The Lords day vindicated, or, The first day of the week the Christian Sabbath in answer to Mr. Bampfields plea for the seventh day, in his Enquiry whether Jesus be Jehovah, and gave the moral law? And whether the fourth command be repealed or altered? / by G.T., a well-wisher to truth and concord.

SECT. XVII.

THUS by God's Help, and (I hope) his Guidance, I have considered all his Argu∣ments that he urges for his Sabbatarian Opinion; and have shewen their Invalidity and Weakness: And all the Solutions that he brings to disannul all our Proofs for the Dominical Tenet; and sup∣pose that I have vindicated ours from all his At∣tempts, and shewen how they remain solid and substantial. Other things which follow, being but Appendixes to this Discourse, and not of so great Moment, I shall but touch upon them. As Page 83. about the Beginning of the Sabbath. He would have it to begin at Even; and we willing∣ly grant him, that the Seventh-day-Sabbath did so; for it began when God had ended his Works of Creation, which was the Evening before the Sun-rising of the Seventh Day. But, I judge that now the best Time to begin our Lord's Day with, is in the Morning; because, 1. 'Twas on that Time of the Day, early in the Morning, about Break of day, that our Lord Jesus rested from his Work of Redemption: Wherefore, if the foregoing Evening of the Old Testament-Sabbath, was its most convenient Beginning; be∣cause then God ended his Work of Creation, and re∣sted then: So he Morning-Light of the First Day, is the most convenient Time for its Beginning; be∣cause then God rested from his much more Glo∣rious, and really (in his Humanity) Laborious Work of our Redemption. 2. Because the Holy

Scripture expresly begins it thus, placing the Conclusion of the Seventh Day at the beginning of the Morning of the First Day, Mat. 28.1. In the End of the Sabbath as it began to dawn to∣ward the First Day of the Week; and consequent∣ly then that Day began. 3. Because 'tis the most convenient Time; because most observable, less ly∣able to Prophanations, upon the account of Mi∣stakes; and so to turbulent Spirits, less obnoxi∣ous, &c. but this is not so substantial a Dispute. Let every Person give up and consecrate the whole Lords-day to the Service of God; I mean, the whole Artificial Day; or rather the whole light∣some Part thereof; and then let him begin ei∣ther at Even or Morning; I doubt not, but if it be conscientiously done in the Name of Christ, God will accept him. But, there he must not scandalize others by doing Common or Mechanick Works upon the following Evening of that Day; which the Generality of Christians, among whom he lives, account as Sacred.

He seems Page 84. to imply, that there should be Morning and Evening religious Service every Day in publick: But there is scarcely any preach∣ing Minister can have so much Leisure, beside his own personal and domestical Devotions: And be∣side our People will not attend it every day; and then the proper publick Duty of the Sabbath, to be but once, and begin about Noon. I, for my Part, believe the Times of publick Worship on the Lord's-day are most conveniently ordered al∣ready: Twice, once in the Morning about Nine; and so in the Evening about Two. An Interval being for the Refreshment of the outward Man,

and Recruits of the Spirit, for a more vigorous and enlarged serving of God in the Evening: Beside, we know in the Country, 'tis convenient to keep some Persons at home; or one Person, when Houses are solitary and lyable to Injury, by those who should know them totally destitute of an Inhabitant; and in Country and City, Fa∣milies that have Children, which must be kept at home, either through Weakness, or such as would disturb the Congregation by their Presence, must have some one or other to take care of them: Now in such Cases, one Servant or Person, may be at home in the Morning, and another in the Evening; and so all partake of the publick Wor∣ship every Lord's-day; which could not so con∣veniently be done by one single assembling the Congregation: But however to meddle herein, would be very impertinent, and would rather savour of a restless Fancy (to say no worse) than of a peaceable and prudent Spirit.

The other Pages home to the 90th. I overlook; because in them I find, either such things as do not belong to the Sabbath, nor to this Contro∣versy at all: Or if they do, they are such as are written already, (at least the Substance) and an∣swered.