SERM.

I.

II. SECONDLY, That there is notwithstanding, great Danger of offending at fuch Seafons. Job faid, It may be that my Sons have finned and curfed GOD in their Hearts. And therefore,

III. THIRDLY, That after fuch Seasons, it ought to be the Duty of every Person to reflect upon his Behaviour as to what had paffed, and to examine himself and thofe under his Care, in order to atone for what has been done amifs, and reconcile himself and them to GOD. And it was fo, when the Days of their Feafting were gone about, that Job fent and fanctified his Sons, and rofe up early in the Morning, and offered Burnt Offerings according to the Number of them all.

I. The FIRST Thing then which the Words of the Text fuggeft to our Minds as more especially seasonable to be treated of at present is, That Feafting, Mirth and Society are not inconfiftent with the Practice of Virtue and Religion. And this I fay we may infer from the Practice of Job's Sons, who went and feafted in their Houses every one his Day, and sent and called for their three Sifters to eat

and

I.

and to drink with them. And that this was SER M. with the Indulgence, Confent and Approba tion of their good Father we have very good reafon to believe: It is fet down as one of the

chief Bleffings of Job's Life, and doubtless it could be no fmall Comfort to a Father to fee fuch Tokens of Love and Amity among his Children. From hence then we learn that a freer Converfation than ordinary, and a more plentiful Ufe of God's good Creatures than is at all times requifite, is fometimes a Thing lawful in itself, and not repugnant to the Duties of Religion. But how often and upon what Occafions we may allow ourselves this Indulgence, does not appear from the Text: All which it fays is that Job's Sons went and feasted in their Houfes every one his Day: But what is there meant by Day is not fo clear. Some Interpreters indeed understand by it their Birthday, and tell us that Job's Sons, every one upon his own Birth-day, made a Feaft and Entertainment for the reft of his Brethren: and That indeed carries with it fomething of Probability; because at the Beginning of the third Chapter of this Book Job is faid to curfe his Day, which from the following Verfes appears to have been his Birth-day. But notwithstanding this, other Interpreters again would perB 4 fuade

SER M. fuade us that thefe Seafons of their Feafting

I.

were upon other folemn Occafions, and in Commemoration of fome Spiritual Bleffings which they celebrated at certain Times, agreed upon amongst themselves. Which of these to depend on we cannot tell, I fhall therefore fhew from other Inftances what Times are moft convenient and fuitable for the Business we are difcourfing of.

2

And here the uninterrupted Examples of Holy Men in all Ages will be undoubtedly a fafe and fufficient Guide for us to follow, efpecially in fuch Things as were allowed and commanded by Gop. To begin then with God's peculiar People the Jews, we find amongst them many Occafions of Joy and Feafting: Some of which were stated and continual, and related to them as a Nation; and others only accidental and peculiar to private Families and Perfons. The firft of thefe were what they were under an indifpenfable Obligation of ob ferving; they being appointed and commanded by the exprefs. Word of Gop, who was pleafed to make the Observation of them an effential Part of their Religion. Of these, befides the Weekly Return of the Sabbath, they had feveral Yearly ones, as the Feast of Pass quer, of Pentecost, of Trumpets, of Taberna

cles

I.

cles and the like. Most of these Feafts lafted SER M. for seven Days together; during which Time, befides the more folemn Duties which they were then efpecially obliged to, they were not allowed to eat any Leavened Bread, nor to do any fervile Work, but were commanded to rejoice before the LORD their God, and to make a Feaft unto the LORD. The Occafions of thefe Festivals we all know, or may eafily inform ourselves of, by confulting the Law which abounds with Statutes relating to them. I fhall therefore only obferve further, that they were all celebrated in Commemoration of fome fignal Mercies bestowed upon That People, and may therefore be a fit. Precedent to us Christians, to appoint as folemn Festivals upon as folemn Occafions. For if They, by the exprefs Command of God, celebrated the Paffover every Year in Commemoration of his fmiting the Egyptians, and delivering them from a Temporal Bondage; fure we have much more Reason to fanctify an Eafter in Remembrance of the Rifing of Jefus Chrift from the Dead, who thereby overcame our Spiritual Enemies, Death and the Grave. If again the Feast of Pentecoft was of great Eminency among the Jews in Memory of the Mofaick Law's being at that Time given on Mount

I.

SER M. Sinai; a Whitfunday ought furely to be of no lefs Note amongst us, who on the fame Day received the new Evangelical Law from Heaven, by the Administration of the Holy Ghoft, descending in the vifible Appearance of fiery Tongues, and conferring miraculous Powers upon the Bleffed Apoftles. If laftly the Dwelling of the Children of Ifrael in Booths, when the LORD brought them out of the Land of Egypt, was by the Divine Wisdom thought worthy to be kept in perpetual Remembrance by a Feast of Tabernacles; fhall not God's Humbling Himself to become Flesh and to Tabernacle with us, deserve a Christmas, to be folemnized by a Christian Festival? In these and all other Cafes, the Mercies the Jews fo folemnly commemorated, were only Figures of those Bleffings which we Chriftians enjoy: Why then are fome Men fo warm and zealous to deny that Honour to the Substance, which was so strictly commanded to be given to the Shadows?

But another End of my taking Notice of the Practice of the Jews in this Cafe, was to let you fee, that thofe Feafts which God Himfelf commanded did not confift barely of a Spiritual Joy and thankful Commemoration of his Mercies, expreffed only by fome more fo

lemn