or the day of rest, a solemn festival of the Jews, on the seventh day of the week, or Saturday, beginning from sun-set on Friday to sun-set on Saturday.
The observation of the Sabbath began with the world; for God having employed six days in its creation, appointed the seventh as a day of rest to be observed by man, in commemoration of that great event. On this day the Jews were commanded to abstain from all labour, and to give rest to their cattle. They were not allowed to go out of the city farther than two thousand cubits, or a mile; a custom which was founded on the distance of the ark from the tents of the Israelites, in the wilderness, after their leaving Egypt; for being permitted to go, even on the Sabbath day, to the tabernacle to pray, they from thence inferred, that the taking a journey of no greater length, though on a different account, could not be a breach of the sabbatical rest.
As the seventh day was a day of rest to the people, so was the seventh year to the land; it being unlawful in this year to plough or sow, and whatever the earth produced belonged to the poor; this was called the sabbatical year. The Jews, therefore, were obliged, during the six years, and more especially the last, to lay up a sufficient store for the sabbatical year.
The modern as well as the ancient Jews are very superstitious in the observance of the Sabbath: they carry neither arms, nor gold, nor silver, about them, and are permitted neither to touch these, nor a candle, nor any thing belonging to the fire; on which account they light up lamps on Fridays, which burn till the end of the Sabbath.
Christian Sabbath. See SUNDAY.
SABBATH-Breaking, or profanation of the Lord's day, is punished by the municipal laws of England. For, besides the notorious indecency and scandal of permitting any secular business to be publicly transacted on that day in a country professing Christianity, and the corruption of morals which usually follows its profanation, the keeping one day in seven holy, as a time of relaxation and refreshment, as well as for public worship, is of admirable service to a state, considered merely as a civil institution. It humanizes, by the help of conversation and society, the manners of the lower classes; which would otherwise degenerate into a forid ferocity and savage selfishness of spirit: it enables the industrious workman to pursue his occupation in the ensuing week with health and cheerfulness: it imprints on the minds of the people that sense of their duty to God, so necessary to make them good citizens; but which yet would be worn out and defaced by an unremitting continuance of labour, without any stated times of recalling them to the worship of their Maker. And therefore the laws of king Athelstan forbid all merchandizing on the Lord's day, under very severe penalties. And by the statute 27 Hen. VI. c. 5. no fair or market shall be held on the principal festivals, Good-friday, or any Sunday, (except the four Sundays in harvest), on pain of forfeiting the goods exposed to sale. And, since, by the statute 1 Car. I. c. 1. no persons shall assemble, out of their own parishes, for any fidget whatsoever upon this day; SABELLIANS nor, in their parishes, shall use any bull or bear baiting, interludes, plays, or other unlawful exercises or pastimes; on pain that every offender shall pay 3s. 4d. to the poor. This statute does not prohibit, but rather implies, any innocent recreation or amusement, within their respective parishes, even on the Lord's day, after divine service is over. But by statute 29 Car. II. c. 7. no person allowed to work on the Lord's day, or use any boat or barge, or expose any goods to sale, except meat in public houses, milk at certain hours, and works of necessity or charity, on forfeiture of 5s. Nor shall any drover, carrier, or the like, travel upon that day, under pain of 20s.