Hence the fourth commandment and who, being generally strained is ushered in with a peculiar em- beyond their strength the other phasis "Remember that thou six days of the week, have of all keep holy the sabbath day." This creatures under heaven, the best institution is wise as to its ends: and most equitable claim to susThat Cod may be worshipped; pension of labour on the seventh." man instructed; nations benefit- These are evils greatly to be laed; and families devoted to the ser-mented; they are an insult to vice of God. It is lasting as to God, an injury to ourselves, and its duration. The abolition of it an awful example to our servants, would be unreasonable; unscrip- our children, and our friends. To tural, Exod. xxxi, 13; and every sanctify this day, we should conway disadvantageous to the body, sider it, 1. A day of rest; not, into society, to the soul, and even to deed, to exclude works of mercy the brute creation. It is, however, and charity, but a cessation from awfully violated by visiting, feast-all labour and care.-2. As a day ing, indolence, buying and selling, of remembrance; of creation, preworking, worldly amusements, and travelling. "Look into the streets," says bishop Porteus," on the Lord's day, and see whether they convey the idea of a day of rest. Do not our servants and our cattle seem to be almost as fully occupied on that day as on any other? And, as if this was not a sufficient infringement of their rights, we contrive, by needless entertainments at home, and needless journies abroad, which are often by choice See Chandler's two Sermons on and inclination reserved for this the Sabbath; Wright on the Sabbath; very day, to take up all the little Watts's Hol. of Times and Places; remaining part of their leisure Orton's six Disc. on the Lord's Day; time. A sabbath day's journey Kennicott's Ser. and Dial. on the was, among the Jews, a prover-Sabbath; Bp. Porteus's Sermons, bial expression for a very short ser. 9, vol. i; Watts's Ser., ser. 57, one; among us it can have no such meaning affixed to it. That day seems to be considered by too many as set apart, by divine and hunian authority, for the purpose not of rest, but of its direct opposite, the labour of travelling, thus adding one day more of torment to those generous but wretched animals whose services they hire;

servation, redemption.-3. As a day of meditation, and prayer, in which we should cultivate communion with God, Rev. i, 10.4. As a day of public worship, Acts xx, 7. John. xx, 19.-5. As a day of joy, Is. lvi, 2. Ps. cxviii, 24.-6. As a day of praise, Ps. cxvi, 12 to 14-7. As a day of anticipation; looking forward to that holy, happy, and eternal sabbath, that remains for the people of God.

vol.i ; S. Palmers's Apology for the Christian Sabbath; Kennicott on the Oblations of Cain and Abel, p. 184, 185.

SABELLIANS, a sect in the third century that embraced the opinions of Sabellius, a philosopher of Egypt, who openly taught that there is but one person in the Godhead.

The Sabellians maintained that conceive how a greater number the Word and the Holy Spirit can be made out from scripture, are only virtues, emanations, or if the definition of a sacrament be functions of the Deity; and held just which is given by the church that he who is in heaven is the of England. By that church, the Father of all things; that he de-meaning of the word sacrament is scended into the Virgin, became declared to be "an outward and a child, and was born of her as visible sign of an inward and spiria son; and that having accom-tual grace given unto us, ordained plished the mystery of our salva-by Christ himself, as a means tion, he diffused himself on the whereby we receive the same, and apostles in tongues of fire, and was a pledge to assure us thereof."— then denominated the Holy Ghost. According to this definition, bapThis they explained by resembling tism and the Lord's supper are God to the sun; the illuminated certainly sacraments, for each convirtue or quality of which was the sists of an outward and visible sign Word, and its warming virtue the of what is believed to be an inHoly Spirit. The Word, they ward and spiritual grace: both taught, was darted, like a divine were ordained by Christ himself, ray, to accomplish the work of re-and in the reception of each does demption; and that, being re- the Christian solemnly devote himascended to heaven, the influences self to the service of his Diof the Father were communicat- vine Master. [See BAPTISM, ed after a like manner to the and LORD'S SUPPER.] The Roapostles. manists, however, add to this numSACOPHORI, a denomination ber, confirmation, penance, extreme in the fourth century, so called, be-unction, ordination, and marriage, cause they always went clothed in sackcloth, and affected a great deal of austerity and penance. SACRAMENT is derived from the Latin word sacramentum, which signifies an oath, particularly the oath taken by soldiers to be true to their country and general.this sect was a Dr. Deacon. AcThe word was adopted by the cording to these men, every rite, writers of the Latin church, to and every phrase, in the book denote those ordinances of religion called the Apostolical Constitutions, by which Christians came under were certainly in use among the an obligation of obedience to God, apostles themselves. Still, howand which obligation, they sup-ever, they make a distinction beposed, was equally sacred with tween the greater and the lesser that of an oath. [See Vow.] Of sacraments. The greater sacrasacraments, in this sense of the ments are only two, baptism and word, Protestant churches admit the Lord's supper. The lesser are of but two; and it is not easy to no fewer than ten, viz. five belong

holding in all seven sacraments.
[See POPERY.] Numerous, how-
ever, as the sacraments of the Ro-
mish church are, a sect of Chris-
tians sprung up in England, early
in the last century, who increased
their number. The founder of

octavo.

SACRAMENTARIANS, A general name given for all such as have held erroneous opinions respecting the Lord's supper. The term is chiefly applied among Catholics, by way of reproach to the Lutherans, Calvinists, and other Protestants.

ing to baptism, exorcism, anointing either wholly or in part consumed wth oil, the white garment, a taste by fire. They have, by divines,. of milk and honey, and anointing been divided into bloody and unwith chrism or ointment. The other bloody. Bloody sacrifices were five are, the sign of the cross, im- made of living creatures; unposition of hands, unction of the sick, bloody, of the fruits of the earth. holy orders, and matrimony. This They have also been divided into sect, however, if not extinguished, expiatory, impetratory, and euchais supposed to be in its last wane.ristical. The first kind were offered Its founder published, in 1748, his to obtain of God the forgiveness of full, true, and comprehensive view sins; the second, to procure some of Christianity, in two catechisms, favour; and the third, to express thankfulness for favours already received. Under one or other of these heads may all sacrifices be arranged, though we are told that the Egyptians had six hundred and sixty-six different kinds; a number surpassing all credibility. Various have been the opinions of the learned concerning the origin of sacriSACRIFICE, an offering made fices. Some suppose that they had to God on an altar, by means of a their origin in superstition, and regular minister; as an acknow-were merely the inventions of men; ledgment of his power, and a pay-others, that they originated in the ment of homage. Sacrifices (though natural sentiments of the human the term is sometimes used to heart; others imagine that God, in comprehend all the offerings made order to prevent their being offered to God, or in any way devoted to idols, introduced them into his to his service and honour) differservice, though he did not approve from mere oblations in this, that of them as good in themselves, or in a sacrifice there is a real des- as proper rites of worship. "But truction or change of the thing that animal sacrifices," says a offered; whereas an oblation is on-learned author, "were not instituly a simple offering or gift, without any such change at all: thus, all sorts of tithes, and first fruits, and whatever of men's worldly substance is consecrated to God for the support of his worship and the maintenance of his ministers. are offerings, or oblations; and these, under the Jewish law, were either of living creatures, or other things: but sacrifices, in the more peculiar sense of the term, were

ted by man, seems extremely evident from the acknowledged uni versality of the practice; from the wonderful sameness of the manner in which the whole world offered the sacrifices; and from the expi at on which was constantly supposed to be affected by them.

"Now human reason, even among the most strenuous opponents of the divine institutions, is allowed to be incapable of pointing out

the least natural fitness or congruity between blood and atonement; between killing of God's creatures and the receiving a pardon for the violation of God's laws. This consequence of sacrifices, when properly offered, was the invariable opinion of the Heathens, but not the whole of their opinion in this matter; for they had also a traditionary belief among them, that these animal sacrifices were not only expiations, but vicarious commutations and substituted satisfactions; and they called the animals so offered [their arilux] the ransoms of their souls.

And it is worth remarking that what this author wittily calls the best bits, and appropriates to the priests, appear to have been the skin of the burnt offering among the Jews, and the skin and feet among the Heathens."

Dr. Spencer observes [De Leg. Heb., lib. iii, § 2], that "sacrifices were looked upon as gifts, and that the general opinion was, that gifts would have the same effect with God as with man; would appease wrath, conciliate favour with the Deity, and testify the gratitude and affection of the sacrificer; and that from this principle proceeded expiatory, precatory, and eucharistical offerings. This is all that is pretended from natural light to countenance this practice. But, how well soever the comparison may be thought to hold between sacrifices and gifts, yet the opinion that sacrifices would prevail with God must proceed from an observation that gifts had prevailed with men; an observation this which Cain and Abel had little opportunity of making. And if the coats of skin. which God directed Adam to make were the remains of sacrifices, sure Adam could not sacrifice, from this observation, when there were no subjects in the world upon which he could make these observations." [Kennicott's second Dissert. on the offerings of Cain and Abel, p. 201, &c.]

"But if these notions are so remote from, nay, so contrary to, any lesson that nature teaches, as they confessedly are, how came the whole world to practise the rites founded upon them? It is certain that the wisest Heathens, Pythagoras, Plato, Porphyry, and others, slighted the religion of such sacrifices, and wondered how an institution so dismal (as it appeared to them), and so big with absurdity, could diffuse itself through the world.-An advocate for the sufficiency of reason [Tindall] supposes the absurdity prevailed by degrees; and the priests, who shared with their gods, and reserved the best bits for themselves, had the chief hand in this gainful superstition. But, it may well be asked, who were the priests in the days of Cain and Abel? Or, But the grand objection to the what gain could this superstition be divine origin of sacrifices is drawn to them, when the one gave away from the scriptures themselves, his fruits, and the other his ani-particularly the following [Jer, vii, mal sacrifice, without being at li- 22, 23]: "I spake not to your berty to taste the least part of it? fathers, nor commanded them, at

the time that I brought them out likewise Joel ii, 13. Matt. vi, 19, of Egypt, concerning the matters 20. John vi, 27. Luke xii, 4, 5. of burnt offerings or sacrifices; but and Col. iii, 2. And it is evident only this very thing commanded I that Gen. xlv. 8. Exod. xvi, 8. them saying, Obey my voice, and John v, 30. John vii, 19. and I will be your God, and ye shall be many other passages, are to be exmy people." The ingenious writer pounded in the same comparative above referred to accounts for this sense. [Paraph. on the New Test., passage [p. 153 and 200] by re-sect. 49.] So that the whole may ferring to the transaction at Ma-be resolved into the apothegm of rah [Exod. xv, 23, 26], at which the wise man [Prov. xxi, 3]: " To time God spake nothing concern-do justice and judgment is more ing sacrifices it certainly cannot acceptable to the Lord than sacribe intended to contradict the whole fice." See Kennicott, above rebook of Leveticus, which is full ferred to; Edwards's History of of such appointments. Another ||Redemption, p. 76, note; Outram learned author, to account for the de Sacrificiis; Warburton's Divine above, and other similar passages, Leg. b. 9. c. 2; Bishop Law's observes, "The Jews were diligent Theory of Rel., p. 50 to 54; Jenin performing the external services ning's Jewish Antiq., vol. i, p. 26, of religion; in offering prayers, 28; Fleury's Manners of the Isincense, sacrifices, oblations: but raelites, part iv, ch. 4. these prayers were not offered with SACRILEGE, the crime of faith; and their oblations were profaning sacred things, or things made more frequently to their devoted to God. The ancient church idols than to the God of their distinguished several sorts of safathers. The Hebrew idiom ex- crilege. The first was the divertcludes with a general negative, ing things appropriated to sacred in a comparative sense, one of two purposes to other uses.-2. Robobjects opposed to one another,bing the graves, or defacing and thus: 'I will have mercy, and not spoiling the monuments of the sacrifice.' [Hosea vi, 6] For Idead.-3. Those were considered spake not to your fathess, nor com- as sacrilegious persons who delimanded them, concerning burnt vered up their Bibles and the saofferings or sacrifices; but this cred utensils of the church to the thing I commanded them, saying, Pagans, in the time of the DioObey my voice.""[Lowth in Is. xliii, clesian persecution.-4. Profaning 22, 24.] The ingenious Dr. Dod-the sacraments, churches, altars, dridge remarks, that, according to &c.-5. Molesting or hindering a the genius of the Hebrew language, clergyman in the performance of one thing seems to be forbidden, his office.-6. Depriving men of and another commanded, when the use of the scriptures or the the meaning only is, that the lat-sacraments, particularly the cup ter is greatly to be preferred to the in the eucharist. The Romish former. The text before us is a casuists acknowledge all these but remarkable instance of this; as the last.