kept holy unto him; which from the beginning of the world to the resurrection of Christ, was the last day of the week, and from the resurrection of Christ was chang. ed to the first day of the week, which in Scripture is called the Lord's day, and is to be continued to the end of the world, as the Christian Sabbath. This Sabbath is then kept holy to the Lord, when men after a due preparation of their hearts, and ordering of their common affairs beforehand, do not only observe a holy rest all the day from their own works, words, and thoughts, about their worldly employments and recreations, but also are taken up the whole time in the public and private exercises of his worship, and in the duties of necessity and mercy.'

"1. Recognising and asserting anew the principles embodied in this portion of the Confession of Faith, the General Assembly do, therefore, first of all, declare and publish their belief in the perpetual obligation of the fourth commandment, as imposing the religious observance of one whole day in seven for the peculiar worship and service of God. And this they do, 1st, Because of the place which the command holds as a part of that of the moral law, which was engraven by the finger of God on tables of stone, as being of no temporary obligation, but binding on the Church through every stage and period of her existence. 2d, Because the sanctification of one day in seven, which it enjoins, having been appointed at the very commencement of the world, and in imitation of God's procedure in creation, who continued to work six days in succession, and thereafter rested on the seventh, for the express purpose of making his own example furnish the rule which should be observed by his creatures, implies that the Sabbath was designed to be both an universal and a perpetual institution, 3d, Because the answers which our Lord gave to the Scribes and Pharisees, who on several occasions accused him of profaning the Sabbath, proceeded each time upon the ground that the obligation to keep the fourth command stood in full force, but that they unduly stretched its prohibitions of labour, and made the rest it enjoins too rigorous, by seeking to prevent certain works of necessity and mercy, which it was never meant to exclude. 4th, Because the leisure and rest of one day in seven is imperatively required for the cultivation of personal piety, and the due celebration of Divine ordinances; and the history both of individuals and of communities clearly manifests that religion flourishes and decays very much in proportion to the respect that is paid to the Sabbath, as a day of sacred rest and spiritual enjoyment. On these grounds especially, though others might also be mentioned, the General Assembly declare their firm conviction of the moral and everabiding obligation of the fourth commandment, as requiring one day in seven to be set apart for a holy Sabbath to the Lord. And they do not consider these grounds at all weakened, or in any respect interfered with, by the change of the day from the last to the first day of the week; for while they believe that change to have been made by the Apostles, acting under the immediate direction of the Holy Spirit, they consider it as in perfect accordance with the previous history of the Sabbath, which, as it was formerly connected with the deliverance of Israel from Egypt, and the giving of manna in the desert, and at an earlier period still, with the creation of the world, so is it now most fitly connected with the resurrection of Christ, which was the time of his resting from the mighty work of redemption, and the pledge to all his people that in due time they should also enter into the rest that remaineth for them in the kingdom of God.

"2. In regard to the manner in which the obligation imposed in the fourth commandment is to be observed, the General Assembly declare their confident belief and persuasion that the commandment is then only fulfilled, 1st, When men cease from those works which are more properly their own, "not doing their own ways, nor finding their own pleasures, nor speaking their own words." So that it is required of all on this day to abstain, not only from sinful courses, which are not law. ful at any time, but also from those things which belong to the prosecution of their ordinary callings and occupations in life. It is required of masters that they allow their dependents full freedom to spend the rest of this day in the worship and service of God, as a portion of time which he has reserved for himself, excepting only in so far as works of necessity and mercy may require to be done. And while it is permitted on this day to do what may be required for the necessary support and re

freshment of the body, it is utterly opposed to the great ends and purposes of its appointment, to convert the day into a season of worldly pastime and recreation. 2d, But as the other commands of the moral law are fulfilled only when there is the performance of works of an opposite nature to those which are forbidden, so in this command which forbids men from doing any works of their own on the Lord's day, it is to be held, that not the ceasing from all works, but the performance of works of God, are the proper counterpart; as the command itself, indeed, plainly intimates, which differs from the other nine, in having a positive, as well as a negative, part, which not only prohibits all secular work from being done, but also requires that the day should be kept holy to the Lord. In addition, therefore, to the cessation from worldly labour and carnal enjoyment, required by this command, there is farther required a faithful waiting upon God in his ordinances, the devout meditation of his works and ways, on the part of parents and householders the diligent and faithful instruction of those committed to their charge, and on the part of the Church at large the application of all necessary means for training up the young to the knowledge and ser. vice of God. In holding, with the revered authors of the Scottish Reformation, and the framers of the Westminster Standards, that the Christian Church is bound by the fourth command to observe in such a manner the day of God, the Assembly is not chargeable with maintaining what may be called Jewish notions about holytimes, inasmuch as they do not consider reverence and respect for the day, simply as a day of rest, to be what the ordinance properly demands, but that only for the purpose of laying out the time in the public and private exercises of God's worship. And while they, doubtless, regard the command as highly important and valuable, even in its temporal aspect, as providing for all an ever-returning day of rest from the toils and harassing cares of life, yet, as a sacred institution, subserving the ends of God's spiritual kingdom on earth, it is not the mere observance of the time as sacred, but the faithful performance of the duties, for which that time has been graciously set apart, which really constitutes obedience to this command, and renders it source of blessing to the soul. Cessation from worldly labour and fleshly indulgence is necessary, under the fourth command, just as abstinence from theft is necessary, under the eighth, because such acts are directly subversive of the command; but still, as in the one case, it is the using of all lawful endeavours to promote the present good of our fellow-men, so in the other, it is the spending of the day in the public and private exercises of God's worship, by which the great design and object of the command is accomplished.

"3. With such views of the nature and obligation of this commandment, the Assembly cannot but condemn and deplore the many breaches of it, which have been growing apace in our land, and which must tend greatly to mar the interests of godliness, and restrain the blessing of heaven. In particular, we condemn and deplore the business that is so frequently transacted, especially in the larger towns, in provision and spirit shops, the running of trains on railways, the sailing of steam-boats, the carrying of the mail, whether by coaches, or trains, or runners, the keeping open of exchanges and reading-rooms for the perusal of newspapers, which are all more or less practised on Sabbath in this country, and for which no sufficient plea can be urged, whether on the score of necessity or mercy. Besides such public violations of God's command as these, there are others of a more private and personal nature, also, it is to be feared, considerably prevalent, such as neglect of the public ordinances of God, mis-spending of the time in idleness, worldly converse, needless visits, dinner and tea parties, tending, as they inevitably do, to turn away the thoughts from spiritual things, and to deprive families of the benefits which a right occupation of the time might afford. Such things, therefore, we do also condemn and deplore, wherever they are found, as contrary to the command of God, which enjoins us to keep the Sabbath holy to himself, and as serving, in proportion to their prevalence, to hinder the growth of pure and undefiled religion throughout the land.

"4. With many of the more private breaches of this command, it may not be possible to do more, than to lament their existence, and lift up, from time to time, a warning voice against those who are guilty of practising them. But the violations,

which are of a more public and flagrant nature, which indicate, when practised, a bigher disregard of the law of the Sabbath, and which may be taken notice of without any thing being done which could justly be regarded as inquisitorial—against these the Church is bound to testify, by adding to the voice of faithful admonition and warning, the exercise of a wholesome discipline. No doubt, in the administration of this, firmness will ever require to be tempered with much discretion, lest an undue exercise of authority should both defeat its ends, and beget a dislike to a proper and becoming restraint. At the same time, the Assembly would press it on the inferior courts of the Church to remember, that a lax discipline in this respect will be sufficient to counteract the most sound and orthodox creed; and the testimony we are now raising in favour of the Sabbath, and which our standards raise will seem but an empty sound, if the professing members of our Church are left to walk in palpable violation of the command of God. Neither in regard to this, nor to any other defection from a right principle, would we advise a harsh and summary dealing with offenders; but fidelity to the cause of God, a dutiful regard to the souls of men, and concern for the purity and life of religion within our communion, alike require, that those who take part in the open violation of this command, should, if admonition fail to restrain them from error, be subjected to discipline. The Church is the house of the living God; and this ordinance of the great householder, as well as every other, must be protected from open violence and contempt at the hands of those who stand within its courts. In doing so, the Church may be called on to pronounce her solemn censure on doings, which the world views with indifference or even countenances and approves; but let it be our answer at once to our own consciences for going faithfully forward in the path of duty, and to those who may seek occasion against us for so doing, that we have the testimony of God to uphold, that we have the purity of his house to guard, and we cannot do the parts of wise stewards therein, if we suffer his day of rest to be slighted and profaned by those who profess to be his children.

5. Finally, we call upon all the members of the Church as they love their own souls, and value the interests of religion, to remember the Sabbath-day, to keep it holy. The most eminent servants of God in every age and country have concurred in regarding the due observance of this day, as one of the main bulwarks of piety, and a most necessary evidence of its life and power in the heart. Hear the words of the learned and pious Owen, speaking the sentiments of the holiest men of his day, For my part I must not only say, but plead, whilst I live in this world, and leave this testimony to the present and future ages, that if ever I have seen anything of the ways and worship of God, wherein the power of religion or godliness hath been expressed; anything that hath represented the holiness of the gospel, and the author of it; anything that looked like a prelude to the everlasting Sabbath, and rest with God, which we aim through grace to come unto, it hath been there, and with them, where, and among whom, the Lord's day hath been held in highest esteem, and a strict observation of it attended to, as an ordinance of our Lord Jesus Christ.' Hear also the words of the venerable Calvin—' Since we are permitted all the other days of the week, excepting this, for attendance to our bodily concerns, it seems to me, that we hold very cheap the service of God and the ministry of the church on which we ought to wait more diligently on that day than any other, if we cannot find means for employing one whole day of the week in things which God requires of us upon it. What ingratitude is it, if in yielding us six parts of the seven, which we owe to him, we do not at the least strive with all our power to surrender the other part, which he exacts of us as a token of our fidelity and homage? Once more listen to the testimony of Bucer, the friend of Calvin and Luther— Since our God, with singular goodness towards us, has sanctioned one day out of seven for the quickening of our faith, and so of life eternal, and blessed that day, that the sacred exercises of religion performed on it might be effectual to the promoting of our salvation; he verily shows himself to be a wretched despiser at once of his own salvation, and of the wonderful kindness of our God toward us, and, therefore, utterly unworthy of living among the people of God, who does not study to sanctify that day to the glorifying of his God, and the furthering of his own salvation.'

"By such testimonies, which might be indefinitely multiplied, you see that the men, who in this and other countries had the deepest insight into the mind of God, and were honoured to contend most earnestly for his truth, prized this day of God as an ordinance of great value, and identified the prosperity and life of religion with its faithful observance. In pressing this now upon all the office-bearers and members of the Free Church, we are but taking up their testimony, and treading in their footsteps. And as God bas seen meet to bring back in many other respects, the days of our fathers, may he also be pleased to bring back their profound reverence and regard for his day of sacred rest. Let all feel it as their bounden duty and personal concern, to do what they can to have this blessed result accomplished; and while called to witness for his truth in other respects, let it be their care to maintain inviolate that day which he has set to be a sign between himself and his people throughout their generations.' For it will just be in proportion as we have learned to call the Sabbath a delight, the holy of the Lord and honourable,' that we shall be found delighting ourselves in the Lord,' and shall be made to ride upon the bigh places of the earth, and be fed with the heritage of Jacob.""

Mr MACFARLAN of Renfrew moved the adoption of the report, and expressed his regret that it had been brought up on the last day of the Assembly. He only wish. ed to state, in a single sentence, that he approved of the entire report. The scriptural authority of the Lord's day is just as much a part of the testimony of the Free Church, as the authority of the Lord Jesus Christ in his own house; and when their deputations went forth into England to raise their testimony for the Headship of the Lord Jesus Christ, it would be ill indeed if they did not also raise a testimony for Christ as the Lord of the Sabbath. (Hear, hear.)

Mr M. M. CRICHTON seconded the motion. The time of the House would not permit any adequate expression of the feelings he entertained on this great and important subject, and he thought it better not to enter upon the subject at all. Let him, however, say, that he concurred with the excellent observation of Mr M'Farlan, that this question must form part of the testimony of the Free Church. They ought to take a large view of this question, and not be contented with taking it up in some of its branches; and he trusted that, as the faithful and Free Protesting Church of Scotland, they would lift up their testimony against all kinds of Sabbath desecration. He did not think it was any reply to tell them that their case was hopeless. Their duty was not affected by the apparent hopelessness of any question in which sacred principle was involved. If they continued to lift up the testimony for the Sabbath, they would free their own souls from the guilt of concurrence in its profanation; and in like manner if even the Free Church should not be able to stem the tide of Sabbath desecration, at least it might do a great deal towards this blessed end: and however short they might come of their holy purpose, at all events let them clear their Church from the guilt of apparent agreement and concurrence in Sabbath desecration. Oh, yes; let us stand up for one of the noblest privileges of Scotland. Let us stand up for Scotland's Sabbath, "the poor man's day," when he is free from all servile labour in our father-land, and permitted not only to enjoy rest, but holy rest, to prepare himself for the Sabbath of the eternal world. (Hear, hear.)

Sir ANDREW AGNEW, on being called upon by the Moderator, said,—I cannot but express the pleasure I feel in being permitted to speak a word on the Sabbath, while yet the report has left me little to say on the matter. I would merely say in echo of that report, that the Church of Scotland has ever lifted up the clearest testimony for the Sabbath of any of the churches of the Reformation; and feeling strongly as I do upon the point, this consideration adds greater strength to my attachment to the Free Church, for I have the confidence that the Church which is about to revive her excellent standards-not to alter them, but to give life and effect to those standards which our forefathers framed-will be true to the Sabbath as she has been true to the other principles of the Confession of Faith. (Cheers.) There is one point which I could have wished my excellent friend had thought it right to enlarge upon, but he judged it better on the present occasion to deal with generals and not particulars. But considering the place where we are now assembled, in the city of

Glasgow, at one of the termini of the Edinburgh and Glasgow Railway, pardon me, a humble individual, for presuming to suggest to my reverend fathers the necessity for our raising a testimony against the grievous violation of the Sabbath on that railway, where there is an example set, which, if followed out, would soon render our Scottish Sabbath a nonentity. (Hear, hear.) I earnestly hope that the next Assembly will be found taking its stand against this and every other form of encroachment upon the sacred rest of the Sabbath, and that, proceeding on the information received from Presbyteries and Synods on the subject, something effectual will be done to check the inroads of Sabbath profanation. (Hear, hear.)

The report was then agreed to.

COLLECTIONS FOR SUTHERLANDSHIRE.

A Committee was appointed to carry out Mr Maule's resolution, and to prepare an address in reference to the collections to be made for the people of Sutherland. The Committee consists of the Moderator, Dr Chalmers, Dr Gordon, Dr Welsh, Dr Makellar, Dr M Farlan, Dr Paterson, Dr Smyth, Dr Cunningham, Dr Candlish, and a number of other ministers and elders.

FORMULA, &c.

A Committee was appointed to consider and report to next Assembly, recommending such alterations as may appear to be necessary in the standing orders of the House, and in the form of procedure now in use in the different courts of the Church; with instructions also to make such alterations in the formula as the altered circumstances of the Church seemed to require the amended formula, after being approved of by the Commission of Assembly, to be transmitted to the inferior judicatories.

TESTIMONY.

A Committee was appointed to draw up a Testimony by the Church, stating the grounds of its separation from the Establishment.

Deputations were appointed to the Irish Assembly, Reformed Presbyterian Synod, United Secession Synod, &c.

BICENTENARY OF WESTMINSTER ASSEMBLY.

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Dr CANDLISH reported verbally, from the Committee appointed at last Assembly, to make arrangements for the commemoration of the Westminster Assembly. this occasion, he said, I have to report that the commemoration took place, and the result is before the Church and before the Christian public. We had repeated conferences with the commissioners from other Presbyterian denominations, from the United Secession Church, and other Presbyterian Churches in Scotland; and it was agreed that the meeting should be held in Edinburgh, where it accordingly took place. I need not enlarge or expatiate on the delightful feeling with which the members of the different denominations regarded each other at that meeting, or the satisfaction which we experienced from the intercourse of various denominations which had not met with each other for years before. (Hear, hear.) I have simply to state that the meeting did not pass away without some practical effect. A Committee was appointed to consider how the object of co-operation among evangelical Christians could be best promoted, that committee consisting of ministers and members of different Presbyterian Churches who took part in the Westminster commemoration, and who were empowered to add to their number ministers and members of other denominations, not comprehended under the general class of Presbyterians. The Committee have, since the time of the commemoration, been sitting almost every week in consultation, except five or six weeks during the autumn. It was agreed to meet every Monday forenoon; and we have accordingly met and enjoyed the most delightful intercourse with each other, while considering our plans of co-operation. There seem to be many things in which we can co-operate. The first object should be to overtake the spiritual destitution prevailing in many parts of the country, and especially in the large towns.