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gressors of this commandment, as that he will not suffer them to escape his righteous judgment, u albeit many such escape the censures and punishments of men.

Q.115. Which is the fourth commandment?

A. The fourth commandment is, Remember the Sabbath-day to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy man-servant, nor thy maid-servant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates; for in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath-day and hallowed

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Q. 116. What is required in the fourth commandment?

A. The fourth commandment requireth of all men the sanctifying or keeping holy to God such set times as he hath appointed in his word, expressly one whole day in seven;

■ Deut. xxviii. 58, 59. If thou wilt not observe to do all the words of this law, that are written in this book, that thou mayest fear this glorious and fearful name, THE LORD THY GOD; then the Lord will make thy plagues wonderful, and the plagues of thy seed, even great plagues, and of long continuance. Zech. v. 2, 3, 4. Ezek. xxxvi. 21, 22, 23.

1 Sam. ii. 12, 17, 22. * Ex. xx. 8, 9, 10, 11.

which was the seventh from the beginning of the world to the resurrection of Christ, and the first day of the week ever since, and so to continue to the end of the world; which is the Christian Sabbath, and in the New Testament called The Lord's day.

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Q. 117. How is the Sabbath or Lord's day to be sanctified?

A. The Sabbath, or Lord's day, is to be sanctified by an holy resting all that day,* not only from such works as are at all times sinful, but even from such worldly employments and recreations as are on other days lawful; and making it our delight to spend

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Gen ii. 3. And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it; because that in it he had rested from all his work. 1 Cor. xvi. 1, 2.-Upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store, as God hath pros pered him. Acts xx. 7. And upon the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul preached unto them, ready to depart on the morrow. John xx. 19 to 27. Matt. v. 17, 18. Isa. lvi. 2, 4, 6, 7. Blessed is the man that doeth this,-that keepeth the Sabbath from polluting it, &c.

Rev. i. 10. I was in the Spirit on the Lord's

day. Ex. xx. 8, 10. it holy. In it thou son, &c.

Remember the Sabbath-day to keep shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy

a Ex. xvi. 25 to 29. And Moses said, Eat that to-day; for to-day is a Sabbath unto the Lord: to-day ye shall not find it in the field. Six days ye shall gather it; but on the seventh day, which is the Sabbath, in it there shall be none, &c. Jer. xvii. 21, 22. Thus saith the Lord, Take heed to yourselves, and bear no burden on the Sabbath-day, nor bring it in by the gates of Jerusalem; neither carry forth a burden out of your houses on the

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the whole time (except so much of it as is to be taken up in works of necessity and mercy) in the public and private exercises of God's worship. And, to that end, we are to prepare our hearts, and with such foresight, diligence, and moderation, to dispose, and seasonably to despatch our worldly business, that we may be the more free and fit for the duties of that day.d

Sabbath-day, neither do ye any work; but hallow ye the Sabbath-day as I commanded your fathers. Neh. xiii. 15 to 23. In those days saw I in Judah some treading winepresses on the Sabbath, and bringing in sheaves, and lading asses; as also wine, grapes, and figs, and all manner of burdens.-Then I contended with the nobles of Judah, and said unto them, What evil thing is this that ye do, and profane the Sabbath-day?

b Matt. xii. 1 to 14. At that time Jesus went on the Sabbath-day, through the corn; and his disciples were an hungered, and began to pluck the ears of corn, and to eat. But when the Pharisees saw it, they said unto him, Behold, thy disciples do that which is not lawful to do upon the Sabbath-day. But he said unto them, &c.

c Lev. xxiii. 3. Six days shall work be done; but the seventh day is the Sabbath of rest, a holy convocation. Isa. lviii. 13.-And call the Sabbath a delight, the holy of the Lord, honourable: and shalt honour him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words. Luke iv. 16.And as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the Sabbath-day, and stood up for to read. Acts. xx. 7.

d Ex. xx. 8. Remember the Sabbath-day to keep it holy. Luke xxiii. 54, 56. And that day was the preparation, and the Sabbath drew on, &c. Neh. xiii. 19. And it came to pass, that, when the gates of Jerusalem began to be dark before the Sabbath, I commanded that the gates should be shut, and charged that they should not be opened till after the Sabbath.

Q. 118. Why is the charge of keeping the Sabbath more specially directed to governors of families and other superiors?

A. The charge of keeping the Sabbath is more specially directed to governors of families and other superiors, because they are bound not only to keep it themselves, but to see that it be observed by all those that are under their charge; and because they are prone oft-times to hinder them by employments of their own." Q. 119. What are the sins forbidden in the fourth commandment?

A. The sins forbidden in the fourth commandment are, all omissions of the duties required, all careless, negligent, and unprofitable performing of them, and being weary of them; all profaning the day by idleness, and doing that which is in itself sinful;

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• See letter (a), page 277. Ex. xx. 10. In it (the Sabbath) thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, &c. Ex. xxiii. 12. That thine ox and thine ass may rest, and the son of thy handmaid, and the stranger, may be refreshed. Ex. xvi. 22, 25, 29.

f Ezek. xxii. 26. Her priests have violated my law, and have profaned my holy things;-and have hid their eyes from my Sabbaths, and I am profaned among them.

Ezek. xxxiii. 30, 31, 32. And they come unto thee as the people cometh, and they sit before thee as my people, and they hear thy words, but they will not do them: for with their mouth they show much love, but their heart goeth after covetousness, &c. Mal. i. 13. Ye said also, Behold, what a weariness is it! and ye have snuffed at it, saith the Lord of hosts: and ye brought that which was torn, and the lame, and the sick. Amos viii. 5. Acts

xx. 7, 9.

b Ezek. xxiii. 38. Moreover, this they have done unto

and by all needless works, words, and thoughts, about our worldly employments and recreations. i

Q. 120. What are the reasons annexed to the fourth commandment, the more to enforce it?

A. The reasons annexed to the fourth commandment, the more to enforce it, are taken from the equity of it, God allowing us six days of seven for our own affairs, and reserving but one for himself, in these words, six days shalt thou labour and do all thy work: from God's challenging a special propriety in that day, the seventh is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God: from the example of God who in six days made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: and from that blessing which God put upon that day, not only in sanctifying it to be a day for his service, but in ordaining it to be a means of blessing to us in our sanctifying it, wherefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath-day and hallowed it.1

Q. 121. Why is the word remember set in the beginning of the fourth commandment?

me; they have defiled my sanctuary in the same day, and have profaned my Sabbaths.

i Jer. xvii. 24, 27. But if they will not hearken unto me, to hallow the Sabbath-day, and not to bear a burden, -then will I kindle a fire in the gates thereof, and it shall devour the palaces of Jerusalem, and it shall not be quenched. Isa. lviii. 13.

j Ex. xx. 9.
k Ex. xx. 10.
1 Ex. xx. 11.

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