which determined nearly all mankind, to agree in this primitive division of their time. Nothing, however, but tradition concerning the space of time, employed in the formation of the world, could have given rise to this almost universal and immemorial practice." a "For

the knowledge of the transactions of the creation, though much perverted, was never entirely lost among the Pagan nations." b Thus much for the division of time into weeks of seven days each. We shall notice—

(2.) The hallowing of a Seventh day Sabbath, from Adam to Moses; and from Moses to Christ. From Adam to Moses. And here, not to involve our subject in needless difficulties, we have taken for granted, that if there was an hebdomadal rest from Adam to Moses, it was observed, as after, on the seventh day of the week. To prove the reality of such an institution, we remark

First, That we have several Scripture Intimations of it.-It appears, then, from the early and incidental mention of "Seven days; yet seven days; other seven days; yet other seven days; fulfil her week, namely, of seven days; seven days were fulfiled; and they sat upon the ground, seven days:" e principally alluding to acts of religion; that the Sabbath was never totally neglected, or, at least, never lost sight of, in the antediluvian world, throughout the

a Parkhurst.

b Enc. Brit. C Gen. 1. 10.-vii. 4.-viii. 10.-viii. 12.-xxix. 27. comp. Judges, xiv. 12.—Exodus, vii. 25.-Job, ii. 13.

patriarchal ages, nor, by the Hebrews, during the Egyptian captivity. It appears, also, to have been "The end of days," or, the end of labouring days, when Cain and Abel offered sacrifices; and likewise "The days," or, the particular days, mentioned in Job; when the sons of God, or pious people, met together for religious worship. d

Secondly, That we have express Scripture Testimony for it:-" And on the sixth e day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made. And God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it; because that in it he had rested from all his work which he had made."ƒ "Could any intelligent and unprejudiced reader of the above verses, ever suppose it to be meant, that the sanctification of the seventh day did not take place till five and twenty hundred years afterwards, when the law was delivered on Mount Sinai? Yet, such is the hypothesis of those who deny that it took place at the creation." Those who contend that the Historian here speaks of the Sabbath, by way of prolepsis, or anticipation, would do well to consider, that, without a perfect solecism, which is seldom found in the Pentateuch, he must have spoken of the first, second, and third days, by way of prolepsis too; and that, as there was no Sabbath till after the giving of the law, so, likewise, there could be no first, second, or third days, till after

✔ Genesis, iv. 3. Heb.-Job, i. 6. and ii. 1. Heb.-e LXX.

f Gen. ii. 2. 3.

that period; which few, it is imagined, will be sufficiently weak to admit.

But, in answer to this, some have asserted, That the third verse of the above quotation should be read as if written in a parenthesis; it being inserted by Moses in reference to the Sabbath, which was observed after the giving of the law, when he composed the history of the creation; and simply intimates, That though, in his time, the seventh day was sanctified to the service of God, yet that it was not so from the beginning." But, this construction will make the sense, or rather, the nonsense, as follows: "And God rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made; that is to say, the very next day after finishing the work of creation: wherefore, two thousand five hundred years after that time, God blessed and sanctified the seventh day; not that seventh day on which at first he rested, but a seventh day that, in the revolution of time, fell out so long after, and which was not blessed or sanctified before." The exposure of the fallacy must be its infallible cure.

Admitting, then, that the above verses were written in reference to an act which passed at the creation; it is enquired, If they do not contain, as some imagine, the Institution of the Sabbath, what can possibly be meant by the phrase, “He sanctified the seventh day ?" To sanctify any thing is, to make it intrinsically better, as the souls of men; to publish its purity, as the name of God; or, to set it apart from a common to a sacred purpose, as the vessels of the sanctuary.

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But, as time cannot be made more holy in itself, as a declaration of its excellence presupposes its purity, to bless or sanctify a day, *must mean, to set it apart from a common to a sacred purpose; that is to say, as a day on which works unusually holy are to be performed. It then follows, that God set apart the seventh *day, either for himself, on which to do works unusually holy; or, for his creatures, when they should be peculiarly devout in their duty towards him. To suppose the first, is absurd; and to admit the latter, is all we contend for. And this argument is confirmed by the Saviour, who declared, "That the Sabbath was made for man.' Nor can it be supposed that a gracious God, who suits his mercies to his creatures' miseries, sanctified the first seventh day for the benefit of mankind, and not the following, and every ensuing seventh day; seeing the Sabbath was much more necessary after the fall than before it.

Thirdly, That we have clear Corroberative Evidence of it.-Before the giving of the law on Sinai, and soon after the exodus of the Hebrews from Egypt, the Sabbath is spoken of, as being well known to the people, and its duties religiously observed. Then said the "Lord unto Moses, Behold I will rain bread from heaven for you; and the people shall go out and gather a certain rate every day; that I may prove them, whether they will walk in my law or no. And it shall come to pass, that on the sixth day they shall prepare that which

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they bring in; and it shall be twice as much as they gather daily. And it came to pass, that on the sixth day they gathered twice as much bread, two omers for one man: and all the rulers of the congregation came and told Moses. And he said unto them, This is that which the Lord hath said, To-morrow is the rest of the holy Sabbath unto the Lord; bake that which ye will bake to-day, and seethe that which ye will seethe to-day; and that which remaineth over lay up for you, to be kept until the morning. And they laid it up till the morning, as Moses bade; and it did not stink, neither was there any worm therein. And Moses said, Eat that to-day; for to-day is a Sabbath unto the Lord: to-day ye shall not find it in the field. Six days ye shall gather it; but on the seventh day, which is the Sabbath, in it there shall be none." g Now, if the Sabbath was not instituted at the creation, when, we ask, was it instituted? To reply, At the encampment in Marah, as some have contended, is a fiction long ago amply exposed: h and to say, At the giving of the law, is not to the point; for, as above, we find it mentioned, at least, some weeks before that time." And the incidental manner in which it is there spoken of, is a convincing proof, that the Israelites were no strangers to the institution; for had it been a new one, it must have been enjoined in a positive and particular manner, and the nature of it must have been

g Exodus, xvi. 4. 5, 22—26. h Dr. Owen on the Sabbath.