The Worship of these Places, our blessed SAVIOUR was a constant and diligent frequenter of. ’Tis said, He went about all the Cities and Villages, Teaching in their Synagogues, and Preaching, and Healing, &c. Mat. ix. 35. And St. Luke reporteth it as his constant Custom or Practice, Luke iv. 16. And as his Custom was, he went into the Synagogue on the Sabbath-Day.
Having thus mention’d the Practice of CHRIST, it is not necessary I should say much of the Practice of his Apostles, and the following purer Ages of Christianity, who, in short, as their Duty was, diligently follow’d their great Master’s Example. They did not think it enough to read and pray, and praise God at Home, but made Conscience of appearing in the publick Assemblies, from which nothing but Sickness and absolute Necessity did detain them; and if Sick, or in Prison, or under Banishment, nothing troubled them more, than that they could not come to Church, and joyn their Devotions to the common Services. If Persecution at any Time forc’d them to keep a little Close; yet no sooner was there the least Mitigation, but they presently return’d to their open Duty, and publickly met all together. No trivial Pretences, no light Excuses were then admitted for any ones Absence from the Congregation, but according to the Merit of the Cause, severe Censures were pass’d upon them, &c. to express it in the Words of one of our best Antiquaries[d].
The publick Worship of GOD then, is not a Matter of Indifference, which Men have in their own Power to do, or omit as they please; neither is it enough to read, pray, or praise God at Home, (unless some inevitable Necessity hindereth;) because the appearing in GOD’s Home, on his Day, is an Act of Homage and Fealty, due to the CREATOR, a Right of Sovereignty we pay him. And the with-holding those Rights and Dues from GOD, is a kind of rejecting GOD, a disowning his Sovereignty, and a withdrawing our Obedience and Service. And this was the very Reason why the Profanation of the Sabbath was punish’d with Death among the Jews, the Sabbath being a Sign, or Badge of the GOD they own’d and worshipp’d.[e] Thus Exod. xxii. 13. 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; or as the Original may be render’d, a Sign to acknowledge, that I Jehovah am your Sanctifier, or your God: For as our learned Mede observes, to be the Sanctifier of a People, and to be their God, is all one. So likewise very expressly in Ezek. xx. 20. Hallow my Sabbaths, and they shall be a Sign between me and you, that ye may know that I am the LORD your GOD; or rather as before, to acknowledge that I JEHOVAH am your GOD.
The Sabbath being thus a Sign, a Mark, or Badge, to acknowledge God to be their God, it follows, that a Neglect or Contempt of that Day, redounded to GOD; to slight that, was slighting God; to profane that, was to affront God; for the Punishment of which, What more equitable Penalty than Death? And although under Christianity, the Punishment is not made Capital, yet have we no less Reason for the strict Observance of this holy Day, than the Jews, but rather greater Reasons. For the GOD we worship, is the same: If after six Days Labour, he was, by the Seventh, own’d to be GOD, the Creator; no less is he by our Christian Lord’s Day: If by the Celebration of the Sabbath, the Remembrance of their Deliverance from the Ægyptian Bondage was kept up, and GOD acknowledged to be the Effecter thereof; we Christians have a greater Deliverance, we own our Deliverance from Sin and Satan, wrought by a greater Redeemer than Moses, even the blessed JESUS, whose Resurrection, and the Completion of our Redemption thereby, was perform’d on the Christian Lord’s-Day.
And now to sum up, and conclude these Inferences, and so put an End to this Part of my Survey: Since it appears, that the Works of the LORD are so great, so wisely contriv’d, so accurately made, as to deserve to be enquired into; since they are also so manifest Demonstrations of the Creator’s Being and Attributes, that all the World is sensible thereof, to the great Reproach of Atheism: What remaineth? But that we fear and obey so great and tremendous a Being; that we be truly thankful for, and magnify and praise his infinite Mercy, manifested to us in his Works. And forasmuch as he hath appointed a Day on Purpose, from the Beginning, for these Services, that we may weekly meet together, commemorate and celebrate the great Work of Creation, that we may pay our Acts of Devotion, Worship, Homage and Fealty to him; and since this is a wise and excellent Distribution of our Time, What should we do, but conscientiously and faithfully pay GOD these his Rights and Dues? And as carefully and diligently manage GOD’s Time and Discharge his Business then, as we do our own upon our six Days; particularly that with the pious Psalmist, We love the Habitation of God’s House, and the Place where his Honour dwelleth; and therefore take up his good Resolution in Psal. v. 7. with which I shall conclude; But as for me, I will come into thine House in the Multitude of thy Mercy, and in thy Fear will I worship towards thy holy Temple.
Now to the same infinite GOD, the omnipotent Creator and Preserver of the World, the most gracious Redeemer, Sanctifier, and Inspirer of Mankind, be all Honour, Praise and Thanks, now and ever. Amen.
FOOTNOTES:
[a] קדש Usibus divinis accommodavit, à communi & profano usu segregavit, in usum sacrum ad cultum Dei destinavit. Kirch. Concord. p. 1336. Destinari ad aliquid, Sacrari, &c. Buxtorf. in Verbo.