Thomas with them: then came Jesus, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, Peace be unto you.'

"Now, there can be no doubt, that the apostles had thus met together on the first, rather than on the seventh day, for the express purpose of worshipping the great Jehovah, for the marvellous work of redeeming love which had, on that day, been perfected by the resurrection of His beloved Son from the grave. Neither can it be doubted, that the sacred presence of the risen Saviour in the little Christian church of his disciples, on these two recorded occasions, was a direct sanction by Him, who is Lord also of the sabbath,' that thenceforward, and for ever, the first day of the week should be considered the day on which publicly to worship God, rather than the seventh, as originally appointed."

'But if any one should entertain a possible doubt as to the character of these meetings, it is set entirely at rest by reference to the 20th chapter of the Acts of the Apostles, and the 7th verse, where we find the following distinct recognition of the fact:

"And upon the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, (that is, to partake of the Lord's Supper, so recently instituted under such solemn and affecting circumstances,) Paul preached unto them, ready to depart on the morrow; and continued his speech until midnight.'

Thus we have the direct sanction of the Lord of life himself; of Him who was the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star.' We have also the example of His disciples, as to the religious propriety-nay, I will add obligation-of making the first day of the week thenceforward take the place of the seventh, as the day of public worship and thanksgiving to God.

"But, my dear Mr. Stately," said the pastor, "you cannot

escape from the demand of the law under any view of the question. For one of two things is very certain, either that the Jewish Sabbath remains unchanged and in force, or that the Christian Sabbath has superseded it. I think you will grant that it would be very illogical to say, that the attempt to alter the day has destroyed the authority of the one without establishing that of the other. If, then, the former still exists, the commandment applies to it by direct reference; if the latter be in force, the law is equally applicable although by a less express ordinance. For the incarnate God who gave the sacred authority of his presence to the assembling of the disciples for worship on the first day, in honour of the glorious resurrection of our Lord from the dead, could never have intended, by the change, to disannul the commandment to keep holy the sabbath day,' or to disconnect it from the holy day thenceforward, and for ever, to be regarded as the sabbath of the Christian.

"The argument, then, will stand thus-that if you esteem the change of the Lord's day from the seventh to the first to be scriptural, or authoritative, for the reasons already adduced, you are bound to give rest to your cattle' on that day, according to the commandment; that is to say, on the first day of the week, which is our Sabbath. If, however, you are persuaded in your conscience that there is no warrant for the alteration, then are you bound, as a consistent believer, to afford them that rest on the seventh day, which is Saturday, according to the Jewish observance.

"I am aware," continued the minister, "that there are some very good and very conscientious, though mistaken, people, who take this view of the question, and accordingly do not work their horses at all on the Saturday; and, considering that they have thereby fulfilled the law, in that respect, feel themselves justified in using them on the Sunday.

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Now, my dear Mr. Stately," he observed, with a halfincredulous and inquiring look, yet with a most conciliatory manner, "if I could believe that your horses enjoyed the compassionate repose intended by their Maker during the whole of Saturday, I should be almost inclined to regard it, though still with some misgivings, as the fulfilment, or at least the intended fulfilment of the commandment on that point, although you should employ them on the Sunday to convey you to church. At all events, if still wrong, I should regard it as the unintentional error of a conscientious mind, studying to obey God, but failing, through the infirmity and weak judgment of our fallen nature."

"That my horses do not rest on the Hebrew sabbath," replied Mr. Stately, "I need scarcely assure you. And, I am afraid you will say that I as little attend to their repose on the Christian sabbath; as the appearance of my carriage at the church door, on each returning Sunday, will but too strongly testify. But though my faith and practice, my dear sir, do not at present come up to your elevated standard, yet I truly respect your zealous advocacy of what you think to be right.

"I feel, also," he continued, "that notwithstanding our disagreement in opinion, it is impossible to listen to your statements without being convinced of the integrity of your motives; and without deriving improvement from new ideas forcibly presented, and expositions of doctrine full of reflective matter.

"The issue, my dear, Mr. Davies, may be fairly left to future deliberation on the subject.

"It is, however, possible that I may entertain erroneous views on this doctrine. But we are told that To everything there is a season;' and though it may not be this year, or the next, or even the year following, that I may take the question into a graver consideration than I have hitherto done, yet when

I do," he remarked, somewhat flippantly, "I will inform you of the result."

"Boast not thyself of to-morrow;'" answered the clergyman, ""for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth.'*

"Ex hoc momento pendet æternitas !'"

"Be that as it may," rejoined the magistrate, "I can only say that, at the present moment, my sentiments incline to the negative of your proposition. In the meantime, however, as I wish to be possessed of all your sentiments on this important. topic, and as I have heard you dilate on a specific point contained in the commandment, will you have the goodness to explain to us your views respecting the injunction generally. What is it to keep holy the sabbath day?'

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May we not," he inquired, "after attending morning service, pay a few harmless visits to our neighbouring friends; or amuse ourselves in a quiet cheerful way; read the newspapers, or discuss a question of politics; or peruse the last new work; especially after engaging in religious ordinances, which have occupied, with the sermon, a couple of hours?"

Pray go on with your disjunctive particle," exclaimed, with a smile, the worthy pastor, "and say- or go to a theatre,or play a rubber at whist, or attend a ball, or a fair, or a horse-race; and then, my dear sir, you would be not almost,' but altogether,' a Roman Catholic, fit company for Popes and Cardinals."

"Est modus in rebus, my good friend," rejoined the squire, with somewhat of temper. "Comment if you please, and as long as you please, on what I do say, but don't put words in my mouth and then draw conclusions from what I do not say. I am very from admiring, any more than yourself, either the manners, or doctrines, or idolatry, of the Roman Catholics; but there is a wide difference between Romanism and Puritanism."

* Prov. xxvii. 1.

far

M

"I beg your pardon," said his reverend opponent, "if I have offended you, as I had not the smallest intention of doing so. My sole object in extending the list of disjunctive enumerations, as if proceeding from your own mouth, was simply to show the unrighteous inconsistencies of the Papists, and their wanton and flagrant violations of the Divine law, in their nonobservance, or partial observance of the sabbath; and thence to draw the inference, how carefully we ought to avoid their example.

"It deeply concerns every one of us," said Mr. Davies, as we value our immortal happiness, to be well assured that we act with a clear conscience. Remember, my dear sir, what is addressed to all of us, and with a warning of such awful solemnity:

"Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.'*

"These things saith He that is holy, He that is true, He that hath the key of David, He that openeth, and no man shutteth; and shutteth, and no man openeth." "+

I most willingly accept your explanation," answered Mr. Stately, relaxing into good humour; "and now repeat my request, that you will oblige us by stating your opinion what it is to keep holy the sabbath day.' For it appears very clearly to me that what I deem perfectly innocent you believe to be unlawful."

"To 'keep holy the sabbath day,"" observed the clergyman, "is to dedicate the one day, set apart for the worship of the Supreme Being, as zealously as the lawyer, the merchant, the tradesman, the professional man, of whatever grade, dedicates the six days of the week to this world, and its multiplied + Rev. iii. 7.

* Gal. vi. 7, 8.