tions in its conductors, but of our being engaged in the prosecution of great objects;-in the promotion of national reformation;-in dişcountenancing every species of vice and immorality;-in urging the observance of the Sabbath and other religious institutions;-in encouraging all public spirited and charitable efforts;-in stimulating to adequate exertions to extend the knowledge of Christ at home and abroad; and in enforcing, according to our opportunity and ability, the great doctrines and duties of Christianity. If this representation should be deemed correct, it will clearly follow, that no ordinary responsibility rests upon us. Though our means of usefulness are much smaller than could be desired, we have still abundant reason to labor and pray that none of these means be neglected. To us the lapse of time brings peculiarly solemn admonitions. Every year removes many of our readers to the eternal world. To do good to those who remain is a high duty. They, and the writers for our pages; must soon follow. Let our Savior's words be present to the minds of all: The night cometh when no man can work. RELIGIOUS COMMUNICATIONS. For the Panoplist. ON THE SABBATH. NO. VI. cumstances. Those persons, whe have the whole day to themselves, can read more than the heads of young families, who are The Sanctification of the Sabbath. bound to devote a very conside In my last number, after briefly showing what is implied by remembering the Sabbath day, and what is meant by keeping it holy, I proceeded to specify some of the appropriate duties and services of holy time; viz. serious medication, prayer, and self-examination. I now proceed to remark, 4. That some portion of every Lord's day ought to be spent in reading the Scriptures and other religious books. Whether the time devoted to this object shall be one hour, or two, or five, or more, in any particular case, it is obvious, that no general rule of duty can be laid down with exactness. The rule must necessarily vary according to cir rable portion of the Sabbath, to the care and instruction of their children. The healthy can read more than the weak and infirm, and those, who live near the house of God, more than others, who live at a considerable distance, if, in each case, they regularly attend public worship. The same person, also, has much more time for reading on some Sabbaths, than on others. On one Sabbath, it may be his plain duty to spend more time than usual in prayer; the next in religious conversation; and the third in attending public warship; in each of which cases, he will have less time for reading. Nor have sickness and health, whether personal, or among friends, less influence in varying the rule of duty. If I am confined to my bed with a fever, or if my family is sick, it is plain that I am not required to do what God in his providence has rendered impossible. But, although no invariable rule can be given, it is certain, that reading, or hearing the Scriptures read, should employ some part of every person's time upon the Sabbath. Sickness, unless it be extreme, furnishes no exception. Every sick person has friends, or attendants, who can read to him; and his being sick is an additional reason why he should turn his most serious attention to that blessed volume, in which life and immortality are brought to light. If the lively oracles may not be neglected on any other day, without incurring the Divine displeasure, much less may they be neglected upon the Lord's day. See How glorious, how precious, is the light of revelation! how bright it shines upon this fallen and benighted world! It is the Bible, that reveals to us the perfections of its infinite Aushor. It is the Bible, and no other book, that informs us how a sinner can be justified before God. It is that boly volume, which points us to the Lamb of God, which tuketh away the sin of the world that speaks to the trembling believer, son, daughter, be of good cheer, thy sins be forgiven thee that contains a balin for every spiritual wound, a cordial for every sorrow. It is the Bible, that guides the steps of the weary pilgrim, through the wilderness of this world, and sheds the light of heaven upon the darkness of the grave;—a light, which pierces the thick gloom of the valley of the shadow of death, and directs the eyes of the believer to realms of eternal day. Animated by the hopes which the Bible authorizes, supported by its consolations and promises, thousands have triumphed in their last cold agonics, and begun their eternal song before their flesh and heart entirely failed. And shall such a book,-shall the most precious gift of God to men, next to that of his Son, ever be laid out of sight for one day? Shall such a treasure be lightly esteemed by fallen man? How worthy to be kept every hour at his right hand! How much more precious, than all the gems, that ever glittered in the crown of royalty! It is said, that Alexander the great, falsely so called, took the works of Homer along with him in all his wars, and every night laid them with his sword, under his pillow. How much more worthy are the Scriptures to be near our hearts. Let the Bible, then, be our most intimate compan ion, Especially let the perusal of it always find a place in our early preparations for the Sabbath. Let all the time, on Saturday evening, which is not employed in other religious duties, be spent in reading it. Let it be read in the morning, before public worship, then during the intermission, and again after the public services of the day are concluded. Let the texts selected by the preacher be carefully examined. Let all truth be treasured up in the memory. Let the fruits of righteousness abundantly testify, that the good seed has taken deep root in good ground. It would be very easy to specify a great number of religious books, within almost every person's reach, which may undoubtedly be read upon the Lord's day, provided they do not eneroach upon the time, which be longs to the Bible. The Bible must ever have the pre-emimence. It must be read first, and read more than any other book or books. It is only when we have time to spare from the Scriptures, that we may attend to the writings of pious uninspired men, upon the Sabbath. 5. The Lord's day is to be sanctified by a regular and devout attendance upon public worship. That frequent and solemn public acknowledgments are due to the Author of all good, is a dictate of natural religion. It is well known, that the heathen, almost every where, have, from the earliest times, had their appointed seasons of meeting to worship their gods. But not to insist on the example of pagans, though it might well shame multitudes who call themselves Christians, we have a more sure word of prophecy, to which let us diligently take heed. " The law was appointed of old to be read in the synagogues, every Sabbath day. And surely, if the priests were bound to read, it was the duty of the people to assemble and hear. Indeed, an express command of God to the Jews, was, Ye shall keep my Sabbaths, and reverence my sanctuary. To do this, his people have in all ages accounted one of their highest privileges. I was glad, saith David, when they said unto me, Let us go into the house of the Lord. Our feet shall stand within thy gates, O Jerusalem. Jerusalem is builded as a city, that is compact together, whither the tribes go up, the tribes of the Lord, unto the testimony of Israel, to give thanks unto the name of the Lord In what plaintive strains does the same holy man lament his exclusion from the sanctuary. How amiable are thy tabernacles, O Lord of hosts; mỳ soul longeth, yea even fainteth, for the courts of the Lord. My heart and my flesh crieth out for the living God. Blessed are they that dwell in thy house: they will be still praising thee. For a day spent in thy courts is better than a thousand. It would be easy to show, did. the time permit, that the apos tles, and other primitive Christians, assembled statedly for religious worship, upon the first day of the week, which has been proved to be the Christian Sabbath. See John xx, 19, 26; Acts xx, 7; and Cor. xvi, 1, 2. Nor must I omit to refer the reader to Luke iv, 17, where the Evangelist informs us, that our Divine Lord, as his custom was, went into the synagogue, on the Sabbath day. Strictly accordant with the requisitions of the law, the custom of the pious Jews, and the practice of Christ and his apostles, is the following exhortation of the inspired writer to the Hebrews. Let us consider one another to provoke unto love and good works; not forsaking the assembling of our. selves together, as the manner of some is. I will not spend time in proving, what the history of the church puts beyond all controversy, that the most eminent servants of God have, from that day down to the present, highly valued the blessings of public worship. If, then, we regard his author ity, who instituted the Sabbath; if our feelings and desires are akin to those of the sweet Psalmist of Israel; if we regard the example of Christ; if we desire to walk in the steps, and participate in the bliss, of those pious, men and women, who have gone to their heavenly rest, we shall reverence the Lord's sanctuary, by a conscientious and solemn attendance on public worship. Nay, unless some should choose to be more heathenish than the heathen themselves, they will not fail to unite, regularly, in public acknowledgments for the mercies which they daily and hourly receive. But, alas, how many such heathens are there, in this land! How many, who have been bap tised into the name of the adorable Trinity, live and die, in sight of the Lord's house, where they are never seen, unless it be used for a secular purpose, and then only to mingle in the strife of party politics! How many more have taught us not to expect them in our solemn assemblies, except when summoned by the voice of death, in the removal of some near friend, or excited by curiosity to hear a new preach er, or an occasional sermon. How many saunter and sleep away half the Sabbath at home, and then bless themselves for obliging us with their presence a part of the day. How many sit down to eat and drink, after Vor. XF. the morning service, and rise up to play. Surely no candid reader will infer, from the preceding observations, that, in the opinion af the writer, absence from public worship can never admit of a scriptural justification. God certainly no where requires of his creatures according to what they have not. When a person is confined to his room with a broken bone, or to his bed with a consumption, he plainly is not required to go out. Nor if he is so seriously indisposed, that he would be in great danger of increasing or prolonging his distemper. But some people are visited with a sort of intermittent or periodical disease, which comes on almost every Sabbath, and goes off by Monday morning. We see and hear of them, every where, six days, but on the seventh they are confined. Now,it ought to be solemnly remembered, that it is not every slight com. plaint, which can excuse us from waiting upon God in his house. If we should feel able to expose ourselves as much, on a week day, and for a worldly purpose, the excuse is vain. If we are not so ill that we should be obliged, for that cause alone, tö decline an invitation to dinner, or a tea-party, the excuse is vain. Again; I shall readily admit, that drenching rains in summer, and drifting snows in winter, may sometimes render it hazardous for persons in health, espe cially females, to go out on the Lord's day. But it is not every threatening cloud, or fog, nor even every considerable fall of rain, or snow, that can be pleaded as a sufficient excuse. If our *2 Souls long for the house of the Lord, it is certain we shall not be detained from public worship by trifles. When any doubts arise, in regard to what is duty, let us look to God for direction. He giveth liberally and upbraid eth not. The The excuse which some people make, for not attending public worship, that they have not decent clothes, is, believe, in nine instances out of ten, inval id. This excuse is not unfrequently the offspring of pride. If those, who make it, had the ornaments of a meek and quiet spirit, they would be contented with and thankful for such apparel as they have. As for those, who are really destitute, it is certain, that most of them might clothe themselves decently to appear in the house of God; because many actually do so, with means quite as scanty, and laboring under embarrassments quite as great, as they possess. cause of their alleged inability is to be found in their idleness, in their tavern-bills, or in the marks, that stand against the initials of their names, on the shelves and walls of dram-shops. To the question, What portion of holy time ought to be appropriated to public worship? no precise answer, perhaps, can be given. Generally, it has been found convenient to meet twice every Lord's day. In compliance with this arrangement, it is the duty of all, who are interested in it, to attend both services. Till we hear the pious members of our churches complain, that the practice interferes with other duties, it is worse than trifling for persons, who neglect other duties, to plead, that they have not time for this. If in some extensive and thinly settled parishes, it is found very inconvenient, during the cold season, to meet more than once on the Lord's day, the rule of duty is changed; and it is changed again, if, in cities and other compact settlements, it is found, that the interests of Christ's kingdom are promoted by three stated services. God has left this matter, as he has many other things, to be regulated by his people, according to circumstances. When, with a due regard to these, they decide upon meeting once, twice, or three times, on the Sabbath, it is the duty of all concerned, to acquiesce in the arrangement, and to honor it by a cheerful attendance. 6. Some part of the Lord's day may very profitably be spent in religious conversation. The advantages of such conversation are many; but I can only find room just to mention two or three. It brightens the intellect and warms the heart. Iron sharpeneth iron, so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend. Did the hearts of the two disciples burn within them, when going to Emmaus? It was the conversation · of Christ, which kindled their affections into a holy flame; and though no man ever spake like him, multitudes of Christians can testify, from their own experience, to the sweetness of religious conversation How often has it revived their languishing graces. How happily has it con tributed to clear up their doubts, and to urge them forward in the race set before them. Such conversation tends, also, more than almost any thing else, |