Sabbath Observance and Self-Restraint
week. This proved a snare to the Jews, as is evident from the scripture now before us. And no doubt it is a snare to many at the present day, who seem desirous to make the Sabbath something more than a day of worldly business. 2. From the text before us we learn that when we cannot restrain others from the profanation of holy time, we should be sure and restrain ourselves. The Jews were now in a dependent state, and they were surrounded by those who did not regard the Sabbath. If they could not prevent the heathen from bringing their ware and victuals to market, still they could agree together, that they would not buy it of them on that day. If others will profane the Sabbath, we must see to it, that we do not suffer them to draw us into their loose and pernicious practices. If I cannot prevent my neighbor from introducing some worldly topic of discourse, unsuitable for the Sabbath, still I may waive it, or propose a topic more suitable to the day. If you cannot prevent a neighbor from calling to pay you a visit on that day, you can certainly keep from returning the visit on that day, if you cannot summon up courage to tell him plainly, that you do not wish to receive or pay visits on the holy Sabbath. It would no doubt be highly proper to manifest your disapprobation of this practice, both by words and actions. We further notice in this text, that those Jews, who seemed disposed for a thorough reformation, agreed not to buy any wares on the Sabbath, or on the holy day. 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 honorable; and shalt honor 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. This passage reflects much light upon the holy Sabbath. 1. It points out three ways by which the sabbath is trodden under foot, or encroached upon. 1st. By doing our own ways. Six days are our own, in distinction from the seventh, which the Lord calls his day. By “our own ways,” in the place before us, we are to understand the same as our work, our business. In the commandment it is said, six days shalt thou labor and do all thy work. In the same way we are to understand “our own,” in this whole passage; not as necessarily implying that which would be wrong to be done on the working days; otherwise, piety would lead us to avoid them on other days, as well as the holy day of the Lord. The second way, here mentioned, of encroaching on the Sabbath, is by doing or finding our own pleasure. Pleasure, in distinction from work, is recreation or amusement. Some recreations are vain and sinful on any day; these must of course be forbidden on the day which is holy to the Lord. Others, when under due regulations, are admissible on the week days; such as visiting our friends, or riding abroad to take the air, and please our eyes, and recreate our minds with the delightful scenes of nature: but these also are forbidden on the Sabbath. In the passage before us, the laying aside of our amusements and recreations is enjoined with emphasis. “If thou turn away thy foot from doing thy pleasure on my holy day;” It is repeated in the same verse, “nor finding thine own pleasure.” It is said, there are some who are very scrupulous in not doing their own work, who think it perfectly lawful to find their own pleasure, or recreation, on the Lord’s holy day. Do not such resemble the teachers in the time of our Saviour, who made a mighty difference between swearing by the temple, and by the gold of the temple? They said, Whosoever shall swear by the temple, it is nothing; but whosoever shall swear by the gold of the temple, he is a debtor. So these seem to say, Whosoever shall labor on the Sabbath, he is an infidel; but whosoever shall only play on the Sabbath, he is a good Christian. To such it might be said, Ye fools and blind, for whether is the greater offence, to sneak away the Sabbath, or to sport it away? There is a great difference between the Lord’s holy days, and men’s hollidays. The former are days eminently designed to prepare us for heaven; the latter, are days peculiarly calculated to fit us for hell. If the Sabbath is considered as a holiday, a day of pastime, instead of a holy day, a day of religion, it must be, instead of the best, the worst, and most dangerous day in the week. It would seem that the devil could not have invented a stratagem more calculated to impede the progress of the Redeemer’s kingdom, and to build up his own, than this transformation of the Lord’s consecrated day, into a day of sport. I fear there are some parts of our country, where even taverns are haunted on the Lord’s day; where games are played, and horses run over the race-ground. Others, who would be ashamed to be seen in these crowds, and taken up with these sports, are riding out for their pleasure, or politely giving, or accepting, invitations to dinners, or to tea parties. If such are not down-right infidels, let them ask themselves, Is this keeping holy the Sabbath-day? 3d. Speaking our own words, is an encroachment on the Sabbath. After being told that we must not find our own pleasure, it is added, “nor speaking thine own words.” We may talk on the Sabbath, but it must be such talk as belongs to a day holy to the Lord. It must not be vain; it must not even be secular. Would there not be a strange incongruity in the command, if it strictly forbade labor and recreation, but allowed us to talk freely about them both, and lay out all the business and recreations of the week on the holy Sabbath? Some, in quoting this passage, have added another clause, namely, “not thinking thine own thoughts.” This is not expressed in the text; but the sentiment is just, and it is easily gathered from what is expressed. Thoughts about the business or pleasures of the week, do, when they are indulged, pollute the Sabbath in His view, from whom no thought can be withheld. 2. From this important portion of scripture, we not only learn what we must not do, but also what we must do, if we would keep the Sabbath in such a manner, as to please the Lord of the Sabbath. 1st. We must call the Sabbath a delight. The Sabbath, a day sequestered from business, recreations, and worldly discourse, and consecrated to the worship of God, and spiritual improvement; is a striking emblem of heaven. The Lord requires that we love this day, considered as a holy day; that we anticipate it with desire, and welcome it when it arrives; and that we drop our secular business, and go into, and continue in, its holy services with great delight. Surely, they who love God will call the Sabbath a delight. 2d. We are here required to call “the holy of the Lord honorable.” The Sabbath is a standing memorial, that Jehovah is our Creator. It becomes us not to be ashamed of the day, which our Creator has sanctified and blessed; and which, in distinction from all other days, he calls his own. If it be a disgrace for us, to own ourselves to be his dependent offspring, and to be in need of his salvation, then we may well be ashamed of his day. We are ashamed of it, and of its Author, if we are ashamed to keep it, even in the strictest sense, holy to the Lord. We are not only to call, or esteem, the holy of the Lord honorable, but we are so to spend it as to “honor Him.” The Sabbath is not truly sanctified by ever so strict an observance of it, if the glory of God is not regarded. The religion of the Bible requires that the ultimate end should always be to glorify God. Lastly. From the portion of inspired truth before us, we learn that God has promised great good to those who truly sanctify his Sabbaths. “I will cause thee (i. e., on condition of delighting in the Sabbath and turning away from every encroachment upon it) 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.” A regard to the Sabbath is supposed to be connected with obedience to the other commands of God. And it is most certain, that such a regard to the Sabbath as is described by the Prophet, will be attended with correspondent obedience to other divine requirements. And this is also certain, that a nation, or people, to whom God has made known his holy Sabbath, cannot expect his blessing, if they lightly esteem, and disregard it.