Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.
God appointed the Sabbath as a special prop and stimulant because men are prone to indifference and will neglect their zeal for religion without it. The festivals work together to strengthen the unity of faith and harmony of the Church, each serving its purpose in the whole design.
AI summary
God spoke these words Himself with dreadful pomp, not merely whispered through conscience or providence, but with the authority of Jehovah, the self-existent One. He bound Israel threefold: by His nature as eternal Lord, by covenant as their God, and by His power to reward obedience and punish disobedience.
AI summary
Commenting on Exodus 20:1-11
The word 'remember' appears here alone among the commandments because the Sabbath is positive institution, not natural law. Every other commandment echoes reason and conscience; this one does not, so God must bid them recall what their own nature will not suggest.
AI summary