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SERMON V.

The Inftitution of the Sabbath, both Jewish and Chriftian: What Obligations We Chriftians have to keep the Sabbath.

The Firft SERMON on this Text.

ECCLES. V. 1.

-Keep thy Foot when thou goeft to the House of God.

OLOMON, it is well known, had all the Plenty and Pleasures of the World richly to enjoy, and took all the Liberty in the World freely to enjoy them. He was at the full Height of Riches and Honour, and had all Sorts of Pleasures

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Pleasures at Command; and he owns that he gave himself the Loofe, freely to range Ecclef. ii. throughout them all: Whatfoever his Eyes defired he kept not from them; He withheld not his Heart from any Joy. So that what he fays of the Emptinefs of Worldly Things, all Things under the Sun, and their Infufficiency to make us happy, is not Ignorant Declaiming against what he did not understand, nor fpiteful difparaging of what he could not get; (for he had them All in Perfection, and he fought in his Heart to Ecclef.ii.3. find out what Good was in them for the Sons of Men,) and after he had thoroughly Try'd and Prov'd them, and Sifted them to the Bottom, he writes Vanity and Vexation upon them all, as the Proper Names for Things that fo foon vanished away, and that gave fo much Trouble and Vexation of Spirit, even in their Enjoyment. But yet he allows, that tho' there was no Solid Pleafure, no Compleat Happiness to be expected from them, yet fomewhat of Good was to be found in them, for the present, with much of Vanity and Emptiness, of Danger and Temptation. That it would therefore be our Wisdom, and ought to be our Care, to take them by the right Handle; fo to manage them to our beft Advantage, as té reap all the Good we can from every State and Condition of Life, avoiding their dan gerous Temptations. But that for True Hap

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piness, Complete, Intire, and Perfect Happinefs, We muft go to the Fountain of all Happiness, God and his Service; That There it was to be found, and There only. Therefore after all his diligent Search for Happinefs, he makes this the Conclufion of the whole Matter, Chap. xii. v. 13. Fear God and keep his Commandments, for This is the Whole of Man; the whole of his Duty, and the whole of his Happiness.

But forafmuch as all Men in the World are fubject to Errors, and all Things in it, the very beft, are fubject to Abufes and Corruptions; and Men may perform the best Duties in fo ill a Manner, as to miscarry in the very Way to Happiness, and thereby fail of it There also, where only it is to be found, he therefore not only tells them the True Way to it, the Fear and Religious Service of God, but gives them fome Rules for their Care and Conduct in it; How they are to perform the Duties of Religious Worship and Service, and what they are to avoid in them; Beginning his Advice from the Words of my Text,-Keep thy Foot when thou goeft to the Houfe of God,-Thereby putting Men in Mind in the firft Place, with what awful Care and Reverence they ought to Worship Him.

The Learned Mede fuppofes this Expreffion of Keeping the Foot, to be an Allufion to the Custom in all the Eastern Countries

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of uncovering the Feet, as We in these Weftern Parts uncover the Head, and appear bareheaded, in token of Reverence and Respect; whereof the Scripture affords us fome Inftances; Both Mofes and Joshua having been commanded by the Angels that appeared to them, in Teftimony of their Reverence, not to uncover their Heads, but to Exod.iii.5.put off their Shoes from off their Feet, beJoh.v.15.cause the Place whereon they food was Holy Ground.

But however That be, it is certain there is not a more ufual Metaphor in Scripture, than that of Ways, and Paths, and Feet, and Goings, and the like, to fignify the Moral and Religious Conduct of our Lives. Pflxxiii.2. My Feet were almost gone; my Treadings Pf.cxix. "had well nigh flipt,- I refrained my Feet from every evil Way,When my Pf.xxxviii.<< Foot flipt, &c." are Expreffions used by 36. David: And Solomon his Son," RePro.i. 15." frain thy Foot, Remove thy Foot from iv. 27.

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Evil."And here in my Text, Keep thy Foot when thou goeft to the House of God.

The Houfe of God is the Place set apart for Religious Worship, and the Wife Man here gives Us this general Caution that if we expect to find that Happiness in the Service of God, which we in vain seek for from the World, we must take Care to Serve and Worship him as we ought to do, with Reverence and Godly Fear.

But

But forafmuch as We fhall worship God but ill, if we come Unprepared and Undisposed for his Worship, I think the Caution ought to extend to our Previous Difpofition and Preparation of our Selves, for our folemn Worship of God in the Holy Place, as well as to the Careful Performance of our Duty when we are There.

Keep thy Foot, be careful and take good heed when thou art to go to the House of God, and

Keep thy Foot, Look well to thyself, Take good heed how thou performeft thy Duties, when thou art come thither, to Worship Him in his Ordinances. We will suppose it to be on his own Holy Day, the Day fet apart for his Worship and Service; the Day on which our Lord perfected the great Work of our Redemption, the Chriftian Sabbath, which St. John therefore calls, (and the whole Church from him,) the Lord's Day :Rev. i. 10. And I would the rather confider our Worfhip as performed on that Day, because we then go to the Houfe of God, publickly and folemnly to worship Him in All his Holy Ordinances: Though what I fhall fay may in Proportion be Appliable to all Religious Worship, at whatever Time or Place.

We may pray at any Time to God in private, and any where worship him; and that with due Devotion of Heart: But the Houfe of God is the Place peculiarly fet apart,

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