Wesley Corpus

my sabbaths ;" plainly intimating that one reason why they were to keep his sabbaths was, that they might be holy as God is holy ; that by dedicating to him one day in seven, they might be enabled to spend the other six as became those who acknowledged their Creator and Sanctifier to be of purer eyes than to behold iniquity ; that they might ever be mindful of taking him for their example, not only on one particular day, but in the general course of their lives, which should be holy, just, and good. The sum of what has been hitherto observed is this : God who hath an unquestionable right to command his creatures, and prescribe what ever laws he is pleased to enforce ; who, though under no obligation of acquainting man with the reasons of his divine will, has not only been pleased to make it known, and bid him, " remember the sabbath-day to keep it holy," but has graciously condescended to acquaint him with several of the reasons for so doing ; the chief of which are these : first, that by imitating the sabbath of divine rest, man might retain a more lively and lasting sense of the Almighty Being, the Creator of himself and all things which exist : secondly, that he might constantly remember who it is that is his Sanctifier as well as Creator: thirdly, that he might be ever mindful it is the grand business of his life to imitate him in all his imitable perfections, and to make the mercy, justice, and holiness of God the pattern of all his thoughts, words, and actions. Secondly. The next question is, whether this command has yet been repealed by the authority which gave it, and whether these ends for which it was given are still in force or not. As to the former part of the question it is confidently affirmed that God did repeal it, when Jesus Christ was made man ; to prove which a famous controversialist gives us the strength of his cause in these words : " In these rigid vanities by which the Pharisees had abused the sabbath, our Saviour thought it requisite to detect their follies. They taught that it was unlawful on the sabbath-day either to heal the impotent, or relieve the sick, or feed the hungry ; but he confutes them both