very well to the observation of thâ— Lords day When the universall Church observeth any thing that none might appoâ—nt but God and yet nowhere is it found written it behoveth to averre that it was delivered by Christ and his Apâ—stles Anotâ—eâ— rule What the universall Church hath observed at all â—â—mes before justly we may beleeve that it was in 〈…〉 Apostles howbeit it bee of â—uch a qualitie as 〈…〉 iâ—stituted by the Church To this purpâ—seâ—â— quoteth Augâ—stine lib. 4. contra Donatist as cap. 23 These are the words That which the universall Châ—rch 〈◊〉 and hath not beene instituted by Councels but ever maintaâ—ned is to be beleevâ—d in all 〈◊〉 reason not to have been ordained by oâ—her power then the apostoâ—ique authoriâ—â— Quod universateâ— eccleâ—â—a nec conciâ—iis instituâ—â—â— sed sempâ—r â—â—tentum non nisi authoritate apâ—stâ—ica traâ—dituâ— certissime creditur But seeing the ordinances of the Apostles were of two sorts Some were temporarie and to endure onely for a time as abstinence from bloud and strangled which was enjoyned only for avoiding the offence of the weake Jewes others were to bee observed constantly Of this sort was the observation of the Lords day Experience hath proved the perpetuall observation of it hitherto and no reason can bee given wherefore it should bee changed hereafter as I shall show It were superfluous to cite the testimonies of divines referring the institution of this day to the Apostles Walaeus hath quoted a number dissertat pag. 165. After hee hath laid downe his reasons consenting with them in judgement hee concludeth that the first day of the weeke was substituted to the sabbath by the Apostles not onely by an ordinarie power such as all pastours have to order rites meerly indifferent in their Churches but by a singular power as by such as had inspection over the whole Church and to whom as to extraordinarie office-bearers was concredit to be faithfull not onely to deliver certaine precepts of faith and manners but also of comely order in the Church Vt quis dies in septimana ex vi anal gia quarti praecepti esset servandus ne dissâ—nsio aut confusio ex eo inter ecclesias oriretur omnibus ubique Christianis constaret as that it might bee knowne to all Christians what day in the weeke is to bee observed by vertue and analogie of the fourth precept least dissention or confusion should arise there about 〈◊〉 the Churches He citeth other divines concluding likewise that the Apostles being guided by the holy Ghost substituted the Lords day in place of the Jewish 〈◊〉 bath But others referre the institution to Christ himselfe which is more likely for after his resurrection hee appeared sundry times taught the Apostles things pertaining to the kingdome of God that is the instruction and government of his Church and gave them commandements Act. 1. 23. These commandements and instructions they delivered after to the Churches and set them downe in their canonicall writes Next Christ himselfe appeared the day of his resurrection five times At the third appearance hee appeared to the two disciples going to Emaus at which time hee celebrated the holy supper according to the judgement of great divines At the fifth appearance he appeared to all the disciples save Thomas who were conveened together before Then he gave them commission to goe and teach all nations and in conferring his spirit hee breathed upon them John 20. Mark 16. Eight dayes after that is the eighth day after as Luke 2. 21. when eight dayes were accomplished for the circumcision of the childe that is when the childe was circumcised upon the eight day Christ appeared againe and Thomas was present at which time he cured his unbeliefe It would appeare their meeting was not frequent at other times and that Christ appeared purposly at that time And therefore it is likely that every eight day after ordinarily they conveened and Christ appeared unto them wherein that great divine Junius is confident Die ipso resurrectionis octavo quoque die usque dum in coelos ascendit apparuit discâ—pulis in conventum eorum venit At last upon the Pentecost which fell upon the eight day that is the first day of the weeke that yeare Christ sent downe the holy Ghost in the likenesse of firie tongues upon the Apostles conveened together There is no speciall time noted for any of Christs apparitions but the first and eighth day which seemeth to be done of purpose Therefore Cyrillus lib. 12. in 〈…〉 8. willeth us to observe that the Evangelist is noâ— content with a simple narration but addeth carefully after eight dayes and all being gathered together in one place The Lords day could not have beene observed so long as Christ remained upon the earth without his direction And this appeareth to be one of the commandements which he gave them Eusebius ascribeth the institution of this day to Christ advancing Christ above all the great poteâ—tats of the Gentiles who could not prescrive to all the inhabitants of the earth to conveene every weeke and observe the Lords day as Christ did Athanâ—sius cited by White pag. 78. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The Lord hath changed â—r translated it meaning the sabbath into the Lords day The word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 may as well import that it was so called because the Lord was the authour and institutour of it as because it was instituted for the honour and worship of our Lord. As the Lords prayer is called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Lords prayer because the Lord was the authour of it Zanchius is of opinion that when the Lord blessed the seventh day the sonne of God spent that whole day in instructing Adam and Eva exercising them in the worship of God and admonishing them to teach their posteritie to doe the like for it beloved Adam to understand the sanctification of that day which the Lord had blessed and sanctified Wee have farre greater reason to thinke being certaine that Christ was here on earth appearing to his disciples at sundrie times from the day of his resurrection till the day of his ascension and instructing them in things belonging to his Church that hee instructed them in this point also Yea yee see hee conveened with them and in a manner observed it also Whither Christ himselfe instituted the observation of this day or the Apostles by the inspiration of the Spirit the authoritie is divine For howsoever Bellarmine distinguisheth traditions in divine and apostolicall the distinction is but imaginarie saith Junius in his answer and Bellarmine himselfe acknowledgeth that the apostolicall traditions in respect of the assistance of the spirit may be called also divine howbeit they were not delivered immediatly by Christ himselfe Tratitiones verè apostolice sunt divinae saith Polanus Beza in his great annotations upon Apocal. 1. 10. calleth it Apostolicam verè divinam traditionem Atradition truely divine howbeit Apostolicall Cornelius
the supreme magistrat in things indifferent taketh away the scandall There are two sorts of indifferent things saith Zâ—nâ—hius some that are manifest occasions of sinning others are not of that kinde Res adiaphorae duplices sunt Quaelam suâ—t alicui aportâ—e occasiones peccatorum ita ut exillis verè immineat pâ—riculâ—m pèceandi alie vero non ita se habent For the first sort that we ought to abstaine from 〈◊〉 evill and all manifest occasion of evil For who saith he will venture to passe along a ruinous bridge if hee perceave manifest danger of falling into the river Can the supreame magistrat take away that aptnesse and fitnesse that any thing hath to intise and provoke men to sinne The Apostle Paul saith he had rather never eat flesh then offend a weake brother for eating flesh offered to the idol and sold in the market And I think he had greater authority in such matters nor any prince or generall assembly The Belgick synods yee see would not take so much upon them but for ad kneeling for fear of idolatrie If the Church to whom the rule for directing the use of things indifferent in maters of religion are laide down to wit that all things bee done decently in order to edification without offence may not presume so farre far lesse may the magistrate for his power is cumulative to assist the Church not privative to deprive the Church of her power The magistrates countenance maketh the scandall the greater and hee strengthneth it by his authoritie whereas hee should remove scandals and not lay stumbling-blocks in the way of the people The brasen serpent was but a passive 〈◊〉 active scandall and yet Ezekias brake it in pieces for more should active scandals bee removed These Courâ—-clawbacks tell us wee should rather offend the people then the supreme magistrate But better offend that is displease him nor offend that is give occasion to the poorest soule let bee many thousands to fall into any sin let bee so haynous a sin as is the sin of idolatrie The magistrate is not in danger of stumbling for yee say he esteemeth the matter indifferent Is not the supreme magistrate a sinfull man May hee not make Israel to sin May hee not abuse things indifferent and transgresse the rules above mentioned May hee not bee a secret friend to the pope or an a bettor of superstition Suppose hee have no such intention yet hee can not by his authoritie alter conditionem operis the qualitie of the work it self and make a thing which of it selfe is inductive to scandall not inductive Doth his commandment make all so sure that none can bee scandalized That is impossible considering the shew of evill in the deed it self the ignorance of many thousands the disposition of the ignorants to superstition the pronnesse of mens nature to idolatrie and the increase of papists Ioab was guiltie of Vriahs bloud notwithstanding of the Kings commandment so art thou of thy brothers falling Thy life for his life if hee bee a missing Say not therefore with Cain Am I my brothers keeper Active obedience to the magistrate ought not to bee a rule of thy love to Gods glory and the salvation of thy brother Passive obedience is not denied but defences by lawes aright first to bee heard Whereas they alleadge that sitting is dangerous for breeding contempt and prophanation To passe by the institution experience is a testimonie in the contrare Rusticitie in the behaviour of simple ones not acquainted with all the points of civiliâ—â— is not prophanation but may bee where the minde is in good order Horrible prophane were the words of our blind bishop to a gentle woman in the offering of the elements because shee would not kneel Wee maintain that kneeling in the act of receaving the sacramentall elements was not devised or at least authorized till the great Antichrist overruled Wee need not to poinâ—â— at the time when it first began for there are many corruptions in the Romane Church which can not bee dedâ—â—ed 〈◊〉 a certain beginning by the Romanists themselfs It is sufficient that wee point out a time wherein it was not in use There can not be an authentick testimonie alleadged for kneeling in the act of receaving the sacramentall elements before the opinion of reall presence yea or of transubstantiation began to spread or to come to a more certain date for the space of a thousand years after Christ. I say authentick testimonie for wee regard not supposititions or counterfite works Origens first homilie in divers loca is brought in saying Thou therefore humbling thy self â—â—itat the Centurieâ— â—nd say Lord I am not worthie c. but that works is acknowledged by the papists themselfs to be counterfite Suchlike counterfiâ—e Cyrillus of Jerusalem in his fifth catechisme saith Then come to the cuppe of the blood not stretching out thy hand sed prâ—nus in modum adorationis venerationis dicens Antenâ— But stowâ—ing downward or with the face bended downward in manner of adoration or veneration saying Amen He sayeth not Cade pronuâ— fall down on thy faâ—e sed accede pronus but come inclyning or bowing thy heâ—d or upper part of thy body as men use to do when they make courtesie for men can not come falling flat But what need wee trouble our selfes with his words seeing hee is marked for a counterfite by Moulias on the Lords supper the bishop of Spalato and Plessie who in his answere to the bishop of Evereux saith These catecâ—ismes of Cyrillus are supposititious and come not to light but in our time M. Down in his treatise of transubstantiation pag. 3â— 38. saith That these catecbeticall booke are but of a verie late edition that Harding acknowledgeth that in his time they were known to veâ—ie few and in â—rite that they have beene published since in print and perhaps to winne more authoritie to them misfathered upon Cyrillus of Ierusalem This Cyrill directs the Communicant to touch his lips which are sanctified with the touch of Christs body and bloud that by the touch of that finger hee may sanctifie his eyes brow and others No authentick testimonie can they produce bearing the word kneeling which is an adoration not in a large but strict sense The testimonies bearing the word adore are either counterfite or to bee understood of inward adoration as Doctour Burges himself confesseth sundrie of the learned do construe them or of adoration in time of prayer before they communicate or adoration is taken taken only for veneration See Iewel in the article of adoration Bilson in his book of obedience and Mortoun the late defender of the ceremonies in his latest worke entituled Of the institution of the sacrament He bringeth in sundrie exemples to prove the latitude of the word Adore When Theodorâ—t saith dialog 2. that the mysticall signes are adored he should speake very grosly if the word adore meant not only reverent usage Moulines on
à Lapide joyneth both together Christ and his Apostles Vnde à Christo Apostolis festum à sabbato in dominicum est translatum Some saith Dow ground the institution of the Lords day upon the fourth commandement some upon the sanctification of the seventh day at the creation other seeke for authority out of the new Testament but all these three agree in one For the fourth commandement was but a renovation of the first institution after the creation The substance of the commandement is to observe a seventh day the renewing the appointment of that seventh day of the first weeke was a circumstantiall point and therefore it was changeable like as for some types and ceremonies annexed to it it behoved to bee changed The institution of the Lords day was but a substitution of another day to that which was the substance remaining to wit that the seventh day of a weeke be sanctified For as I observed before the force of Gods example alledged in the fourth commandement lieth in this chiefly that God purposly tooke six dayes to create the world whereas he might have done it in six houres and rested upon the seventh not in this that he created in those six dayes and rested upon that seventh day which followed immediatly after for the Lord saith for in six dayes not for in those six dayes God made choise of that seventh day at that time to sanctifie it to bee a memoriall of his rest from the worke of creation that seventh day When Christ rose from the dead and a new creation as it were of a new world was begunne there was greater reason to sanctifie that day howbeit there had beene no types and ceremonies annexed to the former farre more seeing it behoved to bee abolished The seventh day in the precept is to be considered materially as it were or formally As it is considered formally and in generall it is of the substance of the command but consider it materially as the seventh from the creation it is not of the substance of the commandment The seventh day may bee considered both the wayes Septimuâ— autem dies intelligi potest vel ille qui est septimus dâ—es à creatione numerando à primo die creationis que dici potest veluâ—imaterialis numeratio vel potest dici septimus quasi generatâ—m seu formaliter ille qui est ultimus in septenario numero dierum sicut Aristoteles dixit ultimam unitatem esse formam numeri The institution then of the Lords day is nothing els but a substitution of another seventh day to the former seventh day considered materially These are the common phrases of divines that the old sabbath was changed into the first day of the weeke that the glorie and excellencie of the old sabbath was translated into that day that that day succeeded or was substitute to the old sabbath What can these phrases import but that vis praecepti the force of the precept yet remaines and only the materiall numbring for great respects was changed Philoâ— Judaeus in his booke de opificio mundi in the place above cited upon occasion of the sabbath discourseth at large upon the mysteries of the sacred septenarie as hee calleth it or number of feven Peter Martyr saith that God delighteth in the number of seven and hath closed up great and wonderfull workes within the compasse of the number of seven Scaliger saith that the number of seven dayes is instituted by a divine power because it is so commodious for all the course of the year called Solar and hath into it some divine thing Divinitus igitur institutus est numerus dierum septenarius qui ad omnem civilis anni Solaris rationem commodissimus est ut dixi nescio qui 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 habet But in the institution of the sabbath God had not an eye to the mysteries or hid vertue which is in the number of seven but to the abilitie of man The sabbath was made for man and not man for the sabbath Our reason theÌ„ for the perpetuity of a sevenths day sabbath to be sanctified that this order cannot be changed that it is of the substance of the fourth commandement are these First if by vertue of the fourth precept of the decalogue wee bee not bound to sanctifie one day of seven then we have no divine precept for any certaine circle or circuit of dayes for the sanctification of a certaine day for no where in scripture have we any precept for any other revolution of dayes to observe one of them Without a certain and set systeme of dayes there would arise great confusion and division in the Church of God some judging one of ten others perhaps one of twenty or thirty suffiâ—ient c. It behoved thâ— Lord therefore by his supreme authoritie to sâ—int the time to exeeme all Scruples out of mens mindes and to prevent all confusion and disorder No humane authoritie could have bound mens conscience to the observation of it The Lord no where hath done it but in the fourth precept Next the reason in the precept concerneth us all for as I have said before the Lord tooke six dayes to creat the world no moe no fewer and rested the seventh to be a paterne to man many hundred yeares before the Iewes became a nation and in that precept which was a renewing of the institution commandeth us to follow that paterne Thirdly the proportion betweene the six dayes for man to doe his owne businesse and the seventh to be dedicated to God is so just that it cannot bee altered without prejudice for to give man but five were an heavie burthen to give him seven or eight or moe the time set apart for God would not be sufficient Vnlesse wee will thinke God exacted more then was sufficient when he required the seventh But we must acknowledge that God is good and wee professe equity in his precept in that he hath given us six dayes and taken but the seventh to himselfe And who was so wise as to finde out this proportion without prejudice either to God or man Aquinas distinguisheth morall precepts in three rankes The first are such as naturall reason doth yeeld to incontinent The second are of such as need the more subtile consideration of the wiser sort considering sundry circumstances A third sort are of such as need divine instruction to help mans reason to judge and condescend These of the first ranke are absolutâ— de lege natura simply or absolutly of the law of nature the rest are attained unto by humane discipline and instruction as these of the second ranke or â—vâ—ne inseâ—uctioâ— as these of the third And to this ranke may this proportion bee referred But wee are content to urge it onely as divine positive but unchangeable as the rest of the morall precepts are So that the fourth precept is partly divine naturall that God must have a time set for his worship partly