What is the Fourth Commandment?
Remember the sabbath day to keep it holy. Six days thou shalt labour, and shalt perform all thy work. But on the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God; on it thou shalt do no work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy servant nor thy maidservant, thine ox nor thine ass, nor any cattle of thine, nor the stranger that sojourns with thee. For in six days the Lord made the heaven and the earth, and the sea and all things in them, and rested on the seventh day; therefore the Lord blessed the seventh day, and hallowed it. [Exodus 20:8-11 Brenton's LXX; cf. Deut. 5:12-15]
What are we to learn from this Commandment?
Hereby we are to know, that God hath set apart one day in seven, to the end that mortals might be mindful of the benefits which he continually bestoweth upon mankind; and that for an especial memorial of all His blessings and mercies, he hath hallowed this day, in which men, meditating upon the gracious goodness of God, might give thanks unto Him and glorify His Majesty. Therefore when in six days God had created the whole universe out of nothing, and had rested the seventh day, he sanctified it; that men, laying aside all other employments, might, with extraordinary devotion, worship and praise God, in remembrance of the great blessings He hath bestowed upon us in the creation of the world. So likewise when He had delivered the Israelites out of Egypt, he was pleased to establish the Feast of the Passover by Moses; as also many other feasts and solemn times, which are mentioned in the Old Testament, and were to be observed. But we, Christians, instead of the Sabbath, keep holy the Lord's Day; which we do, because, on the Lord's Day, the world was renewed, and human nature delivered from the bondage of the devil, by the glorious Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. Wherefore we ought to abstain this whole day from every kind of work and employment; that, with quiet and undisturbed minds, we may entirely be given up the whole time unto prayer, and holy meditations, for the great benefits we have received. And likewise our families and servants must do no work on that day; but, being at rest and leisure, let them be employed only in holy things, praying unto God, and praising Him. Furthermore, by this Commandment we are obliged to observe and keep all such other Days as the Church hath required us to keep holy. Such as the Feasts of Thanksgiving of the Nativity of Christ, of the Circumcision, of the Epiphany, of the Purification of the Blessed Virgin, of the Resurrection, Ascension, &c., also the Festival of the Ever-Virgin-Mary, the Apostles, the Martyrs, and of other Saints. Now, after what manner the Lord's Day ought to be observed, the Sixth General Council teacheth in the ninety-first [sic] Canon.
[Apostolic Canon LXIV: “If any Clergyman be found fasting on Sunday, or on Saturday with the exception of one only, let him be deposed from office. If, however, he is a layman, let him be excommunicated.” 5th-6th (Sixth) Œcumenical Council Canon LV: “Since we have learned that those in the city of the Romans during the holy fast of Lent [the Great Fast] are fasting on the Saturdays thereof contrary to the ecclesiastical practice handed down, it has seemed best to the holy Council for the Church of the Romans to hold rigorously the Canon saying: ‘If any Clergyman be found fasting on Sunday, or on Saturday, with the exception of one only let him be deposed from office. If, however, a layman, let him be excommunicated.’” Laodicæa Canon XXIX: “That Christians must not Judaize and rest on Saturday but must work on this day preferring to rest as Christians on Sunday if able to do so. If they be found to be Judaists, let them be anathema with Christ.” Rudder, Cummings, trans., Orthodox Christian Education Society, Chicago, 1957, pp. 110, 354, 564.]
Moreover, another cause of transferring the Sabbath to the Lord's-Day, in this; namely, that Christ is Lord of the Sabbath, according to the Scripture, “For the Son of Man is Lord also of the sabbath.” [Matt. 12:8 ONT] If therefore Christ be Lord of the Sabbath; then, surely, the Sabbath is, with great reason, transferred to the Lord's-Day; both because Christ might not seem to be in any subjection thereunto; and also because on that day, and none other, did Christ arise from the dead: whereby the world, as to its eternal salvation, was renewed and restored.
Q. What does God command in the Fourth Precept?
A. He does thereby appoint and set aside one day in the week for his own service. For although we are in duty bound to praise God every moment of our lives, yet we are so busily employed the rest of the week in our respective callings, that He is little honored by us; and therefore, that we may serve the Lord without distraction, the Seventh Day is consecrated to His Worship, by superseding all the ordinary and troublesome offices of life. This day, in the Old Testament, was Saturday, or the last day of the week, but in the New, it is the first, when we are to honor and commemorate the Resurrection of Jesus Christ, and hence it is called the Day of the Resurrection, and from laying aside our daily employments, it is called a day of repose.
There are other Feast Days, besides Sunday, to commemorate the mighty Works of God, and to honor some of His Saints, which by virtue of this Command, we are obliged to observe.
Q. How is God to be praised on Feast Days?
A.
1. In the first place, we must cheerfully frequent on these days the House of God, and give attentive heed to Divine Service, wherein God is praised for His infinite kindnesses bestowed upon us, whether they be temporal or spiritual; and take notice, that it is not enough to assist at these exercises, but that we must hear with understanding, giving entire assent and consent, with faith and fear, to these spiritual songs.
2. What is read or preached in the church, hear it with meekness and holy attention, returning thanks to the Lord, that he condescends to speak to thee by the mouths of His ministers, and strive earnestly to be not only a hearer, but a doer of the Word, and assure thyself, that if thou dost not grow better by hearing the Word preached, it will aggravate thy condemnation.
3. When thou art in thy house, encourage thy children, and the rest of thy family, to fear the Lord, by keeping them from gaming and disorderly exercises, and by repeating to them what thou didst hear in church. Thus thou wilt edify both thy self and those that hear thee, and retain more firmly what thou hast heard in the congregation.
4. We should be always ready to distribute alms to the poor, but more especially on Holy Days, for with such sacrifices God is well pleased.
Q. Who are those that transgress this Command?
A. All those who do not serve God in the manner above mentioned, and more especially:
1. Those that despise the received prayers of the Church, and either absent themselves from the public Worship, or give no attention to what is sung or preached.
2. Priests, and other Ecclesiastics, who either altogether neglect preaching or singing in the Church, or perform these holy exercises without due reverence, as by reading too fast and inconsiderately; these men's sins are of a double die: they offend God themselves, and cause the whole congregation to offend Him also.
3. This Commandment is grossly violated by those who spend the day in drinking, gaming, quarreling, and disorderly living, for certainly this can't be sanctifying the Lord's Day.
Q. Is it then absolutely and always sinful to work on the Sabbath Day?
A. We intimated already, that hard labor is to be laid aside on those days, that God may be served without distraction; and other employments, those less laborious, as merchandizing, and attending courts of judicature; yet in some cases, it is no sin to work on the Sabbath Day, as on the following occasions:
1. When our neighbor calls for our assistance in his sickness, or when his house is on fire.
2. If a man, whose habitation is very remote from any place of public Worship, and can neither read himself, nor has any other that can read to him, he does better to follow his daily employment in his own house, that to frequent lewd company.
Q. Why is it commanded to keep the seventh, rather than any other day, holy to God?
A. Because God in six days made the world, and on the seventh day rested from the work of creation.
Q. Is the Sabbath kept in the Christian Church?
A. It is not kept, strictly speaking, as a holy day; but still, in memory of the creation of the world, and in continuation of its original observance, it is distinguished from the other days of the week by a relaxation of the rule for fasting.
Q. How then does the Christian Church obey the fourth Commandment?
A. She still to every six days keeps a seventh, only not the last of the seven days, which is the Sabbath, but the first day in every week, which is the Day of the Resurrection, or Lord's Day.
Q. Since when do we keep the Day of the Resurrection?
A. From the very time of Christ's Resurrection.
Q. Is there any mention in holy Scripture of keeping the Day of the Resurrection?
A. In the book of the Acts of the Apostles it is mentioned that the disciples, that is the Christians, came together on the first day after the Sabbath, which was the first day of the week or day of the Resurrection, for the breaking of bread, that is to say, for the celebration of the Sacrament of the Communion. [“And on the first day of the week, after the disciples gathered together to break bread ... .” (Acts 20:7a ONT)] The Apostle and Evangelist John also in the Apocalypse mentions the Lord's Day [“I came to be in the Spirit on the Lord’s day ... .” (Rev. 1:10a ONT)], or the Day of the Resurrection [“I am the resurrection.” (Jn. 11:25b ONT)].
Q. Is there not yet something more to be understood under the name of the seventh day, or Sabbath?
A. As in the Church of the Old Testament the name Sabbath was understood to include divers other days appointed like the Sabbath for festivals or fasts, as the festival of the Passover, and the Day of Atonement, so likewise are we now in the Christian Church bound to keep besides the Lord's day certain others also, which have been appointed as festivals to the glory of God and the honor of the Blessed Virgin and other Saints, or as days of fasting.
Q. Which are the chief festivals?
A. Those appointed in memory of the chief events relating to the Incarnation of the Son of God for our salvation, and to the Manifestation of the Godhead; after these, those appointed in honor of the Most Holy Mother of God, as the instrument of the Mystery of the Incarnation. Such, in the order of the events, are the following:
l. The day of the birth of the Most Holy Mother of God.
2. The day of her being brought to the Temple to be dedicated to God.
3. The day of the Annunciation; that is, when the Angel announced to the Most Holy Virgin the Incarnation of the Son of God of her.
4. The day of the birth of Jesus Christ.
5. The day of the baptism of our Lord, and the Epiphany, or Manifestation of the Most Holy Trinity.
6. The day of our Lord's being met in the temple by Simeon.
7. The day of our Lord's Transfiguration.
8. The day of our Lord's entry into Jerusalem.
9. Pasch or Easter; the feast of feasts, the anticipation of the everlasting feast of everlasting blessedness.
10. The day of our Lord's Ascension into heaven.
11. The feast of Pentecost; in memory of the Descent of the Holy Ghost, and in honor of the Most Holy Trinity.
12. The day of the Elevation of the Cross of our Lord discovered by the Empress Helena.
13. The day of the Rest of the Most Holy Mother of God.
Q. What is the chief fast?
A. The Great Fast; that is, Lent, or Quadragesima. [Comment by Father Symeon: Quadragesima is the Latin translation of the Greek Τεσσαρακοστή, Tessarakostē, the "fortieth" day before Pascha. Lent is an English word that simply meant spring, which was derived from the Germanic root for long, because in the spring the days visibly lengthen. That is, these are late Middle Age Western terms; the Slavonic and Russian (великий пост, vyeliki post) term Great Fast is preferred, if for no other reason in the present than to keep separate from ecumenist and other Western heretical ideas.]
Q. Why is it called Quadragesima?
A. Because it continues forty days, besides the week of Christ's Passion.
Q. Why has it been appointed that the great fast should continue forty days?
A. After the example of Jesus Christ Himself, Who fasted forty days. [“Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And having fasted forty days and forty nights, afterwards He hungered.”(Mt. 4:1-2 ONT)]
Q. Why has it been appointed to fast on the Wednesday and the Friday?
A. On Wednesday, in memory of the betrayal of our Lord Jesus Christ to suffer; and on Friday in memory of His actual suffering and death.
Q. For what cause are the fasts before the Nativity, the Rest of the Blessed Virgin [Dormition], and the Day of the Holy Apostles?
A. The first two as preparatory exercises of abstinence, the better to honor the ensuing feasts of the Nativity and the Assumption; the last not only for like reason, but also in imitation of the Apostles, who fasted to prepare themselves for the work of preaching the Gospel. [“Now there were in the Church that was in Antioch certain prophets and teachers, as Barnabas, and Symeon who is called Niger, and Lucius the Cyrenian, and also Manaen, a foster-brother of Herod the tetrarch, and Saul. And as they ministered to the Lord and fasted, the Holy Spirit said, ‘Separate now to Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.’ Then after they fasted and prayed, and laid their hands upon them, they dismissed them. They themselves indeed therefore were sent forth by the Holy Spirit... .” (Acts 13:1-4a ONT)]
Q. How should we spend our time on Sundays and the other greater Holy Days, in order to keep the fourth Commandment?
A. First, on these days we should not labor, or do worldly and temporal business; secondly, we should keep them holy, that is, use them for holy and spiritual works, to the glory of God.
Q. Why are we forbidden to work on Holy Days?
A. That we may, with the less hindrance, employ them in holy and godly works.
Q. What particular things are fit to do on holy days?
A. First, to go to church for the public worship, and for instruction in the Word of God; secondly, when at home, to give ourselves to prayer and reading, or edifying conversation; thirdly, to dedicate to God a portion of our means, expending it on the necessities of the Church and her ministers, and in alms to the poor, to visit the sick and prisoners, and to do other works of Christian charity.
Q. But should we not do such things on workdays also?
A. It is well, if any can; but he whom business prevents should at any rate devote Holy Days to such works. But as regards [to] prayer, it is certainly our bounden duty to use it every day, morning and evening, before and after both dinner and supper, and, as far as possible, at the beginning and ending of every work.
Q. What are we to think of those who, on Holy Days, allow themselves [to participate] in [or watch] indecent plays and shows, idle songs, and intemperance in meat and drink?
A. Such people greatly desecrate Holy Days. For if even works innocent and useful for this present life are unfit for Holy Days, much more such as these, which are unprofitable, carnal, and vicious [are unfit].
Q. When the fourth Commandment speaks of working six days, does it not thereby condemn those who do nothing?
A. Without doubt it condemns all who on common days do not give themselves to works befitting their calling, but spend their time in idleness and dissipation.