. The morning is as currant coyne as the reſt of the day, it is more congruous to Nature, as congruous to Grace, an… whoſoever ſhall by his ſinfull negligence let that part of the Sabbath fly away, ſhall hardly overtake the bleſſing the ſubſequent day. It is not without remark, that Chriſt is called the morning ſtar, Rev. 22. 16. and the Riſing Sun, Mal. 4. 2, both to denote our early approaches to him.
They are the Enſurers of ſpiritual gain. It is in ſpiritual, Rev. 22. 16. Mal. 4. 2.as it is in ſecular affairs; The moſt thriving Husbands, get up early in the morning, and do much buſineſs before the ſhop is open; and ſo the thriving Chriſtians get up early on the Sabbath, and ſo ſpend the morning as that they have done much of their work before the Sanctuary door is open, or they meet with the more publick Aſſemblies: What views mighteſt thou have of God by Holy Meditation? what ſmiles, and anſwers of Love from Chriſt by ardent and ſervent Prayers? what heart warmings by holy Diſcourſe on the morning of a Sabbath? Then the firſt winds and brizes of Joh. 3. 8.the ſpirit blow, and we may weigh Anchor, the more happily for the whole enſuing day. Joſephs Brethren ſo minded Gen. 44. 3, 4.their Journey, that they ſet forward as ſoon as the morning was light. The Sabbath day is our travelling day towards Canaan, and therefore we muſt diſpatch much of our Journey in the morning, we ſhould do, as it was propheſied of Benjamin, devoure the prey in the morning; that prey Gen. 49. 27. Hoſ. 6. 3.which God hath provided for thoſe who right early ſanctifie his holy Sabbath; and we ſhould do this the rather, for it may be with us, as once it was with the people of Iſrael, Nunb. 9. 21.that the cloud was taken up in the morning: Now the cloud was the ſign of Gods preſence, and if the cloud be taken up, how can we expect a ſhower of mercy? David ſaith, 2 Sam. 23. 4.that the Lord is as the light of the morning when the Sun riſeth; when then is it more ſutable to meet theſe bright appearances, but on the morning, eſpecially on his own day. 1 Kings 18. 26, 29.The very Prieſts of Baal called upon their Idols from morning until evening; and afterwards propheſied, untill the time of the evening ſacrifice; and ſhall not we call upon our God, the living God, from morning until noon, and ſo to the evening ſacrifice, eſpecially on that day which is a day of worſhip and ſacrifice? The wiſ…man obſerves, it is a principle agreeable to Nature, to …w our ſeed in the morning; Eccleſ. 11. 6. Iſa. 17. 11.and what are our holy duties but this ſeed, which will ſpring up in Heavenly rewards if piouſly ſown? and the fitteſt Cant. 6. …0.time for them is the morning, eſpecially the firſt day of the week, Our Sabbath, which is the morning of the week: Sicut auroram, Chriſtum inveniemus paratum. Del rio.Chriſt ſpeaking of the Spouſe, Cant. 6. 10. asketh the queſtion, who is ſhe that looketh forth as the morning, not onelyonly denoting the Spouſes freſhneſs and beauty, but the time and ſeaſon for ſpiritual communications between Chriſt and the Spouſe. But now the main Query will be, what are thoſe duties which are incumbent upon us on the morning of a Sabbath? To Reply therefore to this Query, I ſhall inſtance firſt in Meditation; Meditation is the ſouls flight towards Heaven, and therefore it had need take the wings of Pſal. 139. 9.the morning. When thou haſt broken thy ſleep, begin the Sabbath with holy Meditation, that is the morning ſacrifices of the mind.