Fourth Commandment Prohibitions in Westminster Catechism
The Fourth Commandment, "Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy," is understood in the Westminster Larger and Shorter Catechisms not only as a positive injunction to observe a day of rest and worship but also as a prohibition against specific actions and attitudes that violate its spirit. These prohibitions extend beyond mere physical labor to encompass a range of behaviors deemed inconsistent with the sanctification of the Lord's Day.
One primary prohibition is the neglect of duties required on the Sabbath. This includes avoiding idleness, which is distinct from holy resting, and refraining from activities that distract from spiritual exercises. The Heidelberg Catechism, a contemporary Reformed confession, emphasizes the positive duties of the Fourth Commandment, such as diligently attending the assembly of God's people to learn from God's Word, participate in sacraments, pray publicly, and offer for the poor [2]. By implication, neglecting these duties would constitute a violation.
The Westminster Catechisms also prohibit "all profaning the day by idleness, or doing that which is in itself sinful" [Westminster Larger Catechism, Q. 119, not provided in sources but implied by the scope of the question]. This means that even if an activity is not work, it can still be prohibited if it is inherently sinful or if it diverts attention from the sacred purpose of the day. Early Christian writers also cautioned against "vain talk and obscene discourses, and jestings, drunkenness, lasciviousness, luxury, unbounded passions, with foolish discourses" on the Lord's Day, emphasizing that nothing unseemly should be spoken or acted upon [5]. This patristic perspective aligns with the Reformed understanding that the Sabbath should be a day of joy and spiritual focus, free from worldly excesses.
Furthermore, the Catechisms forbid "all unnecessary thoughts, words, and works about our worldly employments and recreations" [Westminster Larger Catechism, Q. 119, not provided in sources]. This prohibition extends to mental and verbal activities, not just physical labor. The intent is to prevent the mind from being preoccupied with secular concerns that would hinder spiritual contemplation. John Calvin, in his Institutes of the Christian Religion, discusses the design of the Fourth Commandment as enabling believers to be "dead to our own affections and works" and to "meditate on the kingdom of God" [3]. This spiritual focus implies a prohibition against anything that would impede such meditation.
The Reformed tradition, as articulated in the Westminster standards, also prohibits "all worldly business and recreations" on the Sabbath, except for works of necessity and mercy. This distinction is crucial. While ordinary labor is forbidden, actions essential for life or for aiding others in distress are permitted. This aligns with the broader biblical principle that "the Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath" (Mark 2:27). Charles Hodge, in his Systematic Theology, notes that Christ's actions and teachings regarding the Sabbath, such as healing on the Sabbath, illustrate that certain works are not violations [4].
The prohibitions of the Fourth Commandment are not merely external but also internal. They encompass a call to rest from "evil ways" and to allow God to work through His Spirit, thereby beginning "in this life the eternal Sabbath" [2]. This internal dimension means that even if one refrains from outward labor, a heart that is not oriented towards God and His purposes for the day would still be in violation. The Psalmist's prayer, "Do not incline my heart to any evil thing, To practice deeds of wickedness With men who do iniquity; And do not let me eat of their delicacies," reflects a desire for internal purity that extends to all aspects of life, including Sabbath observance [1].
Sources
- Psalms “Psalms 141:4 (NASB) — Do not incline my heart to any evil thing, To practice deeds of wickedness With men who do iniquity; And do not let me eat of their delicacies.”
- Heidelberg Catechism (Reformed) “Heidelberg Catechism (Reformed, 1563), Q. What is God’s will for you: Q. What is God’s will for you in the fourth commandment? A. First, that the gospel ministry and education for it be maintained,1 and that, especially on the festive day of rest, I diligently attend the assembly of God’s people2 to learn what God’s Word teaches,3 to participate in the sacraments,4 to pray to God publicly,5 and to bring Christian offerings for the poor.6 Second, that every day of my life I rest from my evil ways, let the Lord work in me through his Spirit, and so begin in this life the eternal Sabbath.7 1 Deut”
- CCEL (Reformed) “John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, section 105: That we may not throw obloquy on his works, but may speak of them with commendatians of his Wisdom, Long-suffering, Power, Goodness, Justice. With these is contrasted a threefold profanation of the name of God, by perjury, unnecessary oaths, and idolatrous rites; that is, when we substitute in the place of God saints, or creatures animate or inanimate. 30. The design of the Fourth Commandment is, that, being dead to our own affections and works, we may meditate on the kingdom of God. Now there are three things here to be considere”
- CCEL (Reformed (Old Princeton)) “Charles Hodge, Systematic Theology, Vol. 3, section 46: true sense, says nothing of the fourth commandment. The same is true of the council in Jerusalem. That council says nothing about the necessity of the heathen converts observing a Sabbath. But all this may be said of other precepts the obligation of which no man questions. Neither our Lord nor the council say anything about the worshipping of graven images. Besides, our Lord elsewhere does do, with regard to the fourth commandment, precisely what He did in the Sermon on the Mount with regard to other precepts of the decalogue. He reproved”
- Schaff ANF/NPNF (Patristic) “ANF Vol 7: Lactantius, Venantius, Asterius, Victorinus, Dionysius — AMORAL ADMONITION, THAT WE ARE TO ABSTAIN FROM VAIN TALKING, OBSCENE TALKING, JESTING, DRUNKENNESS, LASCIVIOUSNESS, AND LUXURY.: X. Now we exhort you, brethren and fellow-servants, to avoid vain talk and obscene discourses, and jestings, drunkenness, lasciviousness, luxury, unbounded passions, with foolish discourses, since we do not permit you so much as on the Lord's days, which are days of joy, to speak or act anything unseemly; for the Scripture somewhere says: "Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice unto Him with trembling”