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THE

UTICA CHRISTIAN MAGAZINE.

VOL. III.

MAY & JUNE, 1816.

ON THE SABBATH. NO VIII.

No. 11 & 12.

Bake

his place on the seventh day. We find Exceptions to the 4th Commandment.no license here, for any kind of labor. AN extremely important inquiry is The Israelites might not so much as go suggested by the preceding observa-out to gather their daily portion of food. tions, viz. Do the Scriptures author- It must be brought into their tents the ize any exception to the prohibitions preceding day. It seems, however, of the fourth commandment, which that they were allowed to prepare, i. e. have been quoted; or do they give to bake or boil it, on the Sabbath; for such a construction to the law, as will Moses did not require them to cook justify a departure from the letter of the whole on the sixth day. it, in any supposed circumstances? If that, said he, which ye will baketo-day, they do not, then no human authority and seethe that ye will seethe, and that may presume to make a single excep-which REMAINETH over lay up for you tion, or to give the law any such liber- to be kept until the morning. From al construction. We may not go be- this we may fairly infer, I think, that yond the word of the Lord, to do less or the necessary preparations of plain and more. To the lan and to the testimo-wholesome fare, on the Sabbath, is not ny we must appeal in this case, as well inconsistent with the spirit of the fourth as every other, and must cheerfully commandment. Having got all things abide by the decision, whatever it may be.

ready on the day preceding, the children of Israel might cook their manna, in a plain way, and that was all. The law, I apprehend, allows us to do as much for our present comfort, but nothing more.

Let us, then, in the first place, see what further light we can obtain from the Old Testament. Turning to the sixteenth chapter of Exodus we find, that the Israelites, of their own accord, The following passage in the thirtygathered twice as much manna on the first chapter of Exodus, may serve to sixth day, as they had gathered upon throw some additional light on the subany preceding day. When this came ject before us. Ye shall keep the Sab-' to the ears of Moses, it met with his bath, therefore, for it is holy unto you. entire approbation; and he directed Every one, that defileth it, shall surely the people to bake and boil what was be put to death; for whosoever doeth necessary for that day's use, and lay any work therein, that soul shall be cut up the rest until the morning;-telling off from amongst his people. Six days them, at the same time, that as the may work be done, but in the seventh is morrow would be the Sabbath, no the Sabbath of rest holy to the Lord;manna would be found in the field.-whosoever doeth ANY WORK in the SabMost of the people did as they were bath day, he shall surely be put to death. commanded, but some went out on the Wherefore the children of Israel shall seventh day. They, however, found keep the Sabbath to observe the Sabbath, nothing. And the Lord said unto Mo-throughout their generations, for a perses, how tong refuse ye to keep my com-petual covenant. It is a sign between mandments and my laws? See, for that me and the children of Israel forever :the Lord hath given you the Sabbath, for in six days the Lord made heaven therefore he giveth you, on the sixth day, and earth, and on the seventh day he the bread of two days; abide ye every rested and was refreshed. This seems man in his place; let no man go out of to be a sort of commentary upon the

No

fourth commandment, and, viewed in required in preparing the sanctuary ;this light, comfirms the literal import but none even of that work might be of its prohibitions. At any rate, the done on the Sabbath. If fires in genIsraelites were forbidden under pain of eral be understood, we must suppose, death, to do any work upon the Sab- either that it was a temporary institubath. The same prohibition is repeat- tion, for the time during which the peoed in chapter 34. Six days thou shall ple in the wilderness were miraculouswork; but on the seventh day thou shalt ly provided for; or that some exceprest; in earing lime and in harvest thou tions were allowed, in favor of the sick, shalt rest. No instance of transgres-infirm and children, who must suffer sion is mentioned, till we come to the extremely at some seasons, even in fifteenth chapter of Numbers. The warm climates, for want of fire. crime and the punishment of one indi-intimation is given, that in the times of vidual are there related in the follow-Christ and his Apostles, the Jews had ing words: And while the children of no fires on the Sabbath, or even that Israel were in the wilderness, they found they prepared no victuals. The sacred a man that gathered sticks upon the festivals would sometimes happen on Sabbath day. And they that found him that day, and the paschal lamb was gathering sticks, brought him unto Mo-roasted in the house where it was eatses and Aaron, and unto all the congre-en; some exception therefore must be gation. And they put him in ward, be-supposed, if we understand the prohicause it was not declared what should be ||bition concerning fires in general.” done unto him. And the Lord said un- I do not know that any light can be to Moses, The man shall surely be put obtained from the Old Testament, in to death: all the congregation shall regard to the prohibitions of the Sabstone him with stones without the camp. bath, which is not comprised in the And all the congregation brought him preceding quotations. And what is the without the camp and stoned him with result of our examination? Why, upon stones and he died. The gathering of the most liberal construction and comsticks, in this case, was no doubt a parison of the different texts, that the presumptuous violation of the preced- Israelites might prepare their meals ing law, and the offender was execut-upon the Sabbath, but that they were ed as a warning to others not to profane the Sabbath.

not allowed to do any thing on that day, which might be called work, at any season of the year; neither they, nor their sons, nor their daughters, nor their servants, nor their cattle.

Let us now turn to the New Testaent. The son of Man was the Lord of the Sabbath. In what light did he

There is a passage in Exodus 35, which seems to be attended with some difficulty, and has given rise to various expositions and conjectures. It is in the words following: Six days shall work be done, but on the seventh day there shall be to you an holy day, a regard the institution? I had occasion Sabbath of rest to the Lord. Whosoev-to show, in a former number, that the er doeth work therein, shall be put to Gospels contain no hint of his having death. Ye shall kindle no fire through-abrogated the fourth commandment, out your habitations, on the Sabbath but much to the contrary. It is cerday. The difficulty lies in the clause,tain, however, that he gave it a more Ye shall kindle no fire, &c. I have liberal and merciful construction than seen nothing more satisfactory on this the Scribes and Pharisees did. When text, than the following brief observa-on a particular Sabbath he wrought a tions of Dr. Scott. "The connexionmiracle of healing upon a woman who favors the opinion, that the prohibition had been grieveously afflicted for eighwas meant of fires used in manufacto-teen years, the ruler of the synagogue ries, or trades, by smiths, plumbers indignantly rebuked the people. There and others, of which many would be are six days, said he, in which men

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ought to work; in them, therefore, come suffering, or danger, on the Sabbath, and be healed, and not on the Sabbath while they absurdly objected to the day. Our Lord, knowing that the re-healing of the sick, and to plucking a buke was intended for him, answered: few ears of grain to satisfy hunger. Thou hypocrite, doth not each one of Secondly, that works of mercy are you on the Sabbath loose his ox, or his lawful upon the Sabbath, and of course ass, from the stall and lead him away to that they may be performed by any the watering; and ought not this wo-person, whenever occasion requires.— man, being a daughter of Abraham, It is worthy of remark, that works of whom Satan hath bound, lo, these eigh-mercy are the only works on the Sabteen years, be loosed from this bond on bath, to which our Lord gives any the Sabbath day? This was a mode countenance. It was to relieve the ox, of address which admitted of no reply or the sheep, from present suffering, --and accordingly the Evangelist says, that he might be pulled out of a pit, on that all his adversaries were ashamed. the Sabbath day. It was to save him On another occasion, Jesus went on from suffering, that he might be led the Sabbath day through the corn, and away to watering. It was to deliver his disciples were an hungered, and be- men and women from pain and disgan to pluck the ears of corn and to eat. tress, that Christ healed them on the But when the Pharisees saw it, they said Sabbath. And it was because the disunto him, Behold thy disciples do that ciples were then hungry, that he excuwhich is not lawful to do on the Sab-sed them for plucking and rubbing a bath day. Jesus justified his disciples few ears of grain, as they passed on the ground, that it was proper, at through a field, on their way, (as it any time, to satisfy the cravings of hun- would seem) to public worship. Neiger; that to obtain relief from present ther the precepts, nor the example of distress, things might be done upon the Christ, can be pleaded, to sanction Sabbath, which, under other circum-works of any other character, than stances, would be unlawful. If, said such as are here enumerated. he, ye had known what this meaneth, I will those, who wish to make the ław will have mercy and not sacrifice, ye of the Sabbath void, by doing their own would not have condemned the guiltless. work, and finding their own pleasures; The same day, our Lord found in the in vain will they look for a hint to jussynagogue a man, whose hand was tify them, either in the Old Testament withered. The Jews, who were pres-or the New. ent, and who were anxious to find The preceding observations will, some accusation against Christ, asked I mistake not, help us to understand him, Is it lanful to heal on the Sabbath and limit the word necessity, in the sixday? And he said unto them, what man tieth answer of our Shorter Catechism. shall there be among you, that shall "The Sabbath is to be sanctified," say have one sheep, and if it fall into a pit the venerable Assembly of Divines, on the Sabbath day, will he not lay hold "by an holy resting all that day, even on it and lift it out? How much, then, from such worldly employments and is a man belter than a sheep. Where- recreations as are lawful on other days, fore it is lanful to do well on the Sab- and spending the whole time in public bath days. and private exercises of God's worship The preceding quotations contain-except so much as is to be taken up, what may be called our Lord's expo- in works of necessity and mercy.". sition of the prohibitory clause of the Without presuming to express a decifourth commandment. From the ded opinion, in regard to the use of the whole taken together we learn, word necessity here, I am sure that it First, that the Jews themselves con-has often been laid hold of, to justify sidered it proper to feed their cattle, works upon the Lord's day, which the and extricate them from any place of pious authors of the catechism would

In vain

if

have condemned with one voice. The || are necessary to be done on the Lord's word has so many significations, and is day; but it becomes us to be extremeo abstract in some of them, that men ly careful, that we do not go too far. who are wise to do evil, find no difficul-What I mean is this;-If the law perty in making out a plausible justification mitted the Israelites to feed and water for their weekly violations of the fourth their cattle, and to pull them out of the commandment. When strongly mire, or a pit, on the Sabbath day, prompted by interest, or inclination, these might in one sense be called mankind in general easily persuade works of necessity;-because food and themselves, that the things, which they || water were necessary for the comfort propose to do on the Sabbath, are ne-of beasts as well as men; and because, cessary, and therefore right. if left in a pit, till the Sabbath was over, a sheep or an ox would certainly suffer, and probably die. On the other hand, as the Israelites were prohibited under pain of death, from doing any thing, which might be called labor on God's holy day, necessity was put en

Thus one man verily believes, that securing his grain on that day is a work of necessity. Another, that making hay is necessary. A third, that posting his books is fully justifiable by the same plea. A fourth, that the urgency of his secular affairs renders it neces-tirely out of the question. It never sary for him to spend the Lord's day could be pleaded, however urgent in journeying. A fifth, that this same any man's secular business might be. imperious necessity, even makes it a In a strong and universal sense, food duty to load and send out his ship. I is necessary for the sustenance of man. am aware, that the Westminster Di-No one can live long without it. In a vines are not answerable for all the more limited sense, it is necessary evmisconstructions which may be put up-ery day. It is necessary, because we on their language. It would be most cannot in ordinary circumstances be unreasonable to demand of them to do, comfortable for one day, if we are what no writer or speaker ever has wholly destitute. In this last sense, it done, or ever can do. The imperfec-was doubtless necessary for the discitions of all human language afford am- ples to pluck the ears of corn. They ple scope, for miscoloring and perver-were hungry. They had nothing else sion. But inasmuch, as the word ne- to eat. Something was necessary to cessity is no where used by the sacred abate the cravings of nature. If our penmen, in reference to the Sabbath; Lord's indulgence in this case may be and inasmuch as it is liable to such pleaded as a precedent in all similar camighty abuses; I have, I freely confess, ses, we should take heed never to plead sometimes wished, that it had not the necessity when the cases are disfound its way into the catechism. similar. We may not give a wider, or Since, however, we find it there, and more liberal construction to the fourth since it has been adopted by most the- commandment, than Christ saw fit to ological writers, it is extremely impor- give. Such explanations as were netant to ascertain, in what scriptural cessary, he gave; but, in all other ressense, any works can be necessary up-pects, left the law just as he found it. on the Lord's day. To this end, we It does appear to me, after all the must keep close to the law and the tes-attention I have been able to bestow timony. To plead necessity for any word or deed, which the Holy spirit no where recognizes as lawful, can be nothing less, than setting up human opinions as paramount to the authority of God. With such explanations and limitations as the scriptures afford, we may perhaps say, that certain things

on the subject, that the Scriptures do not authorise any works, as works of necessity upon the Sabbath, which are not at the same time works of charity or mercy. Nor are all works of charity and mercy allowable. Those, and those only may be attended to, on the Lord's day which we had no opportunity

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urge, for doing their own work and finding their own pleasures upon the Lord's day. It is said then,

of doing before, and which cannot, con-subject is finally dismissed, to examine sistently with mercy and benevolence, some of the excuses which thousands be postponed to the end of the sacred rest. I would therefore inquire, with the most profound respect for the authors of our incomparable catechism, In the first place, that manual labor whether the phrase necessary works of in the field, is sometimes fully warmercy would not be more definite, less ranted by the most urgent necessity, liable to abuse, and in fact more cor- and therefore cannot be a violation of rect, than works of necessity and mer- the divine law. This is a favorite pocy? This would leave us as the Scrip-sition with many, whose conduct is in tures do, at full liberty to partake tem- the main correct; and they seem to perately of all the bounties of Provi- || think it impregnable. dence; to feed the hungry; to take Let us try this question of necessity, care of the sick; to comfort the afflict- however, by putting an extreme case. ed; and to attend to the sufferings and I am very poor, says one, my family is wants of domestic animals:-while, on large and entirely dependent on my the other hand, it would take away the earnings for subsistence. This year for plea of necessity, from those who now the first time I have a small field of gravely bring it forward to justify fine wheat, which I hoped to secure in thoughts and conversation and labors || good order. But by reason of continand journies and recreations, which ued rains ever since it was cut, I have are prompted by avarice instead of be-been compelled to leave it in the nevolence; by the lust of the flesh, the||swath till it begins to sprout in the ear. lust of eye, and the pride of life, instead The first fair day is the Sabbath.of mercy. Z. X. Y.

ON THE SABBATH, NO. IX.

Should I wait till Monday, it may rain again and wholly ruin the crop, in which case my children will be without bread. Now what is duty in this case? Shall I let the golden opportunity pass unimproved, or shall I go into the field and secure what a bountiful God has given me.

Shewing what is forbidden. WHEN the discussion of any important subject results in the firm establishment of a general principle, it is an extremely convenient method of evading its application, to remark coolly, In examining this supposed case of that every general rule has its excep- necessity the reader will perceive at a tions. By a free and dextrous use of glance, that it does not come within this trite adage, men contrive to justify the rule which I endeavored to estabthemselves in various practices, which fish in my last number. It will not comare contrary alike to the letter and pare with the case of pulling an animal spirit of the divine law. On no sub- out of a pit; of leading him away to ject, perhaps, is this perverse ingenuity || watering; of healing the sick; or of more frequently employed, than upon the disciples plucking the ears of corn. the prohibitions of the fourth com- If this poor man goes into his wheat mandment. The prevailing belief cer- field to labor on the Lords day, it is tainly is, (especially in New-England,) not to satisfy present hunger; it is not that the Sabbath is an ordinance of to alleviate distress which he or his God, and that as a general rule, world- family feels, at the time, but to provide ly employments and recreations on against future want. This comparison that day, are sinful. But then, three of cases ought, in my apprehension, to persons out of four have their excep- settle the question;-for what right has tions to plead, and before one half either a poor or a rich man to do a these exceptions are enumerated, the thing, for which he can find no warrant rule itself is virtually destroyed. It or precept, or example in the Scrip. seems important therefore, before the tures? God foresaw from the begin

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