Remember the Sabbath Day

I think it profitable for all Christians to call to mind the comprehensive duties of the Fourth Commandment regularly, because the same duties apply to holiness in general.

As a First Table commandment, the Fourth sets forth a particular duty to God. The Fourth receives the most text in Scripture of any of the Ten Commandments. The Sabbath was given to man to remember his duty to set aside one day in seven for the mindful worship of God, in place of his regular work. God rested on the seventh day of creation to provide man with a pattern for regulative life of work and worship.

In this as in every duty, I plead distractedness and poor practice. The Fourth Commandment is far-reaching and I find it useful to review the exposition in the Larger Westminster Catechism, with its Scriptural references, when I feel my feet slip.

Sadly, many people believe the Sabbath to be obsolete; I will not be polemic here but will simply say that I do not believe there is Scriptural warrant for any such notion, and proffer the Larger Westminster Catechism Questions and Answers pertaining to the Fourth Commandment, along with their Scriptural references.

Q. 115. Which is the fourth commandment?

A. The fourth commandment is, Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work; but the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy man-servant, nor thy maid-servant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates. For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested in the seventh day: wherefore the Lord blessed the sabbath-day and hallowed it. (Exodus 20:8-11).

Q. 116. What is required in the fourth commandment?

A. The fourth commandment requireth of all men the sanctifying or keeping holy to God such set times as he hath appointed in his Word, expressly one whole day in seven; which was the seventh from the beginning of the world to the resurrection of Christ, and the first day of the week ever since, and so to continue to the end of the world; which is the Christian sabbath, (Deuteronomy 5:12-14) and in the New Testament called The Lord’s day. (Revelation 1:10)

Q. 117. How is the sabbath or the Lord’s day to be sanctified?

A. The sabbath or Lord’s day is to be sanctified by an holy resting all the day, (Exodus 20:8, 10) not only from such works as are at all times sinful, but even from such worldly employments and recreations as are on other days lawful; (Exodus 16:25-28)

and making it our delight to spend the whole time (except so much of it as is to be taken up in works of necessity and mercy (Matthew 12:1-13; Luke 4:16; Acts 20:7; 1 Corinthians 16:1,2; Psalm 92 (title); Isaiah 66:23; Leviticus 23:3) in the public and private exercises of God’s worship: (Isaiah 58:13) and, to that end, we are to prepare our hearts, and with such foresight, diligence, and moderation, to dispose and seasonably dispatch our worldly business, that we may be the more free and fit for the duties of that day. (Exodus 20:8; Luke 23:54,56; Exodus 16:22, 25-26, 29; Nehemiah 13:19)

Q. 118. Why is the charge of keeping the sabbath more specially directed to governors of families, and other superiors?

A. The charge of keeping the sabbath is more specially directed to governors of families, and other superiors, because they are bound not only to keep it themselves, but to see that it be observed by all those that are under their charge; and because they are prone ofttimes to hinder them by employments of their own. (Exodus 20:10; Joshua 24:15; Nehemiah 13:15, 17; Jeremiah 17:20-22; Exodus 23:12)

Q. 119. What are the sins forbidden in the fourth commandment?

A. The sins forbidden in the fourth commandment are, all omissions of the duties required, (Ezekiel 22:26) all careless, negligent, and unprofitable performing of them, and being weary of them; (Acts 20:7,9; Ezekiel 33:30-32; Amos 8:5; Malachi 1:13) all profaning the day by idleness, and doing that which is in itself sinful; (Ezekiel 23:38) and by all needless works, words, and thoughts, about our worldly employments and recreations. (Jeremiah 17:24,27; Isaiah 58:13)

Q. 120. What are the reasons annexed to the fourth commandment, the more to enforce it?

A. The reasons annexed to the fourth commandment, the more to enforce it, are taken from the equity of it, God allowing us six days of seven for our own affairs, and reserving but one for himself in these words, Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: (Exodus 20:9) from God’s challenging a special propriety in that day, The seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God: (Exodus 20:10) from the example of God, who in six days made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: and from that blessing which God put upon that day, not only in sanctifying it to be a day for his service, but in ordaining it to be a means of blessing to us in our sanctifying it; Wherefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it. (Exodus 20:11)

Q. 121. Why is the word Remember set in the beginning of the fourth commandment?

A. The word Remember is set in the beginning of the fourth commandment, (Exodus 20:8) partly, because of the great benefit of remembering it, we being thereby helped in our preparation to keep it, (Exodus 16:23; Luke 23:54,56; Mark 15:42; Nehemiah 13:19) and, in keeping it, better to keep all the rest of the commandments, (Psalm 92 [title]; Ezekiel 20:12, 19-20) and to continue a thankful remembrance of the two great benefits of creation and redemption, which contain a short abridgment of religion; (Genesis 2:2-3; Psalm 118:22,24; Acts 4:10-11; Revelation 1:10) and partly, because we are very ready to forget it, (Ezekiel 22:26) for that there is less light of nature for it, (Nehemiah 9:14) and yet it restraineth our natural liberty in things at other times lawful; (Exodus 34:21) that it cometh but once in seven days, and many worldly businesses come between, and too often take off our minds from thinking of it, either to prepare for it, or to sanctify it; (Deuteronomy 5:14-15; Amos 8:5) and that Satan with his instruments labours much to blot out the glory, and even the memory of it, to bring in all irreligion and impiety. (Lamentations 1:7; Jeremiah 17:21-23; Nehemiah 13:15-22)