A SHORT But Cleare DISCOVRSE Of the Institution Dignity and End of the Lords-Day Upon Occasion of those words of St. IOHN I was in the spirit on the Lords-Day Written by George Hakewill Doctor in Divinity and Arch-Deacon of Surrey LONDON Printed by Iohn Raworth for George Thomason and Octavian Pullen MDCXLI REVEL. 1. 10. I was in the Spirit on the Lords-Day THey are the words as ye see of Saint Iohn the holy Evangelist the blessed Apostle the beloved Disciple the glorious Confessor the soaring Eagle the Sonne of Thunder the Divine by an Excellency and the Pen-man of this most Divine and excellent Book of the Revelation And here he makes known unto us the place where the time when the state in which he was when the high and deep mysteries of this Book were made known unto him The place where it was in the Isle of Patmos whither by Domitian the Emperour he was banished for the Word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ as it is in the verse going before my Text The time when on the Lords Day the best Day of the week shining among the other dayes velâ—…t inter ignes Luna minores as the brightest Moon when she fills-her circle with light among the other Stars The state in which himself then was in the Spirit in Spirituall exercises in Spirituall meditations and by means thereof in Spirituall raptures and elevations in Spirituall exâ—…asies of the soul above the ordinary pitch of humane condition Wee have here presented to our consideration these foure things First That there is a certain time a certain day which may deservedly be called and is indeed the Lords day The second That thâ—… dâ—…y here spoken of is that particular day and why it is â—…o câ—…lled The third Is the great priviledges and speciall prerogatives of this day beyond and above all other The fourth Is the duties which belong to us upon this day it is to be in the Spirit as St. Iohn was though not in Spirituall Trances yet in Spirituall Exercises and Meditations For the first of these it is certain most certain That there is not nor ever was any Nation under the Cope of Heaven since the first Creation which acknowledged a Deity but withall it acknowledged a Divine Worship and Service due to this Deity and that not onely inward in the minde but outward in sacred and solemn Rites and Observances as being both the kindely effects and lively characters of â—…he in bred Notions and Motions of the Soul And to this purpose they had not onely Temples and Altars and Sacrifices and forms of Invocation but Festivall dayes set dayes or dayes set apart as for the publique and Civill affairs so likewise for the religious Rites and Ceremonies And this they had partly from the dictate of reason which tells us That every action requires as a place so a time suteable thereunto partly from experience which teacheth us That that which is left at randome and hath no day prefixed is seldome performed as it should be on any day and partly from those broken remainders of the Image of God left in them and an imitation of the Church of God though from it in the main points of his Worship they had much degenerated It may be well thought that the first man created immediately by God himself even in the state of Innocency had both a certain place and time for the Worship of his Maker Howsoever sure it is that before we reade of the fall of man we reade of a Seventh day blessed and sanctified by God himself Gen. 2. 3. sanctified that by man it might be kept holy to his glory and blessed that man by keeping of it holy might receive a blessing from God When Enos was born of Seth the sonne of Adam it is said That men then began to call upon the Name of the Lord Gen. 4. at the last verse that is as I take it to call upon his Name in Publique Assemblies for which no doubt but they had a certain place appointed lest otherwise men might be disappointed in their meetings And most like it is that it was the same day which Abell and Seth and Adam observed before them and the rest of the Patriachs after them that day in which God himself rested having fully finished the great work of the worlds Creation Etiam ante legem non dubito primis illis patribus doctore Deo diem hunc solennem augustum sacrum fuisse saith the learned Mercerus Even before the Law I doubt not but this Day by Gods teaching was solemn and sacred to those primitive Fathers And Peter Martyr Nec ejus observatio coepit lege data in Sina sed ante celebrabatur Neither did the observation thereof begin with the giving of the Law in Sinai but it was celebrated before Of the same opinion is Rivet who likewise answers all the arguments brought to the contrary which together with them I the rather embrace for that before the giving of the Law in Mount Sinai we have an expresse and severe charge for the keeping of it in gathering Manna Exod. 16. and upon that occasion two such miracles shewed to ratifie and magnifie that day as seldome shall ye reade of more remarkable thorow the book of God whereof the one was that the Manna fell in great plenty upon all the other dayes of the week but upon the Seventh none at all The other That being gathered on the Sixth day it remained sweet till the Seventh and not so on any other day of the week besides Either of which miracles were doubtlesse as great or greater than that fabulous one of Plinie seconded by some of the Jewish Rabbins of a River in Iudea which is said to runne the sixe first dayes of the week and on the seventh to dry up so as we shall not need go seek out that River to authorize that day Yet after all this was this very day again for the better observation of it proclaiâ—…ed in Mount Sinai and that in a dreadfull and glorious manner Exod. 20. having a more solemn entrance into it and more weighty reasons to hedge it in and confirm it than any other of the Commandements And besides all the rest are negative onely the first of the second Table and this last of the first Table are affirmative nay this onely is both affirmative and negative standing in the midst of the two Tables to shew that they both depend upon the observation of it which I conceive to be the reason that in some passages of Scripture the keeping of the Sabbath day is put for the whole body of Gods Worship and pressed with more earnestnesse both in the following Chapters of the same book and in the books following of Moses and the Prophets than any of the other Precepts so as till the coming of Christ and at his coming too nay for a while after his death and passion resurrection and ascention that
Planets or as God himselfe calls the stars by â—…eathenish names Pleâ—…ades Orion and Arcturus with â—…is sonâ—…es Iob 38. or as S. Lâ—…ke Acts 28. â—…ells us that the ship of Alexandria in which S. Paulâ—…ailed had the signe of Castor and Polâ—…ux heathenish Gods yet it may not be denyed but the primitive Christians who daily conversed among those iâ—…olatrous Gentilâ—…s in deâ—…station of their Idolatry for the most part forbore those prophane heathenish names the first day they usually called the Lords day and the last the Sabbath and those between the first and the last feria secâ—…nda tertia quâ—…rta quinta sexta the second third fourth fifth sixth days of the week though they were not so scupulous but sometimes they were content to use the names of Sunday too as witnesseth Eusebiâ—…s in his fourth book of the life of Constantine Hunc salutarem diâ—…m saith he speaking of the Lords day quem lucis vel Solis appellamus and so it is called more then once by Iustinus Martyr in his second Apology And truly considering that upon this day the light was made which being first dispersed was afterward gathered into the body of the Sunne and withall that Christ the Sunne of righteousnesse as he is called Mal. 4. 2. rose again upon this day I see not but that we Christiaâ—…s may without any just offense name it Sunday Thirdly it is sometimes called the first day of the week thus was it constantly called by the Iewes as being the beginning both of the week and of the world thus by Moses Gen. 1. 5. thus by all the four Evangelists Math. 28. 1. Mark 16. 2. Luke 24. 1. Io. 20. 1. and again by St. Luke Acts 20. 7. and by St. Paul 1 Cor. 16. 2. nay more then so amongst all nations that keep any account of weeks and moneths and years this day is accounted the first day of the week which without doubt they borrowed either by tradition from the Patriarchs and so from Adam or from the writings of Mosâ—…s which many of them read But by the way wee are here to observe that this being the first day of the week cannot possibly bee the seventh one of the seven and the first and chief of the seven it is but the seventh if we will follow Gods account it is not nor cannot be so called so that what is spoken in the fourth Commandement of the Sabbath as the seventh day I sâ—…y as t is the seventh day cannot bee appliable to this day of ours except we should make the first and the seventh all one Fourthly it iâ—… sometimes called the eighth day for as it is the first in regard of the week following so is it the eighth in regard of that going before SufficieÌ„t warâ—…aÌ„ we have for this name Ioh. 20. 26. where though wee read after eight dayes yet by the consent of all Divines it is to bee understood of the eighâ—…h day after Christs Resurrection which must needs be the same day of the weeke with the first day of the weeke going before Nos in octava die quae et prima est perfecti Sabbathi festivitate laetamur saith S. Hillarie and St. Augustine Dies octavus qui primus speaking of this day in his Epistle to Ianuarius the the same is both the first day and the eighth day where he likewise tels us that this day was not unknown to the holy Fathers and Prophets before the Incarnation of Christ nam pro octava Psalmus inscribitur octavo die circumcidâ—…bantur Infantes saith hee for both a Psalm is intituled for the eighth and the eighth day after their bâ—…rth were children circumcised And again in his Enarration upon Psal. 89. or the 90. as we reckon speaking of the number of Fifteen made up of seven and eight Quorum primus saith he insinuat propter Sabbathi observationem Testam. vetus secundus Testam. novum propter Domini resurrectionem whereof the first by reason of the observation of the Sabbath signifies the old Testament tâ—…e second the â—…ew Testament by reason of our Lords Resurrection Hinc sunt in Templo quinde cim gradus hence it is that the ascent to the Temple was by fifteeâ—…e steps that there are fifteene psalmes of degrees that the Floud rose above the highest mountâ—…ins fiftâ—…en cubits si quiâ—…us aliis locis sacratus commeâ—…datur hic numerus and hence it is if this 〈◊〉 number be recommended unto us in any other places Whereunto hee might have added that eight persons were saved in the Arke as Saint Peter hath piecisely observed in his first Epistle and 3. cap. and in that respect in the second chapter of his second Epistle doth hee call Nâ—…h the eighth person Fifthly and lastly and chiefly it is called the Lords day as here in my Text and agâ—…in 1 Cor. 16. 1. as Beza in his Annotations on that place tells us according to an ancient â—…anuscript which himselâ—…e both saw and read where by the Lord no doubt is understood the Lord Iesus which was the usuall name given him by the Apostles both whiles he lived and afâ—…er his deâ—…th all other Lords bein buâ—… Underlings and all Kings but vassals in regard of him from him they hold their Crownâ—… and â—…o him they mâ—…st bend their knees and give an account of their kingdomes To him I sâ—…y who hâ—…th on his festâ—…re and on his thigh a naâ—…e written King of Kings and Lord of Lords being in his power and Majesty as farre above the greatest Lords on earth as they are above the meanest of their Subjects Now this day is called the Lords day or this Lords day because to the honour and service of the Lord it was both observed and enjoyned by his Apostles specially in memory of his resurrection and that by speciall order from himself of three of these namely that to the honour of the Lord it was observed by his Apostles and specially in memory of his resurrection no Christian I think makes any doubt so as neither of them will need any further proof two things then remain only to be proved the one that this day was not only observed by the Apostles but by them also enjoyned to be observed by the Church the other that both this observation and injunction were by speciall order from the Lord himselfe To prove that it was by the Apostles themselves enjoyned to be observed by the Church it shall not bee requisiâ—…e to vouch any expresse precept of theirs it will be sufficient if by necessary deduction from any such precept it bee made clear neither can wee otherwise prove many doctrinall poynts in controversie between us and the Church of Rome Now for such a kind of proof I would goe no further then that precept of the Apostle 1 Cor. 16. 1. Concerning the Collection for the Saints as I have given order to the Churches of Gâ—…latia even so do ye upon the first
indicâ—…is saith he Dominica dies extat insignis By these and such like Characters is the Lords-day become renowned And again in his 154. Sermon of the same Book Venerabilis est hic dies qui dominicus dies dies primus atque perfectus est dies clarus in quo visa est prima lux This Lords day is a venerable day The first day a perfect and shining day in which the light was first seen Nay Pererius the Jâ—…suite in his Commentaries upon the work of the first day having recounted no lesse then thirteen speciall Prerogatives thereof at last he thus concludes Haec sunt primi illius diei insignia atque ornamenta quibus ea dies mirabiliter nobilitatur atque decoratur These are the ensignes and ornaments of this first day wherewith it is wonderfully ennobled and garnished Likewise the Hebrew Author of the Book called Sedar Olam Rabba cap. 7. Recordeth many memorable things which were done upon the first day of the week as so many types that the chief worship of God should under the new Testament be celebrated upon this day As that on this day the cloud of Gods Majesty first sate upon his people Aaron and his children first executed their Priesthood God first solemnly blessed his people The Princes of his people first offered publikely unto God The first day wherein fire descended from heaven The certainty of these I leave to the Author to prove but sure I am that the Primitive Church for more than a thousand yeers after Christ to expresse the greatnesse of their joy upon this day neither fasted nor kneeled Nay Tertullian goes further in his Book de corona militis cap. 3. Die dominico jejunare nefas ducimus de geniculis adorare We hold it unlawfull upon the Lords Day either to fast or to pray kneeling And Saint Hilary in his Prologue set before his explanation of the Psalms gives the reason thereof ne festivitatem spiritualis hujus â—…eatudinis impedirit lest it might hinder the joy of our Spirituall happinesse on that day Look then what the fire is among the Elements the Eagle among the Fowls the Whale among the fishes the Lion among the Beasts Gold among the other Metalls and Wheat among the other Grains the same is the Lords Day among all the dayes of the week this Day differing as much from the rest as doth that Wax to which the Kings great Seal is put from ordinary Wax or that Silver upon which the Kings Arms and Image â—…re stamped from Silver unrefined or in Bullion And for other holy dayes it is as farre transcendent above them too as they are beyoud other ordinary dayes the other holy dayes consecrated by the authority of the Church and amongst us religiously observed may not unfitly be resembled to those honorable women spoken of in the 45 Psalm Kings daughters were among thy honorable women but the Lords Day ordained by the Lord himself and from him derived unto us by his Apostles is as the Queen here standing at the Kings right hand in Gold of Ophir gloriously apparelled the rest are as waiting-Ladies she as the Empresse gradiensque Deas superem net omnes and were they all brought into one Chain the Medale of this Chain could be no other than the Lords Day This was doubtlesse the generall aâ—…d constant opinion of antiquity touching thâ—…s Day but I know not how it came to passe that after ages by insensible degrees much degenerating from the simplicity of those primitive times so infinitely multiplied and magnified their holy dayes beyond all measure and reason that the Lords Day began to be fleighted and at last with many to be accounted a common holy day nay perchance inferiour to some of the Saints insomuch that with us it had lost not onely the honour due unto it but the name by the Apostles imposed upon it Which no doubt a speciall occasion of that thick cloud of superstition which afterwards over shadowed the face of the Church and in appearance the reducing of this day to its originall honour and name would prove the readiest means to restore the Church again to her originall lustre and beauty even in those parts where that cloud is not yet dispelled as in all likelyhood the preserving of that name and honour with us would likewise serve to preserve that soundnesse of religion which now by Gods blessing we have long enjoyed under three such Princes as the world in their severall kindes and in succession cannot shew the like And so I passe to my fourth and last generall part The duties of the Lords Day which in a word is to be in the Spirit that is in Sptrituall exercises as Saint Iohn upon this day was Though he were then banished into the solitary Isle of Patmos where he had no means to converse with any Christian much lesse to communicate with their Assemblies in religious duties yet was he present with them in spirit as Saint Paul was with the Colossians though absent in body much desiring to be present with them and joyning with them even in his private devotions A good lesson for such as cannot have accesse to the publique Congregation considering they cannot do what they would yet to do what they may which is religiously to observe the Lords Day in their private houses or chambers in the ship or in the prison if their condition be such as they cannot come to the Lords House This is it which Saint Augustine adviseth discoursing of the duties of this day veniat cuique possibile est oret in conventu Ecclesiae pro peccatis suis Deum He who possibly can come let him come and in the Church let him there pray to God for the pardon of his sinnes Qui vero hoc non possit saltem in domo sua oret non negligat Deo solvere votum reddere pensum servitutis but he who cannot come to the Church let him pray in his house and let him not neglect the paying of his Vows to God and the rendering of that service which is exacted Now for such as have free accesse to the Congregation these spirituall exercises are either publike or private publike in the Lords House private in our own houses with our families or in our chambers and closets in our Gardens or in the Fields The exercises to be performed are confession of our faith and our faults absolution thanksgiving humble and hearty prayer reading and expounding the sacred Oracles of God the private readiâ—…g of the Scriptures or other godly books the administration and participation of the holy Sacraments the singing of Divine Hymnes meditation and conference as well touching those things we have read and heard as touching the wonderfull works of God in the Creation and Government of the world This is to be in the Spirit specially if these dutiesbe practised by us in a Spirituall manner that is if we perform them not
in greatest request Sed eam solennitatem Dominus in diem Dominicum transtulit but the solemnity thereof the Lord himself hath now put over and conferred upon the Lords-day and again in another place Octavo Sabbathum dissolvit And to me Saint Augustine in his Epistle to Ianuarius seemeth to fall in the same way The Lords day saith he was declared by the Resurrection of the Lord Et ab illo coepit habere festivitatem suam not ab illa but ab illo from him it began to be made Festivall To these Ancients might be added of our own Divines Doctor Fulk in his answer to the Rhemists on the words of my Text and Master Perkins not only in his Exposition of these words But in his Cases of Conscience And among forraign Divines the learned Iunius as well in his Lectures â—…pon Gen. 2. 3. as his notes upon Tertullian in the former of which he saith that this day was set apart for holy uses Non humana traditione sed Christi ipsius observatione instituto Not by any humane tradition but by the observation and institution of Christ himsâ—…lf in the latter Vt quem Dominus tum resurrectione sui corporis tum ordinaria Ecclesiae suae synaxi sanctificaverat ut Cyrillus in Iohan. annotavit As being the day which the Lord hath consecrated not only by the Resurrection of his Body but by the ordinary Assemblies of his Church as Cyrillus upon Ioâ—…n hath observed The summe of all is this That the Apostles had not a freedome of choice left to themselves what day they would set apart for the publique exercises of Religion but what was foretold by the Prophets what was shaddowed before and under the Law what they practised and delivered herein they received from the Lord As one of them speaks for all in another case indeed yet not improperly appliable to our present purpose which being so they doubtlesse derogate much both from the honour of the Lords-day and from the Lord himself the Author thereof who would make it no better then an humane ordination or at best an Ecclesiasticall Constitution framed according to the pattern of the Apostles and consequently changeable either by the Civill Magistrate as some or by the Church as others Whereas the Primitive Christians were so constantly resolved of the immutable fixednesse thereof that they expected his return to the generall judgement upon the same day which himself had ordained in all succeeding ages to be kept holy And therefore they thought they could never sufficiently grace it with the highest titles of preheminence they could possibly devise which is my third generall part and now presents it self to our view the notable prerogatives I mean and speciall priviledges of this day beyond and above all other As all time so all dayes which are a part of time are of the Lords making and as a part of time so are they equall among themselves as well in Dignity as Duration but in regard of the end to which and the use for which they are set apart so are they distinguished each from the other which by Syracides is well and truly exprest why saith he doth one day excell another when as all the light of every day in the yeer is from the Sun whereunto he maketh answer By the knowledge of the Lord they were distinguished and he altered seasons and feasts some of them hath he made high-dayes and hallowed them and some of them hath he made ordinary dayes And surely if any day be an high-day it should in reason be the Lords-day The eminency whereof it shall not be amisse to consider comparatively in relation to other dayes First to the Jewish Sabbath and then to other dayes of the week specially other Holidayes of the Christians For the first of these as by the Gentiles the Lords day was usually called Dies Solis Sunday So was the Jewish Sabbath Dies Saturni Saturns-day or Saturday and how much the Sun in bignesse exceeds and excells in brightnesse and influence the starre by them named Saturn so much doth the Lords-day exceed and excell the Jewish Sabbath Their Sabbath was instituted in memory of the Creation our Lords-day of the Redemption of the world Now for the Creation of the world God only spake the word and it was made but for the Redemption thereof the Eternall Word the Sonne of God himself must become incarnate and by the space of many yeers both do and suffer many things by means of the Creation man was intituled to the earthly paradise by means of the Redemption to the heavenly by the Creation he was made a Companion of the Angels by redemption they are made in some sort his inferiors being sent forth to minister for their sakes that shall be heirs of salvation In the Creation all the other Creatures have their interest together with man the work of Redemption is proper to him alone Again the Jewish Sabboth was renewed in memory of their deliverance from the bondage of Egypt but our Lords-day ordained to be kept holy in memory of our deliverance from the bondage of Sin and Satan who held us under in a farre more miserable slavery then that of Egypt Moreover it is by Saint Augustine observed that the Israelites passed safely through the read Sea not on the Sabboth but on our Lords-day and both by him and Origen That the Manna fell first on the first-day of the week but none on the Seventh where by the Manna Origen after his allegorizing manner understands the sweet dew of heavenly Doctrine and from thence inferres Intelligant Iudaei jam tunc praelatam esse dominicam nostram Iudaico Sabbatho Let the Jews know thâ—…t even then our Lords-day was preferred before their Sabboth Now in relation to the other dayes of the week and to other holy-dayes This Lords day shines among them as doth the Dominicall Letter clod in Scarlet among the other Letters in the Calendar or as the Sunne imparts light to all the other Stars so doth this day bearing the name thereof both Light and Life to all the other dayes of the week This day saith Eusebius is tum vere praecipuus tum haud dubie primus of all other dayes as truly the principall as it is undoubtedly the first Athanasius cals it Diem sanctissimum and sanctissimum festum the most holy day the most holy festivall attributing unto it both the initiation of the world and mans regeneration Igâ—…atius in his Epist. to the Magnesians stiles it Reginam Princâ—…m dierum the Queen and Princesse of dayes Chrysostome drem râ—…galem a royall day Leo hath written purposely in commendation of it in his 81. Epistle to Dioscorus Saint Augustine in sundry Treatises of his takes occasion highly to extoll it as namely in his 251. Sermon de tempore having spoken of some of the most remarkable things which fell out upon this day His talibus