8 Another very needlefs, and always finful, Ufe of God's Name, is by Oaths, in common Difcourfe. Too many there are, who fill up with them a great Part of their most trifling Converfation: efpecially if ever fo little Warmth rifes in Talk, then they abound in them. Now it is unavoidable, but Perfons, who are perpetually fwearing, muft frequently perjure themfelves. But were that otherwife; it is great Irreverence, upon every flight Thing we fay, to invoke God for a Witnefs: and mix his holy and reverend Name with the idleft Things, that come out of our Mouths. And what makes this Prac. tice the more inexcufable is, that we cannot have either any Advantage from it, or any natural Pleafure in it. Sometimes it arifes from a Haftine's and Impatience of Temper; which is but increafed by giving this Vent to it whereas it is every one's Wifdom, not to let it break out in any Way, much lefs in fuch a Way. But generally it is Nothing more than a filly and profane Cuftom, inconfiderately taken up: and there are the ftrongest Reafons for laying it down immediately. It will make us difliked and abhorred by good Perfons, and fcarce recommend us to the very wort. No Perfon is the fooner believed for his frequent fwearing: on the contrary, a modeft ferious Affirmation is always much more regarded. And if any one's Character is fo low that his Word cannot be taken; he muft think of other Methods to retrieve it. For he will not at all mend Matters, by adding his Oath ever so often over. Then if Swearing be affected, as becoming; it is certainly quite otherwife, in the higheft Degree. The very Phrafes ufed in it, as well as the Occafions on which they are used, are almost constantly abfurd and foolifh and furely Profanenefs can never leffen the Folly. Befides, they make the Converfation of Men fhocking and hellifh. They are acknowledged to be difefpectful to the Company in which they are ufed and it regard to their earthly Superiors can refrain Perfons from fwearing; why fhould : 8 Pl. cxi. 9. not we remove our Hearts far from him, if it be wilfully or carelessly indulged, makes us chargeable, in its Degree, with the Sin of taking his Name in vain. 4. Though we no Way profane his Name ourselves; yet if we entice others to Perjury and Falfehood; or provoke them to rafh Oaths and Curfes; or give them any needlefs Temptation to blafpheme God; to fpeak difrefpectfully, or think flightly, of their Maker, or his Laws, natural or revealed: by fuch Behaviour alfo we become acceflary to the Breach of this Commandment, and rank ourselves with thofe, whom it exprefsly declares God will not hold guiltless: that is, will not acquit, but feverely punish. Let us therefore be watchful to preferve continually fuch an Awe of the fupreme Being upon our own Minds, and thofe of all who belong to us, as may on every Occafion effectually influence us to give him the Glory due unto his Name, both in our more folemn Addreffes to him, and in our daily Words and Actions. For God is greatly to be feared in the Affembly of the Saints; and to be had in Reverence of all them that are round about him 3. 5 Pfal. lxxxix. 7. 4 Ifa. xxix. 13. IF LECTURE XXI. Fourth Commandment. F the Worship of God were left at large to be performed at any Time, too many would be tempted to defer and poftpone it, on one Pretence or another, - till at length it would be performed at no Time. And therefore, though he were to be adored only by each Perfon feparately, and in private, it would be very expedient to fix on fome ftated returning Seafons for that: Purpose. But Reafon fhews it to be requifite, and the Experience of all Ages proves it to be natural, that as H 2 we we are focial Creatures, we fhould be focial in Religion, as well as other Things, and honour in common our common Maker: that we fhould unite in giving Thanks to him for the Bleffings of Life: a very great Part of which we fhould be incapable of, without uniting: that we fhould join in praying Forgivenefs of the Sins, which we too often join in committing: petition him together for the Mercies, which we have need of receiving together; and, by affembling to learn and acknowledge our feveral Duties, keep alive in one another, as well as ourselves, that conftant Regard to Piety and Virtue, on which our Happinefs depends, here and heareafter. Since therefore, on thefe Accounts, there must be publick Worfhip and Inftruction: it is not only expedient, but neceffary, that there fhould be alfo fixed Times appointed for it by fufficient Authority. And how much and what Time fhould be devoted to this Purpofe, every Society must have determined for themselves, and would have found it hard enough to agree in determining, if God had given no Intimation of his Will in the Cafe. But happily we are informed, in the Hiftory of the Creation, that the Maker of the World, having finished his Work in fix Days, (which he could as eafily have finifhed in one Moment, had it not been for fome valuable Reason, probably of Inftruction to us) bleffed the Seventh Day, and fanctified it: that is, appointed every Return of it to be religioufly kept, as a folemn Memorial, that of him, and therefore to him, are all Things3. It is much the moft natural to apprehend, that this Appointment took place from the Time, when it is mentioned; from the Time when the Reafon of it took place. And it is no Wonder at all, that, in fo fhort a Hiftory, Notice fhould not be taken of the actual Obfervation of it before Mofes: for Notice is not taken of it in 500 Years after Mafes. Yet we know of a Cerainty, that in his Time, at leaft, it was ordered to be 2 Rom. xi. 36. ■ Gen. ii. 3. obferved, obferved, both in this fourth Commandment, and in Fars от TTTC Bu g h direct more particularly the Manner of keeping it. The Thing, moft exprefsly enjoined the few, in each of thefe Paffages, is, refting from all Manner of Work; and not fuffering their Families, their Cattle, nor even the Strangers that lived amongit them, to la bour on that Day. And the Reafon of this Reft, given in the Commandment, as you have it in the Book of Exodus, is, that the Lord refted on the feventh Day from his Work of Creation. Not that this, or any Thing, could be a Fatigue to him. For the Creator of the Ends of the Earth fainteth not, neither is weary. But the Expreffion means, that having then finished the Formation of the World, he ceafed from it; and required Men alfo to ceafe from their Labours every feventh Day; in Memory of that fundamental Article of all Religion, that the Heavens and Earth were made, and therefore are governed, by one infinitely wife, powerful, and good Being. And thus was the Sabbath, which Word means the Day of Reft, a Sign, as the Scripture calls it, between God and the Children of Ifrael; a Mark to dif tinguifh them from all Worshippers of falfe Deities. But befides this principal Reafon for the Repofe of every feventh Day, two others are mentioned in the Law: that it might remind them of that Deliverance from heavy Bondage, which God hath granted them; Remember, that thou waft a Servant in the Land of Egypt, and that the Lord brought thee out thence; therefore be commanded thee to keep the Sabbath Day; and likewife that their Servants and Cattle might not be worn out with inceffant Toil; that thine Ox and thine Afs may reft; and the Son of thy Handmaid, and the Stranger, may be refreshed. Such Mercy indeed is little more than common Prudence: but there are in the World Multitudes of hardhearted Wretches, who would pay fmall Regard to that Confideration, were they left to their own Liberty. 3 Ifa. xl. 28. 3 Deut. v. 15. 4 Exod. xxxi. 13, 17. Ezek. xx. 12, 20. Exod. xxiii. 12, На Now Now merely abftaining from common Work on this Day, in Obedience to God's Command fuch reli gious and moral ds as there, was undoubtedly fan&ifying keeping it holy. But then we are not to fuppofe that the Leifure, thus provided for Men, was to be thrown away juft as they pleased, inftead of being ufefully employed. God directed the Jews: Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy Soul and with all thy Might; and the Words, which I command thee this Day, fhall be in thy Heart; and thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy Children; and Jhalt talk of them, when thou fittest in thine Houfe, and when thou walkeft by the Way, and when thou lieft down, and when thou rifeft up". Now, as he required them to attend fo conftantly to thefe Duties; he could not but expect, they fhould attend, more èfpecially to them on that Day,, when the great Foundation of all Duty, his creating the World, was appointed to be commemorated; and when they had nothing to take off their Thoughts from what they owed to God their Maker. There was a peculiar Sacrifice appointed for that Day; there is a peculiar Pfalm.composed for it, the Ninety-fecond: and thefe Things are furely further Intimations to us, that it must have been a Time, peculiarly intended for the offering up of Prayers and Thank fgivings to Heaven. Few indeed, or none, of God's Laws were well obferved in the Days of the Old Teftament. But ftill, as the Priests and Levites were difperfed through the Jewish Nation that they might teach the People Religion; fo we read, that in good Times they did teach it accordingly and when could this be, but on the Sabbath Day? We fee it was the Cuftom of Religious Perfons, on that Day, to refort to the Prophets, that were in Ifrael; doubtlefs to hear the Word of God from their Mouths. We fee public Happiness promised on this Condition, that Men fhould honour the Sabbath of the Lord, not doing their own Ways, nor finding their own |