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your fathers thus, and did not our God bring all this evil upon us, and upon this city? yet ye bring more wrath upon Israel, by profaning the Sabbath.

Q. 5. May we not lawfully recreate ourselves upon the Sabbath-day, especially since the day is appointed to be a day of rest from our toiling labour in the week?

A. We may and ought to recreate our minds on the Sabbath-day in the worship of God, we being bound to call and make in this respect the Sabbath our delight. But we ought to forbear recreating our minds with carnal delight, either by words or deeds, which we may do on other days; and much more we ought to forbear recreating our bodies by sports and pastimes, though after the public exercise of God's worship be over. Isa. lviii. 13, 14, 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 shalt 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: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.

Q. 6. Though masters and governors of families are bound themselves to rest upon the Sabbath-day, yet may they not command their children and servants to work, or permit them to play and take their recreation?

A. Indeed the commandment is principally directed to masters and governors of families; but withal, so as it doth enjoin them to do what in them lieth, to hinder their children and servants from the profanation of the day by servile working, or bodily recreations, and to put them upon the observation of this day of rest: In it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter thy man-servant, nor thy maid-servant, &c.

Q. 7. May not children or servants lawfully work o play upon the Sabbath-day, if they be commanded here unto by their parents or masters?

A. Though it be the sin of the parents or masters command their children or servants to work, or any ot

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er way to break the Sabbath; yet it is the duty of chil dren and servants to disobey them, whatever temporal loss they sustain by it; they being bound to obey the God of heaven, rather than any man upon earth.

Q. 8. Is it lawful to dress meat on the Sabbath-day? A. Although it was the will of the Lord, that the chil dren of Israel should neither gather nor dress the manna that fell from heaven, on the Sabbath-day, there being so much servile work to be done about it before it was fit to be eaten; namely, the grinding of it in mills, or beating it in mortars, and then breaking it, which servile work is still unlawful, unless in cases of necessity; and although fires were forbidden to be kindled in all their habitations, Exod. xxxv. 3. that is, to forbear worldly employments as the works forbidden in the former verse were, and his instance is a special of the general) yet the scripture loth no where forbid the dressing meat at all, for ordijary food, nor the kindling of fires for such use: but he lawfulness of meat may be collected from the scripre, inasmuch as our Saviour himself was present at feast on the Sabbath-day, Luke xiv. 1. where no doubt eat was dressed for so many guests as were there bidAnd when we are allowed to provide for food for r cattle on the Sabbath, surely we may lawfully dress eat for ourselves.

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Q. 9. What works doth God allow us to do on the bbath-day, besides those which he doth principally mand us?

A. The works which God doth allow us to do on the bbath-day, besides what he doth principally command are works of necessity and mercy; such as eating, nking, defending ourselves from enemies, quenching fire of houses, visiting the sick, relieving the poor, ling cattle and the like; in all which employments ought not to have a reference chiefly to ourselves, or temporal advantage, but to be as spiritual as may be hem. Matth. xii. 1, 2, 3, At that time Jesus went on Sabbath-day through the corn; and his disciples e an hungered, and began to pluck the ears of corn, to eat. But when the Pharisees saw it, they said him, Behold, thy disciples do that which it not lawful

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to do upon the Sabbath-day. But he said unto them, Have ye not read what David did, &c. And verse 7, If you had known what this meaneth, I will have mercy and not sacrifice, ye would not have condemned the guiltless. And verse 10, 11, 12, They said unto him, Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath-day? And he said unto them, What man shall there be among you, that shall have one sheep, and if it fall into a pit on the Sabbathday, 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. Luke xiii. 14, 15, 16, And the ruler of the synagogue answered with indignation, because that Jesus had healed on the Sabbathday. The Lord then answered him and said, Thou hypocrite, doth not each one of you on the Sabbath-day loose his ox or his ass from the stall, and lead him away to watering? And ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan hath bound, lo, these eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath-day?

Q. 10. What are the holy exercises, or the works which we are principally commanded to do on the Sab bath-day?

A. The holy exercises which we are to be employed in, or the works which we are principally commanded to do on the Sabbath-day, are the public and private exercises, especially the public exercises of God's worship, such as hearing the word, prayer, receiving the sacrament, singing of psalms in the public assemblies of God's people. Isaiah lxvi. 23, And it shall come to pass, that from one Sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before me, saith the Lord. Luke iv. 16, And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up: and, as his custom was, he went unto the synagogue on the Sabbath-day, and stood up for to read." Acts xx.

7, And upon the first of the week, when the disciples come together to break bread, Paul preached unto them. Psal. xcii. Title, A psalm or song for the Sabbath-day.

Q. 11. How are we to perform these public exercises of God's worship on the Sabbath-day?

A. We are to perform these public exercises of God's

worship on the Sabbath-day, 1. With sincerity, having a single respect unto the honour and glory of God, whose day the Sabbath is. Isaiah lviii. 13, If thou call the Sabbath the Holy of the Lord, Honourable; and shalt honour him. 2. With reverence, and that both of body and mind. Eccl. v. i, Keep thy foot when thou goest to the house of God. Isaiah Ixvi. 2, To this man will I look, even to him that is poor, and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word. 3. With diligence and attention. Acts xvi. 13, 14, And on the Sabbath we went out of the city by a river side, where prayer was wont to be made. And Lydia, which worshipped God, heard us, whose heart the Lord opened, that she attended unto the things which were spoken of Paul. 4. With love and fervor of spirit. Rom. xii. 11, Fervent in spirit, serving the Lord. 5. With delight and joy. Isaiah Iviii. 13, If thou call the Sabbath a delight.

Q. 12. What are we to do by way of preparation for the public exercises of God's worship on the Sabbath. day?

A. By way of preparation for the public exercises of God's worship on the Sabbath-day, we are, 1. To remember before the day come, to keep it holy, so as to finish our worldly business and employments on the week-days, and timely to break off from them on the Saturday evening, and to take pains to get our hearts in a readiness for the holy duties of the Sabbath. 2. In the morning of the Sabbath we must begin the day with God, in holy meditation upon the works of God's creation, and especially upon the works of redemption,which were completed by Christ's resurrection upon this day; we must read the scripture, and some other good books, as we have time, for the better fitting us for our more public and solemn worship; especially we must pray in secret, and in our families, for God's presence in his ordinances, and that God would assist his ministers, who are his mouth to us, and ours to him; and that he would assist us in a sincere and hearty performance of public duties, that we may attain more knowledge, experience, and mortification, further degrees of grace, and more communion with God.

13. What are we to do on the Sabbath-day, after the public exercises of God's worship are over?

A. After the public exercises of God's worship are over, the work of the Sabbath is not over; but we must retire to our families (not seek our pleasure in the fields, or in vain company) and there repeat over what we heard; catechise and instruct children and servants, sing psalms, pray with our families; and while we moderately make use of any creature-refreshment, we must discourse of the things of God. We ought also to take time in the evening, to retire into secret, and there examine ourselves as to the carriage of our hearts before God in the day; labour in meditation to get the word wrought more thoroughly upon our hearts; we must also endeavour to pour out our hearts before God in secret prayer, humbly confessing sin, earnestly and believingly requesting pardon, and farther supplies of grace, and thankfully praising God for all his mercies, especially for his Son Jesus Christ, and the gospel privileges which we have in and by him. In such variety of holy exercises we may spend the whole Sabbath, which we should make as long as we can; and when the day is at an end, we should long for the Sabbath in heaven, which will never have an end.

Q. 61. What is forbidden in the fourth commandment?

A. The fourth commandment forbiddeth the omission or careless performance of the duties required, and the profaning the day by idleness, or doing that which is in itself sinful; or by unnecessary thoughts, words, or works, about worldly employments or recreations.

Q. 1. What sort of sins are forbidden in the fourth commandment?

A. The sins forbidden in the fourth commandment, are either sins of omission, or sins of commission.

Q. 2. What sins of omission are forbidden?

A. The sins of omission forbidden in the fourth commandment, are, 1. The omission of the duties of the Sab

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