A Complete Body of Divinity, Sermons · 174 (Question 62)
SERMON CLXXIV.
QUESTION LXII.
… HAT are the Reaſons annexed to the Fourth Commandment?
ANSWER.
THE Reaſons annexed to the fourth …andment, are God's allowing us … Days of the Week for our own Em…ts, His challenging a ſpecial Pro… in the Seventh, His own Example, … Bleſſing the Sabbath Day.
…HE Law of God is grounded upon the … …gheſt Reaſon; and altho' there is a …ce between the Reaſon of ſuch Com… as are purely Moral, and ſuch as are …; the Reaſon of the Former being rooted … Nature of the things; and that of the … in the Sovereignty and Wiſdom of the …ver; yet in both there is a moſt convin… …vidence of the Obligation lying on us to …ience. It is therefore called a Reaſonable …, Rom. 12.1. If therefore Man be a …able Creature, every Reaſon which is gi… enforce a Duty, ſhould be entertained by … a ſtrong Motive, to put him upon the …ce of it. Now we obſerved, in the opening … Command, that there is in it ſomething …el, and ſomething Poſitive: The Duty of …ing a Sabbath is to be read in the Light of … tho' the Aſſignation of the Time, be a …e Prerogative, which doth not in the leaſt …e from the Morality of the Precept. Now … Reaſons which God urgeth this Precept by, …t put into the body of it, and are reducible … Heads, which are more than are put to … other; thereby inſinuating into us, the na…l Propenſity in ſinful Men, to neglect Obe…es to this Command; it is therefore bound … us with a Fourfold Cord: As alſo to give … to underſtand, that God inſiſts much upon …t Conformity to His Will in this regard; and …t our violation of it is not ſo ſlighty a thing, … too many make of it. Let us thou take a brief Account of the weight of such of theſe Reaſons, thereby the more to Solemnize our Tho'ts about it, and bind us to the greater Care and Cautiouſneſs to the Performance of it.
Theſe Reaſons then are,
I. GOD's allowing of us Six Days in the Week for our own Employments. This is expreſt, Six Days ſhalt thou labour and do all thy Works. This we may take either for a Conceſſion or Injunction. As it is a Precept, ſo it belongs to the Eighth Command; as it is an Indulgence, ſo it contains an Argument to enforce the Duty of the Fourth; and we may take it up in a few particulars,
1. THAT GOD is the Lord of our Time: Time in it ſelf conſidered, is the meaſure of the Creature's Duration; but more peculiarly with reſpect to Man, it is uſually put diſtributively with that Eternity which he muſt after a while paſs over into: And contains in it, the Bounds which are ſet for his abode in the preſent Life, and is finiſhed by his Diſſolution. Now this Time is Man's Opportunity, given him to do his Work in; for we are adviſed, Eccl. 9.10. Whatſoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wiſdom in the grave whither thou goest. Now Man, as he is a Creature, is altogether at God's diſpoſe, in reſpect of his Time, Pſal. 31.15. And as he is a Reaſonable Creature, he is under the Law of ſpecial Government, in which God hath a Supream Right to Order him how he ſhall employ his whole Time in this World: and to lay out for him his whole Buſineſs in it.
2. THAT there are Two Callings, in which God hath appointed us to occupy our Time, viz. General & Particular. This diſtinction of Callings, is not with reſpect to Man's Laſt End, for that is but One; and it is his Duty to employ himſelf in every thing that he doth with reſpect to it; 1 Cor. 10.31. But it is with regard to the next and immediate End or Deſign: There are Duties which are common to all Men, in whatſoever particular Poſt they are ſet by God's Providence: And there are the Duties which belong to Men in reſpect this or that Station and Relation they are in, in this World. Now in both of theſe, Men are to lay out ſuch Portions of Time as are requiſite for the due diſcharge of them, for it is neceſſary that … have Time;e to do all his Works in; and we are told, that there is not only a Time, but a Seaſon for ferry thing; Eccl. 3.1. And Man cannot Serve God as he ought in his Generation, unleſs he obſerve his Seaſons: Hence that, Eccl. …pan…. Becauſe to every purpoſe there is time and judgment: therefore the miſery of men is great, upon him.
3. THAT in the Duties of our Particular Callings, we nextly & immediately ſerves our ſe…ves and our outward Man. It is true, We are ultimately to Serve God in theſe, and if we terminate theſe in our ſelves, we just o…r ſelves out of the right Order: But out next Concern in theſe, is the Supplying and Supporting of our outward Man, for the preſent Life: In order to which God hath mace it our Party to follow ſome honeſt and lawful Calling-with Diligence; hence that, Prov. 27.23. Be thou diligent to know the ſtate of thy ſtocks, and lock well to thy …erds. Now this is that which out Catechiſm calls our own Employments, to diſtinguiſh them from the Duties of Worſhip, which do immediately terminate on God; as the Object of them; whereas out next Object in theſe, is our ſelves; and it is our outward Man that is properly cared for, and our temporal Life which theſe things are accomm…dated for; and becauſe it is to be maintained by Means, a great part of our Time, is to be taken up in the uſing of them.
4. THAT God birth taken but One Day of Seven to be devoted to theſe Services of Worſhip, which belong to our General Calling. This is not to be underſtood, as if we were to diſmiſs all Rellgious Services from one Sabbath to another, and have no regard to them all the Week long; there are ſuch Duties incumbent on us every Day; there were the Morning and Evening Sacrifices, never to be Omitted by the People of God. Nay, we are to do nothing in our Particular Callings, without an eye and aim at our General; nor can we do any Duty to Gods acceptance without this. But there is no other or more Time under the Goſpel, which is Sanctified by God, and Conſecrated to this Buſineſs, but One Day of Seven. And this carries great Obligation in it, to move as to be very careful in our improving of this whole Time in the Work appointed for it. For if God had ſequeſtred Six of the Seven to this end, and allowed us but One for the other, it had been our Duty to comply with Him, and acknowledge His Authority in ſo doing: How ingrateful then, as well as diſobedient, muſt we thew our ſelves, if, when He hath taken but One, we think it a burden and a wearineſs, and allow our ſelves our own Thoughts and Words, and Pleaſures upon it?
5. THAT this alſo He hath done, not for His own need, but for our Good. It is certain, that God hath no need of any Creatures, or their Services. He made them indeed for His own Glory, but it was not becauſe He had not … God bleſſed for ever without them: H… that, Joh. 22.2, 3. Can a man be profitable … God, as be that is wiſe may be profitable … himſelf? Is it any pleaſure to the A…ghry this thou art righteous? or is it any gain to him, … thou ma…eſt thy ways perfect? And it is obtain, that Gof appointed the Sabbath … Man's Advantage: Our Saviour tells us, Matth. 2.27. The ſabbath was made for man, and … man for the ſabbath. Man hath a Soul to …i… care of as well as a Body, and the Com…d it is of Infinitely greater moment than … other; and he is Duty bound to ſeek … the welfare of that, as the Principal thing; hence that Matth. 16.26. For what is a … profited, if he ſhall …im the whole world, and life his man ſoul? or what ſhall a man give in exchange for his ſoul? Now there ae Means to be uſed by us for our Souls Supply, as well as our Bodies, and our Induſtry is required in the Uſe of them. It is therefore a very … Kindneſs to be called off from the … brance of Worldly Buſineſs, which too apply draws our Hearts after it, that we … queſter our ſelves to ſuch things as may greatly advance our Communion with God, in whi… our Spiritual Profiting is promoved: And … this the frequent returns of the Sabbath, … very rationally accommodated; ſo that … not only diſhonour God, but …urt … Souls, and hinder the advancement of … Spiritual Growth, and Eternal Salva…, … we are negligent in this great Duty.
II. HIS Cha…ging of a ſpecial pr…i… the Seventh. This Reaſon is i…ou… … Branch, or the other part of the formes, … ever, it will admit of a diſtinct con… the force of That being in the Conde… of God to our Temporal Neceſſity, with … unreaſonableneſs of our denying to p… … this Quit Rent; whereas the ſtrong… … is taken from the ſtamp of Divine A … which there is upon the Day; or the … Inteteſt which God hath claimed in This … This is not to be underſtood, as if God … not alike the Owner and Sovereign Lord … every Day; but becauſe he hath ſeen … take this One Day out of the Seven, and … His own Name upon it, to be His, by … cial Deſignation; intimated in theſe W…, The Seventh Day is the Sabbath of …e L… God: The force of this may be conſidered in a few Things;
1. THAT God hath an Anthority is ſ…p… what Day He ſees meet, to Sacred Uſe. Doubleſs the Divine Prerogative is indiſputable Time, and all things of Time, are under … Command: If therefore He pleaſeth to … ſtamp of Holineſs on any Day, by commanding Men to obſerve it as Holy, it is the high… Reaſon that He be obeyed; for as no Tim… of it ſelf more Holy than other, ſo any Time which hath ſuch a Relation put upon i… thereby made Relatively Holy, and … were all the ſtated Days of Old, under this Law, equally with the Sabbath.
1. THAT though the reaſon of a Sabbath be i… the Law of Nature, yet the deſignation of it depends on God's Poſitive Command. This hath before been conſidered in the Explication of the Precept, and muſt needs follow from the former Concluſion: for if all Time be in it ſelf alike, the difference that is made between one part and another of it, muſt ariſe from a lawful Autherity, which had right of Juriſdiction over it, and that could be no other than God himſelf. He therefore calls them His Sabbaths, becauſe … not only made the Time, but made it holy by His Precept, Lev. 26.2. Ez…k. 22.8. Reaſon it …ſlf ſ…ith, that it is fitting that Man ſhould keep a Sabbath to God; but God's own Prero…tive ſaith, I b…t is the day which I require to be kept Sacred to Me.
3. THAT GOD hath not only ſeparated One Pray of Seven to be holy to himſelf, but alſo ſig…ed which of the Seven He will have to he obſerved. He hath not leſt it left it to Man to pitch and …according to his Arbitrement, this or that, …word …th ſaid, This is the day. It is true, as …th been obſerved, He hath Changed the day in Goſpel times, from what it was under the Law; from the Laſt to the Firſt of the Seven, as …th before been proved, but this very Change …p…nded on His Authority, and is to be reckoned holy for that reaſon; and to aſſign it to any … reaſon but that, is indeed to vacuate the …eſs of it.
4. THAT the Stamp of Divine Authority up… it, i… our indiſpenſable Obligation to keep it …ly. We obſerved, under the Second Command, Th…t Inſtituted Worſhip doth equally oblige to …ence, with Natural, and that, becauſe, although the light of Nature doth not diſcover to … the particular Duty, yet it tells us, that God i… … God and Lawgiver; that we are under … ſpecial Government, that He is Holy and Juſt and Good: and that as He cannot command … …y thing but what is Holy, Juſt and Good, … i… He do Command, it is our duty to obey … without diſputing any of his Injunctions: And although His Infinite Wiſdom cannot ſuffer … to enjoyn us in any thing but what is rea…e, yet He is pleaſed to put no other Seal, … many of His Divine Laws, but. I am the LORD; and it becomes us to believe that there …pod reaſon for all His Commands, becauſe they are His, thô we for the preſent do not ſee into the Rationality of them: Thus therefore … Pſalmiſt ſubſcribes, Pſal. 111.7.19.8.
5. THAT hence, for us not to Sanctify the …y to God, is an act of Notorious Rebellion. And indeed. God is pleaſed peculiarly to try …'s Obedience to Him, by His Poſitive Commands, as is every where obvious in the Scriptition; theſe are, as it were, a Teſt by which God proves Mens Allegiance to Him: As Ezek. … 12. Moreover alſo I gave them my ſabbaths … be a ſign between me and them, that they might … that I am the LORD that ſanctifie them. And for this reaſon we have this ſo often brought i…, as a great Article in the Indictment drawn … againſt Iſrael, that they had profaned & deſpiſed His Sabbath…: And if we put this reaſon to the former, it will appear horrible Sacriledge for Men to neglect the Sanctification of the Sabbath, and divert any part of it to their own Works or Recreations. What more unreaſonable and bruitiſh than when God hath ſaid to us, There are Six days in the Week which I allow you for your own buſineſs, to employ your ſelves in your Secular concerns, but I challenge this One Day to My ſelf, who am LORD of every day, and expect that you dedicate it, and your ſelves in it, to my Worſhip; and yet they regard Him not, will not allow it Him, but do their own buſineſs on it? Surely then, ſuch muſt needs expoſe themſelves to His Anger, and have no cauſe of wonder, if they be made to feel the Effects of it in His awful Judgments inflicted on them: And if this were well thought of, it would ſerve to make us more careful to our ſelves in our Sanctifying of God's Day. And doubtleſs it calls us to examine our ſelves on this account, as well as other things, whether we have not prevaricated in this reſpect.
III. HIS o…n Example. This is expreſt in thoſe words, For in Six Days the Lord made Heaven and Earth, the Sea, and all that in them is, and reſted the Seventh Day. The Law that was given at Mount Sinai, was at ſuch time as the Church of God, were under a more legal diſpenſation of the Covenant, ſo that in it, there was a revival of the Law given to Man at his Creation: And becauſe there was here a renewal of the Sabbath which was at firſt appointed to Man, which was the Seventh day, in which Man was to contemplate the Works of Creation; the reaſon is accommodated to the Example of God, in His making of the World, in which work He took up Six days, and reſted on the Seventh, as Gen. 2 1, 2. This reaſon therefore had a next reſpect to the Seventh-day Sabbath and is therefore improved by ſuch as are ſtill for that day, to fortify their Opinion. But we are here to obſerve, that God's meer Ceſſation from the works of Creation, was not that which it ſelf made the Seventh day holy, but His pleaſure to ſeparate that day for this uſe: but only this putting an End to that work in ſuch a ſpace of time, was given as a reaſon why Man ſhould celebrate the day in Commemoration of the Antecedent work: Nor are we to ſuppoſe that God Himſelf kept that day as a Sabbath in particular; for His own Reſt is Eternal as Himſelf is; and thô the work of Creation was then finiſhed, yet the work of Providence which never ceaſeth, or intermitteth did immediately ſucceed, and therefore Chriſt ſaith. Joh. 5.17. My Father worketh b…ther to: But God ſaw meet to make this finiſhing of this work, and the Ceſſation upon it, to be both a reaſon of the Inſtitution, and an Inſtruction to Men: and there is a like reaſon of the Chriſtian Sabbath; for as the Firſt Sabbath was to be a Commemoration of the work of Creation, ſo the Second was to be a Celebration of the work of Redemption wrought only by Chriſt, which being moſt glorious in it ſelf, and of Infinite concernment for the Poſterity of fallen Adam, God would have it Celebrated by His People, from the Reſurrection of Chriſt, till Time be … more: He therefore requires that an …as. H…n…ar be p…d to Chriſt, Jo…. 5.23. And for that reaſon, Chriſt's Example is p… poſed to us as a Reaſon of our keeping the Chriſtian Sabbath, as is evident to ſuch as rightly underſtand the meaning of the Apoſtle's Diſcourſe. H…b. 4.10. And here let us obſerve, that tho' all God's Works are not imitable by us, but He is to be adored for them, yet the Divine Moral Perfections are offered to us for our Imitation: Hence that of our Saviour, Matth. …l…. Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect. And of the Apoſtle, 1 Pet. 1.16. Be ye holy, for I am holy. And indeed, the Image of God, which was put upon us, requires of us ſuch an Imitation; that ſo we may thereby make it appear, that we are the Children of ſuch a Father: And let us remember that God's reſting on the Seventh Day, was not for Himſelf, but for us; and therefore our neglect of ſo improving His Example, is to deſpiſe the very Deſign of it.
IV. HIS Bleſſing the Sabbath Day. This is expreſſed in thoſe Words, Wherefore the Lord bleſſed the Sabbath Day, and hallowed it. And here we may by the way obſerve, He alters the Terms, from the Seventh Day, to the Sabbath Day: And there ſeems to be a Myſtery in it, to give us to underſtand, that not only the Seventh Day from the Creation, had this ſtamp upon it for the Time being, but that whatſoever Day God ſhould pleaſe to appoint to be a Sabbath, ſhould be under he ſame Conſecration & Benediction.
HOWEVER, There are Two things contained in theſe laſt Words of the Command, tho' our Catechiſm only mentions the former of them, viz. His Bleſſing & Hallowing of it: tho' probly they include the laſt of theſe under the Second Reaſon, viz His challenging a ſpecial Propriety in it, which He ſignified to Man by His Hallowing of it. Here then obſerve,
1. THAT GOD is then ſaid to Hallow the Sabbath, by His putting a Relative Holineſs upon it. The word, in it's largeſt ſenſe, ſignifys the fitting or preparing of a thing, for the Uſe or Service which it is deſigned unto; But in an appropriate ſenſe, and moſt frequently in the Old Teſtament, it is uſed for the ſeparating of a thing from Common, and conſecrating it to Sacred Uſe. It is therefore tranſlated, Sanctified it, Gen. 2.3. And this God hath done by giving a Poſitive Precept concerning it, that it ſhall be employed by us in Holy Duties, with a regard to the Sanctification of it, by Him to this end; and ſo This Reaſon explains and enforceth the Second.
2. THAT GOD is ſaid to Bleſs the Sabbath, by making it to be a Holy Medium of Spiritual Good to His People, who rightly Sanctify i…. The word Bleſs, ſignifys both to ſpeak well of, to wiſh well to, and to do well to one: And when God is ſaid to Bleſs a Perſon or thing, it includes both His Promiſe of Good to it, and His Performance of that Good effectually: And we may take up the meaning of God's Bleſſing the Sabbath, in a few particulars:
1. THAT GOD hath app…nted the Sabbath to be a Medium of our Comman…n with Hi…, is this Life. There is a fellowſhip to be had with God, by His People before they come to Glory: The Apoſtle could ſay, 1 Joh. 1.3 Truly … fellowſhip is with the Father, and with his … Jeſus Chriſt. Now this is mediate; God m… feſts Himſelf to and in them, by His Ordin… ces and Providences, ſo that theſe Media … manifold; and among, others this of the Sabbath is one, and none of the leaſt: And this is one reaſon why the Sabbath is called a Sign, Ezek. 20.12. viz. It was a Note that God had taken them to be His People, and was next to them, above all the People in the World: And doubtleſs, it is one note of a People in viſible Covenant with God, that they have His Sabbaths among them, and do profeſs the Holineſs of them, and accordingly maintain the outward reſpect due to them.
2. THAT GOD hath appointed the D…: of the Day in order to their enjoying of this C…munion. That there are ſuch Duties or Ordnances, and what they are, we have before … ken Notice of; and indeed, without them, the Day it ſelf would be of no uſe to the End that it was Ordained for. For Man is treated as a Cauſe by Counſel; and the Benefit he hath by ſuch a Day, is by the Employment which he is called to occupy himſelf in upon it: Now theſe Dut…es are excellently ſuited for this Communion; they are ſpiritual Services, and very well accomodated to our further acquainting o… ſelves with God; and they are the Exerciſes of God's Worſhip, which are the main things required of us; and it is certain, that in Worſhip we have nextly to do with God, and therefore are ſaid to draw near to Him in them: Such i… Prayer, in which we preſent our Deſires to God; ſuch is Meditation, in which we apply ourſelves to the Contemplation of the Being and Perfections of God, and His glorious Works, eſpecially that of Redemption; ſuch is the Preaching and Hearing of the Word, in which God imparts His Mind to us; and the Sacraments which are Seals of the Covenant, &c.
3. THAT GOD hath accordingly promiſe…, that be will hold this Communion with the…, who do truly keep this Day to Him. This Promiſe is neceſſarily implied in the general Encouragement which He hath given them, that He will be among them, to Bleſs them, in their Religious Attendances upon His Inſtituted Worſhip; Exod. 20.24. In all places where I record my name, I will come unto thee, and I will bleſs thee. And the Promiſe of all forts of Bleſſings to thoſe who do carefully obſerve His Sabbaths; Jer. 17.24. Iſa. 5.29, &c. And it muſt needs be ſo, becauſe, this is one Article in the Covenant, in which the Promiſe of His ſpecial Favour to His People, that keep Covenant with Him, is contained.
4. THAT by this Communion, He conveys all Spiritual and ſaving Bleſſings, to the Souls of His People. In this way He performs the Promiſe made to them. Our Happineſs is in Communion with God, and He Bleſſed the Sabbath ſo Man's ſake becauſe He made it for …an. Beſides, this is not meerly His Eſſential, …t His Gracious Preſence with them, which is …ended in the Promiſe; the Efficacy whereof … in advancing them in Grace, helping them in …rving of Him, and furthering them to a meet… for the happy enjoyment of His Glory, when … ſhall enjoy an Eternal Sabbath. This …ſon there fore is taken from our benefit; this is the way for us to profit, to grow in Grace, to ſcrive from God the promiſed good: and from … put together, we are aſſured both of the E…ty of the Command, and the Benefit which … from our ſincere Obedience to it.
USE. LET it then ſerve to quicken us all, … a more diligent endeavour, to ſee to the San…on of the Sabbath, both by our ſelves, … by all ſuch as are under our watch. And the rather at this Day, wherein God's Sabbath is in ſo little Requeſt among Profeſions, and which is ſo wofully Neglected and Profaned by Multitudes. Do we not ſee how all Religion goes to decay with this? Have not God's awful Judgments been upon us? And have we not reaſon to confeſs … …be Out of the Controverſies which He hath with us? And can we hope for better Day… or Things, ſo long as it is thus? There are many other things …niſs among us, that call for Reformation, but this is not to be neglected if we expect that God ſhould reſtore His gracious Preſence to us, and Bleſs our Land, with New-Covenant bleſſings. Let us mourn for the decay of Godlineſs, and return to God in good ea…eſt; ſo will He be …ealons for our Land, and delight ſo do us good.
[MARCH 9. 1793]