so glorious in itself, and so important in its consequences, deserved to be celebrated with religious solemnity to the end of time. Now, what more appropriate mode could be devised for the celebration of this event, than the sabbatical observance of the day on which it occurred? This consideration too acquires additional force, when we recollect, that the Redeemer is styled more than once in the New Testament, "The Lord of the Sabbath." As God, he had instituted the ancient Sabbath, and was, therefore, competent to change it. We may add, that the author of the Apocalypse denominates the Sabbath the Lord's day -language which would seem to imply its institution by the authority of Christ.

We have thus far pursued our argument on the supposition, that the first day of the week had never been observed as a Sabbath till after the resurrection of Christ. But there are not wanting reasons for the opinion, that this was the day uniformly observed from the creation till the arrival of the Israelites in the wilderness of Sin, when a temporary change to the last day of the week was made by the authority of Heaven. We are aware, that this opinion conflicts with a well known answer in our Shorter Catechism. But while we would pay all due deference to the judgment of those who framed the formularies of our Church, we shall never relinquish the right of thinking for ourselves in relation to all religious subjects. We are far from imagining, that any creeds, catechisms, and liturgies are infallible. We look upon them just as we contemplate other human productions; remembering too, that they were formed at a period in which the facilities for exploring scriptural truth were much inferior to those which we now enjoy.

The works of creation were completed in six days, and on the seventh the Almighty rested from his labour. Now,

this day, which was set apart for sabbatical observance, being the first whole day of Adam's life, would be the era from which he would naturally begin his computation of time, and would, therefore, be the first day of his week. The first entire day of his existence he was commanded to offer as a species of first-fruits to his God. The day was certainly the seventh from the creation; but it was probably reckoned as the first day of the week.

That the primæval Sabbath was the first and not the last day of the week, might be inferred from the fact, that when mankind forsook the worship of the true God, the recollection of this day was preserved, and mingled itself with their superstitions. They continued to observe the first day of the week as a season for religious solemnities. In general, it was devoted to the idolatrous worship of the Sun, and was, therefore, called SUNDAY. The same observance of the first day of the week still prevails among the heathen nations of the East.

The argument arising from the fact which we have just mentioned, is undoubtedly a cogent one. The hebdomadal, or weekly division of time, not being indicated by any natural phenomenon, is purely artificial. And yet this division has existed from the earliest ages of which we have historical record, and is found to be co-extensive with the diffusion of the human species. Now, may we not demand, whence could this arbitrary division of time have arisen, except from the original institution of the Sabbath immediately after the creation? This circumstance, we think, sufficiently refutes the opinion of those who consider the Sabbath as a peculiarity of the Mosaic ritual, while the general observance throughout the world, of the first day of the week, as a season for religious ceremonies of some sort, would seem to demonstrate that the primitive Sabbath corresponded with that day.

We have intimated, that the Sabbath was changed from the first to the last day of the week, on the arrival of the Jews in the wilderness of Sin. In proof of this assertion we appeal to the sixteenth chapter of Exodus, where several remarkable circumstances are recorded. The manna on which the Israelites subsisted during their pilgrimage from Egypt to Canaan, began to fall from heaven for their support soon after they reached the wilderness just mentioned. They were supplied each night with precisely enough for the ensuing day, and were expressly forbidden to lay by any portion of it. Indeed it became unfit for use and offensive, if kept for the space of twentyfour hours. Yet a singular exception presented itself. On the morning of the sixth day of the week double the usual quantity of manna was found lying on the ground. The people, surprized at an occurrence so wholly unexpected, went to Moses to inquire what it could mean. He told them, that the next day would be their Sabbath, on which it would be unlawful for them to gather the miraculous food, and that God had, therefore, furnished them with sufficient to last for two days. They accordingly found, that the manna could be readily preserved during the sixth night of the week. Now from this whole transaction, some have drawn the inference, that the Sabbath was previously unknown to the Israelites. It has been thought, that their ignorance in respect to the reason why they had received a double allowance of food on the sixth day, together with the manner in which Moses then enjoined on them the religious observance of the seventh, can hardly be accounted for on any other supposition. We admit, indeed, that if the Jews had always been accustomed to observe the seventh day of the week as a Sabbath, their slowness of comprehension in this affair of the manna was rather strange. But if we suppose, that the first day of

the week had been their original Sabbath, which was now changed to the seventh, the difficulty vanishes.

Is it asked why the change which we suppose to have taken place with regard to the Sabbath was introduced? We answer, for two obvious reasons. One of which was to distinguish the Israelites from the surrounding pagan nations, who, as we have said, celebrated the idolatrous worship of the sun on the first day of the week. Another was to commemorate the deliverance of the Jews from Egyptian bondage, which might be considered as occurring on the seventh day. And hence in the repetition of the ten commandments which we find in the book of Deuteronomy, the observance of the Sabbath is enforced by the following consideration: "Remember that thou wast a servant in Egypt, and that the Lord thy God brought thee out thence through a mighty hand, and by a stretched-out arm; therefore the Lord thy God commanded thee to keep the Sabbath day." Hence also the Jewish Sabbath was denominated a sign. The rest which it afforded them, was emblematical of their emancipation from servitude.

Now, if the first day of the week had been the primitive Sabbath, it was unnecessary for our Lord to give his apostles and disciples an express command for the religious observance of that day. By his resurrection, the Mosaic economy was abrogated, and the Sabbath, as a matter of course, would revert to the original day.

Christians! what dignity does the view which we have here taken of this subject, confer on your Sabbath! You celebrate the day on which your Creator rested from his works, while the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy. You also celebrate the day on which your Redeemer, having completed the sacrifice of your redemption, arose in triumph from the tomb, and

manifested his victory over the powers and principalities of darkness. Your Sabbath and the patriarchal are the same. In short, the day which you observe, is rendered illustrious by the two most memorable events in the annals of time-the creation and the redemption of the world. We may add, that such seems to be the purport of the apostle's argument in his Epistle to the Hebrews, where he says, "There remaineth therefore a rest for the people of God: For he (Jesus) that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his." Nor is it unworthy of remark, that so early a writer as Justin Martyr, has expressly said, that the first day of the week was, in his time, universally observed as a Sabbath, because it was the day in which God finished the work of creation, and in which Jesus Christ our Saviour arose from the dead. Such is the language of a writer who lived in the second century, and who, therefore, may be presumed to have been acquainted with the opinion of the apostles, so far, at least, as tradition had preserved it.

We shall enlarge no further on the first head of our discourse, which was to show that the Sabbath is a divine institution of perpetual obligation.

We proposed, in the next place, to illustrate the advantages that result from the sabbatical institution. "The Sabbath," said our Lord on one occasion, "was made for man." It was designed to promote his happiness. Let us, then, inquire in what respect it conduces to this end. And first, we shall endeavour to point out, some what in detail, the importance of the Sabbath viewed as a merely civil institution.

The term Sabbath, as almost every one knows, is of Hebrew origin, and, in its verbal form, signifes to rest. The first aspect, then, under which the Sabbath presents