a multiplicity of prohibitions, I shall merely offer to you one general rule, by which, I conceive, a conscientious man may safely try the lawfulness of every Sabbath day work and employment; and that rule is, To DO NOTHING, ON THE LORD'S DAY, FOR OUR OWN WORLDLY PROFIT, OR FOR OUR OWN WORLDLY PLEASURE. And in regard to works in themselves necessary,works that cannot be provided for on the Saturday or deferred until the Monday,-I would say, let them be done, if possible, at those hours which will interfere the least with the public services of the day, whether these services be performed in the house of God on shore, or in the cabin, or upon the deck of a ship at sea.

This discourse having already extended beyond the usual length, we defer the remainder of the subjects under consideration to another occasion. Before I conclude, however, I would remind you of three principal reasons of our laying so much stress upon the honouring of the Sabbath day, which are these ;-because it is the express command of God; because it is most intimately connected with our religious advancement; and because we have a scriptural promise that a conscientious attention to this important duty is inseparably connected with great and precious blessings.

Remember, then, the Sabbath day to keep it holy. Brethren; do you remember it? Do you take pleasure in it? Do you strive to keep it holy? Do you seek on the Lord's day for the manifestation and blessing of your Saviour, Christ? Do you observe it as a memorial of the Lord Jesus? Do you seek, through its improvement, for a blessing on your souls? Do you as faithfully dedicate this day to God, as you do the other six days to the world and yourselves?

Do

you labour as earnestly on this day for heavenly treasures, as you do the rest of the week for temporal benefits? If you do, I tell you, for your encouragement, that you have the distinguishing sign of the Lord's people; and blessed are they who thus seek after righteousness, for surely they shall find it. But I fear, nay, I do assuredly know, that multitudes among Christian sailors do not remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy. Brethren; let me ask such neglecters or breakers of the Sabbath, one serious and most important question. Do you, who have an aversion to the holiness of the Sabbath, hope to go to heaven when you die? Let me remind you, then, that an eternity in heaven is but a never-ending holy Sabbath! Let me assure you that the happiness of heaven is an eternal abstinence from sin, and sensuality, and worldly enjoyment! Would you be unhappy to spend a single Sabbath without doing your own

ways, or finding your own pleasure, or speaking your own words? If so, I shall boldly tell you that you would be unhappy in heaven! Would it be a grief and a burden to you to be obliged to keep holy the Sabbath? If so, surely heaven itself would be grievous and burdensome to so unsanctified a nature! For as the heart is at

death, so shall it be for ever. If you become not holy here, you never can be either holy or happy hereafter. Brethren; I beseech you, as you hope for the happiness of heaven, to seek of the Lord Jesus Christ both for repentance and remission of sins, for his sanctifying Spirit and his justifying blood, so that you may learn to delight in the Sabbath as the holy of the Lord and honourable, and thus shall ye be meet partakers of the eternal kingdom and glory which remaineth for the people of God!

DISCOURSE XI.

ON THE CHRISTIAN SABBATH.

[PART II.]

EXODUS XX. 8.

Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.

OUR former discourse from this text afforded space only for a portion of the different matters we proposed to consider, namely; the object or use of the Sabbath; and the manner of keeping it holy, as to WHAT OUGHT NOT TO BE DONE. We now take up the remaining part of our subject, by pointing out the manner of sanctifying the Sabbath, as to WHAT WE OUGHT TO DO; and, finally, the IMPORTANCE of sanctifying the Sabbath.

2. As to what we ought TO DO on the Lord's day;-"Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it

holy."

The Sabbath is to be remembered, not only as a day of bodily rest, that it be not profaned; but as a day of spiritual activity, that it be sanc

tified. It is not enough that we refrain from worldly labour, for our ox and our ass may do that; but we must engage in heavenly duties. For at the same time that it is our duty to deny ourselves the search after worldly pleasure, or worldly profit, it is equally our duty to seek for spiritual enjoyments and the profit of the soul. It is irrational to expect to benefit the soul by mere repose; for whilst we seek the welfare of the body by incessant labour, how unreasonable is it to look for spiritual prosperity in the practice of indolence! If, then, the time designed for our temporal advancement must be diligently employed, before we can expect worldly prosperity; so the day set apart for our soul's advancement must be improved with similar diligence, if we would enjoy a rational hope of spiritual success.

Let us consider, therefore, the means of sanctifying the Sabbath in order to spiritual edification. And as our circumstances differ accordingly as we are on shore or at sea, we shall enquire how the Sabbath may be kept holy in both these conditions.

(1.) On shore.-Sailors are apt to imagine that, because they have not so many opportunities as others for serving the Lord; that, as they have not access to the house of God like their brethren on shore, the Lord will deal gently with