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A43869
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A short but cleare discovrse of the institiution, dignity, and end of the Lords-day upon occasion of those words of St. Iohn ... / written by George Hakewill ...
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Hakewill, George, 1578-1649.
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1641
(1641)
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Wing H209; ESTC R18460
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22,776
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41
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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
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