pointed one day in seven, for a Sabbath, to be kept holy unto himk: which, from the beginning of the world to the resurrection of Christ, was the last day of the week; and, from the refurrection of Christ, was changed into the first day of the week/, which in scripture is called the Lord's daym, and is to be continued to the end of the world, as the Christian Sabbath n. 21. she crieth in the chief place of concourse, in the openings of the gates: in the city she uttereth her words, faying, v. 24. Because I have called, and ye refused, I have stretched out my hand, and no man regarded. Prov. viii. 34. Blessed is the man that heareth me, watching daily at my gates, waiting at the posts of my doors. Acts xiii. 42 And when the Jews were gone out of the fynagogue, the Gentiles befought that these words might be preached to them the next fabbath. Luke iv. 16. And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up: and, as his custom was, he went into the fynagogue on the fabbath day, and stood up for to read. Acts ii. 42. And they continued sted fastly in the apostles doctrine, and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers. VII. k Exod. xx. 8. Remember the fabbath day, to keep it holy. v. ro. But the seventh day is the fabbath of the Lord thy God, in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy fon, nor thy daughter, thy man-fervant, nor thy maid-fervant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger which is within thy gates. v. II. For in fix days the Lord made heaven and earth, the fea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the Lord blessed the fabbath day, and hallowed it. Ifa. Ivi. 2. Blessed is the man that 1 VIII. This doth this, and the son of man that layeth hold on it: that keepeth the fabbath from polluting it, and keepeth his hand from doing any evil. v. 4. For thus faith the Lord unto the eunuchs that keep my fabbaths, and choose the things that please me, and take hold of my covenant. v. 6, 7. (See in letter i.) 1 Gen. ii. 2. And on the seventh day, God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made. v. 3. And God bleffed the seventh day, and fanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work, which God created and made. 1 Cor. xvi. 1. Now concerning the collection for the saints, as I have given order to the churches of Galatia, even so do ye... v. 2. Upon the first day of the week, let every one of you lay by him in store, as God hath profpered him, that there be no gatherings when I come. Acts xx. 7. And upon the first day of the week, when the difciples came together to break bread, Paul preached unto them, ready to depart on the morrow, and continued his speech until midnight. m Rev. i. 10. I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpét. -" Exod. xx. 8. 10. (See letter) With Mat. v. 17. Think not that I am come to destroy the law or the pro VIII. This Sabbath is then kept holy unto the Lord, when men, after a due preparing of their hearts, and ordering of their common affairs before-hand, do not only observe an holy rest all the day, from their own works, words and thoughts, about their worldly employments and recreationso; but also are taken up the whole time in the public and private exercises prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. v. 18. For verily I fay unto you, till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wife pafs from the law, till all be fulfilled. VIII. Exod. xx. 8. (See letterk.) Exod. xvi. 23. And he faid unto them, This is that which the Lord hath faid, to morrow is the rest of the holy Sabbath unto the Lord; bake that which you will bake, to day, and feethe that ye will feethe, and that which remaineth over, lay up for you to be kept until the morning. v. 25. And Mofes faid, Eat that to day; for to day is a fabbath unto the Lord: to day ye shall not find it in the field. v. 26. Six days ye shall gather it, but on the seventh day which is the fabbath, in it there shall be none. v. 29. See, for that the Lord hath given you the fabbath, therefore he giveth you on the fixth day the bread of two days: abide ye every man in his place, let no man go out of his place on the seventh day. v. 30. So the people refted on the seventh day. Exod. xi. 15. Six days may work be done, but in the seventh is the fabbath of rest, holy to the Lord: whosoever doth any work in the fabbath-day, he shall surely be put to death. v. 16. Wherefore the children of Ifrael shall keep the fabbath, to observe the fabbath throughout their generations, for a perpetual covenant. v. 17. It is a sign between me, and the children of Ifrael for ever: for in fix days the Lordmade heaven and earth, and on the seventh day he rested, and was refreshed. Ifa. lviii. 13. If thou turn away thy foot from the fabbath, from doing thy pleasure on my holy day, and call the fabbath a delight, the holy of the Lord, honourable, and shalt honour him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words. Neh. xiii, 15. In those days saw I in Judah, fome treading wine-presses on the fabbath, and bringing in sheaves, and lading asses, as alfo wine, grapes, and figs, and all manner of burdens, which they brought into Jerufalem on the fabbath-day: and I teftified against them in the day wherein they fold victuals. v. 16. There dwelt men of Tyre alfo therein, who brought fith, and all manner of ware, and fold on the sabbath, unto the children of Judah, and in Jerufalem. v. 17. Then I contended with the nobles of Judah, and faid unto them, What evil thing is this that ye do, and profane the fabbath-day? v. 18. Did not your fathers thus, and did not our God bring all this evil upon us, and upon this city? yet ye bring more wrath upon Ifrael, by profaning the fabbath. v. 19. And it came to pass, that when the gates of Jerufalem began to be dark before the fabbath, I commanded that the exercises of his worship, and in the duties of necessity and mercy p. A CHAP. XXII. Of lawful Oaths and Vows. a part of religious worshipa, wherein, upon just occafion, the perfon swearing, folemnly calleth God to witness what he afferteth or promiseth; and to judge him according to the truth or falshood of what he fweareth b. II. The name of God only is that by which men ought to swear, and therein it is to be used with all holy fear and reverencec: therefore, to swear vainly or rashly by that glorious and dreadful name, or to swear at all by any other thing, is finful and to be abhorredd. Yet as, in matters of weight the gates fhould be shut, and charged that they should not be opened till after the fabbath; and fome of my servants fet I at the gates, that there should no burden be brought in on the fabbath-day. v. 21. Then I teftified againit them, and faid unto them, Why lodge ye about the wall? If ye do so again, I will lay hands on you. From that time forth, came they no more on the fabbath. v. 22. And I commanded the Levites, that they should cleanse themselves, and that they should come and keep the gates, to fanctify the fabbath day. Remember me, O my God, concerning this also, and spare me according to the greatness of thy mercy. p Ifa. lviii. 13. (See in letter 0.) Mat. xii. 1. to the 13. verse. I. a Deut. x. 20. Thou shalt fear the Lord thy God: him shalt thou ferve, and to him shalt thou cleave, and swear by his name. b Exod. xx. 7. Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain; for the Lord will not hold and him guiltless that taketh his name in vain. Lev. xix. 12. And ye shall not swear by my name falsely, neither shalt thou profane the name of thy God: I am the Lord. 2 Cor. i. 23. Moreover, I call God for a record upon my foul, that to spare you, I came not as yet unto Corinth. 2 Chr. vi. 22. If a man fin againft his neighbour, and an oath be laid upon him, to make him fwear, and the oath come before thine altar in this house; v. 23. then hear thou from heaven, and do, and judge thy fervants, by requiting the wicked, by recompenfing his way upon his own head, and by justifying therighteous, by giving him according to his righteousness. II. Deut. vi. 13. Thou shalt fear the Lord thy God, and serve him, and shalt swear by his name. d Exod. xx. 7. (See letter b.) Jer. v. 7. How shall I pardon thee for this? thy children have forsaken me, and sworn by them that are no gods: when I fed them to the full, then they committed adultery, and affembled and moment, an oath is warranted by the word of God, under the New Testament, as well as under the Olde; so a lawful oath being imposed by lawful authority, in fuch matters, ought to be takenf. III. Whosoever taketh an oath, ought duly to confider the weightiness of so solemn an act, and therein to avouch nothing but what he is fully perfuaded is the truthg. Neither may any man bind himself by oath to any thing but what is good and just, and what he believeth so to be, and what he is able and refolved to perform b. Yet it is a fin to refuse an sembled themselves by troops in the harlots houses. Mat. v. 34. But I fay unto you, Swear not at all; neither by heaven, for it is God's throne. v. 37. But let your communication'be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these, cometh of evil. Jam. v. 12. But above all things, my brethren, swear not, neither by heaven, neither by the earth, neither by any other oath: but let your Yea, be yea, and your Nay, nay; left ye fall into condem nation. Heb. vi. 16. For men verily swear by the greater: and an oath for confirmation is to them an end of all ftrife. 2 Cor. 1. 23. (See letter b.) Ifa. lxv. 16. That he who' blesseth himself in the earth, shall bless himself in the God of truth; and he that sweareth in the earth, thall swear by the God of truth; because the former troubles are forgotten, and because they are hid from mine eyes. f1 Kings viii. 3 r. If any man trefpafs against his neighbour, and an oath be laid upon him, to cause him to swear, and the oath come before thine altar in this house. Neh. xiii. 25. And I contended with them, and cursed them, and fimete certain of them, and pluckt off their hair, and oath made them swear by God, faying, Ye shall not give your daughters unto their fons, nor take their daughters unto your fons, or for yourselves. Ezra x. 5. Then arose Ezra, and made the chief priests, the Levites, and all Ifrael to swear, that they should do according to this word: and they sware. III.g Exod. xx. 7. (See letter b.y Jer. xiv. 2. And thou shalt swear, The Lord liveth, in truth, in judgment, and in righteousness; and the nations shall bless themselves in him, and in him shall they glory. b Gen. xxiv. 2. And Abraham faid unto his eldest servant of his house, that ruled over all that he had, Put, I pray thee, thy hand under my thigh: v. 3. and I will make thee swear by the Lord, the God of heaven and the God of the earth, that thou shalt not take a wife unto my fon, of the daughters of the Canaanites, amongst whom I dwell. v. 5. And the fervant faid unto him, Peradventure the woman will not be willing to follow me unto this land; must I needs bring thy fon again unto the land from whence thou camest? v. 6. And Abraham faid unto him, Beware thou, that thou bring not my fon thither again. oath touching any thing that is good and just, being imposed by lawful authority i. IV. An oath is to be taken in the plain and common sense of the words, without equivocation or mental reservation k. It cannot oblige to fin; but in any thing not finful, being taken, it binds to performance, altho' to a man's own hurt/. Nor is v. 8. And if the woman will not be willing to follow thee, then thou shalt be clear from this my oath; only bring not my son thither again. v. 9. And the servant put his hand under the thigh of Abraham his maiter, and sware to him concerning that matter. i Numb. v. 19. And the priest fhall charge her by an oath, and fay unto the woman, if no man have lien with thee, and if thou hast not gone afide to uncleanness with another inftead of thy husband, be thou free from this bitter water that causeth the curse. v. 21. Then the priest thall charge the woman with an oath of curfing, and the priest shall fay anto the woman, The Lord make thee a curse and an oath among the people, when the Lord doth make thy thigh to rot, and thy belly to fwell. Ner. v. 12. Then faid they, we will reftore them, and will require nothing of them; fo will we do as thou fayeft. Then I called the priests, and took an oath of them, that they should do according to this promife. Exod. xxii. 7. If a man shall deliver unto his neighbour money or stuff to keep, and if it be stolen out of the man's house; if the thief be found, let him pay double. v. 8. If the thief be not found, then the master of the house shall be brought unto the judges, to fee whether he hath put his hand anto his neighbour's goods.v.9. Forallmanner of trespass, whether it be for ox, it for ass, for sheep, for raiment, or for any manner of loft thing, which another challengeth to be his: the cause of both parties shall come before the judges; and whom thejudges shall condemn, he shall pay double unto his neighbour. v. 10. If a man deliver unto his neighbour an afs, or an ox, or a fheep, or any beaft to keep; and it die, or be hurt, or driven away, no man seeing it, v. 11. then shall the oath of the Lord be between them both, that he hath not put his hand unto his neighbour's goods: and the owner of it shall accept thereof, and he shall not make it good. IV. Jer. iv. 2. (See letter g.) Pfal. xxiv. 4. He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart, who hath not lift up his foul unto vanity, nor fworn deceitfully. 11 Sam. xxv. 22. So and more alfo do God unto the enemies of David, if I leave of all that pertain to him, by the morning light, any that piffeth against the wall. v. 32. And David faid unto Abigail, Blessed be the Lord God of Ifrael, who sent thee this day to meet me: v. 33. And blessed be thy advice, and bleffed be thou that haft kept me this day from coming to shed blood, and from avenging myself with mine own hand. v. 34. For in very deed, as the Lord God of Ifrael liveth, who hath kept me back from hurting thee, except thou hadst hasted and come to meet me, surely there had |