2. God punisheth this sin of sabbath- breaking, by giving them up to commit o ther sins. God, to revenge the breaking of his sabbath, suffers men to break open hou- ses, and so come to be punished by the ma- gistrate. How many such confessions have we heard from thieves going to be execut- ed ! They never regarded the sabbath, and so God suffered them to commit those hei- nous sins, for which now they are to die.
3. God punisheth sabbath-hroakirig, by sadden visible judgments on men for this sin ; (iod punisheth them in their estates, and in their jiersons. One carrying coi'n into his barn on the Lord's day, loth house and corn were consumed with iire from hea\en. In Wiltshire there was a dancing- match appointed upon the Lord's day ; and one of tlie company, as he was dancing, fell down dead suddenly, and so was made a spectacle of God's justice. The ' Theatre of God's Judgments' relates of one, who us- ed every Lord's day to hunt in sermon- time, and he had a child by his wife with a head like a dog, and it cried like a hound. His sin was monstrous, and it was punish- ed with a monstrous birth. The Lord tln*eatened the Jews that if they would not hallow the sabbath-day, he would kindle a " fire in their gates," Jer. xvii. 27. The dreadful fire which brake out in London, began on the sabbath-day ; as if God would tell us from heaven, he was then punishing us for our sabbath-profanation. Nor doth (iod punish it only in this life with death, but « ith damnation. Such as break God's sab-
OF THE FOURTH COMMANDMENT.
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bath, let tlicm see if tlioy can liioak those cliains of darkness, in which they and the devils shall be held.
Use "3d. It exhorts us to sahhath-lioliness.
1. Make conscience of keeping this day holy. The other commandinents have only an affirmative in tliem or a negative; this fourth commandment hatli both an affirma- tive in it and a negative ; " Thou shalt keep the sabbath-day holy," and, " thou shalt not do any manner of work in it ;" to show how carefully God would have us observe this day. Not only must you keep this day yourselves, but have a care that all under your charge keep it ; " tho-n, and thy son, and thy daughter, and thy man-servant, and thy maid-servant;" that is, thou who art a superior, a parent or a master, thou must have a care t'.iat not only thyself sanctify the day, but those who are under thy trust and tuition. To blame are those masters of families, who are careful that their ser- vants serve them, but have no care that they serve God ; they care not though their ser- vants should serve the devil, so long as their bodies do them service. That which St. Paul saith to Timothy, 1 Tim. i. 11., Serva depositnni, — " Keep that which is commit- ted to thy trust," is of large extension. Not only have a care of thy own soul, but have a care of the souls thou art entrusted witli. See that they who are under thy charge sanctify the sabbath. God's law provided, that if a man met with an ox or an ass go- ing astray, he should bring him back again : much more, when thou seest the soid of thy child or servant going astray from God, and breaking his sabbath, thou shouldest bring him back again to a religious observation of this day. Now that I may press you to sabbath-sanctification, consider,
(1.) God hath promised great blessings to the strict observers of this day. — I. A promise of joy. If this be a delight, Isa. Iviii. 14,, " Then shalt thou dcliglit thyself