The Sabbath at Home

The question is now easily decided, because duty appears plain. A great advantage also, attending this manner of solving difficulties is, that the decision is final; there remains no cavilling, when the determination is once made, in the fear of God. If you wish to keep the Sabbath profitably, and with enjoyment to yourself and family, labour to attain to, and cultivate the impression, that it is the Lord's day, and, therefore, to be kept holy.

IV. Attendance, as far as practicable upon the public duties of religion, contributes much to the profitable observance of the Sabbath at home.

The language of Scripture would lead us to this. "Six days shall work be done; but the seventh day is the Sabbath of rest, and holy convocation; ye shall do no work therein; it is the Sabbath of the Lord in all your dwellings." Lev. xxiii. 3. The Sabbath at home is well united with the holy convocation of the people of God, in the public ordinances of religion. If we consult the history of the Church, we shall find this to have been the opinion of the pious in every age. The Jewish nation, Christians in the time of the apostles, and the professing people of God in all countries since their day, have weekly assembled themselves together.

Public worship promotes the observance of the Sabbath at home, by affording that instruction which is necessary to the proper performance of our duty. Though comparatively little time is spent on the Sabbath, in teaching publicly the doctrines of religion, and the duties that flow from them, yet there will be found a very great difference in the views of those who regularly hear the gospel, and of such as never enter a worshipping assembly. This does not wholly arise from the public instructions of the Sabbath, – those who hear the gospel are constrained to search for themselves, and to use other means to learn the duty which God requires of man. Among other things, they will soon learn that the Sabbath is to be sanctified, by a holy resting all the day, and that if they mean to do what is right, they must perform this duty also.

But we may come to a knowledge of our duty, and yet have no inclination to do what is required. We need to be exhorted and encouraged. This is enjoined upon those who preach the gospel. They are commanded, not only to reprove and rebuke, but also to exhort; to help such as are discouraged, and to strengthen the feeble. And here, again, it will be found, that notwithstanding the multitude who hear the word preached, but observe not the Lord's day as a holy rest, they, who in any community sanctify it, are those who on that day attend public worship. I much question if a family, neglectful of public worship, can be found, that sanctifies the Sabbath at home.

Again, the assembling of ourselves together, regularly on the Sabbath, greatly contributes to preserve that holy day from the danger of being profaned. All persons feel the confinement of the Sabbath. Nature seems to demand some recreation, both of body and mind. This is afforded us in public worship. The preparing of ourselves to assemble, – the ride, or walk, if we live near; – the variety in the exercises of the sanctuary, – the reading, singing, prayers, and sermons, are exceedingly refreshing to such as have a heart to enjoy them. They send us home better prepared for spending profitably the remainder of the day, than if all the time had been passed in our own dwellings. The remark of one who was deprived of preaching an entire day, we have probably all found true in our own experience, – That a Sabbath without public worship, when we have all the time to spend in duties at home, is no gain to the reading of the Scriptures. For want of variety in our duties, we become languid, and profit but little.

Attendance upon public worship is favourable to a profitable spending of the Sabbath at home, because it promotes religion generally. It is in the house of God that we are taught what we must do to be saved, and how we are acceptably to serve our Creator. Parents and children are taught their relative duties, and are dismissed with pressing exhortation not to defer the paying of their vows. It is in the worshipping assembly, that the affections are moved, and interested for the glory of God. Here it is, that our consciences most closely press us with the important question, What must I do to work the works of God? In the ministry of reconciliation, dispensed to the assemblies of the Sabbath, sin is pointed out and reproved; negligence in duty reprimanded; the honour of religion defended; the sanctification of the Lord's day pleaded for; the feeble strengthened, and the wavering mind confirmed; – every Christian grace, in its order, becomes the subject of special consideration, and every duty, according to our station in life, is, with arguments to its immediate and constant performance, explained and pressed upon us.

Then, let every one, who would profitably observe the Sabbath at home, conscientiously and faithfully attend public worship. This will save him and his family from many temptations to profane the Lord's day, and will afford him instruction, strength, and encouragement for the performance of his duties.

V. Let the time not spent in public worship, be past at home in exercises becoming the sacredness of the Sabbath.

Parents will permit me here to remind them of the duties they owe their households. Not to suffer the day to pass without important instruction to their children. It may very properly, and indeed ought to be various in its character, to suit the youthful mind; but all bearing upon the spiritual welfare of both parents and children. After returning from meeting, make inquiry about the text; what subject was treated in the sermon; particularly if any thing was said to children or the younger members of the family: whether any thing sinful in them was pointed out, and any good thing recommended for them to do. How much better would be the influence, upon our families and ourselves, of this course, than what must arise from a critical spirit, which often, not only keeps possession of the heart while we hear, but dictates all that is said of the sermon after we have returned home.

Children ought to be taught their catechism on the Sabbath, and aided in their Sunday school lessons. The old Presbyterian method was, to devote Sabbath evening to instruction out of the Scriptures, and the reciting of the Shorter Catechism. A means of grace so important, ought not to be suffered by any family to fall into decay. It is of moment also, that not only in the conduct of the parents, the younger members may see the sacredness of the Lord's day, but that they should be instructed in the nature of the Sabbath; by whom it was appointed, and for what purposes; how it is to be sanctified; what we may do, and from what we must refrain. This would make children intelligent, and would stir up parents also to acquaint themselves more perfectly, through the aid of the excellent standards of our Church, and other sources of correct interpretation of the Scriptures, with what they may, from want of incentives to attention, but partially understand.

Children ought to receive, at times, that instruction which is exclusively religious; ought to be conversed with affectionately about their souls, and the truth prest home to their hearts. If this be attempted, in the hurry of business during the week, though the seed may prosper, yet it is not probable. The Sabbath is the most encouraging time. The mind of the parent is then in a favourable state; the solemnities of the day contribute much to success, and prepare the hearts of your children to receive some good impression. Those Sabbath evening exhortations, though without even apparent effect at first, will follow your children, when your anxiety can no more watch over them, and may lead them to salvation, after your souls have gone to enjoy it in glory.

Reading is an exercise that ought to be particularly attended to on the Sabbath. We would do well to converse intimately and constantly with pious men in their writings, when we are not called to other duties. The great variety of journals and semi-romances, with which the professedly religious presses teem, has, at least, a questionable effect upon intelligent and vital religion. If the Sabbath were more devoted to the study of such books as Doddridge's Rise and Progress, Scougal's Life of God in the Soul, Flavel on Keeping the Heart, Owen on the Spirit, and Baxter's Saints' Rest, we would feel in ourselves, and others would see in us an increase of grace, which it is to be feared we do not enjoy from the food prepared to our fastidious palates.

Above all, let the Bible be the book that is to be read on the Sabbath. The day is holy, the book is also holy. In the hurry of business through the week, we often feel that we are deprived of both enjoyment and profit in searching the Scriptures. But on the Lord's day we have leisure. All around us is quiet. The solemnities of the day give additional interest and sacredness to what we read. We can read much more at once than during the week, and profit by noticing the connexion of one passage with another. Many persons complain that they have little time to read, during the six days of labour. Such ought to devote, I was going to say, all the Sabbath, to the study of the Scriptures. This was very much the method of our fathers. As they had few books, the Bible claimed their attention on the Sabbath. And the nature of their religion, and their eminent piety, may well recommend to us their example.

Members of the same family ought, on the Sabbath, to converse together on the state of their souls. Much may be done for their comfort and the promotion of religion, by thus communing together. We may speak in public of experimental religion, make the exercises of others the subject of remark; we may talk to Christians of other families about religion; but if our children and members of our household never hear us speak of these things, when only our own little circle is around us, they will very readily infer that it is not a subject greatly interesting to us. That which possesses our hearts we love to dwell upon in conversation with our own family.

Meditation, though a difficult duty, is essentially necessary to a healthful state of mind, and is suited to no day more than to the Sabbath. The cares of the world are then shut out, and every thing seems to constrain us to turn our thoughts within.

Prayer is the duty of the Christian, the duty of every one, at all times. Our Saviour said, men ought always to pray and not to faint; and Paul exhorts us to pray without ceasing; praying always with all prayer. But there are certain times, when this duty can be performed with more profit, and in a manner more comforting to ourselves, than at others. Above all seasons, the Sabbath is appropriate for communion with God. And he who most frequently and devoutly converses with Jehovah on his mercy-seat, through Jesus Christ, on the Lord's day, will commune most with him during the week, will most profitably observe the Sabbath, and be most thoroughly furnished for every good word and work. He will not only enter into rest here on earth, but will daily become conformed to that better world, where there remaineth a Sabbath of rest to the people of God.

We must all admit that the sanctification of the Sabbath is an important part of practical religion. The cause of piety declines where the Sabbath is not remembered to be kept holy. But in what does the sanctification of the Lord's day chiefly consist? We have seen that it is in observing the day in our own dwellings. This secures the performance of all its public duties. In a pre-eminent sense, the Sabbath which God approves, is the Sabbath at home.

No separate argument is then called for to prove that it is the duty of all to promote the observance of the Lord's day. It is the common cause of every government, of good morals, and of religion. Let no one excuse himself from contributing his part to this good work. We may each aid much in the sanctification of the Sabbath. It is in the power of the humblest member of your family to do more to render the Lord's day profitable, than he can now believe. On the other hand, an entire household may be thrown into confusion, and compelled to waste the day, through the perversity or neglect only of a child. You have a servant in your employ, to whom certain duties are assigned, but he neglects on Saturday evening to perform them. Through his omission, the whole family may be thrown into confusion on Sabbath morning. One boy of five years old, who will play in the street, can disturb all the families of the neighbourhood. A noisy child of three years can effectually prevent, either parent, brother, or sister, from profitably spending the Lord's day. A little girl was dressed for church, – she disobeyed her mother, and went out to play; her clothes were soon unfit to be seen in a worshipping assembly. The mother was fretted and distressed, and the child had to remain at home, while the parent went to meeting, not in a state of mind to be much profited by the exercises of the sanctuary. The sound of one axe, in cleaving as much wood as will make one fire, can annoy, throughout the fourth part of a village, all who wish to keep holy the Sabbath day, and to see it hallowed by others. What is more common, in cases of slight indisposition, or in the commencement of disease, to omit sending for the physician until Sabbath, thus compelling him to spend holy time, not in ministering to the relief of actual distress, but in sacrificing to sheer neglect, and contempt of the command of God, what ought to be his privilege, with all other men, – the undisturbed enjoyment, both public and private, of the Lord's day.

Thus we may in different ways, and various degrees, contribute to the sanctification of the Sabbath, or compel others, however reluctant, to spend the day without profit. This power is vested in no one exclusively, but in each member in particular. Each may contribute to the sanctification of the Sabbath; each may prevent the entire family from enjoying and profitably spending the day. Would we do good both to ourselves and others? Let us every one remember the Sabbath day at home, to keep it holy.

By this we may be aided in judging of our preparation for heaven. The Sabbath on earth is a type of the Sabbath above. If we find no delight in the holy duties of the day, as now enjoyed, and feel the sacrifice of sanctifying it to be too great, how can we hope to enjoy it in the purity and holiness of heaven? But if it is our delight, and its sacred retirement from worldly cares refreshes the soul, we can discern some degree of conformity to the inheritance of the saints in light. It is our duty and our privilege, then, to comfort ourselves with the expectation of yet enjoying an eternal Sabbath, where there are no temptations to profane it, no despisers of religion to interfere with its quiet sanctification – no ignorance, through which we may fall into sin, and thus impair our enjoyment, – no disinclination of mind to hold communion with God, – where no weariness in duty, or languor in devotion can make the season appear too long.

THE END