Q1. How many reasons are there annexed to this commandment?

A. FOUR; which are more than to any of the rest.

Q2. Why are more reasons annexed to this command than to any of the rest?

A. Because of the proneness of men to break it; and likewise that the violation of it may be rendered the more inexcusable.

Q3. Which is the first reason?

A. It is God's allowing us six days of the week for our own employments; in these words, Six days shalt thou labour and do all thy work.

Q4. In what lies the strength of this reason?

A. It lies in this, that it would be most highly unreasonable and ungrateful to grudge a seventh part of our time in the more immediate service and worship of God; when he has been so liberal as to allow us six parts of it for our own secular and worldly affairs.

Q5. What similar instance of ingratitude may be given for the illustration of this?

A. The sin of our first parents in refusing to abstain from one tree, when they were allowed the free use of all the rest of the garden, Gen. 3:2, 3, 6.

Q6. Is working six days in our own employments a precept properly belonging to this commandment?

A. No; it is properly a branch of the Eighth Commandment, but it is brought in here incidentally, to enforce the sacred observance of a seventh day, when God has been so bountiful as to allow us six for our own occasions.

Q7. Which is the second reason annexed to this commandment?

A. It is his challenging a special propriety in the seventh; in these words, "but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God."

Q8. What is the force of this reason?

A. The force of it is this: - As that gracious God, who makes a grant of himself to us in the covenant of promise, claims this day as his own, so it is our greatest privilege or happiness to have access to, and communion with him on it, Isaiah 58:14.

Q9. In what lies the privilege or happiness of communion with God on his own day?

A. In having a foretaste in grace here of what shall be more fully enjoyed in glory hereafter, 1 Cor. 13:12.

Q10. Which is the third reason?

A. It is his own example; in these words, "For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day."

Q11. Could not God have made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, in less time than the space of six days?

A. No doubt, he could have made all things, in the same beauty and perfection, in which ever they appeared, in an instant of time, if he had pleased.

Q12. Why then did he take six days?

A. To fix the morality of six days for worldly labour, and of a seventh for holy rest; and both these by his own example.

Q13. But does not the example of God's resting the seventh day, oblige us still to observe the seventh day, in order from the creation, as a Sabbath?

A. No; because, though moral examples bind always to the kind of action, yet not always to every particular circumstance of it.

Q14. What is the kind of action to which God's example binds us?

A. It is to observe one day in seven as a holy rest, either the last or first, as he shall appoint.

Q15. How can God's example of resting on the seventh day be an argument for our resting on the first?

A. Though the observance of a particular day in seven be MUTABLE yet the duty of observing a seventh part of weekly time is MORAL, both by God's precept and example.

Q16. Which is the fourth reason annexed to this commandment?

A. It is his blessing the Sabbath day; in these words: "Wherefore, the Lord blessed the Sabbath day, and hallowed it."

Q17. In what sense may the Sabbath be said to be blessed?

A. Not only by God's consecrating the day itself to a holy use; but by his blessing it to the true observers of it, and by his blessing them in it.

Q18. How does God bless the Sabbath to the true observers of it?

A. By ordering it so in his providence, that the religious observance of the Sabbath shall be no detriment to, but rather a furtherance of their lawful employments through the week; even as the profanation of it draws a train of all miseries and woes after it, Neh. 13:18.

Q19. How does he bless them in it, or upon it?

A. By making it the happy season of a more plenteous communication of all spiritual blessings to them, Isaiah 58:14.

Q20. What does the illative79 particle WHEREFORE teach us?

A. That God's resting on the Sabbath was the great reason of his setting it apart to be a day of holy rest to us, that we might contemplate the works of God, both of creation and redemption, upon it.

Q1. What is the rest which God requires on the Sabbath?

A. It is not a mere natural or civil, but a holy rest, resembling the rest in Heaven, wherein the mind is most active and busy in the work of God, though the body be at rest, and the spirit not wearied with its work; Revelation 4:8 and the four beasts had each of them six wings about him, and they were full of eyes within, and they rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God almighty, which was, and is, and is to come.

Q2. May not any works of our civil calling be ordinarily done on that day?

A. No; it is sinful to put our hands ordinarily to our callings on that day, and God usually punishes it. Nehemiah 13:15, 16, 17, 18. In those days saw I in Judah some treading wine-presses on the Sabbath, and bringing up sheaves, and lading donkeys, as also wine-grapes, and figs, and all manner of burdens which they brought into Jerusalem on the Sabbath-day; and I testified against them in the day wherein they sold victuals. There dwelt men of Tyre also therein, which brought fish, and all manner of ware, and sold on the Sabbath, unto the children of Judah, and in Jerusalem. Then I contended with the nobles of Judah, and said unto them, What evil thing is this that you do, and profane the Sabbath-day? Did not your fathers thus, and did not our God bring all this evil upon us, and upon this city? Yet you bring more wrath upon Israel by profaning the Sabbath.

Q3. May we not refresh our bodies by recreations, or our minds by thoughts of earthly business, or discourses, on that day?

A. Recreations of the body, which are lawful on other days, are sinful on this day; and all the recreations of the mind allowed on this day, are spiritual and heavenly; Isaiah 58:13, 14. If you turn away your foot from the Sabbath, from doing your pleasure on my holy day, and call the Sabbath a delight, the holy of the Lord, honorable, and shall honor him, not doing your own ways, nor finding your own pleasure, nor speaking your own words; then shall you delight yourself in the, Lord, and I will cause you to ride upon the high places of the earth, and feed you with the heritage of Jacob your father; for the mouth of the Lord has spoken it.

Q4. What works may lawfully be done on that day?

A. Christ's example warrants works of necessity, and works of mercy, but no other; Matthew 12:3, 4. But he said unto them, have you not read what David did, when he was an hungered, and they that were with him, How he entered into the house of God, and did eat the shew-bread, which was not lawful for him to eat, neither for them that were with him, but only for the priests. And verse 7. But if you had known what this means, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice, etc.

Q5. What are the holy duties of the Sabbath?

A. The public worship of God; in reading, and hearing the word preached. Isaiah 66:23. And it shall come to pass, that from one new moon to another, and from one Sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before me, says the Lord, Luke 4:16.-And as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the Sabbath-day, and stood for to read. And prayer; Acts 16:13, 14. And on the Sabbath-day we went out of the city by a river side, where prayer was accustomed to be made, etc. And receiving the Sacrament; Acts 20:7. And upon the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul preached, etc.

Q6. Are private duties in our families required, as well as public, on the Sabbath?

A. Yes; it is not enough to sanctify the Sabbath in public ordinances, but God requires it to be sanctified in family and private duties; Leviticus 23:3.-But the seventh day is the Sabbath of rest, a holy convocation; you shall do no work therein: it is the Sabbath of the Lord in all your dwellings.

Q7. With what frame of spirit are all Sabbath duties, both public and private, to be performed?

A. They are to be performed with spiritual delight; Isaiah 58:13. If you turn away your foot from the Sabbath, from doing your pleasure on my holy day, and call the Sabbath a delight, etc. And all grudging at, and weariness of spiritual exercises, is a sin forbidden; Malachi 1:13. You said also, behold what a weariness is it, and you have snuffed at it, says the Lord of hosts, and you brought that which was torn, and the lame, and the sick; thus you brought an offering: should I accept this of your hand? says the Lord. Amos 8:5. When will the new moon be gone, that we may sell corn? and the Sabbath, that we may set forth wheat? etc.

Q8. What is the first reason annexed to this command?

A. The first reason is the sufficient, and large allowance of time God has given us for our civil callings, and earthly business. Six days in the week is a large allowance.

Q9. What is the second reason annexed to this fourth command?

A. The second reason is God's sanctifying and separating this day by a special command and institution for his service; so that to profane this time, is to sin against an express divine command.

Q10. What is the third reason annexed to this command?

A. The third reason is God's own example, who rested the seventh day from all his works, and blessed this day, by virtue of which blessing we are encouraged to sanctify it.

Q11. Is it not enough to sanctify this day in our own persons?

A. No; if God has put any under our authority, their profaning the Sabbath will become our sin, though we be never so strict in the observation of it ourselves.

Q12. May we continue our civil employment to the last moment of our common time?

A. Except necessity or mercy urge us, we ought to break off before, and allow some time to prepare for the Sabbath, Luke 23:54. And that day was the preparation, and the Sabbath drew on.

Q13. What is the first inference from hence?

A. That we have all great cause to be humbled for our Sabbath transgressions, either in our unpreparedness for it, our want of delight and spirituality in it, or the due government of our families as God requires.

Q14. What is the second inference from hence?

A. That Christians on the Sabbath-day have a fair occasion and help to realize to themselves the heavenly state, in which they are to live abstract from the world, and God is to be all in all to them, Of the fifth Commandment

Q1. Has God allowed us six days of the week?

A. Yes: Six days shalt thou labour and do all thy work.

Q2. Has he reserved but one day in seven for himself?

A. Yes: For he hath not made us to serve with an offering, nor wearied us with incense, Isa. 43:23.

Q3. Does he claim a special property in the seventh day?

A. Yes: It is the sabbath of the Lord thy God.

Q4. Has our Lord Jesus a property in it?

A. Yes: For the Son of man is Lord also of the sabbath, Mark 2:28.

Q5. Ought we not therefore to devote it to his service?

A. Yes: For will a man rob God? Mal. 3:8.

Q6. Did God the Creator set us an example of sabbath rest?

A. Yes: For the seventh day he rested and was refreshed, Exod. 31:17.

Q7. Did God the Redeemer set us an example of sabbath work?

A. Yes: For as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, Luke 4:16.

Q8. And has he given us encouragement in the work of the Christian sabbath?

A. Yes: For when they were assembled on the first day of the week, Jesus stood in the midst, John 20:19.

Q9. Has God blessed the sabbath day, and so put an honour upon it?

A. Yes: The Lord blessed the sabbath day and hallowed it.

Q10. Is it not an ill thing then for us to put a slight upon it?

A. Yes: As they do that despise the holy things, and profane the sabbath, Ezek. 22:8.

Q11. Has God appointed it to be a day of blessings to us?

A. Yes: There will I come to thee, and will bless thee, Exod. 20:24.

Q12. Are not they enemies to themselves then that neglect it?

A. Yes: They forsake their own mercies, Jonah 2:8.