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A17292
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A brief answer to a late Treatise of the Sabbath day digested dialogue-wise between two divines, A. and B.
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Burton, Henry, 1578-1648.
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1635
(1635)
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STC 4137.7; ESTC S4551
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27,721
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34
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attend to Gods worship c. So Augustine And you see he speakes this not as his owne particular opinion but as it was the Tenet of the whole Catholike Church So as the whole ancient Catholike Church did not onely observe but call the Lords day the Sabbath of the Lord which they kept in place of the old Sabbath day Thus did H. B. informe me And I remember Hilary calls it so saying Though in the seventh day of the weeke both the name and observance of the Sabbath be established yet wee on the eigth day which also is the first doe injoy the festivity of the perfect Sabbath Lo here this Father also calls the Lords day the day of our perfect Sabbath But this suffice A. It is a very pregnant place for his purpose and sufficient to answer fully all the cavills which are brought to the contrary so as if H. B. doe but alledge this one place it will cleare all the other But Sir here is a huge clamour especially of late dayes raised against the name of Sabbath applyed to the Lords day I pray you may it not be called the Sabbath day And what doth our Church hold concerning this B. That the Lords day may be called the Sabbath day I make no question And that for many reasons 1. Because it is our Rest-day 2. The Apostle calls our rest a Sabbatisme 3. The very name of Lords day imports so much as being the Lords holy day as Esa. 58. 13. and that day whereon the Lord rested from his worke of Redemption and so sanctified by him and to him A. D. Wh. denies that Christ upon the day of his Resurrection rested from the worke of Redemption B. I conferred with H. B. about this because it much concernes him to quitt this question seeing on Christs resting on that day hee grounds the Sabbatisme of it as agreeable to the fourth Commandement And in my judgement if hee can evince and cleare it it will proove unanswerable And hee tells me that hee hath in two severall Treatises in Latin against Theo. Brab fully cleared it and remooved all objections and cavillations that either Th. Br. or F. VVh have or can bring to the contrary And hee purposeth to doe the like to D. VVh And hee made it very cleare to me that Christs Rest from the worke of Redemption from sinne on the Crosse and from death in the grave which was a branch of that worke began not till his Resurrection As for his Ascension that was into the place of rest but his Resurrection was into the state of rest As for D. VVh his objection with Th. Brab that Christ laboured on that day H. B. shewes it to be absurd and ridiculous seeing Christ arose with a body glorifyed and impassible so as his actions that day could not be called a labour that thereby the new Sabbath should be broken But you aske me what our Church holdeth concerning this that the Lords day is called the Sabbath day In brief I have observed that in the Homilies it is no lesse then ten severall times called expresly the Sabbath day 8. times in the Homily fore-cited and twice in the third Homily of Rebellion Also Canon 70. in the Articles of the two last Trienniall visitations of London In K. Iames his Proclamation May 7. 1603 twice In an exhortation at a generall Fast set forth by him in the first yeare of his Raigne In Archbishop Bancrofts visitation Articles for Canterbury Art 75. 76. I might compile a whole volume of instances in this kind Yea there seldome comes forth a Brief but it calls it the Sabbath day But least neither the Church of England in her publike doctrine nor the pious workes of her grave and learned sons may perhaps satisfy the Adversaries importunity yet I hope the writings of his more pious and no lesse learned brother D. Iohn VVhite and those also both republished and vindicated by Fr. VVhite from the Iesuites calumnies white dyed black c. will a little qualify him How D. Iohn VVhite doth not onely call the Lords day the Sabbath day as once Sect. 38. 1. and twice Sect. 43. digress 46. 6. but hee also condemnes all profane sports and recreations on that day and among the rest dauncing for one And for this hee alledgeth the example of the Papists as the most notorious Sabbath-breakers in this kind A. Doth hee so Sir This seemes strange to me that so great a Clerke as Fr. VVhite should so farre forget himself as not to remember what his brother hath write Surely if it be so it will be a cooling card and no small disgrace to his Lo when so worthy and reverend a Brother shall be brought as a witnesse against him But I pray you for my better satisfaction relate to me the very passages and words of D. Iohn VVhite B. I will In Digress 46. the title whereofis Naming certain points of the Popish Religion which directly tend to the maintenance of open sinne and liberty of life Now among many fowle and profane practises as hee calls them this hee notes for one namely the profanation of the Sabbath in these words That they hold it lawfull on the Sabbath day to follow suits travell hunt DANCE keep faires and such like This is it that hath made Papists the most notorious Sabbath-breakers that live So hee And Sect. 38. n. 1. hee sayth Let it be observed if all disorders be not most in those parts among us where the people is most Pope-holy c. And for mine owne part having spent much of my time among them this I have found that in all excesse of sinne Papists have bene the ringleaders in riotous companies in drunken meetings in seditious assemblies and practises in profaning the Sabbath in quarrells and brawles in stage-playes Greenes Ales and all heathenish customes c. Thus this reverend Divine Candore notabilis ipso whom all the Iesuiticall smoke out of the bottomlesse pit cannot besweere or besumdge or dye blacke with all their black-mouthed obloquies A. Surely these are very pregnant passages And it makes me tremble to thinke and amazeth me how one White is so contrary to another as also how the Libertinisme dispensed now a dayes on the Sabbath tendeth to bring us Protestants to be like to the Papists in their profane times in taking up their heathenish savage and barbarous maners and customes B. Wee have all of us cause to lament what wee see and to feare yet more sinfull mischiefs to follow if they be not prevented A. I begin to blame my owne negligence I did not thinke that our Church and the Archbishops and Bishops themselves and K. Iames and others had so familiarly used to call the Lords day the Sabbath day And it seemeth that D. Wh. hath not well read over out owne Church Records how skillfull soever he professe himself to be in Antiquity tanquam in aliena republica 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or as
rest yea from our lawfull and needfull workes For like as it appeareth by this Commandement that no man in the six dayes ought to be slothfull or idle but diligently to labour in that state wherein God hath set him even so God hath given expresse charge to all men that upon the Sabbath Day which is now our Sunday they should cease from all weekly and worke day labour to the intent that like as God himself wrought six dayes and rested the seventh and blessed and sanctified it and consecrated it to quietnes and rest from labour Even so Gods obedient people should use the Sunday holily and rest from their common and dayly businesse and also give themselves wholly to heavenly exercises of Gods true Religion and service So that God doth not onely command the observation of this holy day but also by his owne example doth stirre and provoke us to the diligent keeping of the same Good naturall children will not onely become obedient to the Commandement of their Parents but also have a diligent eye to their doeings and gladlie follow the same So if wee will be the children of our heavenly Father wee must be carefull to keep the Christian Sabbath Day which is the Sunday not onely for that it is Gods expresse Commandement but also to declare our selves to be loving children in following the example of our gratious Lord and Father So the Homily And againe as followeth Thus it may plainlie appeare that Gods will and Commandement was to have a solemne time and standing day in the weeke wherein the people should come together and have in remembrance his wonderfull benefits and to render him thanks for them as appertaineth to loving kind and obedient people This example and Commandement of God the Godly Christian people began to follow immediately after the Ascension of our Lord Christ c. So the Homily and much more VVhence wee plainely observe these conclusions 1. That all Christians ought and are bound in conscience of the fourth Commandement to keep the Lords Day holily 2. That by the force of the fourth Commandement one day in 7. is perpetually to be kept holy 3. That the keeping of the Lords Day is grounded upon and commanded in the fourth Commandement and so is not of humane institution 4. That the Lords Day is and may be called our Christian Sabbath day therefore it is not Iewish to call it so 5. That this day is wholly to be spent in holy rest and dueties of sanctification and therefore no part of it to be spent in vaine pleasures and profane pastimes Now the Author of the Treatise doth overthrow all these conclusions as is to be seene throughout his booke A. I pray you shew some instances hereof B. Pag. 23. his words are This position to wit that the fourth Commandement is properly and perpetually morall and is for quality and obligation equall to the other nine Commandements which for many yeares hath raigned in Pamphlets Pulpits and Conventicles and is entertained as an Oracle by all such as either openly professe or doe leane towards the Disciplinarian Faction is destitute of truth These are his words VVhich comparing with the words of the Homily of our Church already cited are found quite contrary For the Homily sayth that the fourth Commandement is a Law of nature and ought to be retained and kept of all good Christians in as much as it commands one day of the weeke for rest and God hath given an expresse charge to all men that the Sabbath Day which is our Sunday should be spent wholly in heavenly exercises of Gods true Religion and service So as this man doth most unjustly condemne all those Godly Preachers that have for so many yeares maintayned the expresse doctrine of our Church in their writings and Sermons and so hee flatly condemneth our Church and her doctrine of the Sabbath wherein shee is more cleare and sound then any Churches in the world And long may this doctrine still florish amongst us maugre all the malicious opposers thereof who are so bold as to affirme that it is destitute of truth A. I assure you I begin now to suspect the man that hee hath not dealt uprightly in the cause B. Nay it is past all suspition for his words are so expresse that they can admit of no favorable interpretation but that they condemne the cleare Doctrine of our Church touching the perpetuall morality of the fourth Commandement for one day in the weeke and so our Lords Day or Sunday the first day of the weeke our Christian Sabbath day which God hath given expresse charge to all men to keep holy A. I confesse the words of the Homily are most cleare without all ambiguity or obscurity But yet the Author seemes to acknowledge some morality naturall to be in the fourth Commandement For pag. 135. hee sayth Our resting from labour in respect of the generall is grounded upon the Law of nature or the equity of the fourth Commandement B. This is nothing to the purpose to acquit him from being an adversary to the expresse doctrine of our Church Dolosus versatur in universalibus it was the speech of King Iames. The naturall morality of the fourth Commandement is not in generall to imply some individuum vagum some certaine uncertaine indefinite time for Gods worship For the Commandement is expresse for a certaine day in the weeke for the Sabbath day Remember the Sabbath day to sanctify it It sayth not Remember to set apart and allow some time for the service of God but it determines the time and day least otherwise being left undetermined man should forget God and himself and allow no time or day at all for Gods service or if hee did God should be beholden to him for it But it is a Law of nature that every Lord and Master should have the power in himself to appoint not onely the kind of service but the time when it should be performed of his servants As Alexander d'Ales sayth upon the fourth Commandement The time of this rest it is not in mans power to determine but Gods Againe the adversary acknowledgeth an equity in the fourth Commandement VVhat equity if as it bound the ancient people of God to one day in the weeke it doe not also bind the Christian people to keep one day in the weeâ—â—nd if it be the equity of the fourth Commandement to prescribe one day in seaven then they are very unjust that deny the keeping of the Lords day to be grounded upon the equity of the fourth Commandement It were well if they would stand to equity But this doth our adversary fly from For hee sayth in the next words The particular forme and circumstances of resting are prescribed unto us by the precepts of the Church Our spirituall actions according to that which is maine and substantiall in them are taught by the Euangelicall Law Their modification and limitation in respect of rituall and externall forme and in