The Historical Development of the Book of Church Order

Chapter 48 : The Sanctification of the Lord's Day

Paragraph 3 :

48-3. It is the duty of every person to remember the Lord’s Day; and to prepare for it before its approach. All worldly business should be so ordered, and seasonably laid aside, as that they may not be hindered thereby from sanctifying the Sabbath, as the Holy Scriptures require.

DIGEST: The current PCA text, unchanged from PCA 1973, dates to the PCUS revision of 1929.

BACKGROUND AND COMPARISON :
1. PCA 1973, Adopted text [M1GA, Appendix, p. 155]
2. Continuing Presbyterian Church, Proposed Book of Church Order (1973), DfW, 1-1, p. 63
3. PCUS 1933, DfW, I-§303
It is the duty of all persons to remember the Lord's Day, and to prepare for it before
its approach. All worldly business should be so ordered, and seasonably laid aside,
that they may not be hindered thereby from sanctifying the Sabbath, as the Holy Scriptures require.

PCUS 1925, DfW, I-§303
and
PCUS 1894, DfW, I-1
It is the duty of every person to remember the Lord's Day; and to prepare for it before
its approach. All worldly business should be so ordered, and seasonably laid aside,
as that they may not be hindered thereby from sanctifying the Sabbath, as the Holy Scriptures require.

PCUSA 1789, DfW, I-1
It is the duty of every person to remember the Lord's day; and to prepare for it, before
its approach. All worldly business should be so ordered, and seasonably laid aside,
as that we may not be hindered thereby from sanctifying the Sabbath, as the holy Scriptures require.

PCUSA 1786, DfW, 2d draft
It is the duty of every person to remember the Lord's Day, and to prepare for it, before its approach. All worldly business, should be so ordered, and seasonably laid aside,
as that we may not be hindered thereby from sanctifying the Sabbath, as the holy Scriptures require.

OTHER COMPARISONS:
OPC 2005, DfW, I-1
It is the duty of every one to remember the Lord's Day and to prepare for it before its approach. On the preceding day all worldly business should be so ordered by each person and seasonably laid aside that he may not be hindered thereby from sanctifying the Sabbath, as the Holy Scriptures require.

RPCES 1973, III-1
It is a duty imposed on the people of God that they shall remember the Lord's Day and prepare beforehand for its proper observance. Temporal duties and business ought to be previously arranged and laid aside, so far as possible as not to hinder the sanctifying of the day as the Scriptures prescribe.