Chap. IV.]

OBSERVANCE OF SUNDAY.

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Lord, during the interval between his resurrection and ascension,instructed his apostles to make this change, and he certainly sanc-tioned it by meeting with his disciples on two successive Sun-days, and absenting himself during the intervening week ; andagain in the visible descent of the Holy Spirit on the same sa-cred day.

3. The duties which constitute a suitable observance of Sunday.Before proceeding to the particulars of which this branch of thesubject consists, it may be well to observe, that from the fact ofthe institution being derived through Judaism, and made, by itsperpetual obligation, a part of Christianity, it does not result,that the penalties attached by the Hebrews to the violation of itare continued along with it. The penalties inflicted by the Mo-saic law are not a part of the institution; they were only themeans of enforcing its observance ordained by Moses, and area part of the local policy which was discontinued at the adventof the Messiah.*

It is observable, too, that no penalty is attached (in the Deca-logue) to the violation of any one of the ten commandments ;they are universally binding on the consciences of nations andindividuals, but each nation is left to compel their. observance bysuch penalties as it may deem fit, or by none at all. We of thepresent day, are no more required to punish a violation of Sun-day by death, as did the Hebrews, than we are, like them, topunish imprecations on parents with the same penalty.f Respectfor parents and the observance of Sunday are alike binding onthe consciences of all men ; but our tribunals of justice do notpunish disobedience to parents, and our municipal laws enforcingthe observance (in twenty-three of our States) of Sunday havefallen into very general neglect. If any specific penal sanctionshad been made a part of the ten commandments, they must havebeen unfitted, by that circumstance, to be the supreme moral law,claiming the obedience of all men through all time ; becausesuch penalties, though they might have been very suitable to thecircumstances of one nation, might also have been very unsuit-able to those of another. Neither are all the duties of the

Exod. xxxi. 14,15.

t Lev. xx. 9; Deut. xxvii. 16.