1/93] ^i^^^- JVILLIAM SMITH, D. D. 397 



people, by luxury, pride, idleness, dissipation and the eager pursuit of 

 false pleasure, with its never-failing attendants: inlidelity and the scan- 

 dalous neglect of religion, and profanation of the Lord's day! 



This was one of the crying sins of the Jews, for which the severest 

 judgments were denounced against them: "I saw, in those days, in 

 Judah," says Nehemiah, "some treading wine presses on the Sabbath, 

 and bringing in sheaves, and lading asses; as also wine, grapes and figs, 

 and all manner of burdens, which they brought into Jerusalem on the 

 Sabbath day. And there dwelt also men of Tyre therein, who brought 

 fish, and all manner of ware, and sold on the Sabbath, to the children 

 of Judah, and in Jerusalem. Then I contended with the nobles of 

 Judah, and said unto them, What evil thing is this that ye do, and pro- 

 fane the Sabbath day? Did not your fathers thus, and did not our God 

 bring all tliis evil upon us, and upon this city? Yet you bring more 

 wrath upon Israel by profaning the Sabbath."* 



But, notwithstanding all these judgments, this evil continued among 

 that people until our Saviour's days, who testified his indignation against 

 it by entering the temple, and, having made a scourge of small cords, 

 he drove them all out that sold oxen, and sheep, and doves, and poured 

 out the changers' money, and overthrew their tables. f 



But what is all this to what we now behold? — the mere selling the 

 necessaries of life and the exchanging of money, which although re- 

 stricted by our laws, evils of a more aggravated nature are tolerated, or 

 at least not restrained or corrected ? The Sabbath by many is turned 

 into their chief day of idleness, recreation, parties of pleasure, sinful 

 sports and diversion, gaming, feasting, rioting and all manner of diver- 

 sion ! Shall I not visit for these things, saith the Lord, and shall not 

 my soul be avenged on such a people as this ? 



Oh, ye rulers and judges of the land ! ye masters and heads of fam- 

 ilies, among whom, blessed be God, we have yet illustrious examples 

 of those who honor God's holy name and the places of his worship ! I 

 know you will bear with the expostulations, which the faithful discharge 

 of my duty requires on this solemn day ! 



If the Jews, when under the government of God himself, and es- 

 pecially instructed by his inspired messengers and prophets, came to 

 humble themselves under liis judgments, and to implore his mercy and 

 renew their covenant of obedience with Him; I say, if then they thought 

 it their duty to testify their sincerity with an oath, and to swear with a 

 loud voice, and with shouting, and with trumpets, and with cornets, 

 "That whosoever would not seek the Lord God of their fathers, whether 

 small or great, man or woman, should be put to death" — and if this 

 punishment was inflicted on those who continued in idolatry, which 

 was in some sort the acknowledgment of a god, or gods, although flilse 



* Neh. xiii. 15-18. f John ii. 14, 15. 



