xxiv. 10. Pray that your flight may not be in the winter, nor on the sabbath-day. This flight was to be at the destruction of Jerusalem, in Vespasian's time, when all ceremonies were abolished; and yet when our Saviour speaks of the sabbath in force, which would aggravate their grief, they should be forced to break it.

59. Q. Which day of the seven hath God appointed to be the weekly sabbath?

A. From the beginning of the world to the resurrection of Christ, God appointed the seventh day of the week to be the weekly sabbath, and the first day of the week ever since to continue to the end of the world, which is the Christian sabbath.

Q. 1. Is the seventh day of the week always to be kept as holy, and the weekly sabbath unto the Lord?

A. A seventh day in number is always to kept as holy, and the weekly sabbath; the seventh part of our time being God's due, and by virtue of this commandment to be separated from common use, and employed in his worship, and more immediate service every weck. But the seventh day in order from the creation, is not necessary always to be observed as a sabbath, it being in the power of God, who appointed the seventh in order, to alter that order at his pleasure.

Q. 2. Which day of the seven did God at first appoint to be the weekly sabbath?

A. God did at first appoint the seventh day in order to be the weekly sabbath: Six days shalt thou labour, and do all that thou hast to do: but the seventh is the sabbath of the Lord thy God, in it thou shalt not do any work, &c.

Q. 3. Wherefore did God appoint the seventh day at first to be the weekly sabbath?

A. God did at first appoint the seventh day to be the weekly sabbath, because it was the day of his rest from the works of creation, that thereon men might rest from their works, and remember his : For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth; the sea and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day, &c.

Q. 4. When did God first appoint the seventh day to be the sabbath?

A. God did appoint the seventh day to be the sabbath, immediately after the first creation, Gen ii. 3. And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it.

Q. 5. Was the seventh day observed as the weekly sabbath, before God wrote the commandments for its observation upon tables of stone in the mount, which he delivered unto Moses?

A. It is more than probable that this seventh day was observed all along by the worshippers of God, as the other precepts of the law were observed, though no mention be made thereof in the short history of the affairs of some thousand years: for Adam who lived until the days of Methuselah, no doubt did teach his children this precept, which he had from God in paradise and Methuselah who lived until the days of Shem, surely did deliver it down to posetrity all the days of the old world; and Shem who lived until Abraham's time, and is supposed to be Melchisedec, in all probability 'did deliver this precept successively unto him in the new world and as Abraham with ease might, so without question he did, teach it with other precepts unto his children, and they taught it one to another, until the days of Moses: and Moses speaketh to the Israelites about the sabbath to be kept holy to the Lord on the morrow, Exod. xvi. 23, as a thing well known unto them, and of practice among them, which was sometime before the Lord gave the law upon the mount Sinai.

Q. 6. How long was the seventh day to be observed as the weekly sabbath?

A. The seventh day was to be observed as the weekly sabbath, from the beginning of the world unto the resurrection of Christ.

Q. 7. What day is to be observed as the weekly sabbath, from the resurrection of Christ?

A. The first day of the week from the resurrection of Christ, is to be observed by Christians, unto the end of the world for their weekly sabbath.

Q. 8. How could the seventh day sabbath be changed from the last of seven unto the first of seven, when we do not read expressly of any repeal in the scripture, of the last seven?

A. 1. It is one day of seven which God hath appointed to be the sabbath, and in the commandment, the Lord doth bless and hallow, not the seventh day, but the sabbath day, which might be on another seventh day in order, if God should so please. 2. It is but one day in seven which God hath appointed to be the weekly sabbath. God having both appointed and allowed the other six of the week for our labour. 3. God having substituted, or appointed another day to be a holy sabbath, this substitution of another, doth virtually include in it a repeal of the old sabbath, that is, in reference unto the time of its observation.

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Q. 9. How doth it appear that the first day of the week is appointed by God to be the weekly sabbath? A. 1. There is a like reason for the appointment of the first day, as there was for the seventh; the reason of God's appointing the seventh day, was bis resting from his works of creation and there is a like reason for his appointing the first day, which was theday of Christ's resurrection; namely, the son of God resting from his sufferings about man's redemption, into which rest he is said to enter, and which we are more nearly concerned to remember, Heb. iv. 10. For he that is entered into his rest, hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his. 2. The Lord Jesus hath put his name upon the first day of the week, Rev. i. 20. I was in the spirit on the Lord's day. There is reason to believe that the Lord's day here spoken of, was the first day of the week, because it is a certain determinate day; and it is spoken of, as a day which was well known among Christians by that name; and of the first day of the week being the day of the Lord's resurrection and wherein Christians did use to assemble themselves together upon, had the only reason for such denomination. There is also reason to believe that the Lord did put his name upon this day, because none had authority to put his name upon any day but himself: And the apostle calling it the Lord's day, by the inspiration of the Spirit, no doubt but it was the Lord's will it should be so called, and by consequence it was his will that this day should be used and observed, as a holy day unto himself. As the second

sacran..nt is called the Lord's supper, because it was appointed by the Lord; so the first day of the week is called the Lord's day, because it is appointed by the Lord and this day being appointed, no other is to be observed as the Christian sabbath. 3. The appointment of the first day of the week to be the sabbath, may be inferred from 1 Cor. xvi. 2. Now as concerning the collection for ths saints, as I have given order to the churches of Galatia, even so do ye. Upon the first day of the week, let every one of you lay by him in store, as the Lord hath prospered him.

The apostle having given order from the Lord, to the churches of Galatia and of Corinth, and by consequence to the other churches of the Gentiles for collection on the first day of the week, as God had pros pered them on other days; we may infer, this being a sabbath-day's work, that he had also from the Lord, given order for observation of this first day, as the weekly sabbath. 4. We read of the disciples being assembled together on the first day of the week, and that Jesus then came among them, John xx. 19. And that eight days after, they met again, which is another first day, and Jesus came to them, verse 26. Moreover that it was the practice of Christ's disciples to meet together to worship the Lord, to hear the word, and break bread, or receive the sacrament of the Lord's supper, on the first day of the week, Acts XX. 7. And upon the first day of the week, when the disciples were come together to break bread. Paul preached unto them, &c. Paul had been with them seven days, as verse 6. and yet we read of no solemn meeting, but on the first day of the week, the last of the seven wherein he abode with them. was not on the old sabbath, the last day of the week, that the solemn assembly for worship was held, but the first day which had it not been the sabbath of new appointment, and of necessary observation to Christians, would have been most inconvenient for Paul to have spent it in religious exercises until midnight, when the next morning he was to take his journey. All which being considered together, with the practice of Christians from the apostles days, it may be an

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evidence to them who desire not to cavil, that the first day of the week is appointed by the Lord, to be the Christian sabbath.

60. Q. How is the sabbath to be sanctified?

A. The sabbath is to be sanctified, by an holy resting all that day, even from such worldly employments and recreations as are lawful on other days, and spending the whole time in the public and private exer cises of God's worship, except so much as is to be taken up in the works of necessiety and mercy.

Q. 1. What is it to sanctify the sabbath?

A. The sabbath is sanctified by God, in his appointing it to be holy; the sabbath is sanctified by man in his observing and keeping it as holy; Remember the sabbath-day to keep it holy.

Q. 2. How are we to observe and keep the sabbath as holy?

A. We are to observe and keep the sabbath as holy, partly by a holy resting, partly in holy exercises on that day.

Q. 3. What are we to rest from on the sabbath day? A. We are on the sabbath day to rest, not only from these things, which are in themselves sinful, which we are bound to rest from on every day of the week ; but also we are to rest fom these worldly employments and recreations, which on the other six days of the week are lawful, and our duty; six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: but the seventh is the sabbath of the Lord thy God, in it thou shalt not do any work, &c.

Q. 4. May not such works be done in our particular callings on the sabbath-day, as cannot so seasonably and advantageously be done on other days of the week?

A. There are some works in our particular callings which may seem to be most seasonable and advantageous, on the sabbath-day, and yet it is our duty to rest from them, and wholly to forbear them, such as, 1. Killing of beasts on the sabbath, to prepare meat for the Monday market. 2. Plowing, sowing, gathering in corn, making hay while the sun shines, and the weather best serveth, on the sabbath day. 5. Selling