violators of the first, or the fifth, or the seventh command, to death. Yet are not these commands binding upon men? Is it not wicked for men to have another god before Jehovah, to bow down to graven images and worship them, or to dishonour their parents? All the commands of the decalogue expressed obligations which were binding upon men before they were written upon the tables of stone, and which will continue to be binding to the end of the world.

The penalty of death, attached for a time to the violation of the Sabbath, showed how the Lawgiver abhorred the crime. Nor was this abhorrence without good reason. The Sabbath-breaker violated a fundamental law. He proclaimed, by actions, the most impressive of all language-"No God!" and thus produced the effect of practical atheism on himself and on others. He does this in all ages. And as long as it will be wicked for men to have another god before Jehovah, to bow down to graven images, to take the name of God in vain, to dishonour their parents, to commit murder, adultery, or theft, to bear false witness, or to covet, so long will it be wicked for them not to rest from worldly business, cares, and amusements, one day in seven, for the purpose of publicly worshipping Jehovah, and promoting the spiritual good of themselves and others.

The reason which God gave on the tables of stone for keeping the Sabbath, was not a Jewish reason. It was one which applies alike to all men. "For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that in them is." But he did not make them for Jews merely, or for any particular people. He made them for us and for all men. As a memorial of that fact, he set apart the Sabbath, kept it, sanctified and blessed it, for the benefit of all. All are bound, by keeping it, to acknowledge this, and to honour him as the Creator, Preserver and Benefactor; and, as such, the Owner, Governor and Disposer of all things. The Sabbath was appointed for that purpose, and, as a consequence, to impress on

the minds of men the great truths, that "the earth is the Lord's and the fulness thereof, the world, and they that dwell therein;" that "the silver and the gold are his," though acquired by human industry, and “the cattle upon a thousand hills."

The earth is not eternal; it did not create itself; no creature called it into being. Nor is its existence to be ascribed to chance, to idols, or to any of the false Gods which men have worshipped. In the beginning Jehovah created the heavens and the earth. And the things which are seen were not made of things which do appear. They were literally created. "He spake, and it was. He commanded, and it stood fast."

The Sabbath was designed to make all men feel this; and to lead them, by keeping it, publicly to acknowledge, "Thou, Lord, in the beginning, hast laid the foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the work of thy hands. They shall perish, but thou remainest." And "Thine, O Lord, is the greatness, and the power, and the victory, and the majesty; for all that is in the heavens and the earth is thine; thine is the kingdom, O Jehovah, and thou art exalted as head above all.'

Such are some of the truths, which, by the keeping of the Sabbath, are every week proclaimed to the world; in a manner adapted to the nature of man, and suited to make on him a strong and lasting impression.

When, on the morning of that blessed day, the sun rises and shines as brightly as on other days, the oxen graze as peacefully, the lambs skip as briskly, and the birds sing as sweetly, yet no man goes forth to his labour, no shop door or window opens, no wheel rattles on the pavement, or vessel leaves the harbour, no stage-coach or canal-boat runs, no whistling or rumbling is heard on the railroad, or bustle is witnessed in any department of secular business, but universal stillness reigns throughout creation, except as broken by the voice of prayer and praise ascending to its Author, that stillness is the voice of God to the moral

nature of man; his still, small, but all-pervading and mightily-efficacious voice, proclaiming his existence, his character, and his will; that he is a great God and a great King above all gods; that in his hand are the deep places of the earth, and that the strength of the hills is also his; that the sea is his, for he made it, and his hand formed the dry land; that he is a God that judgeth in the earth, and is not far from every one of us; that on him we are dependent, and to him we are accountable; and that he will bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good or evil. And it is a voice which each individual who is enlightened, and not scathed by iniquity till he is twice dead, will hear, and in some measure feel.

In proportion as he hearkens to it, and enters into. its spirit, he will have a deeper and more operative conviction of the presence of God, and of the nearness, reality, and importance of eternal things. He will feel more solemn, more as if one thing were needful, as if the favour of God were life, and his loving kindness better than life; and he will be more likely to say, "O! come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the Lord our Maker; for he is our God, and we are the people of his pasture and the sheep of his hand."

This was designed to be the effect of the stillness of the Sabbath, and this is the preparation which men need when they go to the house of God, and hear his voice speaking, through the living ministry, to the ear, in order to make it like the rain and the snow, that come down from heaven and water the earth, cause it to bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower and bread to the eater. So, when men rightly keep the Sabbath, will the word of the Lord be. It will not return void, but will accomplish that which pleases him, and prosper in the thing whereunto he sends it. In the prophetic language of inspiration, "Men will go out with joy, and be led forth with peace; the mountains and the hills will break forth before them into singing, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands. Instead of the thorn will

come up the fir-tree, and instead of the brier, the myrtle-tree; and it will be to the Lord for a name, and for an everlasting sign, that shall not be cut off."

The keeping of the Sabbath makes God known, gives efficacy to his moral government, increases the number and fidelity of his subjects, and communicates, to a greater extent than can otherwise be done, the benefits of his holy and perfect reign.

The keeping of the Sabbath promotes the same end in another way, by directing attention to Jehovah, not merely as the Creator, but as the Preserver and Benefactor of men. Not only is it true that "of him are all things," but equally true that "by him are all things." He is not only the Former of our bodies and the Father of our spirits, but "in him we live, and move, and have our being." He keeps the breath in our nostrils, the blood flowing in our veins, and the spirit of life within us. He not only piled up the mountains and scooped out the valleys, made the channels for the rivers, and the bed for the sea, but he maketh the grass to grow upon the mountains, and the corn to spring in the valleys. His rivers run among the hills. He visiteth the earth and watereth it. He maketh it soft with showers, and he blesseth the springing of it. The earth is full of the riches of his goodness. So is that great and wide sea, wherein are things creeping innumerable, and where goeth. that leviathan which he hath made to play therein. These all wait upon him, and he giveth them their meat. What he giveth, they, in ways of his appointment, gather. And when he withholdeth, they die. He openeth his hand and supplieth the wants of every living thing. Of him, and through him, and to him, are all things.

The Sabbath was designed to make men feel this, and lead them to act accordingly; to treat Jehovah as their Maker, Preserver, and Benefactor; and render to him the obedience which their relations to him require.

But to men he has special claims, over and above those which result from creation, preservation, and

the bestowment of all temporal favours. When they, by rebellion, were lost,-when there was no eye to pity and no arm to save,—then his eye pitied and his arm brought salvation. He laid help for them upon one who was mighty, and who came to take away their sins by the sacrifice of himself. Though he was rich, for their sakes he became poor, that they, through his poverty, might be rich. He was wounded for their transgressions, and bruised for their iniquities. The chastisement of their peace was upon him, and by his stripes they are healed. He bare their sins in his own body on the tree; entered the holy place with his blood, and obtained eternal redemption for them. Nor did he merely die for their sins. He rose again for their justification. And he now lives, and makes intercession for them, and offers them all the blessings of his salvation, without money and without price. Whosoever will may come to him, and them that come he will in no wise cast out. Though their sins be as scarlet, they shall be white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool. From all their filthiness and their idols he will cleanse them. A new heart will he give them, and a new spirit put within them. He will take away the heart of stone, and give them a heart of flesh. He will be their God, and they shall be his people.

SURELY THEY ARE NOT THEIR OWN. They did not create themselves. They do not preserve themselves. They are not the authors of the blessings which they enjoy. Above all, they "are bought with a price," and "redeemed not with corruptible things, as silver, and gold, but with the precious blood of Christ," who loved them, and gave himself for them, that whosoever believeth on him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

Such are some of the truths which the Sabbath inculcates. It commemorates the work of God, as Creator, Preserver, Benefactor, and Redeemer. It is the day which the Lord has made for this purpose, and which he blesses to this end. It also points to a