And if the people of the land bring in wares or any grain on the sabbath day to sell, that we would not buy it from them on the sabbath, or on the holy day: and that we would forego the crops of the seventh year, and the exaction of every debt.
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Bede
AD 735
We, too, should always keep a spiritual sabbath, should always take a rest from servile work (i.e., sin), should always make time for and consider that the Lord is God, so that after such a sabbath, when we have been freed from the sins of conscience, we may come to the sabbath of future glory in heaven. But the peoples of the land seek a way to profane our sabbath by bringing in all sorts of things to sell us on the holy day because unclean spirits try hard to pollute the cleanness of our heart; and once they have received the payment of our consent, they heap on us the enticements of the vices in order to defile the day of greatest holiness (i.e., to darken the light of our devout thought or action with the sins they have sent in). But we should entirely shun merchandise of this sort with the walls of our closedoff city, that is, with the protection of a more perfected life.
Holy day. The contrary practice is therefore sinful. (Haydock)
Year. Not cultivating the land, Leviticus xxv. 4.
Hand. No debts were to be demanded, Deuteronomy xv. 1. (Menochius)
