3. The Sabbath is not duly Sanctified. Where Religion thrives, men will be careful to Sanctify the Sabbath according to their light: and God lays great weight on the Sanctification of the Sabbath, Jer. 17. 24, 25. But here is not due care about it: besides, other miscarriages that are more particular: Men do take a mighty liberty in their Discourses on that day; this is a spreading disease in the Land: between the Exercises they will talk of any thing, they will Discourse of their Corn and Hay, and the prizes of Commodities, of almost any thing that they discourse of on Working days: they ⟨p. 18⟩are mute about what they hear, and run into impertinent discourses. It were a fault in Boys, but Men and Women are guilty, yea such as pretend high to Religion are greatly culpable in this thing. This is expressly contrary to the Command of God, Isa. 58. 13. If thou turn away thy foot from the Sabbath, from doing thy pleasure upon my holy day, and call the Sabbath a delight, the boly of the Lord honourable, and shalt honour him, not doing thy own ways, nor finding thy own pleasure, nor speaking thy own words. And this liberty that men take does show, that their hearts are not under the awe of Gods command; that men are not Spiritual, that the Sabbath is not loved. Men would count themselves imprisoned to be restrained from Worldly idle talk upon the Sabbath. The Country is also very faulty in not Sanctifying days of THANKSGIVING according to Gods appointment: Days of Thanksgiving are holy days as well as days of Fasting: They are expressly called Sabbaths, Lev. 23. 39. And there is a prohibition of Servile work therein, verse 35. But some People allow themselves to do Servile Work; & in many places there is but one Meeting, (if it be excusable in some Towns, yet it is not in others) thereby young People have opportunity to meet together, and spend some part of the ⟨p. 19⟩day rudely: Days of Thanksgiving are kept in some Towns like Lecture days, and not like Sabbaths.
3. The Sabbath is not duly Sanctifyed. Where Religion thrives, men will be careful to Sanctify the Sabbath according to their light: and God layes great weight on the Sanctification of the Sabbath, Jer. 17. 24, 25. But here is not due care about it: besides, other miscarriages that are more particular: Men do take a mighty liberty in their Discourses on that day; this is a spreading disease in the Land: between the Exercises they will talk of any thing, they will Discourse of their Corn and Hay, and the prizes of Commodities, of almost any thing that they discourse of on Working dayes: they ⟨p. 18⟩are mute about what they hear, and run into impertinent discourses. It were a fault in Boyes, but Men and Women are guilty, yea such as pretend high to Religion are greatly culpable in this thing. This is expressly contrary to the Command of God, Isa. 58. 13. If thou turn away thy foot from the Sabbath, from duing thy pleasure upon my holy day, and call the Sabbath a delight, the boly of the Lord honourable, and shalt honour him, not doing thy own wayes, nor finding thy own pleasure, nor speaking thy own words. And this liberty that men take does shew, that their hearts are not under the awe of Gods command; that men are not Spiritual, that the Sabbath is not loved. Men would count themselves imprisoned to be restrained from Worldly idle talk upon the Sabbath. The Country is also very faulty in not Sanctifying days of THANKSGIVING according to Gods appointment: Dayes of Thanksgiving are holy dayes as well as dayes of Fasting: They are expressly called Sabbaths, Lev. 23. 39. And there is a prohibition of Servile work therein, verse 35. But some People allow themselves to do Servile Work; & in many places there is but one Meeting, (if it be excusable in some Towns, yet it is not in others) thereby young People have opportunity to meet together, and spend some part of the ⟨p. 19⟩day rudely: Days of Thanksgiving are kept in some Towns like Lecture days, and not like Sabbaths.
