ages of Christianity, who, in fhort, as their duty was, diligently followed their great mafter's example. They did not think it enough to read and

pray, and praife God at home, but made confcience of appearing in the public affemblies, from which nothing but fickness and abfolute neceffity did detain them; and if fick, or in prifon, or under banishment, nothing troubled them more, than that they could not come to church, and join their devotions to the common fervices. If perfecution at any time forced them to keep a little clofe; yet no fooner was there the leaft mitigation, but they prefently returned to their open duty, and publickly met all together. No trivial pretences, no light excufes, were then admitted for any one's abfence from the congregation, but according to the merit of the cause, severe cenfures were paffed upon them,' &c. to exprefs it in the words of one of our beft antiquaries f

THE public worship of God then is not a matter of indifference, which men have in their own power to do, or omit, as they please; neither is it enough to read, pray, or praise God at home, unless fome inevitable neceffity hindereth; because the appearing in God's house, on his day, is an act of homage and fealty, due to the

f Dr. Cave's Primitive Christianity, p. 1. cap. 7.

Creator,

Creator, a right of fovereignty we pay him. And the with-holding those rights and dues from God is a kind of rejecting God, a difowning his fovereignty, and a withdrawing our obedience. and fervice. And this was the very reafon why the profanation of the Sabbath was punished with death among the Jews, the Sabbath being a fign, or badge of the God they owned and worshipped. Thus Exod. xxxi. 13. My Sabbaths ye fhall keep; for it is a SIGN between

'me

At this day it is cuftomary for fervants to wear the livery of their masters, and others to bear badges of their order, profeffion, fervility, &c. So in former ages, and diverfe countries, it was ufual to bear badges, marks, and figns on divers occafions. In Ezek. ix. 4. A 'mark was to be fet on the forehead of thofe that lamented the abu'minations of the city.' The like was to be done upon them in Rev. vii. 3. and ix. 4. So the worshippers of the beaft, Rev. xiii. 16. were to receive a Xápayμa, 'A mark in the right hand, on their foreheads.' Thofe Xapaypara, Eppayides, Badges, &c. were very common. Soldiers and flaves bare them in their arms or foreheads; fuch as were matriculated in the heteriae, or companies, bare the badge or mark of their company; and whoever lifted himself into the fociety of any of the feveral gods, received a Xájaya, or a mark in his body, (commonly made with red hot needles or fome burning in the flesh,) of the God he had lifted himself under. And after Christianity was planted, the Chriftians had also their fign of the crofs. And not only marks in their flesh, badges on their clothes, &c. were ufual; but also the dedication of days to their imaginary deities. Not to speak of their festivals, &c. the days of the week were all dedicated to fome of their deities. Among the Romans, Sunday and Monday, to the Sun and Moon; Tuefday to Mars ; Wednesday to Mercury, &c. So our Saxon ancestors did the fame

Sunday

me and you, throughout your generations; that ye may know that I am the Lord, that doth fanctify you;' or, as the original may be rendered, A fign to acknowledge, that I JEHOVAH

am your Sanctifier, or, your GoD:' for, as our learned Mede obferves, To be the Sanctifier of a people, and to be their God, is all ' one.' So likewise very exprefly in Ezek. xx. 20. Hallow my fabbaths, and they shall be a fign between me and you, that ye may know that I am the Lord your God;' or rather as before, to acknowledge that I JEHOVAH am

6

your God.'

THE fabbath being thus a fign, a mark, or badge, to acknowledge God to be their God, it follows, that a neglect or contempt of that day redounded to God; to flight that, was flighting God; to profane that, was to affront God; for the punishment of which, what more equitable penalty than death! And although under Christianity, the punishment is not made capital, yet have we no lefs reafon for the ftrict obferv. ance of this holy day than the Jews, but rather

greater

Sunday and Monday, as the Romans did to the Sun and Moon; Tuesday to Tuyfco; Wednesday to Woden; Thurfday to Thuoer; Friday to Friga; and Saturday to Seater: an account of which deities, with the figures under which they were worshipped, may be met with in our learned Verftegan, chap. 3. p. 68.

greater reafons. For the God we worship is the fame: if after the fix days labour, he was, by the feventh, owned to be God, the Creator; no lefs is he by our Chriftian Lord's-day if by the celebration of the Sabbath, the rememberance of their deliverance from the Egyptian bondage was kept up, and God acknowleged to be the effector thereof; we Chriftians have a greater deliverance; we own our deliverance from fin and Satan, wrought by a greater Redeemer than Mofes, even the bleffed Jefus, whofe refurrection and the completion of our redemption thereby, was performed on the Chriftian Lord's-day.

AND now, to fum up, and conclude thefe inferences, and fo put an end to this part of my furvey fince it appears, that the works of the Lord are fo great, fo wifely contrived, fo accurately made, as to deferve to be enquired into; fince they are alfo fo manifeft demonftrations of the Creator's being and attributes, that all the world is fenfible thereof, to the great reproach of atheism: what remaineth, but that we fear and obey fo great and tremendous a Being! that we be truly thankful for, and magnify and praife his infinite mercy, manifefted to us in his works! And forafmuch as he hath appointed a day on purpose, from the beginning, for thefe fervices, that we may weekly meet together, commemo

rate

rate and celebrate the great work of creation, that we may pay our acts of devotion, worship, homage, and fealty to him; and fince this is a wife and excellent diftribution of our time, what fhould we do, but confcientiously and faithfully pay God these his rights and dues; and as carefully and diligently manage God's time, and difcharge his business then, as we do our own upon fix days; particularly that with the pious pfalmift, We love the habitation of God's house, and

the place where his honour dwelleth,' and therefore take up his good refolution in Pfal. v. 7, with which I fhall conclude; But as for me I ⚫ will come into thine house in the multitude of thy mercy, and in thy fear will I worship towards thy holy temple.'

་

Now, to the fame infinite God, the omnipotent Cator and Preferver of the world, the most gracious Redeemer, Sanctifier, and Infpirer of mankind, be all honour, praife, and thanks, now and for ever, Amen.