If thou turn away thy foot from the sabbath
From walking and working on that day; or withdrawest thy mind and
affections from all worldly things; the affections being that to
the mind as the feet are to the body, which carry it here and
there. The time of worship, under the Gospel dispensation, is
here expressed in Old Testament language, as the service of it
usually is in prophetic writings; though its proper name is the
Lord's day, ( Revelation
1:10 ) , and is here instanced in, and put for all religious
institutions and services to be attended unto, and which will be
with greater strictness in the times referred to: from
doing thy pleasure on my holy day;
that is, if thou turnest away, or dost abstain from doing thine
own servile work, the business of thy calling; which may be
agreeable for the sake of the profit of it; or from recreations
and amusements, which may be lawfully indulged on another day:
and call the sabbath a delight, the holy of God, and
honourable;
take delight and pleasure in the service of it; in all the duties
of religion, private and public, to be observed on that day; in
reading and hearing the word, and meditation on it; in prayer,
and in attendance on all ordinances; and reckon it as separated
for holy use and employment, and on that account honourable; and
so have it in high esteem, and desire the return of it, and not
think the service of it long and tedious, when enjoyed, and wish
it was over: or, "for the Holy One of God, and honourable"; that
is, for the sake of Christ, the Holy One of God, in both his
natures, and honourable in his person and office; accounting the
sabbath a delight, in remembrance of the great work of redemption
and salvation wrought out by him: and shall honour him, not
doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own
pleasure, nor speaking thine own words;
honour the Lord on that day, by not attending to any secular
business, or walking abroad in the fields, to the neglect of
private duties or public worship; by not seeking the
gratification of the fleshly and sensual part, or indulging to
those things which are agreeable to it; and by not speaking such
words, or talking of such things, as relate to worldly affairs,
or the things of civil life, but walking in the ways of the Lord,
doing those things which are well pleasing in his sight, and
conversing about spiritual and heavenly things; by such means God
is honoured on his own day; and the reverse of this is a
dishonouring him. The Jews F15 make this honour to lie
chiefly in wearing other clothes on this day than on a weekday,
and not walking as on other days, or talking as on them; yet they
allow of thoughts, though not of words, about worldly things.
F15 T. Bab. Sabbat, fol. 113. 1, 2. & 119. 1. & 150. 1.