tion by Christ or his apostles in the New Testament, but rather on examples, and probable inferences, and on the reasons and relations of things; I can never pronounce any thing hard or severe upon any fellow-christian, who maintains real piety in heart and life, though his opinion may be very different from mine on this subject. Nor does any man, who is humbly and sincerely studious of truth and duty, and desirous to find it, deserve any reproach or censure upon the account of different opinions about meats and days; unless he assume such haughty airs of assurance, as arise far beyond all his evidence and proof, or indulge a persecuting spirit, and reproach his brethren who differ from him.

Whatsoever we do in our distinct practices, on these dubious subjects, let us do it sincerely as to the Lord: If we regard a day, let us regard it to the Lord; and if we neglect it for fear of superstition let this also be with a desire to honour the Lord; Rom. xiv. 6. Let religion be maintained in the life and power of it, by every one that names the name of Christ, and let him faithfully pursue those methods, which, according to the clearest discoveries of reason and scripture, will be most successful to obtain this end. While upon a just survey of things I am satisfied, that the observation of the Lord's-day, as a christian sabbath, is most for the service of God, for the honour of my blessed Saviour and his gospel, and for the increase of true religion and godliness, I am obliged to persist in this practice, though I have not so express and evident a command for it, as for many other things in the christian life: But I'am persuaded, whosoever will take a faithful review of all that is written in this essay, will be inclined to confess, that I have not maintained this my opinion and practice, without some fair and just appearances, both of reason and scripture. There are other questions relating to the Lord's-day, viz. When must the christian begin his subbath, and when must it end? What works of labour may be performed on this day? And how should it be spent or improved, &c. For answer to which, "I refer the reader to Dr. Samuel Wright's Treatise on the Lord's-day; and to a sermon a few years ago published on this subject, viz. Sermon xxxi. at Berry-street, on the Principal Heads of the Christian Religion.”

APPENDIX TO THE FIRST DISCOURSE, Shewing the Testimonies of the Primitive Fathers to the Lord'sday.

DOCTOR

OCTOR Young, and Mr. Baxter, in their discourses on the Lord's-day, Mr. Placette in his "Dissertation de Morale et de Theologie," Doctor Wright on the "Observation of the Lord's-day," and several others, have repeated these testimonies of the ancients. And the late learned and honourable Lord King, in his second part of the "Enquiry into the Primitive Churches," has particularly given us this account, which I shall here represent, or rather epitomised, changing some of his translations a little nearer to the words of the original. See page 155. § 5, 6-11.

"That there are particular seasons appointed for public and solemn worship, appears from Clemens Romanus; he says, God hath required us to serve him in the appointed times and seasons: And in two other places of his first epistle, speaks of those "determined and commanded seasons," in which, when we worship, we may be blessed and accepted by him. And Pliny, the heathen, reports, "that the christians in his time met together on an appointed day, to sing praises to Christ as to a God, and to bind themselves by a sacrament. Now the chiefest of these appointed times was the first day of. the week, on which they constantly met, to perform their religious services. So writes Justin Martyr, "On the day that is called Sunday, all that dwell in the cities or the country come together in one place, or for the same end: The writings of the apostles or prophets are read, &c." with other religious exercises. And upon this account those parts of God's public worship are stiled by Turtullian, the "Lord's Solemnities, or Dominica Solemnia ;" and Cyprian tells us, that the reader, or clerk, “reads on the Lord's-day :” And Victorinus Petavionensis says, "On the Lord's-day, we go forth to eat bread with giving of thanks," which is the eucharist, or Lord's-supper: And Minucius Felix mentions the christians assembling to a festival on a solemn day."

“Clemens Alexandrinus, calls it the chief of days, and our rest indeed." "On Sunday we give ourselves to gladness," saith Tertullian: And before him St. Barnabas says, 66 we keep the eighth day with gladness, on which Jesus arose from the dead:" And the learned author supposes, that Ignatius means the observation of the Lord's day, by banishing every appearance of grief and sorrow at that time, insomuch that Tertullian says, " on the Lord'sday, we think it amiss or sinful, either to fast or to kneel in worship :" And even when he was a Montonist he excepted the sabbaths and the Lord's-day from fasting.

Dionysius, bishop of Corinth, in his letter to the church of Rome, says, to-day being the Lord's-day, we keep it holy, and therein we have read your epistle, and the first epistle of Clemens," who was pastor at Rome. Clemens of Alexandria writes, "that a true christian, according to the com mands of the gospel, observes the Lord's-day, by casting out all evil thoughts and entertaining profitable ones, glorifying the resurrection of the Lord thereby."

"That this was done to commemorate the resurrection of the Redeemer, appears from the citations of Barnabas, and Ignatius, and Clemens of Alexandria, in the forecited places: And Justin Martyr relates, that on Sunday the christians assembled together, because it was the first day in which God changed the darkness and the chaos, and made the world, and Jesus Christ our Saviour in that day arose from the dead: For on the day before Saturday they crucified him, and the day after Saturday, which is Sunday, he appeared to the apostles and disciples, and taught them those things which we have given you." And Origen, advises his auditors "to pray unto God, especially on the Lord's-day, which is a commemoration of the passion of Christ: For the resurrection of the Lord is celebrated not only once in a year, but every seven days." Hence it was that the usual appellation of this day, both by the greek and latin churches, was the Lord's day, nμɛpa xʊpian, or alone; and "dies dominicus," or "dominicus alone," of which the author gives many instances from the primitive fathers: And sometimes they called it Sunday, that the heathens might particularly understand what day they meant.

"But though they so far complied with the heathens as to call this day Sunday, yet I do not find that they ever so far indulged the Jews, as to call it the sabbath day; for through all their writings, as may be seen especially in Tertullian and Justin Martyr, they violently declaim against sabbatizing, that is, the Judaical observation of the seventh day, and not the Lord's-day, whose sanctification is approved and recommended by Justin Martyr and Tertullian: To which we may add that passage of Ignatius, " let us no longer sabbatise, but keep the Lord's day, or live according to the Lord's-life, on which day our life arose by him: "Or as it is more fully expressed in his interpolated epistle, “instead of sabbatising, let every one that loves Christ keep the Lord's day as a festival, the day on which he arose, the supreme of all days, on which our life arose, and there was a victory obtained over death in or by Christ."

"It is granted, that the eastern churches, in compliance with the Jewish converts who were numerous in those parts. sometimes at least, performed on the seventh day, the same public religious services that they did on the first day, observing both the one and the other as a festival: But on the contrary, some of the western churches fasted on Saturday, that they might not seem to observe any sabbath with the Jews." Thus far this learned writer: other testimonies have been adduced by other authors, and particularly that of Theopolus of Antioch, "the third day, which taking its name from the resurrec tion of the Lord, is called the Lord's day, is the first day of the week :" And some later fathers speak more plainly still. There have been indeed some re marks upon two or three of these citations, which may render the force of the argument, drawn from them, a little doubtful; but most of these testimonics are so plain, that they cannot well be answered, nor fairly turned to any other cause.

THE SECOND APPENDIX TO THE FIRST DISCOURSE.

SINCE this discourse was written in the year 1733, I have resumed this con

troversy about the sabbath into an impartial examination, and have read all the papers since written, which have come within my notice. I confess, some of them contain several thoughts of great importance on this subject; but I do not find upon the whole review, any sufficient reason to change my scheme or sentiments, though I hope I have been enabled to confirm and establish some parts of them by relieving objections which I had not met with before, and inserting, here and there, a further illustration.

If the scheme, which I have proposed, be deficient in any part of it, so far as I can judge, it must be in these three particulars:-1. In the proof of the patriarchal sabbath to be moral and perpetual-2. In securing the appointment of the patriarchal sabbath from that general abolition of all manner of sabbaths, and all distinction of days, which St. Paul seems to pronounce in Rom. xiv. 5, 6. Gal. iv. 9, 10. and Col. ii. 16.—3. In proving the Lord's-day to be an actual solemn institution, or command of Christ and his apostles. Now, if the proofs of these things should appear to be insufficient and defective, and if I were thereby constrained to change the present scheme, upon my closest survey of things, I think I should do it, in this manner.

First, I would allow the institution of the patriarchal sabbath to be a mere positive command to the patriarchs, and reinforced by Moses to the Jewish nation, even as sacrifices were, or as circumcision, which were both abolished by christianity. And though the law of the sabbath might have many rational expediencies in it, which look like moral duties, yet, perhaps, it is possible, they may not quite arise to an express moral command, and a law of perpetual obligation. So the Talian law of punishment for injuries, received among the Jews, viz. an eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth, has great appearances in it of rational expediency, and of a moral nature; yet it is not supposed to be made a moral and perpetual law; but together with all other perpetual laws of the Jews, it was abrogated when the Jewish church and state were dissolved.

Secondly, I might then allow the utter abolition of the patriarchal, as well as the Jewish sabbath, by the strong and unlimited expressions of St. Paul, concerning the abolition of all distinctions of meats, and days, and sabbaths; even as sacrifices were begun with Adam, and circumcision with Abraham, yet both were finished at the introduction of christianity. But then,

In the third place, it will appear there is so much expediency, and al most a necessity of solemn and certain days appointed for the preservation of all public religion, and for the celebration of christian worship, that the apostles thought it necessary, by their recommendation, and by their own example, to devote or set apart one day in seven for this purpose; since God, under all his former dispensations, had sanctified and appointed one day in seven for his public worship. And as the Talian law, and some parts of the Jewish polity, seem to be grounded on a very reasonable expediency, and may be a proper direction and advice to every state in their making of laws, so the reasonableness and expediency of appointing one day in seven for public worship, appearing evident to the apostles from all God's former dispensations, VOL. III. NN

and almost from the nature of things, they gave it as their advice to the christian churches to follow this custom, and practised it themselves.

And since all the former distinctions of days, and their holiness were abolished, and even the observation of the seventh day, wherein God finished his creation, and since there must be some day agreed upon for public wor ship, they thought it very proper that since the great work of the redemption of Christ, which lays a foundation for the new creation, was finished on the first day of the week by Christ's resurrection from the dead, that this day should succeed in the place of the day appointed as a memorial of the old creation; and in order to keep both these important matters always within the view of christians, viz. both creation and redemption, therefore one day in seven, and particularly the first of the seven, was recommended by the apostles to be their constant day of public worship. And thus the observation of the Lord's-day, of which we have a plain and uncontested proof by way of divine solemn institution in the New Testament, will stand upon the foot of a most reasonable practice, partly borrowed from the institutions of God in all former ages, ever since the creation, and partly from the apostolical advice, recommendation and example in the last age of the church.

And if this should appear to be the case, then the only reason which I can think of, why so expedient and almost necessary a practice was not made an express and solerun institution, and why it was left rather upon the foot of apostolic advice and example was, that the consciences of good christians, especially while the world was all Jewish or heathen, might have some liberty indulged them, and might not be laid under so severe a yoke of bondage, as sometimes such an express institution might happen to lay upon them in Jewish or heathen countries. This reason I have mentioned in the discourse itself, as one way of accounting for the obscurity and doubtfulness of such an institution, if the Lord's-day was really instituted.

I say again, If I were to change my present sentiments, so far as I can yet judge, I should fall into these which I have now expressed; but I acknowledge I have not yet scen sufficient reason to depart from the sentiments I have maintained in the discourse itself, nor to relinquish our obligations to observe one day in seven for a day of rest and worship as a perpetual law, and particularly the Lord's-day, as an appointment of Christ and his apostles. We know but in part, and we should not be too positive beyond all our evidence. Whereto we have attained, let us walk by the same rule, and mind the same thing; and let us be followers of St. Paul and the other apostles, and mark, or imitate them that walk so, as we have them for our example; Phil. iii. 16, 17. What appears a sufficient evidence to one man, does not appear so to another: Let us all follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord; Heb, xii. 14. For the kingdom of heaven is not meats, and drinks, and days; but righteousness and peace; Rom. *xiv. 17.