dom, 225; By promoting Efficiency in the Business of Life, 227 By securing Re-

spect and Confidence, 227; By fostering the Disposition and Power of Beneficence,

228; The Sabbath a peaceful, righteous, and sure means of raising a Man to his

proper place in Society, 229; Second, The Sabbath is eminently conducive to Personal

Happiness. It must be so, 230; It is so, 231; Asceticism of Pagan origin, 231; The

Early Christians, the Reformers, the Puritans, were the happiest of Men, 231; So

Wilberforce, Penn, and others, 233; Colonel Gardiner, Gibbon, Lord Byron, Mrs.

Hemans, 235.

CHAPTER VI.

Domestic Benefits of the Sabbath, 236; No true and happy home without the Sabbath,

237; Domestic Life neither Virtuous nor Comfortable where the Day of rest is con-

nected with a False or an Impure Religion, 238; The Family deteriorates under a Ne-

glected or Profaned Christian Sabbath, 241; The Family flourishes wherever the

Christian Sabbath is rightly observed, as in Great Britain and America, 242; When

Sabbath Observance is begun or resumed, the sure consequence is improvement in

Domestic Character and Condition, 244; Contiguous Families are strikingly distin-

guished in respect of Morals and Comfort, according to their treatment of the Sabbath,

245; It is invariably found, that where the Sabbatic Institution is in force or in abey-

ance, the Domestic Institution flourishes or is disorganized, 247.

CHAPTER VII.

Advantages of the Sabbath to Nations, 250; The Institution is productive of National Good

by its Economical Influence, 250; By exciting a Spirit of Improvement and Use-

ful Enterprise, 252; By contributing to secure good Government, and consequent

tranquillity and safety in a Country, 256; By its favourable Bearings on Health, 262;

By its Moral Power, 265; By its promotion of General Knowledge, 267; and as an

essential means of Maintaining and Furthering a Pure Religion, 268.

DIVINE ORIGIN AND AUTHORITY OF THE SABBATH.

CHAPTER I.

Proofs from its Adaptations and Advantages that the Sabbath is of Divine origin, 277; The

Sabbath must have been the Suggestion of Infinite Benevolence, 277; Its Adaptations

proclaim it to have been the Device of Divine Wisdom, 278; Its Sanctity and Justice,

279; Its reception by Human Beings, 279; The awe it inspires in the hearts of its

Enemies, 280; and its preservation in such a world as ours, 281, prove, respectively,

that its Author is Divinely Holy, Just, Powerful, and unfailingly True and Faithful,

281.

X

CONTENTS.

CHAPTER II.

Divine Institution of the Sabbath at the Creation, and its Observance by the Patriarchs, 283.

FIRST PROPOSITION.-The Sabbath was Instituted by God at the Creation, 285.

SECOND PROPOSITION.-Circumstances occur in the subsequent History, which, but for the

antecedent Institution and continued Obligation of a Sacred Seventh Day, could not

have been mentioned, or even have existed, 291; 1. The Narrative itself considered

in its manner and place, 292. 2. The respect shown to the Septenary Number, 292.

The Observance of the Weekly Division of Time, 293. 4. The Prevalence of Public

Worship, with its Accessories, 294. 5. Instances of Remarkable Piety, 296. 6. The

Long Life and Prosperity of the Patriarchs, 297. 7. Incidents in the History of

Israel in Egypt, 297.

CHAPTER III.

The Sabbath Promulgated from Sinai as one of the Commandments of the Moral Law,

299.

THIRD PROPOSITION.- The Sabbath, as Instituted at the Creation, had a place assigned

to it in the Moral Law given from Sinai, 299; Laws connected with Local and Tem-

porary Circumstances may be General and Permanent, 299; The Divine Transactions

with a particular People may have much that applies to all Nations, 300; That the

Ten Commandments epitomize the Duty of Mankind appears from-1. The Special

Honour shown in Scripture to these Commandments, 302. 2. Their own Nature

305. 3. Their declared and actual Obligation under all Economies, 308.

CHAPTER IV.

The Sabbath under a Change of Day, a Christian Ordinance and Law, 314.

FOURTH PROPOSITION.-A variety of circumstances justified the confident expectation

of a Christian Sabbath, 314; Men still needed a Sabbath, 314; Worship still required,

315; A weekly Holy Day still adapted to man, and might be expected to be even

more than formerly a blessing, 315; The Primæval Statute of Rest unrepealed, and

the Law of Sinai in force, 315; The Hope of a Sabbath warranted by Divine Pro-

mises, 316.

FIFTH PROPOSITION.-There were circumstances that tended to prepare the minds of men

for some change in the Institution, 317; It had already undergone changes in its re-

lations, 317; A dispensation, in some respects so new, might be presumed to have a

Sabbath adapted to its character, 317; Nor were intimations wanting of what the

change would be, 318.

SIXTH PROPOSITION.-The facts in the New Testament have fulfilled the predictions of a

continued, yet as to its day altered, Sabbath, in the Old, 319; The obligation of observ-

ing the Seventh day of the week as the Sabbath declaratively, and, in fact, set aside, 319;

The First day of the week divinely appointed to be the Christian Sabbath, 323: No new

Institution required to be enacted, 323; But the transference of the day from the end

to the beginning of the week declared by the Resurrection of our Lord, 324; By His

meeting with His Disciples, 325; By His second visit to them, 325; By the observance

of the First day in Public Worship at Troas, 327; By the order to the Churches of

Corinth and Galatia, 329; By Rev. i. 10, 329.

SEVENTH PROPOSITION.-The change of day could not have been adopted without Divine

authority, 330; From the existing prepossessions in favour of the Seventh day, 330:

From the regard which Jehovah has to His worship, 331; From the abundant provi-

sion made for all the observances of religion, 331; From the apostolic censure of the

observance of days, 332; From the prophetic intimations of a Christian Sabbath, 332:

From the events and blessings which have attended the hallowing of the First day of

the week, 333.

CHAPTER V.

The Duties of the Sabbath, 334; Sacred Rest, 334; Sacred Service, 339; Public Worship,

341.

CHAPTER VI.

Subject continued, 344; Family worship, 344; Religious instruction of families, 345; Reli-

gious conversation, 346; Personal devotion and study, 347; Works of benevolence and

mercy, 348; The Fourth Commandment implies the duty of redeeming our ordinary

time, 349; Of preparing for the Sabbath, 350; Of promoting its observance by

others, 350; It is only through faith in Jesus Christ that we can perform the duties of

the Sabbath, 351; The law as sacred under Christianity as ever, and enforced by yet

more impressive sanctions, 351.

Divine estimate of the importance of the Sabbath, 354; The Sabbath has a precedency of

rank, 354; No institution has been more frequently promulgated, 355; Terms of legis-

lation unusually copious and explicit, 355; Related to peculiarly important facts, 356;

Manner of proclamation, 357; Means of maintaining its authority and enforcing its

observance, 358; Antiquity and duration, 364.

THE SABBATH IN HISTORY.

SECTION I.

Traces of Septenary Institutions among Pagan nations, 369; Appropriation of periodical

days to religion and rest, 369; Distribution of time into weeks, 374; Respect shown to

the Septenary Number, 375; Application of the evidence in proof of a primal Sabbath,

376.

SECTION II.

The Sabbath or Lord's day in Centuries I.-III., 378; The history throws light on the mean-
ing of terms for the weekly rest, 378; Testimonies for Lord's day of Clement of Rome,

382; Of Pliny, 382; Of Justin Martyn, 383; Of Melito, Theophilus, Dionysius, Ire-

næus, Clemens Alexandrinus, 384; Of Tertullian, 385; Minucius Felix, Origen, and

Cyprian, 386; Sabbatic doctrines of the period, 386.

SECTION III.

The Sabbath in Centuries IV.-xv., 392; Meaning of terms, 392; Doctrines held, 393; Prac-

tical teachings of the period, 397.

SECTION IV.

Centuries IV.-XV. continued, 401; Ecclesiastical measures, 401; Legislation, 404; Ascend-

ency of the Lord's day, 408; Observance, 412.

SECTION V.

The Sabbath at the Reformation, 417; To estimate the Sabbatic views of the Reformers,

their views must be fairly stated, 417; There must be due consideration of the limited

opportunities and means possessed by them of examining and discussing the subject, 418;

The state of the institution in the Church which they sought to reform must be taken

into account, 419; The Reformers regarded the Lord's day as a reasonable, useful, and

indispensable provision, 421; They carefully enforced its observance, 423; They and

their flocks conscientiously observed the day, 425; They believed the Sabbath to have

been appointed at the Creation for all time, 426; They sometimes employed expressions

respecting it which have been interpreted as implying hostility to the institution, 436;

Their words have in some instances been misunderstood, 437; Their strong expressions

not to be interpreted literally, or viewed apart from their other sayings and practice,

440; Their errors do not subject them to be considered as unfriendly to the institution,

443; The Sabbath in the Church of Rome, 445; Doctrine of Council of Trent, 445.

SECTION VI.

The Sabbath after the Reformation, 447; In Church of Rome, 447; Among Protestants,

448; Doctrine of Westminster Assembly, 449.

THE SABBATH VINDICATED.

CHAPTER I.

Theories tried by the principles of the Divine Government, 453; Enumeration of theories,

453; The principles by which they are to be tested are unity of Divine plan, 455;

Divine plan progressive in its development, 456; Regard to order, 457; Benevolence,

458; Government by law, 460; Government by exclusively Divine legislation, 462;

Government of truth and righteousness, 466.

CHAPTER II.

Theories tried by Scripture in its obvious meaning and general scope, 470: All theories

but one either reject the plain and understood meaning of terms, as the proleptic and

geological, 471, 472; Or contravene the principle that all writings must be explained

according to their connexion, 473; The latter error exemplified in Paley's argument

from the silence of Scripture, 473; and in his explanation of various parts of Scripture,

479.

CHAPTER III.

Theories tried by Divine predictions, 487: The fulfilment of prophecy proves the truth of

the Divine word as to the continuance of the Sabbath, 487; Decides on questions re-

specting the proportion of time, and the particular day of the Christian Sabbath, 488;

Respecting the engagements of the day, 489; Respecting the manner of worship, 490:

The predictions of good to individuals, 490; and to communities, 493; When fulfilled,

point to the service which is divinely approved, 493; The destined universality of the

true Sabbath is in course of being accomplished only by those who maintain the doc-

trine of a holy, perpetual, weekly day of rest, 494: Illustrations from the want of success

attending other theories, and from the introduction of the institution into heathen

countries by Missionaries holding the theories specified, 495.

CHAPTER IV.

Proposed substitutes for the Sabbath, 501; The scheme which proposes a holy day, a day

either in whole or in part, devoted to amusement, 502; Experience and physiology con-

demn the expedient, 504; Proposal to open the Crystal Palace and places for instruc-

tion in Science and Art, 505; The plan impracticable, 507; Would be inefficient, 508;

The plea for such expedients, which is, that strict Sabbath-keeping is demoralizing, de-

monstrated by facts to be utterly groundless and absurd, 509.

CHAPTER V.

Desecration of the Sabbath at home and abroad, 516; Mistaken notions respecting Jewish,

as distinguished from Christian duty, in regard to Sabbath observance, 516; What the

desecration of the Sabbath is, 517; Extent of the evil in this country, 518; Prevalence

of the evil in foreign lands, 523; Remedial measures employed, 529.

CHAPTER VI.

Causes of Sabbath desecration, 532; The root of the evil, 532: Apathy and evil example of

professed friends of the institution, 533; Parental neglect, 535; The conduct of the

higher and wealthier classes, 536; Masters and employers, 538; Foreign influences,

540; Propagation of wrong and corrupting views through the press, 540.