Though it is commonly taken for granted that the Christian sabbath we observe, reckoning from the creation, is not the seventh but the first day of the week, yet being a seventh day, and we in it, celebrating the rest of God the Son, and the finishing of the work of our redemption, we may and ought to act faith upon this original institution of the sabbath day, and to commemorate the work of creation, to the honour of the great Creator, who is therefore worthy to receive, on that day, blessing, and honour, and praise, from all religious assemblies. He has separated and distinguished it from the rest of the days of the week, and he has consecrated it and set it apart to himself and his own service and honour. The sabbath day is a holy day, for God has sanctified it. God has put an honour upon it, has appointed us, on that day, to bless him, and has promised, on that day, to meet us and bless us. The sabbath day is a blessed day, for God blessed it, and that which he blesses is blessed indeed. The sabbath of the Lord is truly honourable, and we have reason to honour itВ—honour it for the sake of its antiquity, its great Author, the sanctification of the first sabbath by the holy God himself, and by our first parents in innocency, in obedience to him. Sabbaths are as ancient as the world and I see no reason to doubt that the sabbath, being now instituted in innocency, was religiously observed by the people of God throughout the patriarchal age. The way of sabbath-sanctification is the good old way, Jer.В 6:16. The solemn observance of one day in seven, as a day of holy rest and holy work, to GodВ’s honour, is the indispensable duty of all those to whom God has revealed his holy sabbaths. He rested on that day, and took a complacency in his creatures, and then sanctified it, and appointed us, on that day, to rest and take a complacency in the Creator and his rest is, in the fourth commandment, made a reason for ours, after six daysВ’ labour. The commencement of the kingdom of grace, in the sanctification of the sabbath day, v.В 3. He did not rest, as one weary, but as one well-pleased with the instances of his own goodness and the manifestations of his own glory.II. The eternal God, though infinitely happy in the enjoyment of himself, yet took a satisfaction in the work of his own hands. In miracles, he has controlled and overruled nature, but never changed its settled course, nor repealed nor added to any of its establishments. He has so ended his work as that though, in his providence, he worketh hitherto ( Jn.В 5:17 ), preserving and governing all the creatures, and particularly forming the spirit of man within him, yet he does not make any new species of creatures. After the end of the first six days God ceased from all works of creation. God that began to build showed himself well able to finish. So perfect is GodВ’s work that nothing can be added to it nor taken from it, Eccl.В 3:14. The heavens and the earth are finished pieces, and so are all the creatures in them. God uses them as his hosts for the defence of his people and the destruction of his enemies for he is the Lord of hosts, of all these hosts, Dan.В 4:35. How great is the sum of them! And yet every one knows and keeps his place. The creatures made both in heaven and earth are the hosts or armies of them, which denotes them to be numerous, but marshalled, disciplined, and under command. The settlement of the kingdom of nature, in GodВ’s resting from the work of creation, v.В 1, v.В 2. The creation of the woman, her marriage to the man, and the institution of the ordinance of marriage ( v.В 18, etc.). A description of the garden of Eden, and the placing of man in it under the obligations of a law and covenant ( v.В 8-17). A more particular account of manВ’s creation, as the centre and summary of the whole work ( v.В 1-7). The institution and sanctification of the sabbath, which was made for man, to further his holiness and comfort ( v.В 1-3). This chapter is an appendix to the history of the creation, more particularly explaining and enlarging upon that part of the history which relates immediately to man, the favourite of this lower world.

Genesis chapter 2 explained