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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 the seventh day: therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath-day, and hallowed it."

A: The fourth commandment requireth the keeping holy to God such set times as he hath appointed in his Word; expressly one whole day in seven, to be a holy Sabbath to himself.

The Sabbath is holy, and should be kept by us. We have to keep holy to God those times as He has appointed in the Scriptures. What has He appointed there? "The seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God". It is clear that God appointed that we keep holy one day in the seven, to be a holy Sabbath to Himself. As is written: "Ye shall keep my sabbaths, and reverence my sanctuary: I am the LORD", Lev. 19:30. And elsewhere: "Keep the sabbath-day to sanctify it, as the LORD thy God hath commanded thee", Deut. 5:12. So, it is not up to us to decide at what times, and at what intervals we keep the holy Sabbath, but God has decided it for us. Letís listen to His Word.

A: From the beginning of the world to the resurrection of Christ, God appointed the seventh day of the week to be the weekly Sabbath; and the first day of the week ever since, to continue to the end of the world, which is the Christian Sabbath.

God has appointed the Sabbath on two different days, in two different periods of the world. From the beginning of the world to the resurrection of Christ, the seventh day was the weekly Sabbath. But since then He appointed the first day to be the Sabbath. This will continue to the end of the world. The first appointed time, the seventh day, is not something Jewish, because it existed already from the beginning of the world, before the existence of any Jewish nation. You may call it the Sabbath after the order of the creation. The second appointed time, the first day of the week, is something Christian. Since the resurrection of Christ on that first day, God appointed that day to be our holy Sabbath.

Read now two texts which speak about the two appointed times. Of the seventh day of the week speaks Genesis. "And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made", Gen. 2:3. Of the first day speaks Acts. "And upon the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul preached unto them", Acts 20:7. And also in Rev. 1:10: "I was in the Spirit on the Lordís day". The Lordís day, that is the day of Christís resurrection, the first day of the week.

A: The Sabbath is to be sanctified by a holy resting all that day, even from such worldly employments and recreations as are lawful on other days; and spending the whole time in the public and private exercises of Godís worship, except so much as is to be taken up in the works of necessity and mercy.

The Sabbath should be kept holy. How is that done? How is the Sabbath sanctified? First, it is to be sanctified by a holy resting all that day. Not a lazy resting, but a holy one. By the way, laziness is never allowed; not during the weeks, let alone on the Sabbath. There should be a holy resting from our weekly employments. We should rest from such worldly employments and recreations as are lawful on other days. Further, lest we be idle on Godís day, we should spend the whole time in the public and private exercises of His worship. But in the case necessity and mercy requires our labour, we may do that.

That there should be done no work on Sabbath, you read in: "Six days shall work be done: but the seventh day is the sabbath of rest, an holy convocation; ye shall do no work therein", Lev. 23:3. You also read herein that there should be a "holy convocation"; so we gather together to hear the Word. In the Psalms we read of a Song specially for the sabbath day. "A Psalm or Song for the sabbath day. It is a good thing to give thanks unto the LORD, and to sing praises unto thy name, O most High. To show forth thy lovingkindness in the morning, and thy faithfulness every night", Ps. 92:1,2.

Jesus has told us that works of necessity or mercy are allowed on the Sabbath. "And he said unto them, What man shall there be among you, that shall have one sheep, and if it fall into a pit on the sabbath day, will he not lay hold on it, and lift it out? How much then is a man better than a sheep? Wherefore it is lawful to do well on the sabbath days", Matt. 12:11,12.

A: The fourth commandment forbiddeth the omission or careless performance of the duties required, and the profaning the day by idleness, or doing that which is in itself sinful, or by unnecessary thoughts, words, or works, about our worldly employments or recreations.

Keeping the Sabbath holy implies that unholy things are forbidden. It is required that we keep that day "unto" the Lord. So, neglecting our duties of religion is forbidden. Omission or careless performance of the duties required is forbidden. Look to the priests that carelessly offered. They indeed performed the duty, but they did it without love and zeal. Read it: "Ye said also, Behold, what a weariness is it! and ye have snuffed at it, saith the LORD of hosts; and ye brought that which was torn, and the lame, and the sick; thus ye brought an offering: should I accept this of your hand? saith the LORD", Mal. 1:13.

Idleness is forbidden. Of course on the Sabbath, but also on the other days of the weeks. It also is forbidden to do things which are in itself sinful. "They have defiled my sanctuary in the same day, and have profaned my sabbaths", Ezek. 23:38.

Working on that day is forbidden, but also unnecessary thoughts about it. Further, on Sabbath we should refrain from our recreations, which are lawful on other days. The Sabbath is given to exercise ourselves in the duties of religion, and not to give ourselves fleshly rest. The prophet Isaiah is clear enough about that. "If thou turn away thy foot from the sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on my holy day; and call the sabbath a delight, the holy of the LORD, honourable; and shalt honour him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words", Isa. 58:13. Some violate Isaiahís words, and the holiness of the Sabbath, by making that day a day of nice eating, of drinking, of chatting, and so on. These all are our own pleasures. These are the things which please our flesh. But Isaiah says that we should refrain from doing our pleasure on Godís holy day, and call the Sabbath a delight, the holy day of the Lord. Our delight should be in God; not in our flesh.

A: The reasons annexed to the fourth commandment are, Godís allowing us six days of the week for our own employments, his challenging a special propriety in the seventh, his own example, and his blessing the Sabbath-day.

Which reasons are annexed to the fourth commandment? Which reasons we have to keep the Sabbath pure and holy? There are four reasons given.

1. God allows us six days of the week for our own employments.

"Six days may work be done; but in the seventh is the sabbath of rest. Wherefore the children of Israel shall keep the sabbath", Exod. 31:15,16.

2. God challenges His special propriety in the seventh day.

"Ye shall do no work therein: it is the sabbath of the LORD in all your dwellings", Lev. 23:3.

3. God gave His Own example, in resting on the Sabbath.

"It is a sign between me and the children of Israel for ever: for in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day he rested, and was refreshed", Exod. 31:17.

4. God blessed the Sabbath-day.

End.