LECTURE XVI.

THE SABBATH MADE FOR MAN.

MARK ii. 23-28.

23. And it came to pass, that he went through the corn fields on the sabbath day; and his disciples began, as they went, to pluck the ears of corn.

24. And the Pharisees said unto him, Behold, why do they on the sabbath day that which is not lawful?

25. And he said unto them, Have ye never read what David did, when he had need, and was an hungred, he, and they that were with him?

26. How he went into the house of God, in the days of Abiathar the high priest, and did eat the shewbread, which is not lawful to eat but for the priests, and gave also to them which were with him? 3

27. And he said unto them, The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath:

28. Therefore the Son of man is Lord also of the sabbath.

Our Lord takes this occasion to show incidentally, the important and merciful design of the sabbath. The sabbath was made for man.

1 It appears from the account in Samuel, (1. xxii. 29,) that Abiathar was not actually high priest when this occurrence took place, but Abimelech, who was slain in consequence, by the vengeance of Saul. His son, Abiathar, immediately succeeded him, and continuing priest forty years, became a more prominent person in the Jewish annals than Abimelech, and (probably) is on that account named here.

The first chapter of the Bible acquaints us, how God having in six days created this our world, and man to live in it, "blessed the seventh day, and hallowed it." He exempted it from the ordinary business of life, and separated it for sacred purposes.

Had Adam remained innocent, he would not have been without labour. "The Lord God put him in the garden of Eden, to dress it and to keep it." Therefore he would have required a sabbath. But this is immaterial. God foresaw that he would not remain innocent. In a very short space the sentence was pronounced, " Cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life in the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground."

But this needful labour "for the meat that perisheth," was not to prevent his labouring for that which perisheth not, but endureth unto everlasting life. The sabbath was appointed, that the soul might have its care, as well as the body: that a connexion might be maintained between time and eternity, between man and God, between earth and heaven.

The short account of things in the book of Genesis does not acquaint us how long, or in what manner, the sabbath was observed by the patriarchs, or how soon the greater part of the inhabitants of the world lost this, as well as all other traces of their relation to God. But we find the sabbath spoken of in the book of Exodus, in a way which shows that it was known or remembered by the Israel3 Ch. xvi. 26.

? Gen. iii. 17.

3

ites.

"but

"Six days ye shall gather" the manna, on the seventh day, which is the sabbath, there shall be none." Afterwards, when the law was issued, the purpose of the appointment is more fully declared. * "Keep the sabbath day to sanctify it, as the Lord thy God hath commanded thee. Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: but the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God."

The reasons given for the appointment of the sabbath apply to all mankind, and not to the Jews alone. "It is the sabbath of the Lord thy God. For in six days God made heaven and earth, and rested the seventh day; therefore the Lord blessed the seventh day, and hallowed it." The regard, also, which God, by the mouth of his prophets, expresses for those who call the sabbath a delight, holy of the Lord, honourable; and his censure of those who pollute his sabbaths, apply to all equally who possess his revelation: not only to the Israelite, but to "the sons of the stranger, that join themselves to the Lord to serve him."'

Therefore the sabbath is not a part of the Jewish law, which was done away. It does not belong to the ceremonial, but to the moral law, from which

66

one jot, or one tittle shall in no wise pass, till all be fulfilled." It existed before the Jewish law. And it was solemnly recognized by our Lord himself, with the other three laws of the first table, which he summed up under one head, as "the first and great commandment."

Deut. v. 12.

See Isaiah lvi. 6.

⚫ See its enactment, Deut. v. as well as Exod. xx.

Indeed we may boldly say, that if the gospel had annulled the obligation of the sabbath day, mankind in general could not have profited by the gospel. To the greater part of them it would have been as a dead letter. What could they have known or learnt of it, if the command had been, Every day shalt thou labour.

Certainly the Christian will so far remember every day to keep it holy, that he will "set God before him" in his work as well as in his meditation: he will perform his duty, as "unto the Lord, and not unto man." But this is not natural to us. It must be wrought in the heart by the Holy Spirit. And it cannot be so wrought, unless there be a time for employing the various means with which the Spirit works; time for thought, for self-examination, for the Scriptures, for devotion. If the sabbath were taken out of the week, this world, unless it were created anew, could never become a preparation for another. Eternity, even now, is with difficulty kept in view. Without the sabbath, men would be not only almost, but altogether, engrossed in the perishing things of this world. We cannot doubt of this, for we know how it is with those, who do not remember the sabbath day to keep it holy.

Here, then, a great truth is declared, which we must take particularly to ourselves. The sabbath was made for man. It is the gift of God to man. He speaks of it as such. "I gave them my sab. baths." And experience proves its value. value, both to the body and the soul. But this, like other gifts of God, if not used for the wel

Its

fare of man, will become his condemnation.

Seven

years out of every fifty years are sabbaths. Therefore the most laborious man, who has lived fifty years, has had seven years in which to become "wise unto salvation." Where, then, is the plea of ignorance, which is too often urged on earth; but which, at the day of judgment, will not be heard?

The second clause of the sentence, that man was not made for the sabbath, agrees with the first in showing its real and merciful design. Those things may be done on the sabbath, which necessity, or reasonable convenience, require. Those things are not to be done, which interfere with the main purpose of the day. Exact rules can hardly be laid down. Neither will they be wanted, if the heart be right with God. The heart which is right with God, will not consent to be deprived of its best comfort, its chief delight: it will not consent to be always careful and troubled about many things, when one thing is needful: neither will it consent that others should be so troubled, except by their own fault and choice. And the reward will be according to the promise, increasing "delight in the Lord" growth "in grace, and in the knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ:" better preparation for that "rest which remaineth for the people of God."