matter. If it be so, our God whom we serve, is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace; and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king. But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up*. "Daniel acted with the same firmness, when Darius had prohibited prayer." When Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went into his house; and his windows being open in his chamber towards Jerusalem, kneeled upon his knees three times a-day, and prayed, and gave thanks before his God as aforetime'. "The same steady mind appeared in Jeremiah, when threatened if he should continue to prophesy against Jerusalem." Then spake Jeremiah to all the princes, and to all the people, saying, The Lord sent me to prophesy against this house, and against this city, all the words ye have heard. As for me, behold I am in your hand, do with me as seemeth good and meet unto you". "With what a noble fortitude were the Apostles inspired, in bearing witness to the name of Jesus? When Peter and John were commanded by the Sanhedrim," not to speak at all, nor teach in the name of Jesus; they answered, Whether it be right in the sight of God, to hearken unto you more than unto God, judge ye. For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard. And they said, We ought to obey God rather than men". "The same unshaken firmness was conspicuous in the Apostle Paul:" I am ready, said he, not only to be bound, but to die at Jerusalem, for the name of the Lord Jesus. And when he appeared before Felix and Festus, "With undaunted boldness, he says," This I confess unto thee, that after the way which they call heresy, so worship I the God of my fathers. Having therefore obtained help of God, I continue unto this day witnessing both to small and great, saying none other things than those which the prophets k Dan.iii. 16, 17, 18. 'Dan. vi. 10. n Acts, iv. 18, 19, 20, with chap. v. 29. P Acts, xxiv. 14. m Jer. xxvi. 12, 14. Acts, xxi. 13. and Moses did say should come; that Christ should suffer, and that he should be the first that should rise from the dead, and should show light unto the people, and to the Gentiles". SECTION III. OF TIMES FOR WORSHIP. ARTICLE I. OF THE SABBATH DAY. SECT. 1. The institution of the Sabbath day.-2. The people of Israel are solemnly charged, to observe that holy day with the utmost strictness.-3. Our Lord and Saviour's instructions on this head.-Note, concerning the Lord's day. SECT. 1. The institution of the Sabbath day. THE heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them, on the sixth day. 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. And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it; because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made. Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work; but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God; in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maid-servant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates. For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day; wherefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day, and hallowed it. SECT. 2. The people of Israel are solemnly charged to observe that holy day with the utmost strictness. And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Speak thou unto the children of Israel, saying, Verily my Sabbaths ye shall keep; for it is a sign between me and you, throughout your generations; that ye may know that I am the Lord, that doth sanctify you. Ye shall keep the Sabbath therefore; for it is holy unto you. Every one that defileth it, shall surely be put to death. For whosoever doth any work therein, that soul shall be cut off from amongst his people. Six days may work be done, but in the seventh is the Sabbath of rest, holy to the Lord; whosoever doth any work on the Sabbath day, he shall surely be put to death. Wherefore the children of Israel shall keep the Sabbath day, to observe the Sabbath throughout their generations, for a perpetual covenant. It is a sign between me and the children of Israel for ever; for in six days the Lord made heaven and earth; and on the seventh day he rested. Six days thou shalt do thy work, and on the seventh thou shalt rest; that thine ox and thine ass may rest; and the son of thine handmaid, and the stranger may be refreshed. Thus saith the Lord, Take heed to yourselves, and bear no burden on the Sabbath day, nor bring it in by the gates of Jerusalem. Neither carry forth a burden out of your houses on the Sabbath day, neither do ye any work, but hallow the Sabbath day, as I commanded your fathers. And it shall come to pass, if ye diligently hearken unto me, saith the Lord, to hallow the Sabbathday, to do no work therein; then shall there enter into the gates of this city, kings and princes sitting on the throne of David, riding in chariots, and on horses. And they shall come from the cities of Judah, and from the places about Jerusalem, bringing burnt-offerings and sacrifices, and meat-offerings, and incense, and bringing sacrifices of praise unto the house of the Lord. But if ye will not hearken unto me, to hallow the Sabbath day, and not to bear a burden, even entering in at the gates of Jerusalem on the Sabbath day, then will I kindle a fire in the gates thereof, and it shall devour the palaces of Jerusalem, and it shall not be quenched. Blessed is the man that keepeth the Sabbath day from polluting it, and keepeth his hand from doing evil. For thus saith the Lord unto the eunuchs that keep my Sabbaths, and choose the things that please me, and take hold of my covenant; even unto them will I give in mine house, and within my walls, a place and a name better than of sons and daughters; I will give them an everlasting name that shall not be cut off; and also the sons of the stranger that join themselves to the Lord to serve him, and to love the name of the Lord, every one that keepeth the Sabbath from polluting it, and taketh hold of my cove nant; even them will I bring to my holy mountain, and make them joyful in my house of prayer. If thou turn away thy foot from the Sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on my holy day, and call the Sabbath a delight, the holy of the Lord, honourable, and shall honour him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words; then shalt thou delight thyself in the Lord, and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth, and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob, thy father'. SECT. 3. Our Lord and Saviour's instructions on this head. Jesus went on the Sabbath day through the corn, and his disciples were an hungered, and began to pluck the ears of corn, and to eat. But when the Pharisees saw it, they said unto him, Behold, thy disciples do that which is not lawful to do upon the Sabbath day. But he said unto them, Have ye not read what David did when he Jer. xvii. 24-27. f Isa. lvi. 2. Isa. lvi. 4, 5. COLEGE LIBRARY NEW JERSEY was an hungered, and they that were him, how he entered into the house of God, and did eat the shewbread, which was not lawful for him to eat, neither for thein which were with him, but only for the priests? Or have ye not read in the law, how that on the Sabbath days, the priests in the temple profane the Sabbath, and are blameless? But I say unto you, that in this place is one greater than the temple. But if ye had known what this meaneth, I will have mercy. and not sacrifice, ye would not have condemned the guiltless. And he said unto them, The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath; therefore the Son of man is Lord also of the Sabbath. And when he was departed thence, he went into the synagogue. And behold there was a man which had his hand withered; and they asked him, saying, Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath days? that they might accuse him. And he said unto them, What man shall there be among you that shall have one sheep, and it fall into a pit on the Sabbath day, will he not lay hold on it, and lift it out? How much then is a man better than a sheep? Wherefore it is lawful to do well on the Sabbath days. Then saith he to the man, Stretch forth thine hand; and he stretched it forth; and it was restored whole like as the other c. And behold, there was a woman which had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, and was bowed together, and could in nowise lift up herself. And when Jesus saw her, he called her to him, and said unto her, Woman, thou art loosed from thine infirmity. And he laid his hands on her; and immediately she was made straight, and glorified God. And the ruler of the synagogue answered with indignation, because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath day, and said unto the people, There are six days in which men ought to work; in them therefore come and be healed, and not on the Sabbath day. The Lord then answered him and said, Thou hypocrite, doth not each one of you, on the Sabbath, loose his ox or his ass from the stall, and lead him away to watering? § 3. Matt. xii. 1—7. b Mark, ii. 27, 28, * Matt. xii. 9-13. |