IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) 4 // {./ S>3 <. ^° '/. W.A ^ ^ 1.0 I.I 1.25 |50 ™"^ i:.^ ^ i^ 1.8 U 111.6 V] > duties of his calling, when of a secular nature. He stands self condemned, if he perforins upon that day, the stated work of the farm, the usual business of the merc'ha .. o , e humbler labours of the mechanic. But many are not eouoll v conscious of their having transgressed to the samrexZt i'f they perform any business which is out of their common rou- tine. For instance, they cannot be persuaded that they vio- late the day by setting it apart for the purpose of travelling a Journeyr,and attending to extra work; in the same de..r;e as If they were exercising their ordinary callings. Others again, may possibly imagine that ihey commit less sill in de- dicating the day, to amusements of various kinds, to excur- sions on parties oi pleaane. te uilc gosslppinj; and vain co„. IS Lord of ving one be consi- I that it is necessity, d for tlie I in order labour, is there are lily exer- and it is then in- r to be a ;h ere fore rein the y should of He- i to the rest, by batli ill he is a ordina- I stands stated or the equally tent, if >n rou- ey vio- Iling a legree, )thcrs, in de- 2xcur- 1 coil- IrTnil ^"^'"f /"^'--"^^^the Rest of the Sabbath i. broken, the sp,ntual design of the institution is lost sight of and not unfrequently, more sin is committed, than if thedai' ly work had not been omittea. If six days in the week are occupied m labour, and the seventh, be spent in the manner just mentioned, what time is left for the worship of God, and the preparation of our souls for eternity? Men may also deceive themselves in deternuning the nature of any work, which they may feel tempted to perform on the Sabbath! They may conceive the work to be one of necessity, and therefore justifiable on thatday. And here I will ad mk that tfn7 f\r^ T"''"""' °''"''' ^^"^^ "^^>' perplex the minds of those who possess the most upright intentions. It IS necessary m such a case, that the matter be impartially considered If the work be one which was foresL, and could by a httle management and extra exertion, have been performed upon a week day. it is not a work of necessity And It IS consequently a sin to perform it. Again, if the prospect of gain induces us to do that on the Sabbath, which we would otherwise omit, the work is not one of necessity It would be endless to enumerate every possible instance.' whereby a breach of this sacred day would be committed. The best advice that I can give in .M such cases, is, that the matter be referred to God. And that the individual should make up h:s mind, to act, precisely as he should wish to have acted, when obliged to give an account of his works, at the great day ot final retribution. I now proceed to ll,e second l,ea,. of „,y discourse, »hich ,s to show how the Sabbath should be observed. This is bv far the most pleasing topic to dwell upon. For, although it js a necessary duty in the Minister of Chris,, it is never'the.. less a pamful one, to exhibit the various forms in which sin e«rc,ses Its power npou our fallen race ; and the au^ul pu- nsh„,entwl„ch,„ev,.ably awaits d.ose who obey its dictates. Iheu,ost prounuent parts of the observ.-mce of this dav.con- -'.» u> the .sincere and s,.Ieu,n wor.l.ip „r ,h« Alu.lglm-. ,ho A f abstaining from all worldly occupations, the exercise of work, ot mercy and charity, towards our fellow men, and the pre- paration of our souls for eternity. These are high and no- ble ends of this day's institution. It is true, that the greater part of these objects must be kept in view, during the re- maming six days of the week. But the Sabbath is set apart entirely, on their account. Surely then my Brethren, we ought to prize this day above all. Well did our Saviour say, that the Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath. It was ordained in mercy, and for our own especial benefit. We should therefore consider the day as a precious treasure committed to our care— we should strive to make it profitable to our souls-and if the day were spent in vanity, or, worse than vanity, in actual sin, we should grieve for its loss, and pray that those Sabbaths which may yet remain to us, may be rendered more available, towards the attainment of their gracious ends. The time will not permit of a due consideration, of all the important ends of the in- stitution. The design of the command to observe the day as one of rest, is suflficiently obvious. For how otherwise could the attainment of the other points already mentioned be effected? There are also other reasons for this command, v'hichneed not now to be recited. That works of mercy, and charity should be performed on this day, we have nJ less authority for, than the example of our blessed Lord himself. For on this day he performed some of his most stupend.n.s mirocles, in behalf of poor suffering humanity. He iiealcd the sick, restored the maimed to the use of their limbs, and cast out devils. In like manner Christians may exercise their charity, by visiting those who are afflicted, as our Liturgy expresses it, in mind, body, or estate. They may comfort them, and (in subordination to their Minister) pray with them, and administer to their bodily wants. We must also dedicate this day to the more solemn preparation of our souls for eternity, and to the public worship of the great Creator, and Father of us all. Our private meditations and prayers should on this day be enlarged. It is the Lord's I se of work* d the pre- h and no- he greater ^g the re- s set apart thren, we r Saviour t man for : our own I day as a lid strive ere spent e should h may yet i^ards the Dt permit ' the in- le day as )therwise tioned be jmmand, »f mercy, have no id Lord lis most imanity. of their ns may cted, as They linister) s. We )aratioii of the itations Lord's Jay more especially, than tlie other six, and not our o^n. As we are therefore freed from the ordinary cares and con- cerns of the world, our thoughts should be directed toward* heavenly things. We should reflect upon our past lives, and make a careful retrospect of our actions, as they relate to God and man, in order to ascertain the exact position wherein we stand, with respect to our salvation. If after such an examination, we find that we are advancing in our way to heaven, v/e cannot be too thankful. In this case, we should pray for continual improvement, and the grace of perseverance. But if we are retrograding— if on the return of every Sabbath we find less inclination to institute such an examination— if sin of any kind becomes more easy to us, and gives us less compunction than it did before— we have great cause to be alarmed. And we should be unceasing in our prayers, lest Satan should in the end, obtain the entire victory over us. Next to private prayer and meditation, are family worship and the religious instruction of our children and dependents. The pious observer of this day, should be' more particular in the discharge of these duties, in proportioa to the scanty opportunities, which he may possess for such purposes, during the remainder of the week. Private and family prayer ought not indeed to be omitted upon any day. But on Sunday, these duties are less liable to interruption, and can therefore be more sedulously attended to. As the Minister of Christ must give account, for the manner in which he has instructed the people committed to his pastoral care, so must every head of a family consider himself responsible) for the religious improvement of his individual charge. Con- sequently, he will endeavour oa this day, to instruct his chil- dren in the first principles of the Christian religion, to make them imbibe an early taste for, and love of piety, and a de- testation of all manner of sin. He will also strive to excite in their minds the spirit of prayer, and teach them to consi- der it as a privilege and a favour to be perniitted, to address the great Lord of the Universe. But as it is with the Minis- ter, sp it must be with hunseif. He cannot expect success al- ways CO attend h.s labours. On the contrary he must be prepared for numerous discouragements. But he must per- severe. And conscious of d.e inability of his own exertions, when unaccompanied with the Divine blessing, he must sup- plicate, that this blessing may be vouchsafed. The next, and most solemn mode of observing the Sab- bath. IS by attending the public worship of the sanctuary. ^y reason of the small number of the clergy, and the dfficul- ty often experienced in procuring suitable Lay Leaders, it is not always m the power of the people to comply with the A- postle's injunction, that they should not "forsake the assem- bling of themselves together." On such occasions, their pri- vate and family devotions at home, should be more enlarged- and the Scriptures, and if practicable, a printed sermon or o- ther work of a religious nature, read aloud to the assembled household. But if the Providence of God permits of their repainng to his hallowed courts, the attendance should be re- gular and universal. The command to attend is peremptory, and we have no power to refuse. The Sabbath was retained •n the Christian Church, principally for this purpose, and whe..ever the duty is omitted through insufficient causes, the Sabbath IS broken. Experience too plainly shows, to what a degree of wickedness men will arrive at, where the public worship of the Sanctuary is neglected. There is sin enough amongst us, when the duty is attended to; but ^.hen neg- lected, those who were once serious, become careless ; those who were lukewarm become vicious ; and the vicious, finally casting oflf all restraint, pronounce their Maker's name only to blaspheme it ; deny his Providence, ridicule the idea of ftiture rewards and punishments, and even question the rea- lity of the Div..>e existence. To such a lamentable hei^hc of iniquity have men arrived at, in those countries where the public worship of the Church has been omitted, for any length of time. Let us then, my Brethren, shun the first be- ginnings of an evil, which is ever ready to grow worse and worse. But when we prepare to attend the sacred courts. ; must be must per- exertions, tnust sup- •the Sab- •anctuary, le dfficul- ders, it is :h theA- e assem- their pri- enlarged; non or o- ssembled i of their lid be re- emptory, retained ose, and uses, the 5 what a e public 1 enough en neg- > ; those . finally, me only idea of the rea- height lere the for any first be- •se and courts. we must remember into whose presence we are going to appear. We are going to offer up our homage to tlie great L6rd of eartli and heaven ; wlio witnesses every action we perform, and reads the very secrets of our hearts. We must there- fore hearken to the counse' of Solomon, the wisest of men., " Keep thy foot when thou goest to the house of God, and be more ready to iiear, than to give the sacrifice of fools; iov they consider not that they do evil." It is a solemn and a serious thing, tc appear in the more Immediate presence of Jehovah. We should therefore prepare ourselves before- hand, by suitable meditations. We should reflect upon his awful Majesty, his infinite power, and the innumerable reti- nue of the heavenly host, which continually surround his throne. We should then consider our own insignificance, that we are but dust and ashes, tlie creatures of a day's ex- istence, polluted with sin, and rebels against that Almiohty Being from whom we have received, every thing we possess. These reflections with the Divine blessing, w°ould have a tendency to bring our minds to a proper frame ; and we would be ready to say with the prophet, « the Lord is in his holy temple ; let all the earth keep silence before Him." With such a preparavion as this, the sublime service of our Church, when entered upon, will have a blessed effect. When we pray « with the spirit, and with the understand- ing also," our noble liturgy seems no longer to us, to be a dull unmeaning repetition; but admirably comprehensive, and calculated to express every thing, which a penitent weary and heavy laden with his sins could desire. The form of praise and thanksgiving to the Deity, is also delightful. For the most part, we celebrate the goodness of Jehovah in the language of inspiration ; in words which were indited three thousand years since; which n-cre used by prophets and apostles, evangelists and marryrs, who are now singing the praises of their God, in the realms of glory. W^e hear also in the lessons, the word of revelation proclaimed to us, and afterwards expounded by the messenger of the Lord of Hosts. These are some of the privileges attendan upon the public -U r 10 worship of the Church, when entered upon with seriousness, and a proper sense of the presence of the Deity. My Bre- thren can we regre'. then, that the uiost prominent part of the observance ofthe Sabbath, consists in attending upon, and endeavouring to profit by this worship? And can we vvonder, that if we absent oursel-es from it througli insuffici- ent causes, that we subject ourselves to censure ? The ho- nour of be,ng permitted to appear before God is great, and his condescension ig wonderful in being wiUiiig to hear our ad- dresses. Let us then esteem the blessing as we ought, and ev^ry one confess with Holy David, « 1 was glad when they said unto me, let us go into the House of tae Lord." To Condude.^YoM have heard my friends how the Sab- bath may be violated, and someofche methods by which it may be observed. I will now ask you, if it be not a more ikely way of affording present satisfaction, to make the Sabbath a delight, the holy of the Lord, and honorable;" rather than by polluting it, in a neglect of its observances ? Purely you must answer in the affirmative. For by the aid of unenlightened reason it can be known, that no enjoyment which IS attended with a consciousness of guilt, is comparable to that pure and hallowed satisfaction, which arises from the performance of a duty which we know to be acceptable to Uod. But unhappily for us, we do not always act accord- ing to the dictates of reason ; but are led into sin, by the vio- lence of our passions, when perfectly aware at the time of the folly of our conduct. Let us then look to God for his Grace in enabling us to choose aright. And when that choice has once been made, let ug prize every Sabbath as if it were our last. There remains hereafter an eternal « rest (or Sabbath) tor the people of God." And the former is but a type and a preparation for the latter. If the one be neglected and des- pised, how can it be expected, that the other should be offer- ed for ^our acceptance ; or if even within our reach, how cou.f. jt be enjoyed ? '■'- Let us ther-ifore (my Brethren in the words of the apostle,) fear, lest a promise being left us of entering into his rest, any of you should seem to come short 11 seriousness, . My Bre- nent part of ding upon, \nd can we ^li insuffici- ? The lio- ■eat,and his ;ar our ad- ought, and when they J." w the Sab- )y which it lot a more make the )norable ;" ervances ? jy the aid enjoyment »m parable from the jptable to t accord - y the vio- nie of the lis Grace, hoice has were our Sabbath) 'pe and a and dcs- be offer- ch, how hren in left us of ne sliort of It." On the other hand, if the Sabbath produce its pro- per effects upon our souls, and we find ourselves at each re- turn of the sacred season, making fresh advances in our Christian duty, we then receive as it were some foretaste of the joys of heaven. We begin to experience with the pat- riarchs of old, that we are " strangers and pilgrims on the earth," and that here we hare " no continuing city." And therefore we long for that heavenly country, where there shall be an eternal rest — where the Sabbath of the Lord shall be perfect — freed from the corruptions of this world and dedicated entirely to his honour and glory. Here, there is much alloy in the delights of the Sabbatl.. Christians whose faith is the strongest, cannot always overcome the infirmities of their nature ; and they have, not unfrequently, to lament those distractions, and those weaknesses, which prevent their receiving that benefit from the day which they would desire. But in heaven, there are no interruptions to the enjoyment of that pure and blessed Sabbath which there exists. The love of God is unbounded there, and the admiration of his wonderful attributes, furnishes a continual and untiring theme for the praises of his saints. Here, our spirits soon languish in celebrating the praises of Jehovah ; but there, we can ex- perience no higher satisfoction than in the exercise of this duty. New sources of wonder and admiration constantly o- pen to our view, and excite our tongues to glorify his holy Name. Brethren, has the observance of an earthly Sab- bath, ever induced you to desire the heavenly ? If it has and you now neglect that holy season, reflect I pray you, upon what has been said. Resolve without delay to amend your conduct. Remember the words of the Holy Ghost " To-day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts," and fear lest the Almighty swear in his wrath, tliat you shall never enter into his rest. May the Lord avert this evil- may you attend to the heavenly call-— and finally, be accept- ed through the merits of the blessed Jesus, who died for VOUr sins. Gnd (tyant tliic f.-ir iV,a anh^ rvf *U f D • "^ ujttn.^ v--i iiiu aatiiu Jesus, to whom with the Father and the Holy Ghost be ascribed all praise, power, and adoration, now and for ever. Amen. m i> 1. SERxllON II. Text.-" And now abideth faith hove charity, these three ; but the great- est oj tkae li chanter— \ Cor. JJc. i;jv. The words which you have now heard, form the condu- dingverseof a chapter, the entire subject of which is charity. And as the Church, by inserting this chapter in her Altar- Service of th.s day,* has in her wisdom prescribed it fur the present rehg,ous meditation of hei sons, I shall endeavour to urther herp.ous intentions, by making charity the theme of the discourse which I am now to address to you. But who can describe a grace of so exalted a nature in a manner suit- able to Its merits ? What tongue must not faulter in speak- ing of a virtue, the exercise of which forms one of the chief and most delightful employments of heaven? * Do thou therefore, O most Holy God, be present with thy servant in his undertdum!ty with his Maker. But the thoughts of maiittic liut \xi the thoughts of God. )3ut (as we wcic toUl, 26 in ,l,e beautiful lesson appointed for thU movniug'. Service *) "as the heavens are higher tl .n the earth, so are my «ay higher than your ways, and rny thoughts than your thoughts, llhe Jd. Ti^e Lord from on hi,h P-- theco - ,.„ption which dwells within the soul, when all tl'^"">"^ ward, appears good, and praisew-orthy ^° ■»». »^, ^^""^ that th re can be no purity of heart -l-"'^ *"' '' ^"2 no salvation without the blood ofClmst; no sancl.ty m that ll where the Spirit of the Holy One does not dwell. My Brethren, I have now attempted to demonstrate to you, who, r^fwha description of persons they are, who a., mlected with the leprosy of sin. You cannot fail to perceive, when lu refle . upon what has been said, how fully those words '„rScSur:!haU be verified, which describe the d.fficn es 1 \ Lv 5n the wav of our entrance into heaven. It the Ti thL s s r y bisaved, where shall the ungodly and the liter "ppear." I now proceed to the Second subject of en- „ V whicl is. by what means theleprosy of sin may be re- noved When -have once brought ourselves to confess, , a we labour under this spiritual infirmity ; .and are m some re alive to the awful realities of our sauat.on, we have !led one most important point towards our recovery. Fot !ZwL, they who think that they are whole, can never be pe»Sd to call for the physician. And our Love, has de- Ired n positive terms, that he " came not to call the r.gh- , T that is they who vainly think that they are righte- r: 'l^t i™e» TorepeutancI" Convinced then th.t we ° e he suWects of God's wrath, we cease to consider sm m Z "h , it which we formerly did. We take no satisfac t„ in omparing our own state, with that of those whom wettok, to be inferior to ourselves in their Chnst.an du^. On the contrary, our comparisons are made, between our "t, an th'at which the Holy Scriptures prescribe to us. Z t' are filled with dreadful ^'^^o'^' ^^^J^^^^ „ive how infinitely short, wc come, ol what the Alro.ghty 1 Third Sui)il»y after tlie p.iiiplinny. 27 righ- has commanded us. When we find it declared, in the words of our Saviour himself, that men shall give account at the day of judgment, not only for every wicked action, but for every idle word, and thought, we are tempted to exclaim, " who then can be saved"~who shall deliver me from the burden of this death ? And if such reflections should induce us, to be more diligent in amending our lives ; and we should yet discover, after all our efforts to the contrary, that we were daily adding sin to sin— what sensations must then oc- cupy our minds? Surely our thoughts must he of the most aggravating kind-surely me must feel ourselves to be the most miserable of beings. No enjoyments which this world offers, can afford us in such a case any satisfaction— riches, honours, rank, are but unmeaning phantoms— they come to us to-day, as it were, and to-morrow, they disappear for ever. We experience in ourselves the truth of the Prophet's observation, that " the wicked are like the troubled sea." Like its waves, which weary themselves with tossing, they never are at rest. To all persons in such a situation, I would hold forth the example of the leper. He knew that it was beyond the power of man, to heal him of his infirmity. And, therefore, full of faith, and with fervent prayer, he cast him- self at the feet of Jesus, and cried, "Lord if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean." His prayer was heard ; for "Jesus put forth his hand, and touched him, saying, I will, be thou clean." Li like manner, my Brethren, I would exhort you, to prostrate yourselves at the throne of mercy, to confess freely and unequivocally to God your manifold transgressions .- and your total inability, to rescue yourselves without Divine assistance, from the consequence of sin— eternal punishment. And, remember for your encouragement, that God is able and willing to save all those who are thus weary and heavy laden with their sins ; all who come unto him by faith, in the atoning merit of the Saviour's blood; all who desire to love the Lord, and obey his commands, from the smallest to the greatest; though, through infirmity of the flesh they are un- &L.,c !o do SO. To 3Uih the iii.uious iniiueiicci of the Hoiv 28 Spirit will be gvanted, \\W\ch shall renovate their nature— tlie blessings connected witli the Baptismal covenant, hithevto suspended, shall then be vouchsated— and the happy soul freed from its bondage, shall rejoice with exceeding joy. But you must consider, my Brethren, that delay is dangerous ; you must "seek the Lord while he may be found, and call unon him while he is near." If you feel within your breasts, aiiy desire after such a state of acceptance, you must mider- .tand that it is tlie Spirit of God, which excites such desires. And if you procrastinate, and like Felix, say, « Go thy way for this time ;" you are offering an insult to the Majesty of Heaven. You are treating the Great Loi'd of the Universe, iw a manner which you dare not use towards an earthly mon- arch, if exercising upon you a similar act of condescension. - And by the repetition of this conduct, you may finally pro- voke the Holy Spirit to withdraw his iniluences from you, and give you up to a hardened and reprobate mind. Close then, 1 prav you, with th-^ invitation of God, while it is yet in your power— make Him your hield, your buckler, and defence, nirainst those temptatiotis hich would seduce you, from the path you should pursue-and, when once you have trampled under foot vour spiritual enemies, ascribe not the glory to your own strength, but give thanks to God, » which givethns tlie victory through our Lord Jesus Christ." Before 1 conclude, I must put you in mind of one, more feature in the condi'ct of the leper. When our Lord pronounced his cure, he said to him, « Go thy way, show thyself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses conunandcd, for a testimony unto them." Brediren, is there not a gilt which is commanded of the Christian, as well as of the Jew, in huch a case ? Certanily there is. He must offer up, in gratitude for the mercies he bus received, the gift of his soul and body, as a sacrifice ot sweet smelling savour to the Lord who has redeemed them. Henceforth, his life must be dedicated to the service oi Jcho^ vah. The necessary calls of this world, must, ot course, still be attended to. But the dearest object* ot his thoughts mu.t h. ■ to promote the gloiv of 0-d. Aud as tlic kpcr oiler- 29 him»c-lf in ti,e t^l'" ,' '.Tl !?, ""'f '''^, Christian present «ive lion, M, ,„ hc'rif f f'^^ Lord ; and there re- derful ,hin.s which l , I T""^ '^ ""'"'"' "f the »o„. -.-lii/i. .."iesshepet:::;:':ue%':7'°.r'''r "' fore, <: unmoveubie al,v.,„= .1 , "" " '■>«■•«- ionl, forasmncl iTllr ''"""'''"S i" *--orfc of the ir.end., is il.e ble.sej „„„ ! l , , ', , ' ' "^ Ciiristian viJ«=l, who ha, ; , ; ""'^""^-"^'y .W^««l case of the i„di- -;.'.'y grant .h;:h!::rra:brot".„^^:i: ^^'■ «- • /VI CI inus ilVlDflf to the olorxr r^rr- J l"ve hull rcSts f r": '° "'" ^'""•" P'-^. where "fourin,„, ,,'"", "™"P--. --. the salvation