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we are not tied to the Reft of the Sabbath, but to all the Work of the Sabbath; and we are to abstain from bodily Labour, not because it is a direct Duty to us as it was to the Jews, but because it is neceffary in Order to our Duty that we attend to the Offices of Religion.

The Obfervation of the Lord's-Day differs nothing from the Obfervation of the Sabbath in the Matter of Religion, but in the Manner. They differ in the Cere mony and External Rite: Reft with them was the principal; with us it is the acceffory. They differ in the Office or Forms of Worfhip: For they were then to worship God as a Creator and a gentle Father; we are to add to that, our Redeemer, and all his other Excellencies and Mercies. And though we have more natural and proper Reafon to keep the Lord's-Day than the Sabbath, yet the Jews had a Divine Commandment for their Day, which we have not for ours: But we have many Commandments to do all that Honour to God which was intended in the fourth Commandment, and the Apostles appointed the first Day of the Week for doing it in Solemn Affemblies. And the manner of worshipping God, and doing him Solemn Honour and Service upon this Day, we may best observe in the following Measures.

Rules for keeping the Lord's-Day and other
Chriftian Feftivals.

1. When you go about to diftinguish Feftival-Days from common, do it not by leffening the Devotions of ordinary Days, that the common Devotion may feem bigger upon Festivals: But on every Day keep your ordinary Devotions entire, and enlarge upon the Holy-Day.

2. Upon the Lord's-Day we muft abftain from all fervile and laborious Works, except fuch which are Matters of Neceffity, of common Life, or of great Charity: For these are permitted by that Authority which hath feparated the Day for holy Ufes. The Sabbath of the Jews, though confifting principally in Reft, and

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established by God, did yield to thefe. The Labour of Love and the Labours of Religion were not against the Reason and the Spirit of the Commandment, for which the Letter was decreed, and to which it ought to minifter. And therefore much more is it fo on the Lord's-Day, where the Letter is wholly turned into Spirit, and there is no Commandinent of God but of Spiritual and Holy Actions. The Priests might kill their Beafts and drefs them for Sacrifice; and Chrift, though born under the Law, might heal a fick Man, and the fick Man might carry his Bed to witness his Recovery, and confefs the Mercy, and leap and dance to God for Joy; and an Ox might be led to Water, and an Afs be haled out of a Ditch; and a Man may take Phyfick, and he may eat Meat, and therefore there were of Neceffity fome to prepare and minifter it: And the performing thefe Labours did not confift in Minutes and juft determining Stages, but they had, even then, a reasonable Latitude; fo only as to exclude unneceffary Labour, or fuch as did not minister to Charity or Religion. And therefore this is to be enlarged in the Gofpel, whofe Sabbath or Reft is but a Circumftance, and acceffory to the principal and fpiritual Duties. Upon the Chriftian Sabbath Neceffity is to be ferved first, then Charity, and then Religion; for this is to give Place to Charity in great Inftances, and the fecond to the first in all; and in all Cafes, God is to be worshipped in Spirit and in Truth.

3.TheLord'sDay,being the Remembrance of a great Bleffing, muft be a Day of Joy; Feftivity,Spiritual Rejoycing and Thanksgiving: And therefore it is a proper Work of the Day to let your Devotions fpend themfelves in finging or reading Pfalms, in recounting the great Works of God, in remembring his Mercies, in worfhipping his Excellencies, in celebrating his Attributes, in admiring his Perfon, in fending Portions of pleafant Meat to them for whom nothing is provided, and in all the Arts and Inftruments of advancing God's Glory and the Reputation of Religion, in which it were a great Decency that a Memorial of the Refurrection fhould be inferted, and the particular Religion

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of the day be not swallowed up in the general. And of this we may the more eafily ferve our felves by rifing seasonably in the morning to private devotion, and by retiring at the leifures and fpaces of the day not employed in publick offices.

4. Fail not to be present at the publick hours and places of Prayer, entring early and chearfully, attending reverently and devoutly, abiding patiently during the whole Office, piously affifting at the Prayers, and gladly alfo hearing the Sermon ; and at no hand omitting to receive the holy Communion when it is offered, (unless fome great reafon excufe it) this being the great folemnity of Thanksgiving, and a proper work of the Day.

5. After the Solemnities are paft, and in the intervals between the Morning and Evening Devotion, (as you fhall find opportunity) vifit fick Perfons, reconcile Differences, do offices of Neighbourhood, enquire into the needs of the Poor, efpecially House-keepers, relieve them as they fhall need, and as you are able for then we truly rejoice in God, when we make our Neighbours, the poor Members of Chrift, rejoice together with us.

6. Whatfoever you are to do your felf as neceffary, you are to take care that others alfo, who are under your charge, do in their ftation and manner. Let your Servants be called to Church, and all your Family that can be fpared from neceffary and great houf hold miniftries: thofe that cannot let them go by turns, and be fupplied otherwife as well as they may and provide on thefe days efpecially that they be inftructed in the Articles of Faith and neceffaty parts of their Duty.

7. Thofe who labour hard in the Week must be eafed upon the Lord's Day; fuch eafe being a great charity and alms: but at no hand muft they be permitted to use any unlawful Games, any thing forbidden by the Laws, any thing that is fcandalous, or any thing that is dangerous and apt to mingle fin with it; no Games prompting to wantonnefs, to drunkenness, to quarrelling, to ridiculous and fuperftitious cu

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ftorms; but let their refreshments be innocent, and charitable, and of good report, and not exclufive of the Duties of Religion.

8. Beyond thefe bounds, because neither God nor Man hath paffed any obligation upon us, we must preferve our Chriftian liberty, and not fuffer ourselves to be intangled with a joke of bondage: For even a good action may become a inare to us, if we make it an occafion of fcruple by a pretence of neceffity, binding loads upon the Confcience not with the bands of God, but of Men, and of fancy, or of opinion, or of tyranny. Whatfoever is laid upon us by the hands of Man, must be acted and accounted of by the meafures of a Man: but our beft meafure is this, He keeps the Lord's day beft, that keeps it with moft Religion and with moft Charity.

9. What the Church hath done in the Article of the Refurrection, the hath in fome measure done in the other Articles of the Nativity, of the Afcenfion, and of the Defcent of the Holy Ghoft at Pentecoft and fo great bleffings deférve an anniversary foleninity, fince he is a very unthankful Perfon that does not often record them in the whole Year, and efteem them the ground of his Hopes, the object of his Faith, the comfort of his Troubles, and the great effluxes of the Divine Mercy, greater than all the Victories over our temporal Enemies, for which all glad Perfons ufually give Thanks. And if with greater reafon the memory of the Refurrection does return folemnly every Week, it is but reafon the other Thould return once a Year. To which I add, that the commemoration of the Articles of our Creed in folemn Days and Offices, is a very excellent inftrument to convey and imprint the fenfe and memory of it upon the fpirits of the moft ignorant Perfons. For as a picture may with more fancy convey a ftory to a Man than a plain narrative either in word or writing: fo a real reprefentment, and an office of remembrance, and a day to declare it, is far more impreflive than a picture, or any other art of making and fixing imagery.

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Sect. 7. 229 bio. The memories of the Saints are precious to God and therefore they ought alfa to be fatous, and fuch Perfons who ferved. God by holy Living, induftrious Preaching, and religious Dying, ought to have their Names preferved in Honour, and God be glorified in them, and their holy Doctrines and Lives published and imitated and we by fo doing give teftimony to the Article of the Communion of Saints. But in these cafes as every Church is to be fparing in the number of Days, fo alfo should fhe be temperate in her Injuntions, not impofing them but upon voluntary and unbufied Perfonso without fnare or burthen. But the Holy day is best kept by giving God thanks for the excellent Perfons, Apostles or Martyrs, we then res member and by imitating their Lives this all may do; and they that can alfo keep the folemnity, muft do that too when it is publickly enjoined.

The mixt Actions of Religion are, 1 Prayer, 2. Alm 3. Repentance, 4. Receiving the blessed Sacrament.

SECT. VIL O

Of Prayer

THere is no greater argument in the World of our fpiritual danger and unwillingness to Religion, than the backwardnefs which moft Men have always and all Men have fometimes, to fay their Prayers; fo weary of their length, fo glad when they are done, fo witty to excufe and fruftrate an opportunity; and yet all is nothing but a defiring of God to give us the greatest and the best Things we can need, and which can make us happy. It is a work fo eafie, fo honou rable, and to fo great purpofe, that in all the Inftances of Religion and Providence (except only, the incarnation of his Son) God hath not given us a greater argument of his willingness to have us faved,

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