N13259:668
Sermons, on the following subjects
Sermons, on the following subjects; The manner in which salvation is to be sought. The unreasonableness of indetermination in religion. Unbelievers contemn the glory of Christ. The folly of looking back in fleeing out of Sodom. The warnings of Scripture in the best manner adapted to the awakening and conversion of sinners. Hypocrites deficient in the duty of prayer. The future punishment of the wicked unavoidable and intolerable. The eternity of hell-torments. The peace which Christ gives his true followers. The perpetuity & change of the Sabbath. / By the late Reverend Mr. Jonathan Edwards, president of the College of New-Jersey.
Hartford: printed by Hudson and Goodwin, 1780
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
11. IT is evident by the new testament, that this was especially the day of the public worship of the primitive church, by the direction of the apostles. We are told that this was the day that they were wont to come together to break bread: and this they evidently did with the approbation of the apostles, in as much as they preached to them on that day; and therefore doubtless they assembled together by the direction of the apostles. Acts xx. 7. And upon the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul preached unto them.—So the Holy Ghost was careful that the public contributions should be on this day, in all the churches, rather than on any other day, as appears by our text.
12. THIS first day of the week is in the new testament called the Lord's day; see Rev. i. 10.—Some say, how do we know that that was the first day of the week? Every day is the LORD'S day. But it is ridiculous so to talk. For the design of John is to tell us, when he had those visions. And if by the LORD'S day is meant any day, how doth that inform us when that event took place?
BUT what is meant by this expression we know, just in the same way as we know what is the meaning of any word in the original of the new testament, or the meaning of any expression in an ancient language; viz. by what we find to be the universal signification of the expression in ancient times. This expression of the Lord's day is found by the ancient use of the whole christian church, by what appears in all the writings of ancient times, even from the apostles days, to signify the first day of the week.