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himself to worship at all, there seems to be no place for comprehenfion, or any expedient left, but a quiet feceffion. All other differences may be compromised by filence. If fects and fchifms be an evil, they are as much to be avoided by one fide as the other. If fectaries are blamed for taking unneceffary offence, eftablished churches are no less culpable for unneceffarily giving it: they are bound at least to produce a command, or a reason of equivalent utility, for shutting out any from their communion, by mixing with divine worship, doctrines, which, whether true or false, are unconnected, in their nature, with devotion.

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CHAP. VI.

OF THE USE OF SABBATICAL INSTITUTIONS,

Α AN

N affembly cannot be collected, unless the time of affembling be fixed and known before-hand; and if the defign of the affembly require that it be held frequently, it is eafieft that it fhould return at ftated intervals. This produces a neceffity of appropriating fet seasons to the focial offices of religion. It is also highly convenient, that the fame seasons be observed throughout the country, that all that all may be employed, or all at leifure together; for, if the recefs from worldly occupation be not general, one man's bufinefs will perpetually interfere with another man's devotion; the buyer will be calling at the fhop when the feller is gone to church. This part, therefore, of the religious diftinction of feafons, namely, a general intermiffion of labour and business during times previously set apart for the exercife of public worship, is founded in the reasons which make public worship itself a duty. But the celebration

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of divine service never occupies the whole day. What remains, therefore, of Sunday, befide the part of it employed at church, must be confidered as a mere reft from the ordinary occupations of civil life; and he who would defend the inftitution, as it is required by law to be observed in Chriftian countries, unless he can produce a command for a Chriftian Sabbath, must point out the uses of it in that view.

First, then, that interval of relaxation which Sunday affords to the laborious part of mankind contributes greatly to the comfort and fatisfaction of their lives, both as it refreshes them for the time, and as it relieves their fix days labour by the profpect of a day of reft always approaching; which could not be faid of cafual indulgences of leisure and reft, even were they more frequent than there is reason to expect they would be, if left to the difcretion or humanity of interested tafk-masters. To this difference it may be added, that holidays, which come feldom and unexpected, are unprovided, when they do come, with any duty or employment; and the manner of spending them being regulated by no public decency or established ufage, they are commonly confumed in rude, if not criminal paftimes, in ftupid floth or brutish

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brutish intemperance. Whoever confiders how much fabbatical inftitutions conduce, in this respect, to the happiness and civilization of the labouring claffes of mankind, and reflects how great a majority of the human fpecies these claffes compose, will acknowledge the utility, whatever he may believe of the origin, of this diftinction; and will, confequently, perceive it to be every man's duty to uphold the observation of Sunday when once established, let the establishment have proceeded from whom or from what authority it will.

Nor is there any thing loft to the community by the intermiffion of public induftry one day in the week. For in countries tolerably advanced in population and the arts of civil life, there is always enough of human labour, and to fpare. The difficulty is not so much to procure, as to employ it. The addition of the feventh day's labour to that of the other fix would have no other effect than to reduce the price. The labourer himself, who deferved and fuffered most by the change, would gain nothing.

2. Sunday, by fufpending many public diverfions, and the ordinary rotation of employment, leaves to men of all ranks and profeffions fuffident leifure, and not more than what is fuffi

cient, both for the external offices of Christianity, and the retired, but equally necessary, duties of religious meditation and enquiry. It is true, that many do not convert their leisure to this purpose; but it is of moment, and is all which a public constitution can effect, that to every one be allowed the opportunity.

3. They whofe humanity embraces the whole fenfitive creation, will efteem it no inconsiderable recommendation of a weekly return of public rest, that it affords a respite to the toil of brutes. Nor can we omit to recount this amongst the ufes, which the divine Founder of the Jewish fabbath expressly appointed a law of the inftitution.

We admit, that none of these reasons fhew why Sunday should be preferred to any other day in the week, or one day in feven to one day in fix or eight: but these points, which in their nature are of arbitrary determination, being established to our hands, our obligation applies to the fubfifting establishment, fo long as we confefs, that fome fuch inftitution is necessary, and are neither able, nor attempt to substitute any other in its place.

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