we must confider what our conftitutions can bear, and what our fituations will admit. We are not called to injure our health. We may say of fasting, as our Lord faid of the Sabbath, "it was made for man, not man for it." Fafting is an ordinance for his benefit, and much of the advantage we have reason to expect from it depends on obferving it in a proper manner, whither in public or private. It is highly proper that a contribution for the poor should be connected with fafting. If we be under the influence of a covetous fpirit, we are but mocking God. Is it fuch a faft that I have chofen? a day for a man to afflict his foul? is it to bow down his head as a bulrufh, and to spread fackcloth and afhes under him? wilt thou call this a faft, and an acceptable day to the Lord? Is not this the faft that I have chofen? to loofe the bands of wickednefs, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppreffed go free, and that ye break every yoke? Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry, and that thou bring the poor that are caft out to thy house ? when thou feest the naked that thou cover him; and that thou hide not thyfelf from thine own flesh ?" Ifa. lviii. 5, 6, 7. The Lord does not here disapprove of outward humiliation, but expreffes his contempt of the outward appearance, while the heart is not right with him. SECTION VI. Sanctification of the first day of the Week. GOD from the beginning fanctified the feventh day. On that day, he rested from his works; and no other account can be given of his bleffing and fanctifying it, than that he intended man to fet apart that day for religious worship *. Indeed, it appears that God spent fix days in the work of creation, and rested on the seventh, because he intended that man fhould follow the fame order. We have no account of the obfervance of this day before the children of Ifrael left Egypt; but this no more proves that it was not previously obferved, than the filence of Scripture proves that there were no meetings before that time for religious purposes, or that the fabbatical year was never observed in Ifrael, or that circumcifion was neglected from Joshua's time to John the Baptist's. We have ftrong prefumptive evidence of its obfervance, from days being reckoned by fevens by the patriarchs, and this appears to be the origin of the perfection attributed to that number, and from the period of weeks, which feems before that a common mode of computing time. "And God reft * Dr Kennicott would interpret Gen. ii. 3. ed on the feventh day from all his works which he had made; and God caufed (man) to blefs and worship on the feventh day, and ordered him to fanctify it." Two Differt. on the Tree of on. God gave to Ifrael his fabbaths, commanding them to obferve them, and to do no work thereThis was to believers a fign of their entering into his rest, and ceafing from their works as he did from his. It alfo reminded them that the God of the whole earth had given them reft from Egyptian bondage. The redemption of Ifrael was a figure of the redemption of the people of God. The reft from Egyptian bondage was a fhadow of the reft which believers obtain. Hence the Jewish sabbath is called a shadow of things to come, Col. ii. 16. and when Christ (who was the body) came, this, as other fhadows, fled away. When he who laid the foundations of the earth appeared in our nature, and redeemed his people by his blood, he rose from the dead on the first day of the week. On that day, he refted from a greater work than that of creation. It is called the Lord's day *, Rev. i. 10. which feems exactly to coincide with the 118th Psalm, where the refurrection of Chrift is prophefied of, ver. 22. "The stone which the builders refufed is become the head of the corner. This is the Lord's doing; it is marvellous in our eyes," compared with Acts iv. 11. It is immediately added, ver. 24. "This is the day God made; we will rejoice and be glad in it" and probably the apostle alludes to this change of the fabbath, or reft, when he says, * All history is a comment upon this name. However much men called Chriftians differed in other respects, they agreed that SECTION VI. Sanctification of the first day of the Week. GOD from the beginning fanctified the feventh day. On that day, he refted from his works; and no other account can be given of his bleffing and fanctifying it, than that he intended man to set apart that day for religious worship *. Indeed, it appears that God spent fix days in the work of creation, and refted on the feventh, because he intended that man fhould follow the fame order. We have no account of the observance of this day before the children of Ifrael left Egypt; but this no more proves that it was not previously observed, than the filence of Scripture proves that there were no meetings before that time for religious purposes, or that the fabbatical year was never obferved in Ifrael, or that circumcifion was neglected from Joshua's time to John the Baptift's. We have strong prefumptive evidence of its obfervance, from days being reckoned by fevens by the patriarchs, and this appears to be the origin of the perfection attributed to that number, and from the period of weeks, which feems before that a common mode of computing time. * Dr Kennicott would interpret Gen. ii. 3. " And God refted on the seventh day from all his works which he had made; and God caufed (man) to blefs and worship on the seventh day, and ordered him to fanctify it." Two Differt. on the Tree of God gave to Ifrael his fabbaths, commanding them to obferve them, and to do no work thereon. This was to believers a fign of their entering into his rest, and ceafing from their works as he did from his. It also reminded them that the God of the whole earth had given them reft from Egyptian bondage. The redemption of Ifrael was a figure of the redemption of the people of God. The reft from Egyptian bondage was a fhadow of the rest which believers obtain. Hence the Jewish fabbath is called a fhadow of things to come, Col. ii. 16. and when Christ (who was the body) came, this, as other shadows, fled away. When he who laid the foundations of the earth appeared in our nature, and redeemed his people by his blood, he rose from the dead on the first day of the week. On that day, he refted from a greater work than that of creation. It is called the Lord's day *, Rev. i. 10. which seems exactly to coincide with the 118th Psalm, where the refurrection of Chrift is prophefied of, ver. 22. "The stone which the builders refused is become the head of the corner. This is the Lord's doing; it is marvellous in our eyes," compared with Acts iv. 11. It is immediately added, ver. 24. "This is the day God made; we will rejoice and be glad in it" and probably the apostle alludes to this change of the fabbath, or reft, when he says, *All history is a comment upon this name. However much men called Chriftians differed in other refpects, they agreed that |