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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A53192	The doctrine of the Fourth Commandement, deformed by popery, reformed & restored to its primitive purity wherein is clearely proved by Scripture, arguments, and reasons, that the seventh day of the week, and not the first, viz. the day called Saturday (and not the day called Sunday) is the true Christian Sabbath ... / objections answered, and the truth cleared, by Gods unworthy servant, J.O.	Ockford, James.	1650 (1650)	Wing O128AA; ESTC R41358	35,090	80

Iohn 12.26 1 Iohn 2.6 5. The Apostle Paul kept it and other Christians Acts 13.14 15 16 37 42 43 44 chap. 16.13 14. chap. 17.2 and we are to imitate them 2 Cor. 11.1 Phil. 3.17 Heb. 6.12 Blessed is the man that doth this and the sonne of man which layeth hold on it and keepeth the Sabbath from polluting of it Isay 56.3 4 5 6. CHAP. V. Severall Authors produced which affirme the Church changed the Sabbath and why they did it 2. Three Reasons given to manifest when it was done 3. Answers given to severall texts of Scripture urged to prove the first day of the weeke to be of a divine Institution 4. Four Reasons given to manifest it is not of a divine Institution EVident it is that in some tract of time after the death of the Apostles the Romish Church layd aside the duty of the seventh day-Sabbath and observed the first day of the weeke instead of it Of this Socrates gives us notice lib. 5. chap. 21. Where speaking of Customes he saith Though in manner all Christian Churches throughout the whole world doe celebrate and receive the holy misteries every Sabbath day after other Yet the people inhabiting Alexandria and Rome of an old tradition doth not use it The Aegyptians adjoyning to Alexandria together with the Inhabitants of Thebaes use to celebrate on the Sunday c. 2. Mr. Brabourn in the defence of the Sabbath against the ten Ministers page 481 declares out of the Centuries Centure 4. chap. 6. page 477. layeth it down thus There was no Ecclesiasticall or Church Assemblies at Rome as there was at other Churches c. 3. Iustin Martyr living in Rome in the yeare 150. Apol. 2. saith Vpon the Sunday all of us assemble in the Congregation c. See Dr. Hylyn on the Sabbath part 2 chap. 2 sect 6. 4. Athenasius saith The observation of the Lords day was taken up by a voluntary usage in the Church as Dr. Hylyn in his history on the Sabbath declareth part 2. chap 1. Sect. 3. page 8. 5. Mr. Perkins on Gal 4. verse 10. speaking of the superstition of the popish Church in observation of holy dayes saith First besides the Lords day they appointed many other Sabbaths c 6. Mr. Calvin in his Institutions lib. 2. chap 8. sect 33. saith The old Fathers not without choyce of their owne put in place of the Sabbath the day we call Sunday c. And a little after exhorteth us to follow the order by the Church apointed c. 7. Bullenger in his Book of godly Sermons page 140. saith They of the Primitive Church did change the Sabbath day least peradventure they should have seemed to imitate the Jewes and still to have retained their orders and ceremonie and made their assemblies and holy meetings on the first day of Sabbaths to wit the first day of the weeke called Sunday 8. John Frith Declare Bapt. page 96 saith Our Fathers which were in the beginning of the Church did abrogate the Sabbath to the intent that Christians might have an example of Christian Liberty and that they might know that neither the keeping of the Sabbath nor any other day is necessary That a day should be reserved in that the people might come together to heare the Word of God they ordained instead of the Sabbath which was Saturdy the next day following and although they might have kept Saturday with the Jewes as a thing indifferent yet did they much better to over set the day to a perpetuall memory that we are free and not bound to any day but that we may doe any worke to the pleasure of God and the profit of our Neighbour c. See Dr. White on the Sabbath page 5. 9. Mr. Tindals answer to Dr. Moore chap. 25. thus saith We be Lords over the Sabbath and may change it to munday or any other day as we see need or may make every tenth day holy day if we see cause why we may make two every weeke if it were expedient and one not enough to teach the people Neither was there any cause to change it from the Saturday then to put difference between us and the Jewes least we should become servants to the day after their superstition As Dr. White hath it Ibid. page 5. 10. Vrsinus on the Catti part 3. page 989. saith The Apostolicall Church to distinguish its selfe from the Jewish Synagogue c. Hath on good reason made choyce of the first day c. 11. Dr. Willet in his Comment on Exod. chap. 20. page 360. saith The Apostolique Church changed the holy day of rest from the seventh day to the first which is the Lords day in remembrance of our redemption by Christ 12. Dr. White on the Sabbath page 109. thus saith Although the Sunday or Lords day in the time of the Law was an ordinary working-day yet in the time under the Gospel the same is an holy day by a perpetuall Ordinance of the Catholique Church And in pag. 212 he saith It is apparent that Christian people made the Lords day of every week an ordinary Holy-day c. See also Dr. Prideaux on the Sabbath pag. 24. Sect. 6. I hasten and shall take further occasion to manifest by larger Testimonies that the first day of the weeke is not of a Divine Institution but an Ordinance of the Church But first I will briefly describe the time when it was done as near as I can I confesse I have not met with any Author which hath pointed out the time except Mr. Brabourne who in defence of the Sabbath pag. 485. speaking of the Counsell held at Laodicea Anno 364. he saith now the Sabbath began to be rejected and the Lords day to be set up as the sole Sabbath without any other Now saith he the Lords day must forsooth be preferred above the Sabbath c. Mr. Perkins in his Exposition on the Revelation Chap. 1. vers 10. moveth a question to know who changed the Jewish Sabbath and then his answer is thus It is commonly thought saith he the Jewish Sabbath was changed into the Lords day by Christian Emperours long after the Ascension of Christ c. I doe not much dissent from these mens apprehensions for there is much truth no doubt in both their expressions yet I am not fully of of their opinions for indeed I conceive it was first contrived yea and concluded on inclusively though not expressed in the first Nicen Counsell Anno 326. or thereabout and my Reasons are three The first Reason is because before that Counsell there was not any Law which commanded Christians to keep the first day of the week in performance of Religious worship neither before that time were Christians commanded to forbear labour on the Lords day But this was done by the Emperour Constantine his Edict after the Counsell was dissolved Eusebius in the life of Constant Lib. 4. Chap. 18.19 The second Reason is because after that Counsell was dissolved Constantine sent

an Edict to all Governours of Provinces in his Roman Empire that they should forthwith observe the Lords day and honour Holy-daies consecrated to the memoriall of Martyrs and solemnly observe the Feasts of the Church * At this time or a little before is the time that Socrates speaketh of lib. 5. chap. 21. saying some despised the commandements of God and made them cannons of their owne they set at nought and made no account of the law published by the Apostles so unadvisedly saith he they put in practise decrees contrary to the will of God himself Ibid. Chap. 23. Note I doe not say the first day of the week was not observed till this time for evident it is it was observed by many Churches in few years after the decease of the Apostles Yea Dr. White on the Sabbath pag. 193. saith The Vniversall Church before the decree of any Generall or Nationall Counsell made the Sunday or Lords Day a weekely Festivall But I endeavour to denote when it was that the Church rejected the Sabbath and observed the first day of the week in stead of it The third Reason why it is probable the putting down of the Sabbath and the setting up of the first day of the week in stead of it was contrived in the Nicen Councel is because Christians before that Counsell were not forbid to observe the seventh day-Sabbath nor threatned to bee Excommunicated if they did observe it for that was not done till the Counsell held at Laodicea Anno 364. which was about 38 yeares after the Nicen Councell where they made a Law that Christians should not Jewdize and rest upon the Sabbath day but rather worke upon it and that they should prefer the Lords day above the Sabbath day and if any were found observing the Jewish Sabbath they should be excommunicated or accursed as Mr. Brabourn hath it in his forementioned Book pag. 482. Out of Hospine de Origen Fast Chap. 9 pag. 27. about this time many other Errours were set a foot for Mr. Brabourn in his forementioned Book pag. 482. saith you may read in Mr. Perkins his Demonstration of the Probleme about the 300 and 400 years after Christ Then began Images to creep into Churches the Crosse to be adored Invocation of Saints praiers for the dead Pilgrimage Purgatory single life of Ministers Monkery and Monasticall profession c. Thus have I shewn the time or neere about when the Lords holy seventh day-Sabbath was rejected and the first day of the week instituted in its stead which causeth me to say with the Prophet Psal 119.126 It is time for thee Lord to worke for they have made void thy Law Yea it appeareth to me to be a great cause of Gods Judgments on the World Isa 24.4 5. Lamentable it is that the Learned of this Land which professe themselvs to be guids to the blind and lights of them which are in darknesse and teachers of them which want knowledge and to have the forme of knowledge and truth of the Law that they should teach men to observe the first day of the week in stead of the seventh contrary to the Law upon a pretence that Jesus Christ abrogated the Sabbath and that he and his Apostles instituted the first day of the week in its stead when there is not any Word of God that teacheth either the one or the other I confesse there are many weak reasons produced by many men to prove their doctrine and practice * Note I pray if it be not according to the words of the law and testimony it is because there is no light in them Isa 8.20 both for the abrogation of the Sabbath as also for manifesting that the first day of the week is of a divine institution some principall places of Scripture produced and perverted by them I will briefly weigh and examine committing it to wise mens consideration and the Almighties blessing Anti-sabatharians say Our Saviour to manifest the change of the Sabbath day did plead for and performe some things that the Jewes upon the Sabbath might not doe and to prove it they urge two Scriptures the one Mark 2.23 24. Where it is said our Saviours Disciples plucked the eares of Corne on the Sabbath day and the Pharises urged at our Saviour for that fact Now say they Our Saviour justified that fact although it was a doing of that which the law of the Sabbath forbids Ergo the Sabbath was to be changed Answer Our Saviour did not justifie them in that act as an vnlawfull fact but justified them in it as a lawfull or justifiable fact as the cause stood with them they being hungry and that from a president in David and those that were with him who in the like case did eat the shew bread c. As also from that Of the Priests in the Temple which brake the Sabbath and were blamelesse Mat. 12.4 5. which words of our Saviour doe imply that had there not bene a necessity their action had not been lawfull but being a cause of necessity as Davids and the Priests was the one having a relation to Charity and the other to Piety they were blamelesse And therefore in answer to the necessity of his Disciples our Saviour said to his Adversaries If you had known what this meaned I will have mercy and not sacrifice Math. 12 7. A repulse to their cavill And withall our Saviour caused them to know that the sonne of man is Lord also of the Sabbath Which words of our Saviour doe imply he being Lord of the Sabbath knew the extent of the Sabbath better then they for had they known the extent of the Sabbath they would not have condemned the innocent Mat. 12.7 Let no man thinke that our Saviour either by his goodnesse or greatnesse did vouchsafe a dispensation to his Disciples to act that which was in its nature evill for that he did not neither doth those words of our Saviour in saying he was Lord of the Sabbath import that he had changed the Sabbath or would doe it But those words are to be understood far otherwise and that very proper to Our Saviour may be rightly said to be Lord of the Sabbath in a threefold respect 1. In that as he was God Iohn 1.1 2 3. In which sence the Sabbath was made by him 2. In respect it was upheld by him Iohn 5 17. Col. 1.20 3. He is rightly said to be Lord of the Sabbath in that he only holily kept it in his person for the perfecting of the Saints imperfect obedience to it Rom. 8.3 4. chap 10.4 Had our Saviour abolished the law of the Sabbath he had diminished from the morall Law which thing he did not Mat. 5.17 For being man and circumcised he was bound to keep the whole Law Gal. 5.3 In which regard he was a subject to it and so he acknowledged himselfe to be Mat. 4.7 10. Yea I say It was impossible that he could or did diminish from the morall Law