86 tutes, and fhewed them my judgments, which "if a man do, he fhall even live in them: more66 over also I gave them my fabbaths, to be a sign "between me and them, that they might know "that I am the Lord that fanctify them." Ezek.

XX. 10, II, 12.

Nehemiah alfo recounts the promulgation of the fabbatic law amongst the tranfactions in the wilderness; which fupplies another confiderable argument in aid of our opinion: "Moreover "thou leddeft them in the day by a cloudy pil"lar, and in the night by a pillar of fire, to give "them light in the way wherein they should go. "Thou cameft down alfo upon mount Sinai, "and spakeft with them from heaven, and gavest "them right judgments and true laws, good "statutes and commandments, and madeft known "unto them thy boly fabbath, and commandedft "them precepts, ftatutes and laws, by the hand "of Mofes thy fervant, and gaveft them bread "from heaven for their hunger, and broughteft "forth water for them out of the rock *." Nebem. ix. 12.

If

*From the mention of the fabbath in fo clofe a connection with the defcent of God upon mount Sinai, and the delivery of the law from thence, one would be inclined to believe, that Nehemiah referred folely to the fourth commandment. But the fourth

If it be enquired, what duties were appointed for the Jewish fabbath, and under what penalties and in what manner it was observed amongst the ancient Jews; we find that, by the fourth commandment, a ftrict ceffation from work was enjoined, not only upon Jews by birth, or religious profeffion, but upon all who refided within the limits of the Jewish ftate; that the fame was to be permitted to their flaves and their cattle; that this reft was not to be violated under pain of death: "Whofoever doeth any work in the "fabbath day, he fhall furely be put to death." Exod. xxxi. 15. Befide which, the feventh day was to be folemnized by double facrifices in the temple. "And on the fabbath day two lambs "of the first year without fpot, and two tenth "deals of flour for a meat offering, mingled "with oil, and the drink offering thereof; this "is the burnt offering of every fabbath, befide "the continual burnt offering and his drink of

fering." Numb. xxviii. 9, 10. Alfo holy con

fourth commandment certainly did not firft make known the fabbath. And it is apparent, that Nehemiah obferved not the order of events, for he fpeaks of what paffed upon mount Sinai before he mentions the miraculous fupplies of bread and water, though the Jews did not arrive at mount Sinai till fome time after both thefe miracles were wrought.

vocations,

vocations, which mean, we prefume, affemblies for the purpose of public worship or religious inftruction, were directed to be held on the fabbath day; "the feventh day is a fabbath of rest, an holy convocation." Lev. xxiii. 3.

And accordingly we read, that the fabbath was in fact obferved amongst the Jews, by a fcrupulous abftinence from every thing which, by any poffible conftruction, could be deemed labour; as from dreffing meat, from travelling beyond a fabbath day's journey, or about a single mile. In the Maccabean wars, they fuffered a thousand of their number to 'be flain, rather than do any thing in their own defence on the fabbath day. In the final fiege of Jerufalem, after they had fo far overcome their fcruples, as to defend their perfons when attacked, they refufed any operation on the fabbath day, by which they might have interrupted the enemy in filling up the trench. After the establishment of fynagogues (of the origin of which we have no account), it was the cuftom to affemble in them upon the fabbath day, for the purpofe of hearing the law rehearsed and explained, and for the exercise, it is probable, of public devotion." For Mofes of "old time hath in every city them that preach "him, being read in the fynagogues every fabbath

day." The feventh day is Saturday; and, agreeably to the Jewish way of computing the day, the fabbath held from fix o'clock on the Friday evening, to fix o'clock on Saturday evening.—These obfervations being premised, we approach the main queftion, Whether the command, by which the Jewish sabbath was inftituted, extend to us?

If the divine command was actually delivered at the creation, it was addreffed, no doubt, to the whole human species alike, and continues, unless repealed by fome fubfequent revelation, binding upon all who come to the knowledge of it. If the command was published for the first time in the wilderness, then it was immediately directed to the Jewish people alone; and fomething farther, either in the fubject, or circumstances of the command, will be neceffary to fhew, that it was defigned for any other. It is on this account, that the queftion concerning the date of the inftitution was firft to be confidered. The former opinion precludes all debate about the extent of the obligation; the latter admits, and, prima facie, induces a belief, that the fabbath ought to be confidered as part of the peculiar law of the Jewish policy.

Which belief receives great confirmation from the following arguments.

The fabbath is defcribed as a fign between God and the people of Ifrael: "Wherefore the "children of Ifrael fhall keep the fabbath, "to obferve the fabbath throughout their "generations for a perpetual covenant; it is

fign between me and the children of Ifrael "for ever." Exodus, xxxi. 16, 17. Again, "And I gave them my ftatutes, and fhewed "them my judgments, which if a man do, he "fhall even live in them; moreover alfo I gave "them my fabbaths, to be a fign between me and "them, that they might know that I am the "Lord that fanctify them." Ezek. xx. 12.— Now it does not feem eafy to understand how the fabbath could be a fign between God and the people of Ifrael, unless the observance of it was peculiar to that people, and defigned to be fo.

The diftinction of the fabbath is, in its nature, as much a positive ceremonial institution, as that of many other feasons which were appointed by the Levitical law to be kept holy, and to be obferved by a strict reft; as the first and seventh days of unleavened bread; the feaft of pentecoft; the feast of tabernacles; and in the twenty-third chapter

VOL. II.

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