forward to some more favourable | tion for a christian's hope; unless season, when they imagine they they are distinguished by the shall be enabled to act to greater holiness of their life and conadvantage, it is their duty to versation, it is impossible that grasp each moment as it flies, to they can contemplate death with act now, and to act with the de- the christian's confidence, or, sire, that should death summons that they can ever arrive at that them from their post without kingdom which is prepared for intimating his design, they his reception. may be prepared, not only actually but habitually prepared, to leave all without one sigh of regret, or without being upbraided by conscience with negligence and unconcern for their own welfare, and the welfare of their fellow-men. This daily anticipation of death will, in a great measure, quell those fears and subdue those gloomy apprehensions which often mar the peaceful will be our situation, how disof christians; and far from ex- astrous our fate! citing melancholy, or producing unhappiness, it will tend much to familiarize the mind with an event, which, received apart from the joys to which it affords an introduction, is at all times revolting to our nature. To the man whose mind is unillumined by the regenerating influence of the Spirit of God, whose prospect beyond the narrow boundaries of time is cheerless and uncertain, who only hopes all will be well, though incapable of justifying such a hope, and who cannot look on death but with a shudder of despair; to such a man, come how or when it will, it must be truly terrific; but to approach silently and unperceived during the hour of sleep, without even a warning whisper, is awful in the extreme. I suppose there are none who bear the christian name, but desire to partake of the christian's privileges. Yet, unless they are interested in that Saviour who died that guilty sinners may live, and who is the only sure foundaJ Oh! how necessary is it, that we all carefully and constantly examine ourselves, relative to this important subject; for should the cold hand of death ere long awake us from our slumbers, and that on the other side of mortality, and should we then discover that we have not only deceived others, but that we are ourselves deceived; how dread Whatever may be our characters, whether we are lovers of God and the ways of holiness, or the slaves of Satan, it is certain in a few years we shall all take a final farewell of this transitory scene, we shall mingle our ashes with the ashes of our ancestors, and though the time and manner are both mercifully and wisely concealed from us, yet we know the dust must return to the earth from whence it was taken, and the "spirit will then return to God who gave it." Yes, the christian must die, he must pass through the valley of the shadow of death, but to him it is ouly the last stage of his journey homewards. From the hour he turned his face towards Zion, he has been alternately fighting and pressing onward; though often cast down, he has not been forsaken, and though, perhaps, the enemies of his soul now assail him with all the malice they can exert, though they may follow him to the very outskirts of his fleshly habitation, still his Saviour's rod and staff support him, his promise encourages him, and he reaches in safety "his presence, where there is fulness of joy," and is assigned a station "at his right hand, where there are pleasures for evermore." The sinner must die! he must pass into the presence of a righteous God, with all his transgressions on his head! Ali! how doth he groan and roll from side to side, under the conviction of divine displeasure! How ineffectual are all the attempts of his weeping friends to soothe his mind, or calm his fears. Tormenting pangs distract his breast; J**R. ON SABBATH-BREAKING. An original Fragment, by the Rev. R. Robinson. 1. On the nature of the Lord'sday. The setting apart of one day in seven for the worship of Almighty God, is to be considered in three different points of view. In one view it is an act of moral duty, in another it is positive obedience, in a third it is political virtue. I will explain myself. Moral obedience is that duty which every man as a creature is naturally and necessarily obliged to perform. Man is a creature; God is his Creator. This creature hath received from his Creator all he enjoys. He is in a state of entire dependence on God, who governs him by a wise and good providence. If he discharge his duty, God is able to gratify all his just wishes; and if he neglect it, God is able to punish him beyond what his fancy or fears can suggest. It is there. fore, fit and right in the nature of things that every such creature should sometimes, by some public exercise of devotion, express his belief of the being and perfections of his Creator and Benefactor. He should sometimes openly pay him that homage of reverence, worship, prayer, and praise, which is due both to the eminence of his perfections, and the excellence of his government. Now, this is the duty of a Lord'sday, and they who neglect or refuse to spare time to do it, truly be said to live without God in the world. It is then a moral action to set apart some time for public worship. Positive law is the express command of God, may and obedience to such command is called positive obedience. It pleased God, in the infancy of the world, like a wise and tender parent, to point out moral duties to his creatures by positive commands, and to order the Jews to keep holy the seventh day of the week. Thus he regulated moral obedience by positive law. Just as we regulate the natural appetites of our children for eating and drinking, by habituating them to eat and drink at couvenient times, and in convenient quantities, which we teach them to call breakfast, dinner, and supper. When Jesus came into the world, lie came not to establish jewish ceremonies, but to give mankind a religion fitted to all times, and all parts of the world, in order to which it was necessary to abolish old rites, and either to command or exemplify a simple and practicable sort of worship." more The resurrection of Jesus Christ, that great event on which all Christianity depends, came to pass on the first day of the week. It is natural to suppose that this event would so affect the apostles, as to engage them to suspend all secular business, and to address themselves wholly to religious exercises; such as social prayer, praise, reading and examining prophecies, and so on. Scripture history assures us this natural effect was produced; and it further informs us, that on that day week they met again for the same purposes, and that after Jesus had instructed them in the things pertaining to the kingdom of God, they held their religious assemblies on the first day of the week. Moreover it informs us that the apostles abolished the ceremonies of Moses, and made no exception in favour of the seventh day (Acts xv.) From all which we fairly conclude -that the setting apart of some time for public worship is a moral action; that a seventh part of time is a just proportion; and that the observation of the first day was introduced by inspired apostles, whose example in this case is equal to a positive law. the Lord's-day relaxation, considered merely as a civil institution, is attended with innumerable advantages to the health, morals, and interests of the whole nation. 2. Of the profanation of the Lord's-day. There are two ways of profaning the Lord's-day; the first is, by neglecting to perform the duties of the day; the other is, by practising those things which ought on that day to be avoided. Most sabbath-breakers do both. There are three sorts of duties which belong to this day, and none of them can be neglected without incurring blame. prayer, The first are exercises of piety due to God, such as praise, public worship, and reading and hearing the holy scriptures, by which we acknowledge the dominion of God over us, and our willing subjection to him. Neglect of these is contempt of God. It sets his power at defiance, and discovers ingratitude for his goodness, distrust of his wisdom, yea, doubt or disbelief of his being. We The second sort of duties we owe to our fellow-creatures. owe our families a virtuous example. We owe our ministers the some countenance-we owe our Political virtue is obedience to the just laws of our country. The lawgivers of Great Britain have thought fit to incorporate the observation of a Lord's-day into their civil statutes. Above 800 years ago, King Athelstan forbade by law all profanation of the Lord's-day. Many acts have been made since to enforce the observation of it. In the reign of Charles II. a statute was made, by which no person is allowed to work on the Lord's-day, or to expose any goods to sale, or to drive cattle or waggons, or to travel with boats, lighters, and so on, except as excepted in the act. This is now in force (29 Car. 2, c. 7.) Our lawgivers have dis-more brutal must he be, who covered in these acts, a wise at having both body and soul, never tention to the good of society; for | spends a day to relieve the oue The third sort of duties are those due to ourselves.-What should we think of a poor man, who having a vine never prunes it, or a garden never digs it, or a cow never feeds her? But how much or improve the other! To neglect all these on a day set apart for performing them, is a profanation of the Lord's-day. The other way of profaning the Sabbath is by doing such ac- | tions as ought to be avoided. These are of three sorts. - 3. Of the evils that follow & profanation of the Lord's-day. It would be endless to recount the evils attendant on a profanation of the Lord's-day. I will mention only a few. First, the health is impaired. Young people left to themselves The first are unlawful actions, on this day, have seldom discrewhich ought not to be done on tion to proportion their eating any day. To enumerate these and drinking to their exercise, or would be to draw out a list of all their expenses to their income. the crimes that men commit. Hence excesses of various kinds; This, however, we venture to hence indigestions, lasciviousness, | affirm, many crimes, unlawful at diseases, chagrin, remorse, illall seasons, become supremely | health, and sometimes death. horrid by circun.stances of time Secondly, Sabbath - breaking and place. Drunkenness, for in- | hurts the reputation; for he who stance, is always a vulgar, hateful | has no fear of God, and no sense vice, even in times of public fes- | of religion upon his mind, can tivity; but to be drunk on the Lord's-day, when so many thousands are lamenting the sin, and interceding for the sinner, is to offer a public affront to God and all good men. The second sort of actions are those lawful on other days, and unlawful only on this. Of this sort are manual labours, public sales in shops and elsewhere, and in a word, all exercises prohibited by either the appointments of God, or the just laws of men. . | never, by thoughtful people, be reputed a wise, a safe, and a desirable member of a sober family. Thirdly, the property is generally wasted; most Sunday sports are expensive in money, fine clothes, tea - drinking, generous but imprudent treats; in short, it costs a great deal more to break the Sabbath and offend God, than to please him, by discharging the duties he has appointed. Fourthly, connections are formed not unfrequently without the knowledge and consent of parents; connections rash, inju rious, fantastical, and fatal through life. The third sort are those which are improper; not forbidden indeed | by any positive laws, human or divine, but yet evidently wrong, | because inconsistent with the du- Fifthly, the conversation is perties of the day. To pay and take verted, and rendered irksome to wages, to cast up stock, to post | all good men. In Sunday parties books, to write letters of business, people are trained up in a habit to read books of amusement, to of conversing impertinently and take unnecessary journeys, to pay | iniquitously. trifling visits, to spend one part of | the day in going over the grounds to see cattle and crops, and the other in eating and drinking, and dressing and smoking, and reading the news;-what are all these but | expressions of disregard to God, and disinclination to duty. Politics, news, slander, any thing, every thing, nothing; articles that concern the company just as much as to know that a crow dropped a feather as she flew over yonder mountain : this is the food of a Sabbath-breaker's empty mind ! What a stock of knowledge this for a youth to begin the world | corrigible; only the company of the prisoners would be punishment enough. But is this all ?Ah! who can tell? Or who would make the fatal experiment? 4. Evasions. with! Sunday sets a thousand tongues agoing that have nothing to say. Such people are the pity of men of religion, and the scorn of men of sense. We seldom find a bad man wicked enough to fill up his character. It requires a great fund of turpitude to express fully that enmity against God, which is contained in every act of rebellion against him. There is in every man a moral sense, a conscience accusing or excusing; and this, yea even his baser passions. Fear and shame counteract sinful dispositions. This power of resistance is strengthen Sixthly, the minds of Sabbathbreakers are left unprincipled, and unprepared for every event. Let us not deceive ourselves; religion is a science; it must be studied to be understood. Yet people take it for granted they understand it, though they never devoted one day in their lives to deliberation and inquiry. Should you have understood barley, or malt, or beer, if you had never looked or tasted? But how came you to think you understand re-ed in many persons by education, ligion, without examining? Alas, company, occasional hints of what ills await the man, whose truth and virtue; and hence mind is void of the truths of reli- arise self-dislike, restraint, and gion! Happen what will, all to some degree of decent action. him is poison and death. Doth Ignorance of God, love of sin, he prosper? he grows proud. and numerous examples, plead Do adversities overtake him? he for vice; while glimmerings of is a cold, comfortless, unhappy, truth, fear of punishment, and discontented thing. Does he hope of reward, contend for virlive in health? the simpleton tue. If the former be, as in all clings to the world as if he were bad men they are, the strongest to live here for ever. Does he and ruling powers, they will gosicken, and must he die? O how vern their opponents by evasions loth! how he lingers! how he of duty, and compositions for sin. looks back at a world of woe, as One breaks the Sabbath by neg. if it were man's chief good! How lecting public worship, and by he hovers and trembles on the getting drunk, and blesses himbrink of an eternal world; now self the next day for not commitstupid, then afraid; at length ting murder. Another goes to a driven away in his wickedness, he place of worship once a day, finds himself before the judg- spends all the rest of the time in ment-seat of a justly offended idleness or debauchery, and God! And this is the last ill of thanks God he is not like other Sabbath-breaking. What account men. A third keeps open shop of deeds done in the body can he almost all day, and thinks himgive, who has been wilfully igno- self a good christian, because he rant of his duty, and his God; locks the door at church-time. who spent all his life in sinning, A fourth, better than all these, is and refused to devote one day to at a place of worship himself by repentance? Hell is the prison way of atonement for his children of the universe, where the Gover- and his servants and cattle, all nor of the world confines the in- in the yoke elsewhere. A fifth |