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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	authority_n	church_n	reason_n	1,519	5	4.9993	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A26918	The divine appointment of the Lords day proved as a separated day for holy worship, especially in the church assemblies, and consequently the cessation of the seventh day Sabbath : written for the satisfaction of some religious persons who are lately drawn into error or doubting in both these points / by Richard Baxter.	Baxter, Richard, 1615-1691.	1671 (1671)	Wing B1253; ESTC R3169	125,645	262

and the unwritten Vniversal Traditions to be somewhat lower which there was no Scripture for at all Among which the white Garment and the Milk and Honey to the Baptized and the Adoration toward the East are numbred For he that is appointed to worship on the Lords dayes standing or toward the East is supposed to know that on that day he is to worship If the Mode on that day be of Universal Tradition as a Ceremony the day is supposed to be somewhat more than of unwritten Tradition 15. I add here also though in the fourth Century because it looks back to the Institution the words of Athanasius cited by Heylin himself Homil. de Semente though Nannius question it That our Lord transferred the Sabbath to the Lords day But saith Dr. Heylin This must be understood not as if done by his Commandment but on his occasion the Resurrection of our Lord on that day being the principal Motive which did influence his Church to make choice thereof for the Assemblies For otherwise it would cross what formerly had been said by Athanasius in his 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. Answ. It expresseth the common judgement of the Church that Christ himself made the Change by these degrees 1. Fundamentally and as an Exemplar by his own Resurrection on that day giving the first cause of it as the Creation-rest did of the seventh day 2. Secretly commanding it to his Apostles 3. Commissioning them to promulgate all his Commands 4. Sending down the Spirit on that very day 5. And by that Spirit determining them by promulgation to determine publickly of the day and settle all the Churches in long possession of it before their death That which is thus done may well be said to be done by Christ 2. And what shew of Contradiction hath his 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to this It was commanded at first that the Sabbath day should be observed in memory of the accomplishment of the World so do we celebrate the Lords day as a Memorial of the beginning of a new Creation Had not he a Creating head here that out of these words could gather that we celebrate the Lords day without a command Voluntarily One would think so should signifie the contrary But ib. pag. 8. he citeth Socrates for the same saying that The designe of the Apostles was not to busie themselves in prescribing festival daies but to instruct the people in the wayes of Godliness Answ. Socrates plainly rebuketh the busie Ceremonious arrogancy of after Ages for making new holy dayes and doth not at all mean the Lords day but saith that to make festivals that is other and more as since they did was none of the Apostles business Nor is this any thing at all to the matter of fact which none denyed 16. I will add that as another Testimony which p. 9. he citeth against it The Council at Paris An. 829. c. 50. which as he speaketh ascribeth the keeping of the Lords day to Apostolical Tradition confirmed by the Authority of the Church The words are ut creditur Apostolorum traditione immo Ecclesiae authoritate descendu c. Now I have proved that if the Apostles did it they did it by the Holy Ghost and by Authority from Christ But he citeth p. 7 8. the words of Athanasius Maximus Taurinensis and Augustine saying that We honour the Lords day for the Resurrection and because Christ rose and Aug. The Lords day was declared to Christians by the Resurrection of our Lord and from that or from him rather began to have its festivity From whence he gathereth that it was only done by the authority of the Church and not by any precept of our Saviour Answ. As if Christs Resurrection could not be the fundamental occasion and yet Christs Law the obliging cause Would any else have thus argued The Jews observed the seventh day Sabbath because the Creator rested the seventh day Therefore they had no command from God for it Woe to the Churches that have such expositors of Gods commands Or as if Christ who both Commissioned and Inspired the Apostles by the Holy Ghost to teach all his commands and settle Church Orders were not thus the chief Author of what they did by his Commission and Spirit What Church can shew the like Commission or the like Miraculous and Infallible Spirit as they had See further August de Civitat Dei l. 22. c. 30. Serm. 15. de Verb. Apostol But saith he Christ and two of his Disciples travelled on the day of his Resurrection from Jerusalem to Emaus seven miles and back again which they would not have done if it had been a Sabbath Answ. 1. They would not have done it if it had been a Jewish Sabbath of Ceremonial Rest But those that you count too precise will go as far now in Case of need to hear a Sermon And remember that they spent the time in Christs preaching and their Hearing and Conferring after of it 2. But we grant that though the Foundation was laid by Christs Resurrection yet it was not a Law fully promulgate to and understood by the Apostles till the Coming down of the Holy Ghost nor many greater matters neither who was promised and given to teach them all things c. And it is worth the noting how Heylin beginneth his Chap. 3. l. 2. The Lords day taken up by the common consent of the Church not instituted or established by any Text of Scripture or Edict of Emperour or Decree of Council save that some few Councils did reflect upon it In that which follows we shall find both Emperours and Councils very frequent in ordering things about this day and the Service of it Answ. Note Reader What could possibly besides Christ and the Holy Ghost in the Apostles be the Instituter of a day which neither Emperour nor Council instituted and yet was received by the common consent of all Churches in the World even from and in the Apostles dayes Yea as this man confesseth by their Approbation and Authority But hence forward in the fourth Century I am prevented from bringing in my most numerous witnesses by Heylins Confession that now Emperours Councils and all were for it But yet let the Reader remember 1. How few and small Records be left of the second Century and not many of the third 2. And that Historical copious Testimonies of the fourth Century that is Emperours Councils and the most pious and learned Fathers attesting that the Universal Church received it from the Apostles is not vain or a small Evidence when as the fourth Century began but 200 years after St. Johns death or within less than a year And that the first Christian Emperour finding all Christians unanimous in the possession of the day should make a Law as our Kings do for the due observing of it And that the first General Council should establish uniformity in the very Gesture of Worship on that day are strong Confirmations of the matter of fact that the

Indeed all Labour is that is all the Motion of any Creature which is out of its proper place and moveth towards it But if you will call the Action of Active natures such as our souls are by the name of spiritual motion or Metaphysical motion as many do then no doubt but cessation is as contrary to their nature as corporal motion is to the nature of a stone And the Rest that is the perfection pleasure and felicity of Spirits consisteth in their greatest activity in good They rest not saying Holy Holy c. 3. You transfer the case from a day of Worship to a day of Rest. And so make your cause worse Because nature saith much for one stated day of Worship but not for one stated day of Rest from labour further than the Worship it self must have a vacancy from other things For reason can prove no necessity to humane nature of Resting a whole day any more than for a due proportioning of Rest unto Labour every day The Rest of one hour in seven is as much as the Rest of one Day in seven Or if some more additional conveniences may be found for Dayes than Hours there being no convenience without its inconvenience this will but shew us that the Law is well made when it is made but not prove a priore that there is or must be such an universal Law As you can never prove that Nature teacheth men the distribution of Time by Weeks 1. It being a thing of Tradition Custom and Consent 2. And no man naturally knoweth it till others tell him of it 3. And many Nations do not so measure their time 4. And no man can bring a Natural Reason to prove that it must be so which they might do if it were a Law of Natural Reason so also that every Family or Countrey at least should not have leave to vary their dayes of Rest according to diversity of Riches and Poverty Health and Sickness Youth and Age Peace and War and other such cases you cannot prove necessary by Nature alone though you may prove it well done when it is done 4 You cannot prove the last day more necessary for Rest than the first or any other For there are few Countreys where Wars or some other necessities have not constrained them sometimes to violate the Sabbaths Rest which when they have done it is as many dayes from the third day to the third as from the seventh to the seventh 5. If Time were naturally measured by Weeks yet it followeth not that Rest must be so some Countreys are strong and can labour longer and others tender and weak and can labour less 6. And seeing that the Reason of a day for worshipping Assemblies is greater and more noble than the Reason of a day for Bodily Rest Nature will rather tell us that God should have the first day than the last A Jove principium As God was to have the first born the first fruits c. 7. If we might frame Laws for Divine Worship by such conceits of convenience as this is of the last day in seven as fittest for Rest and call them all the Laws of Nature what a multitude of additions would be made and of how great diversity whilst every mans conceit went for Reason and Reason for Nature and so we should have as many Laws of Nature as there are diversities of conceits And yet that there is such a thing as a Law of Nature in which all Reason should agree we doubt not But having in vain expected your proof that the seventh day Sabbath is the Law of Nature or of universal natural obligation I shall briefly prove the Negative that it is not 1. That which is of natural obligation may be proved by Natural Reason that is by Reason arguing from the nature of the thing to be a duty But that the seventh day must be kept holy as a Sabbath cannot be proved from the nature of the thing Therefore it is not of Natural obligation He that will deny the Minor let him instance in his natural proof 2. That is not an universal Law of Nature which Learned Godly men and the greatest number of these yea almost all the world know no such thing by and confess they cannot prove by Nature But such is the seventh day Sabbath c. It is not I alone that know nothing of any such Law nor am able by any Natural Evidence to prove it but also all the Divines and other Christians that I am or ever was acquainted with Nay I never knew one man that could say that he either had such a Law in his own nature unless some one did take his conceit for a Law nor that he could shew such 3 Law in natura rerum And it is a strange Law of Nature which is to be found in no ones Nature but perhaps twenty mens or very few in a whole age nor is discerned by all the rest of the world If you say that few understand nature or improve their reason I answer 1. If it be such a Law of Nature as is obliterated in almost all mankind it is a very great argument that nature being changed the Law is changed How can that oblige which cannot be known 2. Are not we men as well as you Have not several Ages had as great improvers of nature as you If grace must be the improver are there or have there been none as gracious If Learning must be the improver have there been none as learned If diligence or impartiality must be the improvers of nature have there not been many as diligent studious and impartial as your selves Let all rational men judge which of these is the better argument I and twenty men more in the world do discern in Nature an universal obligation on mankind to keep the seventh day Sabbath Therefore it is the Law of Nature Or The world of mankind godly and ungodly learned and unlearned discern no such natural obligation except you and the few of your mind Therefore it is no Law of Nature 3. That is not like to be an Universal Law of Nature which no one man since the Creation can be proved to have known and received as such by meer natural reasons without tradition But no one man since the Creation can be proved to have known and received the seventh day Sabbath by meer natural reason without tradition Therefore it is not like to be an Universal Law of Nature If you know any man name him and prove it For I never read or heard of such a man 4. If the Text mention it only as a Positive Institution then it is not to be accounted a Law of nature But the Text mentioneth it only as a Positive institution As is plain Gen. 2. 3. God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it because that in it he had rested from all his work c. If it had been a Law of nature it had been made in Nature and the making