and religious Exercises Necessary works there be which may lawfully be done on the Lords day such things as concern mens necessary Nourishment may be done and no doubt but men may provide for the dumb Beasts on the Sabbath and loose the Oxe and the Asse from the Stall to be watered yea some persons are priviledged to do the works of their Calling on the Lords day Our Saviour telleth us how that on the Sabbath day the Mat. 12. 5. Priests in the Temple profane the Sabbath and are blameless And no doubt but the Ministers of the Gospel may do the works of their Calling on the Lords day yea if they beat their brains and busie their bodies the more carefully they are employed in the works of their Calling on the Lords day the more acceptable Service they perform to God It is a thing exceeding painfull to those who study for their Sermons to perform their Ministerial Function in instructing the people Their Mind doth labour and they are greatly bâ—sied on such Lords dayes as they do preach unto the People besides it is a weariness to their Bodies to read Prayers to administer the Sacraments to multitudes and to do other Duties belonging to their Place and Callings But yet working on the Lords day is a Duty belonging to their Place and Callings and an acceptable Service it is to God if it be performed carefully and conscionably as it ought Besides works of Necessity there are works of Charity which all men but especially those that are of Ability ought to perform The Visiting the sick the relieving of the Poor and doing Offices of Charity for those that are in distress It was usual with the Primitive Christians on every Lords day to make Collections and do Offices of Charity Physicians no doubt may ride and take Journeys on the Lords day temper Potions and administer Physick to the Diseased Beside works of Charity which have ever been in use and may lawfully and laudably be done works of Piety are proper for the day I purpose more particularly to insist upon these and shew how the Sabbath ought to be consecrated to such works and be spent in holy and religious Exercises so that men should be at leisure for God on that day It is a Day greatly to be observed unto the Lord and men should think of it before it cometh there is a Memento prefixed before this Commandement Remember the Sabbath to keep it holy and St. Mark calleth the day before the Sabbath the Preparation Mar. 15. ver 42. because it was usual with the People of God to prepare themselves for the Sanctification of the Sabbath as it is the Duty of all good Christians on that day they should lay aside all earthly Cogitations and worldly Businesses and separate themselves to the service of the Lord and perform all such holy and religious Exercises as are required on the day As on all dayes men ought to pray in their own Persons and with their Families so more especially on the Lords day they ought to sanctifie themselves and prepare their Families for the Sanctification of the Sabbath and for performance of such holy and religious Exercises as are required in God's House as likewise for such Duties as are required to be performed in their own Houses I shall briefly run over the publick Performances the holy and religious Exercises that are required in God's House and then likewise touch upon those that are required in every mans own house Men should with fear and reverence assemble themselves in the House of God the Place where his Honour dwelleth there after a special and more peculiar manner to worship him on the Lords day The first and special publick Duty required and of greatest concernment for the Sanctification of the Sabbath is the Praying unto God in the House of Prayer the pouring out Supplications to him the offering up to him every Sabbath day a Morning and an Evening Sacrifice worshipping him in the Beauty of Holiness with the Congregation of the Faithfull this is a Duty which cannot be omitted and that of all other Duties it is most especially required for the Sanctification of the Sabbath I think I shall easily prove In the 56th Chapter of the Prophecy of the Prophet Isaiah ver 2. the Prophet setteth it forth That blessed is the Man that doth this and the Son of Man that layeth hold of it that keepeth the Sabbath from polluting it I but you will say How shall we keep the Sabbath from polluting it and what is a special Means to sanctifie it If you read that Chapter and consider seriously of the Blessedness which God bath pronounced upon those that keep his Sabbaths you must needs see that a principal means of sanctifying his Sabbath whereby to procure the like blessing upon your selves is to pray unto God in his House upon his Holy Day in vers 4. Thus saith the Lord of the Eunuches that keep my Sabbaths and choose the things that please me and lay hold of my Covenant even to them will I give in mine House and within my walls a place and a Name better than of Sons and Daughters I will give them an everlasting Name which shall not be cut off Also the Sons of the Strangers that joyn themselves to the Lord to serve him and to love the Name of the Lord to be his servants every one that keepeth the Sabbath from polluting it and taketh hold of my Covenant even them will I bring to my holy Mountain and make them joyfull in my House of Prayer Their Burnt-offerings and their Sacrifices shall be accepted upon mine Altar For mine House shall be called a House of Prayâ—r to all People When God by the Prophet speaketh of his accepting the Burnt-offerings of the Strangers of the Eunuchs the words are meant of the offering up to him the calves of their Lips these are the Offerings that he will accept no doubt but the words are to be understood of the Sacrifice of Prayse of the Oblations of Prayer as is manifestly proved by that which immediately followeth Mine house shall be called an house of Prayer to all People Yea he that seeth not that the principal Means of sanctifying God's Sabbath is to pray unto God in his House of Prayer he must needs be a stranger to the Scriptures and the Word of God If then you will indeed sanctifie God's Sabbath by performing in it holy and religious Exercises be perswaded to tread his Courts and be present continually at Divine Service Slight not Divine Service and say not as it is the common custom of most men in these times If we goe up to Gods House we shall hear there onely a few Prayers but say rather on the contrary If we go up to Gods House we shall there say our Prayers with the Congregation of the faithfull worship God in the Beauty of Holiness which is a principal Means of sanctifying Gods Sabbath and a Duty which of all
others God will most especially reward The Word of God it should be publickly read on the Lords-day this is a holy and religious Exercise that is proper for the day and so necessary for the Sanctification of the Sabbath that it cannot be omitted It was usual to read something out of Holy Writ to the People every Sabbath day as you may see by that which is alleadged by St. Paul Act. 13. 27. Where he setteth it forth that the Rulers of the Jews condemned our Saviour because they knew not the voyces of the Prophets which were read every Sabbath day By this place of Scripture it is plain that it was in use to read something out of the Law and the Prophets every Sabbath-day This Custom it hath been solemnly kept and religiously observed by the Christan Churches and reading of the Scriptures as it is a Religious Exercise proper for the Day and necessary for the sanctification of the Sabbath so it is of great use and tendeth much to Edification Our Church hath wisely appointed and religiously constituted that some of the Psalms of David should be read every Sabbath-day There be likewise Lessons appointed to be read every Lords-day two at Morning and two at Evening Prayer one out of the Old another out of the New Testament Epistles and Gospels are appointed to be read on every Sabbath thoroughout the year Where there is no Preacher or when the Minister is not prepared to Preach there be godly Homilies and fruitfull Exhortations appointed to be read unto the People If then you desire to sanctifie the Sabbath by performing in it holy and relâ—gious Exercises you shall do well to attend to the Word of God publickly read hereby you shall gain Knowledge in the Scriptures and be fitted and prepared to receive the engraâ—ted VVord of God which is able to save your souls Yea the Reading of Homilies is a kind of Preaching and if it be carefully and conscionably used no doubt but it may be as effectual peradventure more effectua for the Conversion of Souls than most Sermons that are preached in these times Think then of this holy and religious Exercise how proper it â—s for the day how necessary for the sanctification of the Sabbath and let no Lords day pass without coming up to the Temple to hear the Word of God publickly read unto you The Word of God publickly preached expounded unto the people by those that are set apart for that Office and Function It is the usual the ordinary Means of Salvation and when it is despised and contemned God will not work without it It is then a Religious Exercise of great use and of all other dayes the Sabbath is most proper for it Yet this I must say for I conceive it is the truth though the Sabbath be most proper for this Exercise yet this Exercise is neither so proper nor so necessary for the Sabbath that it should be impossible that the Sabbath should be sanctified without it This I shall easily evince out of the Scriptures in Acts 13. 15. we read how that after the reading of the Law and the Prophets the Rulers of the Synagogue sent unto Paul and Barnâ—bas saying Men and Brethren if you have any Word of Exhortation to say unto the People say on If it had been a custome of the Church to have Preaching in every Synagogue on every Sabbath day no doubt but the Reader that read there had been prepared to preach Neither would the Rulers of the Synagogue have desired the Apostles if they had any word of Exhortation to preach but rather would have said You are Ministers and Men of God alwayes prepared to Preach and therefore there is no doubt to be made but you have a Sermon and an Exhortation in readiness Though then it may be collected from hence that these Rulers were willing to accept of a Sermon when they did meet with such Ministers as were prepared to preach yet for certain their questioning with the Apostles whether they were prepared did shew that they did not hold Preaching so necessary that the Sabbath could not be sanctified without it Where the Word of God may be had by one or more able Ministers that the Word of God may he preached twice every Sabbath thrice every Sabbath if the Custom of the place be to have so many Sermons this I will not deny But that there must be Preaching every Sabbath day in every Congregation this I think it cannot be proved Some Ministers have made the world believe that the Sabbath in no place can be sanctified without preaching of Sermons and have wrought people to such an esteem of Sermons that all other of God's Ordinances are disesteemed so that no other holy and religious Exercises can find any place in the places where they are admitted but onely Sermons Yea they have turned Oratoria into Auditoria Houses of Prayer into Houses of Preaching and in all places where they have come have brought all holy and religious Exercises on the Lords day out of use but onely a Psalm and a Sermon God did never yet send such plenty of Labourers into his Harvest that there should be such store of able and painful Preachers that Sermons should be Preached every Sabbath day in every Congregation For my part I will pray unto the Lord of the Harvest that he would send Labourers into his Harvest could heartily wish that all the Ministers belonging to every Congregation in the Kingdom were indeed Prophets that they could Preach every Sabbath day or would Preach painfully and Conscionably though they Preached seldomer But this I say it is impossible that the Kingdom at this time should be thus Happy And some Ministers by buzzing in the ears of People that Preaching of the Word in every Congregation on every Sabbath-day is necessarily required by the Word of God have made the whole Kingdom miserable yea they have brought the Ordinance of God into contempt by their idle babling and lazy pratling who Talk much and often but Preach seldom But I beseech you beloved let not the abuse of God's Ordinance by some cause you to neglect the Lawful Use of it For Preaching it is the Power of God unto Salvation a Sabbath-days Exercise which of all others is of greatest Use for the Conversion of Souls for the bringing Men from Darkness to Light from Blindness and Ignorance to the Knowledge of God and of his Son Jesus Christ Be perswaded then hear the Word of God every Sabbath-day when it is publickly Preached and never miss the Sermons love those Ministers that Preach Painfully and Conscionably and despise not those who Preach often and plead earnestly for Preaching though you know and are assured that some of them are but lazy Preachers lest haply you be found despisers and contemners of the Ordinance of God There are other Holy and Religious Exercises which are required on the Sabbath-day Catechising the Youth and the Instructing them in the Principles of
A SABBATH Of REST to be kept by the SAINTS here OR A Treatise of the Sabbath and such Holy and Religious Duties as are required for the Sanctification of it Exod. 31. 13. Verily my Sabbaths ye shall keep for it is a Sign between me and you throughout your Generations that ye may know that I am the Lord that Sanctifie you The Great SABBATH of REST That remaineth to be Kept by God's SAINTS Hereafter Deut. 12. 9. Ye are not yet come to the Rest nor to the Inheritance that the Lord your God giveth you 2 Thes 1. 7. To you that are troubled Rest with us when the Lord Jesus shall be Revealed from Heaven with his Mighty Angels Heb. 13. 14. Here have we no continuing City but we seek one to come Delivered in Divers Sermons upon Heb. 4. 9. By Nicholas Smith Master of Arts and Vicar of Braughing in Hartford-shire London Printed by J. R. for Samuel Crouch at the Corner of Popes-Head Alley next Cornhill 1675. ERRATA PAge 3. Line 7. eyes for eye Ibid. l. 18. sins for sin p. 4. l. 1. chose for chosen p. 6. l. 10. day left out p. 15. l. 3. Christan for Christian p. 18. l. 20. for to be left out p. 20. l. 31. Sabbath for Sabbaths p. 22. l. 34. look for seek p. 26. l. 16. a is leâ—t out Psalm for a Psalm p. 28. l. 8. looking for seeking p. 28. l. 11. Man for Men. p. 30. l. 27. a left out Sabbath for a Sabbath p. 31. l. 6. weeks for week-days To the READER CHristian Reader How much the Laws of the Church and Kingdom are violated by Papists and Sectaries thou canst not be ignorant The spreading Contagion of Schisme and Heresie doth dilate it self through the whole Land and the Evil is so Vniversal that to the Worlds eye it seemeth Remediless and past Cure The several Sects that have of late days sprung up are so frequent and common in all places and parts of the Kingdom and the numbers that adhere to them are so many and the stream runs so strongly for them that a toleration hath been thought necessary and Liberty hath been granted to the several Sectaries to have their Publick Meetings and it was thought as necessary by Rulers and Governours that the Papists likewise should have a toleration in their Religion though they were not permitted to have their Publick Meetings or Meeting-places The Sectaries of late days having been found as dangerous and pernicious as the Papists and their Practices rather more than less Destructive to the Publick Peace of the Church and Kingdom But now His Sacred Majesty and both Houses of Parliament having by joynt Consent made the Laws of the Church and Kingdom binding to all and having thought it necessary not to admit of any Toleration and having Declared against all Back-sliding to Popery or Schism I have assumed the boldness to manifest to the World that nothing can more conduce to the Publick Peace of this Miserable Distracted Kingdom than to have the Laws of the Church and Kingdom Observed without consenting to any Changes or Alterations whatsoever And hope that this Sermon will find Acceptance of those who are in Authority and likewise of all Pious Christians who are for the Laws of the Church and Kingdom But yet I do Confess I do after a despairing manner settle my self to this Task We have been heretofore and are still by God's just permission for our sins so miserably Afflicted by Papists and Sectaries that I am out of hopes of prevailing and were it not so that I did more trust in Divine help and assistance than in Humane I had never set Pen to Paper to Write In this clear Light of the Gospel there could not be such Opposition of the Laws of God and the Land as there is if there were not some Papists and Sectaries who go against their Consciences and resist the Truth But it is to be that there be some such amongst us who stand for the Truth the Religion and Laws Established The good God open our Eyes to see our sins and give us Grace to Judge our selves that so the time may come when God may see their sins to be greater than ours and Discover and bring to light their Treacherous Practices their secret sins and under-hand workings so as may make for his Glory the publick Peace of the Church and Kingdom Those Ignorant Papists and Sectaries who are fraudulently circumvented and unawares seduced by Crafty Hereticks and Schismaticks who lie in wait to deceive I pity them and pray unto God for them that he would open their Eyes to see their Errors and amend their sins and hope that God may touch the Hearts of some of them and cause them to give over their slandering and iraducing of those who perswade them to Obedience and be willing themselves to be Obedient to the Laws of the Church and Kingdom and Labour to win others to Submit themselves to every Ordinance of Man for the Lord's sake And pray for those whose Hearts desire and prayer for them is that they might be Saved That so they with all Saints praying for those of the Magistracy and Ministry who stand for the Laws of God the Church and Kingdom We may have Peace among our selves at home and with our Enemies abroad and the Church of God may have Peace and be Edified walking in the fear of the Lord and the Comfort of the Holy Ghost This shall be the Prayer of him who is one of the meanest of the Houshold of Faith and desireth no other Honour than to Subscribe himself A Servant of the Church and of all Saints Nicholas Smith A Sabbath of Rest to be kept by the Saints here Or a Treatise of the Sabbath and such holy and Religious Duties as are required for the Sanctification of it Heb. 4. ver 9. There remaineth therefore a rest to the People of God GOd that made the world and all things therein seeing â—ne is Lord of Heaven and Earth dwelleth not in Temples made with hands neither is worshipped with â—eâ—s hands as though he needed any thing He is independent He standeth not in need of our Praises or of our Prayers If Churches be pull'd down Churchmen cast off the means allotted to God's worship and service either embezled or employed to prophane uses They that doe these things they may hurt themselves they cannot hurt God God receiveth no additional perfection by mens honouring him by their adoring and worshiping him If Temples be built His Name called upon His Sabbaths sanctified and the means allotted to his Worship and service employed to that use for which it was ordained so that men honour God with their substance and with the first fruits of their increase God his happiness is not hereby increased He was happy when these things were not done and will be happy when these things shall again cease to be performed but yet if the world continue and the great Sabbath of rest
Faction work upon them and make them believe that the publick Religious Duties required by the Laws because enjoyned have more of Man in them than of God and are therefore Superstitious and unlawful to be done To say the Truth though all of them do not often perform Holy and Religious Exercises and others of them are so Ignorant that they cannot at all perform them divers of them they were heretofore 〈◊〉 no doubt but they are still very frequent and often in the performance of Holy and Religious Exercises But Religion abused hath done a great deal of harm and it is greatly to be feared that some of them did heretofore and do still resist the Truth against their Conscience If Men Fast and Pray never so often if they do it for bad ends and wicked purposes These their Religious Actions are turned into sin unto them And if Man be never so frequent in performance of Holy and Religious Exercises in publick in private If they do these things that they may subvert the present Government and make Peoples hearts dis-affected to it All their Religious performances though never so specious in the Eyes of Men are yet abominable in the Eyes of God Yea such Persons who use Holy and Religious Exercises out of Policy not out of true Piety looking thereby to bring about their evil and wicked designs They have caused Religion and Religious Duties to be loathed and hated so that Mens hearts turn against the use of God's Ordinances Indeed it should not be so Man should not therefore abstain from but they should therefore often use God's Ordinances themselves in Truth because they are so often abused by others in Hypocrisie And for certain it must be such who honour God in his Ordinances and often use them that must keep Hypocrites from abusing them defeat and bring to light their Treacherous practices and their Treasonous designs whereby they seek to undo both Church and Common-wealth A great many of prophane and ungodly persons and people there are who are wicked without shew of the contrary who as they do often meet on week-days at Inns Taverns and Ale-Houses and spend their time in Rioting and Drunkenness Swearing and Cursing and prophaning God's Holy Name to the dishonour of Religion and discredit of the Gospel of Christ So many times they have their riotous meetings at the same places on the Lords day sometimes in the time of Divine Service to the grief of all good Men and to the scandal and Offence of all Godly Christians Indeed they seem opposite enough to Hypocrisie and very willing and desirous they are that they should be Reformed who cloak Treason under the shew of Religion But Magistrates and those that are in Authority hold it fitting that they should first Reform their own Lives and set a better example of Holiness before they seek the Reformation of others Yea it is plain that most of such dissolute and disordered persons they do for the most part rather rail and revile Hypocrites for being Religious than use any Legal or Lawful means whereby to reduce them from their Hypocrisie yea though fome stayd sober vertuous Persons whom Necessity forceth into their Company do Legally and Lawfully Oppose Hypocrisie and Labour to prevent the spreading Contagion of it and they by their Example learn to do the like and have been wrought and perswaded to be willing to jeopard their Lives against those who put the Face of Religion upon Rebellion Yet it is plain enough that the greatest part of them did heretofore and it is to be feared that under pretence of Opposing Hypocrisie they do still rail and revile vertuous Priests and Prelates whose Lives are continual Sermons for Piety and Godliness And were heretofore and it is to be feared are still Enemies to Godly Magistrates against whom they have nothing justly to Object but their laudable endeavours in seeking to reclaim them from their prophaneness and ungodliness It is a thing greatly to be desired that they who are guilty of dissoluteness and debauchedness and are openly Prophane Persons wicked without shew of the contrary It is I say a thing greatly to be desired that they would be perswaded to believe it It is not others often abusing of Holy and Religious Exercises that hath set off their hearts from a Love of Piety and Godliness but it is their own dis-using themselves from and not accustoming themselves to Holy and Religious Exercises that causeth them to loath them themselves and maketh them hate and detest them in others And their prophaning God's Sabbaths by swilling and bezeling by Cursing and Swearing those beastly Vices which cause them to be taken up in the Lips of talkers and branded with a Note of Infamy what is the Reason that they do not daily and continually Repent of those sins that so they should prevail against them and get ground of them every day But because they will not hearken to the good Instructions of God's Ministers perswading them to leave them Nor Obey the wholsome Laws of Godly Magistrates seeking to reclaim them from them But especially because they will not hearken to the good Motions of God's Spirit moving them to Repentance but put off God continually with delays and procrastinations Well if all these means do not work upon them to cause them to leave these sins constantly and continually to Repent of them and daily to practise Piety and Serve God in publick in private If God have not already it is much to be feared that he will e're long give up some of them unto a feared Conscience a heart that cannot Repent And this Spiritual Judgment they will find it to be worse than all Temporal Judgments and Afflictions whatsoever Briefly for a Conclusion among those that Covet an Opinion of Holiness and desire to be reputed Saints there be many Hypocrites And of those sinners of whom our Saviour speaketh in the Gospel That he came not to call the Righteous but them to Repentance there are but few true Penitents who constantly Repent of their sins and have any setled Acquaintance with God by Prayer So that what with openly prophane Persons on the one side and ungodly Hypocrites on the other side the Peace of the Church and Common-wealth is so much troubled and disquieted that if God help not it is not in the Power of Man to Remedy and redress those things If the Lord of the Sabbath do not cause his Sabbaths more carefully to be Sanctified and bring it to pass that Holy and Religious Exercises on the Lords day on Holy-days on Week days be more in use than now they are They that are true Christians in most places had need to pray unto God that they may keep a Sabbath unto him in Heaven for there will be no keeping of Sabbath to him on Earth And thus I should pass from this Allusion as the words put us in mind of a Sabbath that should be kept to God on Earth to speak